Nightwalker Fan Fiction ❯ End of All Hope ❯ Fairy Tales ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 5—Fairy Tales

It turned out that hunting for prey was one thing that Shido had taught his young daughter. In all their days of detective work, the principles of catching one's prey was a definite plus. She had never used her abilities on humans before, but it wasn't that much different from hunting the nightbreed.

Riho walked through the forest alone, her feet silently trailing across the ground. It had taken her forever to convince her two dear escorts that she could go off on her own and that it would be better and faster if she hunted alone. Shido had told her to just make sure that she stayed within calling distance and to signal if she ever ran into trouble. Azrael however wasn't too keen on letting a young “vampirlette maiden” go unescorted around the unknown lands.

She rolled her eyes at the thought of how Shido had to practically drag him away, giving her a quick wink of reassurance as the two left. Riho pushed a few tree branches aside and her ears pricked as the sound of male laughter reached her keen ears.

Going closer to the sound, she began to use the voices to draw her, the like heat signatures draw a snake. She thought to call the humans to her, but she was not as skilled in manipulation as Shido-san or Azrael-chan. She might not be able to hold them that long, which would defeat the purpose. Besides, the business of hunting humans was queasy enough to her mind that she wanted to get it done as fast a possible.

She knew that she had to take human blood to live, and in this warring time, she would not get it voluntarily and she would more then likely have to kill her host to prevent her host from killing her. However, that knowledge didn't make it any easier. She thought killing was wrong no matter the reason. Shido-san had explained to her time and again that it was all about self-preservation, and that sometimes in desperate times, desperate measures had to be taken, that she would understand when she was more experienced. She really hoped so, because at this point, she was feeling really lost.

Sighing, she continued on in silence, thinking on how it felt so different to have another vampire within her midst. When she had lived in Tokyo with Shido-san, there were only two other vampires that she had met, neither of them very nice.

Learning about this whole new world that she was now a part of, was quite a shocking and surprising, and even frightening experience. The vampire world was antique, but highly structured, and the creatures that she once feared as slaughters and butchers, she would soon find herself living among.

She had seen firsthand, that even her dear master (she still had to get used to that term…) could be quite ruthless and dangerous when pushed. It seemed all vampires were expected to be cold and ruthless when the situation warranted, but could she hold such an expectation of herself? Would she be able to go on in this new atmosphere and survive?

A sudden scream pierced through her thoughts and she quickly rushed forward toward the alarming sound, knowing that it was a scream of distress rather then pleasure or playfulness. She thought about calling out for Shido-san and Azrael but there was no time for that, someone could be seriously hurt!

She slowed down her soundless steps as she smelled human scents. It had taken her awhile to get used to her hypersensitive nose when she had first been turn into a vampire, but she was now used to it. She could now smell the difference between a human and a nightwalker, she even could tell slight changes in individual scent such as the fact that Shido-san had a slightly more mature smell to him then Azrael did. She didn't know if it was because he was older or if it was just because they were different people, but everything about her new powers fascinated her.

The human scents were soon accompanied by louder voices as she began to get close to the scream's point of origin. Using her excellent agility, she leaped up into the branches of a tree and looked down into a clearing and a horrible scene that took her breath away.

Four human teenage boys were laughing with evil glee as they stood surrounding a petite young woman who sat sprawled on the ground, one hand up in defense against her attackers and the other, wrapped protectively around her enormous, protruding abdomen. She was very beautiful, and very pregnant. She seemed to be looking up in terror at the jeering humans.

One of them leered at her repulsively, “She's a cutie, are you sure she's not a human?”

Another of the boys answered, pointing at her face. “Of course, look at those ears! She is so not human.”

“Please! Let me go, I have done nothing wrong!” She cried out, her large crimson eyes pleading with them for mercy.

The boys simply laughed at her and one kicked her hard in her back, sending her rolling across the ground. “You exist, monster. That's enough!”

Another teen picked her up from the ground by her long light blue hair, pulling her up painfully to her knees. “Your kind plagues our cities and hunts our people for pleasure. Do you think we would just let you pass through our territory without bringing a thing like you to justice?”

The woman winced and protected her pregnant belly with both arms as she looked up at her tormenter. “I mean you no harm. Please let me go…”

“Ha! Look at her plead for her life! Let's turn her over to the neo-centurions, they're sure to give us a good price for her.”

Suddenly the girl pulled hard away from the man holding her captive, screaming desperately, “NO! No please! I'm begging you! Do not take me to the camps. They will take my baby. We won't survive! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!!!!”

As the human teens continued to laugh at her heartrending pleas, Riho looked on with horror as the young soon-to-be mother's anguish. She could clearly see, just as the humans could, that the woman wasn't human; she could tell that by simply looking at the woman's sharply pointed ears. Yet, the woman didn't smell like a nightwalker either, it was a more fresh and nature based scent than the darker, moonlit smell of the vampires. It was a smell that reminded her of Guni…

She must be a fae.

Riho had never met another fairy other than Guni, but had guessed they must have kept as much to themselves as the vampires kept to their own communities. Shido-san, Guni and herself, and even Yayoi-chan had been all been loners, whether it was by necessity or choice. They had all decided to come together and make their own little family; a group of loners that worked together for their own reasons and had come to grow ties of friendship and alliance. It unfortunately, was an alliance that would cost the lives of two of those family members and changed the strength of those domestic ties forever.

Riho still felt the pain of Yayoi and Guni's deaths deep within her heart and had to stop herself from crying now. She could even know hear the noise of the mob as they shouted that one of those “monsters” was hiding in the office building and that they wouldn't rest till it's stolen blood ran freely through the streets.

Yayoi had hurriedly pushed them into a concealed closet, where Shido had hidden them further under the floor boards, where they had stayed, even as they heard the sounds of destruction, violence, screaming and even gunshots above them. The two of them could only hope that the crazed humans wouldn't burn the building down in their anger.

It had been hours later when Shido-san had finally felt it safe enough for them to leave their hiding place. However, once they had made their way back into the office, it was only to find the place in total devastation, not a shred of anything of the familiar had been left intact. There had been no sign of their compatriots and they had both been worried for their safety. Shido felt that it was better that he be the one to search out their whereabouts and so hid her back in the hidden closet while he went out into the night.

She had not know what happened out there or what he had seen, but her master had come back the next hour, filled with pain and rage, his fangs fully extended and his eyes purely predatory.

For the first time, Riho saw the truth behind the façade that Shido had built around himself. She saw the vampire within the human's clothing. It was then that she knew that both of her best friends had died that night. Her heart had cried out in grief for them constantly as she and Shido fled Tokyo and began making their way to the safe haven of the New Empire.

With time, the hurt had dulled slightly, but Riho would never forget that Yayoi and Guni had given their lives so that they could live. It was only right for her to extend that gift to others who, like her, only wished to find safety and a peace that had once been so crucial to her existence. The young fae female below her was trying to do the same for herself and her unborn child—and she would be damned if she let those monstrous humans take that away.

One of the teenagers suddenly walked up and struck the fairy in the face, sending her to the ground once again. He spit on her in disgust. “Fiendish whore…you probably seduced the father of that little bastard inside you, right before you cut his throat and ate his flesh. Didn't you, witch?”

“Maybe would should destroy the little abomination too, before the little demoness eats it after it's born?” Another cruelly suggested, a switchblade emerging from his pocket.

Riho looked on in horror, how could humans be so cold? She knew of the undo prejudice towards non-humans, but this girl was heavy with child! Did they have no mercy?!

“I say we take her now. We could take turns on her!” One said with a snigger.

Another teen agreed with the first, “A freak like you is a danger to everyone. For all the trouble you've caused, you at least owe us the pleasure of your body.”

The others laughed maniacally and came closer, cornering the pregnant woman against a large oak tree. Her doe-like eyes shifted from one person to the other, tears running down her face, as her hands pressing tightly in order to protect her unborn treasure. It could clearly be seen by anyone, that if nothing was done—in one way or another, her child would either die, or face a fate even worse so…

Riho's eyes flickered between the fae female and the evil creatures that surrounded her. Not only the thoughts of what would soon happen to the woman at the very minute played out in her head, but also her future brought hot tears of frustration and anger to her eyes. She thought of the woman in the concentration camps she had heard talk of, and knew that she would be subject to gruesome torture before dying in some lonely, atrocious way. And in any case, the infant would not survive this night if these humans had anything to do with it.

She shook her head violently, the tears cascading as she could open her eyes and all this would go away! But the fairy's screams wouldn't let her forget…the horrible sound of rending clothes would not let her forget…the cruel laughter of pure evil, would just not let her forget!

Snapping her eyes open, she looked at the violence below, and as she thought of the injustice, and the heartlessness of what was occurring just within her reach, a rage she had never known the kind of, filled her heart to the upmost…

Her breathing became ragged with fury as her fangs lengthened to their limit. Her petite fingernails became ragged, keen claws, hungry for human flesh to tear, and her eyes that were once wide and innocent, as blue as the sea, were now narrow and deadly, the color of burnished gold. Even her keen ears became more pointed, hungry for the sound of blood curdled screams and dying gasps.

Even as her wrath began to consume her, she put her fingers to her lips and let out the two high-pitched whistles to her comrades. The sound was only heard by the fairy down below, who looked up at her with surprise. However, at this point, Riho could care less, even the sound of Azrael and Shido's answering calls couldn't shake her blood thirst.

Slipping silently down to the ground, she leaded against the base of the tree, crossing her arms before speaking out to her prey. Her voice was as icy as the lowest of low levels of the Atlantic.

“Woe be unto the human race, if they must now terrorize a young woman with child, for mere sport…”

The humans all did a quick about face, looking unto the face of a petite young girl in a pair of ragged and torn jeans, as well as a stained and bloodied t-shirt. Her long brown tresses framed her face attractively, the light of the moon making the blue rose in her hair look aglow. Yet her beauty was nothing in comparison to the deadly glint her luminescent golden eyes and the smile the played upon her face, the razor-sharp fangs protruding from her mouth giving up both her purpose and her origin.

However, even then, one of the boys stupidly asked, “Who the heck are you?”

Riho examined her claws in feigned interest, the finely honed points flashing lethally, “Oh I'm just a young walker of the night, and I'm here to walk you and all your buddies…” Her golden eyes snapped up in amused rage.

“…straight to Hell.”

Before any of them could even make another move, the vampiress Riho, was upon them in all her fury!

Shido and Azrael ran through the forest on their way to Riho's aid, and yet through his worry for the delightful girl child, Azrael was surprised at the speed and agility of his companion. For a common vampire, Shido's abilities were quite advanced and almost on par with his own.

There were many things he wondered about his secretive companion. Shido was older then he by at least a couple of centuries, and though he was of common rank, he had opted to live outside of the vampyr homeland. He was mated. Azrael could tell by the distinctive scent that he gave off that was a characteristic of a vampire who had entered that epitome of relationships. Since it couldn't be the fledgling Riho, who could the man's mate be? Where had the nightwalker gone? Had his mate died, leaving Shido completely alone in this world? The lieutenant hoped not. The lavender-haired vampire was a good friend, and did not deserve such a fate. He then frowned at another thought. But then what sort of dishonorable vampire would leave their mate to fend for themselves in this hostile territory?

As the two entered the area in which Riho's scent was the strongest, the sound of screams filled their ears and the scent of blood flooded their nostrils, causing both hungry vampires to lengthen their fangs. They redoubled their efforts, preparing themselves to do battle, however nothing could prepare either of them for what they saw within the tree clearing…

There, among the clearing, broken, battered, dead corpses were scattered here and there. Limbs had been torn here and there, and body parts or eviscerated insides had been thrown everywhere, blood soaking the very dirt. And in the center of this macabre scene, was a young vampiress, her clawed hand around a screaming human's throat, stood in all her crimson glory.

The lieutenant gasped as he realized the identity of the woman before him, as none other than the beautiful Riho! If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed for a minute that the maiden could have been the culprit for such slaughter. Yet, there she stood, regaled within the moonlight, the queen of the night that she was. And despite the gore and blood that covered her—Azrael had never seen anyone look so gorgeous…

Shido watched the young woman he had seen grow up by his side, who he thought of as his own little sister, thrusting her hand through a human's chest cavity and viciously pulling out the man's bronchial tubes, and he almost blanched in shock and surprise. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed that fragile, naive, petite Riho could have been capable of such murderous violence! What could have pushed her to such an act? Had the human tried to attack her? Had she done it out of self-preservation?

Ignoring the hunger that gnawed at his stomach at the very smell of spilled blood, he quickly shifted and scanned the area from a pragmatic point of view, taking in every angle of the situation and putting them in their proper place. There had been at least three humans, not including the one in his childe's clutches. The whole mess would draw any other nightwalkers or nightbreed in the area, and he did not wish to have to fight the breed this—

Shido blinked as movement caught his sharp eyes and he looked back over to an area he had glanced over, only to be surprised to see that hiding behind the base of tree, sat a young fairy woman, huddling in fright. What was she doing here, alone and unprotected? The fae usually never left their females alone for long, and were quite protective of them. Only urban fairies, like Guni, had adopted slightly more modern views, however, this little girl didn't look like she fitted into that category.

It was at that moment that the girl turned and he got a look at the girl's torn blood spattered clothes and expectant stomach, and suddenly pride welled up within his chest at what his childe had done. Riho had protected this young mother, by unknowingly unleashing the savage vampiric side of her that had been inside of her all along. There had been a time when he would have done anything in order to stop her from discovering her inner base self, but now…all he could do was inwardly sigh, and be glad that his daughter's biggest step in his world had been a straightforward one. Unfortunately, Riho had yet to learn how to control herself, and the humans were as dead as dead was going to get for them.

Azrael was shocked out of staring by Shido, who looked quite collected despite all that was happening in front of him.

“Take care of Riho. I don't feel like fighting nightbreed over the remains tonight. I'm going to go see to the female.”

Before he could even ask him what female he was talking about, the male was already across the clearing and bending over a young girl he hadn't even noticed hiding behind a tree! How could he have missed her? He must be really far out it. He was a master—a lieutenant at that!—and he couldn't even see what was right in front of him. Yet, here was a common vampire, who could hold his hunger and calmly analyze a situation and deem what needed to be done, like any born leader?

Who was this Shido Tatsuhiko? The man was defiantly like no common nightwalker he ever knew…

Getting himself back on task, Azrael walked calmly over to Riho's side, avoiding the flying blood and flesh. As he came closer, he called her name softly, not wanting to jolt her out of her bloodrage. He knew that the fledgling had probably never experienced this aspect of her nature before tonight, and he did not want her to fall apart when he awoke her out of it.

It was really her master's job to guide her through these, but as he glanced back over to Shido, who was checking out a surprisingly pregnant fae, he guessed the male had probably triaged, and that there had been other priorities. The fairies were unfortunately a dying race, and many of them were sterile. For a female to be pregnant was a miracle for them, and if it was discovered that the vampires had not done all they could to save the life of a fae child, there would be hell to pay between their two races. Azrael was surprised and glad that the Shido had thought that far ahead, even in such a hectic time.

Well, back to business…

Before he could stop and think too hard on what he was doing, the lieutenant grabbed the young vampiress mid-rip and swung her around, and before she could attack him, raised his other hand and struck her hard across the face! He hissed as he heard her head snap around so brutal, that he knew that if she had been a human, she would have been dead from a broken neck. He sighed as he took her chin and moved her over to face him. She was no longer angry, but shocked as she looked up at him with her huge golden eyes. He gave her a reassuring smile as he began to wipe the blood from her face. Biting at his wrist with his teeth, he held out his blood to her and watched silently as she mechanically bent down to feed from his vein.

Bloodrage was a strange thing. It was the point in which a vampire's wrath took over its body and soul, controlling its entire consciousness. At that point, a nightwalker could rarely recognize friend from foe, his strength and lust for destruction and blood was overwhelming. The vampire could go on adrenaline alone for hours, ignoring his bodily needs until he dropped off from pure exhaustion. He himself had been under bloodrage a few times in his past, and he understood what Riho must be feeling.

There was only one way to pull a person out of bloodrage. First, another must inflict a sudden pain to the afflicted person to snap them out of their rampage. Then, they must feed the person fresh blood from a new source in order to purge the nightwalker's system. And lastly…

Lt. Azrael took his arm away from the childe's mouth and sealed the wound with a sweep of his tongue, before taking the dazed girl into his arms. Leaning forward, he sniffed at her skin slightly, smiling satisfactorily as he deciphered Riho's breathtaking scent beneath all the others that marred her lovely skin. Then, with a distinct pleasure, he sunk his fangs deep into her neck, smirking at the sound of her sharp gasp. Only taking enough for a taste, he quickly closed the wound before letting the fledgling go. He watched as the girl looked at him in confusion, aware but perplexed as to what was going on. Savoring the lingering taste of her extremely sweet blood that tasted distinctly of cinnamon sugar and wild apples, Azrael ran his tongue against his teeth in an effort to get every bit of the delicious goodness. He would have to steer clear of ever taking the fledgling's blood again in the future, because he knew that if he tasted the like of it again, he was going to be quite addicted…that is, if he wasn't already.

Riho stepped back, and touched her neck in shock. Two seconds ago, she had been talking to the human boys, and the next she was finding herself in the arms of Azrael-chan, his mouth latched to her neck, drawing her blood! Felling the familiar stickiness on her fingertips and the smell of blood rushing her senses, she growled in indignation. How dare he!

She was about to stomp over to the handsome lieutenant and give him a piece of her mind concerning feeding from her without permission, when their surroundings suddenly came into focus.

It was then, as she stood within the blood soaked grass, looking over herself and guessing that she looked like she had just stepped out of the latest horror film, that she remembered everything that had happened. It was then that she remembered, that for the first time in her life—she had violently and pitilessly murdered someone…

She began to shake and as she looked down at her scarlet hands, she realized silently that the last chapter of any shred of her humanity had finally been closed. Riho realized with displeased, yet strangely satisfied interest, that the first thing she had thought about when finding herself covered in blood was not, how in the world could she kill another human being, but, how desperately she needed a bath.

Riho turned a dispassionate eye to the mutilated remains of the men she had killed. She was not proud to have killed them…in fact; she was still shaking from that fact. However one thing she was proud of, was that she had protected an endangered girl and an innocent child. She had saved two lives by taking four others…the odds might not sound right, but in her mind those four lives were worth less then half of the two lives that she had saved.

She felt Azrael's arms close around her, and she laid her shivering body into his embrace. She sighed, not looking at him at all. “I'm tired Azrael…I'm cold, hungry, and just tired…”

The young man hugged her close and used his powers to remove the blood from her clothes and body, as well as giving her a feeling of comfort in what he knew must be a strange situation for her. “I know miezul nopÅ£ii floare.”

As he walked her slowly away from the mauled bodies, she smiled at his small favor. “Thank you, and you've called me that name before. What does it mean?”

“It means `midnight flower'.” A voice said from in front of them.

The mood quickly changed as the two embarrassingly separated from each other and looked over to the elder nightwalker who was now walking towards them. In his arms, the young fae girl held Shido's weatherworn jacket around her shoulders, hiding her ruined clothes. She was still in shock, but was trying to get her nerves back into order.

Azrael was the first to push his raging emotions back down into place. “How is the female, Shido?”

Shido ignored the remaining blush on his childe's face as he reported on the girl's health, “She and the child are fine, no permanent damage done. Or at least that's what I've been able to tell from close observation. Are you okay Riho?”

The young vampiress vigorously nodded, “Yes, I'm fine Shido-san. I was—

“We'll talk later, Riho. As long as you're unharmed, I suggest we leave this area.” Her master interrupted her swiftly, before making an about face going into the forest, leaving the remnants of her brutality behind.

The Japanese girl bowed her head as her cheeks burned bright red. She ran ahead to catch up with Shido, not even seeing the slight frown cross her other companion's face as he too followed.

The four went in silence for about half a mile before the violet-haired vampire stopped and laid his burden carefully on the ground, letting them all stretch for a minute. Thinking that perhaps her actions had scared the fairy lady and that was why Shido was cross, Riho approached the girl apprehensively.

“Um…hello, my name is Riho. I hope you are okay, a-and that I didn't scare you or-or anything…”

The young woman, who had scarcely said a word since her attack, jumped and automatically placed her hands around her stomach, turned her crimson eyes to the little nightwalker. When she seemed to recognize who had spoken, she again relaxed.

The fairy smiled as she spoke up, “No—no, nothing you could do would scare me, Riho. I have nothing to fear from the nightwalkers. Your people have been friends with our race for quite sometime and I have heard about bloodrage and even though I have never seen it firsthand until now, I am glad that you used it to protect me.”

The auburn-haired female frowned slightly, not know what the term “bloodrage” meant, but her frown quickly turned to cheerfulness as the fairy continued her admonition.

The blue-haired fairy turned her eyes to the ground as slight fear flickered through them. “To be honest, those four mortals scared me more than anything that you could do, and I am very glad you were there. I-I don't know what would have happened to my little one if you had not been there. Even though I am still shaky, I will be fine.”

She took Riho's hand and pressed it upon her living belly affectionately. “Thank you Riho, from both of us. When I get my powers back after the baby is born, I will be sure to visit you and present you with a gift of my gratitude.”

The vampiress smiled widely as a feeling of satisfaction settled over her. She was about to tell the girl that no gift was necessary since she felt it had been her right and duty to defend her, when a spark of warning ran through her head.

She knew without thinking that it was Shido-san speaking to her through their blood bond.

And sure enough, his masculine voice spoke through her head. `Do not refuse her gift.'

She inwardly frowned. `But Shido-san—'

`To refuse a gift of gratitude from a fae is considered taboo. They are not given often, and you'll dishonor her if you do not accept.'

She blinked in surprise before smiling down at the fairy with kind composure. “Thank you very much. I'd love that—uh—umm—.”

The girl smiled before giving out her hand to shake. “My name is Yukina. I'm an ice fairy.”

“It is very nice to meet you, Yukina-san.” Riho greeted back happily, “Again, my name is Riho Yamazaki and the man that carried you is Shido Tatsuhiko. The other male is 4th Lt. Azrael.”

Pushing his azure hair behind his ear, Azrael cleared his throat before speaking, “It is nice to meet you, Miss Yukina. However, I have to ask. What are you doing here in human territory alone? Is your mate waiting for you somewhere, or do you have any male kin that is traveling with you?”

Riho frowned at the display of slight chauvinism and was about to call him out on it when she caught the slight shake of Shido-san's head.

`The world of the fairies is much different than the example that Guni set. Only urban fairies are quite modern. All others are quite old-fashioned and the only thing the lieutenant is pointing out is that it is very strange to see a female fairy traveling alone without an escort. Especially, a non-urban female that's with child, wandering alone during these dangerous times.'

The fairy Yukina didn't seem to take offense, and instead sighed with sadness. “You see, my mate was a human. I had lived with him for seven happy years in Novosibirsk, Russia, simply hiding my true nature from those who were too curious. It worked out quite well until the Bloody Constantine Massacre happened. Then it became such a Hell, that I was consumed with fear every single day, especially when I discovered I was pregnant. However, I loved my husband very much, and though he told me to leave and go back to my home, I had already made up in my mind that I would not leave without him. Yet, it was not to be…”

The three nightwalkers sent comfort to the young woman as she spoke, to which she nodded with thanks before continuing.

“About four months ago, we had tried to escape the city, only to run into a gang of human soldiers. Kazuma protected me as well as he could, but he was no match for them. They shot him down in the streets, before branding him as a traitor and letting the dogs finish with his corpse. I cried so hard for him, even as they captured me to give over to the neo-centurions.”

Shido laid a hand of reassurance on the woman's shoulder, knowing what hardships that she must have endured. “How did you get away from them?”

He knew that she must have escaped. Because once you found yourself in the hands of the neo-centurions—the name given to the new worldwide task force division in charge of corralling and managing all the “undesirable, murderous, and uncivilized” non-humans, who were basically modern day Nazis in all but name, by placing them in special concentration camps, never to return—it was nigh to impossible to break out of their iron clutches.

“I was able to concentrate my grief into anger and summon up what little of my powers I had left to break away and flee.”

Riho looked at her strangely, “You said that before. Why did your powers disappear?”

Azrael quickly answered, “When a fairy female becomes pregnant, her special abilities slowly dissipate until they disappear altogether. They will return once the baby is born.”

Yukina nodded in agreement before continuing her story. “I have been traveling for months alone, trying to find my way to the Empire. With this changing world, I don't have a good sense of how to get there, and I've only my instincts to guide me. Eating and sleeping in the wild, I haven't had much trouble until recently. I hope to return to the Crystal Forest, where I will be able to move back in with my twin brother and his best friend, where my baby will be safe to live in peace and happiness at least among half of its people.”

The three silently digested her words, reflecting on how much their lives had changed in so little time. In the end, it was a rarely somber Riho who was able to speak first. “I don't know what or where the Crystal Forest is, but I swear to you Yukina, we are going to help you get there.”

Azrael smiled at his beautiful midnight flower's valor, before he offered his hand to the ice fairy, all the while explaining. “The Crystal Forest is a territory in the New Empire that is the homeland of the fairies. Ruled by Fae King Ishtar and Fae Queen Sarai, the kingdom of the Crystal Forest lies in the far south of the Empire. And it just so happens that we are not that far away from the imperial borders.”

Yukina jumped up and smiled with glee, “You are sure? Oh, I feel as if I have been going in circles for forever.”

The lieutenant nodded, “It is but about two more nights travel at top speed. I know that you cannot travel as fast as us, but Shido and I can take turns carrying you.”

“Oh no, I would not think of putting you through—”

However, at that exact moment, the fae's stomach made a gurgling noise in hunger. She smiled embarrassingly, “I guess the berries and roots from yesterday, aren't enough for my little one.”

Shido looked up at Azrael, “Those must have come from somewhere. I say you and Riho go and scavenge around for some food for all of us. We will rest a little while before continuing on.”

His childe turned to him in surprise, “You mean, you're leaving hunting up to me, by myself?”

He shrugged in response, “Why not? You have more than proved that you can take care of yourself, and if you get in any tight situations, I'm sure the lieutenant can bail you out.”

Riho blushed a little in embarrassment, only to smile in demure delight at the subtle praise that Shido had given her. He trusted her to do her job and do it well, and it wasn't bad thing that she could now have some alone time with the handsome Azrael either.

Speaking of which, the man in question grabbed her hand and began to pull her off to the east through a crowd of poplar trees. “Come my midnight flower, or night will leave us before we can return with the spoils.”

She giggled and let him guide her away; however, she didn't miss the parting Romani words between the man that was leading her away, and the man who was left behind, watching them go off.

“Ce ai de gând, Tatsuhiko?”

What are you up to, Tatsuhiko?

Shido smiled and only when the two disappeared, did he answer the man's query. “Asta este pentru mine sa stiu, si tu de a-ÅŸi realiza pe cont propriu.”

That is for me to know, and you to realize on your own.

Yukina sighed before sitting back down upon the ground. She breathed in the delicious taste of freedom and smiled, closing her eyes and letting the moon's light tickle her eyelids. She felt her precious baby move within her, and once again she vowed that would protect her beloved mate's child with all that was within her.

As she sat there in her silence, Yukina looked at the vampire that had stayed to guard her. She knew he was still quite young for a nightwalker, a young man by their standards. His companions were even younger in comparison, a teenager and an infant in the vampire world, yet he treated them with the same respect and equality as someone of his own station. Unknowingly, he moved with a grace and stature that despite his tattered and worn clothes, his true nature still shined through. She smiled…he hadn't changed a bit.

“Your childe is quite charming, even if she is young and naïve. However, I think the two of them look good together. Don't you think so, Lord Shido?”

The violet-haired nightwalker stood still for a minute, letting the night air converse with him before answering calmly. “And you are much older and wiser then your young appearance makes you seem, Yukina-san.”

She opened her eyes and he could see his reflection within the crimson depths. “I take it that neither the childe nor the lieutenant knows of your true identity. Know that you can trust me to keep your secret, and that you are not as easy to recognize as you might be contemplating.”

Shido felt a slight relief come over him as he sat down by the fae's side. “What gave me away? And how do you know of me?”

“Well, I probably would have recognized you, even if Riho had not said your name. You see, when my brother and I were little, we would play in a thicket near the Forest's border, despite my mother's wishes. The vampyr territories of the southeast and southwest and their allies had been fighting for some time, and we would watch like the rest of our people from afar, hoping you would not take your squabbles into our lands. However, after a time the civil war dissipated and a treaty was reached, its signing took place in a field next to a thicket we had been playing in.

“Both sides had lined up opposite of each other, and the High Lords of the two sides, stood on their perspective platforms. Their mates, the High Lords de facto, were the ones to sign the treaty, and it was quite a grand affair, especially to my young eyes. However, the emissary that had been the official over the signing, and had negotiated the terms between the two sides was the really grand thing.”

Shido smiled, knowing where this was going, but let the girl finish her explaining memory anyway.

“Most vampires are physically attractive as it is part of their allure when they hunt. However, this one had been even more stunningly so to me, and it wasn't just his looks but the way he acted and carried himself. He had an air of authority and yet normality, which attracted any who looked upon him. Despite the fact that he was a High Lord de facto, he had worn to the meeting neither armor nor lavish garments, but he wore only a simple shirt, breeches, and boots; the only expensive thing on his body was the gold signet ring on his hand that was a symbol of his station and territory. He hadn't come to impress, but to get a job done, and I must say it was accomplished quite quickly in his humble hands, which seemed to draw both sides to him.”

Yukina looked over at the vampire, who had of course, not changed one iota since that long ago day. “You are not an easy person to forget, High Lord Shido. Especially to a young girl who saw you as a hero on that day. I recognized you as that same envoy I had seen all those years ago when you had reached for me behind that tree, and I knew I could trust you with my life.”

The ex-detective had to struggle to hold down the blush of embarrassment from coming up at the fairy's lavish words. Of course he remembered the territorial war he had helped settle between the southeast and southwest. However, even though both Lord Alberto and Lord Devon had praised him on his diplomacy, he had never heard anything like what she described. He did not deserve such praise.

“Thank you for your kind words Yukina, but I was simply doing my job then. There was nothing amazing about it. I hadn't set out to become anyone's hero.”

Shido almost jumped when he felt her cool hand on his. He looked up at her and saw an astuteness that belied her youthful appearance.

“That is why you are one.”

She looked at him with all seriousness, “I know not what you are doing here on this side of the Empire's borders, or why you no longer wear the ring that you had so proudly worn on that day. But I do know this—That you have much more importance than you realize. You have an effect on the lives of everyone around you, even though it is mostly unintentional. And because of that, you have a certain responsibility to those people that you touch, and it varies depending on how much you affect them. Some people you may only have to only send a small encouragement, while others, like Riho, need your guidance and care. It depends on the person. There might even be that person that you've affected so much that you are now their pillar. Without you by their side, they might go totally insane…”

Shido visibly flinched, and he studied Yukina for any trace of treachery. However, there was nothing in her eyes but truth, making him, inwardly sigh at his wariness. She, in response, only lifted an eyebrow at the thought of her message getting through, before continuing.

“All I'm trying to say is that you touch more lives than you think you do, in ways you might not even guess, and to think twice before you think of yourself as unimportant or undeserving again.”

After that last word, the fae leaned back against the tree, her eyes closing again as she rested. Giggling gently she said, “And after that session of `helpful advice for the day', I think I am just going to sit here and recharge my batteries for a little bit.”

He let out a light laugh as he watched her settle down. But long after she had dropped off into a light slumber, he was still turning her words over in his head. He had know long ago, that his position as Cain's mate and High Lord de facto over the Northwest Territory would put him in a position where many others would count on him and look up to him. However, once he had left all that behind him and his responsibilities had gotten smaller, he had lost that sense of other always looking up to him for things. But he should have known that he hadn't left his leadership position behind, but had simply miniaturized it.

And now that he was getting nearer and nearer to the Empire's borders, he realized that his responsibilities would once again increase. There, as Yukina had unknowingly reminded him, he would once again be “Lord Shido, High Lord de facto of the Northwest Territory”. No matter that he and the High Lord were still at odds with one another, Shido had been—and still was—Cain's mate, and he would still have a responsibility to his race and the people of his region.

Nevertheless, it wasn't that that had him thinking. Her words in the end that had caused him to recoil had just been so close, to the constant spiel that Cain had whispered in his ear on their constant rendezvous during the past century. Then, he had chocked it up as his mate having a tantrum of not having things go his way. Heaven forbid he suffered through enough of those. But Yukina's words had him thinking…had Cain been actually crying out for him in his own perverse way?

Shido let a fanged grin slip.

Of course it was.

He knew Cain better than he knew himself, and he knew the difference of when the man was making a sensual pass, and when he was calling out in desperation. He knew Cain needed him, just as much as he—

No! Shido shook the smirk off his face and steeled his wildly beating heart. It's not enough yet. I can't forget the hurt and pain of before, and I refuse to return to it.

No, the circumstances might have changed, but his decision hadn't. Fighting for it had just gotten harder, that's all. He might be forced to face his abandoned responsibilities, but he would not concede.

The ball was in Cain's ballpark, where it had always been. And it was up to the High Lord, to make it right…