Danger Comes
From Within
Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit.
Ronald Reagan (1911 - 2004)
Chapter 1:
Set Free
It was a lovely night as the people of Kyoto did their thing. Whether it was spending a quiet moment with their family or just having a night on the town, it didn't matter. In one case there was one particular couple who were enjoying one another's company. "That was a good movie wasn't it?" asked the man as he and his female companion walked down the street.
"How would you know?" retorted the girl. As they walked she began to lean closer to him and placed her head against his arm that she was holding as she sighed in content. "You were spending most of the movie kissing me."
"Hey now, you weren't complaining while it was happening. In fact, I think you were even encouraging me to continue." That instantly stopped the girl from making any type of retort as she immediately started to blush quite heavily. "It really doesn't matter if the movie was actually good or not. What does matter is that I was able to share it with you, Hikari."
Indeed the girl was none other than Hikari as she enjoyed the date that she was having with Daisuke. For the past few weeks the two of them had been enjoying themselves as they continued with the early stages of their relationship. So far everything was running smoothly and it seemed as though nothing could go wrong.
Unfortunately it appeared as if the fates were against them as the sound of women screaming near by. Almost as if acting on instinct, Daisuke headed off to where the screams came from, leaving a bewildered and somewhat hurt Hikari behind. Hurrying as fast as her feet would allow, Hikari ran after her date which was proving difficult seeing as how he was much faster than she could ever be.
When she finally caught up to him he had already saved the women from their tormentors who apparently were just a couple of thugs who attempted to steal some money. It looked as though he took care of the situation without going all vamp as there was no sign of the women knowing about it as they were continuously thanking him for saving them. Another thing that Hikari notice was that while the women were thanking him they were also trying to flirt with him.
"Oh my God, thank you for saving us mister." the bleach blonde woman said for the umpteenth time. "Is their anyway that my friend and I can do to repay you?" Ever so slowly the girl began to trace a hand across Daisuke's chest. Following her friend's example the red haired woman lightly stroked her hands up and down his arm. "Just say the word and the two of us will give you a reward that you won't soon forget. What do you say to that?"
Apparently Daisuke had yet to realize that Hikari was there as he hadn't acknowledged her presence what so ever. Becoming curious she hid herself so that she could hear how Daisuke would respond to the women's open invitation. "I know that what I'm doing is a sneaky thing to do but I can't help myself."
Daisuke allowed the women to continue their acts for a while before he spoke up. "I'm sorry ladies." Kindly he removed their arms from his body. "As much as I wish to take you up on your offer I have to decline."
"Come on hero." spoke the red head. "Are you honestly going to pass up on the opportunity of being with the both of us even if you did earn it?" By the sound of her voice it was obvious that the woman was shock by her savior's response and it looked as though her bleach blonde friend was having the same thoughts as well.
"I'm afraid so. A reward wasn't what I was looking for when I came to your rescue. I did it because it was the right thing to do." informed Daisuke.
"Oh, I understand now. You already have yourself a girl don't you?" the bleach blonde woman exclaimed as if that was the reason for his refusal.
"Look, there is a reason why I'm not going to take you up on your offer and it's quite simple." From her hiding spot, Hikari listen closely as she wished to know what Daisuke's answer would be. "My reason being is that saving you was the right thing to do and that's all."
Hearing that, Hikari quietly walked away without being notice. "I had a feeling that was going to be his answer. I hope that it wasn't but I guess it isn't meant to be."
Standing patiently at the outskirts of the alley, Hikari waited for Daisuke to come out which would be a few moments later. "Oh, there you are Hikari. Sorry about running off like I did. Can you ever forgive me?" Daisuke went so far as to bow before her.
Not being able to deny the act, Hikari couldn't help but find Daisuke's behavior humorous as she lightly chuckled. "Okay Daisuke I forgive you. It's getting late and I really need to get home. Care to walk me there?" Daisuke answered by lightly placing his arm on her waist. On the surface it looked as though the two were an ordinary happy couple but that was not the case.
Unnoticed by her companion, Hikari's demeanor was anything but content. "What's happening now is nice. It's unfortunate that it isn't meant to be."
-/-/-/-/-
The Next Night…
"Today was an interesting day wasn't it?" questioned Ken as he and his companions were walking down the street.
"That would be an understatement Ken." remarked James while he walked behind his friends.
While it seemed like the two males had enjoyed the activity, their two other associates was another story. "I still don't see what the big deal is." said Miyako and by the tone that was in her voice she wasn't as thrilled about what they did for the day. "Was it really that fun going to a car show that had nothing more than cars and barely dressed women all over them?"
"There were cars at the show?" James was obviously making a joke it still resulted in him getting a small smack in the back of the head. "Hey now, I was only kidding."
Even though she knew this, Mimi could not help but give her boyfriend an unpleasant stare. "It may have been a joke but it doesn't mean that Miyako and I appreciated it." Mimi indeed wasn't please but not really that upset. "Would you like it if me and her dressed up like those girls at the car show?"
"Are you saying that you would really do that?" Like with his previous remark James got hit in the head only this time it was added along with a stiff punch to the arm by Miyako. "It was another joke. A bad one I grant you but a joke none the less." By the expression on the girls' faces it was clear that they weren't please with his bad attempt at humor. "Come on, how about a little support here Ken."
Knowing the possible ramifications for siding with his male friend, Ken shook his head. "Sorry James, you're on your own. I know when to not get involved in a losing fight." About that time the four of them had reached their destination as they headed up the driveway of Daisuke's place. "How much do you want to bet that Daisuke and Hikari are in there being all hug and kisses with one another?" No one responded to Ken's words as they all felt that was most likely the case. Quietly the door was open and what they witness was not what they expected.
"I can't believe what you're saying. Are you messed up in the head?" The four new arrivals were shocked to see that Daisuke was giving some harsh words to Hikari who didn't seem to be ready to back down.
"No, I'm all right in the head and I'm serious about what I said. Is it possible that you're so thick headed that you can't understand me?" In a huff the two of them turned away to where their backs were facing one another.
Caught by complete shock what they just witness, Ken and the others slowly came between their two bickering friends. "Hey what's going on here? Why are the two of you going at one another like this?" Ken was trying to be the peacekeeper but was proving futile.
"Why don't you ask Daisuke? He's the one who's making a big case over it." Not taking too kindly to Hikari's words, Daisuke quickly shot back.
"Don't even try to turn this around on me." Daisuke immediately shot back. "You're simply acting like someone who gets all upset when something doesn't go their way."
Fearing that if they allowed this shouting match to continue it may lead to something that would be regretted later, Mimi tried to be the voice of reason. "Come on you guys stop it. You two are a couple and you shouldn't be going at each other like this."
"That's where you're wrong Mimi." muttered Daisuke in a seldom tone. "We're no longer together." To say that the four new arrivals were shocked by what they heard would be an understatement as none of them could come up with any type of response. "Don't even bother to ask me why we broke up. If you want answers ask her." Walking off Daisuke headed for the front door while grabbing his coat along the way. "I'm out of here. I need to get some air."
Without so much as a word, Daisuke left, leaving his friends behind. With one of the possible informants gone, Ken and the others turned their attention toward Hikari in the hopes of getting some answers. "I know that this might not be any of our business but could you please tell us what's going on between you and Daisuke?"
Coming to the realization that there was no way to get away from it, Hikari surrendered to her friends' request. For the next half hour she explained to them what was going on. Being more precise, she told them about the incident that happened the previous night.
"That's what you guys were arguing about?" questioned James. "You're upset because two women were fawning all over him? It sounds to me that it's nothing more than jealousy."
"It has nothing to do with being jealous." Hikari quickly answered back. "When he refused those girls' offer he said that the reason why he was doing that was because he was doing what he had to do and nothing else. It was then that I came to the realization that our relationship would just end in heartache. Daisuke is on a mission that'll take up a lot of his time and energy. Add to the fact that he's practically immortal it would lead to nothing more than trouble if we stayed together."
There was obviously more to the matter than what Hikari was saying but it was apparent that she wasn't going to discuss it any further. "Listen you guys, I'm not feeling all that great at the moment. So I'll be headed home. Call me if only if it's an emergency." Just as with Daisuke earlier, Hikari headed out, leaving the four friends in complete confusion about what just went on before them.
-/-/-/-/-
"I can't believe that girl." In the streets of Kyoto its people were going about their business and also trying to do something to free them from their daily problems. One of those people was Daisuke Motomiya as he attempted to forget about the argument that he recently had with Hikari. Unfortunately it was not working.
"How could she think something like that is beyond me. I'll be the first to admit that our relationship was an unusual one but I thought that it didn't matter since we both cared for one another." Recalling that recent incident only furthered infuriate the vampire with a soul. "Of all the things that I could think of that might cause us to break up, that one was at the bottom of the list."
With every time that Daisuke tried to understand Hikari's reasoning the more it confused him. Thankfully he was able to momentarily forget about it when once again he had to deal with a problem that was happening in an alley. Unlike last time however the problem was being caused by a small group of vampires who were trying to snack on a young couple. In a way this was a pleasing distraction for Daisuke. The reason being that he was able to take out his frustration out on the vampires and not worrying about going to far as they'd be dusted in the end.
In no time the vamps were dealt with and not bothering to give the couple anymore attention than to tell them to head on home, Daisuke stood there in the now deserted alley. "That was a good way to blow off some steam. Perhaps I should be heading home since it'll be sunrise in a few hours." He was about to head out when an unknown feeling came over him.
"What is this feeling that I'm experiencing?" The feeling only got stronger as it actually caused Daisuke to fall to a knee. "It feels as though I'm being torn apart." It became so unbearable that he was on the verge of losing consciousness. As he was about to black out, a flash of blinding light consumed him and moments later it seemingly exploded. The explosion was so strong that it sent Daisuke against the alley way with such force that it resulted in him blacking out.
-/-/-/-/-
"Where could he be? There really isn't that many places for him to go." It was the next day and Ken, Miyako, Mimi and James were back at Daisuke's place in the hopes that they could further figure out what the deal was between him and Hikari. However, that wouldn't be possible as Daisuke was nowhere to be found. "Is there any kind of note or something about where he might have gone?" questioned Ken.
"There isn't anything like that around here." Miyako answered as she searched around like everyone else. "Perhaps he didn't come home last night and is merely hiding out until nightfall." That seemed to be the most reasonable excuse to everyone until James voiced his opinion.
"Or maybe he and Hikari made up and are with one another at the moment." By the silence that came over the place they wondered if they could possible be the case.
"I don't think that's the case." retorted Mimi with some hesitance. "After getting home I spent the rest of the night there and not once did Daisuke try to contact her let alone meet up with Hikari. In other words, Daisuke is somewhere else and we have no idea where that place is."
"Something tells me we won't have to go looking for him." Before anyone could question James' words, the sound of the front door being closed and the one responsible was Daisuke. "Hey there man, where were you for the entire night? The girls were starting to worry about you."
"Daisuke didn't respond as he just looked at them with a peculiar stare. Without a word he walked pass them and only stopped when he came to one of the walls. Saying that his friends were becoming concern with Daisuke's unusual behavior would be an understatement. Being the first one to act, Ken slowly went over to him. "Is everything all right?"
He received no answer from Daisuke and just as Ken was about to try again he happen to notice something. Hanging from the wall was a mirror. However, what really caught Ken's attention was that reflecting off the mirror was not only his reflection but Daisuke's as well. "What the hell? Daisuke, how is this possible?" The sound of Ken's sudden outburst caught everyone's attention. Once they saw what the fuss was about they too showed their surprise over this latest discovery.
"How could this be?" muttered Miyako. "I thought that vampires didn't have reflections. Does this somehow connected with what you were doing last night?"
Like with the previous question, Daisuke didn't answer as he was warily touched his face while watching his actions being reflected off of the mirror. It was as though he was trying to grasp what was going on.
"I seriously have no idea what's happening." Daisuke finally spoke up. "I had dealt with some vamps and was about to head home when suddenly a strange feeling came over me. For a while it felt as though I was being pulled apart. Then just as the feeling was going away, a blast occurred which knocked me out. When I came to it was morning and when I was able to, I headed back here."
"But that doesn't explain why you suddenly have a reflection." reinforced Miyako. "Also how were you able to get back here while the sun was out? Did you get here by cab or did you actually travel all the way here under the cover of your coat?"
"Actually, I did neither. I simply walked here." That answer left his friends in confusion. Looking down at his right hand, Daisuke just stared at it intently. "I don't know how this happen you guys but I think that I'm…I'm human."
Once that bit of information was said it nearly floored everyone. "That can't be." declared Mimi who was the first to recover from the shock. "There's no way that you can be human." Mimi stopped her little rant as she happened to recall something. "Could this have something to do with the prophecy that was in those Mystic Scrolls?"
Feeling a little in the dark, James entered the conversation. "Pardon me, newbie here. What prophecy are you talking about and how does it involved Daisuke?"
"It was a few months ago. Before we met up with you." answered his girlfriend, Mimi. "We came across some scrolls that had a prophecy in them. Once translated it was discovered that there was a prophecy that involved a vampire with a soul. It stated that if Daisuke did enough good he would become human again. Apparently that prophecy had become a reality."
"I'm not so sure about that Mimi." replied Daisuke who was seemingly coming to terms with the new predicament. "If you look at all of the good that I've done they don't really add up for me to become human." Slowly he walked over to one of the windows and allowed himself to be bathed in the early morning sunlight. "For some reason this doesn't feel right."
"Who cares if this is right or wrong?" exclaimed a surprisingly vocal James. "Don't you see what you have before you? You've been basically given a second chance at life. In my opinion you shouldn't be complaining about what was given to you."
"I agree with what James is saying." added Miyako. "You shouldn't complain about what has happen to you. I think I speak for everyone when I say that you deserve this second chance at life." The others showed their agreement by the nod of the head. "The question that you should ask yourself now is that with this second chance at being human, what do you plan on doing with it?"
Daisuke didn't reply as he didn't know the answer. When it seemed as though he discovered what he wanted, a small smile came across his face.
-/-/-/-/-
"All right everyone that's it for today. See you all tomorrow." With that announcement everyone headed off to enjoy the break that they had for the rest of the day. One of those people was Hikari as she was freed from the photo shoot that she was partaking in. The location of the shoot was a meadow that had a small forest that was behind the photographers and a stream that Hikari and the two other models were position in front of as it was viewed as a good photo opportunity.
With the job was called for the day, Hikari couldn't be anymore glad. While the shoot was tough all on its own but add that with her current issues that she was having with Daisuke and their rocky relationship it only made it worse. "What am I going to do?" she thought as she changed back into her casual clothes.
"Even though I'm still angry with Daisuke I can't help but to think about him. I agreed to end our relationship, only now I have to wonder if the both of us simply took the easy way out instead of trying to solve the real problems that were going on between us." Hikari's train of thought was soon broken when one of the other models called out to her.
"Hey Hikari, your boyfriend is waiting for you outside. He said that he needs to discuss something important with you."
When she heard that Hikari quickly finish changing and headed out of the dressing room looking for the person that was said to be her boyfriend. "Could it be Daisuke? No, it can't be. Don't get your hopes up Hikari." Her hopes were proven accurate as standing underneath the shade of a large tree was indeed Daisuke. As she went over to him she notice that there was something different about him but couldn't tell what it was. "Daisuke, what the heck are you doing here?" Hikari tried to sound angry with him but she wasn't able to do so.
Casually Daisuke moved away from the tree that he was leaning against. "We need to discuss about the issues that are between us." Turning away he began to walk further into the forest. "Walk with me if you wish to talk. If not, stay here." Not even looking back he continued to walk away. Hikari's first response was to stay and let Daisuke walk off. However, her wanting to resolve their issues got the better of her as she quickly hurried to catch up with him.
For who knows how long neither one spoke as they simply walked beside one another until Daisuke broke the silence. "As I said before, I may not l may not like your decision to break up but I understand the reason behind it." All he got as a reply from Hikari was a small nod of the head that almost went unnoticed. "You believed that my quest in wanting to do good was taking priority over my relationship with you and something tells me that you still think that way."
"Can you blame me?" questioned Hikari as she spoke for the first time in sometime. "Take what happen during our last date for example. When you heard those women's cries for help you immediately went to them without so much as saying a word to me. You basically ditched me."
For a moment Daisuke wanted to argue his case. But when he took notice of the seriousness behind Hikari's words he remained quiet. "To add insult to injury you said that the only reason you didn't accept those women's version of a reward is because you were only doing the right thing. Hearing you say that made me feel as though our relationship wasn't even a factor." With Hikari apparently done expressing her feelings it was Daisuke's turn to talk as he remained silent the whole time.
"You can only imagine how sorry I felt when I realize how much that hurt you. For so long I've been trained to protect those who are unable to do it themselves and when I see or hear trouble I instinctively go confront it. Also, I know that you have had trouble with me being a vampire as it may lead to problems in our potential relationship." Even though she didn't say it he could tell by Hikari's body language that he hit the nail on the head. "But I due believe that I can remedy the situation and I think that now is as good as anytime to start."
The confusion that Hikari was feeling was obvious as she stared at Daisuke with a bewildered stare. It was also that time that she took notice that she was so focus in their conversation that she didn't realize that they had walked from and they were now standing in a clearing with the sun shinning freely upon them. More importantly, it left Daisuke exposed to the sunlight, which would be fatal if something wasn't done.
"We got to move Daisuke. If we don't you're going to be literally on fire if we don't act fast." Even with the severity of the warning, Daisuke wasn't moving from his spot, even when Hikari tried to pull him back to the safety of the shade. It only took about a few seconds for her to realize that nothing was happening to her friend. "What's going on Daisuke? Why aren't you burning up, let alone sizzling?"
Shifting his full attention towards his close friend, Daisuke gave Hikari a very caring smile. Tentatively he placed his hand under her chin which he then lifted up so that the two of them were looking at each other in the eye. "Let's just say that I've been given a second chance and I'm not going to waste it." Leaning forward, Daisuke captured Hikari's lips with his and even though she was reluctant at first, Hikari eventually gave into her emotions as she closed her eyes and after wrapping her arms around his neck started to return the kiss.
I bet most of you didn't expect that. Having Daisuke become human was something that I thought about doing ever since I started working on this story and I'm glad how it turned out. However, remember that not all good things come without a price and you'll find out what that price will be in the upcoming chapters.
Speaking of which, since I'm nearly done with this story I've decided to post up my chapters sooner than once a month. That means expect the next chapter to be out within a week or so. Until then, see ya and I hope you enjoyed the chapter.