Our Lost Souls
I. Sophie's Rescue:
"Oh no, I'm late!" she exclaimed as she grabbed her backpack and ran out the door. It was Sophie's first day of school after just being transferred from her grandmothers in America, back to Japan, and she was late. She continued to run through the streets of Japan, but soon stopped as she could no longer breathe. She took a few moments to catch her breath and observe her surroundings. "Oh, bugga. I'm lost..." she whined, sighing heavily. "Of all days to get lost..."
She started to walk the way she had came, figuring she couldn't just stand there and whine all day. Passing by a side street she heard a whistle, which she knew was to catch her attention.
"Hey there." came a deep voice from behind her. She spun around and came face to face with a sand-blonde haired man.
"This little mouse looks lost."
"Oh no. I'm not lost. I'm going home." She lied.
"This little mouse looks thirsty."
"Bugger off you freak." as she turned to run the other way, another man blocked her path, a sneer on his face.
"Bejesus! What is this? A freak's parade!?"
"Look you scared her. You scare all the girls." joked the sand-blonde man.
The dark-haired man scoffed. "I don't care. She looks even cuter when she's scared."
A few blocks away, a young man sensed something was just very wrong, and rushed to figure out what it was without second thought. He finally came upon Sophie's distressful little scene and quickly aided her.
"Oh, sweetheart. I've been looking everywhere for you. Sorry to have kept you waiting." he said as he draped his arm affectionately around Sophie's tense shoulders. She side glanced him, weirdly, thinking 'Who the hell is this idiot?!'
"Hey back off! We're busy." said the sand-blonde haired man.
"Really? It looks like you were just leaving."
"You're a smart ass twit." The other man snarled, throwing a punch at him. Smirking, the young man easily dodged the attack and smacked the man's head into the brick wall. As the man slid to the ground with a thud, the blonde attacked next barely grazing his shoulder. He grabbed the man's wrist, twisted him around, and shoved him to the ground.
"It's not nice to pick on defenseless young ladies." he snarled, stepping on the base of the man's neck to emphasize his words.
As he backed up to stand next to Sophie, the blonde got up and tried to throw another punch. "Don't you know when to stay down?" the young man taunted, kicking him in the knee with a loud crack, which brought him to the ground again. "I can't believe you men were so stupid as to attack MY fiancé, looks like I will have to kill you now."
The blonde hair man drew up to his full height and peered down at him. "And why the hell should we be scared of your lame little ass?! WHY THE HELL?!?!"
The young man tilted his head to the side and said in a low deadly whisper, "I'm Howl."
As soon as these words were said, both men shrunk back, the dark-haired man whispering, "No fucking way! It's the VAMPIRE!"
Both men turned tail and ran as Howl's figure slowly became larger, dark and menacing.
Chuckling, Howl calmed and turned to find Sophie recoiling away from him, a bottle of mace in her hand, pointing directly at him.
"I assure you I mean you no harm. I was here to help you. You're lucky I came by when I did." he said extending a gentle hand to her.
"You're... you're a vampire... HOW THE HELL CAN YOU MEAN ME NO HARM?!" She shrieked. "You're the vampire that eats the hearts of pretty young girls!"
Howl sighed. "And you believe everything you hear? Yes I may be a vampire, but I do not eat hearts, like those stupid rumors say. Trust me, I won't hurt you."
Timidly reaching her hand out to his, she reluctantly put away the mace.
"What's your name?"
"Sophie."
"Well, Sophie, where were you headed?"
"Well I was heading off to class, but I got lost. It's my first day in the city."
"If you don't mind, I would like to escort you there to avoid more problems. Which school do you attend?"
"Juuban High."
"Well let's be off then."
Even as he started walking she didn't follow.
"What is it? Are you really that curious as to how I knew you were in trouble and where to find you?"
Her eyes widened in shock. "Wh- How did you know I was going to ask?"
"I'm a vampire, I can read minds." He said with a smile.
'Great. THIS idiot reads minds.'
"I heard that!"
"I'm sorry!" She squeaked as she ran to catch up with his retreating back. "So uh... why did you make up that I was your fiancé?"
Howl shrugged. "Couldn't come up with a better lie, and at the moment, it seemed to be the better choice to have to most effect."
"You're a weird one...You sure you're not going to eat me?"
"No, I'm not," he chuckled, "But I can think of a few things I could do to you that we would both enjoy... greatly."
Sophie's eyes widened. "You Lech!"
Leaning close into her, a wide boyish grin spread across his handsome face. "Just kidding! I'm not a man whore! Now how about getting you to school woman before you attract anymore unwanted attention?"
"What could be worse than attracting that of a vampire?" She snipped back.
Scratching his chin in mock thought, he replied, "Well... the 2 men in the gang I just saved you from could quite possibly still be hanging around and well... If I leave, who knows what will happen to you."
Sophie gulped nervously in reply.
Howl laughed. "Don't worry, I'm a nice guy so I won't let you get hurt, besides, you intrigue me. This is the longest I've been near a human in a while."
"Really?" she inquired, cocking a curious eyebrow.
"Yup."
"So then uhm... why are you here now?"
He flashed a bright smile at her. "Marking my territory and claiming everything in it."
"Everything... you mean... humans??? ME?!"
He leaned in again and grinned. "Yup. You be a good girl and maybe I'll make you my wife!"
Whack!
"Ow! My face!" He whined.
Sophie growled in reply. "Wife my ass. Just escort me to school like you said and quit being a Lech. I'm already in a bad mood." And she marched off.
"You don't even know where you're going so you better wait for me!" He called out to her retreating figure.
She stopped and stuck her tongue out at him. "Well get a move on then!!! Huh? Where'd he go???" She looked around frantically for a moment, Howl nowhere in sight. "Howl? Hello???"
"Right here mouse!" He called from above her.
"What the...!" Looking up, she barely caught sight of him as he swooped around behind her and lifter her up into the air.
"Ahh!! Oh. My. God. PUT ME DOWN!!!" She shrieked.
Drawing her closer, he whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, I won't drop you."
Reluctantly moving in tighter into his arms, she forced herself to calm and trust him, and just closed her eyes, praying they would get there quickly, lest he crash into a tree.
When they arrived at the school, He let her down gently. "You can open your eyes now Sophie."
"Hmm???" Slowly opening one eye, then the other, she threw herself down to the ground and kissed it. "Never again..." She moaned dramatically.
Laughing, he brought to her feet and ran a quick finger across her lips. She gasped at the sudden gentle gesture.
"You shouldn't kiss something so dirty." He said as a matter of factly. "I told you I wasn't going to let you fall silly woman."
She huffed in reply and once again stuck her tongue out at him.
"Keep doing that and your face is going to get stuck that way, and it would be a shame too, you have really a quite pretty countenance."
Sophie couldn't help but blush as his words. It was so hard to believe he was really the vampire that everyone said was a monster. He was just so different. His eyes... His beautiful green eyes... just seemed so lonely.
"Hello, sweetheart, back to earth."
"Hmm what?"
"You were staring at me with that blank human expression on your face, Sophie."
"I was? I'm sorry. I have to go inside now... I am so late... thank you for dropping me off." She said, bowing slightly.
"Not a problem... And I will accompany you inside. I will check you in."
"What? You can't!"
"I insist!" He urged, and took her arm by the elbow and led her inside the main office.
"Trust me, there will be no problems."
"Hello miss?" He softly inquired at the office lady, who was busily enamored with her gossip magazine.
"Yes sir? If it's a late student please show some I.D. And a good excuse too, if any, I've heard them all." She droned.
"I don't think all that will be necessary ma'am."
"Oh really and why is that?" She said looking up finally. "Oh my god! Oh my god! It's... Akiyo Higurashi!!! Oh sir, I am so very sorry!!! This young lady... name?"
Sophie stared wide eyed at the woman, not acknowledging her question.
Rolling his eyes, Howl answered. "Sophie. Sophie Mitsukoshi."
"Mitsukoshi... Well its 2nd hour now please head to Miss Sulliman's class in 201."
Howl smiled and headed her in the right direction. "See, I told you, no problems."
"Did she say Higurashi?" Sophie asked, looking up at him. "As in THE Higurashi??? Cybertronics??? The old money family that like...owns this entire city? Almost...practically all of Japan???"
"Yes... You're wondering why the richest man in Japan has a vampire son? Well Sophie, sweetheart, we're all vampires. Oh dear I've said too much. You have to get to class." He said curtly, a smug smile on his face, and gave her a nudge.
"Hey wait a second I'm not done..." She trailed off, noticing he had just vanished.
'Damn. What gives? Asshole.'
'I heard that."
'WHAAAAT?!??! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!'
'No can do, I think you're a rather interesting human. You let a vampire walk you to school. You are a weird one. We'll talk later. Bye.'
'Hey, hey you wait just one minute mister!'
'What is it Sophie?'
'Why did you save me?'
'Like I said, you intrigue me.'
'Intrigue? You make me sound like a research specimen!'
'Oh no, never. You really should get busy with school, I promise you, and we WILL meet again.'
'Oh and what makes you so sure?'
No response.
"Oh... Jeez!!! freaking asshole! Oh well... He was cute though... and a vampire at that... maybe I amweird..." she mumbled, and marched off to class.