Immortal Memories

The rain came down in heavy sheets, beating torrentially against the window pane. The sun had barely set and yet it was as dark as midnight outside. Almost no cars were heard out on the roads because few people wanted to venture out into the stormy evening. Everything that was not anchored down was shaken or tossed about by the wind. It was, accordingly, a dreary and dismal night.

A pale face stared distantly out of the window, eyes unfocused and unseeing of current reality…as if they were looking back to the past and watching memories play out. The ghosts of recollections almost danced like reflections in those unblinking blue-green eyes. People, both named and nameless…places, some with pleasant feelings attached to them and some that elicited only dread…objects that triggered swellings of nostalgia or fear…all of these things swirled in an almost jumbled fashion, some vivid and some as specters in the mind.

Suddenly, the blue-green eyes snapped into focus, the churning memories vanishing to be replaced by an acute awareness that far surpassed normal human senses. A knock on the door had caused this return to reality. Another knock followed a moment later, this one more persistent.

"Shido? Shido! Unlock the door!" Yayoi's voice sounded muffled from behind the barrier. Shido sighed and then traversed the length of the room, opening the door for her and then stepping aside to let her enter. "I've never known this door to be locked while you're here…is something wrong, Shido?" Yayoi asked, peering discerningly into his eyes.

"No! Nothing at all," remarked Shido somewhat flippantly, waving his hand in dismissal. "Sorry about that." His voice was good-natured, even chipper, but he lacked the characteristic spark that shone in his eyes when he truly felt jovial.

Yayoi narrowed her eyes at him. "Alright, mister…I'm not buying…tell me what's going on."

Shido sighed and slumped slightly. "It's just…well…the weather. It makes me contemplative, I suppose."

"Contemplative?" Yayoi questioned in curiosity. "And just what does a vampire give contemplation to?"

Shido smiled dolefully. "A great deal more than any human can imagine," he replied honestly. "Centuries of existence leaves one with quite a bit to reflect on."

"So you were caught up in thoughts and memories? And that's why the door was locked?" asked Yayoi, stepping closer to him.

Shido nodded and touched her right cheek with his index finger, tracing down her face and jaw line gently. "Some day, you will be added to that list of memories. I will mourn you, but I will keep existing, and even centuries after you have died, your face will dance in my memory along with the faces of all of the others I have met and been parted from."

Yayoi's eyes were a bit wide with awe. Shido rarely got so sentimental with her. He really was being truthful about his contemplative state. She stared at him unblinkingly, her eyes trembling slightly. She often forgot how hard it must be on him to live for eternity and experience so many lifetimes and relationships, just to have to say goodbye to everyone and everything he loved over and over again.

Shido cupped her chin with his thumb and index finger and then smiled sweetly. "Don't be sad for me, alright? That's the way of the world for me and I've grown accustomed to it. If it helps, think of it this way…everyone who's known me gets to share in a little bit of my immortality…because as long as I live, their memory will never fade from this earth."

Yayoi finally smiled. "That is a wonderful way to think of it." She then turned and walked away a few steps, turning back to him with an inquiring look on her face. "So, then…you'll never forget me?"

Shido smiled warmly at her. "Never," he assured, finally moving from where he was standing and returning to his desk. He sat down and looked up at her, a true grin of mischief spreading across his face. "How could I ever forget someone as tasty as you?"

Yayoi's sincere expression shifted to a smirk of sarcasm and she shook her head at him. "You do know how to ruin a moment, don't you?"

Shido merely grinned and shrugged. "It doesn't do to dwell on the past or the future for too long. We have to live for the present…and presently, I'm hungry."

Yayoi raised an eyebrow at him. "My, you are subtle, aren't you?" she mocked.

Shido chuckled. "Not if I can help it."

Yayoi shook her head at him again and then sat down on his desk, leaning close to him and exposing her neck. "Here you go, then. A little something more to remember me by."

Shido stood and loomed behind her for a moment. He then leaned down slightly to hover at her neck, delighting in the way her breath quickened in anticipation. But he paused for a moment, his lips moving to grace her ear. "I truly will cherish this time in my life and my friendship with you," he whispered earnestly. "That's a promise."

"Shido…" Yayoi breathed, but before she could respond, she felt his fangs glide through her skin and then the softness of his lips as they closed around the punctures he had made. The exchange always felt sensual, but this time, there was a sweetness to it as well. She allowed his words to repeat over and over in her mind as he drank from her. She would never be forgotten.

Shido was gentle as he drew sustenance from her. In these times, when they were the most intimate, he could truly sense her…who she was…how she felt…her mind and heart and soul. This was how he wanted to remember her…as he sensed her in these times. She was his friend…someone he cared about and who cared about him. He'd never lose the warmth of that…not in all of eternity.

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