Would She Have Been Grateful?
Chapter 1: Kyuketsuki
Summary: Edward is in his years of rebellion, hunting down those who prey on the innocent. 'Would she have been grateful, that girl, or more terrified than before?' After helping out a young girl, anything can happen, even if it isn't always something good. Pre-Twilight.

Author's Note: Let's make this short. Wrap it up in, say, five chapters.

Disclaimer: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Who wrote it, owns it. Ha. And other respective authors, etc for their quotes... or quote in this case.

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If I followed a murderer down a dark alley where he stalked a young girl – if I saved her, then surely it wasn't so terrible. – Edward Cullen

I shivered, imagining only too clearly what he described – the alley at night, the frightened girl, the dark man behind her, And Edward, Edward as he hunted, terrible and glorious as a young god, unstoppable. Would she have been grateful, that girl, or more terrified than before? – Isabella Swan

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She whimpered as the dark man loomed up towards her, having caught her at last. She had tried to outrun him, but that had been close to impossible and now she would have to face the consequences of coming outside so late a night.

She had no doubt that she would either get killed or raped that night. It was just that sort of world. C'est la vie. Why was French all she could remember at this crucial time? But if it happened, there was close to nothing she could do. If she called out she would either be killed immediately or there was noone around to hear anyway.

Backing against the wall, she closed her eyes, ready for the fate that awaited her.

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Edward – 1927

He'd been following the man for a while now and could see what he intended to do. Edward still hesitated though, to act. He hadn't done anything wrong yet, murderer or not, so therefore he couldn't really give himself an excuse to kill the stalker.

The man caught up to the girl who was cowering against the wall, unable to run any further and her thoughts were jumbled as she mulled over her fate and seemed to accept it. The man loomed in closer to the frightened girl.

Act! Now! What other motivation do you need? Do you need for him to have done the deed before you take action? Edward's thoughts ordered him irritatedly.

He obeyed, leaping down from where he had been on the rooftop and landed neatly on the ground in front of the dark man before he could come any closer. Edward straightened quickly and hit the man across the face, knocking him over only semi-conscious.

"Go." He hissed to the girl who was staring at him, wide-eyed.

She gave Edward one grateful, yet terrified look and began to run, whether it was from fear of him or of her stalker. Edward turned back to the man the moment she disappeared, already impatient to feast on the warm human blood he knew was pulsing in that thick neck of his.

The man struggled to gain consciousness and his scream was muffled by Edward's hand as he bent down and bit, drinking the blood that flowed hungrily. He would have to drain this human so he died. He could not afford to create new vampires, let alone one from someone who would most likely wake up and continue to do what they had been doing before, only this time with more dire consequences.

He dropped the body as he finished, relishing the taste in his mouth of human blood. He checked himself though to stop himself running off to hunt for more human blood and kill those who were not innocent, like the dead man who lay on the ground.

Edward picked up the body with ease and unceremoniously went to dump it in a place noone would ever check, unless someone else had died or gotten lost – the river. Then he waited for a while, staring unseeingly at his surroundings as he contemplated his next course of action.

There was a sound not too far away and he looked back lazily, unconcerned. He did not bother to search and listen to their mind either. It was not all that important at the present time.

The shadows were creeping up on him and surrounding him. They did not know Edward personally but were merely attacking a lone person in the middle of the night who surely could not be missed, being a stranger after all. This was also Edward's strategy, so something he could understand, even if he did not notice what was happening right now, caught up in his thoughts.

"Watch out!" a shrill voice yelled and Edward's eyes refocused, flickering to look sideways.

He saw the outlines of the people crouched in readiness to attack but did not make a move, standing there for a while. A feast tonight? Perhaps then, but he was not going to attack without reason. He would wait for them to make the first move.

Or first moves it proved. They attacked as one, knives drawn and ready, but they could not hurt him in any case. There was the screeching of metal against stone as they struck at him with their knives, not injuring him at all. Edward blocked their attacks, knocked some to the ground and fought fluidly, not intending to shed any blood just yet.

There was a clank as a gun was loaded and one of the men aimed and cocked the gun at him. Edward smiled and the man paused but pulled the trigger and the shot rang in the quiet, despite the quiet clangs of the blades. They stared as Edward stayed standing, even after being shot, as effective as the knives had been.

The shot was Edward's signal. He attacked, killing men and drinking deeply. As he finished off the last man, he returned again to the first, whose warmth was still ebbing from his body. Edward wasn't that picky, as long as there was blood, he was going to take as much as he could. He bent his head to finish the man off.

When he had truly finished, he got up and at that moment noticed a presence behind him. He turned warily. It was the same girl who had come close to being raped and death and he had saved before. She looked horrified and Edward waited for the running and screaming he knew would come.

The silence stretched but she made no move to go anywhere, just continued watching him with a sad sort of look, her dark curls blowing around her face and her large eyes fixed on him. Edward finally gave up and looked out over the water, catching his reflection in it. There was a smear of blood on his cheek and at the corner of his mouth. In his hurry, he had been less careful than before. The blood made him look wide.

There were soft steps as the girl walked towards him slowly, her eyes fixed on him still, but the look was quite different now. It was admiring and Edward took a step back, feeling uncomfortable and disconcerted for the first time.

"What is your name?" Her voice was sweet and kind.

Edward frowned at her before answering.

"Edward … Cullen."

She smiled at him now, glad he was playing along. "My name is Malina Swan," she said in turn.

Edward nodded, sniffing the air delicately as he did so. Her scent was rather pleasant; he decided and noted it so he would know if she snuck up on him again. Malina made no move to go anywhere though. Edward turned on his heel and began to walk.

"Wait!" she called to him as she followed, tripping along behind him and almost whacking her head against the side of the bridge.

Edward glanced back, raising an eyebrow at her, but maintained his silent manner, waling down to the water's edge and splashing water on his face to get rid of the blood. His hair dripped onto his clothes as he looked out dully over the water, hardly registering anything.

Malina skidded down to stop next to him, trying to look with him. He turned to her, frowning again.

"You are not scared of me?"

She nodded.

"You aren't?" Edward's voice had more emotion in it than in a long time. The incredulous tone was hard to miss.

She shook her head again. "Um, that is to say I am scared. Immensely so."

"Then why do you still remain? Why do you not leave?"

"You saved my life." She replied, smilingly. "I guess I feel I owe you mine or something." She shrugged, not voicing the other half of her reason.

Edward raised his eyebrows as he listened to her thoughts. She liked him?

"I'm not interested, thank you." He replied calmly as he got up and returned to where they had been before, picking up the corpses easily and draping them all over his shoulder to carry them away. They could not be put in the same place as the last one.

"Wow, you're strong." Malina commented as she watched him.

Edward did not reply as he vanished before her eyes running at vampire speed out and away to the edge of the city where there was a forest. He disposed of the bodies in a cave he found and returned. For no reason, he found himself in the same section of the city again and mentally kicked himself for doing so.

"There you are!" Malina said breathlessly as she came around the corner and spotted him. "You disappeared without warning."

"Listen." Edward said brusquely. "You saw what I did, did you not? Did you not understand what I am?"

She sobered a little. "Yes, I think I can guess what you are."

"Tell me then."

She hesitated for only a second. "A Vampire."

"Bravo." Edward continued sarcastically. "Then if you want to keep your life, I suggest you get away somewhere else."

Malina stood her ground stubbornly though and Edward sighed, starting to walk again at a human pace so the girl could keep up.

"Are you going to ask then?" Edward continued in the same sarcastic tone.

Malina shrugged, seeming to be at least on the same wavelength. "Alright then, what do you eat?"

He frowned at her, perhaps not quite as well as he had thought.

"Human blood, of course." His crimson eyes showed the classic signs, but she would not know that. "But I've not always lived like this."

"No?"

Edward maintained the same tone. "The 'coven' I belonged to drinks only animal blood. They do not drink human blood."

Malina looked over at him amusedly. "Are you a rebel then?"

"Of a sort, perhaps." Edward muttered.

A silence fell on the couple as they walked, without much of a purpose. Edward was merely scouring, watching out from crime and the such as Malina followed behind.

"Don't you ever get tired of killing?" She asked suddenly, tone as casual as ever.

Edward's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't believe."

"Try me."

Edward glanced sideways at her. "I don't want to be a monster. I don't enjoy killing. It's just what you have to do to survive, so do it I shall. But I think it makes a difference if it is an innocent person you are killing or someone who has committed a crime." His eyes slid away again to scan their surroundings. "Do not feel indebted. I wasn't just saving you, I was looking for a meal."

"Just because they are criminals doesn't make killing right." Malina said firmly. "And why have you not killed me? I found out about your secret, but you're still letting me live."

"Of course it doesn't make it right." Edward muttered. "I know that. You don't need to tell me. As for my secret," He said, slightly louder. "You don't strike me as someone who will tell."

"Why is that?"

Edward laughed humourlessly now. "I can read your thoughts, Malina. If you had any intention to tell anyone, I would hear about it. And you," He raised a finger to point at her, "would hear from me."

"So you would kill me then, if I chose to tell someone."

"If they believed you, perhaps." Edward said lazily.

Malina rubbed her forehead a little wearily. "You are one strange vampire. I don't think I get you at all."

"I think I can say likewise." Edward remarked dryly. "But somehow I can't see you running and screaming even though I expect it.

"Don't expect it." Malina retorted. "It's not going to happen."

"We'll see." Was the reply.

"Anyway." Malina began, yawning. "I do need to get home now and get some sleep before tomorrow comes. Will I see you again?"

Edward smirked as he heard her thoughts and Malina blushed slightly.

"I dare say." Edward replied, finally. "I doubt I will be going anywhere much."

"Fantastic."

Malina seemed ecstatic and Edward rolled his eyes as he walked away, leaving her to walk in whichever way was the direction of her house.

"Edward?"

Edward froze midstep, twirling to face her, rather livid. Malina was a take aback for a minute. Edward's sharp changes in mood and personality were disconcerting as well as confusing, but that was not going to stop her.

"I don't know the way home from here."

Edward glared at her. "Alright. I will take you to somewhere you do know."

Malina smiled nervously as she followed Edward through the streets. But she couldn't help feeling happy. She liked Edward a lot, and although she admittedly was terrified of his being a vampire, one outweighed the other.

One will tolerate a world of darkness for the sake of an angel.

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Author's Note: Scrabbling for the right words to end the chapter was hard, but hopefully they do their job.

Just think. If Malina had been killed, Bella would not be alive. That's the whole meaning behind the 'Swan' surname, though Malina's name is not based on Marie etc in any way. I just randomly chose it because it applied. Edward should be so glad he saved Malina. Edward is darker here, less talkative, less emotive and … animated. He's pretty gloomy and seems to enjoy killing. I guess that's just how I imagine he would be like at that period in life.

Review, please?

NB Okay, Kyuketsuki is supposedly Japanese for Vampire. The titles I've decided to always be Japanese for no real reason other than making them sound cool.