|On the Way Home|
'Love between a vampire and a human can never be, huh?' Junko asked herself out loud. Another month had passed since she had met Ren, a month in which he had grown increasingly more annoyed as the amount of paper on her desk grew. Still the vampire laughed out loud each time he read a part of her story, making her grow increasingly reluctant about showing it to him. And yet, she thought the idea of her story to be endearing, and something to daydream about. Ren had compared it to a human dating a salmon or a steak.
She let out a dejected sigh as she thought about it. Ren was a hard character to deal with, even though she was sure many of his girlfriends loved the way he acted. She would admit he was attractive enough, if the vampire was outside of hearing range, but she did not see what was so interesting in a bad-mouthed, insulting guy like that.
'Then again… I am probably the only human he acts like that against. Well, me and male humans…' she thought, getting dejected again by the thought. She didn't know if the way he treated her was a good or a bad thing. A sound behind her startled her, causing her to turn around quickly. She thought she saw a flash of white behind a tree, but her attention was quickly averted by a man who walked up to her briskly.
'Chief Tanaka! How nice to see you. I thought you had departed an hour ahead of me.' Junko said, forcing a smile on her face. Though her chief was kind, at times he was a bit too caring, to the point she felt uncomfortable.
The man pushed up his dark-rimmed glasses, throwing the young woman an appreciative look. 'Miss Junko, what a delightful surprise. I had gotten delayed, and it would seem like I have been in luck being so, now that I can meet you. Have you had dinner already?' he asked her, hinting that he would be happy to treat her if she so desired.
She shook her head. 'No thank you, sir. I have not the time, I need to be home soon.'
'To let your friend in?' Tanaka asked, looking at her sideways. Junko nodded, having long given up on claiming that Ren was not her boyfriend. In some ways, it was better that the man did think so. At least she would not have to worry about any of her co-workers trying to get very friendly with her. A steady relationship was one thing she did not need, as she planned to leave Japan as soon as she had enough money.
Her boss laid a hand on her shoulder. Her heart started to beat faster, preparing her if she had to run away from him. What he said didn't help her relax at all either. 'Junko, please be careful when you're walking around here late. There have been rumors going around about a person who has been attacking young women. The police suspect he may have killed one too.'
'I… have not yet seen such a story in the papers, sir.' Junko said, speeding up her pace, hoping the man would let go of her shoulder. Her chief nodded, keeping up with her, and releasing her shoulder.
'I know. I have connections with the police chief, he told me to keep it quiet for now. But if you might be in danger, Junko, I have to speak up.'
They had now reached her apartment building, and got into the elevator. Junko and Tanaka rode out the elevator ride in silence. As they got out, Tanaka touched her arm, looking her once again in the eyes.
'Thank you for the warning, chief Tanaka.' She said, putting a slight emphasis on his title, so he would remember his and her place. She wanted to avoid any romantic relationship, and certainly with her supervisor. The man ignored her comment as he laid eyes on Ren, who was waiting in front of her door. He let go of her arm, and waved goodbye as he continued towards his door.
Ren's face slightly distorted as the man walked by, as if he had smelled something filthy. Junko slightly nudged him, calling Ren's attention to her.
'Don't stare at my boss like that. It's bad enough that he's already having suspicions.' She added the last part mumbling as she turned her key in the lock. She entered, Ren following after her as he threw one last look in the hallway. His golden eyes met the brown one's of his torturer's boss brown eyes. He smiled at the man, who had the smell of something familiar, yet alien. Tanaka seemed to be taken aback by the smile, which seemed menacing at least. Though he held no interest in Junko, it still seemed best to him if the man understood that the girl belonged to Ren.
Breaking the glare, he moved further inside, letting the door fall in the lock behind him. He disliked the man on an instinctive level. Though he appeared to be docile, there seemed to somehow be a predator inside of the chief. As Ren unconsciously bared his fangs, he already knew which one of the two was the better hunter. He vaguely hoped for a chance to prove it.
|Junko's Home|
'Care for some tea, Ren?' Junko asked, already taking out the water boiler. Ren walked over to his usual spot, dropping in the couch, feet outstretched in front of him on the small table. Even with her back turned to him, Junko knew he would be resting his head on one hand, the other hand playing with a random item he happened to grab at the moment. His golden eyes would be following her around the apartment whenever she got up to take this or that item, and sometimes he would smirk when she said something he found idiotic.
After about two hours, he would be too bored to continue and leave, going on the hunt. She would be left alone in the apartment, working on her manuscript, adding details to it. It was a strange sort of a way to handle each other, but it worked, at least for now.
'No.' he said bluntly, picking up the remote control he found lying about. He flipped the television on, keeping his eyes fixated on the news report. He had been feeling ill lately. The time he spent with Junko was only two hours, but that left him so little time to pick up women. Charming an unknown woman was something he preferred most, so he could sample new blood. But the decrease in his available time meant he had to revert to old girlfriends.
Most of them were happy enough to see him, and even the ones that weren't were soon won over. But he could only keep it up for so long, as the stress the women harbored in their bodies was running out quickly. Christmas would be the best time for him to regain his strengths. He had already been contacting a few women about a possible date, and he would be able to eat his fill then. Still, it was yet another month away.
Junko sat down in front of the pensive Ren, holding her cup of tea in her hands. Following his gaze to the weather report, she was delighted to see that there was snow on the way. She had loved snow, ever since she had been a child, as had her mother before she passed away.
'Do vampires celebrate Christmas?' she asked, to fill the silence. Ren's eyes went from the television screen to Junko, and back to the television.
'We do.' He answered. 'Though we just drink more blood than we usually do. It's not like we go out to play in the snow or something.'
'Not even your sister?' Junko asked, still curious about the girl. The few bits of information she had been able to get from Ren had given her some clues. Karin could walk in the sun, even though she was a vampire. It seemed marvelous to Junko, even though Ren insisted it was nothing to be happy about.
'My sister is working that day, selling cakes near Julian's.' Ren mumbled, seeing that the following days would be overcast. It was good news, since it meant he wouldn't have to spend the day waiting in his current meal's apartment.
Junko smiled, thinking she might go and pick up a cake when it was that time. Ren didn't ask for her Christmas plans, and she was grateful for it. Telling the womanizer she would be spending Christmas alone would surely trigger more rude comments.
As she reached for her laptop, her phone began ringing. Not her cell phone, but the one that she had installed in her apartment just in case. She never used it, and it was a number that couldn't be found in the phone book.
Not a single person knew the number, ever since her mother had passed. She had only kept it for sentimental reasons. She got up, not really believing that the phone was indeed ringing. Perhaps it was only her imagination. Junko could feel Ren's eyes following her every movement, so she forced herself to act natural. Still she could not stop her heart from beating so horribly fast. She watched as her hand touched the phone, picking it up.
'Hello?' she asked, turning her back to Ren. She could almost feel the person on the other side of the line smile, in a manner that reminded one of a cat finding a fish that was freshly caught.
'Junko… my sweet daughter, how are you?' the man on the other side of the line asked. His voice was heavy, and sounded as if he were in good spirits. Junko's fingers started trembling, but she forced herself to keep her voice even.
'I was fine until you called. What do you want?' she asked the man. She refused to accept him as her father. For all that mattered to her, he was just the man who had sired her. Her fingers played with the phone cord as she tried to stop her heart from beating so loud. The paranoid thought came across her that the man could probably hear it beating.
'I just wished to hear my daughter's voice, that's all. And to inquire about your holiday plans, though it is a bit early for that.'
'Yes, it is quite early.' Junko answered him.
'Are you celebrating Christmas with your new friend? He seems to be a rather handsome fellow, from what I have been seeing. Such golden eyes, I can see why you chose him. The eyes tell much about a man…' her father told her the news in a tone that made Junko's blood freeze in her veins. How did that man know? How did he know about Ren? He had come to the most obvious conclusion, but it also mean he had had men watching her. How long had they been watching, and what did they know?
'Listen, I-' her voice was cut off when suddenly Ren's hand appeared, taking the phone from her hand. She stood there, back turned to him as if she had been frozen on the spot. Ren's voice, deep and masculine, sounded behind her.
'She's busy right now.' He hung up. Just like that, he hung up. She turned around, wishing to thank him for that. But as soon as her face met his, she could see the red glow in his eyes, and how his pupils had transformed into those of a cat. His fangs also seemed longer than she remembered, and she realized how close he was standing.
Stress. His favorite blood type, and something she was sure to have a lot of at the moment. She became very aware of her own body, and that of the vampire. How the blood must be surging through her veins, an invite to the hungry vampire. He came closer, forcing her back. She couldn't retreat, the wall stopped her. How suddenly he had reverted into a predator, moving in to capture her.
'Ren… Ren, stop this!' she said, pushing her hands against his chest. She averted her eyes from his gaze, knowing he would try to somehow hypnotize her. Junko's knees felt as if they could cave in underneath her any moment, but if that happened she surely, surely would lose to the vampire. He remained silent, grabbing her wrists and pushing them against the wall, next to her head. He was strong, too strong for her or for any other mortal being.
He brought his mouth closer to her neck. She whimpered at the thought of it, and even more that she was now being treated as food. His fangs slowly grazed her soft, pale skin, leaving the moisture of saliva resting upon her neck. He was so close to biting her now, she could almost already feel the way his teeth would puncture her skin, ready to suck at her blood.
'Ren, stop this now!' she demanded, hoping to somehow get through to him. He didn't listen, and she reverted to the only thing she could think of. She brought up her knee, driving it in his groin. The red light in his eyes disappeared, and he released her at once, cursing her.
'Stupid woman! What the hell do you think you're doing?' he snarled at her. His eyes had taken on their usual color again, the length of his fangs normal again.
'What am I doing? What the hell were you doing?' she asked, furious at what he had just tried. More importantly, the anger drove the fear out, the heart-wrenching fear she had felt when she realized that to Ren she was just prey.
'You were trying to bite me! Me! I'm the one who should be outraged here, not you!' Ren looked at her as if he only now realized what he had attempted. He stormed out of the door, striding as far away from the apartment as he could. As he left, Junko watched him go, finally dropping to her knees. Ren would come back, eventually. He was a man of his word, but for now, he needed to calm down and feed. Junko understood. It was an understanding that few people could muster, and as she walked towards her door to lock it, there was one thing she was quite certain about. Ren would not leave behind a girl that was able to expose his secret.
She regretted having to use him, but the phone call that had been ended so abruptly had only strengthened her belief. The sooner she left Japan, the better of she would be.
|On the Streets|
Ren stomped away, instead of walking in his usual, slow manner. That girl… how, why did she manage to somehow hurt him every single time? His crotch still hurt, but it had been the only way she could get him away. He understood, but at the same time he wished she would have just let him bite her!
He leant against a lamp post, watching people walk by as he thought about what had happened. While she had been talking on the phone, the rise in stress had been too much for him to bear. He had tried to ignore it the best he could, but his hungry body had taken over control.
She was the last person he wanted to bite! An annoying woman like she, who he often compared to be a demon or a devil, who would want to bite something like that? And yet, her blood so often sung to him. The girl didn't realize it perhaps, but every ounce of her was filled to the brim with stress. If he were to bite her once, only once, it would be so much easier on his nerves. But, in order to bite her, he would need her permission, unless he wanted another kick in the groin.
If he were to act friendly with the girl, perhaps romance her… no, he dismissed the thought with the same speed it had come up in his mind. No woman was eager to share a boyfriend, and the only reason he was able to feed properly was that he managed to keep his girlfriends far apart from one another. Junko already knew about his feeding habits, and had made it clear to him that she didn't want to be any part of it.
And still, though he had no hope of swaying the young woman's mind, he was forced to return to her every single day, for the collar she had wrapped around his neck was too heavy to ignore. She was friendly enough to him, which made matters even worse for the vampire who despised humans out of principle.
No matter how friendly she was, she still had been frightened to death when he was trying to bite her. Probably she now thought of him as some kind of monster. That thought put a sudden stab in his heart, for no matter how much he wanted to hate Junko, she was the first human who knew what he was and didn't care. Well, she did care, but she didn't make a fuss about it. Every other woman who had known had started crying, and screaming until he erased their memories.
Junko was now probably also crying.
He felt guilty for that, he realized. He was behaving silly, he also knew that. Why would he care for the tears of some mortal woman, who caused nothing but trouble for him?
Suddenly a girl tapped his shoulder, smiling at him. He gave her a quick sly grin, for he recognized her. She had shared his bed three nights ago, and he hadn't quite drunk his fill of her blood.
'Ren-kun! You haven't called me back yet!' she said accusingly.
Ren smiled, running a hand through his hair. 'Sadly, I had business keeping me busy, dear Rin. But rest assured, this night I shall be yours, and yours alone.'
It was better if he put Junko out of his mind, if only for one night. The sooner he got rid of her, the better.
