Chapter Six: The Revelation.
Ukyo, Akane, and Ranma were having lunch at their usual place on Monday. Although none talked, Ranma and Akane could see that Ukyo was in a very good mood. She had a big smile on her face, and she had been very friendly during the day.
"What's up with you, Ucchan?" asked Ranma.
Ukyo signaled Ranma to wait for her to swallow her food.
"Not much." She answered.
"Then what are you so happy about?" asked Akane.
Ukyo turned to face Akane. Both her and Ranma were very curious. They wanted to know the cause of Ukyo's good mood.
"Well..." began Ukyo, "on Saturday, Wilheim came to my restaurant. I talked with him about the way that I felt about him. At first, he was scary, since he responded my questions very coldly... but then, he apologized, and everything ended fine... we talked about Ranma and Ryoga meeting him... Oh! And he told me what the wolf's name is!"
Ranma and Akane opened their eyes widely.
"Really? What is it?" asked Akane interested.
"Sigfried." Replied Ukyo happily.
Ranma made a face of disgust.
"Sigfried?!?!" he blurted out. "What kind of a name is Sigfried for a wolf?"
Ukyo looked at him, slightly pissed off. But, she kept herself calm, and answered:
"I think Sigfried is a cool name. I think Sigfried was a magician, or something..."
Akane nodded.
"Yeah, Sigfried is a nice name." She said.
Ranma shook his head.
"I agree, it is a cool name, but I wouldn't name a pet 'Sigfried'..." he said.
Ukyo shrugged and looked away. And the unsettling silence then showed itself. Ranma was feeling very uncomfortable, since he was the one that had the last word. He liked to win arguments, but not when the other person or persons were there, without saying anything. Besides, Ranma was in mortal danger, because if Ukyo remembered the phone conversation she and Ranma had had on Friday, that would surely be the end of it.
"You're mad, Ukyo?" asked Ranma, trying to hide his fear.
Ukyo turned to face him.
"...No." she answered indifferently.
Ranma got a bit puzzled, and then kept on eating.
A few seconds later, the forever - lost boy Ryoga joined Ukyo, Ranma, and Akane. As Ryoga walked towards them, they could see he was full of dirt, and very tired. Breathing heavily, Ryoga sat down next to Akane, and said hello.
"What happened Ryoga?" asked Akane, concerned.
Ryoga blushed.
"I got lost in the park..." he answered in a tiny voice.
Ranma smirked and looked away. Ukyo giggled.
"Just what I told Wilheim:..." she began, but was interrupted by Ryoga, who finished the sentence:
"That I do pretty stupid things sometimes, but I'm a nice guy." He said, grinning.
Ukyo opened her eyes widely and moved closer to Ryoga.
"How did you know what was I going to say?"
Ryoga's smile grew bigger. He then blushed, when Akane turned to face him with a smile. Ryoga looked away shyly and answered:
"I talked with Wilheim yesterday. I saw him wandering near here..."
Everyone turned to look at Ryoga. He had caught their interest. Especially Ukyo's.
"What did you talk about?" asked Ukyo, curious.
Ryoga shrugged and began:
"Well, first of all I apologized about me being rude the other day. He accepted my apology, and we shook hands. It seems that he has no one... no family, no friends... no one. But he keeps going on. He looks kind of sad, at first, but when you start talking to him, his sadness fades away... Anyway, he talked to me about Ukyo and him meeting on Saturday. He says that he sees a very lovely person in Ukyo..."
Ukyo smiled and blushed. Akane turned to look at her, and she giggled. Ranma smiled and shook his head.
"Anyway..." Ryoga continued "he is very wise. And it seems that there's a lot of a poet in him..." Ryoga kept silent for a moment, and then he concluded: "he is a very nice guy."
Ranma turned to face Ukyo and asked with a low, sensual voice:
"You like poetry, don't you, Ucchan?"
Ukyo turned to look at Ranma in the eyes, and looked at him with fury. But this glance didn't last more than two seconds. Ukyo smiled, and blushing, she turned her face away.
"Ok..." she said, "the guy is very cute. What can I do about it?"
"Well..." Ranma replied, in his most serious tone of voice, but making a very playful face "maybe you can invite him to spend the night to take the wolf's place in taking care of you..."
Ukyo burst out laughing, as she playfully kicked Ranma.
"You're sick!!!" she wailed between laughs.
Ryoga and Akane couldn't help but to laugh as well.
The week went on as usual. Except that Ryoga made a map by himself to get to Furinkahn, and, although he made a two hour walk, he always got there.
Time flew, and the weekend came.
It was Friday. Ukyo had just closed her restaurant. It was 8:30 P. M. and the wolf was still missing. In fact, Ukyo did not notice, since she went to bed very early, but the wolf hadn't showed up the day before.
Ukyo felt insecure. And she was worried about the wolf.
"Were could it be?" she asked herself as she looked at the clock.
The sky was clear, and light filled the city still. The stars shimmered in beautiful motions. The air was clean and fresh. But there was something that wasn't right.
Ukyo gathered all her courage and said to herself:
"I'm going to look for it."
Ukyo had looked for the wolf for over half an hour. And there was no sign of it.
"Sigfried!" she called, on top of her lungs.
She had checked all the possible places it could be... except for the street in which she saw the demon.
Ukyo stood still before entering the street. She took out her giant spatula, and walked very slowly towards the street.
As Ukyo got closer, she remembered the demon kneeling beside the girl's body, and licking the blood on the ground. She remembered it's red eyes, and it's huge fangs. It's mouth dripping with flesh blood. It's immense body when it stood up. It's huge wings moving when it went after her. The thought of the gargoyle - like demon made Ukyo shiver. She swallowed, and kept on walking, carefully.
"Sigfried?" she called, but her words came out in a tiny whisper.
A familiar figure appeared behind Ukyo.
"What are you doing here?" asked the figure.
Ukyo turned around very slowly. Her eyes reflected fear. She was almost petrified. Her mouth dried almost immediately. Her heart started beating so loudly, and so quickly, that the creature standing behind her heard it. She could barely stay on her feet. She grabbed her weapon so tight, and so firmly, that she cut herself, and her blood began to drip on the pavement. She moved her lips slowly as if she were trying to say something, but no sound came out.
When Ukyo finally faced the creature, she let out a relieved moan.
Wilheim was standing firmly in front of her. Ukyo was about to tell him something, but she swallowed her words. Something was not right.
Wilheim had a strange - looking sword in his right hand, and his face reflected indifference.
Ukyo's fear returned. Her mouth dried again, and she took some steps back.
"...W - What are you going to do to me?" she asked, full of fear.
Wilheim raised his hand to silence her. He looked at both directions. Then he walked towards Ukyo.
Ukyo's breathing got heavy and fast. She took some more steps back, and she assumed a fighting position. Wilheim stopped when he saw this.
The wind began to blow, and Wilheim and Ukyo stood looking at each other without moving. Ukyo was scared. She held even more firmly to her spatula. This made the cuts on her hands bigger, and every drop of blood ran from her hands to the end of her weapon. The only noise that could be heard was Ukyo's beating heart, and her blood dripping on the ground.
Wilheim had his eyes fixed on Ukyo. His face factions reflected nothing. However, his eyes reflected an immense concern.
"...What are you doing here? It's dangerous..." Wilheim said gently.
Ukyo did not answer. She kept on breathing rapidly, without moving. Her chest was about to burst. She moved her lips slowly. No sound came out. However, Wilheim understood what Ukyo was trying to ask. *What are you going to do to me?*
"I'm going to take you home." He said, even more gently than before.
Ukyo didn't move still. A lot of thoughts crossed her mind. Her fear was about to drive her mad. And in her head, a question wandered. *'Where is 'home'?*
"YOUR home." Said Wilheim.
Wind blew hard. It got cold. And Ukyo felt the terrible presence she had felt those unforgettable nights... the presence of the demon. It was coming from behind her. Ukyo moaned, full of fear. Tears began to fill her eyes. Everything went black. She could see nothing; fear wouldn't let her. Her chest hurt so bad, she was about to fall unconscious. And in her mind, she saw the creature, once again. The demon. The gargoyle - like creature that was about to kill her.
"Very good, boy..." said the creature in a hoarse voice. "Thank you for keeping the girl here. I will take it from here, with your permission..."
Ukyo saw the world once more, and she focused her sight on Wilheim. His eyes reflected an immense anger. He gritted his teeth, and raised his sword. He wasn't looking at Ukyo; he was looking at what was behind her. He walked towards Ukyo, and put himself in front of her. And with a voice, that was not human, with a frightening and intimidating voice, he yelled:
"Over my dead body, Magnus!!!"
And with this, he lunged himself against the creature.
Ukyo felt a hard blow behind her, and she fell to the ground. Her hands stained it with blood. She looked around. And she couldn't believe what she saw.
Wilheim had engaged battle with the creature. He was fighting with all his strength. Ukyo could feel it. He was furious. And he would protect her at all cost.
Ukyo stood up, and took a few steps back, and saw the fight, full of fear.
Wilheim was the first to score a hit. With his left fist, he punched the creature on it's jaw. It's head went back in a swift motion. With amazing speed, Wilheim kicked the creature's stomach. The body of the demon contrasted itself, and blood came out of it's mouth. Wilheim then attacked with a flurry of punches and kicks. The creature's body moved to and fro. Wilheim swung his sword, and opened a large wound on the creature's chest. The demon let out a long, terrifying scream, and fell to the ground. Wilheim leaped forward, with his sword above his head, to deliver the final blow. But then, something terrible happened. The creature dodged the sword, and with it's sharp claws, struck Wilheim in the stomach. Wilheim opened his eyes widely, and let out a low groan just before he received the same flurry of punches and kicks that he had dished out. However, the demon's movements were faster, and the blows were more powerful. When the creature finished, Wilheim stood with his head low, and his body curved. He was severely injured, and he bled from his head to his feet. His eyes reflected the horrible defeat. The battle had ended as quickly as it started in Wilheim's loss. The creature then grabbed Wilheim's arm, and started to pull it. The creature was going to tear him apart, limb by limb. The pain was unbearable. Wilheim let out a long wail.
"ARGHHH!!" he screamed. "UKYO.... SAVE YOURSELF!!!!"
Ukyo's fear was suddenly gone. It had been replaced by a blind fury. That night, when the demon had killed the girl, Ukyo had done nothing. She had been paralyzed with fear. Now, the demon was about to kill Wilheim in the same way. Ukyo would not allow that.
Her eyes were full of tears, and the blood coming from her hand's cuts suddenly stopped. She threw herself toward the creature, with a scream full of anger and hatred.
"DIE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!" she wailed.
The creature glanced at Ukyo just in time to receive a tremendous blow from her spatula. The creature let go of Wilheim's arm, and it's body bent itself in an inhuman form. Before the creature could hit the ground, it's stomach was kicked by a roundhouse coming from Ukyo. The demon spitted blood. And finally, Ukyo gave the creature another blow with her spatula in the head. This final attack sent the creature spinning in the air, and then it hit the ground.
Before any other actions could be taken, by either Ukyo or the demon, Wilheim grabbed Ukyo's arm, and started running as fast as he could.
Ukyo felt a strong pain coming from her arm. Her feet didn't even touch the floor. Wilheim was running as fast and swiftly as the wind. Before Ukyo could notice, she and Wilheim were back at her restaurant, just outside her door.
"Get in!! Once we get inside, we're safe!!" said Wilheim, as he opened the door.
Ukyo nodded, and got inside, along with Wilheim. Once they were inside, they felt the creature as it approached the restaurant. And then, full of anger, it cursed Wilheim and Ukyo, and then it disappeared.
Wilheim walked toward one of the chairs, and took a seat. Ukyo wiped her tears, and sighed in relief. Then, she remembered that Wilheim was terribly injured.
"Don't worry!" she began, "I'll get some banda-"
She stopped short as she saw that Wilheim was only stained with blood... but there was not even the slightest wound in him.
Ukyo walked toward him, and examined him. His shirt was all shred, the same as his pants. He was covered up in his blood. But a wound... not a sign.
"No cuts..." she whispered, astonished, as she looked at Wilheim's stomach.
She raised her sight to look at him in the eyes. Ukyo was even more surprised, when she saw Wilheim's face.
He was crying. Tears were rolling down his face... bloody tears.
"Oh... my... God..." she muttered.
Wilheim looked away, and covered his face with both hands. Ukyo took some steps back. No one said nothing for a moment. Ukyo couldn't breathe. All that could be heard in the room, was Wilheim's breathing. He breathed in a way that was not human. How did Ukyo know? She could not tell. But one thing was clear to her: the man that was standing in front of her was not human.
Ukyo finally broke the silence:
"...Who are you?" she asked, her voice was almost a whisper.
Wilheim didn't lift his head from his hands.
"I am Wilheim..." he replied. "The appropriate question would be: 'What are you?' And yes... I'm not human... I'm a vampire." He concluded.
Ukyo gasped, as she reached for the door. Wilheim felt this, and he raised his head from his hands. His face was stained with his bloody tears. His eyes, reflected fear, concern, and an immense sadness.
"But I'm not going to hurt you..." he said, desperate.
Ukyo stopped. He looked at Wilheim in the eyes. She felt that he was being sincere. She decided to listen carefully to what Wilheim wanted to say.
"...You asked me the other night, what was I doing here..." he began. "Well... here's my answer: I'm here to protect you. That creature, Magnus, wants to turn you into a vampire. And I don't want that to happen to you. So I'm here to look after you." He concluded. His eyes were still full of blood.
Ukyo didn't know what to say. She moved very slowly toward another chair, and sat down. She was very impressed. Wilheim was a vampire. He was there to protect her. But why now? Why not when the monster had attacked the girl? Why not when it chased her home, and the wolf looked after her that night?
Then the thought struck Ukyo's mind. The demon had cursed both Ukyo and Wilheim that night. And the same night of the girl's murder, the demon had cursed Ukyo, and... another name...
"...You are Sigfried." She said finally.
Wilheim nodded.
"Yes..." he said, almost in a whisper. "I'm the wolf."
Ukyo's muscles, that were very tense at the moment, relaxed. She calmed down. She now knew Wilheim would not harm her. He had been protecting her since the beginning.
"Why me?" she asked, as she turned to face Wilheim.
Wilheim looked at Ukyo. Tears kept on rolling down his face.
"Because he thought that you would serve him." He said. "You're very powerful, Ukyo. That's why he wants you."
Ukyo thought for a moment. If that was the truth, then why had the creature let her escape that night in the alley?
"Then why didn't he take me that night, when I was all alone?" she asked.
"That... was me." Said Wilheim. "Magnus usually wanders in that alley. If you stayed there long, you could've been turned into a..." he stopped and he buried his face in his hands again.
Ukyo thought again. If it had been Wilheim, why had she felt that fear, that only came to her when the creature was around?
"But, why could I feel that presence? That's... the creature's evil presence... not yours..." she asked insistently.
"That's the presence you feel when we vampires turn into gargoyles..." answered Wilheim. His words were muffled by his hands.
Ukyo sighed and looked at the table. She was still scared. But she knew Wilheim was saying the truth. But she didn't know what to say.
"Listen..." said Wilheim as his voice was starting to break, "if you want me to go, I'll leave. I'll understand if you-"
"NO!!" interrupted Ukyo, "I don't want you to go!! Please! I'm so scared... please stay with me. Besides, if you go out, it'll kill you! PLEASE!!"
Wilheim and Ukyo looked at each other. Ukyo had now started crying as well. And in Wilheim's face, a smile was formed. It was the sweetest and most tender smile Ukyo had ever seen. It was the smile of an undead creature... however, it looked more like the smile of an innocent, lost boy.
Ukyo smiled as well. It was the most beautiful and sensual smile Wilheim had ever seen. It was the smile of a scared woman... however, it reflected affection and courage.
Then they both ran to each other and threw their arms around each other. Their mutual sobbing filled the room. They started to stop their crying, but the more they tried, the more they cried. Finally, a moment came were they let go off each other, and smiled to each other once again. A thought came to Ukyo's mind... *Wilheim and I... man and woman... vampire and human...*
However, Wilheim was not paying attention to what Ukyo was thinking, luckily. It is well - known that vampires can read minds. He was mesmerized by her beauty, and his eyes reflected it. It happened to him, after fifty long years. He had fallen in love.
"We'd... better go upstairs..." said Ukyo, blushing.
Wilheim nodded. As they were going upstairs, the thought came to Ukyo.
"How can you be so sure that Magnus won't cross that door?" she asked, beginning to get scared.
Wilheim glanced at the door and smiled gently.
"Some vampires..." he answered "evil ones that have dedicated their lives to 'serve' Satan, such as Magnus... are easily hurt by crucifixes and holy water... and, in case you haven't noticed, I left a crucifix behind a curtain..."
Ukyo, Akane, and Ranma were having lunch at their usual place on Monday. Although none talked, Ranma and Akane could see that Ukyo was in a very good mood. She had a big smile on her face, and she had been very friendly during the day.
"What's up with you, Ucchan?" asked Ranma.
Ukyo signaled Ranma to wait for her to swallow her food.
"Not much." She answered.
"Then what are you so happy about?" asked Akane.
Ukyo turned to face Akane. Both her and Ranma were very curious. They wanted to know the cause of Ukyo's good mood.
"Well..." began Ukyo, "on Saturday, Wilheim came to my restaurant. I talked with him about the way that I felt about him. At first, he was scary, since he responded my questions very coldly... but then, he apologized, and everything ended fine... we talked about Ranma and Ryoga meeting him... Oh! And he told me what the wolf's name is!"
Ranma and Akane opened their eyes widely.
"Really? What is it?" asked Akane interested.
"Sigfried." Replied Ukyo happily.
Ranma made a face of disgust.
"Sigfried?!?!" he blurted out. "What kind of a name is Sigfried for a wolf?"
Ukyo looked at him, slightly pissed off. But, she kept herself calm, and answered:
"I think Sigfried is a cool name. I think Sigfried was a magician, or something..."
Akane nodded.
"Yeah, Sigfried is a nice name." She said.
Ranma shook his head.
"I agree, it is a cool name, but I wouldn't name a pet 'Sigfried'..." he said.
Ukyo shrugged and looked away. And the unsettling silence then showed itself. Ranma was feeling very uncomfortable, since he was the one that had the last word. He liked to win arguments, but not when the other person or persons were there, without saying anything. Besides, Ranma was in mortal danger, because if Ukyo remembered the phone conversation she and Ranma had had on Friday, that would surely be the end of it.
"You're mad, Ukyo?" asked Ranma, trying to hide his fear.
Ukyo turned to face him.
"...No." she answered indifferently.
Ranma got a bit puzzled, and then kept on eating.
A few seconds later, the forever - lost boy Ryoga joined Ukyo, Ranma, and Akane. As Ryoga walked towards them, they could see he was full of dirt, and very tired. Breathing heavily, Ryoga sat down next to Akane, and said hello.
"What happened Ryoga?" asked Akane, concerned.
Ryoga blushed.
"I got lost in the park..." he answered in a tiny voice.
Ranma smirked and looked away. Ukyo giggled.
"Just what I told Wilheim:..." she began, but was interrupted by Ryoga, who finished the sentence:
"That I do pretty stupid things sometimes, but I'm a nice guy." He said, grinning.
Ukyo opened her eyes widely and moved closer to Ryoga.
"How did you know what was I going to say?"
Ryoga's smile grew bigger. He then blushed, when Akane turned to face him with a smile. Ryoga looked away shyly and answered:
"I talked with Wilheim yesterday. I saw him wandering near here..."
Everyone turned to look at Ryoga. He had caught their interest. Especially Ukyo's.
"What did you talk about?" asked Ukyo, curious.
Ryoga shrugged and began:
"Well, first of all I apologized about me being rude the other day. He accepted my apology, and we shook hands. It seems that he has no one... no family, no friends... no one. But he keeps going on. He looks kind of sad, at first, but when you start talking to him, his sadness fades away... Anyway, he talked to me about Ukyo and him meeting on Saturday. He says that he sees a very lovely person in Ukyo..."
Ukyo smiled and blushed. Akane turned to look at her, and she giggled. Ranma smiled and shook his head.
"Anyway..." Ryoga continued "he is very wise. And it seems that there's a lot of a poet in him..." Ryoga kept silent for a moment, and then he concluded: "he is a very nice guy."
Ranma turned to face Ukyo and asked with a low, sensual voice:
"You like poetry, don't you, Ucchan?"
Ukyo turned to look at Ranma in the eyes, and looked at him with fury. But this glance didn't last more than two seconds. Ukyo smiled, and blushing, she turned her face away.
"Ok..." she said, "the guy is very cute. What can I do about it?"
"Well..." Ranma replied, in his most serious tone of voice, but making a very playful face "maybe you can invite him to spend the night to take the wolf's place in taking care of you..."
Ukyo burst out laughing, as she playfully kicked Ranma.
"You're sick!!!" she wailed between laughs.
Ryoga and Akane couldn't help but to laugh as well.
The week went on as usual. Except that Ryoga made a map by himself to get to Furinkahn, and, although he made a two hour walk, he always got there.
Time flew, and the weekend came.
It was Friday. Ukyo had just closed her restaurant. It was 8:30 P. M. and the wolf was still missing. In fact, Ukyo did not notice, since she went to bed very early, but the wolf hadn't showed up the day before.
Ukyo felt insecure. And she was worried about the wolf.
"Were could it be?" she asked herself as she looked at the clock.
The sky was clear, and light filled the city still. The stars shimmered in beautiful motions. The air was clean and fresh. But there was something that wasn't right.
Ukyo gathered all her courage and said to herself:
"I'm going to look for it."
Ukyo had looked for the wolf for over half an hour. And there was no sign of it.
"Sigfried!" she called, on top of her lungs.
She had checked all the possible places it could be... except for the street in which she saw the demon.
Ukyo stood still before entering the street. She took out her giant spatula, and walked very slowly towards the street.
As Ukyo got closer, she remembered the demon kneeling beside the girl's body, and licking the blood on the ground. She remembered it's red eyes, and it's huge fangs. It's mouth dripping with flesh blood. It's immense body when it stood up. It's huge wings moving when it went after her. The thought of the gargoyle - like demon made Ukyo shiver. She swallowed, and kept on walking, carefully.
"Sigfried?" she called, but her words came out in a tiny whisper.
A familiar figure appeared behind Ukyo.
"What are you doing here?" asked the figure.
Ukyo turned around very slowly. Her eyes reflected fear. She was almost petrified. Her mouth dried almost immediately. Her heart started beating so loudly, and so quickly, that the creature standing behind her heard it. She could barely stay on her feet. She grabbed her weapon so tight, and so firmly, that she cut herself, and her blood began to drip on the pavement. She moved her lips slowly as if she were trying to say something, but no sound came out.
When Ukyo finally faced the creature, she let out a relieved moan.
Wilheim was standing firmly in front of her. Ukyo was about to tell him something, but she swallowed her words. Something was not right.
Wilheim had a strange - looking sword in his right hand, and his face reflected indifference.
Ukyo's fear returned. Her mouth dried again, and she took some steps back.
"...W - What are you going to do to me?" she asked, full of fear.
Wilheim raised his hand to silence her. He looked at both directions. Then he walked towards Ukyo.
Ukyo's breathing got heavy and fast. She took some more steps back, and she assumed a fighting position. Wilheim stopped when he saw this.
The wind began to blow, and Wilheim and Ukyo stood looking at each other without moving. Ukyo was scared. She held even more firmly to her spatula. This made the cuts on her hands bigger, and every drop of blood ran from her hands to the end of her weapon. The only noise that could be heard was Ukyo's beating heart, and her blood dripping on the ground.
Wilheim had his eyes fixed on Ukyo. His face factions reflected nothing. However, his eyes reflected an immense concern.
"...What are you doing here? It's dangerous..." Wilheim said gently.
Ukyo did not answer. She kept on breathing rapidly, without moving. Her chest was about to burst. She moved her lips slowly. No sound came out. However, Wilheim understood what Ukyo was trying to ask. *What are you going to do to me?*
"I'm going to take you home." He said, even more gently than before.
Ukyo didn't move still. A lot of thoughts crossed her mind. Her fear was about to drive her mad. And in her head, a question wandered. *'Where is 'home'?*
"YOUR home." Said Wilheim.
Wind blew hard. It got cold. And Ukyo felt the terrible presence she had felt those unforgettable nights... the presence of the demon. It was coming from behind her. Ukyo moaned, full of fear. Tears began to fill her eyes. Everything went black. She could see nothing; fear wouldn't let her. Her chest hurt so bad, she was about to fall unconscious. And in her mind, she saw the creature, once again. The demon. The gargoyle - like creature that was about to kill her.
"Very good, boy..." said the creature in a hoarse voice. "Thank you for keeping the girl here. I will take it from here, with your permission..."
Ukyo saw the world once more, and she focused her sight on Wilheim. His eyes reflected an immense anger. He gritted his teeth, and raised his sword. He wasn't looking at Ukyo; he was looking at what was behind her. He walked towards Ukyo, and put himself in front of her. And with a voice, that was not human, with a frightening and intimidating voice, he yelled:
"Over my dead body, Magnus!!!"
And with this, he lunged himself against the creature.
Ukyo felt a hard blow behind her, and she fell to the ground. Her hands stained it with blood. She looked around. And she couldn't believe what she saw.
Wilheim had engaged battle with the creature. He was fighting with all his strength. Ukyo could feel it. He was furious. And he would protect her at all cost.
Ukyo stood up, and took a few steps back, and saw the fight, full of fear.
Wilheim was the first to score a hit. With his left fist, he punched the creature on it's jaw. It's head went back in a swift motion. With amazing speed, Wilheim kicked the creature's stomach. The body of the demon contrasted itself, and blood came out of it's mouth. Wilheim then attacked with a flurry of punches and kicks. The creature's body moved to and fro. Wilheim swung his sword, and opened a large wound on the creature's chest. The demon let out a long, terrifying scream, and fell to the ground. Wilheim leaped forward, with his sword above his head, to deliver the final blow. But then, something terrible happened. The creature dodged the sword, and with it's sharp claws, struck Wilheim in the stomach. Wilheim opened his eyes widely, and let out a low groan just before he received the same flurry of punches and kicks that he had dished out. However, the demon's movements were faster, and the blows were more powerful. When the creature finished, Wilheim stood with his head low, and his body curved. He was severely injured, and he bled from his head to his feet. His eyes reflected the horrible defeat. The battle had ended as quickly as it started in Wilheim's loss. The creature then grabbed Wilheim's arm, and started to pull it. The creature was going to tear him apart, limb by limb. The pain was unbearable. Wilheim let out a long wail.
"ARGHHH!!" he screamed. "UKYO.... SAVE YOURSELF!!!!"
Ukyo's fear was suddenly gone. It had been replaced by a blind fury. That night, when the demon had killed the girl, Ukyo had done nothing. She had been paralyzed with fear. Now, the demon was about to kill Wilheim in the same way. Ukyo would not allow that.
Her eyes were full of tears, and the blood coming from her hand's cuts suddenly stopped. She threw herself toward the creature, with a scream full of anger and hatred.
"DIE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!" she wailed.
The creature glanced at Ukyo just in time to receive a tremendous blow from her spatula. The creature let go of Wilheim's arm, and it's body bent itself in an inhuman form. Before the creature could hit the ground, it's stomach was kicked by a roundhouse coming from Ukyo. The demon spitted blood. And finally, Ukyo gave the creature another blow with her spatula in the head. This final attack sent the creature spinning in the air, and then it hit the ground.
Before any other actions could be taken, by either Ukyo or the demon, Wilheim grabbed Ukyo's arm, and started running as fast as he could.
Ukyo felt a strong pain coming from her arm. Her feet didn't even touch the floor. Wilheim was running as fast and swiftly as the wind. Before Ukyo could notice, she and Wilheim were back at her restaurant, just outside her door.
"Get in!! Once we get inside, we're safe!!" said Wilheim, as he opened the door.
Ukyo nodded, and got inside, along with Wilheim. Once they were inside, they felt the creature as it approached the restaurant. And then, full of anger, it cursed Wilheim and Ukyo, and then it disappeared.
Wilheim walked toward one of the chairs, and took a seat. Ukyo wiped her tears, and sighed in relief. Then, she remembered that Wilheim was terribly injured.
"Don't worry!" she began, "I'll get some banda-"
She stopped short as she saw that Wilheim was only stained with blood... but there was not even the slightest wound in him.
Ukyo walked toward him, and examined him. His shirt was all shred, the same as his pants. He was covered up in his blood. But a wound... not a sign.
"No cuts..." she whispered, astonished, as she looked at Wilheim's stomach.
She raised her sight to look at him in the eyes. Ukyo was even more surprised, when she saw Wilheim's face.
He was crying. Tears were rolling down his face... bloody tears.
"Oh... my... God..." she muttered.
Wilheim looked away, and covered his face with both hands. Ukyo took some steps back. No one said nothing for a moment. Ukyo couldn't breathe. All that could be heard in the room, was Wilheim's breathing. He breathed in a way that was not human. How did Ukyo know? She could not tell. But one thing was clear to her: the man that was standing in front of her was not human.
Ukyo finally broke the silence:
"...Who are you?" she asked, her voice was almost a whisper.
Wilheim didn't lift his head from his hands.
"I am Wilheim..." he replied. "The appropriate question would be: 'What are you?' And yes... I'm not human... I'm a vampire." He concluded.
Ukyo gasped, as she reached for the door. Wilheim felt this, and he raised his head from his hands. His face was stained with his bloody tears. His eyes, reflected fear, concern, and an immense sadness.
"But I'm not going to hurt you..." he said, desperate.
Ukyo stopped. He looked at Wilheim in the eyes. She felt that he was being sincere. She decided to listen carefully to what Wilheim wanted to say.
"...You asked me the other night, what was I doing here..." he began. "Well... here's my answer: I'm here to protect you. That creature, Magnus, wants to turn you into a vampire. And I don't want that to happen to you. So I'm here to look after you." He concluded. His eyes were still full of blood.
Ukyo didn't know what to say. She moved very slowly toward another chair, and sat down. She was very impressed. Wilheim was a vampire. He was there to protect her. But why now? Why not when the monster had attacked the girl? Why not when it chased her home, and the wolf looked after her that night?
Then the thought struck Ukyo's mind. The demon had cursed both Ukyo and Wilheim that night. And the same night of the girl's murder, the demon had cursed Ukyo, and... another name...
"...You are Sigfried." She said finally.
Wilheim nodded.
"Yes..." he said, almost in a whisper. "I'm the wolf."
Ukyo's muscles, that were very tense at the moment, relaxed. She calmed down. She now knew Wilheim would not harm her. He had been protecting her since the beginning.
"Why me?" she asked, as she turned to face Wilheim.
Wilheim looked at Ukyo. Tears kept on rolling down his face.
"Because he thought that you would serve him." He said. "You're very powerful, Ukyo. That's why he wants you."
Ukyo thought for a moment. If that was the truth, then why had the creature let her escape that night in the alley?
"Then why didn't he take me that night, when I was all alone?" she asked.
"That... was me." Said Wilheim. "Magnus usually wanders in that alley. If you stayed there long, you could've been turned into a..." he stopped and he buried his face in his hands again.
Ukyo thought again. If it had been Wilheim, why had she felt that fear, that only came to her when the creature was around?
"But, why could I feel that presence? That's... the creature's evil presence... not yours..." she asked insistently.
"That's the presence you feel when we vampires turn into gargoyles..." answered Wilheim. His words were muffled by his hands.
Ukyo sighed and looked at the table. She was still scared. But she knew Wilheim was saying the truth. But she didn't know what to say.
"Listen..." said Wilheim as his voice was starting to break, "if you want me to go, I'll leave. I'll understand if you-"
"NO!!" interrupted Ukyo, "I don't want you to go!! Please! I'm so scared... please stay with me. Besides, if you go out, it'll kill you! PLEASE!!"
Wilheim and Ukyo looked at each other. Ukyo had now started crying as well. And in Wilheim's face, a smile was formed. It was the sweetest and most tender smile Ukyo had ever seen. It was the smile of an undead creature... however, it looked more like the smile of an innocent, lost boy.
Ukyo smiled as well. It was the most beautiful and sensual smile Wilheim had ever seen. It was the smile of a scared woman... however, it reflected affection and courage.
Then they both ran to each other and threw their arms around each other. Their mutual sobbing filled the room. They started to stop their crying, but the more they tried, the more they cried. Finally, a moment came were they let go off each other, and smiled to each other once again. A thought came to Ukyo's mind... *Wilheim and I... man and woman... vampire and human...*
However, Wilheim was not paying attention to what Ukyo was thinking, luckily. It is well - known that vampires can read minds. He was mesmerized by her beauty, and his eyes reflected it. It happened to him, after fifty long years. He had fallen in love.
"We'd... better go upstairs..." said Ukyo, blushing.
Wilheim nodded. As they were going upstairs, the thought came to Ukyo.
"How can you be so sure that Magnus won't cross that door?" she asked, beginning to get scared.
Wilheim glanced at the door and smiled gently.
"Some vampires..." he answered "evil ones that have dedicated their lives to 'serve' Satan, such as Magnus... are easily hurt by crucifixes and holy water... and, in case you haven't noticed, I left a crucifix behind a curtain..."
