Chapter Two
Rihou gasped when a cold wind blew right into her face when they came out of the shinma realm.
"No………………" Miyu muttered, before taking off at a run.
"Miyu!" Shiina yelped, as Shido and Larva ran after her.
"Yui! Yui, where are you? Answer me!" Miyu shouted, becoming very concerned when she saw vast amounts of ice and snow around her.
"Are you looking for someone, little one?" Cain's voice asked, sounding like it was coming from all around her.
"Where are you?! What have you done to Yui and Nagi?" Miyu asked, furiously. Cain chuckled.
"They are safe, for the time being. Reiha is playing with them right now." Cain said, mockingly, as he appeared before Miyu.
"You……….bastard!" Miyu screamed, as she threw some fire at Cain. Cain smiled and dodged, then leaped in and grabbed Miyu by the wrist.
"Come, come, lovely Miyu! You can't hate me that much! We have only just met!" Cain sneered, sadistically, as he traced Miyu's jaw with his fingers. He abruptly let go when something slashed his arm.
"What?!" Cain snarled, when he saw both Larva and Shido standing there, their eyes practically glowing with fury.
"So, shinma Larva, we meet again." Cain sneered, as he healed his wounds and faced the shinma.
"You're going to wish we hadn't, Cain." Larva snarled, holding Miyu close to him as he said that. Miyu was shocked; she'd never seen Larva get so angry before.
"Shido! So you are here too!" Cain said, sounding as though he was pleasantly surprised. Shido merely uttered a sound that was a cross between a snarl and a growl and narrowed his eyes.
"Shido-san!" Rihou shouted, as she, Guni, and Yayoi caught up with them. Cain eyed the rest with some disdain, before he turned his attention back to Shido, Larva, and Miyu.
"If you want the girl and her guardian back alive, I suggest you come to Transylvania, otherwise, they might not exist for much longer." Cain said, before disappearing into the darkness again.
"Great. Now we have to go to the home of the stereotypical vampire, Dracula." Shiina muttered, sarcasm dripping from her voice.
"But how are we going to get to Transylvania? I don't think we can take the shinma realm all the way there." Shido said, matter-of-factly.
"The only way to make sure that you and Rihou make it, is that we find you some willing shinma partners." Miyu said, as she reopened the portal and led them all through it.
"Whoa, wait a minute! Are you suggesting that we become like you?" Shido asked, not believing what he was hearing.
"Yes, that is exactly what I am suggesting. You see, unlike the Breeds that you and Rihou chase, shinma are able to go into sunlight and not be harmed. So, if you take some of the blood of the shinma, you will also be able to endure sunlight." Miyu said. Shido and Rihou stood where they were with their mouths agape.
"Shido, Rihou, you might want to close you mouths before something flies into them." Yayoi suggested, dryly.
"Shido, if Miyu didn't take the blood of a shinma, she would be a true vampire; unable to go into full sunlight and susceptible to all the typical vampire weaknesses." Larva said, quietly.
"And you wouldn't even be here right now, Larva!" Shiina added, before getting a dirty look from Larva.
"Well, we haven't got much to lose if we don't try it……….Let's do it." Rihou said, trusting in Miyu's judgment.
"But where will we find two shinma that will want partners?" Shido asked, as they all walked through the shinma realm.
"I know of two; a brother and sister who want to see the human world but do not want to go stray. Follow me." Miyu said, as she led them off the beaten path and into the shadows beyond. They didn't get very far before they heard some loud arguing coming from in front of them.
"They're at it again………" Shiina muttered, as two young shinma walked onto the path; arguing the whole way.
"Excuse me……….." Yayoi said, trying to get the shinmas' attention.
"Yes? What do you want?" the female asked, peevishly.
"What are you arguing about?" Yayoi asked.
"Kuroi wants to go out without Miyu's permission, I would rather remain here and not get into trouble. Thing is, he needs me to go through portals. He's been trying to get me to disobey the rules with him." The female shinma replied, casting a glance at her brother that could have melted the polar ice caps.
"Well, excuse me, Miss I'll Behave! I actually want to see the human world!" Kuroi retaliated, angrily, not even noticing that Miyu was standing there.
"Ahem!" Miyu cleared her throat, to get the siblings' attention.
"Ack! It's Miyu!" Kuroi yelped, as he disappeared from sight.
"Kuroi, get down from there." Miyu said, with a deadpan expression on her face. Shido watched as the two shinma stood guiltily before the Shinma Guardian.
"I have a proposition to make, Kuroi and Karai." Miyu said, getting eager expressions from the two shinma.
"Yes? What is it, Guardian Miyu?" Karai asked, her blue-green eyes shining with excitement.
"What would you say to being the partners of these two vampires? I am sure they will allow you to have adventures with them." Miyu suggested.
"Who are the two vampires?" Kuroi asked. With a slight shuffling, Shido and Rihou were shoved to the front, so they could meet their potential shinma partners.
"This is Shido Tatsuhiko and Rihou Yamazaki. They are the two who need shinma partners. Karai strode up to Shido and looked closely at him.
"He's very young, Guardian Miyu. Are you sure he can handle keeping an eye on shinma?" Karai asked, getting a surprised look from Shido and a giggle from Rihou.
"I am quite sure." Miyu said, as Kuroi looked Rihou over.
"She's pretty, but also very young. She'll need protecting from time to time." Kuroi said, as he looked at the hopeful eyes of Rihou.
"But will you accept them as your partners?" Guni asked. Karai looked at her brother with hope in her eyes.
"Let's give this a try, Kuroi! What have we got to lose?" Karai asked.
"Our freedom is one thing we'll lose." Kuroi muttered.
"You'll have free run of the office and you will be able to do whatever you want (except murder) during the day. You will also be able to help with the detective work." Shido said.
"Sugoi! You're a detective?!" Karai asked, getting a face-fault from her brother for that response. Shido smiled and nodded, chuckling when Kuroi picked himself off of the ground.
"I'm a detective in training, as a matter of fact!" Rihou said, cheerfully.
"You wish." Guni muttered.
"What was that, Guni?!" Rihou snapped. Miyu sighed as an argument broke out between Rihou and Guni.
"Do you have to put up with this all the time, Shido?" Miyu asked. Shido merely nodded, as he rubbed his temple, feeling one of his headaches coming on.
"Wow…………..they argue worse than we do!" Kuroi said, as he and his sister watched the spectacle with dumbfounded looks on their faces.
"So, what do you say, you two? Are you interested?" Shiina asked, as she bounced up to the brother and sister.
"I'm in! I'll be Shido's partner, if Rihou doesn't mind!" Karai said, enthusiastically, getting a sigh and a sweatdrop from her brother for that. Rihou smiled and nodded.
"I guess so. This might be my only chance to go and see the human realm." Kuroi said, as he stepped over to where Rihou stood.
"Okay, now what?" Shido asked, turning to Miyu for advice.
"You drink their blood." Miyu said, matter-of-factly. Shido and Rihou face faulted.
"We do WHAT?!" Rihou yelped.
"Drink their blood. How do you think I got Larva to be my partner?" Miyu asked, as Larva shifted uncomfortably behind her.
"Okay, okay, I think we got the message. Let's do this." Shido said, as he gently lifted Karai's long silver hair away from her neck and sank his fangs into her neck. After a few minutes, Shido came away from Karai and stood back.
"Well? How do you feel?" Miyu asked.
"Strange. I don't feel the same as I did a little while ago. I just feel different." Shido murmured, as his new partner helped him sit down.
"Rihou, it's your turn." Miyu said, as Rihou turned to Kuroi.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you in any way." Rihou said. Kuroi seemed surprised by that, but didn't let himself admit it. He winced when Rihou sank her fangs into his neck, but then felt at ease. After a few moments, Rihou backed away, looking apologetic about what had just been done.
"How do you feel, Rihou?" Shiina asked.
"Like Shido-san had said before, strange. This is an unusual feeling." Rihou said.
"Now we are ready to go to Transylvania." Miyu said, as they all prepared to leave the shinma realm. They emerged into full sunlight.
"Shido! Rihou!" Yayoi yelped, then realized that the two were not evaporating or burning.
"It worked! Miyu, it worked!" Shido shouted, excitedly.
"But of course. I have been a Guardian all my life, so I know a few things. Come on, we must see about getting some airplane tickets." Miyu said, as she led the way, and as Shido reveled in the sunlight, enjoying the light he'd been denied for almost two hundred and fifty years.
