Hiromi heard the Breed's reply just as her hand closed around the small
knife in her pocket. Pulling it out, Hiromi forced herself to go limp in
the beast's grasp. If it had worked with Shido...
"Well vampire, it looks like this little morsel has fainted; perhaps I should wake her..." Hiromi felt a claw press against her throat, drawing a dribble of blood.
"One chance..." she thought.
Whipping the knife up and behind her, Hiromi felt it sink into something strangely soft, as a hot slime covered her hand. The Breed's grasp on her spasm open and Hiromi slipped from his side, running towards Shido. Glancing behind her, Hiromi saw the Breed clutching at his face; the knife's handle protruding from his eye. Suddenly she realized what had washed over her hand; eyeball juice.
"Yayoi, take care of the girl!" she heard Shido shout as he ran to the screaming Nightbreed.
Strong, lithe, arms encircled her from behind as she watched Shido raise a finger to his lips and bite down. A glowing red sword materialized from the cut, and Hiromi realized that this man, Shido, couldn't be human.
Snatching the sword from the air, Shido jumped amazingly high, raising the sword above his head. The Breed screamed a challenge and jumped back, just before Shido landed in its former place, gouging up chunks of concrete and asphalt as he brought down his massive sword. Snarling, the Breed rushed forward, cutting the air with its claws, and catching Shido's right side, as the vampire dodged back.
"Come on Shido!" Hiromi heard a familiar voice call. Guni was flitting around above their heads, searching for an opportunity to fly in and help. Yayoi had her gun raised, trying to get a bead on Shido's foe. "Can't get a clear shot," Hiromi heard the woman mutter.
Turing back to the battle, Hiromi saw that Shido was in trouble. The gash above his hip was leaking blood with his every move, and suddenly Hiromi saw the Breed's strategy. It was trying to keep him moving, trying to keep blood flowing, until Shido was weak enough to finish off. She couldn't let that happen! Hiromi pulled out of Yayoi's grasp, ignoring the woman's call, and rushed toward the fray, before she knew what she would do. Snatching a chunk of concrete as she ran, Hiromi to a running leap and landed squarely on the monster's back.
"Whoa, lucky," was all she could think before the Breed started thrashing violently, trying to throw off this would-be assailant. Holding on to the Breed's hair for dear life, Hiromi bashed her chunk of concrete across its face.
The next thing Hiromi knew, she was upside-down in the air, looking at the sky below her. She saw Orion's Belt through the clearing rain clouds before she crashed to earth and blacked out.
***
Shido was loosing blood with every movement, and the Breed knew it. Grinning demonically, it moved in to finish him off but stopped in mid- stride and started swinging around violently. Shido saw a gray shape crash against the Breed's face, before it threw something small and pale from its back. A mass of red hair could be seen as the shape crashed into a phone pole and laid still. Hiromi...
Not wasting the moment the girl had bought him, Shido rushed the Breed, bringing his Bloodsword up and around, slicing the host's body cleanly through the middle. As a glowing substance slid from the host's remains, Shido bit his finger again and scattered his blood over the Breed's base form, watching it grow dark as it died.
"Shido! You did it!" Guni chirped, flying up and glomping his cheek.
"Hiromi..." Shido gasped, turning, only to clutch at his right side as his legs gave out.
Guni flew over to check on the girl, as Yayoi jogged up and helped Shido steady himself.
"Yayoi, could you?"
"Of course, Shido," she replied, sliding her jacket off, baring her neck.
"Well vampire, it looks like this little morsel has fainted; perhaps I should wake her..." Hiromi felt a claw press against her throat, drawing a dribble of blood.
"One chance..." she thought.
Whipping the knife up and behind her, Hiromi felt it sink into something strangely soft, as a hot slime covered her hand. The Breed's grasp on her spasm open and Hiromi slipped from his side, running towards Shido. Glancing behind her, Hiromi saw the Breed clutching at his face; the knife's handle protruding from his eye. Suddenly she realized what had washed over her hand; eyeball juice.
"Yayoi, take care of the girl!" she heard Shido shout as he ran to the screaming Nightbreed.
Strong, lithe, arms encircled her from behind as she watched Shido raise a finger to his lips and bite down. A glowing red sword materialized from the cut, and Hiromi realized that this man, Shido, couldn't be human.
Snatching the sword from the air, Shido jumped amazingly high, raising the sword above his head. The Breed screamed a challenge and jumped back, just before Shido landed in its former place, gouging up chunks of concrete and asphalt as he brought down his massive sword. Snarling, the Breed rushed forward, cutting the air with its claws, and catching Shido's right side, as the vampire dodged back.
"Come on Shido!" Hiromi heard a familiar voice call. Guni was flitting around above their heads, searching for an opportunity to fly in and help. Yayoi had her gun raised, trying to get a bead on Shido's foe. "Can't get a clear shot," Hiromi heard the woman mutter.
Turing back to the battle, Hiromi saw that Shido was in trouble. The gash above his hip was leaking blood with his every move, and suddenly Hiromi saw the Breed's strategy. It was trying to keep him moving, trying to keep blood flowing, until Shido was weak enough to finish off. She couldn't let that happen! Hiromi pulled out of Yayoi's grasp, ignoring the woman's call, and rushed toward the fray, before she knew what she would do. Snatching a chunk of concrete as she ran, Hiromi to a running leap and landed squarely on the monster's back.
"Whoa, lucky," was all she could think before the Breed started thrashing violently, trying to throw off this would-be assailant. Holding on to the Breed's hair for dear life, Hiromi bashed her chunk of concrete across its face.
The next thing Hiromi knew, she was upside-down in the air, looking at the sky below her. She saw Orion's Belt through the clearing rain clouds before she crashed to earth and blacked out.
***
Shido was loosing blood with every movement, and the Breed knew it. Grinning demonically, it moved in to finish him off but stopped in mid- stride and started swinging around violently. Shido saw a gray shape crash against the Breed's face, before it threw something small and pale from its back. A mass of red hair could be seen as the shape crashed into a phone pole and laid still. Hiromi...
Not wasting the moment the girl had bought him, Shido rushed the Breed, bringing his Bloodsword up and around, slicing the host's body cleanly through the middle. As a glowing substance slid from the host's remains, Shido bit his finger again and scattered his blood over the Breed's base form, watching it grow dark as it died.
"Shido! You did it!" Guni chirped, flying up and glomping his cheek.
"Hiromi..." Shido gasped, turning, only to clutch at his right side as his legs gave out.
Guni flew over to check on the girl, as Yayoi jogged up and helped Shido steady himself.
"Yayoi, could you?"
"Of course, Shido," she replied, sliding her jacket off, baring her neck.