(Note: Riho will be replaced with my own character, Hiromi Takabe, because
I don't really like Riho's totally innocent maiden attitude. Hiro is a
little bit more real. Also I often switch character prospective from Hiromi
to Shido: three stars indicate this)
Disclaimer: I do not own any Nightwalker related characters or material. Hiromi, however is mine. If you would like to use her, please ask my permission in your reviews.
Hiromi was swimming in blackness; nothing stretched as far as she could see. There was a dull ache in her head, and a breeze on her face, pleasantly cool. Turning her head to that breeze, Hiromi felt herself rising out of the blackness, the ache in her head intensifying. As her vision went from black to gray, Hiromi saw a green shape in front of her, Guni. The fairy had her back turned to Hiromi, her bat-like wing fluttering franticly.
"Finally!" she squeaked, turning around to face the girl, "Where do you get off pulling a stupid stunt like that? And what were you doing walking alone at night, after Shido told you about the Breed? Thanks to you he's pretty banged up!" Guni shouted angrily, gesturing behind her.
Raising her head slowly, Hiromi looked in the direction the furious fairy was pointing, and her eyes widened. Yayoi lay in Shido's embrace, her head thrown back and eyes closed. Shido had his head bent over her neck, holding her close, and for a moment, Hiromi was sure that the woman was hurt or worse. But no, her arm was moving, reaching up to clutch at Shido's shoulder.
At her touch, Shido pulled his head back, a thin line of blood trailing from his mouth. His eyes glowed yellow as he stood, helping Yayoi to her feet. Hiromi saw that his side no longer bled, the gash above his hip gone, as if it had never been.
Shido gave Hiromi a sad, but determined look, "Now you know why I wouldn't answer your question earlier. I'm glad that your alright, and grateful for your help, but it would be best if we were to part ways here. We'll call for an ambulance. Stay here."
And with those words, Shido turned and helped Yayoi back down the street, Guni flying after them. Hiromi laid her head back down and squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to let the threatening tears escape. As the ambulance arrived and the EMC rushed out and began a hurried exam on her, Hiromi came to a decision.
***
"You've got to admit," Yayoi was saying three days later, in Shido's office, "that girl had some serious guts."
Shido sitting behind his desk, and looking up at her ceiling with his hands laced behind his head, sighed and said, "Yes, Hiromi had to develop a sense of bravery and determination, considering what he had gone through."
"You never did tell me 'what she went through.'"
"Its not for me to tell."
"Fine, keep your secrets."
Guni, who had been watching the conversation from near the door, suddenly jerked and dived into Shido's hair.
"Heads up!" she called, "We've got a customer."
Soon a shadow appeared through the tinted glass, and a quiet knocking was heard.
"Please, come in," Shido called.
The door opened and a figure wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, sunglasses, and baseball cap, walked in. complete silence followed.
Guni was the first to speak, "Shido, what is it?" Then peeking her head out of his hair, squeaked, "Hiromi!"
The girl nodded, and took off her shades and hat, and placed them on the nearest chair, letting her hair fall to its usual length; halfway down her shoulder blades. She kept her head lowered to the floor, refusing anyone eye contact.
"How did you find the office?" Yayoi asked.
"Looked in the Yellow Pages," then the girl smiled slightly, "For a private detective you're sure easy to find."
Shido just sat, stunned. After clearing his throat, he asked, "Why did you come looking for me, Hiromi?"
Looking up for the first time, Hiromi said, "I've been doing some serious thinking, about myself, my parents, the Breeds, and all three of you. I realized that I'm tiered of hiding who I am from the world. I'm also tired of regretting that night; thinking that if I had come home earlier, my parents wouldn't have gone looking for me, and stayed at home, safe. Or how if I hadn't run out from the police station that same night, I wouldn't have been...I would've been able to..."
Tears filled her eyes and Hiromi dropped her face again. Yayoi, finally understanding the girl's secret, stood and gathered Hiromi in her arms.
"Shhhh...its alright, you don't have to....."
Pulling away, Hiromi wiped at her eyes, "Yes I do. Some secret have to be kept," she said looking at Shido, "and some have to be shared, or they'll destroy you. I have to let this go..."
"Yayoi," Shido said quietly. The woman turned to look at him, her eyes pained. "Let her finish." Shaking her head, Yayoi again sat down, her heart aching for the young girl.
Hiromi forced herself to look up and face the three.
"I was raped that same night. In an alley. By three men. Ever since then, I haven't felt safe unless I was dressed as a boy, and carrying a knife. Well, I'm tiered of being afraid, tired of dressing like a boy, tired of thinking 'what if', and 'how could'? I'm not going to hide or regret anything anymore. I refuse to."
Hiromi paused, and thought for a moment on how to continue. These next few sentences were important. Shido nodded his head, encouraging her to continue.
Steeling herself, Hiromi took a deep breath, her words coming out in a rush, "After Thursday evening, after seeing first hand what the Breeds are capable of, I've decided that I want to pit myself against them as well. I want to make sure that what happened to me, won't happen to anybody else."
Another stunned silence followed her proposal. After a minute, Yayoi spoke up from her seat, "You speak very eloquently for a sixteen year old, Hiromi. If you are truly adamant about this decision of yours, then I can't forbid you from staying."
Guni flew over to Hiromi, a tissue clutched in her hands. "Well," she said handing it to the girl, "it's okay with me, but if you try another stunt like last time, don't expect me to pull your butt out!"
All three women, smiling now, turned to the silent vampire.
"If I say no, you're probably going to hand around on follow me anyway, huh?"
"That was the general plan."
Shido sighed in defeat, "Alright. But only if you follow any instructions I give you to the letter. The Nightbreeds are no laughing matter."
"They are when a sixteen year old can beat them up, no problem," Guni chirped.
Everyone laughed.
"Welcome aboard, Hiromi," Yayoi said. She frowned at Hiromi's clothes for a moment, before snapping her fingers. "I think you could use some Girl Time. Come on, I'm taking you shopping," she said, pulling the girl to the door.
"Shopping?" Hiromi managed to squeak before the door slammed shut. Still smiling, Shido picked up Hiromi's forgotten cap and sunglasses, and put them into a drawer in his desk.
"I've never seen Yayoi so happy," muttered Guni, sitting cross-legged in the air.
"She gets to be a big sister," Shido said, sliding the drawer closed. "Just let her enjoy it."
"Kinda a redemption for Kusumi, huh?"
"Perhaps, Guni. Perhaps....." Shido said, returning to his seat.
Author's note:
~ Whoo! My first real fan fiction, (complete with chapters) is done! I've got to say, writing this "Shido Story" was a blast. Also, I would like to dedicate the closing chapter to a fellow Starbucks addict, Moonlight Shadow. Arigato. Without your constant reviews, I don't think that I would've finished this fic. I'm going to take a break from writing for a bit, but I've got another Shido fic featuring Hiromi Takabe, ready and waiting to be typed. Look for, *dum dum dum* "Trial By Fire," in a week or so. It's going to be twice as long and is going to delve a little bit deeper into the character's relationships with each other. (I might even get evil and put in Cain!) *He he! * Thanks again. This is Crescent, the only one in my group of friends that has even heard of Shido, *gasp! * signing off for now. ^_^ ~
Disclaimer: I do not own any Nightwalker related characters or material. Hiromi, however is mine. If you would like to use her, please ask my permission in your reviews.
Hiromi was swimming in blackness; nothing stretched as far as she could see. There was a dull ache in her head, and a breeze on her face, pleasantly cool. Turning her head to that breeze, Hiromi felt herself rising out of the blackness, the ache in her head intensifying. As her vision went from black to gray, Hiromi saw a green shape in front of her, Guni. The fairy had her back turned to Hiromi, her bat-like wing fluttering franticly.
"Finally!" she squeaked, turning around to face the girl, "Where do you get off pulling a stupid stunt like that? And what were you doing walking alone at night, after Shido told you about the Breed? Thanks to you he's pretty banged up!" Guni shouted angrily, gesturing behind her.
Raising her head slowly, Hiromi looked in the direction the furious fairy was pointing, and her eyes widened. Yayoi lay in Shido's embrace, her head thrown back and eyes closed. Shido had his head bent over her neck, holding her close, and for a moment, Hiromi was sure that the woman was hurt or worse. But no, her arm was moving, reaching up to clutch at Shido's shoulder.
At her touch, Shido pulled his head back, a thin line of blood trailing from his mouth. His eyes glowed yellow as he stood, helping Yayoi to her feet. Hiromi saw that his side no longer bled, the gash above his hip gone, as if it had never been.
Shido gave Hiromi a sad, but determined look, "Now you know why I wouldn't answer your question earlier. I'm glad that your alright, and grateful for your help, but it would be best if we were to part ways here. We'll call for an ambulance. Stay here."
And with those words, Shido turned and helped Yayoi back down the street, Guni flying after them. Hiromi laid her head back down and squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to let the threatening tears escape. As the ambulance arrived and the EMC rushed out and began a hurried exam on her, Hiromi came to a decision.
***
"You've got to admit," Yayoi was saying three days later, in Shido's office, "that girl had some serious guts."
Shido sitting behind his desk, and looking up at her ceiling with his hands laced behind his head, sighed and said, "Yes, Hiromi had to develop a sense of bravery and determination, considering what he had gone through."
"You never did tell me 'what she went through.'"
"Its not for me to tell."
"Fine, keep your secrets."
Guni, who had been watching the conversation from near the door, suddenly jerked and dived into Shido's hair.
"Heads up!" she called, "We've got a customer."
Soon a shadow appeared through the tinted glass, and a quiet knocking was heard.
"Please, come in," Shido called.
The door opened and a figure wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, sunglasses, and baseball cap, walked in. complete silence followed.
Guni was the first to speak, "Shido, what is it?" Then peeking her head out of his hair, squeaked, "Hiromi!"
The girl nodded, and took off her shades and hat, and placed them on the nearest chair, letting her hair fall to its usual length; halfway down her shoulder blades. She kept her head lowered to the floor, refusing anyone eye contact.
"How did you find the office?" Yayoi asked.
"Looked in the Yellow Pages," then the girl smiled slightly, "For a private detective you're sure easy to find."
Shido just sat, stunned. After clearing his throat, he asked, "Why did you come looking for me, Hiromi?"
Looking up for the first time, Hiromi said, "I've been doing some serious thinking, about myself, my parents, the Breeds, and all three of you. I realized that I'm tiered of hiding who I am from the world. I'm also tired of regretting that night; thinking that if I had come home earlier, my parents wouldn't have gone looking for me, and stayed at home, safe. Or how if I hadn't run out from the police station that same night, I wouldn't have been...I would've been able to..."
Tears filled her eyes and Hiromi dropped her face again. Yayoi, finally understanding the girl's secret, stood and gathered Hiromi in her arms.
"Shhhh...its alright, you don't have to....."
Pulling away, Hiromi wiped at her eyes, "Yes I do. Some secret have to be kept," she said looking at Shido, "and some have to be shared, or they'll destroy you. I have to let this go..."
"Yayoi," Shido said quietly. The woman turned to look at him, her eyes pained. "Let her finish." Shaking her head, Yayoi again sat down, her heart aching for the young girl.
Hiromi forced herself to look up and face the three.
"I was raped that same night. In an alley. By three men. Ever since then, I haven't felt safe unless I was dressed as a boy, and carrying a knife. Well, I'm tiered of being afraid, tired of dressing like a boy, tired of thinking 'what if', and 'how could'? I'm not going to hide or regret anything anymore. I refuse to."
Hiromi paused, and thought for a moment on how to continue. These next few sentences were important. Shido nodded his head, encouraging her to continue.
Steeling herself, Hiromi took a deep breath, her words coming out in a rush, "After Thursday evening, after seeing first hand what the Breeds are capable of, I've decided that I want to pit myself against them as well. I want to make sure that what happened to me, won't happen to anybody else."
Another stunned silence followed her proposal. After a minute, Yayoi spoke up from her seat, "You speak very eloquently for a sixteen year old, Hiromi. If you are truly adamant about this decision of yours, then I can't forbid you from staying."
Guni flew over to Hiromi, a tissue clutched in her hands. "Well," she said handing it to the girl, "it's okay with me, but if you try another stunt like last time, don't expect me to pull your butt out!"
All three women, smiling now, turned to the silent vampire.
"If I say no, you're probably going to hand around on follow me anyway, huh?"
"That was the general plan."
Shido sighed in defeat, "Alright. But only if you follow any instructions I give you to the letter. The Nightbreeds are no laughing matter."
"They are when a sixteen year old can beat them up, no problem," Guni chirped.
Everyone laughed.
"Welcome aboard, Hiromi," Yayoi said. She frowned at Hiromi's clothes for a moment, before snapping her fingers. "I think you could use some Girl Time. Come on, I'm taking you shopping," she said, pulling the girl to the door.
"Shopping?" Hiromi managed to squeak before the door slammed shut. Still smiling, Shido picked up Hiromi's forgotten cap and sunglasses, and put them into a drawer in his desk.
"I've never seen Yayoi so happy," muttered Guni, sitting cross-legged in the air.
"She gets to be a big sister," Shido said, sliding the drawer closed. "Just let her enjoy it."
"Kinda a redemption for Kusumi, huh?"
"Perhaps, Guni. Perhaps....." Shido said, returning to his seat.
Author's note:
~ Whoo! My first real fan fiction, (complete with chapters) is done! I've got to say, writing this "Shido Story" was a blast. Also, I would like to dedicate the closing chapter to a fellow Starbucks addict, Moonlight Shadow. Arigato. Without your constant reviews, I don't think that I would've finished this fic. I'm going to take a break from writing for a bit, but I've got another Shido fic featuring Hiromi Takabe, ready and waiting to be typed. Look for, *dum dum dum* "Trial By Fire," in a week or so. It's going to be twice as long and is going to delve a little bit deeper into the character's relationships with each other. (I might even get evil and put in Cain!) *He he! * Thanks again. This is Crescent, the only one in my group of friends that has even heard of Shido, *gasp! * signing off for now. ^_^ ~