Disclaimer: I do not own "Nightwalker" or any of the characters involved.
Riho awoke with a start. Without moving her body she assessed her situation. Muted light entered the room through the drawn curtains on the window. She estimated the time of day to be about 7 p.m.
"Almost time to get up," she thought lazily and yawned. She cuddled closer into the loose embrace of her lover sharing the bed with her. Her head rested against his chest and she listened closely to detect his heartbeat. She heard none and smiled secretly to herself. She knew that he also would not hear the pumping of blood through her veins, for they were both of that mythological and mysterious breed known as vampire.
Riho raised her head to look upon the face of the man she loved while he rested in repose. His long violet-colored tresses lay across his shoulders and long wisps of bangs shaded his closed eyes. He looked deceptively young and childlike while asleep, she thought. Deceptive because in truth he was several centuries old and had long ago lost any sense of innocence.
Riho lifted her hand to caress his face and moved to wake him with a kiss, when a long shudder wracked his body and his head began to roll back and forth across the pillow. His arms and hands clenched and tightened painfully around her small body and then relaxed again. Low moans emerged from his sensuous mouth and his eyes moved frantically from beneath their closed lids.
"Another memory," Riho said bitterly as she whispered her lover's name.
"Shido."
No response.
"Shido," she repeated loudly and with a shake the vampire awoke from his dream.
Pain-filled eyes locked onto her sympathetic, brown ones.
"Another memory?" she asked quietly.
He only nodded his head in a dazed assent.
"Maybe it would help to talk about it," she prodded him gently, but his only response was to roll onto his side and turn away from her.
Riho lay back in the bed and stared morosely up at the ceiling.
In the year that Shido and she had been together, working as one team in both their professional and personal lives, there was only one aspect of their union together that was imperfect. It was his past and his adamant refusal to discuss any of it with her. Whenever he recalled details, or had dreams, or awakened memories about his other life, he would become distant from her and put up a wall that she could not climb no matter how hard she tried. No amount of reasoning or pleading could get him to talk about what he remembered of the man he once was or what he had done.
Riho got out of the bed and walked over to the window. She parted the curtains slightly and looked out at the city as the sun set in the distant sky. This was one of her favorite times of day. Usually she and Shido would awake to watch the sunset together and then go back to bed to make love before beginning their day which consisted of adhering to nighttime hours.
Riho stood quiet, naked, and alone at the window tonight and thought that her physical state at the moment perfectly matched her emotional state. For she was truly alone and helpless in her desire to help Shido work out his demons, when he rebuffed her at every turn as he did.
After several minutes of contemplating the sun sinking low in the sky, she felt a blanket cover her form. From behind, a pair of warm arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her into a hard masculine body. Shido's head lowered to drift kisses along her bare shoulder and neck. He kissed and nibbled his way up to her ear and whispered, "You looked so lovely standing there with the light bathing over you in pinks and reds."
"Come back to bed, Riho," he pleaded.
"I want you," he growled into her ear as he licked it. Shivers ran up and down her spine and she felt his desire hard against her back. She turned around in his arms and mutely stared up at him.
"I need you, Riho," he stated firmly and there was nothing for her to do at that moment but to wrap her arms around his neck and tilt her face up to receive his scorching kiss.
The blanket fell from their bodies as Shido picked up his young love and gently deposited her back onto the bed. Without breaking their kiss, his fingers tested her readiness for him. He found her wet and wanting and so he immediately sank himself inside of her depths without any preliminaries.
He began to move inside of her and in one last attempt to reach out to him, Riho poured all of her love for him into her eyes which glowed and radiated with her unending affection for this man. Shido looked down at her and for a moment answered her silent endearment with his own. But then his expression changed to one of sadness and fear and he lowered his head into her hair so as not to meet her gaze. Shido never saw the tears that formed in her eyes as he lost himself in her body.
A lone figure standing on the corner dropped the cigarette from his fingers and ground out its ashes with his boot heel as he stared up at the window across the street. He saw a young girl separate the curtains and look out towards the setting sun. He could see her naked, young body and appreciated her lush curves. Then he witnessed a man emerge from the darkness behind her. The man placed kisses onto her shoulder and neck and she turned around to meet and match his ardor. The figure on the corner clenched his hands in anger and disgust and turned away as the lovers stepped away from the window.
"Soon, Riho," he whispered to himself. "Soon you will be mine," he vowed as he walked off down the street finalizing plans in his mind.
Riho awoke with a start. Without moving her body she assessed her situation. Muted light entered the room through the drawn curtains on the window. She estimated the time of day to be about 7 p.m.
"Almost time to get up," she thought lazily and yawned. She cuddled closer into the loose embrace of her lover sharing the bed with her. Her head rested against his chest and she listened closely to detect his heartbeat. She heard none and smiled secretly to herself. She knew that he also would not hear the pumping of blood through her veins, for they were both of that mythological and mysterious breed known as vampire.
Riho raised her head to look upon the face of the man she loved while he rested in repose. His long violet-colored tresses lay across his shoulders and long wisps of bangs shaded his closed eyes. He looked deceptively young and childlike while asleep, she thought. Deceptive because in truth he was several centuries old and had long ago lost any sense of innocence.
Riho lifted her hand to caress his face and moved to wake him with a kiss, when a long shudder wracked his body and his head began to roll back and forth across the pillow. His arms and hands clenched and tightened painfully around her small body and then relaxed again. Low moans emerged from his sensuous mouth and his eyes moved frantically from beneath their closed lids.
"Another memory," Riho said bitterly as she whispered her lover's name.
"Shido."
No response.
"Shido," she repeated loudly and with a shake the vampire awoke from his dream.
Pain-filled eyes locked onto her sympathetic, brown ones.
"Another memory?" she asked quietly.
He only nodded his head in a dazed assent.
"Maybe it would help to talk about it," she prodded him gently, but his only response was to roll onto his side and turn away from her.
Riho lay back in the bed and stared morosely up at the ceiling.
In the year that Shido and she had been together, working as one team in both their professional and personal lives, there was only one aspect of their union together that was imperfect. It was his past and his adamant refusal to discuss any of it with her. Whenever he recalled details, or had dreams, or awakened memories about his other life, he would become distant from her and put up a wall that she could not climb no matter how hard she tried. No amount of reasoning or pleading could get him to talk about what he remembered of the man he once was or what he had done.
Riho got out of the bed and walked over to the window. She parted the curtains slightly and looked out at the city as the sun set in the distant sky. This was one of her favorite times of day. Usually she and Shido would awake to watch the sunset together and then go back to bed to make love before beginning their day which consisted of adhering to nighttime hours.
Riho stood quiet, naked, and alone at the window tonight and thought that her physical state at the moment perfectly matched her emotional state. For she was truly alone and helpless in her desire to help Shido work out his demons, when he rebuffed her at every turn as he did.
After several minutes of contemplating the sun sinking low in the sky, she felt a blanket cover her form. From behind, a pair of warm arms wrapped themselves around her and pulled her into a hard masculine body. Shido's head lowered to drift kisses along her bare shoulder and neck. He kissed and nibbled his way up to her ear and whispered, "You looked so lovely standing there with the light bathing over you in pinks and reds."
"Come back to bed, Riho," he pleaded.
"I want you," he growled into her ear as he licked it. Shivers ran up and down her spine and she felt his desire hard against her back. She turned around in his arms and mutely stared up at him.
"I need you, Riho," he stated firmly and there was nothing for her to do at that moment but to wrap her arms around his neck and tilt her face up to receive his scorching kiss.
The blanket fell from their bodies as Shido picked up his young love and gently deposited her back onto the bed. Without breaking their kiss, his fingers tested her readiness for him. He found her wet and wanting and so he immediately sank himself inside of her depths without any preliminaries.
He began to move inside of her and in one last attempt to reach out to him, Riho poured all of her love for him into her eyes which glowed and radiated with her unending affection for this man. Shido looked down at her and for a moment answered her silent endearment with his own. But then his expression changed to one of sadness and fear and he lowered his head into her hair so as not to meet her gaze. Shido never saw the tears that formed in her eyes as he lost himself in her body.
A lone figure standing on the corner dropped the cigarette from his fingers and ground out its ashes with his boot heel as he stared up at the window across the street. He saw a young girl separate the curtains and look out towards the setting sun. He could see her naked, young body and appreciated her lush curves. Then he witnessed a man emerge from the darkness behind her. The man placed kisses onto her shoulder and neck and she turned around to meet and match his ardor. The figure on the corner clenched his hands in anger and disgust and turned away as the lovers stepped away from the window.
"Soon, Riho," he whispered to himself. "Soon you will be mine," he vowed as he walked off down the street finalizing plans in his mind.