(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: Okay, now that we're all thoroughly depressed, here's a little more, and a little bit of humor to balance out. Yes I am obsessed with Shido, and writing these stupid stories, but I don't own them or make money off them. So you can't sue me! Nyah Nyah! (Immature? Me??)
Hiromi walked as if in a trance. Here eyes were hooded, her head down, a light rain plastering her hair to her face, making blood-red snakes in front of here eyes.
"Why was he keeping them? Hiromi asked herself again. "I know I left them in his office, but why would he keep them?"
After a month and a half of working with Shido Tatsuhiko, a certain kind of trust had been built between them. Hiromi trusted Shido not to hurt her, and Shido trusted that she trusted him. For a while, it had seemed like things could be good for her again.
"And now this happens...dammit, why do things have to get so complicated like this?" she said out loud.
No one answered her, and Hiromi sighed and looked up at the sky. The winter shower was stopping, small patches of sunlight pushing through the clouds.
"Wow," she muttered looking around, "I walked all the way to the docks..."
Hiromi moved in the direction of the boardwalk, shivering a little. Though she was wearing a jacket, the light material didn't do a thing to cut out the wind that had decided to blow. She picked up her pace, breathing deep the smell of salt and brine, letting her mind return to Shido.
The man had been nothing but kind to her, never threatening her in any way. Even when they had first met, and Shido had grabbed her arm, it had only been because she had tried to run. All he had done was mistake her for a Nightbreed. And then he had let her go.
Hiromi stopped walking and leaned against a building, using the leeward side as a shelter from the wind. She pulled her backpack off her shoulders and set it on the street, crouching next to it. Unzipping the old bag, she reached in and pulled out the worn, black baseball cap and matching sunglasses.
Here in her hands were mementoes of That Night. After what happened on That Night, she had started wearing the cap and shades whenever she had gone out. It was the only way she had felt safe...
"Forget this," she sighed, standing and still looking at her chains, " I *am* safe. Things are safe again. I'm not coming unhinged just because these things popped up."
And with those words she turned and looked around. The building she had leaned against was old and made of red bricks, now a faint pink from years of wind, rain, and sun. Reaching down, she felt along the cornerstones, until she found one that was loose. Using her fingers, Hiromi was able to pull on loose. She reached into her bag again, and pulled out and old bandana and tied the sunglasses and cap to the brick. Leaving her backpack next to the building, she ran over to the wharf's railing.
"Goodbye past," she whispered, dropping the brick and watching it sink out of sight. "Hello, future."
Hiromi leaned against the rail a while longer, looking at the horizon and thinking of her parents, when a strong hand clutched her shoulder...
***
"She found WHAT?!"
Yayoi was furious, lightning sparking behind her midnight eyes and stalking back and forth in the room like a caged animal.
Shido just sat behind hi desk, his chin propped in one hand, trying to project an image of calmness, "She found the cap and shades. I forgot they were in that particular drawer when I asked her to get the envelope."
"Yayoi, you're really overreacting. It was an honest mistake..." Guni started from her place on the bookshelf, but the NOS officer rounded on her in a second, pointing.
"*You* stay out of this, unless you want to become a little green stain on the wall."
Guni blinked her red eyes and flexed her wings a little, but was wise enough not to say anything else. Instead, she sent a look to Shido, and the vampire nodded almost imperceptibly back. Yayoi was PMSing; Shido could smell the blood from across the room.
"...how could you be so callous as not to remember, Shido?"
"I had a lot on my mind..."
"A lot on your mind. Like what, pray tell?"
"There was a murder last night..."
"So? There's a murder every week in out line of work."
"Will you please let me finish? The murder victim had Hiromi's bodily profile almost perfectly, except for the eyes."
Yayoi stopped her pacing and looked right at Shido, "Cain?" she asked.
"I think so."
"Holy mother of God," she said, sitting on the couch and burying her face in her hands. After a moment, Yayoi raised her head again, "What was wrong with the eyes?"
"They were green, not violet."
"Figures. Violet eyes are a rarity...and Hiromi hasn't been back all day?"
"Nope," Guni said, gliding over to pace the desk. "She's not at her apartment either. Or if she is, she hasn't been answering her phone."
"Who was heading the case?" Yayoi asked Shido.
"What's-his-name...your boss."
"That dirty bastard..." Yayoi hissed, fire returning to her voice, and she went off into muttering something about castration.
Guni sighed and sat on the pale blue phone, crossing her legs, just as it rang.
"Holy--!" she cried, covering her ears and flying straight up.
Shido grinned as he picked up the screeching phone; Guni knew better than to sit there...
"Tatsuhiko Detective Agency."
"Shido?" came a quiet girl's voice.
"Hiromi?" Yayoi immediately quit muttering and looked up, while Guni settled on Shido's shoulder, still rubbing at her sore ears. "Hiromi are you alright?"
"Well, not really..."
"Why, what happened? Look, about your cap and sunglasses, I'm sor--." "It's not about that."
"Well, what's wrong then?" Shido asked, trying to sound calm.
"Well, I um...I'm in jail..."
"What?!" he shouted, toppling Guni off his shoulder.
Disclaimer: Okay, now that we're all thoroughly depressed, here's a little more, and a little bit of humor to balance out. Yes I am obsessed with Shido, and writing these stupid stories, but I don't own them or make money off them. So you can't sue me! Nyah Nyah! (Immature? Me??)
Hiromi walked as if in a trance. Here eyes were hooded, her head down, a light rain plastering her hair to her face, making blood-red snakes in front of here eyes.
"Why was he keeping them? Hiromi asked herself again. "I know I left them in his office, but why would he keep them?"
After a month and a half of working with Shido Tatsuhiko, a certain kind of trust had been built between them. Hiromi trusted Shido not to hurt her, and Shido trusted that she trusted him. For a while, it had seemed like things could be good for her again.
"And now this happens...dammit, why do things have to get so complicated like this?" she said out loud.
No one answered her, and Hiromi sighed and looked up at the sky. The winter shower was stopping, small patches of sunlight pushing through the clouds.
"Wow," she muttered looking around, "I walked all the way to the docks..."
Hiromi moved in the direction of the boardwalk, shivering a little. Though she was wearing a jacket, the light material didn't do a thing to cut out the wind that had decided to blow. She picked up her pace, breathing deep the smell of salt and brine, letting her mind return to Shido.
The man had been nothing but kind to her, never threatening her in any way. Even when they had first met, and Shido had grabbed her arm, it had only been because she had tried to run. All he had done was mistake her for a Nightbreed. And then he had let her go.
Hiromi stopped walking and leaned against a building, using the leeward side as a shelter from the wind. She pulled her backpack off her shoulders and set it on the street, crouching next to it. Unzipping the old bag, she reached in and pulled out the worn, black baseball cap and matching sunglasses.
Here in her hands were mementoes of That Night. After what happened on That Night, she had started wearing the cap and shades whenever she had gone out. It was the only way she had felt safe...
"Forget this," she sighed, standing and still looking at her chains, " I *am* safe. Things are safe again. I'm not coming unhinged just because these things popped up."
And with those words she turned and looked around. The building she had leaned against was old and made of red bricks, now a faint pink from years of wind, rain, and sun. Reaching down, she felt along the cornerstones, until she found one that was loose. Using her fingers, Hiromi was able to pull on loose. She reached into her bag again, and pulled out and old bandana and tied the sunglasses and cap to the brick. Leaving her backpack next to the building, she ran over to the wharf's railing.
"Goodbye past," she whispered, dropping the brick and watching it sink out of sight. "Hello, future."
Hiromi leaned against the rail a while longer, looking at the horizon and thinking of her parents, when a strong hand clutched her shoulder...
***
"She found WHAT?!"
Yayoi was furious, lightning sparking behind her midnight eyes and stalking back and forth in the room like a caged animal.
Shido just sat behind hi desk, his chin propped in one hand, trying to project an image of calmness, "She found the cap and shades. I forgot they were in that particular drawer when I asked her to get the envelope."
"Yayoi, you're really overreacting. It was an honest mistake..." Guni started from her place on the bookshelf, but the NOS officer rounded on her in a second, pointing.
"*You* stay out of this, unless you want to become a little green stain on the wall."
Guni blinked her red eyes and flexed her wings a little, but was wise enough not to say anything else. Instead, she sent a look to Shido, and the vampire nodded almost imperceptibly back. Yayoi was PMSing; Shido could smell the blood from across the room.
"...how could you be so callous as not to remember, Shido?"
"I had a lot on my mind..."
"A lot on your mind. Like what, pray tell?"
"There was a murder last night..."
"So? There's a murder every week in out line of work."
"Will you please let me finish? The murder victim had Hiromi's bodily profile almost perfectly, except for the eyes."
Yayoi stopped her pacing and looked right at Shido, "Cain?" she asked.
"I think so."
"Holy mother of God," she said, sitting on the couch and burying her face in her hands. After a moment, Yayoi raised her head again, "What was wrong with the eyes?"
"They were green, not violet."
"Figures. Violet eyes are a rarity...and Hiromi hasn't been back all day?"
"Nope," Guni said, gliding over to pace the desk. "She's not at her apartment either. Or if she is, she hasn't been answering her phone."
"Who was heading the case?" Yayoi asked Shido.
"What's-his-name...your boss."
"That dirty bastard..." Yayoi hissed, fire returning to her voice, and she went off into muttering something about castration.
Guni sighed and sat on the pale blue phone, crossing her legs, just as it rang.
"Holy--!" she cried, covering her ears and flying straight up.
Shido grinned as he picked up the screeching phone; Guni knew better than to sit there...
"Tatsuhiko Detective Agency."
"Shido?" came a quiet girl's voice.
"Hiromi?" Yayoi immediately quit muttering and looked up, while Guni settled on Shido's shoulder, still rubbing at her sore ears. "Hiromi are you alright?"
"Well, not really..."
"Why, what happened? Look, about your cap and sunglasses, I'm sor--." "It's not about that."
"Well, what's wrong then?" Shido asked, trying to sound calm.
"Well, I um...I'm in jail..."
"What?!" he shouted, toppling Guni off his shoulder.