Secrets
Chapter Four
"What's the matter, Auryon?" Cain asked of his loyal servant. "Can you not take it?"
She didn't open her eyes, nor did she remove her hands from her ears. "Her scream…it's too much," she said quietly. "I'm sorry, I haven't gotten used to these heightened senses yet, Master."
"You will, my dear. You will." He glanced at his young victim. "I think she's had enough…don't you?" Without waiting for an answer, he walked over to her. He heard her scream get louder as he approached, but whether it was his imagination or reality, he didn't know.
"Riho…"
No response from her.
He silently moved closer to her and his eyes flashed that familiar yellow. In a swift, sweeping moment, he bit her softly on the neck. She instantly stopped shrieking.
"Mr. Shido?" She said groggily as her eyes returned to normal. She spoke as if she had just awoken from a dream or a deep trance. As she regained her visual awareness, she looked upon her tormentor. "No…you're Cain! What did you do to me?!"
The corner of Cain's lips turned up in a twisted smile. "I merely awoke you from his memories."
"His memories? You mean…all those painful images were--"
"Yes. Secrets of Tatsuhiko Shido's forgotten past. These images are the key to helping him."
"…They are? But…how?"
"All you have to do is look him in the eyes and think about the memories you just witnessed. He will see them in your eyes, and his condition will brighten."
Riho looked at him. "Really???"
Cain smirked. "Yes…but it comes at a price."
Riho's hopeful expression faded. "What kind of price? What will happen to Mr. Shido??"
"Nothing will happen to him…It's you who will be affected, young vampire."
She remained silent, but her eyes asked him what would happen.
"The price you must pay to save Shido…" he said quietly, his eyes narrowing. "…Is your life."
"I don't care, as long as Mr. Shido is alright!" she said, suddenly quite annoyed. "Now let me out of here!"
Cain nodded, and a door appeared behind Riho. She left without hesitation. 'I'll save Mr. Shido. I don't care what happens to me.' She thought to herself. However, as she walked towards the office, her thoughts began to shift. 'Will it be painful…death? No…it doesn't matter, as long as Mr. Shido is OK. But what if he misses me when I'm gone?' At this, she paused. 'Nah…he won't.' She concluded. 'He doesn't have those kind of feelings for me…' She continued, but suddenly seemed very tired. She sat down, leaning against a wall, drifting into a confused and uneasy sleep.
She awoke an hour later and remembered what she had set out to do. She continued towards the office. When she arrived, she opened the door and glanced inside. 'That's odd…' she thought. 'There's no sign of Ms. Yayoi or Guni anywhere…' She looked at the couch. Sure enough, Shido was lying there. She was pleased to see that he wasn't quivering as he usually did. She walked over to him and knelt beside him. "Mr. Shido?" she asked quietly, not expecting a response.
"Riho?"
Her eyes widened as she heard her name. His eyes were open, and she realized that it was now or never. But before she could even look into his eyes, a darkness filled the room. Everything got darker by the moment, and, to Riho's horror, Shido had vanished from the couch. She looked around frantically and saw him running towards her from a great distance. She ran after him as well, but no matter how far she ran, he always seemed to be the same distance away. Suddenly, she tripped, and fell forward. Everything was completely black now. She heard her name, but it sounded somehow distant as though it was a thousand miles away. She heard it again ever fainter, and then was greeted by silence. But oddly enough, she felt a drop of water hit her cheek. She also felt as though she had been somehow lifted off of the ground. 'So this is what it's like to die…' and then she felt no more.
"We…must help…her…Riho is…in danger…." Shido muttered, suddenly thrashing about like a two-year-old in a temper-tantrum. "Where…is Riho?"
"Calm down, Shido!" Guni urged, latching onto Shido's arm. He tossed her off. "Whoa!" she exclaimed as she was hurtled towards the wall. "Whoooa!" she yelled again, but luckily, her wings caught the air and she hit the wall at a mild speed. "Unh…I'm ok…."
"Shido, please stop!" Yayoi tried. She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but he slapped it off.
"Riho…" was all he said.
Yayoi turned to the little demon. "It's no use," she said. "Guni, go find Riho. And find her as fast as you can!"
Normally, Guni would respond with a completely sarcastic remark and then ignore the order. But this was different. This was Shido, and Yayoi's voice had immense urgency within it. So Guni flew out the open window and began to search for Shido's young ward.
"Riho…Riho where are you?" she called as she fluttered about. "Riho, Shido needs you! Riho?!" suddenly a figure caught her eye. "Oh no!" she gasped and flew after what she had seen.
Shido continued to thrash. "Ri…ho….Riho…….Riho…………"
Chapter Four
"What's the matter, Auryon?" Cain asked of his loyal servant. "Can you not take it?"
She didn't open her eyes, nor did she remove her hands from her ears. "Her scream…it's too much," she said quietly. "I'm sorry, I haven't gotten used to these heightened senses yet, Master."
"You will, my dear. You will." He glanced at his young victim. "I think she's had enough…don't you?" Without waiting for an answer, he walked over to her. He heard her scream get louder as he approached, but whether it was his imagination or reality, he didn't know.
"Riho…"
No response from her.
He silently moved closer to her and his eyes flashed that familiar yellow. In a swift, sweeping moment, he bit her softly on the neck. She instantly stopped shrieking.
"Mr. Shido?" She said groggily as her eyes returned to normal. She spoke as if she had just awoken from a dream or a deep trance. As she regained her visual awareness, she looked upon her tormentor. "No…you're Cain! What did you do to me?!"
The corner of Cain's lips turned up in a twisted smile. "I merely awoke you from his memories."
"His memories? You mean…all those painful images were--"
"Yes. Secrets of Tatsuhiko Shido's forgotten past. These images are the key to helping him."
"…They are? But…how?"
"All you have to do is look him in the eyes and think about the memories you just witnessed. He will see them in your eyes, and his condition will brighten."
Riho looked at him. "Really???"
Cain smirked. "Yes…but it comes at a price."
Riho's hopeful expression faded. "What kind of price? What will happen to Mr. Shido??"
"Nothing will happen to him…It's you who will be affected, young vampire."
She remained silent, but her eyes asked him what would happen.
"The price you must pay to save Shido…" he said quietly, his eyes narrowing. "…Is your life."
"I don't care, as long as Mr. Shido is alright!" she said, suddenly quite annoyed. "Now let me out of here!"
Cain nodded, and a door appeared behind Riho. She left without hesitation. 'I'll save Mr. Shido. I don't care what happens to me.' She thought to herself. However, as she walked towards the office, her thoughts began to shift. 'Will it be painful…death? No…it doesn't matter, as long as Mr. Shido is OK. But what if he misses me when I'm gone?' At this, she paused. 'Nah…he won't.' She concluded. 'He doesn't have those kind of feelings for me…' She continued, but suddenly seemed very tired. She sat down, leaning against a wall, drifting into a confused and uneasy sleep.
She awoke an hour later and remembered what she had set out to do. She continued towards the office. When she arrived, she opened the door and glanced inside. 'That's odd…' she thought. 'There's no sign of Ms. Yayoi or Guni anywhere…' She looked at the couch. Sure enough, Shido was lying there. She was pleased to see that he wasn't quivering as he usually did. She walked over to him and knelt beside him. "Mr. Shido?" she asked quietly, not expecting a response.
"Riho?"
Her eyes widened as she heard her name. His eyes were open, and she realized that it was now or never. But before she could even look into his eyes, a darkness filled the room. Everything got darker by the moment, and, to Riho's horror, Shido had vanished from the couch. She looked around frantically and saw him running towards her from a great distance. She ran after him as well, but no matter how far she ran, he always seemed to be the same distance away. Suddenly, she tripped, and fell forward. Everything was completely black now. She heard her name, but it sounded somehow distant as though it was a thousand miles away. She heard it again ever fainter, and then was greeted by silence. But oddly enough, she felt a drop of water hit her cheek. She also felt as though she had been somehow lifted off of the ground. 'So this is what it's like to die…' and then she felt no more.
"We…must help…her…Riho is…in danger…." Shido muttered, suddenly thrashing about like a two-year-old in a temper-tantrum. "Where…is Riho?"
"Calm down, Shido!" Guni urged, latching onto Shido's arm. He tossed her off. "Whoa!" she exclaimed as she was hurtled towards the wall. "Whoooa!" she yelled again, but luckily, her wings caught the air and she hit the wall at a mild speed. "Unh…I'm ok…."
"Shido, please stop!" Yayoi tried. She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but he slapped it off.
"Riho…" was all he said.
Yayoi turned to the little demon. "It's no use," she said. "Guni, go find Riho. And find her as fast as you can!"
Normally, Guni would respond with a completely sarcastic remark and then ignore the order. But this was different. This was Shido, and Yayoi's voice had immense urgency within it. So Guni flew out the open window and began to search for Shido's young ward.
"Riho…Riho where are you?" she called as she fluttered about. "Riho, Shido needs you! Riho?!" suddenly a figure caught her eye. "Oh no!" she gasped and flew after what she had seen.
Shido continued to thrash. "Ri…ho….Riho…….Riho…………"