To be honest, when he agreed to walk her home, he didn't think that he would think of anything other than keeping her safe. To protect her heart from shattering at the thought of being followed again or even attacked for that matter. Yet, he found himself feeling something deep in his heart. What was it? Excitement? Maybe, he couldn't be sure, not unless he could get a taste of it from someone's memories as he drank their blood.
Yet so far, the only source he had was Shouta and that man almost never felt excited about anything.
So here he was, waiting outside a little restaurant that he has heard Shouta complain about a few times years ago. He hadn't returned due to most of the servers were rather rude but they still had some good business for the most part. A good first job for anyone that was trying to find their way in the world but that was about it.
Toshinori looked up at the sky, seeing that it still hadn't rained yet but, he couldn't help but wonder if it would rain this week. He hoped it would, as it would make things so much easier for him. Letting out a soft sigh, the young looking man looked over as he wondered what was taking Inko so long to get out. Maybe they were counting everything that had been earned?
'Maybe I should go in there one of these days, check to see how it is for her in there. Can't be that bad right?' he thought to himself, though he knew that he would have to order something but damn. He couldn't help but wince at the thought, he couldn't really eat human food. It didn't taste good for him and it wouldn't digest at all. It would just sit around in his stomach and it was a terrible feeling at that. Not to mention, almost right after he'd have to feed again or risk losing control to blood lust.
Shaking his head, the young man knew that he had to think of something else. Though, then again why was he even thinking about it in the first place? Why was he thinking this in the first place? It wasn't like he had a right to be this protective of her in the first place?
"Are you okay mister? You seem sad…" came a soft girl's voice in his head. It had been years yet he could still recall that moment. He had been out and about in the rain one day, something that he did once in a while when he was feeling down on himself. Yet, on that day he had found a little girl staring at him with worry and concern in her green eyes. He wasn't sure what it was, or what was causing this feeling deep within him but he felt rather protective of her. Wanting to do everything within his power to make sure that she was safe at all times of the day.
Shaking his head, Toshinori knew that sounded creepy, that he was very well nothing but some kind of stalker as he did try to keep her safe at all times of the day. Rubbing his forehead, the young man knew that he had to think of something, he knew that it wasn't right of him to even be doing this. Shouta had told him many, many times that running out and about trying to be something that he wasn't, but knew that he couldn't do such a thing anymore in the first place. Even his strength, far stronger than one could ever hope to achieve was one thing, but knew that he still had to be careful with it in the long run.
"Shouta needs to get himself out of the apartment more than I do." Grumbled Toshinori with a sigh.
"Who's Shouta?" asked Inko.
Toshinori jumped and felt like he would have died if… well… he wasn't already in a sense, dead. Turning his blue eyes onto the short green haired woman, he saw that Inko was wearing the same clothes that he saw her in earlier, a small smile on her face as she gazed up at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Inko said softly, a small frown on her face as she looked away.
"No, no I was deep in thought is all. You don't have to worry about me." Toshinori said with a smile on his face. "So, what did you want to do to thank me Inko?" asked Toshinori.
"I'm still not sure yet. But, I'm sure I'll figure it out soon enough." Inko said with a small smile. Toshinori couldn't help but smile back at her.
"You really don't have to do that Inko, I'm fine without you thanking me." Toshinori said softly, reaching out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder as she gazed back up at him. "Really, saving you is more than enough for me."
"No, I will thank you." Inko said with a pout on her face.
Toshinori just chuckled a little, looking away as he looked up at the sky and knew that they would have to start moving on. He knew that it would be best to get her home as soon as possible, after all. It was late, and the air was still chilly for humans. He saw how Inko shivered last night from his hiding spot on the roof.
'Okay, its official, I'm a stalker…' thought Toshinori in dismay.
"Toshi?" came Inko's voice, causing him to look at her and gave her a small bashful smile. "You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry." He calmly said before digging his hands into his pockets. Honestly, what was wrong with him, this was only him walking her home yet he felt like he was some child dealing with some kind of cruel and unusual punishment or something. So, why was he feeling like this in the first place?
Shaking his head, the young man turned to Inko as he asked "Shall we Inko?" Inko gave him a faint smile as she started to walk with Toshinori toward her apartment. "So, I'm rather curious why work here? I've heard some pretty terrible things about this place." Toshinori asked softly.
"It was the only place that would hire me in such short notice sadly. I wanted to earn my own keep and this was the only way to do so without relying on my family." Inko said with a sad sigh. Toshinori couldn't help but stare at her in confusion. As if sensing his confusion, she blushed a little and looked away. God, he could hear her heart beating in her chest, hear the sound of her blood rushing through her veins. His fangs started to lengthen, wanting to get a taste of her blood but had to restrain himself.
'I won't drink from her, I won't drink from another living person…' thought Toshinori with a wince, he didn't want to even think of such a thing in the first place. Drinking blood from humans was a no go for him, sure back when he first woke up he allowed it to happen, but even then he only drank from those who were already dying in the first place so he… he didn't kill them. Right?
At least, that was what he kept telling himself, he was only making it painless for them as they could feel one last bit of pleasure for themselves before they died.
"Toshi?"
"Oh, sorry Inko was lost in thought." Toshinori said with him scratching at his cheek. He had to stop that, he was losing himself to his thoughts far too often and knew that he couldn't keep doing that. Yet, it was so easy to lose himself like that and knew that it was a feeling that he felt the most comfortable in as it allowed him time to think back on what possibly did before becoming a vampire… "It happens a lot, I'm sorry Inko."
"It's okay, I do that too sometimes. When you are trapped in your own life, so caught up in the bad things that you just want to escape to your thoughts where you know that nothing can go wrong." Inko said with a small smile on her face, it made him wonder what kind of things she was going through. Besides a shitty job and of course living in such terrible apartments. What did she go through on a daily basis?
"Inko, may I ask what makes you hide away in your thoughts?" asked Toshinori with a frown on his face.
"Just… pretty much everything. It's hard to make time for my friends, my boyfriend." He winced at that. But why? "And sometimes it's hard for me to pay for my bills because they cut my hours once in a while. I only have to do this for another year or so of school then I can look for a better paying job so I can open up my own café."
"I love hearing the passion in your voice." He said with a smile on his face.
Inko blushed all the more as she said "I can't help it. My family have wanted me to follow in their footsteps by taking over as head of the family but, I wanted to do what I wanted to do. I want to make people happy but serving them tea and treats that I've learned over the years."
"Family business?" asked Toshinori with a frown on his face.
"Yeah, see, my family is a descendent from some royal line. I can't remember all the details, but my ancestor was a survivor from some kind of attack, she had lost everything in a single night. Her family, her best friend who also was her personal guard… everyone." Inko sighed softly as she looked up at the sky, it made Toshinori feel like he had seen that expression before on her, yet he couldn't help but feel the need to wrap her up in his arms and hold her close to his chest. "She managed to rebuild her home and her fortune, yet she didn't forget about those whom she lost all those years ago and kept a journal about her loss."
"Interesting, maybe one day you'll have to tell me the full story. If… if there is a full story that is. Right?" Toshinori rubbed the back of his head, he couldn't help but feel like he was intruding on a family story, a story that only her family had a right of knowing. Yet, he couldn't help but be rather curious, he was in a sense, living history yet he didn't recall anything like that over the years.
"Sure, it'll be nice to tell someone who is interested in something other than pro heroes." Inko said with a smile on her face, which of course only confused Toshinori a little as he tilted his head at her. "Oh, sorry, my boyfriend, Hisashi is a pro hero fan. He loves anything that involves pro heroes and it kind of gets rather boring and dull here and there." Inko said with a small frown on her face. Her green eyes shined with a hidden loneliness that he didn't think she would possess. If anything, she didn't need to feel such a thing, someone like her deserved to be loved and cherished above all else.
"Toshi, may I ask you something?" asked Inko with a tilt of her head.
"Uh… sure?"
"Who is Shouta, you never told me." Oh right, he was talking to himself when she had all but jumped out at him with her voice.
"Shouta is a friend of mine." That is an understatement. Shouta was a boy that he saved years ago, his parents having been attacked by some villains and Toshinori hadn't just attacked those men, but he had also been starving around then and had drained those villains of their blood. No one had ever figured out what was going on around then, only that they had suspected that a killer was on the loose.
They never did find anyone and for that Toshinori was grateful. Shouta though, he had been a shut in since he lost his parents. Toshinori, not wanting to leave the poor boy alone had taken him to the apartment that the two of them now call home and lived there. IT had taken some time, and a lot of coaxing from Toshinori to get Shouta to open up to him again and it had broken his heart to see the boy like that.
Shouta though had for the most part healed now and lived a good life as a pro hero.
"Think I'll ever meet him?" asked Inko, causing Toshinori to whip his head to stare at her in shock and confusion. He couldn't help but stare at her with wide eyes, causing Inko to blink her eyes up at him and tilt her own head at the man. "I mean, we are friends aren't we?" She… she already thought of him as her friend? But, they've only known each other for a day at the least.
"You sure you want to be my friend? I'm a dangerous man." Toshinori said with a frown on his face as he looked away from her. A frown marking his face as he gazed up at the sky, the clouds were starting to come their way over to hide the moon from him. "You'd be safer if I wasn't around you."
He was about to turn away from the woman until he felt her hand wrap itself around his fingers, causing him to look down at her with wide eyes. "Why would you call yourself that Toshinori? You seem rather lonely to me, your eyes betray what you feel." What he feels? He… he is able to show emotions when he himself can't seem to feel it? Was he really lonely? He had Shouta, Hizashi and Naomasa right? He… he wasn't lonely, he knew that much but was that really enough for him?
"Am I lonely?" asked Toshinori, not really expecting any kind of answer from her, nor anyone. It was a question that he was asking himself and it seemed that Inko was listening for his answer. He didn't even really know if he could feel such a thing with few people in his lives. Yet, he knew that at some point he would lose them to the flow of time, and he would be alone once again. A feeling that he didn't want to go through which was why he tried with all his being that he avoided being close to humans yet…
Life had a funny way of throwing things in your path making you either avoid or accept it. He had accepted responsibility in taking care of Shouta, doing all he could for the boy even after he had grown up and now, Shouta was looking after him as if he was the adult and Toshinori was the child.
It was odd, having the roles reversed in a way, yet he knew that he still had to answer Inko. Closing his eyes, he whispered "I am. Yes, I am lonely." Opening his blue eyes, Toshinori turned to Inko and saw her eyes starting to tear up, causing him to stare in shock. "Ah! I'm sorry! Did I make you cry!? Oh god I'm so sorry!" He said in a panic, looking through his pockets looking for his handkerchief, until he remembered that he had switched out for his jacket to wear for tonight instead of his favourite hoodie so it could be repaired. "Damn it, I don't have it! Fuck!" He cursed.
"Toshi!" Inko said, causing him to look down at her with a frown on his face. She gave him a small smile before she giggled at him. "It's okay, I'm sorry. I'm just a crier is all. I didn't mean to make you panic."
Oh… okay, so he panicked for nothing.
"Sorry, people panic all the time when they just see me crying out of the blue like that and I apologise for you panicking." Inko said with a soft smile on her face, tears still in her eyes but he couldn't help but stare at her green eyes with a soft look in his blue eyes. To him, her eyes reminded him of emeralds, jewels that sparkled with the love and desires of the person who would give their heart to another. Yet, he knew that Inko was loved by someone, many people even. And knew that she would live a happy life even if he couldn't fully be a part of that.
At some point in time, he'd have to disappear from her life forever.
"It's okay, no worries." Toshinori gave her a small smile before he placed his hands in his jacket pockets and gazed at the moon once again. He turned his gaze back at her, his eyes almost having a bit of a spark to them though Toshinori didn't notice it of course, Inko did. She couldn't help but stare at him though it had only confused Toshinori. He licked his teeth thinking his fangs were poking out, though he hadn't felt anything. Nothing but normal human teeth. "Is there something on my face?" asked Toshinori.
"No, you're eyes, I swear it's like you have some kind of storm brewing in there." Inko said, causing Toshinori to blink in shock. Did his eyes really show something such as that? Interesting. He's never noticed, not like he ever bothered to look at his reflection, faint as it may be when he was hungry, though even when he was full he didn't ever really notice his reflection in the first place long enough to even care or notice.
Taking a deep breath, god still it felt weird breathing when he didn't have too. Toshinori calmly said "I never really understood why I have eyes that appear to have… storms in them." He leaned close to Inko, giving her a full view of his eyes as he whispered "But, if you want to see them like that more often, then maybe I should be around all the more." Gah! Why did he say that?!
Inko giggled as she said "I'd like that." Wait what? Blinking his blue eyes in confusion, Inko just smiled at the man as she reached up and cupped his face with her hands as she gave him a soft smile. "I find you interesting Toshinori. I don't know what it is, but I feel like I know you from somewhere, sometime so long ago." If only she could remember, she knew who he was. He was there, when she was a child, saving her from villains much like how he had last night.
But it seemed that it was a memory forgotten to time.
Just as he was about to open his mouth, in the hopes of protesting that they shouldn't meet again it seemed that Inko kissed his forehead, causing him to stammer a little. "I'd love it if you could walk me home again Toshi." Inko said with a smile on her face. He couldn't help but stare at her with wide eyes. "I find your presents calming." She found him calming? Normally people found him unnerving. At least people who had the sense of danger, Inko seemed to either be ignoring hers, or she didn't have it when it came to him.
"Inko, it isn't safe for you to be around me." Toshinori whispered.
"I think I'll be the judge of that. Don't you think I should be?" Inko said gently before letting go of his face. He looked up and saw that they had arrived at her apartment. It was rather amazing, that his own thoughts and chat with her had distracted him enough to keep his mind busy of everything that had been happening. How was it, that he could feel such a thing in the first place?
Shaking his head, the young man looked at Inko as he saw a smile on her face. He couldn't stop himself as he spoke. "I'll see you again my dear." He blinked, why did he say that part?! Fuck!
Inko blushed a little, it made him want to lick his lips and taste her blood. Oh god, why did he want to taste her blood so badly in the first place? There was no way that he should be able to do such a thing in the first place. No, he wouldn't allow himself to feel such a thing, he had to be human around her. Had to act like any normal human being and he had to make sure that he did around her!
Then, Inko smiled a little, her smile so gentle, so loving and kind that it made Toshinori swear that his heart had leapt within his chest. No, he knew that couldn't be, as he had no beat to his heart to begin with. Gulping a bit, he was about to speak until Inko held up her hand, silencing him. "I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe if you're lucky I'll even tell you the story." Toshinori blinked his blue eyes at her as he heard that. The possibility of hearing his tale, he couldn't help but smile a little at that.
"Alright then, I'll see you then." He whispered softly before grabbing onto her hand and kissed the back of it. A little old fashioned but well, he was old.
Inko giggled a little before giving him a faint wave and started to walk into her building.
He couldn't help but watch as Inko closed the door, he felt like the moment she was no longer within his line of sight, everything within him just then had faded with her. How that was, he had no idea, but he knew that it had something to do with his forgotten memories that he could never understand or remember in the first place. Letting out a soft sigh, the young man started to make the long trek home. He knew that Shouta would give him an ear full tonight, but at the moment he didn't give a damn.
Toshinori knew that he would meet with Inko again. Thinking about it made him feel something deep within his chest again, something that he hadn't thought possible again. He had felt as if his heart had given him a single beat, even for a moment he had thought that it was impossible. No, he know that it should still be impossible in the first place.
He was dead, not just dead but a vampire at that. So, how was he feeling such a feeling in the first place?
Taking a deep breath, the young man looked up at the sky as he said "Is she really connected to my past? If that is the case, how then? I was turned long before Inko was a thought, how is it possible?" And as expected, he got no answer. Of course, that was to be expected, it was something that he had experience in, no one held the answers for him.
Closing his eyes, the young man took a deep breath as he looked back to Inko's apartment. What did he feel for the green haired woman, what was it that drew him to her very presents and basked in the glow of life that she seemed to admit from her very being? He had no idea, but he knew that he wanted to find out what it was. Yet, that was easier said than done now wasn't it?
"I hope that I'll find the answers soon." Toshinori whispered before he grasped at his chest. Pain still lingered there, yet he couldn't be sure as to what he should be feeling there. All he knew, was that it felt tight, as if someone had grabbed onto his heart and squeezed until all the life that he regained had faded from him once again. "Who are you… Midoriya Inko?" whispered Toshinori before he made his way home.
