Disclaimer – I don't own NightWalker or any of its characters!!
A Way Home
Chapter 5—The Old Cathedral
Riho accompanied Shido out of the dress boutique, carefully pulling the front of her dress up enough so that she wouldn't trip on it or get it dirty. They ended up back in the dusty, busy street. Shido led Riho through the crowded street until they were able to reach the town's borders where it was less crowded and Shido paused.
"Mr. Shido?"
"Riho, I'm going to take you to a place where I usually go to escape Cain. He has never found it. It's an old abandoned church, I discovered it a while ago, when I was running from Cain." Recognition dawned in Riho's eyes. "You know of it?" She nodded faintly as a tinge of rouge graced her cheeks. "What?"
She fidgeted under his gaze nervously. "It's where Cain had taken me and where I took my vow of eternity."
"Oh!" Shido replied simply. An awkward silence fell over them like a blanket. After a few minutes Riho spoke up. "So are we going to the church?" Shido snapped out of it.
"Yeah." He walked on and Riho slowly followed and struggled with the confining dress, the corset was pinching her skin in various places. Shido led her through a forest and had taken many twists and turns that she was beginning to wonder if he knew where he was going at all, or if they were simply playing ring around the rosy with all the wonderful trees around her. She could have sworn she had seen that moss covered tree before, or had she? They all looked the same! She took a breath to ask him about it when they cleared the trees and found the small cathedral. It looked like it was in much nicer condition than when she had first seen it.
Shido turned to her and smiled. Riho let out a sigh of relief and smiled back.
"Shall we?" He tilted his head toward the cathedral and looked at her with and amused, questioning stare. Riho giggled and played along.
"We shall." She nodded and looped her arm through his and they gleefully walked to the cathedral. Once inside the doors, they walked together to the front before sitting to rest in the 5th pew back. Riho shyly scooted closer to Shido and rested he head on his shoulder. Shido stiffened and then relaxed and rested his head on top of hers.
"Awe isn't that sweet?" That all too familiar raspy voice surrounded them as it reverberated in the high ceilings and off the stone walls. Riho and Shido jumped to their feet and looked around in all directions. The green, muscular breed materialized in front of the cross at the front of the church. He was suspended at least 8 feet above the ground and his glowing green eyes were fixed on their location, just screaming with amusement.
"How lovely it is to see you again my lovely, young vampress." He smiled devilishly. "Your future companion is quite distraught and not fairing as well as you."
"You leave him alone!" Riho shouted, her eyes glowing a violet color, before changing to amber, gold.
"Oh, no, but you see, it's not what I have done to him, my dear." Riho's determination faltered slightly, but she regained her footing and snarled up at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Why you disappeared and left him all alone." Riho froze and recoiled a little and lost some of the anger that had built up inside her.
"You must be lying. He's stronger than that, I know it. Besides, he's got Yayoi." He mustered up some determination, but her voice was barely above a whisper. Shiny, red tinted tears shimmered in her eyes, threatening to fall at any moment, her eyes resembling an evil china dolls.
"You're not too sure of yourself are you? Well, would you like me to show you?" Riho looked at him with a questioning gleam in her eyes. The breed grinned showing off his pearly-white, dagger teeth. He placed his palm facing outward, straight in front of him, his other arm missing, making his look a bit awkward. He closed his eyes and started mumbling something very softly. He looked as if he was in prayer, which was a strange sight to see. It was quite a puzzling sight, like seeing the devil pray to God inside a church, the scene almost made her laugh, but curiosity won in the end and she was kept silent when a growing black orb appeared in front of his open palm. Riho cautiously took a step closer and gazed into the orb almost like it was pleading for her attention and she dare not look away. An image flickered in the blackness of the orb, a face, familiar, yet unrecognizable.
Shido saw Riho step forward. He wanted grab her and pull her back, but all he managed to do was make his hands twitch. He felt uneasy and felt he should do something, but he didn't know what. They talked about him, but yet it wasn't him. He was curious and wanted to know what was going on, he felt helpless and confused. He saw Riho's gaze fixed on the orb and he too found himself gazing at the strange black ball, more out of curiosity than anything else.
Another image appeared in the blackness, a streak of a familiar violet hair, and then vanished. The breed's grin grew like the unzipping of a zipper. His eyes snapped open and the picture came slowly into focus and remained.
A young man with long, violet hair and blue-green, distant eyes, sat on a couch in a defeated sort of way.
"Shido!" Riho shouted in anguish and she stepped forward. The breed's eyes were fixed on her persona and he reveled in her pain.
A lovely, young woman with long, black hair, almost to her ankles, walked into the scene.
"Shido, are you okay?" Shido hung his head with a sigh and slowly raised his head to fix his sorrowful gaze on hers. "No, huh?" The woman sighed and walked over to sit beside him on the couch.
"Shido, you should eat. It's been 3 nights since you've last eaten."
"No!" He suddenly snapped in anger. "I will not eat! Riho is gone and it's my fault. I should've protected her, she depended on me and I let her down." His voice quieted as he spoke.
"Shido, you know it's not your fault, she saved you! Please, stop beating yourself up over this." Yayoi tried to console his troubled mind.
"Shido!" Riho shouted with determination that he would hear her and know she's right there and is alright.
"No! It is my fault! I could've done more! I--" Shido's head snapped up to attention as id he had been slapped and his eyes widened.
"Shido, What is it?" Shido slowly stood and carefully scanned the room with his wide hopeful eyes.
Riho held her breathe and stared intently at the picture in the orb as if it were a fascinating TV show.
"Shido, What is it?" Yayoi asked apprehensively.
"Shhhh!" Shido sharply commanded holding out a finger to her as he continued to scan the room. "I thought I heard Riho."
Riho's heart skipped a beat. He had heard her!
"Mr. Shido! It's me! I'm here! I'm okay!!" She shouted with all her might. She didn't want to see the pain and anguish on his face anymore. It drove sharp dagger-like pains in her heart at the sight.
Shido gasped as he heard it again.
"Riho! Where are you!! Riho!" Shido worriedly shouted. She was alive! Excitement welled up in his chest. She was okay!
Shido felt weird, that the only word for it. There was no good word to explain the way he felt at the moment. Watching his future self and the lovely young girl from the future, Riho. It was like watching your own funeral. A light, cool breeze blew past his left side by the aisle. He slowly turned his face away from the mesmerizing scene and looked to the left. He nearly fell over from shock when he saw the one man that had caused his so much grief, with his smooth face and long, blonde hair, Cain!
Cain's eyes were locked on the orb watching the curious display. Shido stared up at him with questioning eyes and Cain's eyes quickly snapped to the right and gazed at his fledgling. Shido blinked in surprise as the air rushed from his lungs, when he looked at Cain again, his eyes were transfixed on the orb again as if he never looked over. Cain smirked and coolly began gliding to the fro not the church. Cain was an arms length behind Riho, but she did not even notice, she was too entranced with the scene in front of her.
The breed's yellow eyes fixed themselves in Cain in a heated glare.
"What are you doing here?!" The breed roared. Riho whipped around and saw Cain, to her surprise.
Author's note:
Hey there people!! Yay! I finally updated!! I am so so so sorry!! Ooo! A cliffy!! I wonder what is going to happen next!, lol! I don't know anymore, I forgot! Don't worry I'll come up with something wonderful! Thank you SO much for all the wonderful reviews you left me! I appreciate them all very much and they help remind me that there are still people out there that read my stories! Wow! It's been so long I forgot what my story was about and had to go back and read it myself, lol! I finally found my little lost notebook. I couldn't update any of my stories without it. All my work is in it!! Argg!! Well, I can't say I will still update again very soon even though I found the notebook, I have quite a busy schedule with 3 AP courses and a College night class besides, I've got my plate full. I promise to update when I get a chance and I want to again thank you all for being patient with me. I love you all and thank you for reading my story!! Until next time!!!