Come Back To Me Riho!

One momehidohido was looking to Riho’s large brown eyes the next his back was hitting the wall, as she ran past him and out the office door.

“You better go after her, Shido. Remember what I said.” Yayoi warned. He spared enough time to give an annoyed glare than darted out the door after Riho. The most he could see at any given moment was the ends of her auburn locks before they disappeared behind a corner or down a stairwell. He could hear her panting and footsteps; the sounds rang through every corridor and pathway with her desperate attempt to flee. The longer the pursuit continued the more uncomfortable he was with doing so. After all, had he not run from Cain in much the same manner? That alone would have stopped him, but he did remember what Yayoi said. The N.O.S. would pursue Riho if she did not return. Shido saw the disappearing strands of auburn turn down an alley. Her breathing was ragged. Memories of another time floated back to him as he turned into the small passageway, memories of pursuing women until they could no longer run, until they had given up all hope and had to surrender to Cain and himself, it had been a game of theirs, chase her until she fled no more. He frowned at the memory.

Riho had her back up against a wall, her hands rested on her knees, and her breathing was loud enough to be heard by any human ear. As he entered the shade of the building, he removed his sunglasses and tucked them away into his coat pocket. It was good to see her. He took note of the fire escape not too far from her. * Best not to go to her, best to let her come to me. I don’t want to frighten her off. Frighten? What have I done to make her fear me?! The night breed would have killed her as surely as they killed her parents… as surely as I stole her humanity.* He held his hand out to her even though she stood twenty feet from him.

“Riho, come back.” He said softy. Her eyes held steady to his face, whatever emotions lay behind them he could not tell. *They are brown, it’s as good a sign as any.* “If you are… if you are hungry, Yayoi is still at the office.” He waited, hoping she would make the first move. “Come back to the office Riho.” She squinted her eyes then, and anger flashed in them momentary.

“Mr. Shido,” The voice she used was innocent but it held spite. “A child must grow up Mr.Shido. One cannot be a parent forever, even if he is an immortal father.”

“Then come back as my friend, as you were before.” He dared a step closer.

“Were we ever friends, Mr. Shido? Friends don’t keep secrets do they, Mr.Shido? They don’t hide things from each other? They do not wait for some horrific event to finally tell their friend they are not human do they? You did tell Yayoi right away didn’t you? That would imply you are friends. But us, Mr.Shido, we have never been so. I was only your secretary, a foolish one at that.”

“Is that what you think?!” He took another step nearer. “That you were only my secretary?! Do you think I needed a secretary, Riho?” He yelled. “ Do you think I actually drink coffee?!” He took another step. “That isn’t why I hired you, and you should know that! I wanted to help you, but… mostly I wanted” his voice dropped to a whisper and he lowered his eyes, “you near me.”

“Is that why you killed my parents? To keep me near you?” His green eyes grew large at the acquisition.

“N-no, no” he stuttered. “Riho, those weren’t your parents. The nightbreed was just using their bodies! They would have killed us both!”

“You maybe.” Shido realized Riho’s breath had slowed and she was standing straighter. He had been so caught up in the argument that he hadn’t realized she preparing to flee again. “Cain was after you Shido. Knowing you cost me my life and has damned me to this existence. If I had never known you I would still be human and Cain would have never attacked me. My parents would still be alive.” She tilted her head as if considering. “You cannot protect yourself from Cain.” His cheeks heated and he looked away.

The clank of her feet landing on the fire escape steps resounded off the walls of the two buildings. Shido leaped and collided his body into hers. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. After a brief struggle Riho lost her grip and they both fell backwards. Shido’s back hit hard pavement, but he refused to let go and allowed Riho to land on top of him.

“Riho, Stop this!” She instead sat up, but Shido did as well and pulled her back against his chest, securely wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She fiercely dug her nails his forearms, but couldn’t escape sitting between his legs. He could smell the sweet scent of her hair. * I cannot be like Cain! I cannot keep her trapped where she doesn’t want to be! I cannot.* He shut his eyes as his inner battle raged on. * She is right I cannot protect myself from Cain… very well. If she stays Cain may come after agr again. What if I can’t protect her? What if she goes and Cain never threatens her again?* She turned her head and attempted to look up at him, he was relived to see her large brown eyes.

“I will not keep you trapped against your will.” He said firmly more to himself than to her. “I must warn you though, that if you continue to hunt N.O.S will come after you. I may not always be able to protect you from arrest.” Arrest meant death, probably killed on sight, but arrest was easier to say then ‘being murdered’. “They will come after you Riho. Come back to the office. Feed from Yayoi. You don’t have to stay, but at least allow her to be your sponsor.” She attempted to move away from him but he held her close. “Say you will, say you will come back.” The smell of her hair threatened to overwhelm his senses.

“Why do you care what I do?! You killed my parents! You killed my parents! You killed my parents!” The sobs came suddenly and she withdrew her nails and covered her face with her hanThe The opposite sex always confused him, hell even Cain had confused him, maybe he didn’t understand people in general very well, but girls crying both confused and utterly terrified him. “Riho.. I ah…” But the torrent of tears showed no sign of stopping. He rocked her back and forth gently. It seemed to help to some extent. He wasn’t too sure of what to do other than that.

“Nightbreeds can sometimes sort through their hosts memories, just fragments really. Sometimes they can identify a person from the past. But if the nightbreeds had left your parents body, the body would cease to live, it would be dead, dead as your parents are dead Riho. The nightbreeds must have realized that your parents loved you greatly, and they tried to use that knowledge against you. They would have killed you.”

“You are a LIAR!” She screamed and struggled once more in an attempt to escape.

“Listen to me! The N.O.S. will come after you if you kill anyone else. Those people you hunted were someone’s children, they were someone’s family, someone’s parents! Don’t take life, the way the nightbreed stole your parents lives.”

“You stole my parents from me Shido! You and no one else!”

“Riho… I… I only want to protect you.”

“Is that what Cain said whentooktook your memories? Is that what you will do to me?”

“I don’t even know how!”

“So you admit you would!”

“No! I am not like him! I am not like Cain!”

“Then let me go!” His arms fell away from her as if carried by some unnatural weight. She sprung upwards landing on the fire escape and scurrying her way up. The sun was almost completelyer ter the horizon now and the dark moon rose. It was going to be a long night. Shido watched until she disappeared over the building. *I’ve lost her. Lost her for the rest of eternity.* He sighed and looked down at his hands which had once held a willing Riho. * People meet and people part, but that doesn’t mean it gets any easier.*

“My precious Riho…” He whispered to the wind.


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