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Behind Red Eyes (Yuna & Akaichou's 1x1)

LadyYunaFFX2

LadyYunaFFX2

Pulsar
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
Location
Boone, NC

Within the past ten years, rumors had come and gone. Of course, many weren't vital enough to arouse any real concerns and what few did were quickly dismissed. The primary bit of 'news' that many citizens throughout the world had been hearing about was the possibility of vampires mingling in and daring to coexist with humans. Many scoffed at the thought while others turned their heads away, refusing to acknowledge this was possible. For most of her life, Sakura had been neutral on the idea, not caring if it was true or otherwise.

That soon changed once people began to become scared. No, that was too kind of a word. Paranoid? It seemed as much, given that some had taken it upon themselves to perform a 'witch hunt' of sorts. Instead of witches, however, some of the citizens tried to determine who among them was a vampire.

Needless to say, the natural red eyes belonging to the nineteen year old woman Sakura Takesho had made many eyes narrow. But what perhaps made it worse was no one would even attempt to step up and help vouch for her. Not even her parents. In fact, she'd moved away from them long before these rumors spread around. Her father had been abusive - verbally and physically. Her mother? Well ... she never did anything for herself, let alone her only child.

So for a good portion of her life, it meant Sakura had been a loner which was, in itself, a blessing and a curse.

Now, however, it seemed to fall under the latter. She'd moved from Kyoto, Japan, in hopes to reside in Rouen, France, and begin a much better life. It had started out decently enough. But then, superstitions seemed to get the better of people.

Her head shook as long, raven locks tossed from side to side. "None of that fucking matters anymore." She hissed lowly to herself panting in between words.

Tonight, on this chilly September night, most of the other civilians had made up their mind. No risks were to be taken and thus, anyone deemed to possibly be a vampire was to be killed ... tonight.

Of course, Sakura didn't intend on allowing herself to perish, especially when she wasn't a damn vampire! Fuck and no!

The recollections and memories made her grip her lower lip as a new sense of frustration and wrath began to take over her. So what if she had crimson eyes? It didn't mean anything! But she'd already tried explaining and that hadn't gone well.

So now, she was running. Where to? Fuck if she knew. But at this rate, anywhere was better than here.

"Fucking idiots ... " She murmured, wishing that she had been given more time. In the midst of being forced to flee, Sakura had only managed to grab a few essentials; her wallet which had some money, cell phone, and perhaps the most powerful item, a pistol. Granted, it didn't have anything made of pure silver. But not because she hadn't thought of the idea, more like no one would even try give her any silver ammunition.

That flashback further angered her, making her fists clench tightly.

Damnit! If only you'd had more time ...

Her head shook again as she reminded herself of the harsh truth. None of that mattered, not anymore.

More swift pants continued to pass the still-barely teenager's lips as she continued to run. Crimson eyes gazed frantically around, her ears trying to listen for the slightest hints of any possible sounds. It didn't seem like anyone was still following. But then again, it was like the old saying went; much better safe than sorry. And that definitely applied now more than ever.
 
Perched on a high branch , the vampire yawned as he drummed his fingers against the cold bark. Phillippe Chevalier didn't mind being outdoors; hell he didn't mind taking the occasional stroll through the city either. When there was no one around of course.

Running a hand through his shoulderlength dirty blonde hair, red eyes scanned the village. With how high up he was he had a clear view. Something was up; people were running around, things being shouted. Thank everything for having enhanced hearing; being a vampire definitely had it's perks.

Tall, having the stereotypical pale skin and unnatural eyes he was definitely a lot more lithe and muscular than most vampires around the village. He also had an accent; being a native Frenchman also did that.

As being one of the few purebloods around; most of the other vamps didn't mess with him. As for him, unlike some of his bretheren he actually didn't mind humans. Many good things came from humanity along with many bad things but of course, he was also one of the vampires who agreed that vampires were not exactly innocent either. They had just as much blood on their hands, if not more.

The Chevaliers preferred not to start or instigate things; they had been around for quite a long time and even he didn't know the actual time. He was an only child so he was doted on considerably by his parents but luckily they adopted the family's attitude instead of the common arrogant and snobbish traits that vampires were supposedly known for.

He rolled his eyes. He wondered, in a slightly dark humorous way, just how many people would turn on their precious priest and law enforcers once they discovered that the majority of things spoken about his kind were straight up BS.

"Mon dieu...now what are zey doing? Running ahround like chickens with zhere heads cut off." he grumbled to himself. The fair-skinned vampire was clad in jeans, combat boots and a grey shirt with a black trenchcoat covering it. Jumping down from branch to branch with little effort he stopped when he was about 10 feet from the ground.

Something was going to happen. He knew it. And whatever it was probably wasn't going to end well.
 

The amount of time had slipped from Sakura's mind. She didn't know let alone care much on how long she had just spent running. The yelling and screaming which had been following behind her seemed to die down then finally vanish altogether. A sigh of relief mingled in with the fast gasps that had been passing her lips. Sakura could be fast; that had just been proving with being able to outrun the others. But it came with a toll and her legs were shaking, her body exhausted. Once she found the nearest tree, the young girl allowed herself to slump against it, groaning weakly as her back connected with the tree. Her head fell against her knees, helping muffle her panting and breathing slightly. Just because she couldn't hear anything didn't mean she was alone.

That being said, it encouraged her right hand to slowly move, revealing the gun as she held it close to her. It definitely wasn't much, especially with the very limited bullets in the chamber and no additional ammunition on her. But as long as no more than three others had followed her, she could be fine. And fuck if push came to shove, she could fight with her fists. Not perfectly but it was better than not having a back-up plan.

"Sons ... of ... bitches ... " She panted, lifting her head to glance around, keeping her sounds and volume to a minimum. The next loudest thing aside from her breathing was her heart which was beating wildly within her chest. The adrenaline rush she'd had while fleeing was beginning to die down, helping with calming her body out.

After looking around for a few more minutes while simultaneously allowing her composure to return, Sakura pushed herself up to her feet. Compared to other women - especially Asian ones - she was tall, standing at a full height of five feet seven inches. She didn't look it, but she was light as hell, weighing barely over a hundred pounds. It was partly from her heritage, yes. But she also put a lot of the blame on her parents. Even when Sakura had lived with them, they didn't ever allow for her to eat much. And there was never an issue of lack of food. No, she'd seen that for herself. Her father had just been that much of a bastard to her and her mom.

Her right hand shook slightly as the grip upon the gun tightened, keeping it at her side. Her other hand brushed her rear off, getting any dirt or grass off of her own blue jeans. The sounds of her sneakers impacting the ground would easily catch Phillippe's ears despite the shoes usually being smaller and thus lighter in volume. From his vantage point, he'd see just a long-sleeved black t-shirt adorning her upper body. The rest of her clothes would be a guess. Despite all the advantages he had as a vampire, there was nothing that gave him the ability to see through things; unfortunately or otherwise. It would depend on his point of view.

... So ... now where?

Her left index and middle finger tapped gently against her pocket as Sakura tried to answer her own rhetorical question. While it had been a blessing to have escaped the not-so-sane town of Rouen, that had been her home for quite a while. Now ... she genuinely wasn't certain on where to head. If other cities in France had become this paranoid, the best idea almost seemed to head to somewhere else; Germany or maybe even England. But walking to either nations was foolish.

However .. it wasn't impossible by any means. In fact ... England wasn't too far away if she was remembering correctly. Nodding slightly to herself, she turned herself around until she was facing northwest. "Should be the right way .. " She murmured, beginning to walk toward her destination. The goal gave Sakura a newly found sense of resolve and determination. She had somewhere to go to. It hadn't been her preference, but it should suffice. And as long as she kept moving, she should be fine.

Or so her mind continued to insist with that logic.
 
His ears picked up on the sound of shoes against the ground and he looked down. There was a girl leaning against the tree that he happened to be occupying. Leaning back so he was hidden by branches and leave he studied her; he could hear her rapid heartbeat and hear the ragged breathing.

The vampire was confused and intrigued; why was she out here, alone at that, in the supposed "place of monsters"? Better question, what exactly was she running from? He could smell sweat, sense her fear, it was all very confusing.

An eyebrow rose as he could see she was clutching something close to her, saw a flash of metal. So it was a weapon; probably a gun or a knife. That made things interesting.

He watched as she straightened and looked towards another route deeper into the forest. He knew Rouen wasn't exactly paradise but he was intrigued as to why she was suddenly leaving.

Could it have something to do with the frantic people curently running around in the village?

Phillippe wondered briefly if he should reveal himself before deciding against it; it might startle her more and if he remained in the shadows he could see into the matter further. So he decided to follow her; leaping silently from branch to branch, moving as she moved.
 

A mix of sorrow and anger flooded Sakura as she continued to take step after step, forcing herself to continue to leave Rouen as she advanced. It pained her and equally frustrated Sakura. That had been her home! And while it wasn't perfect by any means, it had been a place she had been starting over in. And now, she had to find someplace else. All because the other citizens had gotten stupid and thought she was a vampire herself. Would it even be so bad if the answer was yes? Her mind pondered on it for a bit as she continued her trek, finding herself becoming amused and intrigued at the thought.

For years, the mere thought and existence of vampires was deemed a myth by most humans. Sakura, however, had done her research and noted that Vlad's body had seemed to up and vanish from the grave that had been made for him. Really, how did anyone explain that one? There had to be some sort of explanation. The more she'd read up on vampires, the more realistic it seemed for them to possibly exist. Besides, was it really any different than the belief in God? Not really in her mind. Vampires were - for now at least - akin to any deity; they lacked evidence to prove they existed.

Perhaps, however, the real and better question was if they did manage to coexist with humans .. would this be a good or bad thing? Her mind instantly jumped to the latter. But her head shook no as she tried to convince herself there was always two sides to every coin. That being said, maybe there were some decent vampires? Sure it sounded hilarious, so much that she nearly laughed aloud. But she restrained herself, not feeling as if she wanted to make herself sound insane.

As much as Sakura disliked it, she needed a map. And there was only one way she could think of doing so. Pulling her phone out from her pocket, she flipped it open and began using the internet to pull up a map; specifically of France. Thankfully, her memory had been correct. Northwest was indeed the correct way to go. She'd need to find a boat or ferry eventually but otherwise, she could get to England once Sakura arrived at a more proper destination.

Her legs, however, felt .. differently. They began to shake and burn, making her want to stop and rest. Her head shook quickly in annoyance. "Not fucking yet." She hissed to herself, pushing herself onward.
 
Hidden in the branches, the vampire continued to follow the girl. He figured that eventually, he would figure out where she was going. Red eyes picked up on the light coming from the LCD screen of her phone and he moved his head to try and focus on it. But the words weren't big enough for him to read.

She was definitely heading somewhere though; but her steps were getting slower. He didn't smell any blood or sickness so it must just be fatigue. Which meant she had been running for awhile.

He decided to head back towards the town for a few minutes, at least long enough and close enough to remain unseen and still hear what people were saying. Phillippe was fast enough to catch up to her anyway; his inhuman speed made it possible. With one last look he went the opposite direction, back towards the town via the trees.

When he was close enough and hidden behind a group of trees, he could hear frantic cries of "Where is she?!" and "Drive her out, get her out of here!". Men grumbled and women were frantic, an older man of which he would assume was the leader of the town was trying to reassure people. "Rest assured, she is gone. The vampire will not step foot here again."

The vampire just stared at the man, wondering if he had misheard him. Vampire? These idiots thought she was a vampire? Phillippe was sure she wasn't she didn't move, smell or act like one so something must have happened to set them off. But what?

"She is no daughter of mine; not anymore. She was always an abomination." a burly man shouted, with a tall, thin and meek-looking woman beside him. Red eyes narrowed in contempt at the man. Daughter? He helped run out his own child based on a ridiculous idea? He almost growled but knew if he did he would give his position away so he remained silent.

Well, this would explain why she had been running. If this had happened to him, he would be running too. No use in staying in a place that clearly didn't you anymore. Speaking of which, he should probably get back to her.
Making his way back through the trees his mind was plagued with questions. What had happened to set them off? What proof did they have? And the most important question:

Why did he care?
 

As much as it stung her pride to stop, Sakura could feel it would be worse to keep walking like this. An irked scoff passed her lips as she collapsed once again, resting against a different tree. After studying the map for a few more moments, she closed her phone, turned it off and slipped it back into her pocket. Her head fell against the tree as she continued to breath and pant quickly. The fatigue and exhaustion was getting worse with each passing moment as was her sense of hope. She'd run out thinking there would be somewhat of a chance to keep going and survive. And while she did have an idea of where she was going, it didn't solve the issue of food. Not yet. Her teeth gripped her lower lip anxiously.

There were only a few immediate ways she could begin to think of and none were pleasant. Stealing was always an option but there weren't any cities nearby. As far as she'd seen, mainly forests or more natural obstacles which Sakura had to walk past, through, something of the like were nearby until she arrived at the nearest port which would give her access to a ferry or boat. And even when - if - she got that far, it still didn't help out with the lack of food.

Hunting was another option. But even from her running, she had yet to see anything else. Even if that wasn't the case, she had no way to properly cook anything. Her head bowed and heart sank. This was feeling more and more helpless.

"God-fucking-damnit ... " She murmured, her body resuming shaking in anger. "If I didn't have these fucking things .... " Things would be easier, wouldn't they? Maybe not necessarily easier. But the assumption of being one of them definitely wouldn't have ever happened. Her fists clenched tightly before her eyes finally snuck a glance toward the gun. Maybe it would be simpler if she just ended everything here? There was half of her which was all for the idea. And yet, there was a different side which mentally asked if she was stupid or not.

Why? It's not like it'll get easier. Who's to say this shit isn't happening in England? There may not be a place that's safe, let alone sane ...

She felt herself tremble more, barely avoiding crying then and there. Nothing but sheer willpower was keeping the tears hidden away. Her eyes rested a bit longer upon the pistol before slipping it away. If she really needed to ... maybe. But right now? No. She'd give herself a bit more time. Why was honestly beyond her. That part trying to give in despair insisted it would be simpler to pull the trigger now. But her human nature insisted she wanted to live, even if others believed otherwise.

What for was a completely different story and one she hoped to find the answer to one of these days.

Her still slightly shaking hands pressed down on the ground as she struggled to get back up to her feet. Food could wait. This journey to somewhere more safe couldn't. As far as Sakura was concerned, the longer she stayed here, the more opportunities she gave the fearful people to find and kill her.
 
Using his senses he re-tracked her down, finding her slumped against another tree. He thought that he smelled tears but no, it must've just
been the earth.

He could see her once again, slumped against a tree. The girl was tired, extremely tired but she was still trying to get up. The corner of his mouth quirked upward; she was stubborn definitely. Always pushing even when physical endurance was way past the mark.

He was kind of impressed.

But she needed to rest, especially if she was the reason why the town was in such an uproar. Phillipe was tempted to just reveal himself and hope she didn't try to attack him (and even if she did, he would be able to overpower her anyway in her current state.)

Just as he made a move to jump down he heard rustling several leagues behind him. His eyes narrowed as he turned around, moving his head around the leaves to try and see. Unfortunately he wasn't a cat, so the most he could make out was several dark shapes.

His inner alarms were going off; he didn't know what those shadows were but he had a feeling that they weren't good. He had to warn her; at least without making himself totally known. He loomed over her, still somewhat hidden in branches.

"...Somezing is following you, mademoiselle. Be on your guard..."
 

Sakura had halted her progress just from the slight sounds that weren't too far away. While she wasn't one of the famed creatures that she had been mistaken for, her hearing was much better than a typical human's. She'd purposely trained at least her hearing and sight to be better. Not perfect, mind you. But enough so that when things like now were happening, she could begin to try to prepare herself. Her body was mentally screaming at the girl but Sakura knew staying off of her feet would be bad.

The shadow which lingered over her only strengthened her thoughts. Her hands roughly pushed herself up to her feet as she quickly glanced around and then up. If anything had been there, it was either gone or she just couldn't see it. An annoyed "Tch" left her lips as she stayed quiet, focusing now on the voices. Whatever she had briefly seen, it did not belong to the noises. And there was one easy way for Sakura to figure that out.

The distance didn't match. If the shadow was part of the voices, it would have been further away and thus unable for Sakura to see. But the fact she had managed to catch it meant ... someone was helping? The warning which soon followed confirmed the guess. That nearly made her laugh. Her parents had refused to do shit along with the rest of Rouen. Why should someone care? Clearly, she had gotten someone's attention. Curious as Sakura was, her focus remained on the more immediate focus; the noises that were steadily approaching closer.

Weary as she was, Sakura wasn't helpless. Not yet. Her hand reached back as she silently retrieved the gun once again. Tempting as it was to try to follow the source of the noises, it'd be suicide in her condition. So, she'd wait for them to find her. They'd expect her to be weak. But, to her knowledge, armed wasn't on that list. Even if it was ... unless they were ready with their own guns, they'd be dead soon.

In desperate situations like this, Sakura seldom if ever missed with her shooting. And now that her life was on the line, she definitely did not intend to fail. Killing wasn't something she usually did. But push had come to shove. She'd been thrust into a 'kill or be killed' type of scenario. And given she didn't feel like allowing the latter to happen to her, it was obvious to Sakura what would need to be done.
 
He smiled as he watched the girl look around, searching for the source of his voice. Luckily, he was well-hidden so she wouldn't be able to see him.

He tilted his head as he saw a gun come into view; so she did have it after all. It wasn't a superbly powerful firearm but, if she knew where to aim, she could at least buy herself time. Time to get some distance.

While he took care of the rest.

If it was one thing that Phillippe Chevalier could not stand; it was when weaker people were ganged up on in a fight. Especially when there was an increasingly unfair advantage.

Such as several armed persons against one, severely fatigued human girl.

In general he disliked killing and only did it when he felt he had to. He was unlike many of his vampire bretheren and sometimes got flack for it, but it was usually just words. They didn't dare try to do anything physical and if they did, they were taught the hard way why that wasn't a good idea.

Crouching down his clawed hands rested in front of him on the branch, ready to use the angle to propel himself forward and use the natural momentum combined with his own speed to attack by surprise.
 

Sakura's legs were trembling, screaming, and aching all at the same time to her. She wanted to collapse on the ground. Maybe when this was over. But as it was? No. Doing so now was all but suicide. Her aim would lower due to losing a bit of height and she'd miss. All of these shots would need to be vital, hitting in the head or heart. Anywhere else and there was no guarantee she'd live after tonight. Her head shook as she forced herself to dismiss the thoughts. The process was shaky but slowly, Sakura began to follow the voices. It was probably foolish, she knew. But she wasn't hearing them come closer and Sakura wanted to avoid an ambush. This may very well be running into one. But if she could keep enough distance despite closing the gaps, this could work out ... somehow.

It was incredibly tempting to use the trees for support. Alas though, she fought off the urge. Any slight noises would be more than enough to assist those who were still looking for her in accomplishing their goal.

Upon arriving, however, Sakura saw she wasn't the only one going against her assailants. But .. who was the additional helper? Her head tilted as the gun lowered slightly. All the same, she didn't dare loosen her grip; heavens no. That would just be another way to ensure she perished then and there. Her curiosity definitely became piqued ... had this been the same voice that spoke to her? Maybe. It was definitely a possibility. Answers, however, could be obtained later.

That being said, her aim raised once again. This person didn't appear to need help. If the tables turned, however, she'd help out. It seemed only fair enough, especially when this person was risking a lot to help a mere stranger out. Keeping the gun held and steady, Sakura then took a few steps back, vanishing into the darkness and shadows while making sure her distance allowed for any bullets to still hit. As her eyes watched the scene in front of her, she let her ears listen to ensure that either no one tried to sneak up behind her or she could react first.
 
Realizing that the shadows were going farther away he smirked; go figure that they spent most of their time running on adrenaline and less time on actually following a person. That's usually what happened when you let anger run instead of intelligence.

What he didn't see was the shadow crouched behind her until he heard rustling leaves. One of the men had actually decided to break away from the group and go after himself, thinking that he could take her out, gain praise in the village , and possibly have some fun with her in the process.

His head snapped over just in time to see a large shadow jump out from the bushes, armed with a rather lethal-looking hunting knife and heading straight for her. Even if she spun around she would still get hit.
Not on his watch.

Using his strength he pushed off the branch with his feet, red eyes blazing and fangs bared as his form, blurred by the speed, flew past her and collided with the large man. With a loud THUD! they landed on the ground, the man managing to stab him in the shoulder with the knife and earning a pained hiss from Phillippe.

Problem was, now the man was weaponless against an injured and pissed vampire. Who proceeded to grab his head and wrench it to the side,
effectively snapping his neck. Rising he spun around to face the girl, the hole in his coat starting to ooze some blood here and there.

"Pardon, Mademouseille, but we need to leave now for ze will 'ave surely heard zat. "

Even now he could hear the rustling coming closer, could her the clank of metal against metal.
 

Had Sakura blinked? No, the fighting had just ended that fast. Who in the hell was this new person? It scared her and yet made her glad this person seemed to be on her side. Right? She hadn't made that assumption incorrectly, had she? Her aim started to lower until her eyes caught sight of the shadow behind her. Sure enough, Sakura did find herself able to turn. But that would have been about as far as she'd get. Even with the possibility of trying to alter her aim, the knife definitely would have found it's destination first. But this new person seemed to understand that too.

Yet as he zoomed by ... did she see red? It hadn't been from her own eyes so ... where ... ??

Her feet shakily guided her forward, cringing as the snap echoed throughout the forest. And finally, she found herself face to face with another set of red eyes.

Hold the hell up. Is ... this ... ??

Irony always did have a funny way of showing up. That had to be one of the vampires. It'd explain so much, especially the clear difference in speed and strength. Moreover, she just never saw another human with her eyes before. So process of elimination said this had to be one of the same ... creatures she'd been compared to. For a while, Sakura had no idea whether to be annoyed or grateful.

The sounds of metal connecting with one another, however, made her go with the latter for now. Giving the male a nod, she kept the gun held by her side. "I ... was intending to find a ferry that would lead to England. So unless you've got a better alternative ... " Sakura allowed her voice to trail off, knowing he could piece together the rest. She truly hadn't meant to come off as ungrateful or anything. However, given the rushed circumstances, it was somewhat inevitable. She'd sound - and feel - much better when the worry about being chased could dwindle down if not fully vanish altogether. Until then, though, it was clear she'd probably still be a tad on edge. Not quite paranoid but as close as possible.
 
With a slight smile he nodded. He understood though, upon seeing how frazzled she was that she would still be hesitant. Not everyday did one see a blur being able to snap a man's neck.

"England? Well, zat is a wise choice but zhere is one problem; by the time you got zhere ze ferry would be gone." He didn't mean to sound condescending but the amount of time that had already been spent, she would have never made it.

Keeping his ears open to focus on the noises he added "But I can offer you an alternative: Protection. I can take you to a place where you will be zafe and can recover your strength. I can zee how tired you 're. It is well-hidden and those humans will not find you." he added simply.

His mother would be surprised but he knew that she wouldn't mind. Like him, his parents found humans fascinating. But the girl didn't need to know that. Not yet. She was a pretty one though; and those eyes...he briefly wondered if she had some sort of dormant vampire blood in her. But he would ask her later.
 

The low but very annoyed scoff plus Sakura turning her head away would be the best answer Phillippe would get. She knew he was right and to certain extents, Sakura hated that. But even if he hadn't pointed it out, her body would have. That by itself, if not the amount of time spent, would have easily made her miss it. However, the fact she had supposedly chosen a good idea did make her feel a bit better. Not completely but hell it was a start. Her head turned to the other side as the noises continued to echo through the forest, reminding Sakura that whether she liked it or not, she was pressed for time. After some quick contemplation, Sakura finally managed to give the man a slow but affirmative nod.

"... Why?" She finally asked, moving beside Phillippe as she prepared to follow him. "I'm ... not trying to sound ungrateful or anything. But I don't exactly understand either. Everyone else was ready to give up on me. So what separates you from them I suppose?" Especially with him - assuming she was gauging and observing him correctly - a vampire himself. Of all the saviors, Sakura never would have expected someone who wasn't a human. This day was definitely bringing more and more surprises and sure as hell wasn't dull. She'd give it that much credit. But she wanted to know exactly what she was about to get into. That being said ...

"Is there some sort of catch I don't know of? Or .. are you really going to do this just because?" Sakura inquired, keeping a calm voice. There had to be, right? Isn't that what the saying about something being too good to be true usually ending up as such referred to? Usually was the keyword, yes. But on days like today, Sakura knew she could be wrong even though her gut instincts were typically correct.

A soft sigh left her lips as she nodded again. "Alright .. we'll discuss details on the way. For now, yeah. Let's go." And with that, Sakura realized she may have sealed her fate. It could have been for the better or worst case scenario. Which way this would go .. well .. only time would tell. Hopefully it'd be a good thing and not a bad one. But gods help her, if she'd just made a horrible mistake ... she had no idea what she'd end up doing.
 
"Why?"

Suddenly he was RIGHT in front of her. Almost a hair's breath away so she could fully see his face and eyes. There was an aura of determination, seduction and dead seriousness. He hated having to constantly deal with the labels placed upon his species and whenever he could, sought to dispel those myths.

"Because I despise innocents getting ganged up for any reason. Because I find humans, and you, fascinating. Because Vampires and Humans are similiar in many ways and . Lastly... " he shrugged.

"Because you needed help."

Nodding at her consent, he threw one last look towards the rustling of bushes and quickly scooped her up, his arms cradled protectively around
her and dashed off just as a group of five men burst through the bushes.

Ignoring the pain shooting up his wounded arm, he sped off towards his home.He could hear bullets getting shot at him; leaves were in pieces and drifting down towards the ground. Thankfully they didn't get a good look at him and were just shooting blind.
 

Her mouth had opened to reply and even emphasize to Phillippe that he'd heard right. Yes, she'd asked - fairly at that rate - why he had volunteered to risk himself to save her. But before she could even speak, he went from a few paces in front of her to literally right in her face. Her heart stopped and raced simultaneously. It was a bit too close for any kind of comfort. But like this, there was no damn way she could even begin to cover her neck, raise her aim so it was in a more vital spot, nothing much if at all. And that very likely made her more terrified. No, definitely, not may have. Even if she wouldn't admit it aloud, Sakura knew he'd be able to read it. The reaction had been pretty much stamped on her forehead and entire body.

From what Sakura could only assume to be sheer willpower, she managed to hear everything Phillippe said. It definitely got her attention off of how close he was and it took even more determination to avoid laughing aloud. "... Similar? Mind amusing me on the way over?" She inquired, mentally preparing her muscles to resume moving once he was done speaking.

That, however, never seemed to arrive. Before she could take even one step back, Sakura found herself in Phillippe's arms. Her reply tried to leave her lips but only echoed within her head.

"...Y...you didn't need to ... "

And yet, she knew once again, that wasn't true. If anything, he had, lest Sakura risk slowing them both down and causing one or both of them to become severely injured. Well ... maybe not seriously but it would still make them wounded. And even with regeneration, it probably wouldn't be best for his powers to react with a bullet still lodged into his flesh.

As Sakura began to count the advantages versus disadvantages, a slight twinge of jealousy rushed over her. No wonder many humans feared vampires. Everything about them was better. And hell, humanity had given up on her. Maybe she shouldn't stay that way?

Don't be fucking rash. You're not thinking clearly...

She'd keep it in the back of her mind. But only when she could muster up the courage and find a more appropriate time to mention it would Sakura actually do so. Until then, she'd keep it as a thought. Nothing more, nothing less.
 
Cradling her against his chest and continuing to ignore the pain in his shoulder, he sped along the path, his feet moving so fast that .
Soon they outran their pursuers; their voices steadily fading into the trees. But he didn't stop, kept racing along the path

"We both 'ave blood on our 'ands. We both 'ave been labelled as monsters and villains; . Zhere are many of us that regard humans with suspicion and there are humans that regard us with suspicion. But at zhe zame time...we both can be fiercly protective of our families, our mates. We both 'ave those who disagree with traditions, etc." he replied to her question, making sure to dodge fallen branches and trees.

Soon they came to a clearing some miles awawy from the town. A massive, mansion stood with guards at the entrance who parted immediately upon seeing Phillippe. They had learned long ago to not question the young master, although one did slightly tilt his head at seeing the human girl cradled in his arms.

"Tell the staff to make up the spare room; she will be joining us. Keep extra guard out; humans are after her for some reason." the tall vampire barked out, not even bothering to stop as the twin doors opened.

Inside could only be described as fantasy-like: everything chiseled and ornate but also with a touch of modernism added to it. It was like stepping into another world. Staff scrambled to clean things and tidy things up; most were looking at him and her but he paid them no mind as he zoomed up the elaborate staircase and down the halls, stopping at a door that he managed to open with his hand.

His shoulder was screaming in pain but he ignored it, walking over to the bed and laying her on it. The room was lavish but not tacky, with large curtains covering the windows and cabinets and closets. The light also provided a clear look at his unearthly attractive features and the blood running over the torn coat material of his shoulder and down his arm. Since he had put her down now he was starting to feel the pain; the knife had probably been silver. Thankfully it hadn't been a big blade nor been inside him for a long time.

Giving her a pained smile, he gripped his wounded shoulder with his hand.
 

Sakura wasn't sure what was more odd to her; being able to talk with the vampire or realizing he had tons of valid points. Even with his heavy accent, she could still understand him well enough. She would no doubt have had her own if her parents hadn't insisted she learn English at a young age. Thus, any and all Japanese accents had vanished over the years. Her body finally began to relax in the vampire's arms, her head gently falling against his chest. The gesture was still a foreign one that Sakura was definitely not used to. But now wasn't the time to protest or be overly stubborn. He was right; this needed to be done. So she'd swallowed her pride and allowed him to go through with the physical contact. In truth, that was perhaps one reason she had been iffy on letting someone lay hands on her.

There had been tons of idiots who tried to get fresh with her, both in Japan and France. Most wound up with a broken nose, jaw, or some location in their body. At the same time, a few lucky bastards had been equally as fortunate to hurt Sakura in the process. But not nearly as bad as she would do to them. Now that she thought more on it, it was slightly odd. Weren't women supposed to be the fairer gender? So how was she that strong anyway? She never worked out much if at all. And most of the men were taller and - at least they looked - stronger than her. So how had she been on par with so many?

Suddenly, Sakura felt as if she were missing a very, very important detail. And she wanted to know what it was.

But as things were, that could wait for later. Her focus went to her new surroundings as Phillippe spoke to the other vampires, signaling to her they had arrived at the destination.

The slightest hint of a smile crossed her face. The interior of the place honestly didn't look half-bad. She'd expected black to be a dominant color. But there were definitely times she loved to be proven wrong; now was one of them. And slowly, that was continuing to happen more and more often. Most people would be annoyed if not worse. But not Sakura. It was a blessing to her. She felt a bit more .. normal, human even.

"Not bad." she replied, activating the safety on her pistol before slipping it away. Her head fell upon the pillow as she looked into the other pair of crimson eyes. It was odd, albeit somewhat reassuring, to finally be looking at another pair of red eyes. They'd caused her so much trouble and while it was over for now, something in the pit of her stomach hinted it was far from being completely over.

"... I wasn't trying to sound ungrateful earlier. But it was .... intriguing in it's own ways. I'm Sakura Takesho." she added, realizing introductions had been skipped during all the chaos. There were tons of other questions going through her mind. The main thing keeping her quiet was the feeling that now may not be the best time to bring any of them up. She wanted to be certain that for now, the danger would be gone. Until then, there were a lot of things that could wait.

And as much as Sakura wanted to offer to help Phillippe with his wound, two things kept her from doing so. Her fatigue and the belief that it'd regenerate on it's own. Even if it didn't, there were probably supplies or methods that would allow for him to manually heal the wound up.
 
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