Several days ago…

The sun had just set when the young male stirred from his sleep. A smile formed on his lips when his crimson eyes caught a glimpse of the woman still sound asleep beside him. He gently nuzzled her cool cheek with his nose before kissing it. “It’s time to wake up Ai sweetie.”

The woman gently swatted at him. “Ten more minutes,” she mumbled, still mostly asleep.

Ryou chuckled lightly, giving her another kiss. “Fine, then I shall go see about some breakfast then.” He started to move away from her, but she reached out catching his arm.

“You’re not allowed to leave my side. So stay here with me for a while longer.” Ayumu smiled at him as she rolled over to face her companion. He was the only one who really understood her. Who truly understood her.

He shook his head. He could never refuse her when she gave him that look. “Alright then, I’ll stay until you decide it’s time to get up.” The man pulled her close and snuggled against her. The pair stayed snuggled together for roughly another hour.

Finally awake Ai gave a yawn, revealing her fangs. Teasingly she nipped at Ryou’s neck before getting out of bed. “I suppose we should get a move on if we are going to be travelling tonight.” The woman stretched then disappeared into the bathroom.

Ryou gave her a grin when she nipped at him. He waited for her to enter the bath before getting out of bed himself. She was correct they needed get going since they were moving to a new town. The raven wasted no time in getting dressed then going about making sure things were ready for their journey. Satisfied that all they would need was packed and that their means of travel was ready he waited for his beloved Ai in the living room.

The brunette went about her normal routine. Once finished she moved back into the bedroom. With a grin on her face as she pulled out a piece of paper with ancient writing on it, she flung it out in front of her. “Shiro, I summon thee.” The paper disappeared into a mist to be replaced by a man.

“I am at your service Lady Ayumu.” The man kneeled before her with his hand over his chest.

“Rise Shiro, I have a mission for you. I would like you to travel ahead of Ryou and myself to our new home. Once there observe, but don’t let anyone see you. If you see anything interesting or strange please return to give me a full report.”

“As you command,” the blonde said before disappearing into a mist.

Everything was complete now they could set out on their journey. Ai made her way to the living room where Ryou awaited her. “Everything ready for our trip?”

“Yes, everything is ready. The carriage is waiting for us outside.” Ryou gave her a nod before moving to the door. He opened it for her, letting her go out. Once she was at the carriage he locked the door. When he turned around to help Ai onto the carriage he found she had already climbed on. He gave her a playful pout before climbing on as well. “Off to our new home. Maybe something interesting will be awaiting us there?”

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Present...

The pair just arrived at the Victorian style manor just at the edge of town before you entered the forest. This was to be their new home for a while. Ayumu was quite pleased with this wonderful find. Since their arrival neither one of them had been outside of the house, mostly concerning themselves with getting settled in. Shiro gave Ayumu a report on what he had observed. There seemed to be a mystery around a girl that lived in the town. This peeked the woman’s curiosity, so she had Shiro continue to follow her unnoticed.

Feeling restless Ryou decided to venture out on his own. He wanted to know what this town was like and if there would be any threats to his lady. They had been here for going on three days. It was time to explore. He didn’t care if she scolded him when he returned this was part of his job as her bodyguard. Quietly he slipped out of the manor and into the nearly empty streets.

As he wandered the streets he spotted a café, just perfect he thought to himself. If he was lucky he would be able to meet some of the locals and get a better feel for the place. Plus it would be a bonus for him if this place had good tea and food. Ai wouldn’t give him too hard of a time if he found a place that has good tea while he was out.

Ryou grinned to himself before he caught the scent of blood and lots of it. This caused him to frown. Following the scent in the air he was lead to an alleyway to find a woman covered in blood, a man cowering and a bloody corpse beside the woman. Apparently he wasn’t the only one drawn to the alley by the blood as he noticed there was another man standing beside him.

Before he could say a word he felt a tap on his shoulder. Looking around he’s eyes met with the unhappy ones of Ayumu. She looked rather angry at the moment. “Guess I’m busted,” he said with a sigh as he turned to face the petite woman.

“That you are Ryou. Why didn’t you let me know you were going out? I might have wanted to go out and play too.” Ayumu’s tone was stern at first, but soon soften as she gave him a pout. She moved to his side and wrapped her arm around his. Leaning close she whispered. “We don’t belong here. Let’s go get something to eat then have some fun.” Without letting him answer she started to pull him away from the alley and towards the café.

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