Shiki Katakura's Story

Shiki stared up at the hospital, with a sad look on his face, just like he had done every day for the past year. Being one of Katherine's Chevalier, he had a burning desire to be near her. But this was as close as Red Shield allowed him to get. And for her sake, he had listened. But it was becoming too much. Unlike the days before, Shiki began pacing, something he rarely ever did. He took a hesitant step toward the hospital enterance, only to be stopped by a gentle, yet firm, hand on his shoulder.

Shiki turned to see Hagi, his mentor and closest friend. Hagi shook his head. "Not yet." Those two words said a lot more than they seemed. Shiki knew that Hagi understood what he was going through, he had gone through it himself before. Shiki looked down at the ground, his crimson hair getting in his eyes. "I know, its just so hard." Shiki said with a sigh. Hagi nodded, showing his understanding, then left Shiki to go do something else, knowing that Shiki would be there until Katherine left.

The Chevalier forced himself to stand still, and returned to staring up at the hospital.

Katherine's treatment had almost finished when she heard her father speaking to someone outside. To who he was speaking to she was unsure of. She has always for the past year felt that something was being kept hidden from her for some odd reason and she felt that was unfair but she never commented on it. Meanwhile her 'father' had quickly spotted Shiki and ws actually unsurprised to see him here. "Shiki you know how risky it is for you to be here. If she sees you I doubt it'll end well." he said but nonetheless smiled at the young male.

"I know it's been a long time but we just need to hang in there just a little longer. Any word on Amber's location?" he asked hoping there was some good news for now. He had hated keeping such a dark secret from a girl he took in as his own and it never helped with Red shield's cnstant interference but he understood why they kept getting involved. It was crucial because if she remembered anything it could help reveal where Amber is or more about their past. Shiki was someone he has gotten to know over the past year along with Haji but they haven't actually interacted with her as of yet.

Katherine's treatment had finished and she didn't bother waiting for the doctor before taking the IV out. She went over to the door and put her ear to it to attempt to at least try and hear what they were saying but all she caught was the name Amber and location. It was certainly confusing but for some reason she felt compelled to open the door. When she did she was met with the gaze of her father and a bright crimson catching her eye that belonged to a male that seemed oddly familiar. "Uh dad I finshed." she said as it was the only thing she could think of.

"Shiki you know how risky it is for you to be here. If she sees you I doubt it'll end well. I know it's been a long time but we just need to hang in there just a little longer. Any word on Amber's location?" Shiki was talking to Katherine's father, Red Shield had finally let him inside the hospital. Shiki shook his head. "Nothing yet, sir. I'm going to fly out as soon as I'm done here and see if I can find any trace of them. But even a Chevalier can only go so far at a time without needing to rest."

The door next to them opened, Shiki looked over to see who it was. "Katherine..." Her name escaped his lips before he could stop himself. Katherine's dad shot him a look that said, get out of here now. But not in a rude way, simply out of concern for Katherine. For a brief moment, Shiki reached out his hand to Katherine, then caught himself and let his hand lay down by his side. "I, uh, gotta go." he said while looking off to the side. Shiki turned around to leave and almost crashed into a nurse. He quickly mumbled an apology and started heading down the stairs.

"Katherine..." she heard her name and looked to see it wasn't her father saying it. The other male had said it. 'How did he know my name?' she thought. As far as she could remember of the past year she had never met him. So why did he seem familiar to her? Yet with each other question she asked she could find no answer. It was odd yet not unusual but now she certain something was being kept from her. "Dad who was that?" she asked the question when the male had left but yet a small sliver of her was shocked she even asked that.

"Oh no one Katherine. Don't worry about it." he said before they left the hospital and drove home. Katherine hated feeling such doubt about her father but what else cold she do? That boy had known her name somehow and her father had no explanation as to why the boy did know her name. Could he possibly be someone from the past she could not remember? She was frustrated of not being able to remember him. Along with the fact that something she was unaware of was going on it was a bit overwhelming. Yet at that moment a flash of a memory hit her. In the quick flash she saw herself seemingly helping someone with bright crimson red hair up despite his bloodied form.

'Could it be him?' she thought. Katherine sighed for the umpteenth time that day. What was really going on and why couldn't she know about it? Katherine was offcially curious and she knew that curiousity killed the cat so what could possibly happen if she knew of the truth?

Shiki saw Nagari when he left the hospital, she didn't look too happy. She too scolded Shiki for going in the hospital. "Red Shield let me go inside!" He called after her as she sped away on her motorcycle. He knew she would hear it. Shiki sighed and went to the side of the hospital building. He looked up at the building and saw no open windows. Good, that mean't no one was looking.

Shiki let himself shift, just enough for his wings to appear. His beloved black and red wings. He gave a few expirimental flaps to get the muscles going before taking off. For his reconissance he decided to fly Okinawa, see if he could find anything in town. Then he'd make his way to Red Shield. "I swear if they scold me too..." Shiki said to himself.

The entire flight would take about eight hours, even a Chevalier would get tired after flying none stop for that long. Especially at the speeds Shiki was flying at. Dr.Silverstein had clocked his speed before, out of curiousity. He could reach speeds of over 300 miles an hour. Against wind about 220, diving was almost 400.

Finally Shiki made it to Red Shield's headquarters, after about eight hours. He landed in front of the building completely out of breath. And of course, he had no luck finding any trace of Amber and her Chevalier.

Shiki made his way inside the Red Shield headquarters, then to Joel's office. To report his reconissance. He knocked on the door and waited the man behind it to let him in. "Ah Shiki, any luck?" Joel asked when he saw the Chevalier. Shiki shook his head, "Sorry sir, nothing. I flew the entirety of Okinawa, and nothing. But I plan to walk the island tonight, it has been too long since a Chiropteran was spotted." Joel pat Shiki's shoulder, "Your paranoia just may pay off. But please, do try to stay away from Katherine." Shiki nodded, "Yes, sir."

Shiki was walking the streets of Okinawa, keeping his eyes open for any signs of a Chiropteran. So far there was nothing, but Shiki had the feeling that it was only a matter of time before he encountered one.

Katherine wasn't completely sure where it was she was headed but as of right now unfortunately anything was better than home right now. She continued walking until she ended up bumping into someone thanks to the fact that she wasn't paying attention. "Oh I'm so sorry." she said but when she looked up again she was shocked to say the least. It was the same boy from the hospital. The same one that uttered her name unexpectedly then left after doing so. "It's you...from the hospital." she wondered what he was doing here now but she didn't ask as it wasn't any of her business.

"What a surprise seeing you here of all places." she noted but didn't know what else to say.

Shiki had been so worried about a Chiropteran attacking had hadn't actually been paying attention to where he was walking. He was looking anywhere but in front of him. He bumped into someone, or they bumped into him, he couldn't quite tell. "Oh I'm so sorry." Said a very familiar voice. Shiki looked down to see that it was Katherine. "It's you...from the hospital. What a surprise seeing you here of all places." Shiki had no idea what he was suppose to do. Anything he said might trigger her memories. Then she might go insane. Things were not looking good. Shiki finally decided to give one of his trademark goofy smiles and make up some BS lie. "Its Katherine right? I live nearby and was just out on walk."

Before Shiki could continue the coversation he heard a growl to his left. He looked and saw glowing red eyes from an alleyway. "Aw crap." he said as he got between the Chiropteran and Katherine.

Katherine was about to reply back to what he said when she saw his gaze travel elsewhere. She didn't know what it was that made his expression change the way it did until she turned around and as well saw what he was looking at. When she did see it she wished she hadn't. "What the hell is that?" she asked hoping he would hopefully know. Seeing such a creature had her more than spooked. From what she could remember she hasn't seen one of those things before. Yet a small part of her found the thing to be familiar somehow. For some unknown reason she hadn't run yet and she didn't want to. Her fear was now gone replaced by curiosity and some other unknown feeling.

So what was she to do? For a moment she wasn't in control any longer once she gazed down at a sharp slab of a rock. She picked it up and cut her hand on it staining the slab with her blood. The creature came at her and Katherine had yet to regain control let along intake on what was happening before her until the slab was imbedded in the creatures chest and she was on the floor from it pushing her. When she finally did regain control she saw the odd creature cystalizing right in front of her. 'W-What the hell did I do?"

Shiki partially shifted, letting only the curved blades appear on his forearms. But before he could do anything Katherine stabbed the Chiropteran with a sharp piece of rock covered in blood. The Chiropteran immediately started crystalizing and Katherine asked what she had just done.

Shiki got out his cellphone and called Joel, not shifting back, just in case there were any other ones close by. "Um Joel, we have a problem." Shiki said, "I was walking the island and bumped into Katherine. Oh and I found the Chiropteran. Katherine stabbed it with the a sharp rock. Covered in her blood. I need a team out here quickly. And send Dr. Silverstein too." Shiki then hung up and looked at Katherine. He carefully pried the rock out of her hands and set down on the ground. Then made her sit down on a nearby step. "Don't worry, everything's gonna be fine." He said, flashing another one of his trademark goofy smiles. "Just stay put until help shows up."

Katherine was still in shock and barely heard what he had said. She heard the conversation on the phone somehow and was even more confused. "Chiropteran? Joel? Dr. Silverstein? What do they have to do with any of this? Who are you and how do you know my name?" she looed over at him unsure of what to feel. "None of this makes any sense." she stated. More questons were beginning to arise. Who was Joel and what did Dr.Silverstein have to do with any of this? It was all too crazy for her that she almost forgot about her wounded hand but when she looked at her hand where the wound was just a few moments ago it had completely healed up.

This only served to further confuse her. Just a minute or two go she wanted some fresh air and to get away from home for a minute but now all she wanted to do was go home. This made her start thinking if maybe her father was involved with all of this as well. It was all too much right now for her.

Nagari arrived before anyone else did. She didn't look too happy. But then again, she never did. "What are you doing here, Shiki?" she asked obvious disapproval is her tone. Shiki's almost non-existent temper snapped. All day people had been blaming him for things he couldn't control. How the hell was he suppose to know that Katherine was there, or a Chiropteran? He let out an unitentional growl. "I've been working all day on finding Amber, or her Chevalier, or a Chiropteran. Anything that could get us a lead. I just happen to crash into Katherine. What, you think it was my choice? Yeah I want to be near her, but I know the dangers. Remember I've been with her for twenty years." After that Shiki turned away from Nagari and focused his attention on Katherine.

He knelt down beside her and took her bloody hand in his. Checking the cut. Relief flooded through Shiki as he saw that it was gone. She still healed quickly. "You probably want to go home right? You just gotta wait a few more minutes, then we'll let you go. Just wait for Dr. Silverstein to get here and make sure you're okay."

Katherine had kept her gaze from them though she heard the conversation between the two. Suddenly her thoughts were focused on key things that were said. First was the female's revealation on his name next wer things that made no sense at all to her. Amber? Chevalier? Then she began thinking of the fact that he stated that he wanted to be near her and that he'd been with her for twenty years. How is that possible? She was only 16 so how could she have been doing anything for twenty years.

It wasn't until he had adressed a question to her that she was brought out of her thoughts. She stiffened once feeling him grab a hold of her hand but quickly realized what the purpose was. "I-I don't understand. How is any of this possible?" that was the only thing she could manage at the moment. She was still pretty shaken up a bit. All of a sudden her already confusing life has come to a screeching halt. She just killed a monster using her blood, the cut she had just moments ago healed almost instantly, and so much else has happened.

Katherine had been outside for a bit until people had begun showing up. She had wondered where it was she'd be going now. She guessed she wasn't able to just return home and be normal like before. She was right she was taken off to some large building a little while away. Her father was there as well but she wasn't even able to greet him before Dr.Silverstein took her off to get checked out and to get yet another blood transfusion. She had remained silent through all of it. Even after she left the room where she was given her blood transfusion she remained silent.

Katherine was standing outside the room and slid to the floor with her back up against it. So much was very different than what she thought. She wasn't normal so then what was she? Who was she to become? None of those questionshad been answered yet.

---

Akito had gone out with Amber like she had wished but after a bit something was off. They had fed like Amber wanted but that was when something felt a bit off. Like if something was coming or if someone was near. Oh and how right he was. He and AMber were travelling back home when he caught a glimpse of two long blonde ponytails and saw Katherine. After so long and from the looks of it she had just killed something. He just hoped Amber didn't see her as well because there was no telling how she'd react.

(OOC: I was a tad worried that this may die if there had continously had been no posts so I posted in a way where others can fit in as well for now. Hopefully TheLittleOddity can post soon.)