Bitten By Love

Five

"Riots?" Akiko gasped.

"Yes, I've heard reports that the protestors and local officials are having violent struggles in several towns and cities," Clara said.

"B-but nothing will happen here, will it?" Akiko asked anxiously.

"I hope not." Clara lowered her gaze. "If it strikes here...my family and I may leave."

Akiko was frightened. The last time there had been riots here, half the town had been destroyed. A second series of riots would take the damage even further.

She was closing the café for a month and leaving for the seaside in three days. The long holiday would reduce her stress, and hopefully the violence would die down as well.

And so, a few days later, Akiko locked the café doors, gave the keys to her uncle, and boarded a train heading for the seaside towns.

Akiko's POV

The train stopped at a town several hundred miles away from my home. I hopped out to see the sea again after over a decade. I hadn't been so far away from home since my parents died.

I exited the small station and walked towards the hotel I would be staying in. It was a small beach house, and the owner was a family friend.

"Akiko! Welcome!" The owner greeted me warmly. "It's been years. You've grown so much!"

I hated it when relatives and other people I knew said that. It was a common statement at the small family gatherings I attended as a teenager.

I smiled politely and asked for my room keys.

Ten minutes later, I shut the room door and relaxed on the bed for the first time in years. No work, no bills (for the time being), and most of all, no crowds.

Although I managed a fairly successful café, I became very nervous around large groups of people, the lunch rush being one of them. Since I was so busy taking orders and cooking, I didn't pay too much attention to how I was feeling, but after it was over, I would notice how much I'd been shaking.

I changed into a dress that used to belong to my mother. It was pale blue, with a pattern of dark blue birds on the hem of the garment. I loved it.

I put on a hat, and slipped my feet into dark blue sandals, and ran out of the house, towards the sea.

I laughed as I kicked off my sandals and danced, my feet dipped in the clear sea. My long hair flew in the wind and dances along with me. I jumped waves, collected seashells, and even built a tiny sandcastle. Perhaps it was childish of me to do so, but hey, I hadn't been to the beach in years!

Two hours later, I returned to the beach house, clutching seashells in one hand, and my sandals in the other.

The owner was greeting another guest, who had apparently just arrived.

"...hope you will enjoy your stay here," she was saying. "We're pretty much empty except for one other guest...oh, Akiko, welcome back! We've got company."

As the visitor turned around, I recognised who it was.

"Hey, you're the guy from the café!" I said.

"Oh. Hello again, I suppose," he said quietly.

What was his name again? Uruha, was it? Yes, that's right.

"Coincidence, don't you think?" I said, as we made our way towards our respective rooms.

Uruha nodded. "I guess. I have a month's off from work for the first time in years, so I figured I'd go to the seaside."

"Well, this is my room. I'll see you later!"

I waved him goodbye, and shut the door.

Third POV

Uruha finished unpacking just in time to see the sunset.

In all the years he'd lived, he had found sunsets more beautiful than the sunrise. Perhaps that was his vampire instincts, but even as a human, the sunset had made him happier.

The setting sun cast orange and red hues all over the horizon, signalling the end of the day. Uruha could feel his energy returning as darkness set in. He removed his sunglasses for the first time that day, to reveal bood-red eyes: the mark of a vampire.