AU

Setting Sun
By: Rise of the Blossom

That chapter of our lives is over, like the sun setting after a long day. All we can do now, is look towards the future.

Prologue

The stench of blood was overpowering and had he not already been well sated, he knew he would have crumbled and hunted. Although, saying that, with how appealing this scent was at the moment, he was certain that he could make room for more. It was like nothing he had ever come across and just the scent alone was highly addicting. The thought made his stomach turn as he pictured himself hunting some poor innocent. Though, from how much blood he could smell, it was pretty obvious that whoever it was, was already half-dead, if not already slipping from this realm.

A sigh escaped his lips as he changed directions, not even breaking stride or making a single sound as he hopped from roof to roof. Being who he was, he knew he couldn't just leave somebody, no matter who they were, to die alone, especially not when he was so close. By just a single sniff of the air, he could tell that the injured person was definitely alone. Well, now they were.

It was night, almost pitch black in the part of the city he was venturing through now, but it did little to his eyesight. And the sight that he stumbled upon in that cold, unforgiving alley made his un-beating heart almost jump-start just so that it could skip a beat. His stomach dropped as he did, landing gracefully on his feet by the victim of what had to be, not the worst, but definitely one of the most brutal attacks he had ever seen before.

Her paling, bruised skin and hair were coated in her own blood, but what made it worse was the fact that she was completely stripped of her clothing.

It was times such as these that he almost wished he was different, more like his clan, who had no qualms in slaughtering people and ripping them to shreds. Although, he could definitely make an exception here. It wasn't like he had never killed anyone before and the men who had attacked this girl – who looked no older than sixteen – were far from innocent. He could track them down. He could avenge her.

As delicious and as tantalising as the scent of her blood was, keeping his thirst in check suddenly wasn't as difficult as it once was, especially at the thought of causing this young, innocent girl any more pain. She had already suffered enough.

Not caring about his own clothing, he knelt beside her, his hand going straight for her neck so that he could put her out of her misery (despite his stomach twisting violently at just the thought), only for his eyes to widen when a small, dainty hand encircled his wrist. He almost regretted looking into her eyes. She looked so pained, so scared and fragile. There were fresh tears in her startlingly green eyes and it wasn't long until they fell, dripping from her nose since she was laying on her side on the cobbles that were wet with not only rain, but also her blood.

"P-Please," she choked out, her breathing far too raspy to be considered normal or healthy, but then again, she was dying. "H-help…"

Something that he should not have been feeling clenched in his chest, making him look down at the girl sadly. "You don't know what you are asking for."

Her eyes were heavy, breathing becoming strained and because of his impeccable hearing, he could hear the sounds of her heart slowing. It was almost as though every other sound had been drowned out, like the only thing he could focus on was her dying, sluggish heart beating. It was maddening, determined on driving him insane.

"…Please."

Unable to stop himself, he nodded, his eyes closing as he sighed. "Very well."

And with that, he leaned down with speed that was much too fast to keep track of and latched onto her neck, trying his best to ignore her sudden, bloodcurdling scream as she writhed beneath him in agony.

Please, forgive me.