Chapter 4 - Courtship

It was nightfall when Shoryu finally returned to the cave.  He had explored the countryside in an effort to forget what had happened earlier that day.  He hated himself for running out on Lexi earlier.  She had put her trust in him and he had abandoned her.  God only knew what she thought of him now!

The night was quiet as Shoryu entered the cave.  His eyes were already adjusted to the darkness, but he could not see Lexi anywhere in the cave.  He suppressed a sharp feeling of panic as he went deeper into the cave.  He could not see any trace of Lexi anywhere.  He thought he could see a dark patch on the ground where Lexi had been and tried not to think about the dark patch being Lexi's blood.

He turned around and raced out of the cave.  Where was she?  Was she still mad at him?  Was that why she had left?

Outside of the cave, Shoryu found several tracks that he had missed on his way into the cave.  Most of the tracks were his; going in and out of the cave.  There was one set, however, that was made by a smaller set feet.  These footprints wandered around the clearing before making their way purposefully into the forest.

One of the more useful skills that Shoryu had picked up in the great Kronos war was tracking.  However, in the dark, without the aid of any artificial lights, it was very challenging.  A warm breeze briefly surrounded him, making him feel a bit more comfortable, even though he didn't have his shirt.  He had found the remains of his shirt earlier, but hadn't bothered to retrieve the rags that it had become.

Shoryu followed the tracks as best as he could, with the aid of the half moon and the stars.  He lost the trail a few times before finally losing it completely.  There just wasn't enough light to see the tracks!  He briefly considered calling forth the killer.  As Omega Guyver, he would have amplified vision.  He cast away the notion as quick as it had come.  No.  He would do this as himself!

A faint sound wafted through the forest and tickled his eardrums.  If he didn't know any better, he could've sworn that it sounded like trickling water!  He listened carefully for several minutes.  Yes!  Definitely water!

He followed the sound while carefully making his way through the tall grass and densely packed trees.  After several minutes, he came to another clearing.  In the moonlight, this clearing almost made him gasp in amazement.  In a word, the scene before him was beautiful!

At the far end, there was a tall hill from where a small waterfall flowed.  The pond that was formed at the base of the waterfall foamed slightly before allowing the water to flow into a small river.  In the middle of the pond, was Lexi.  She stood briefly, illuminated by the moon in all of her natural glory, before diving under the water's surface.  She emerged like a mythological mermaid under the waterfall, and let the water flow over her naked body.

Shoryu was mesmerized.  He knew that it was wrong to peek at Lexi at what was obviously a private moment, but he found that he just could not pull his eyes away.  She was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  She had a trim atheletic body, a heart shaped face, full pouty lips, a cute nose and large luminous eyes.

Lexi turned her back to Shoryu for a moment before turning around again.  She had something dark in her hands as she emerged from the waterfall.  There was a sensual predatory sway to her walk as she strolled through the water to a large rock.  She laid the dark object on the rock and Shoryu could see that it was her combat outfit.  Of course!  She was letting the waterfall clean it.

Shoryu finally got control of himself and managed to look away.  He was feeling even more guilty now, having watched Lexi as she bathed and washed her outfit.  He took a step backward and was chagrinned when he heard an audible snap.  Damn it!

He glanced back at Lexi and saw that she was looking his way.  Busted!

Rather than look angry though, she gave him a warm smile and beckoned him to come closer.  He hesitantly stepped forward.  At the water's edge, he took off his shoes and socks and waded into the water.  Chills ran up and down his body.  The water was freezing!  How could she stand it?

Lexi was showing no signs of being embarassed.  She was as natural in her nakedness as she was the night before in her combat outfit.

"I'm glad you finally made up your mind," said Lexi as Shoryu approached.  "I could hear you stomping though the forest like a herd of elephants!"

Shoryu felt his face heat up at the words.  She had known that he was watching the whole time!  "Um...uhhh..." he stammered.  He fervently hoped that his blush was not too visible.

His hopes were quickly dashed when Lexi smiled broadly and said, "Awww, you are very cute when you blush, you know that?" said Lexi humorously with her strange but appealing accent.

Shoryu couldn't think of a quick come back.  He was still trying to find a place where he could safely rest his eyes.  Yes he had seen Lexi's breasts the night before, but those circumstances were different.  Besides, here and now, Lexi looked infinitely more sensual and desirable.  Thanks to the great Kronos war, he didn't have much experience with members of the opposite sex.  Miyu had been his only love, and that had been back in high school when he still had a somewhat normal life.

Strangely enough, this time, the thought of Miyu hadn't caused him any pain.  He finally rested his own eyes on Lexi's.  As with the night before, he was sure he saw something in them...acceptance?  Desire?  Understanding?  Maybe even a connection of sorts?  Women were so hard to understand!

Lexi came a little closer and said, "The water is quite nice, once you get used to it.  Why don't you put your pants under the waterfall?  A few minutes of soaking under that torrent will rinse out the worse of your dirt."

Lexi's words were said so matter of factly that Shoryu almost complied automatically - almost.  His hands had reached down to his belt buckle when they suddenly froze in indecision.  What was he going to do?

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Lexi watched the emotions range across her friend's face and fought to hide her amusement.  Any show of humor at this point might scare away Shoryu and destroy the trust and the burgeoning relationship that was growing between them.  He had seemed so mature the night before that she had raised her estimate of his age.  Now, it looked as if she would have to lower that estimate once more.  Shoryu looked as if he was barely out of his teens.  She knew that on the outside, she didn't look much older since she was eighteen years old when her Elder Amelia had turned her into a vampire.

When she had first heard Shoryu bulldozing his way through the forest, she had thought that something bad had happened, due to his careless approach.  He had not been trying to be quiet or stealthy at all.  However, when she had first caught a glimpse on him, standing at the edge of the forest, and seen the look of relief on his face, she realized that he had only been concerned for her.  That realization had touched her, and had prompted her to pretend as if she did not know he was there.  Of course, that had also had the effect of giving Shoryu an unintentional show, but being an eight hundred year old vampire meant that she was comfortable with her body and was not afraid to show if off.

Judging from Shoryu's reaction though, he had nowhere the years or experience that she had.  She would have to lead this courtship very carefully.

That last thought almost gave her a shock.  What was she thinking of?  Courtship?  With a boy who was a small fraction of her own age?  That wasn't robbing the cradle.  In fact, she didn't think there was a word invented for something like that!  She shrugged it off though.  Like herself, Shoryu was a warrior, who had faced odds every bit as bad if not worse than the ones she'd faced all of her long life.  If nothing else, they had that in common.

Shoryu appeared to still be in a state of indecision.  What should she do?  Should she play the vamp, the tramp, or the girl next door?

She covered herself demurely, as if she had just realized that she was naked and stepped back.  She retreated all the way to where she had laid her combat outfit, turned her back to Shoryu, and pretended to examine the fresh holes in her suit.

Behind her, she heard small splashing sounds and then felt the movement of the water as Shoryu moved past her and headed for the waterfall.  After a while, she felt him return.  Before she could apologize for her earlier behavior though, Shoryu cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry Lexi."

Lexi turned around in surprise, completely forgetting to cover herself.  "Whatever for?  You saved my life."

Shoryu shook his head vigorously.  He was standing in waist deep water and Lexi couldn't help but to notice how finely detailed his muscles appeared on his lean body.

"I almost killed you today.  And then later...I'm sorry if I offended you with my blood..."

Lexi let out a disblieving huff.  "Silly boy!  You saved me from the sun and then gave me the gift of your blood.  I'm the one who is sorry.  I almost killed you today."

Shoryu's face creased briefly in a frown when Lexi called him 'boy', but then his expression changed into one of perplextion.  "Killed me?"

Lexi nodded.  "It has been a long time since I have drunk real live blood.  Mostly, I have subsisted on cloned blood, like most of the militant oriented vampires.  Drinking your blood brought on a bloodlust that I had not felt in centuries.  In the midst of such a lust, I would have almost no control over myself and I would have sucked you dry."

Shoryu swallowed hard.  At first, Lexi thought that he was disconcerted about the bloodlust, but then he surprised her by asking, "Centuries?  Just how old are you?  You look like a teenager."

Lexi chuckled.  "Do you really want to know?"

Shoryu nodded his head slowly, almost as if he was uncertain that he wanted to hear the answer.

"I was turned into a vampire during my eighteenth year.  That was just over eight hundred years ago."

Shoryu's eyebrows went up.  "Eight hundred years?  That's not so bad.  That means that you're only about four times my age."

Now it was Lexi's turn to be surprised.  "Excuse me?  You don't look a day over twenty!"

Shoryu chuckled loudly and swiped a hand over his face.  "Thanks!  All those years of using Oil of Olay have really paid off!"

Lexi's eyes widened in shock.  He was flirting back!  Before she could think twice, she launched herself at him and pushed him into the water.  They both came up sputtering but Lexi used her superior strength to hold Shoryu down.  "You smart ass!  How old are you?  Tell me the truth!"

Instead of answering, Shoryu reached down under the water, hooked a hand under Lexi's left knee, and then pushed up with his legs.  Lexi may be strong, but she weighed less than Shoryu.

Lexi let out a loud whoop as she was lifted out of the water and then barely managed to close her mouth in time as Shoryu dunked her in the water.

She came up sputtered half serious curses but didn't see Shoryu right away.  She turned around, just in time to get a face full of water that he had sent her way with perfect timing.

"Ahh!  You little brat!" she cried with a laugh in her voice.

"Little?!  I may not be older than you, but I'm certainly bigger!"

Lexi tried to charge Shoryu, but was forced back by the water that he kept splashing at her.  She tried to splash back, but in this she obviously had less experience than her friend.  Of course, she hadn't had very many opportunities to play in the water over the course of her life!

She decided to play smart.  She pretended to get water in her eyes and hunched her head down.  "Ow, my eyes!" she cried.

Shoryu immediately stopped his splashing and came closer.  "I'm so sorry Lexi!  Are you alright?"

As he approached, Lexi flexed her knees and jump somersaulted over his head.  She landed in a big splash behind him, spun around, and quickly trapped one of Shoryu's arms behind him in a submission hold.

"Hey, no fair!" cried Shoryu indignantly.

"All's fair in love and war, my young friend.  Now talk!  How old are you?"

Shoryu slumped his head forward in mock defeat.  "Alright, you win.  I'm not sure of the exact number now, but I do know that I'm somewhat older than two hundred."

Lexi released him in shock.  Two hundred?  Does that mean that he was an immortal?  "But what about Miyu?"

Shoryu was just about to smack his hand down into the water for a giant splash when he froze.  "How did you know that name?"

"It...it was in your blood.  Your memories.  I saw them.  The war, Miyu, your father...I...I was not able to understand them very much, but I think Miyu was very close to you, wasn't she?"

Shoryu became serious.  He didn't answer right away.  He turned and headed for the large rock where Lexi had put her outfit and pulled himself out of the water.  "We were high school sweethearts...before the war caught up with us."

Lexi followed and pulled herself up onto the rock beside him.  All signs of embarrassment over their respective nudity were gone.

"I...I lost her early on in the war.  In fact, I didn't want to fight in the war at all, until she got caught in the middle.  I'm not even sure how those Zoanoids found out about her, but I suspect that Agito Makashima had something to with it.  He always was a manipulative son of a bitch."

"He manipulated both you and your father, didn't he?" asked Lexi gently.

Shoryu nodded solemnly.  "My father lost even more than I did.  He lost his father, his best friend, and even my mother who died in childbirth.  In the end, he had nothing left but the war and when that was over, he had nothing at all."

"He had you."

"We were never close.  He blamed me for my mother's death.  He never said it to my face, but it was there, every time he looked at me."

"And then he took his own life." said Lexi.

Shoryu nodded.  "You saw that?  Sorry, it wasn't a pretty sight, eh?  Anyway, he confided in me of his plans and he told me all of his suspicions about Guyver III, Agito.  He told me that after he was gone, to pay Agito back for all the wrongs that he had committed over the long years.  After they were dead, I wandered the world for several decades, not knowing what to do with my life.  I think I was actually happy when I found that nest of Zoanoids.  I guess in the end it was a good thing.  Thanks to that last battle, I was able to meet you."

Lexi felt her heart flutter at those words; however, she tried to lighten the mood.  "I hate to say this, but you are not as shy as you were when you were spying on me earlier."

Shoryu gave her a lopsided red faced grin.  "Heck, when in Rome, wear a bed sheet, right?  Besides, I'm not as naive as you might think.  I may be a little dense sometimes, especially about women, but even I can get the point."

He leaned over and kissed Lexi softly on her lips.  She was about to retort with another smart assed remark when the heat of the kiss hit her like a brick wall.  She let out an involuntary moan and kissed Shoryu back hard.

The rock was pretty uncomfortable, so without a word, they slipped off and headed for the grassy shore.  They stopped in front of a tree where Lexi’s sword was propped up against the trunk and lay down together.  There, under the light of the moon and the stars, they expressed their unspoken feelings for each other in a language that was older than either of them.

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