She was touched that he decided to continue to protect her, even though he had no idea what he was trying to protect. Oh how she wished she had told him sooner, then he would not say such reckless words. She was ridden with guilt though she continued to watch their interactions, her blood hot with anger. Azrai had hit the attacker once more and the male laughed. Yes, he had been told that he would probably die getting involved with this male. He was alright with that, because he accomplished getting under Shizuâ€™s skin. The attacker grinned as Azrai spoke. â€œYouâ€™ve been warned,â€ he managed to spout out around a mouth full of blood. In a few minutes, the attacker was dead, and she felt strange. Almost happy that he was erased from this planet. Her eyes stared at the blood that pooled around his head; she watched the color drain from his body. She was satisfied, her inner beast cackling in triumph. Her face was pulled taut before she let out a deep breath. It was unlike her to be so fixated on death, but she felt very happy and relieved at this point.<br/><br/>It took her a few moments to pull herself out of her morbid thoughts, looking over at Azrai. She knew that he now had thoughts of her true nature and she knew that he was probably wondering what they were talking about. He had heard it from the villagers last night when he rescued her and once again it had been brought up. Anyone would have been curious about it and she could not blame him for it. With a slight sigh, she realized that now would probably be an appropriate time to discuss the matters at hand. Even though she was certainly not looking forward to the conversation, she knew what had to be done. She would finally have to put all her trust into him; she would reveal the secret of her village.<br/><br/>She worried that she would be the cause of his death, though she knew that she couldn't afford to think like that. To ensure that he understood what he was going to have to be dealing with, she had to explain everything. As determined as he was to protect her, she was determined to protect him to the best of her abilities. It did sadden her that their day had been ruined so early on, she would have liked for an incident like this to have happened later on, preferably after she had completed her meal, but the world didn't work like that. She had figured that out a long time ago. When he spoke, she was fully aware what he was suggesting and she appreciated the thought. However the idea of going back to an enclosed space did not strike a chord of interest within her.<br/><br/>There would be less time for exploration once he was able to get in contact with his colleagues that much she knew. They might as well use this time to experience some sort of normalcy, even though they were both being hunted down. "If you do not mind, I would very much like to stay away from the hotel for a while," she said gently, almost in an exhausted tone. "I have a feeling that it would not suit either of us to be stuck inside that room for an extended period of time." There was a quirk of her lips as she smirked faintly. It was sort of like a small joke she made, seeing how she had spent most of her life locked away, it really shouldn't bother her to go back. However, Oni could be selfish at times and she was going to be in this moment, no matter the risks. She would not fare well if she had to go back to the hotel. Azrai had given her the choice to decide what they were to do next and so she had chosen, whether or not it was a terrible idea she was sure they would find out later.<br/><br/>"I believe there are a few things that we need to discuss." Her tone was rather ominous, different from her usual cautious tone. Things had changed in the matter of minutes and she had no time to be worried anymore. She was about to take a huge leap with Azrai and she hoped that he was prepared for it. He seemed like a very insightful man, so she knew that he had his thoughts about her already. With another sigh, she twisted her hair in her hands, not wanting to be in this alley way anymore. The scent of death was overwhelming; it made her realize that death would probably follow her wherever she went until they left Japan. She only hoped that it would not result in her or Azrai's death. That was something that was willingly to avoid at all possible costs. "Please, follow me," she said in a gentle tone.<br/><br/>She may have not known her way around Japan, though her memory was impeccable. If they had troubles later getting back to the hotel, she was sure that she could find their way back there. She would keep the direction that they were going simple. She was in no rush; however she wanted to escape the sight of that dead body as soon as possible. She didn't turn to see if Azrai was following because she knew he would follow. She wasn't trying to take advantage of the fact that he was going to protect her but she knew that he wouldn't allow her to travel around by herself. It was too dangerous. She moved through the sea of people, merely trying to sort through her thoughts. How should she go about this conversation? There was no simple way to explain it. She was what she was and there was no sugar coating it to him. There would be no need for the reality of it all.<br/><br/>She led them to a small, quiet place several blocks away from the alley way. She glanced around, counting the amount of people around them. The number was less than ten and they all seemed to be going somewhere else. She found a bench to sit down on and patted the spot beside her. "Please, have a seat." She smiled warily though it left a few seconds after it appeared. This place was a rather run down area, it looked as if people had given up on trying to make it like the park that they had previously went to. Her lips formed a thin line before she inhaled and exhaled a deep breath. She shouldn't try to stall; it would only cause some small annoyance. "I never thought that I would escape that village. I thought that one day they would kill me," she said slowly, trying to brace her mind to open up to him. "When you appeared last night, I thought you a dream. I had been dreaming and hoping to leave one day. That a stranger would come and rescue me." She laughed darkly. "And like some sort of fairy tale knight, you came."<br/><br/>Her fingers picked at the fabric of her kimono, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "What the villagers say...their words are all true. The man that held me captive is not of my blood, he wed my mother when I had already been conceived. He knew not of our true nature." She glanced over at him, wondering what he was thinking. "I am the monster that they speak of; I am one of the few pureblood Oni left in Japan. I know this to be true for I have read about the near extinction of my race. Humans have killed my people out of fear." Her jaw clenched as she spoke about the treatment of her kind. "I know that there were those who enjoyed harming humans, but I also know they are those who loved humans. I have never harmed anyone in my entire life, yet I have been treated like I have."<br/><br/>She leaned back against the bench looking up at the sky. "The villagers fear me for no reason. Even after all they have done to me; I still wish not to harm them. I have no intention of killing them, even if I have had those thoughts at times." She looked away from the sky and looked down at her hands. She lifted them up in order to show them to him, they looked ordinary. "They fear me because I need the blood of a living creature to survive." Her hands trembled faintly due to the lack of the proper nourishment she needed. Her nails elongated to sharp claws, before reverting back to look normal. "I have yet to feed in almost six months now. It would be better for me to take the blood of a human, but I choose to take the blood of animals. The villagers thought that I would kill them off one by one whenever I would need to feed. So they started to attack me because of it and my stepfather allowed such things, even joining in himself."<br/><br/>There was disgust in her voice though her eyes held a great deal of sadness in them. "I am sure you wonder why he wishes to retrieve me if he loathes me so much. I am the main source of his power, as Daimyo, no one will defy him because he has a daughter who is Oni. There are other reasons that he wishes to keep me around, but I wish not to discuss them at this point," she said her tone darkening. Those other points were probably the main reasons he kept her, the thought made her stomach churn violently and her skin crawled as the memories haunted her mind. "So, now, you have some kind of understanding as to why they wish me not to be in public and remain in the village. I know that I should have probably told you sooner but..." Her voice caught in her throat and she looked at her lap, feeling her eyes swell with tears. "I was so happy that you appeared that I was scared that if I told you...you would not want to take me anymore. I never want to go back to that place and I feared that you would hate me like everyone else in the village."<br/><br/>She hadn't meant to start crying but the thought of him leaving terrified her. Now that he knew the truth, she feared that he would leave. Maybe he would realize that he had bitten off more than he could chew. Maybe he would realize that his life was not worth risking, in order to protect a monster.