Wait... You're a What Now? [Myself & Maitreyia]

[Maitreyia]

Kodi woke to a frantic Ishio, and her first thought was that they were in danger, so she nearly bolted upright. Then the words on Ishio's lips reached her brain, and she sat up in a daze, trying to process what was being asked of her. Ishio didn't want to stay where they'd settled, and she didn't want to stay with Lia despite how much the woman had gone out of her way to help them when she could have simply disappeared on her own. Kodi frowned as Ishio seemed to beg her. Why did Ishio think that Kodi would refuse to go with her? She had always liked Lia, and she deeply appreciated her timely rescue of herself and Ishio, but she didn't love her the way that she had grown to love Ishio. Kodi shook her head slightly as she pulled herself out of bed, heading over to her ransacked dresser to find some suitable remaining clothes to wear as they ran. She dressed quickly, and then turned back to Ishio with a look of concern.

"I'll go wherever you go....but where are we going to go? With what money....and how are we going to get more money without identities that can't be tracked?"

[Lithiah]

"Ethan left me money in case anything ever happened. I have about $1000, that'll keep us going for a bit. I managed to pick it up when I went to get your cross" Ishio spoke. She had first thought to save the money for an emergency... But Ishio needed to go now. She didn't want to go alone, but she didn't want to have to bring Lia along as well.

She was greatful for everything Lia had done, but Ishio had put her in danger and Lia would survive much better without Ishio and Kodi there... Ishio knew that wasn't the main reason for leaving Lia, but it was an assurance.

Ishio took hold of Kodi's hand as they walked through the apartment. Lia was out cold on the sofa, Ishio had obviously been as a careful as she could be, whilst making sure Lia would be out long enough that she wouldn't be able to track them. Ishio left a note on the coffee table, that explained she was sorry for everything. Ishio knew she had been a problem with Lia since day 1.

After waiting for Kodi to say her goodbyes to Lia, they headed out onto the cold street.
"I don't know where exactly I want to go... I know theres somewhere and I know it isn't here... I want to find somewhere that I can be with you without fear of anyone tearing us apart... Without fear of myself tearing us apart" Ishio whispered as they walked. There were so many places they could go, and she wouldn't let water stop them.
"But... I think I want to try Japan first" Ishio spoke softly. Japan meant a lot to the both of them...

"My mother travelled a lot before she met my father. She travelled the world. Vampires have a way of getting each other around the country, we'd have to, Fake passports and ID's can only get you so far." Ishio explained. The vampires had helped her mother get around the world when the clans were after her. She just hoped they give the same respect to Ishio and Kodi.

[Maitreyia]

Kodi had noted Lia on the couch as they passed, and she knew from the time she'd been forced to spend with Lia while Ishio was away for days at a time, that Lia rarely slept. She could sleep, just like she could eat regular food, but she didn't need to do either to function just fine for weeks on end. To top that thought process off, Lia was also a very light sleeper, her vampiric sensitive hearing let her hear the scratchings of a mouse in the apartment, and though she often ignored noises while she slept, there had been more than one time that Kodi had woken to get water and passed Lia sleeping on the couch only to turn around to find her sitting up and watching her. So the fact that Lia did not wake as they passed her told Kodi that Lia had been knocked out, and she suspected that Ishio's urgency to leave was due to the fact that Lia would wake up shortly despite that fact.

Kodi walked in silence, listening to Ishio speak as they went down the quiet dark road, heading to God knew where with only $1000 to get them there. When Ishio mentioned Japan, and then mentioned some vampire underground railroad, Kodi stopped short pulling Ishio to a halt linked as they were by the hands. She frowned as she considered what Ishio was suggesting they do, wondering how they would get to the coast to begin with, and wondering also whether heading to Japan was the best option. Her mother and grandmother were still in Japan, though the last she'd spoken to them they'd moved from Tokyo to Okinawa. With vampires and apparently some second group of people looking for Ishio, and Kodi for being involved with Ishio, was it safe to get that close to a past that could be linked to either of them? She looked back toward the apartment, sighing heavily as she considered what they could do that wouldn't put themselves and others in danger. She saw no ready alternative.

"Let's take the car, Ishio. Did you bring my guitar? If we get too strapped for cash we can always stop, and I can try to play for some extra money. I don't know if going to Japan is the best idea, we both came from there...they might look for us there....but I don't know where else we should go. If we're going to go I don't want to hitch hike all the way to the California...do you? I mean....I don't know...maybe they could track the car...I don't know Ishio....but two teenage girls hitch hiking halfway across the country? Isn't that kind of trackable...especially with your distinctive hair....is it possible to die your hair? Maybe we should get some hair dyealong the way...."

[Lithiah]

"We shouldn't go by car... A car means it's just me and you alone. Too easy for them to get us. I don't know what the vampires are planning, but they will still not risk exposure. If we travel by public transport, we're safer because..." Ishio said then frowned. She hated thinking this way.
"Because the humans will act as shields. They'll protect us without even realising." Ishio spoke quietly.

"It might take a little longer but hitch-hiking and public transport are safer." Ishio spoke, obviously having thought this through. The fact was, she had a long long time ago. This was the contingency plan for if Ethan ever died. It just took longer to set into place, and she was now taking Kodi along with her.

"Dye generally lasts about a week. For some reason even the permanent stuff doesn't stick. My hair's short enough that I could hide it under a wig though?" Ishio spoke, before motioning her head to the big bag she was carrying, that was hovering a few inches off the ground, being almost as tall as Ishio was.
"Your guitar is in there. I made sure to bring it for you" Ishio spoke, still keeping hold of Kodi's hand as they stood in the street. Trains were running all night, so they had time to plan. Ishio knew she was going too far for what she was asking of Kodi. She always asked too much of her love, but without Kodi, there was no point in Ishio doing anything.

"Hitch-hiking is our best course. There's thousands of homeless kids around America. A lot of them hitch-hiking around. We're just two more unknown faces" Ishio said, before thinking about Japan.

"We'll talk more about Japan. I know it's a risky move, because it's expected. I don't know, maybe we could work our way across, take some stops or something. It's where I feel we need to be... But we don't need to be there right here and now. Hell! We can wait around 9 months... In 9 months time, I'll be 18. I should have gone through my change... Maybe they'll leave us alone if I'm no use to them any more"

[Maitreyia]

Kodi bit her lip as she thought over their options, then shrugged as she started walking again. She wasn't sure where they were going to end up, but she felt that as long as they were together they would be alright. With a little money they could catch a bus to the coast, and with her guitar along she was sure that she could earn some extra cash by either playing at a good spot on some busy street in a bigger street, or maybe even by playing in a cafe for a few nights. She gave a heavy sigh as she realized that she was once again leaving behind everything she knew, but it had never once crossed her mind that it was Ishio's fault that her life had fallen apart. No, she'd lost her family and her future in college for musical arts, but she still had an exciting life full of adventure ahead of her, so she never once stopped to think Ishio had ruined her life. She had on the other hand stopped to wonder where her life was going to go now, for there was likely no chance of it returning to the old normalcy she had previously expected.

"So we just have to keep your hair short enough to hide under a wig, and stay off the radar for another year. Let's hope they'll lose interest then. If not then we'll just have to keep running...I'm ok with that as long as we're together."

[Lithiah]

Ishio smiled and nodded. As much as she loved having her hair long, this past month had thrown her head first into a more mature state of mind. There was no more school fun. Ishio no longer had to be protected from the bullys, but now herself. Ishio's concern wasn't over herself, at least not directly. If anything happened to Kodi, Ishio would lose it. Kodi had been the most important person in Ishio's world for a while now. It seems Kodi was now important to a lot of peoples lives, even if they did not yet know it.

"We'll have to see with what we have. This legnth might work, if only just, but if it needs to go shorter" Ishio spoke, getting a pocket knife from the bag, flashing it to Kodi before placing it back.
"Are you though?" Ishio asked, stopping a moment, before carrying on walking. Even if she was feeling bad, they had to keep moving.
"Look, don't get me wrong... I love you more than anyone, and I know how much you love me too... But I just can't shake that feeling that I've ruined your life. At the age of 17 you've learnt your world contains monsters... You now have had to leave your family and go on the run. Maybe for a year, or maybe forever. Yes, a safe life might be more boring, but theres still loads of happiness and fun to be found in a normal life. Just looking at this world can show you that." Ishio said, taking Kodi's hand in her own. This is the first time Ishio had been properly talking since Ethan's death.
"What if..." Ishio said, before biting her lip. She didn't want to say it, because it would be admitting she would be too weak... She didn't want to ever imagine a scenario where she would let Kodi get hurt. But the fear would plague her mind still.
"You're safer not being near me... But I don't think I can live without you... I wouldn't want to be able to" Ishio said, slowing down as they reached the train station.

They would catch a cheap train that would take them as far as they needed to go, before deciding where to go from there to get to California.

[Maitreyia]

Kodi smiled as she listened to Ishio voice her concerns, she knew what Ishio said made sense. As they finally reached the train station Kodi slowed to a stop beside Ishio, looking up at the darkened structure. What would become of them now that they were really going out into the world by themselves? Before this moment they had always had adults with them, she with her parents, and Ishio with Ethan. They had always had figures in their life that seemed more mature and worldly, even when they had to drop off the radar the first time they'd had Lia with them. Kodi knew she was a smart girl, and she knew she could take care of herself in a normal human situation, and she knew that Ishio could protect her in a not so normal vampire situation. That didn't stop concern from creeping out to plague her mind. What would become of them?

"You remember that first conversation we had? The one about how this wouldn't be like Twilight? I think we were wrong. Edward and Bella barely managed to function without each other, in fact they both had a death wish while they were away from each other...but together they managed to conquer everything the world threw at them. As silly as I think it is to compare us to characters from a teen romance, I think it's a fairly accurate comparison. The reality is far different from the fiction, but we do have a human and a vampire of sorts in love with each other. We don't want to imagine what it would be like without the other because we don't want to face how much that would hurt. Of course you're not exactly Edward, you aren't some hundred year old guy pining over a 17 yr old clutz, and I am most certainly not an unrealistically off balance girl with nothing going for her but the odd ability to attract small town guys with my sub-par looks. Still, with it coming down to it, I am just like Bella in this, I will drop everything including my family to fly off to Italy or Japan in this case...for you."

[Lithiah]

Ishio listened to what Kodi had to say, before finally sighed and chuckling to herself.
"I guess your right. All this time we were trying to avoid the cliche's, but when it comes down to it, we aren't really much better" Yukine spoke.
"And I guess, I am like Edward, in that I want to protect you from the world I introduced you to... Only I'm not that stupid to up and leave you" Ishio said with a grin, re-taking Kodi's hand as Ishio paid for the train tickets and they made their way to the platform.

Ishio saw the train coming towards the platform as thought about everything that Kodi said. This was them taking a step through the looking glass. After everything they had gone through, they always had at least someone else to help them along the way... But things were spiraling, and as bad as it were, running away had become the only option. Ishio knew if they had stayed, he wouldn't be able to hold himself together... Now they were on their own, Ishio had to... Because if Ishiio lost herself... In fact, Ishio wouldn't think like that. Because if it was just Ishio and Kodi, then she wouldn't allow herself to be lost.

Ishio stepped onto the train, still hand in hand with Kodi as they made their way to a small empty compartment, as Ishio let Kodi get in first before sitting down next to her, placing the bag opposite them as the train set off, taking them away from the small town they had never really gotten to know.

"Do you want to sleep? I sorta woke up didn't I. We'll be on here for quite a few hours anyway so it might be good if your rested up" Ishio spoke. The train would be safe. If any vampires even got to the platform, Ishio would feel them instantly, but this sort of out of the blue running wasn't Ishio. If the vampires had known where they were, they had stayed their distance, if the vampires were still looking, then getting as far away as possible would be the best idea.

Ishio didn't know how far this plot involving her went out. It could be one clan, it could be a few, or it could be the majority. All Ishio knew if that it at least stretched over to Ireland. That's where she had been all those years ago when her parents had died. Before she was shipped over to America to go to the lab.