It was a night just like any other on the Frontier; howling creatures, blood curdling screams, and the sweet songs of evil temptresses invaded the darkness. And amongst it all was a gorgeous youth with skin as pale as the moon. Cloaked in darkness itself, he rode on through the night as though the dangers of this world had no effect on him what so ever.
The black cybernetic horse seemed to be going far over its own limits, but whether this was because of some costume upgrades or just because of the skill of the rider, no one knew.
As the pair rode on over rocky fields of rubble and ruin a small orange glow appeared over the horizon. It took only minutes for the rider and his mount to pull to a halt next to the small campfire, behind which sat a rather strange woman.
Silence was all that could be heard for several minutes, the woman neither moving nor the man dismounting.
The young man we know to be D stared at the woman with seemingly no interest.
"You may sit if you'd like," the woman said quietly, her voice would have reminded anyone of a cat; sweet and silky but with an air of authority to it.
D dismounted and stood across from the woman on the other side of the fire. He had not said a word yet and just as it seemed he never would, his mouth moved slightly, it would have taken the keen ears of a bat to hear what he said, yet the woman seemed to understand just fine.
"You do not know who I am yet you offer me your company?" D's voice was quiet and cold as steel and as emotionless as his eyes. On he Frontier it was very dangerous to not know who you were traveling with, they could be some kind of monster in disguise or just a cold blooded murder looking for a couple of bucks. It was almost law to never help travelers who were "Stranded" in the middle of nowhere.
"You seem fine to me," the woman said, and as she looked in D's direction he caught the flash of yellow eyes, "You smell of only blood found in monsters, your heartbeat is steady as are your movements." Here the woman paused and lifted her hands towards the fire. Her hair was white and cut short just below her jaw and fit perfectly with her pixie like face.
D, deciding that this was a good enough answer unsaddled his horse and set it on the ground. He leaned back against it and crossed his legs and arms, taking up a somewhat relaxed position.
"So what's your name?" the woman asked.
"D," was the simple reply she received, she seemed to pause for a second before poking at the fire with a stick.
"What are you doing way out here?" she asked.
"I'm on a mission," once again it was a short response, but the woman was unaware how rare these responses were when it came to other people, so she continued on.
"You are a hunter?"
"I am," D replied, but now he had pulled his hat low over his eyes.
"So, you're on a mission to save a damsel in distress from a bad guy?" she asked, something like excitement crossed her face. There was no response from D this time and the woman giggled, "Humans sure are funny aren't they?"
This time the silence was polluted with an aura that could have killed the woman, had it been directed at her. No, the aura was not directed at anything at all, it simply seeped from the pale young man who sat by the fire. He never moved from his position, he didn't even seem to tense, but something like sadness rang in his voice when he said one thing.
"Luna."
The woman looked up, startled, and for the first time there were feint traces of purple in her white hair and small pointed ears could be seen. D must have realized it was her from her laugh, or maybe her smell because looking across the fire would have blinded even a dhampir.
"James, is that you?" she leaned forward and sniffed the air, "now that I think about it, you do smell like him if a little bit older." She laughed, and it seemed to be real but it was cut short by the hunter's next question.
"What happened to you?" it was still soft, but the slight ring of sadness was gone, replaced by anger. It was such a small change in tone that a human wouldn't have been able to pick up on it. Luna's smile dropped from her face and she hugged herself.
"A lot has happened, but I'm okay now," she said as her small frame began to quiver.
"What did he do to you?" D asked.
"Who?" Luna replied with her own question, though it was obvious in her face that she knew who D meant.
"Your father." Silence encased the two for several seconds.
"He did a lot of things, but he's dead now, and I am okay," Luna seemed to be avoiding the subject as much as possible, but her answer seemed to be enough for D.
There was a howl off in the distance, probably some cruel animal killing its prey, but it went unheard by the two sitting by the fire. There was the slightest of sounds, a swish of cloth and the clink of a chain as D stood from his spot and moved around the fire to crouch down in front of Luna. He reached out and grabbed her chin, pulling her face into the light and something like grief flashed across his face.
Her bright yellow eyes were just as vibrant and clear as he remembered, but her pupils were grey and devoid of life. They were the eyes of a person who could no longer enjoy the light or the darkness nor any colors that accompanied them. Tears welled up in those unseeing eyes and as they spilled over D wiped them away with his thumb.
"He did this?" he asked, though there was no reason to, he knew it had been her crazed father who had tortured her and performed experiments on her to the point of blindness. Who knew what else had been done to the female dhampir.
He pulled her into a hug without thought, feeling the small shaking frame that used to belong to a fearless girl who loved to play and explore. She was always the one who would help him home when he was hurt, and she had always been the one to stand up for him when the vampire children would pick on him, and she had always been the one to cheer him up when they were young, and now she lay there broken in his arms.
Luna was sobbing now, he cries uncontrollable and it was long into the night when she had finally fallen asleep in his embrace, her arms wrapped firmly around his waist.
"I'm guessing he was a fan of your father?" a hoarse voice asked. D clenched his left hand, not even bothering to reply. Instead, he gazed down at Luna and gently brushed a strand of hair out of her face.
There was silence.