Okay, so I started this story about eight different times, and I thought that I could have made it for Halloween, my favourite holiday! I'm a bit late, but the sun has not risen, so it is still All Hallow's Eve! :D So, here we are! A Halloween-y type story, and I hope you all enjoy it!

Eternal Bonds

Chapter One

The small, cobble-stoned street city slept peacefully in the pre-dawn air, when the light from the sun had just begun to change the skies brilliant colours that lived only in an artist's fantasy. The shadows began to hide from these morning rays, taking their places in alleyways, behind buildings, and trees. The sun began to peek over the horizon, illuminating the small towns. The buildings, foundations from all different eras of time and places, slowly began to yawn, and let the warm sunlight bathe their spacious insides, announcing the start of a new day. Soon enough, the sun jumped off of the horizon, and into the cloudless sky, gripping onto the robin-egg blue, shining cheerily because it was in its rightful place once more.

Sunlight, warm and golden, flitted through large balcony windows of the large manour in the vampire neighborhood at the east edge of town, closest to the Dragon Preserve that lay in a valley only scant yards away. The lavishly decorated bedroom illuminated, rousing the sleeping beast that lay beneath soft and thick blankets, fit for royalty. A deep groan shattered the early morning silence as the vampire rolled over to face away from the blinding sun, and sat up in bed, the soft blankets pooling around his waist. Locks of blood-red hair stuck up in every which was as he blinked rouge eyes, trying to get accustomed to the sudden light. A pale and calloused hand reached up and rubbed the sleep from his eye as he woke. Eustass Kidd sighed – he really hated mornings. Yet, he knew that he had to get up and start the day, like he did every day. And today was a big day. So, even though he was comfortable, he still flung the blankets off of his naked and pale body. He swung strong legs over the side of the bed, and slid onto the floor. A cold chill darted up his spine, causing him to shiver. He walked over to the windows, directly into the sunlight, a smile spreading across his lips as the golden warmth caressed his skin. When he was warm again, the redheaded vampire padded over to his lavishly carved wardrobe. He tugged a door open, and pulled out a pair of dark blue jeans, and then a white-t-shirt. He opened a drawer located at the bottom of the wardrobe, and pulled out a pair of black boxers and socks.

As the sun rose higher into the sky, shining merrily, happy to be waking and warming the world, Kidd slipped into his boots, shoved a pair of fire-resistant, brown work gloves into the back pocket of his jeans, and adjusted the goggles he always wore on his forehead, making sure they kept his hair out of his face.

Silently, so as to not wake the others in the house, he slipped outside, and deeply inhaled the crisp morning air, letting it out in a puff of a breath, smiling a little when it created a small cloud. He heard noise, soft chatter, in the air – the city was starting to wake up completely. Considering that it was only seven in the morning, Kidd thought that everyone would still be in bed, dreaming, but he heard a few people awake already. The redheaded beast headed down the street, walking east, heading to the edge of town and the street. As he walked along the cobblestone street, he nodded a silent greeting to Dracule Mihawk, a fellow vampire, who was heading to the store, just like he did every morning. It was almost a ritual to nod at each other each morning, but neither ever honestly stopped to chat. On some days, the suave man had his housemates – a green-haired werewolf by the name of Roronoa Zoro, and a specter who was named Perona – in tow, but today, he was alone.

Kidd shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans, yawned softly, and licked his lips. He reached the end of the cobblestone road, and was face with a rather large, grassy hill that casted a great shadow down on him. He yawned again, before stepping off of the street, and onto a well-beaten dirt path – one that he travelled daily. The earth felt firm from so much abuse, but some dust was kicked up as well – it hadn't rained in a while, so the dirt was a bit dry. His boots made a soft thumping sound as he made his way up the hill, sunlight reaching him as he walked over the crest.

A blazing hot pillar of golden-orange flame burst past his left shoulder, but he paid it no mind – he merely moved over a little, so that his hair or shirt would not catch fire, and also so the heat wasn't so unbearable. When the flames ceased, and Kidd began to walk down the hill, a dazed dragon stood there, trembling a little. He blinked his eyes, as if he was trying to clear his vision. His hide was the colour of fresh mud, while long, white hair draped over his long neck and small head. He stood on his back legs, which were so much stronger and larger than his front pair which looked frail and weak, and almost like hands. Small, useless wings beat impatiently against the air.

"You missed me," Kidd chuckled. "Honestly, Ronny, why ya gotta try and fry me every day?"

"Sir Kidd?" The dragon – Ronald, but everyone affectionately called him either Ron or Ronny – asked, tilting his head down and to the side, so his tiny arm could scratch at his cheek. "I thought that you were a poacher!"

The pale vampire could only chuckle, and pat the old beast's neck as he walked by and further down the hill into the valley. Even though he was half blind, and daft, Ronny really looked out for his brethren, and cared for them as if they were his own young. He stood there, daily, over-looking the hill that lead to the Preserve, making sure that outsiders would not come near.

Kidd smiled as he looked out into the lush valley that made up the Dragon Preserve. This place was unique, offering almost every kind of terrain imaginable, thanks to some warlocks and witches, so that all sorts of dragons could live comfortably and prosper, away from creatures of all kinds that would wish to cause them harm. Kidd had been one of the brains behind the idea of the Preserve, and he continued to work there on a daily basis. It was a passion of his, but he could blame that on his dear Tobias.

"Daddy!" Speaking of Tobias…

The pale vampire groaned as he was tackled to the ground by a mountain of icy-white scales. He was assaulted with cold, slobbery licks, while hot breath that smelt of rotted meat washed over him.

"Oi, Tobi! I'm dying under here, man!" Kidd chuckled, and tried to push the hulking creature off of him. He was thankful when the beast complied and rose off of him.

Tobias stood on his four, strong, elegant legs, and peered down as his father, grinning, a white tail wagging happily and slamming against the ground. His hide glistened like fresh snow in the sunlight as his blue-tinted leathery wings beat at the air excitedly, but not enough for flight. Dark blue striped that looked almost like slash marks adorned the top of his back, tail, long neck and legs, while his belly and soft tissues in his neck and on the tops of his feet were protected by dark grey plates. Light blue hair trailed down his neck, back, legs, and tail, to protect him from the frigid temperatures of what is now called Greenland, Iceland, Canada, Russia, Alaska, and Antarctica in the human world. He was a species of Snow Dragons – more specifically, a Frost Dragon.

"Sorry, Daddy," the dragon grinned sheepishly, just absolutely ecstatic to see the redheaded vampire.

"It's alright," the vampire chuckled from the ground. "At least you gave me a heads up this time." Tobias dipped his head down and gently grasped the back of the pale being's shirt in between his teeth, lifting him to his feet, before pressing his massive forehead to the vampire's chest in an affectionate gesture. Kidd responded in kind, wrapping his strong arms around the dragon's muzzle pressing a gentle kiss to his scaly hide.

"So, did Jessie lay her egg yet?" The redhead asked, smiling softly. Today was a very important day for the Electric Dragon – her first egg. This was a big rite of passage in the draconian world. Kidd was always there for every birth and every hatching – he hoped that today would be no different. After all, draconian eggs are particularly delicate, and must be incubated in the perfect conditions per the species, so it was his job to take the eggs back to the Hatchery and keep and close eye on them, making sure that the babies inside had a fair chance.

"No, not yet," Tobias said, laying down on the ground, waiting for the vampire to climb on. After all, the Preserve was so big that travelling on foot, going one way, would take a month. If you wanted to walk the whole Preserve, it would take five months, so many dragons helped the caretakers out with traveling around. Kidd smiled softly, and gently patted the Frost Dragon's neck, before he climbed up onto his back, his legs dangling down behind the joints of his wings. The vampire tangled his hands into the long blue made, and gave a gentle tug – a wordless consent to take flight.

Tobias crouched down, his legs wound tight, ready to spring. He wiggled his backend a little, before leaping off of the ground, large wings beating against the air, letting the duo climb high into the sky.

The Preserve laid out before them, already abuzz with the exciting news of a new egg on the way. Sunlight shone proudly, illuminating every inch of the place, warming the frigid air slightly as they climbed higher into the sky. From this height, it was easier to see that the area was split into different regions: the Ice Lands, the Volcano, the Draconian Forest, the Lagoon, the Desert, the Savannah, the Caves in the volcano, the Marshlands, and so many others, all thanks to different compassionate magical beings. In the middle of it all stood two, large castle towers, as tall as the volcano. Each tower was connected by a large building in between them – it was all collectively known as the Hatchery. Inside, there were so many rooms, suited to every type of dragon egg's special needs. That was where all of the baby dragons were born.

Tobias headed West, towards the desert, closer to the rocky canyon that stood proudly, jutting out of the sand. Inside the many cracks, crevices, and caves within the stone of the canyon, special and strange crystals resided there. When two or more of these crystals were placed in close proximity, electricity would shoot off of them – the perfect place for Electric Dragons to call home. It was a dangerous place for anyone who could not handle the feel of a lightning bolt pulsating through their veins, which was everyone except for the Electric Dragons themselves. Kidd knew that he would never survive if he went in there – he would have to wait for Jessie to come out to him, if she could even move.

Tobias soared through the skies, circling the canyon from overhead, like a buzzard over a carcass. The crackling of electricity could be heard from a mile away in any direction, and could shoot even farther than that. Kidd assumed that the noise was a comfort to all who lived within the canyon's walls.

"Tobi, land there!" The vampire ordered, pointing at the southern western entrance of the canyon, where there were fewer Electric Crystals embedded in the stone. It was also still shady there, so Tobias could stay cool – or as cool as you could be in the desert. The Frost Dragon complied, touching down on the still-cool sand, and helped his father down off of his back. The duo stood proudly in the shadow of the canyon, scanning the dark shadows that still concealed the insides of the area. Every once in a while, a bolt of electricity would jump from one crystal to another, lighting the area up, giving a small flash of the insides – sleeping Electric Dragons, laying in the cool sand, snored softly, listening to the lightning lullaby. Both Tobi and Kidd looked at each other, and then back at the canyon – neither one would survive a trip in there.

"Mister Eustass?" A small voice called from the shadows. The voice was frail, and worried, as if frightened by the unknown.

"Jessie? Is that you?" Kidd asked, taking a small step forward, but jumped back when another bolt of lightning flashed, and struck the creature walking towards him, but she paid no mind. The bold bounced off of her, onto another crystal, and then ended, leaving the world in shadows again. Jessie stepped out of the safety of the canyon, standing proudly.

She was a beautiful creature, as most dragons were. Yet, Electric Dragons were some of the most glorious. Her golden-brown hide glistened with the electricity that flower through her veins. She was long and lanky, like Tobias, only smaller. She did not have much muscle on her, but she was still young. Her normally thin stomach was bloated, rotund and pulsating slightly. The protective scales that were upon her stomach were stretched thin and showed the veiny belly beneath them. She was a very kind dragon, and would often help Kidd if he hand business within the Electric Canyon.

"Mister Eustass," she panted, giving him a toothy, yet pained, smile. The honey-coloured beast sat down, leaning heavily on one of her back legs, trying to sooth an ache. She squirmed a little, as if something was bothering her.

"Are you feeling uncomfortable?" The redheaded vampire asked, slowly approaching her, so as to not alarm her. Electric Dragons may have been beautiful, but that shimmer in their hide could be discharged as a defense mechanism if the creature was startled in any way. Kidd decided that he really did not want to get shocked today.

"Yes, but it does not hurt," she replied, though she still squirmed.

"It might not," Kidd said, gently patting her neck. He felt the electricity pulsating through her hide and into his body – it wasn't painful by any means. It did fill him with a strange warmth, and he felt like he just drank a whole pot of coffee. "But, I'm betting that it will."

Jessie nodded, her stomach twitching, and she began to pant more intensely than before. Tobias, who was watching the scene behind his father, let out a small whimper. The vampire chuckled – the Frost Dragon always hated to see another living thing in any sort of pain. He used to cry whenever Kidd would take him home, and show him that the leaves would fall outside of the Preserve in the fall, because he thought that the trees were dying.

"Tobi, you don't have to stay," he laughed softly, before patting Jessie's neck, helping her lie down in a comfortable position, so that she was on her belly, her neck curved to face her body, while her tail was stretched out. Before he could turn and ask that the snow-white beast stay close, the dragon was already high in the sky, a whirlwind of sand and footprints being the only thing he left in his wake.

"Mister Eustass, it's starting to hurt," the golden dragon asked, panting harshly, her breath kicking up sand with every exhale. Kidd walked down, and gently placed his hands on her stomach, feeling the contractions starting beneath his fingertips. "Why does it hurt so?"

"To prove to women that they are tougher than men," he chuckled, gently rubbing her stomach, trying to alleviate some of the pain. "You'll be fine. Don't worry," he smiled up at her, patting her gently.

Her stomach rippled under his calloused hands, and she let out a low keening noise, and thick and powerful paw thumping at the still-cool sand, sending it flying and Kidd had to blink and rub his eyes so that he could see properly. The vampire pulled his goggles down over his eyes, and tightened them, before reaching behind him, and pulled out his pair of gloves, slipping them onto his hands. He gently patted her stomach, before slowly walking over to her, and patted her head – if he wasn't able to keep her calm, she could discharge and shock him, and most likely kill him. He didn't feel like dying today.

"Jessie, you have to relax," he murmured in her ear, petting her, running his left hand up and down the underneath of her jaw, while the other hand gently patted where her head and neck connected on her neck. "I know it hurts, but I can't fix it." The dragon merely growled, clawing at the sand again. Kidd patted her gently, biting his lip, and he looked over at her belly – it was time. "I know it hurts, but you have to push now."

Jessie grumbled in understanding, and nodded slightly, before clenching all the muscles in her body, and letting out a deep groan, shuddering. After a few moments, she relaxed, huffing and kicking up sand with her breath.

"That was perfect!" the vampire smiled, moving to crouch in front of her face, petting her snout, and made sure that she could see him, but more importantly, so he could see all of her. "You need to move your tail upwards, and do that again. Can you?"

The Electric Dragon groaned again, but nodded, and lifted her tail into the air, before she clenched her muscles again, and let out a low keening noise that turned into a loud roar that echoed in between the canyon walls, up into the sky, and across the desert. He heard a soft thump and the shifting of sand in between the howl and the echo. Soon, the echo faded, and Jessie collapsed, completely spend, panting harshly, and kicking up sand.

Kidd gently patted her, and stood on his feet, swaying back and forth, and smiled when her eyes followed him – perfect. That meant she was still with him. Slowly, the vampire walked across the sand, towards the egg. It was trembling softly, probably from the severe temperature change, shifting slightly in the sand. The egg was a yellowish crème colour, and it was as big as his torso. Slowly, he bent down, and wrapped his arms around the egg, patting it gently, before he lifted it, and grunted – this was a heavy egg, which meant that it was a healthy little baby inside.

Carefully, Kidd brought the egg to its mother, setting it down in the sand by her head, and then he slowly backed away, hands raised so that his palms faced her – a sign that showed he meant no harm. He smiled softly when Jessie curled around her egg, nuzzling it lovingly. He watched the new mother caress her offspring, murmuring to the egg, and covered it with her scent by licking and nuzzling it – an instinct that all female dragons had when it came to their eggs, so that the other dragons would know that the egg belonged to them. The vampire looked up at the sky and saw Tobias dutifully circling in the air above, ready to transport his father and the egg back to the Hatchery. He was such a good boy.

"Mister Eustass?" Jessie's voice broke him from his thoughts, and he returned his attention towards her, giving her a kind smile. "You will take care of my baby… won't you?"

"Every day," he answered, truthfully. He always took care of the eggs as if they were his own, and watched over them every day.

Eventually, she nodded, and Kidd whistled for Tobias to come down. The Frost Dragon landed and the vampire gave Jessie one last pat, before he carefully lifted the egg into his arms, and then let Tobi lift him up by the back of his shirt, and set him into his scaly back. They both bid the Electric Dragon adieu, before heading back to the Hatchery.

Kidd had just placed Jessie's egg into a large, clear box, settled into a little nest of sand, before he shut the door. Two weak Electric Crystals were connected to the front and back of the incubator box, so that when the door was shut, the crystals would transfer lightning to the other, and to the egg, keeping it nice and happy, just like in the canyon.

"Boss!"

The pale vampire turned to see his friend and fellow helper around the Preserve jogging towards him. To put it simply, the man was a zombie – that is to say, he just wasn't alive anymore. His skin was an ashen colour, while his long dreadlocks were a light blue. He was covered in stitches and these strange marks that wrapped around his neck and down his arms. He said that the stitches were from something he called a 'car crash'. He had said that he was shot through a glass window with the power from a canon, which helped Kidd understand what he went through. Sometime ago, a witch in the neighborhood brought him back from the grave to wreak havoc on an enemy, but he was far too kind-hearted, so she dismissed him from her services – the red marks were from the summoning and binding ceremony.

"What is it, Heat?" Kidd asked, crossing his arms over his strong chest as his friend stopped in front of him.

"T-Trafalgar's on the Den-Den…," he puffed, doubled over, with his hands on his knees. Being undead made physical exercise a very difficult thing.

"Thanks, man," the redhead said, patting the zombie's back as he quickly walked out of the room, and over to the window seal, where a small snail was lazily eating a leaf. A telephone-type mechanism was affixed to the small beasts, allowing people to talk when they were many miles apart.

The vampire picked up the receiver, drawing the snail's attention to him. "Hello?" He asked, speaking into the receiver.

Almost instantly, the small mollusk's expression changed to one of a bored annoyance – the face that Trafalgar Law, his housemate, was wearing at that moment in time. "Eustass-ya," the snail said, its mouth moving to form words, but his housemate's voice came out of its mouth. "Luffy and I are going to the store. Do you need anything?"

"Some more tablets, and a pack of smokes."

"You should really quit smoking," the mollusk scolded, raising one of its tiny feelers in a threatening manner. The sight was rather cute.

"Sorry, Doc," Kidd chuckled. "Not gonna happen."

"Fine," he sighed, and the Den-Den shook its tiny head, its tiny feelers drooping, as if they were shoulders. "Anything else?"

"Nope. I'm good," the redhead said, shrugging.

"Fine. I'll see you later." Before either of them could say goodbye, the line disconnected, and the small mollusk closed its eyes, instantly falling asleep. He sighed as he placed the receiver back in its rightful place on the snail's shell. It all honestly, Kidd didn't think he could stomach any more tablets without getting sick. Sure, they kept him from dying, but artificial blood never tasted as good as the real thing. No, the best thing for a vampire was human blood. Too bad Trafalgar would never let his roommate take a cup or two from his precious mate. Luffy was fine with the idea, eager to help his friend out, but the surgeon had put a stop to that before it had even begun.

But, the good news was that his time limit of waiting was almost over. Soon, he could travel from his world into the human world. Soon, he could take his first trip to find his mate.

Welp, that's chapter one! This story is going to be filled with my own personal theories on different monsters and beasts of myth, but normally, my ideas aren't that far off from a popular belief. I hope you all enjoyed, and please - drop be a review, and I tell me what you thought!