"Second Chance"
Written By
Mark Moore
Author's note: The following story is a work of fiction based on the "Vampire Hunter D" anime film from 1985. All characters in the story are not of my own creation. They are owned by Hideyuki Kikuchi. The following story is copyrighted © 2000, 2001, 2003 by Mark Moore.
I had originally written this story with heavy Christian overtones. It had a long version and a short version. The long version contained nothing more than a full-length Easter Vigil Mass. I wrote the first draft of the long version from Friday, January 21, 2000, 1:30 PM to Sunday, April 15, 2001, 6:59 PM. I finished the first draft of the short version at 7:47 PM. I then saved a plain text short version (with the inclusion of the song at the end) and posted it in 12 installments (3 at a time) to the Vampire Hunter D mailing list at Yahoo! Groups. I would now like to thank Cathy Krusberg and Elizabeth Switzer for reading the story and offering their comments and suggestions. Thank you! =)
I started working on the second draft on Thursday, May 31, 2001, at 3:23 PM. I got rid of the Christianity and changed some other stuff. For the history of the world after World War III, I used Kevin Leahy's summary of the history of the world according to the first Vampire Hunter D novel (). I completed the second draft on Thursday, October 4, 2001, at 9:57 PM. While I was working on it, I sent it a bit at a time to Charlotte MacFarlane, who had responded to my request on the fanfictionnetwriters group for someone to read it. She read the story and sent me her comments and suggestions. I started working on the final draft on Friday, October 12, 2001, at 12:56 PM. I took most of her suggestions into account when revising the story (the rest I'm saving for the sequel). Thank you, Charlotte!
Now, it's nearly two years later: Saturday, November 10, 2001, 7:45 PM. The final draft is done. To quote Rod Stewart (and Russell Watson), "It's been a long road, gettin' from there to here." Throughout the writing of this story, I've struggled with the tone. The end result is a story that seems less horrific and depressing and more glamorous and fun than the movie. It has a sort of '80s feel to it, rather than a medieval feel. It was the best I could do. Feel free to send/leave me reviews, be they positive, negative, or something in between. Did I just type "be they"? Weird. Anyway, I hope I've done the characters justice. Thank you, Cathy, for posting this story at The Vampire Hunter D Archives.
This story used to be on FanFiction.Net, but they took it down when they removed (and banned) all NC-17 fanfics. So, I've removed most of the sexual situations (everything that's very explicit) to make it "safe for FanFiction.Net". This story is censored, and I do not recommend that you read it. I've uploaded it here simply to make my word count a more accurate representation of the number of words that I've written. The sex is important to the story, for it shows the closeness between Doris and Lamika. If you want to read the story as I intended for it to be read, please go to the Vampire Hunter D Archives at and look for the story in the Fanfic Archive. I created this "stripped version" on Thursday, August 14, 2003, from 11:10 PM to 11:34 PM.
Thursday, April 21, 12090
Doris Lang entered her house in a dazed state. She had just been rescued from Count Magnus Lee. Her brother, Dan, and D, the brave vampire hunter who had rescued her, came in behind her. The three of them had stood and watched the castle's destruction together.
"Are you all right, sis?" Dan asked.
D placed a hand on his shoulder. "Your sister has to be alone for now. She's been through so much."
Silently, D and Dan left the house, leaving Doris by herself in the living room.
She walked over to a window and looked out at the setting sun.
So much had happened to her recently. First her horse, Luke, had been killed. Later, people began to die. First Dr. Fering had been turned into a vampire and killed. Then Greco had been killed. Then D had killed Count Lee.
Then Lamika.
Lamika Lee had been the Count's daughter. She was a dhampir, an offspring of a vampire and a human. In her case, her vampire father had mated with a human woman. Still, Lamika had thought of herself as a member of the Nobility. She always had. She could not live as anything else. Refusing to live as a human being, she had instead committed suicide by walking into the castle as it sank into the ground.
Doris began to cry. I could have tried to talk to her, she thought. She began to think of all the things - anything - she could have told her: Lamika, please don't do this! I know that being a Noble is all that you've ever known, but the fact that it's over doesn't mean that your life is over! Your old life is over, but you can start a new life - as a human! You can live with me and Dan! We'd be your sister and brother! Oh, how I'd love to have you as my sister! Lamika, if you really want to kill yourself, you can do it anytime! But please, give life as a human a try! Please, Lamika, don't kill yourself! Doris could have run after her and begged and pleaded with her!
But she didn't. And now Lamika was dead.
Doris started to cry.
The girl dug through the ground. She didn't know how long she had been digging. Hours, perhaps.
She poked her fingers through some dirt and felt nothing there. She was at the surface! Quickly she dug, and soon she emerged from the ground.
Lamika lay down on the dirt and rested, gasping for breath. She had nearly run out of oxygen down there. Now she lay on the ground, inhaling the cool night air, the wind chilling her sweat-drenched body, her lungs burning.
After a while, she stood up and walked slowly to the Lang farm.
There was a knock at Doris' front door. It startled her, but she got up and walked over to the door. She unlocked and opened it.
Lamika was standing outside. She looked terrible. She was covered in dirt and sweat, and she looked completely exhausted.
"Doris..." she moaned.
"Lamika!" Doris exclaimed in shock.
"Help me..."
"Come inside!" Doris said.
Lamika walked into the living room. Doris closed the door and locked it.
"Lamika, what happened?!" Doris asked frantically.
"I...chose life." she replied.
"Get out of those clothes. Take a shower." Doris told her. "We'll talk afterwards."
Lamika nodded and went into the bathroom.
Doris heard the water turn off and walked into the bathroom. She saw the shower door open and Lamika emerge naked. Doris stared at her, fixated on her nude body. Lamika was so beautiful.
"I, uh,...I brought you a towel, and you can use my yellow robe and slippers." Doris offered them to her.
Lamika took them.
Doris turned and left the room, her heart pounding.
After Lamika had dried herself and combed her hair, she put on the robe and slippers and walked into the living room.
"I made some chicken soup." Doris said, placing two bowls onto the table.
"Thank you." Lamika said.
The two of them sat on the couch and began to eat their soup.
"So, what happened?" Doris asked.
"When I walked back into the castle, I realized I was going to die. I...I got scared." Lamika began. "I thought about how my father had treated me, how he had treated you, how he had treated others, and I realized that I did not want to share a tomb with him for all eternity. I quickly ran up the stairs as the castle was sinking. Finally, I reached the balcony on the top floor, but by then the castle was completely underground. I had to dig my way out with my bare hands. I was running out of air, but I kept clawing at the dirt, refusing to give up and die."
"That's incredible." Doris said in wonder. "What kept you going?"
"You." she replied. "I would like you to teach me to live as a human."
Doris smiled. "You're serious?"
"Well, I figure it's better than dying." she said.
Doris' face beamed with delight. "Oh, Lamika, I'd be delighted to teach you!"
"Why are you so excited?"
"Well,...I missed you terribly,...and I'm glad you're alive."
Lamika smiled. That made Doris smile as well.
After they had eaten, Doris took Lamika upstairs and to a room down the hall.
Doris opened the door, and they walked into the room.
"This will be your room." Doris told her. "It was my parents'."
"Thank you." Lamika said.
Just then, they heard the front door opening and closing downstairs.
"D and Dan are back." Doris said. "I guess we'd better go and tell them."
The two of them walked out of the room, up the hall, and down the stairs.
D and Dan faced them, and they froze in shock.
"Lamika,...you're alive!" Dan exclaimed.
"Yes." she replied.
"But how?" D asked.
"I dug my way out." she said.
"Lamika will be living with us." Doris added.
"Really?" Dan asked Lamika.
She nodded. "Yes."
"Lamika will be our new sister." Doris said.
The others all stared at her, speechless.
"Uh, c'mon, Lamika," Doris told her, "I'll show you how to do your laundry."
They walked into the bathroom.
Friday, April 22, 12090
"Lamika, c'mon, wake up."
"Huunh, what?" Lamika slowly opened her eyes and realized that someone was shaking her.
"Get up." Doris said.
"Niiih, stop shaking me." Lamika told her.
Doris did as requested.
Lamika sat up in her bed. "What time is it?"
"7:00 AM. Rise and shine, sis!"
Lamika stood up and stretched.
"Get dressed." Doris said. "I've got breakfast on the table. You like bacon, sausage, and eggs?"
"Yeah." Lamika replied.
"Good. See ya downstairs." Doris turned and left the room.
Lamika flopped back on her bed.
The four of them were sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast.
"I have to leave today." D said.
Doris and Dan were saddened by this.
"I...I understand." Doris said. "But could you promise to visit us sometime?"
"Yes," D said after a moment, "I promise." He faced Lamika. "Good luck to you, Lamika. I hope you have success living as a human."
Lamika understood. She shared some kind of mental connection with D, since both of them had some vampire physiology. D could never live as a human. He was too busy fighting evil to save humans. It was his destiny. He could be nothing else. So, he wished for her what he could not have for himself.
"Thank you." Lamika said.
"Excuse me." D stood up and left the kitchen.
The others continued eating their food for a while.
"He left." Lamika said finally. "I can't feel him anymore."
Doris and Dan looked at each other, then they stood up and ran out of the room.
Lamika chuckled and continued eating her breakfast.
After Doris and Dan had said good-bye to D, Doris took Lamika into town to shop, partly to teach her to live among humans and partly because Doris hadn't gotten any shopping done the last time she was in town.
They rode to the general store in their carriage. Doris held the reins for a while, then she let Lamika have them. Lamika was used to riding on top of horses, not in carriages, but she got the hang of it quickly.
Lamika pulled on the reins and brought the horse to a stop. She and Doris got off the carriage and walked into the general store.
"Morning, Mr. Waytry." Doris greeted.
"Doris, - " Mr. Waytry began.
"I'm cured." Doris told him. "The vampire hunter I hired killed Count Lee."
"Yes, I heard the castle went down yesterday." Mr. Waytry said. "I'm glad you're all right."
Doris looked at Lamika and nodded.
Lamika faced Mr. Waytry. "We need a month's supply of the usual - six bags of beef jerky, fertilizer, and ninety cans of soup."
Mr. Waytry looked at her in astonishment. "You're Count Lee's daughter!"
That got the attention of everyone in the store. They turned and stared at her, murmuring amongst themselves.
"Yes,...she is. This is Lamika Lee." Doris introduced. "She's staying with me now."
A small semicircle of people started to form around them.
"Doris, I think you and your...friend...had better leave." Mr. Waytry said.
"No, not this time. We're not leaving until we get what we want." Doris declared. "We're paying customers." She took some coins out of her pocket and placed them on the counter. "Your prices haven't gone up, have they?"
Mr. Waytry slowly shook his head. "No."
"Then get us our stuff." Doris demanded.
Mr. Waytry slowly walked over to his shelves and got the items that Lamika had requested. He placed them on the counter.
"Thank you." Doris said curtly.
Doris picked up the bag of fertilizer and some bags of soup cans. Lamika picked up the bags of beef jerky and the rest of the bags of soup cans.
The two of them turned and faced the onlookers. Doris frowned at them.
The people slowly backed away.
Doris and Lamika walked outside, got in their carriage, and rode back to the Lang farm.
When they got home, Doris gave Lamika some casual clothes. She changed into them. The two girls walked outside and started to put fertilizer in the garden.
"I can't believe I'm doing such menial labor." Lamika said in disgust.
"Work is part of being human." Doris told her. "If you want to live as a human, get used to it. Hand me those radish seeds."
Lamika handed them to her. "We have soup and beef jerky. Why do we need to grow these crops?"
"Vegetables are part of a healthy diet. We need to supplement meat with vegetables. Here, plant the corn kernels."
Lamika dug small holes in the soil and started to plant them. "Couldn't we buy vegetables at a stand in town?"
"Yes, but growing them ourselves costs less."
"Sis!" Dan came running at them.
"What is it, Dan?" Doris asked.
"Mayor Rohman and the sheriff are here to see you and Lamika!"
The girls stood up and walked over to the front door, where the mayor and the sheriff were waiting.
"Good morning, gentlemen." Doris greeted. "You wanted to see us?"
"So," the mayor said, "the rumors are true."
"Rumors? What rumors?" Doris asked.
"People all over town have been saying that you and the Count's daughter have been seen in Mr. Waytry's store." the mayor said.
"It's true." Doris said. "Lamika came to me last night. She's living with me now."
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to arrest her." the sheriff said.
"Arrest me?! For what?!" Lamika asked in surprise.
"People are afraid of her." the sheriff told Doris.
"So what?" Doris asked.
"We'll take her to the internment camp." the sheriff said. "She can live there for eternity and not bother - "
"Don't ignore me!" Lamika demanded.
"Gentlemen, I can assure you that Lamika is a good person." Doris told them, using every ounce of her strength to keep herself from yelling. "She chose to live as a human rather than die with her father. You have my word that she won't be a danger to anyone."
The mayor considered that. "Very well,...she can stay with you, but she's your responsibility."
"I should warn you that the people of Ransylva are not happy." the sheriff said. "They may organize into a mob. I won't be able to stop them."
"Thanks for the warning." Doris said with mock appreciation.
The mayor and the sheriff got in their carriage and rode away.
Doris watched them leave. Lamika turned and walked away.
"Lamika." Doris called.
She stopped walking but didn't turn to face her.
Doris walked over to her. "Not all humans are that mean. You'll see."
Lamika turned and faced her. "I hope you're right."
When it was twilight, they had planted and watered their crops and fed all of their animals.
Lamika wiped the sweat off of her forehead. "I've never worked so hard in my life! Then again, I've never worked - except for fighting, of course. Let's go home, Doris."
"Not yet." Doris started walking to the backyard. "There's still one more thing we have to do."
Lamika groaned and followed her. "What's that?"
"Catch dinner."
"What are we killing?"
"Mmmm, how 'bout some chicken tonight?" Doris suggested.
"Okay." she agreed.
"After we kill one, you can take a shower while I prepare dinner."
"Actually, Doris, I'd like to try to kill the chicken myself if you don't mind." Lamika said.
"I don't think that's a very good idea. You don't have any experience doing that."
They stopped in front of the cage. Inside was the chicken coop.
"I can catch the chicken, kill it, and prepare it while you take a shower. Trust me, Doris, I can do this!" she insisted.
Doris smiled at Lamika's confidence in herself. She was starting to embrace the challenges of living as a human rather than complain about them.
"Okay." Doris agreed. "I'll go inside and see what Dan's up to. When I see you have the chicken, I'll take a shower and let you prepare it."
Lamika smiled. "Thank you."
Doris turned and walked towards the house.
Once Doris had gone inside, Lamika turned bloodlust-filled eyes at a rooster. "Prepare to die a very violent, bloody death, filthy chicken scum!"
Lamika unchained the gate and walked into the cage. She lunged at the rooster and tried to grab it. It ran away, leaving Lamika to fall face-first in the dirt.
A few baby chicks walked across Lamika's back and over her head, leaving some feces in her hair.
"Hey!" Lamika yelled at them.
She got to her feet and kicked at them, then she ran after the rooster. She knelt down and grabbed it, but it clawed at her arms and got out of her grip. Lamika fell to the ground again. A hen walked up behind her and started pecking at Lamika's ass. Lamika yelled in protest and tried kicking it away.
After a while, the hen flew away, and Lamika stood up again. She spotted the rooster. Lamika's eyes started glowing blue, and she grew fangs. She lunged and grabbed the rooster. Lamika sank her teeth into the rooster and started drinking its blood. The rooster screamed in agony and tried to get away, but it was a futile attempt. Lamika drained all of its blood, killing it.
Smiling to herself in satisfaction, Lamika licked some blood from her face and walked out of the cage. She chained the gate and walked to the house, holding the chicken corpse in her left hand.
Lamika walked inside the house and into the kitchen. Doris stared at her in surprise. Lamika was covered with dirt, feathers, and manure, her mouth and face were stained with blood, and her arms were bleeding.
"What the hell happened to you?" Doris asked.
Lamika proudly raised the chicken in the air. "I have defeated my enemy." She unceremoniously dropped the dead clucker in the sink.
Doris stared at the chicken. "Yup."
Lamika grinned.
Doris looked back at her. "Maybe I should prepare dinner while you take a shower."
"I can do this!" Lamika insisted again. "Just tell me what to use."
"Okay. The feathers, head, and guts go in this bucket." Doris got the bucket from under the counter. She got two bottles from a cabinet. "Wash the chicken and cover it with these spices. Get the rotisserie out of the pantry and cook it for 90 minutes. Got all that?"
Lamika nodded. "Yes."
"Good. I'll check on the food after I shower." Doris turned and left the kitchen.
Lamika turned and looked at the chicken in the sink. She picked it up by the head with her right hand. She reached for a large knife, grasped it in her left hand, and swung at the chicken's neck, cutting off its head. She threw the head in the bucket.
That done, she then started yanking out the feathers. This was easy for her to do, since she had vampiric strength. She put all of the feathers in the bucket.
Next came the gutting. Lamika plunged her nails into the chicken. Then she stopped and reconsidered. She decided that she'd rather use a knife to gut the chicken. That would be the human thing to do.
"Doris?" Lamika called. She walked into the living room and over to the door to the bathroom. "Doris, where - "
The door slid open, and Lamika closed her mouth.
Doris was standing there, nude. Lamika stood still and stared at her. Even covered with dirt and sweat, she looked beautiful. Lamika looked at Doris' breasts, at her stomach, at her legs, at her sex.
"Yes, Lamika?"
Doris' question startled her.
"Uh, uh,..." Lamika quickly looked back up at her face. "Where do you keep the knives?"
"Top drawer."
"Thank you." Lamika turned and quickly left the bathroom. She walked back into the kitchen.
Lamika gripped the counter with her hands, leaned forward, and tried to control herself. Something was happening to her - something she couldn't understand. Her blood was boiling, but it wasn't from anger, and it wasn't from her vampiric half. She panted heavily. After a minute, she managed to regain control of herself.
She opened the drawer, took out a knife, and went back to work.
After Lamika finished taking her shower, she put on her robe and walked into the living room, carrying her dirty clothes.
Doris was standing there, wearing her robe. "Good, you're done. Dinner's ready."
Lamika stared at Doris. She couldn't get the nude image of her out of her mind. She slowly walked towards her. "Doris, thank you again for helping me."
"You helped yourself first, Lamika, by choosing to live."
Lamika dropped her clothes to the floor and hugged Doris. Doris hugged her. Lamika leaned her head on Doris' left shoulder. She kissed Doris' neck.
Doris became uneasy. "Lamika, we should eat."
Lamika looked at her face. Doris kissed Lamika on the lips.
It was a brief kiss - only one second long. After Doris pulled away, she and Lamika looked at each other. Doris tried to read Lamika's facial expression. Lamika smiled at her.
Doris kissed Lamika again. They put their arms around each other. Doris pulled Lamika deeper into the kiss. Lamika pressed her tongue against Doris' lips. Doris parted her lips, and Lamika slipped her tongue into Doris' mouth. Lamika tickled Doris' tongue with her own. They licked each other in lust and started to moan in pleasure. After a while of this, Doris pushed her tongue into Lamika's mouth, and they continued french kissing.
Finally, their lips parted. Some saliva hung from their lips for a second afterward.
Lamika's robe was open. Doris stared at her breasts and sex. Lamika slowly closed the robe, picked up the belt, and tied it around herself.
"Sorry." they said to each other.
They walked into the kitchen.
Doris had set two plates and two glasses on the table. Each plate had a chicken leg and wing.
"It smells delicious." Lamika said.
Doris poured wine into the two glasses. "Oh, do you drink?"
"Sometimes." Lamika replied.
Doris placed the bottle on the table. She and Lamika sat down next to each other.
Lamika read the label on the bottle. "1985?! Doris, where on Earth did you get this?!"
"It's been in my family for 400 generations. My ancestors, the Petersons, bought it just before the Third World War."
"Doris, you shouldn't have wasted a 10,105-year-old bottle of wine on me!" Lamika told her.
Doris shrugged. "It's better to drink it than to keep it lying around. I always figured I'd drink it someday, and what better day than today? I've got a new sister - and a new friend."
Lamika smiled.
Doris took hold of her glass and raised it. "To friendship."
Lamika took hold of her glass and raised it. "To friendship."
They touched their glasses together, and then they both sipped their wine.
"Mmm,...it's the best wine I've ever tasted." Lamika said.
"Ditto." Doris agreed.
"Thank you." Lamika set her glass down, picked up her fork, and started to eat her chicken leg.
Doris also began to eat her chicken leg.
"Isn't Dan going to eat dinner?" Lamika asked.
"Oh, he took some beef jerky and went up to his room."
"Not a very nutritious meal." Lamika said.
Doris shrugged. "Yeah, I know. Hey, do you wanna go into town after dinner? There's a dance club called Hit Paradise."
"You want me to dance?" Lamika asked.
"It'll be a great social experience."
"I like to keep to myself." Lamika said.
"So do I most of the time. But maybe if you talk with other people, they won't be so scared of you. C'mon, it'll be fun."
"All right." Lamika agreed.
Doris, Lamika, and Dan rode into town in their carriage. Doris parked in front of Hit Paradise.
They entered the dance club. It was pretty lively. Couples were on the dance floor, having a great time, while Kei, Kimber Lee, and Christy stood on the stage, singing one of the ancient songs:
"You know, you got it now.
Is that yourself or nothing at all?
Oh, you think you live.
Well, how can you? You're stuck in four walls."
Doris, Lamika, and Dan walked over to a table and sat down.
Kei had red spiked hair. Christy had short brown hair. Kimber Lee had long brown hair.
"Hey, you're singing it wrong!" Doris yelled.
The girls on stage stopped singing.
"What do you mean?" Christy asked. "We've been singing it this way for years."
Doris stood up and walked up on the stage. "Look, I come from a long line of musicians. I own that song. Give me your guitar."
Christy took off her guitar and handed it to her. "Okay, show us how to sing it. But make it quick. I've got a new band booked to perform in a few minutes."
The club owners took a few steps to their right to give Doris some room.
"Does she do this often?" Lamika asked Dan.
"Every time we come here." he told her.
Doris hung the guitar from her body and faced the audience, standing directly in front of the microphone. She started playing the guitar and sang:
"Know;
you gotta know.
Is that yourself
or nothin' at all?
Oh,