DISCLAIMIER: I do not own One Piece. All character and story rights are reserved under the copyrighted ownership of their creator.
-A Sanguine Night -
The sky was gray, listless. A frigid wind blew through the tops of the barren trees, tearing what little foliage remained from their branches. The whole world had fallen under a dormant spell, appearing almost dead. And all the while, the night raged on.
The gale rattled the windowpanes harshly, streaking across the open moors outside with a hideous shriek. There was the promise of a storm within those screams, and she could smell it on the wind.
Her hair whipped in splashes of orange around her face, as she watched the moonlight cast eerie shadows over the ground. It was foolish to have the windows open at this hour, and perhaps if she hadn't already encountered the spectacular before, she would have remembered this.
Yet, she had been entranced by it. The silent whispers calling to her from the night, and instead of the fear she should have felt, there was only a longing, an attraction to the darkness surrounding the edges of her mind. She wished to hear the voice again.
Suddenly, the candle's flame flickered once, then extinguished altogether, leaving her standing in the dark, with only the moonlight to illuminate her path. Before she could move, she heard it, the haunting whisper carried across the field and to her ears.
"Nami..."
It was barely audible, but she felt the wind wrap around her arms, gripping them gently, and with a force she didn't know or understand, she her body began to move of it's own volition. She turned away from the open window, crossing the threshold of her room. When her body's control had been restored, she was standing outside the manor, her eyes fixated on the gardens in front of her.
"Nami..." It whispered again, coming from the direction of the garden's labyrinth.
It sounded of liquid silk, it's words coated in rich baritones that made sweat roll down her forehead and across the curve of her slender neck. There was a hint of ebony entrenched somewhere beneath those tones and it's allure unfathomable. She found herself incapable of fighting the spell it had so deeply cast over mind body and soul. It's enrapture was complete and without flaw. She had no choice but to obey it.
She crossed the landscape, her foot fall soft on the autumn grass. Her long, claret skirts trailed after her, becoming sullied by the loose dirt that covered the ground, yet she never noticed. She disappeared over the threshold of the two great boxwood that stood as pillars on her path and reached for the twisted iron gate, guarding the entrance to the labyrinth. The wind whistled past her, whispering into her ear.
"Come to me, Nami."
Her breath caught in her throat as she surged forward, spiraling her way through the lush hedges that surrounded her in well trimmed walls. He would be there, waiting by the crystal clear waters that streamed out of the pristine marble fountain. She could almost envision him.
She grabbed a handful of her skirts as she broke out in a light jog, her bare feet scuffing across the brown and green blades. Her breath was hollow in her ears, yet the only thing real to her, everything else seemed to be an illusion, as though she weren't even there to begin with.
Her chest pounded heavily, like fire in her lungs and she was certain she might incinerate from the inside out. Her orange curls tumbled over shoulder as she flew around the corner of a hedge and through another arch in the maze. A low branch caught a hem in her skirt, ripping a deep gash across the crimson fabric, however she persisted, not allowing anything to slow her.
"Come to me. Come to me..."
Dark splashes of hair and images of silver convied across her mind as she raced forward, clawing her way through the night. The sutures of her sanity strained, threatening to give way beneath her, dropping her into a delirium she could never return from.
She could still turn back, turn back before it was too late. She could return to the safety of the manor and the shelter of her room. She had never been obligated to this fate, it had chosen her. She could still fight back, scream and shout, break free from the fetters of the sanguine words. She could flee from the darkness encroaching her soul!
Then the labyrinth abruptly broke and she stood in the clearing, staring at a marble boy pouring a pitcher of water. There was nothing else and she stood with the statue alone. The moonlight shone down, bathing the center piece in a silver glow that seemed almost ethereal.
She had known the truth from the moment she'd begun this strange journey. From the first night she had heard the voice whisper to her in the sanctuary of her bedroom, the moment the owner of it had gazed upon her through an intense haze of silver from her balcony, to the first time he'd made it clear what it was he desired from her. She could still feel the cool heat of his fingers curving along her jaw, and slowly dropping to the pulsating vein along her throat. He had been the perfect gentleman, and hadn't touched her otherwise.
From the beginning, there never had been a question in her mind, the choice resinately clear. Once, long ago, she might have been inclined to ward off his attempts. Yet, that was then, and it might have well been another lifetime ago. There had never been any competition, for he had known her deepest desires from the start, and knew her in a way no one else could even begin to comprehend. Not even the one who was suppose to know her best.
A stiff wind suddenly rose, tossing her waist length curls in an orange curtain behind her. The breeze wrapped her shoulders gently and there was suddenly a presence behind her. Slender fingers beveled around her shoulder cups as a sultry voice whispered in her ear.
"I've been waiting for you."
A smile dusted her lips and she leaned back, her head sinking against the solidness of a figure. Her arm reached up with out turning, wrapping around the back of his neck, her fingers disappearing deep into the under croft of inky tendrils.
"I'm here." she whispered breathlessly.
Suddenly, the fingers had disappeared from the bare skin of her shoulders. Instead, they threaded through the top of her left hand. Her own hand coiled around her waist, locking their intertwined fingers just above her hip.
Her eyes slid closed as her mouth fell in silent ecstasy as the fingertips of his right hand brushed along underside of the arm she had wound around his neck, Even through the black lace encroaching her milky skin, she could still feel his touch, like liquid fire and she shivered. They ran the course of her elbow, beveling past the outline of her breast and down her side, outlining the ridges of her corset through the fabric of her gown.
Her mouth opened and closed at the exotic heat he was awakening within her soul. Igniting something deep, something undefinable and yet deliciously wicked. When she had finally stepped away from his embrace, her whole being felt as though it were charged with a mystic energy.
For the first time since he had entered into the clearing, she turned to face him. He wore the over coat of a British gentleman, the pristine white of his collar and sleeves being the only contrast against the dark material. His auburn irises shone down at her, the glow of their mischief augmented in the pale moonlight. He grinned down at her with a cheeky smile that revealed the razor fangs which glistened brightly.
"What is it that you desire?" he asked, a dark amusement staining those words.
"Luffy, you know what I desire." she responded.
There was nothing tentative in the step she took toward the vampire, nor in the way she allowed his hands to scantly brush the outside of her cheeks, or the way she let them clasp the back of her neck when he leaned toward her.
His lips crushed hers in the next instant, a clash of passion ensuing. Her mouth opened to him, allowing him to take what he wished of her, and as he tasted her, she could taste him as well. She marveled at the weightlessness she felt and reveled in the exotic spiciness of the raw, unadulterated lust she was experiencing now.
His arms pulled her to him nightly, crushing her body flush against his and she almost melted away within the confines of his arms. There was nothing she could have done about the light moan that came forth from the back of her throat.
His mouth left hers, as his tongue forged a breathless path down her jaw and across her neck. The kisses were hot, almost unbearably so, as was the growing warm spreading throughout her system like a poison that was slowly beginning to take her over and drive her insane.
His lips abruptly ceased their feverish assault, pausing over the pulsing and throbbing vein that ran along her neck. She could feel the sharp incisors glide lightly over her throat without puncturing her flesh. He nipped gently, but still did not break the skin. His tongue soothed the area and she felt herself shutter. The anticipation was making her delirious.
"Tell me, Nami, what is it you desire?" he asked again, his tongue lulling over the bruised area yet again, making her whimper quietly.
She finally understood. He wanted to make sure she wouldn't regret it because once it was done, there was no going back. She sighed, making herself take a step back to re-examine her position.
They would be looking for her by now. He would be looking. She glanced over Luffy's shoulder, staring blankly at the hedge behind, a silent guilt washing over her. There had been a time when he was all she had needed. He had been the world, her window to the outside. By all accounts, Sanji was the perfect match, and even more spectacular, he had fallen in love with her.
But Nami didn't know love. She had cared about him, he was a friend and a wonderful companion. Yet, beyond those things, the feelings he harbored for her just didn't exist the same in her world. When he had proposed, she had accepted because he was the best choice at the time. And she had told herself that maybe, one day, she could grow to love him in return. Though, even as she thought this, she knew it could never be. He was like her brother.
Luffy had come into her life by sheer accident. He was like a wraith, a phantom in the night and so completely different then what she was use to. He was spontaneous, free of restrictions that governed society, untamed.
Her first encounter with him was in the midst Kensigton Gardens. She had instantly known what he was the moment his eyes had fallen on her. She had been terrified. Surely he would attack her and suck away the life force flowing through her veins. But he never had.
Instead, he had sat on a park bench and made small talk about city life. He had spoken to her about freedom and being unrestrained by the shackles of the normal. It had left an immense impact branded on her soul. From that point, nothing in her world had ever been the same again. Her thought had frequently drifted to the dark stranger on the park bench and the words he had spoken to her.
He first called to her several weeks after their initial meeting, and then after that, at least once a week. The more he spoke to her, the quicker she found herself ensnared by his world and by him. As they had grown closer, he had only mentioned it once in the year she'd known him and he had told her not to answer right then, just to simply consider it. She had taken his advice, spending much of her free time weighing his proposal carefully. She had reached her final decision two weeks ago.
Her eyes drifted to the stars, marveling at their quiet beauty, completely untainted and undefiled by the world around. She wanted to be like them, to be free like them, not held down by the constraints of time. In him, she found the solace she had always sought. She had found both life and freedom. She had also found the one thing her fiance could never provide, Love. What do you desire? The question repeated and she smiled, clasping her arms around his shoulders tightly.
"An eternity with you."
His mouth stilled along her pulse and she could feel him grin at her response. His tongue swept along the swell of her vein, then suddenly she cried out, a sharp pain assaulting her senses as two razor fangs plunged into the tender flesh with little resistance. She could feel the hot liquid trickle down her throat from the puncture wounds, down her chest and into the valley between her breasts, causing her skin to become sticky.
Her head began to swim in dizziness as her strength diminished. Her body began to sag, and Luffy had to support her as he continued to feed from her vein. She could feel her pulse quicken and her breathing slow. Her arm fell limply from the vampire's neck. Around her the world began to grow hazy, distant. She couldn't remember a time when she felt so terribly cold.
Just when she thought she was about to surrender to the unconscious world, the fangs were extracted and the vampire's form pulled away. She stared up at him through hooded, lethargic eyes. She found herself positively mesmerized by the blood covering his mouth and dripping down his chin. It held even more reverence with her when she realized it was her own.
She then watched with intrigue as he inserted the tip of one of his fangs into top of his tongue, running it from one end to the other, immediately causing it to split open. Instantly, blood came rushing to the surface, filling his mouth with the claret liquid in under a second. Her mouth inexplicably began to salivate at the sight.
In the next moment, he had pulled her to him, placing his mouth over hers, letting his blood gush into her mouth. She found herself drinking it almost greedily. A warm tingle exploded through her senses, heightening them to a level that was indescribable.
The taste was intoxicating, exquisite. What was it that made this so amazing? Her tongue lapped his, folding over it, sucking on it, desperately demanding every drop she could get. Then the flow slowed to a minimal before ceasing altogether. When his mouth broke contact with hers, both drew back, hungrily staring at the claret remaining from their exchange.
An unquenchable lust ignited in the pit of her stomach and she lunged forward, rushing him to the ground. Her mouth was on his again, lapping his lips with her tongue. His arms were around her waist tightly, pushing her body against him and she could see it, there was nothing more he wanted in that moment then to take her right there in the labyrinth clearing.
However, just as she was moving toward his jacket, an overwhelming feeling of nausea struck her and she cried out, doubling over when bolts pain suddenly volted through her body. Her eyes abruptly felt as though they were on fire and she screamed, her hands covering them protectively.
"What's happening!" she shrieked.
She felt a pair of arms reach under her legs and wrap around her back. As her body started to shake violently, she felt herself being lifted off the ground and press against his chest. Chills rolled over her again, and her strength completely fled her, making her feel vulnerable, weak. Using the last of her strength, she lulled her head to one side, staring into the auburn eyes of her new lover. He smiled softly, brushing a curl from her face.
"Don't worry. The transformation is never a pleasant experience." he intoned reassuringly. "But, once it's over, we'll have forever."
The world dipped into darkness as a last fleeting thought managed to course through her brain. It was a small price to pay, and, as long as she had him, it was one she could live with, the promise of eternity.