Disclaimer: I do not own anything within the Vampire Hunter D universe (books, movies, manga, etc.) and that will, unfortunately, remain true for the remainder of this story.
A/N: I have finally gone back through and re-edited the entirety of this story. I didn't add anything, but I did expand a couple of scenes. Nothing that will make a difference to the story if you have already read it once, just added a little to the feels. If you are just starting this, then welcome! I know it will be a rollercoaster of a journey, so I hope you all enjoy! Thank you for reading!
Chapter 1
Leigh was trying to successfully lose herself in the back of the crowded flea market. She had agreed to come with her only two friends since it was their first day off at the same time in almost a month. Unfortunately for her, spots like that always gave her problems. Her friends thought she had anxiety issues when she was around a lot of people and she was happy to let them believe it. Trying to explain the real reason was difficult at best and she really liked Aimee and Tyne.
She could still see her two friends a few stalls over, but she had wandered further away from the bulk of people. She had always been 'blessed' with the ability to feel what other people were feeling. It wasn't exactly the same thing as reading minds but when people were excited or angry it may as well have been.
As she randomly looked around her though she found it might be her lucky day. The stall she wandered into was packed full of all the cheesy stuff she loved shuffling through. Most of it was usually junk but she enjoyed looking through the crystal jewelry, random books, and tarot card packs anyway.
It wasn't that she identified as a wiccan or anything, if anyone asked she would tell them she was agnostic, but there was always a pull to the unknown. Most days Aimee and Tyne would tease her about letting her inner goth out, but Leigh was alright with it. They liked her anyway. It was pretty hard to find people as chill as the two of them. Leigh looked around for her two friends to find they were both already out of sight, but she wasn't in any hurry to try to find them. She decided it could wait until she looked around a little at least.
As she perused the various wares something shiny caught her eye and she turned to see a large basket full of stones and crystals. She smiled as she shifted to sort through them. There were the standard quartz crystals that were found in every place like that and a few other pretty variations but not a lot that she hadn't seen before.
She was totally absorbed in her search for a new trinket when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She dropped the stones in her hand and had to cover her own mouth to stifle her scream. She could usually feel people before they ever got close enough to touch her, even when she was distracted, so being surprised threw her off guard.
She almost knocked the woman over in her rush to see who it was. She had to take a couple of deep breaths before she was calm enough to apologize. "I am so sorry! I didn't hear you come up and you surprised me. I'll pick these up right away!"
She didn't even give the woman a chance to respond before she knelt down and started picking up the stones she had dropped. When she stood back up with her handful of stones she was surprised to see a warm smile on the woman's face.
"I am the one who should apologize for sneaking up on you. I'm sure you aren't used to it but thank you for cleaning that up. As thanks, would you care to see some of the things that I had kept back for my upcoming show in Austin? I make jewelry as well."
Leigh barely had a chance to understand what the woman was asking but once she mentioned jewelry it had her attention. It was hit or miss with handmade pieces, but if you found a real artist some could be fantastic. Leigh like to look at least. Most of the time the prices were ridiculously expensive for the good stuff though.
"Thank you! I would really appreciate it. I want to apologize for the mess again though." The stall owner had already gone behind all her items and Leigh could barely see her, but she could see her absently wave her hand over her shoulder in a shooing motion.
"No harm done. Ah, here we are. This is my latest piece and I think it would suit you. What do you think?"
Leigh was mesmerized. It was a pendant that looked to have a crystal base, but it was an unusual color. It was completely clear but also dark red. It almost looked like a ruby, but it was far too large.
It was set on what looked to be a cross except it had two horizontal ties instead of one and there was a sinewy dragon wrapped around the whole thing. She had already started to reach for it before she thought to ask if it were ok.
The metal was surprisingly not cold but that could have been because it had recently been handled. Leigh couldn't stop staring. It took several moments before she was able to pull her gaze back to the woman behind the counter.
"This is gorgeous. The detail on the dragon is impressive and I've never seen a crystal this color before."
"The stone is a heart stone. You don't really see them very often anymore." Leigh grinned at the woman's fancy name for the odd colored stone. It suited it well though.
It was evident that she was excited about the piece, but she had to remind herself that she probably couldn't afford it anyway. With that thought she tried to hand the pendant back. Before she could release it though the woman had wrapped her fingers back around it.
"I told you I thought it would suit you. Please, won't you think about keeping it?"
Leigh really wanted to, but she was afraid to ask the cost, especially after the woman made a scene of asking her to keep it. She had to find out though. "How much is it?"
The woman looked confused for a moment but then her eyebrows raised, and she nodded as if she finally understood. "Well… I can sell it to you for… hmmm… how about $15?"
Leigh did a double take, she wasn't sure she heard correctly. "Did you say $15, as in one five?" The woman nodded back with a smile. Leigh couldn't believe it. A piece that detailed would normally sell for over a hundred, even if the crystal wasn't anything special. The handiwork on the metal craft was phenomenal.
For that price there was no way Leigh was going to pass on it. She pulled her wallet out of her pocket. She hated carrying a purse and that was a workable solution since she didn't carry a lot of cash, or anything else for that matter. She thumbed through the contents and pulled out the twenty she kept folded behind her ID for emergencies. She would have to remember to replace it.
She handed it to the woman and couldn't help the grin as she took her change. Before she could leave though the woman held out her hand once more. "Would you allow me to help put it on?"
Leigh handed her the pendant, so she could help. She quickly turned and lifted her heavy curls with her right hand. While Leigh held up her own hair the woman pulled the necklace up and had it fastened shortly. The pendant felt warm against Leigh's chest, but she barely noticed. She was too excited about her amazing find. She couldn't wait to show it off. Once it was secure Leigh turned back to the woman to thank her once more before she took off to find her friends.
Leigh found Aimee and Tyne several stalls over. That one was almost blinding with the number of sequins on every surface in the stall. It didn't surprise Leigh to find her friends there at all. She laughed at their glee over sequins. If they let her have her inner goth, then the least she could do was tolerate their inner Barbie.
Leigh hadn't even reached her friend's side before she was once again inundated with a myriad of emotions from all the people in the closest stalls. It wasn't until she was focusing on blocking them all out that she realized she had not once felt anything from the woman that sold her the pendant. That had been why she had been able to surprise her in the first place. Leigh thought about going back and asking the woman about it, as she hadn't met anyone that had been able to block themselves before, but her two friends had already noticed her presence. She gave it up for now, thinking she might have a chance to go back before they left.
"Leigh, great, your back! What do you think of these bags?" Tyne held up a pair of bags for her opinion.
Leigh was thankful again for friends that didn't question her need to be alone sometimes but as she looked at the bags, she had to suppress a cringe and remind herself that it was for someone else, thankfully. "Well, they both look big enough for me to camp in, but I suppose either one of them would go great with those jeans you bought last month." She was trying to be as unbiased as possible, but it only went so far.
Tyne stuck her tongue out at Leigh's obvious sarcasm but nodded anyway. "I agree but I like the purple one better than the blue, what do you think? Aimee?"
Aimee had been looking at another selection of smaller clutches but turned when she was called. "I agree. Purple suits you better anyway. Hey, Leigh, where did you find that!"
When Aimee turned she noticed the new pendant that Leigh was now wearing. Leigh laughed at her friend's enthusiasm. Aimee tended to be the middle ground between the three of them that kept them all together, so her interest didn't surprise Leigh at all.
"I found a stall in the back that had stones and such. The vendor also made jewelry and gave me this for a steal!" Leigh held it up for Aimee to inspect and was surprised by how warm it felt. She wondered what kind of metal it was to carry her body heat so well.
After Aimee inspected it for a moment she reached out and touched Leigh's forehead. "No fever, hmm. I thought you might have had one. That pendant felt really warm. I guess it must have been stuck in your shirt or something before you showed me. Anyway, are we done here? I would love to go stop at that boba shop before we head home, anyone?"
At Aimee's suggestion they all perked up. One of the things they all three loved was a good boba tea and they had few opportunities to indulge. Leigh stepped back to wait for the other two to pay for their selections and then they all headed to the car.
They were halfway to the tea shop when Leigh remembered that she had wanted to question the vendor, but it was too late now. By the time they finished they would all need to head back. Aimee was the only one with work in the morning, but they didn't want to keep her too late.
Now that they were all done with college and had started different jobs it made seeing each other harder but the good thing was none had moved away. It was just a matter of coordinating days off. Leigh's biggest fear was Aimee's new boyfriend since she was the glue for their little threesome, more often than not. She was happy her friend seemed to be happy though and tried not to worry about it.
They had all taken Aimee's car for their trip so once they had their fill of milk tea they headed back to the small town they all lived in. Leigh's house was the closest, so they dropped her off first.
She gave both her friends a quick hug before she got out of the car. There was no telling when they would be able to do it again. Once she was out and at her door she turned to wave one last time to the retreating car.
She smiled tiredly as she entered her small duplex. These trips always wore her out, but it was worth it. She only hoped they could keep them up. She was satisfied with her life as it was right now even if it had bumps.
She looked around her tiny living room. She didn't have much, but she had everything she needed. She was working two jobs anyway, so she wasn't in her duplex often. She wished they both paid though. She was an intern for two days out of the week at a software programming company in the next city over, but in order to pay the bills she also worked at the local factory. It was grueling work, but it paid the bills with a little extra and she only had to work four days a week to make a full paycheck.
Working six days a week was tiring sometimes, but she had gotten used to it fast enough. She wasn't going to complain that the following day was a holiday though. The programming company was closed so she had an extra day off.
Since she wasn't in a hurry to get to bed she decided a hot bath before bed was just what she needed. She had learned a long time ago how to deal with crowds like she had earlier in the day, but it still left her tired if she had to deal with it for longer than normal. Being able to relax alone was a treat.
After her bath she changed into her favorite soft white cotton nightgown and grabbed the book she had been reading. As she bent to grab it, the pendant she was still wearing swung into view. She hadn't even thought to take it off.
Looking at it in her bedroom mirror it made her rethink her reading choice; she suddenly had an urge to read something with vampires instead. As she looked through her bookshelf she had several to choose from, ranging from classic to contemporary. She almost thought about rereading Demon Death Chase for the umpteenth time but decided to go with a classic instead.
She took her book and went to bed. She knew it was a bad habit to read in bed, but it was one she allowed herself to indulge in a few days a week at least. After the day she had though it wasn't long until her eyelids were drooping, and she was having a tough time concentrating on the pages. With a sigh of regret, she put her book on her bedside table and shut off her lamp.
Since she was half asleep she couldn't tell if it was her brain playing tricks on her, but it looked like the pendant resting on her chest was giving off a dim red light. She was dragged into sleep before she could concentrate on it any further though.