Chapter 2: Fangs or foes?
Title: Bloodlust 2.0
By Uchiha-chan
After leaving town via its main road, the teen and child walked uneventfully for another hour until they reached a well kept walled estate. A lone mansion sits atop a small hill surrounded by thick stone walls that could've gone over four meters, tall black metal gates loomed over them dauntingly.
"So... This is the place?" The girl with the codename D stopped before the gates and asked the boy beside her. Such walls, this place looks like it can withstand a siege!
"Yup! The mayor lives here. Just ring the bell and someone will answer it." D looked past the gates and traced the driveway to the mansion, high bushes ran along inside of the perimeter walls. This place is suffocating...
"Alright then, go back to your father." The boy pouted. "But I wanna come with you!" The hunter stared at him hoping that it'll intimidate him a little.
"No, you can't" The child returned her an equally determined look.
"Yes, I can!" D rolled her eyes at him and slapped her forehead in frustration. She was never good at handling difficult children.
This stubborn brat reminds me of... Me...
Sure, when it comes to business with adults, she knows her stuff. She knows how to push buttons at the right moment, she knows what to say and what to do when it's needed. She was taught well by her mentor, a hunter who took her in when she was facing the darkest years of her life.
It happened one day in a snowy village near the mountainous regions of the country a decade ago. An entire village was destroyed by a large group of travelling bandits, the entire population was killed with a exception of a lone survivor, a girl who was barely five years old.
The child remembered her mother holding her in her arms, whispering urgently in her ear. "No matter what happens, no matter what you hear. Do not make a sound. Do not leave this place. Do you understand?"
Confusion in her eyes, her mother's worried frown scared her. Did I do something wrong? The child thought. There was a lot of noise outside the house. She nodded as she watched from the corner of her eyes, her father standing on top of their kitchen table reaching for a hunting rifle stashed in a secret compartment above the beam of the roof.
Her face was held by her mother's cool shaky hands, she met those bright green eyes instantly. "Cover your ears. Stay still." Her mother watched her climb down those cold stone steps from the trap door to the basement, her father peered over the hole and smiled. "Sweetie, you'll be fine!" Her fun loving father gave her a thumbs up before closing the door.
"Hurry! Saeko!" Those were the last words the child heard. Sounds were muffled after she heard a rug being thrown above the door and the kitchen table scrap across the floor above her.
She kept still and waited in the cold darkness with hands over her ears. Strange uneasiness twisted knots in her chest. How long do I have to stay here? The surroundings were too quiet and the cold soon lulled her to sleep.
The next time she woke up, everything was still the same in the basement. It was still cold and quiet.
But everything was never the same again in the world above her.
Her mother's words echoed in her mind. I have to stay still. I have to stay quiet. Her stomach growled. But I'm hungry... After repeating this train of thought for countless of times and an attempt to eat the raw potatoes she found in the basement, the child gave up. Hungry... Quietly, she climbed the stone steps and listened for sounds on the other side of the door.
Not a sound.
But Mother said not to leave this place... But where is she? The child pushed against the door only to shift it slightly. The next time she tried, the metal hinge creaked, her limbs grew cold and her heart raced. She scrambled off the steps and hid in the furthest corner, hoping that her parents didn't hear her. She waited.
Not a sound.
The third time she tried, she had shoulder propped against the door and pushed. Dim light seeped through the little gap; the rug hung heavily on the trapdoor, blocking most of her vision.
Not a sound.
She pushed the door upwards, giving herself enough space to crawl out.
Everything was eerily quiet, the air was cold and still but there was a difference. There were signs of violent disturbance and a sickening smell of raw metal. It was then, she saw a large circle of crimson with her parents lying one atop of the other in the middle.
Dumbfounded, the child stared at those unmoving bodies. She understood what happened.
I'm alone... I'm all alone now...
Unable to take her eyes off the dearest people in her life, every detail was etched deep into her memory.
The following days went by in a haze, she couldn't remember much of it save for a lone horse rider trotting through the village. It was a young man in a long flowing cape dressed in black. The child stumbled towards his horse. A survivor in such a massacre? He thought. Standing before him was the girl who lived, she was weak and cold but in contrast to her tearstained face, there was anger in her eyes.
"I... umm... Got food?"She asked softly. She's probably not eaten in days... The man tossed a hard bread roll at her and the child started to bite into the roll feverishly. She's a survivor... Liking her instantly, he watched her eat ravenously, all the while observing her. There's dried blood and dirt on her clothes... This child couldn't be more than five years old... Such cruel fate... The man shook his head. But she's perfect! Perhaps he had found a suitable apprentice after all! She will survive.
The adult knelt before the child, held her hand firmly and looked into her green eyes.
"Child are you hurt?"
The girl shook her head.
"Follow me, child. I will teach you everything I know."
He would teach her all types of armed and unarmed combat.
"So that one day, you will find your parent's killers..."
He would teach her vital sneaking, tracking and survival skills.
"...and avenge them. "
He would make her a hunter of the highest grade.
One that would be feared even by other hunters; one that creatures of the night would flee at the sight of her.
He'll make her a Vampire hunter.
"You'd only need to promise me one thing..."
The child who had been watching him with gleaming eyes of determination nodded.
"Deal. When do we start?"
Unbelievable! She's more hardy than she looked! He thought. Pleased with his new apprentice, he took off a ring from his index finger and searched his saddle for some twine.
"We start with getting you a new identity."The child watched the man strung up the ring with a few fancy knots. "Because we are going to be super secret agents, so we need to get you an super cool codename." He wagged his eyebrow and grinned.
He held up the ring necklace to examine its length. "How about...Artemis? Goddess of the hunt!" The child looked at him with bored little eyes. "Lame. If it has to be super cool, it must be Duran." The hunter knelt to her height and looked her in the eye. "Duran? What is that?" Adults are so stupid... The girl thought. "Duran is a wolf! Wolf puppy actually. I used to feed it... but one day it left..." The initial excitement was lost suddenly when the girl remembered how Duran left her and never came back to this parts of the land.
"Alright... Duran it is!" The child nodded with a tiny satisfied smile. "And what's your super cool codename old man?" The man felt his hand twitch a little at implication of his age. "You cheeky brat... Call me Master Zac if you wish." He tugged on the knot of the necklace one last time before slipping the necklace around her neck. "And here is the first assignment from me. You must keep it with you at all times. Understood?" The girl picked up ring hanging as a pendent on the twine and examined it. It was an expensive looking silver ring with a single transparent gem set in it. The child nodded.
"Before we leave, let's go rest your family in peace."
"What did you think I was doing before you got here?"
Zac stared at her, unsure if he should offer more comforting words.
"Alright then, let's go. D."
And so the girl spent years training to be a Vampire Hunter like Zac. Her childhood filled with nothing but training and vengeance. She quickly learned the ropes of the trade and became the youngest girl to earn the license of a Vampire Hunter at the age of thirteen. Shortly after leaving her mentor to begin solo work, she returned to the place she once called home and burnt down the ghost town. With the memories of the massacre still fresh in her mind, she relentlessly searched for her parents killers but to no avail. Now at the age of fifteen, the ice cool princess grew up to be a beautiful girl who would make heads turn. Along with that particular set of skills, she also learned how to deal with difficult and demanding customers professionally but she's totally helpless with children. She didn't have a normal childhood to understand children to begin with.
What a blunder... Oh well...
"What's your name?"
"Dan! It's Daniel actually."
D knelt before him and placed a strong grip on his shoulders.
"Listen Dan. It is dangerous out here and your dad wants you home, so move on."
"I don't wanna..." , he pouted.
D dropped her head and sighed.
"Alright...What do you want?"
"Tell me your adventures!"
The boy beamed. D lifted her brows, looking surprised. Unsure if her hunting stories are suitable for the young, D thought long and hard but most of her past hunts were filled with too much gore and death. This is profession is too unhealthy for the young... But then again, this may be a good way to get rid of him for now.
"Okay. I will tell you some when I return."
No one said I can't make stories up!
She ruffled his hair again and gave him a push in the back to make him go. That boy understood and took off down the road where they came from. The Hunter breathed a sigh of relieve. She straightened her clothes a little and pressed on the bell. The speaker panel at the side of the gate crackled to life. A sweet female voice was heard.
"May I help you?"
"I'm a Vampire Hunter. May I speak to the Mayor?"
"Come in."
The gate unlocked and swung open automatically, all thanks to the advance technologies that the Capital had developed. She pressed her palm on the gate as she walked into the estate. It's only when she was inside did she realize how huge the estate was. She could see no end to the perimeter walls and on both sides of the driveway were intricately designed hedge mazes that were at shoulder height. Snow covered everything except the driveway leading to the house. She felt heat rising from the ground. Heating elements on driveways? These guys must be rich! She thought.
A pair of heavy, ancient looking oak doors opened as she scaled the short flight of stairs. A young girl who looked slightly older than D held the door.
"Good afternoon! My name is Aoi. Master is in the study, this way please."
D brushed off some snow that had settled on her coat before stepping in. She observed the brunette from behind taking note of her maid's uniform and those delicate looking hands. Not that it matters... D shrugged the thoughts off and put on her game face.
"I'm actually surprised that the Hunter turned out to be a young girl."
D's brow twitched in annoyance but before she could say anything, Aoi gave her a megawatt smile.
"Here we are!"
Aoi knocked the door and a muffled reply was heard.
"Please take your time. Would you like some tea?"
D nodded.
"I'll return shortly."
D nodded again in thanks and stepped into the room. Her vision of a tidy and posh study vaporised when she found a man sitting at a desk with what it seems like millions of books surrounding him in heaps and stacks. The man himself looks a little bedraggled and tired but he was surprisingly young. How the hell did such a young man have a daughter? The man stood and offered a handshake. "I'm glad you came Hunter! My name is Zhang. Nice to meet you." D returned with a firm handshake.
"I'm D, Vampire Hunter."
The man looked quizzically at her and asked.
"Are you sure you are a hunter? Forgive me for asking but you seem underage."
This question never fail to get on her nerves but being professional, she kept her cool and dug into her coat pocket for a small leather covered book.
"This is my license if it puts you at ease."
"Never mind. It doesn't matter."
Zhang dismissed D's license with a wave of hand nonchalantly. D could tell that Zhang had a lot on his mind so she let it slip. The young man took off his glasses and gave it a gentle wipe with his shirt. He fell back into his chair with a sigh and started recounting the details of how his daughter was found missing, discovered much later and carried back home.
His daughter is a healthy girl of 13 who loves to interact with boys in her school. She has a habit of disappearing after dinner in the evening and return home late at night from study sessions with her classmates. However things were a little different last night, not only did she not return home, her classmates have not seen her either. Zhang got worried and called the sheriff's office to organize a search around town with minimum disturbance to the townsfolk. Early next morning, a local who was going into the forest to get fire wood found her and brought her home.
"Were there any other attacks over the last few years?" The Hunter asked while taking mental notes. Just a brat who partied too hard. Big deal.
"Well... This is actually the first in this town but there were attacks in the nearby towns and villages many years ago."
D filed the fact dully in her memory.
"Were there any injuries when she was brought home?" D asked efficiently.
"No... Um... I don't think so." Zhang's gaze dropped to the papers on his desktop. He's lying... D could tell something's up. She stood up and straightened her clothes. Startled by her sudden movement, he quickly looked up and caught her cold green eyes.
"You don't think so?" D asked in a displeased tone. How could a father not know if his child was hurt?
"No.. I...I mean I tried to check on her but she woke up just then. She pushed me away and refused to see me..."
Zhang avoided her gaze and fidgeted with his hands. D analyzed that he could either be uncomfortable that his daughter didn't want to speak to him or he could be lying.
"I need to take a look at your daughter. Is she still awake?"
"I...Yes...I think so! Follow me." Zhang would have felt embarrassed rather than afraid that a teenager made a grown man stutter if he had not felt the room's temperature drop.
After exiting the room and up another flight of stairs, the duo made some turns and continued down a corridor. They stopped before a door with a name on it that reads 'Juliet'.
"Juliet dear, are you awake? I have a visitor who wants to see you."
A sweet girlie voice came through the door in reply.
"I'm awake. Please give me a minute."
After some tumbling and shuffling in the room, Juliet gave them the 'go ahead' signal.
Zhang pushed down the handle and opened the door. Inside that dimly lit room, a girl sat up in bed looking very weak and tired. He went in and flipped the light switch. A shocking shade of red hair caught D's attention as she stepped into the room. They are not blood related... I see... She thought to herself. That explains the age.
"Juliet dear, I've got a hunter here and she wants to talk to you."
"She?"
The younger girl's pair of lime green eyes shot towards D and examined her. Green clashed with green, they both tried to read the other's intention. Juliet felt like she was falling into the unfathomable depths of those green eyes. She broke the eye contact and looked away uncomfortably, D smirked.
"Okay..." Juliet said softly. Zhang felt a lost at this little exchange between the girls.
"I'll leave you two to talk then... I'll be in the study."
Zhang retreated from the room and closed the door quietly. D who stood by the door walked closer and pulled a chair from the desk towards the bed. She put down her backpack and threw off her coat, revealing a tight fitting one piece suit.
"Your name is Juliet?" She asked as she sat down.
"Aww.. Quit using that disgusting name already!"
The girl threw her head back into a pillow in annoyance. The weak, soft spoken image shattered instantly. D raised an eyebrow.
"Call me Nao. That's my middle name."
"Alright then. Nao. What do you remember?"
The red hair girl looked at her in frustration.
"Look. I don't want to retell the story of how I got a pint of blood sucked out of me, I don't remember a thing."
"I was not asking you the sequence of event. At what time did you stop remembering anything."
"Stop using that adult language when you're not a grownup!"
D laughed at the easily provoked girl. Just a brat who got attacked. Hey that rhymes!
"I don't want to treat you like a child because you're not. Now answer my question."
"Late last night, while I was on my way home... I took a shortcut through the forest. Suddenly everything became black...That's all..."
Information raced through D's head. Something isn't adding up. Vampires don't usually knock out their victims...They like their meals struggling... D got up abruptly.
"Let me see your wound."
"W-What? What makes you think I would..." D stood and hovered above the girl and planted her right palm onto the bed's headboard. Nao backed up a little into her pillow.
"The bite wound. Either you do it or I'll do it." The older girl pretended to reach for the button on her collar.
Nao blushed as red as her hair and slapped away D's hand. She unbuttoned the first two buttons of her pajamas and pulled the collar back. The young girl closed her eyes and tilted her head to looked away. Sure enough, a set of puncture marks was clearly visible at the base of her neck. D held the girl still by the shoulders and leaned closer to have a better look. Nao squirmed uncomfortably and whimpered.
"A-Are you done?"
"Shhhh... Keep still."
D sniffed at the wound. This fragrance...Jasmine? She was puzzled. She then touched the skin between the two little holes taking mental measurements as she did so. Such a small set of teeth? And such a clean wound? Unlikely... Ohh! And what's this? She watched the younger girl blushed a deeper shade of red and felt her body temperature rise. Interesting.
Nao stiffened when D's finger brushed the wound slightly. Prickling pain shot through her body. The girl pushed D away and quickly bunched up the blanket before her.
"Are you done?"
"Yes, and you know what?"
D paused as Nao quickly buttoned up.
"I think you messed with a guy instead of a vampire."
D concluded with a smirk. Nao took a minute before registering what that line meant and flew into a rage.
"What the hell are you talking about!"
"There's... a love bite."
Nao turned into an alarming shade of red.