Chapter One: Of Paths

The trio of Hunters had arrived in the town only a few moments before the shops had opened for business. All around them, Dirk was aware of the gazes of the townsfolk. While some openly stared with open-mouthed disbelief (because of Belladonna's, his and his father's otherworldly good looks) others made their hatred only too well known. The air surrounding them was practically awash with violent intent.

"I don't think we're very welcome here, guys." Belladonna murmured, uneasily.

"And you thought it would be different here for what reason, Miss Collins?" D muttered, tiredly. Even after all the time that they had been traveling together, D still only very rarely called Belladonna by her first name; a fact that sometimes rode on the female Hunter's nerves.

"Don't be a smartass." Belladonna growled, irritably.

"'Donna, he does have a point. We can't very well expect to be welcomed with open arms everywhere we go...In fact, we'd better get used to being outcasts pretty quickly, since we're going to outlive just about everyone we meet, eventually, anyway." Dirk said, cringing when a strident cackle came from his right-hand side, and they all looked to see that an ancient-looking crone now sat alongside them in her wagon.

"The boyo's right, there. I take it you three are that infamous trio of Hunters I've heard so much about! A right pretty bunch, make no mistake!" the woman said, in a tone that made Dirk's skin crawl.

"What do you want?" D asked, coolly; effortlessly slipping into his cold guise in front of the woman.

"I need an escort. Y'see, I'm known as Granny Viper, and my business is finding 'the hidden'. I'm just about to set out for another job." the crone replied, giving them a grin that would have made a Jack-O-Lantern look like it had an overabundance of teeth.

"Do tell." Belladonna muttered; unimpressed by the offer, and wanting to go elsewhere...preferably far, far away from the disgusting old woman.

"How much can you pay us for the job?" D asked, a little suspicious as to where this was going. He could sense that there was more to the 'job' than what the old woman was willing or able to tell.

"Fifteen million to start, and another fifteen when we get the person back to the family. What do you say to that? Do we have a deal?" Granny Viper questioned, a little too eagerly for the trio's tastes.

"There's something chasing you, isn't there? Something that doesn't want you to find whoever it is you're looking for." Dirk stated; sensing he'd hit the reason for the old woman's nervousness right on the nose when he saw her stiffen.

"Your son's as sharp as the rumors say, Master Hunter! There is indeed something trying to hinder me, but, with you three traveling with me..." Granny Viper trailed off, hinting at the underlying danger that was threatening her.

"I know where this is going...and I don't like it." D mused, the nagging doubt from earlier returning with a vengeance.

"Yeah, but what choice have ya got? In case ya haven't noticed, Dirk and Belladonna's supplies haven't been restocked yet, and this town is too on edge to let 'em get what they need." Left said, pointing out the main reason for D's hesitation. It was then that D sighed, getting some questioning glances from Belladonna and Dirk while he was at it.

"Very well. Where are we going, and who is the vampire that had taken the 'hidden'?" D asked; ignoring the aghast looks he was getting from both of the younger Hunters while he was at it. Granny Viper only grinned even wider than before, and flicked the reins of the cyborg horses to get them moving again.

"All will be explained as soon as we hit the road. Follow me." Granny Viper replied; taking off down the path before the trio could question her further.

"Something about this stinks...And I don't mean just rotten-smelling, either." Belladonna mused, sourly, as they spurred their own mounts on in order to keep pace with the ancient crone and her covered wagon.

Vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv(divider)

A rider sighed as she waited beyond the town for her hired help to arrive. Waist-length, cornsilk blond hair drifted lazily in the wind from under her wide-brimmed hat; giving her an almost other-worldly feel as she gazed distractedly at the small grouping of buildings below her.

"Milady! Here they are!" a strident cackle came to her ear, and she turned to look at the newcomers.

"That was quite quick, Granny. I'd have never expected them to have been in this town, much less that they would even consider coming with you." she said, as she gave the trio behind the old woman as appraising glance from the shadows of her hat.

"It certainly wasn't our idea." the single female Hunter muttered, before the apparent leader of the group gave her an almost deadly glare.

"Watch it, 'Donna. We haven't had any bounties in a while...so we can't afford to pick and choose." the other male Hunter murmured, even though he sounded only partially convinced about the hunt to come, himself.

"Who are you? Why did you seek us out in such a manner?" the lead Hunter asked, voicing his confusion, even though his expression showed no hint of it.

"As you can probably already tell, Master Hunter, from the outset, this isn't going to be a normal hunt for any of you...But the first thing I must ask you is this: Have any of you had any strange dreams, in recent days?" she asked...and wasn't disappointed in the response she got from two of the Hunters. Their faces paled, and they exchanged nervous glances with one another as though to say 'Why the heck would she ask us that?.!' And yet, only the lead Hunter was unfazed.

"Maybe. Why do you ask?" the lead Hunter questioned; sounding a little more intrigued by this turn of events.

"Perhaps I should show you, instead of trying to explain anything." she said, as she removed her hat, and gazed boldly into their eyes. The younger man's eyes went wide when he saw her, and he had to struggle to remain seated in his saddle. The woman, on the other hand, was staring in frozen shock, while the leader merely sat there, calmly...albeit with an arched eyebrow to prove that he wasn't as un-perturbed as he appeared.

"You're the woman from that dream! The one that'd wanted us to find her! What're you doin' here?.!" Dirk shouted, too surprised to tone down his voice. They only got a sad smile from her that mirrored her expression from their dreams, exactly.

"I still need your help...desperately. You see, the one I had hired Granny Viper to find was taken from his hiding place before we could reach him...and the vampire who had kidnapped him may have already turned him, by now." the woman said, unhappily; her blue eyes darkening slightly at the grim prospect.

"So, you want us to kill both vampire and victim, if that is the case?" D asked, quietly.

"Yes. I don't want my dear brother to suffer any longer than he absolutely has to...It wouldn't be fair to him." the woman said, morosely.

"What is your name, then? We need to know the name of our employer." Dirk stated, his tone vaguely concerned for the sad woman before him.

"Mary-Weather Hargreaves, is my name. The one who had been taken was my elder brother, Cain." the woman replied, somberly.

"And the vampire's name?" D again asked.

"Suzette." the woman answered, averting her gaze when her eyes took on a pained sheen.

"I see...The bounty is fifteen million to start, correct?" D questioned.

"Correct." Mary-Weather murmured.

"Raise it to thirty, and then you will have our services." D said, calmly; carefully gauging the woman's response when she looked at him again, this time with wide eyes.

"Thirty million as the down-payment, and thirty when the task is accomplished?" Mary-Weather asked, shocked that he'd been so bold. D only nodded. For a moment, it looked as though the noblewoman was about to become angry; then she sighed, shook her head, and gave them a grave smile.

"You are indeed a man after my brother's own heart...Very well. I agree to your terms, Master Hunter." Mary-Weather said, as she rode over to them, and offered her hand out for a handshake when she was close enough. When D made no move to reciprocate, Dirk shook the proffered hand, instead (getting an almost murderous and decidedly jealous glare from Belladonna as he did so).

"I hope we'll be able to help you, Lady Hargreaves." Dirk said, honestly. The woman stared at him for a shocked moment, then gave him a shaky smile when the underlying meaning behind his words reached her heart.

"I hope you'll be able to save him, too. He's the only brother I've got...and the grief would probably kill me, if I had to kill him in such a way." Mary-Weather said, then added, "He's been betrayed enough, in his own cursed life."

"Then let's get moving. The longer we linger here, the farther away our quarry moves." D stated, getting nods from the rest of the group as an agreement. They had a long road ahead of them, but, Dirk hoped, that something could be done to avert the tragedy that seemed to be waiting in the wings.

Author's Note!

Did I surprise anyone with this chapter? I certainly hope so! As Yuko from xxxHolic had put it, 'The same faces, but different people'. I can only hope I'll be able to manage even more surprises in future chapters! Thanks for reading, minna!

Gemini14