Shade and a Vampire Chapter 8
Once again, sorry for the late update. They are going to get a lot less frequent from now on, I'm afraid. Anyway, this is chapter 8. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own rosario +vampire
Under a starry sky, two figures in shawls scurried around the desert, searching for anything that would aid their survival. They picked at the dust, finding bits of metal, glass, wood and bone, slinging it into one of several small pouches hanging from their dirty rags. They stopped to rest by a small rock, slumping there, exhausted and hungry, for food was scarce in their times. The smaller of the figures sighed, not saying anything. What was there to talk about besides hunger, cold, and exhaustion?
The larger figure spoke, a woman's voice, matured by the hard times, but still reasonably young.
"Y'know, some people used to stash their stuff in places like this…" The smaller figure looked up, speaking in an older, but just as strong voice.
"Are you suggesting we steal someone else's emergency supplies?" She said, alarmed. "That's…"
"Oh, come on…" interrupted the first woman. "Anyone who it would have belonged to is dead or gone. We're the only people for miles." She gave a mischievious grin. "Besides, there's no harm in looking…"
Before the older woman could say anything about it, the younger one was peeking under the rock. She immediately scrambled back, eyes wide in surprise.
"It's a guy…" she whispered in shock. "And he's NAKED…"
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When the man awoke, he was staring at the roof of a small, dark, dirty, underground hovel, lying on an uncomfortable bed of sand and animal skins. He tried sitting up, worn, threadbare clothes rubbing against his skin. He was about to lapse back into the bed, when he felt someone grabbing his arm, dragging him up.
"Rise and shine, sleepyhead." It said.
The man rubbed his eyes, clearing the sleep away. He blinked, then looked at his saviour. She had a small, pretty face, round brown eyes and mid-length black hair. She called out,
"Auntie! He's up!" A smaller figure came shuffling in, older, with different hair, but undeniably related to her niece.
"Hello. She said. "Nice to see you awake. Oh, stop staring at him Kyoko. Don't make him even more uncomfortable than he already is." Kyoko rolled her eyes as the older woman went on.
"Anyway, I suppose Id better introduce myself. My name is Kasumi Aono, and this is my niece, Kyoko. Whats your name then?"
The former Archfiend didn't bat an eyelid. He quietly replied,
"I don't… really have one… but you can call me…" He searched his mind for a name, anything to speed the conversation over to more pressing matters.
"…Shade. Call me Shade." It was what he was, wasn't it?
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Back in the prison, it was dinnertime, but no gruel fell from the ceiling. Instead, the sound of the commissioner's voice came from the Intercom.
"Hello, all filth incarcerated here…" he hissed (his identity as a snake demon all too apparent). "I just dropped in to tell you all that next week we will be having a very special guest…"
Everyone looked up at the speaker, quizzically.
"The masked king himself is coming here to visit some of his favourite prisoners… and watch them spill each others blood…" He chuckled, relishing the thought. Ruby shivered, whether in fear or anticipation, nobody knows.
"However." He cut in, his voice hardening. "If any one of you tries anything, I will personally shoot you in the head with a silver bullet. Clear?" No one said anything.
"Good… "He said. "Enjoy your meal" he signed off cheerfully.
Gruel dropped from the hatches. Less than usual.
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"You see, we both lost people…" Kasumi said. "Kyoko lost her mother and father, and I lost my husband and son…" She seemed on the verge of tears, but sniffed and went on regardless. "And so, after they burned most of the land into desert, we moved here, thinking no-one would find us…" She trailed off, no longer sure that Shade was listening. He sat on the bed, head resting on his knuckles, staring at the floor.
"Um… are you all right?" asked Kyoko. Shade stayed silent for a moment, then looked up.
"What exactly were you doing out there when you found me?" he asked.
Kasumi was surprised by this man. He was slightly strange to look at, like a child's drawing, yet there did not seem to be anything wrong with him physically. He also looked slightly familiar… She shook herself and snapped back into reality.
"Um… we were scavenging…"
"For what?"
"You know… wood… bones…machine parts…"
"Machine parts?" he interrupted. "In the middle of the desert?"
"Yeah." said Kyoko. "The resistance movement needs every bit of metal it can."
"Why are there machine parts in the middle of the deser…? Wait. Resistance movement?"
"Where have you been for the last decade?" muttered Kyoko. Kasumi ignored her and tried to explain it to this stranger.
"In the nearest town there is a large underground resistance movement. They use the metal to make weapons and things. They say that it is lead by a vampire…"
"A vampire…" whispered Shade. " Do you know their name?" he asked.
Kasumi nodded. "Koko Shuzen." She said.
A wide smile broke out on the young man's face. He stood up.
"I have to go." He said. "Where is my knife?"
"Its over there." Kasumi replied, pointing at a bundle of cloth.
"Hang on!" shouted Kyoko. "Don't you think we're due an explanation?"
"The less you know about me, the better." He said, unwrapping the cloth. He picked up and tested the edge with one finger. A drop of black blood sprung from the cut.
He licked his finger, sealing the cut.
"What time is it?" He asked.
"2 in the morning. Why?" pouted Kyoko.
"The same reason you found me under that rock."
Black flames sprung up all over his body, making both women yelp. The sackcloth clothes, however, did not burn. They lengthened, changing colour. The flames spluttered out seconds later, leaving him in a full-length black trench coat, white shirt and combat trousers. He tucked the Knife into a belt loop and looked at the women.
"What are you…?" whispered Kyoko. The man gave a small smile.
""he simply said.
With that, he exploded into black smoke, and shot up through the ceiling.
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Seven miles away in a nearby town, Koko Shuzen was sitting at a table in a dimly lit wooden room, studying a building schematic, and drinking blood wine. She sighed. Her bat flapped up onto her head from the table, comforting her with his 250 kilos.
"Oh batty…" She moaned. "How are we ever going to manage this?"
Suddenly there was aloud sound of cracking wood, several shouts from the guards outside, and the door swung open, revealing a man in a trench coat, dusting his shoulders off.
" Not much of a personal guard…" he muttered
Koko sprung to her feet, grabbing batty out of the air, who had already changed intoa huge spiked mace. She swung the club towards the intruder, who looked up without worry.
Lightning fast, he raised a finger, stopping the spiked ball completely.
"Really Koko… " he sighed.
"Who are you?!" she yelled.
"We'll come to that later." He said. "Now, do you want my help getting your sister out of prison or not?"
Batty transformed back, and perched on Koko's shoulder. She nodded at the schematic.
The man smiled. "I thought so."
There. Done. If you didn't like the idea of bringing Kasumi and Kyoko into the story, sorry, but I couldn't resist. Anyway, whatever your opinion, please please please review. Bye!
Theonewhodidnotdoit leaves the scene…
