Hear Ye Hear Ye:

Oi... it's been a while since my last update hasn't it? Ah well, I'm tired of saying sorry for sporadic updates, so I'll skip that part. Although if you are aware of the workings of the demonic entities on the Internet rumored to draw people in, suck out their souls and commonly known under the abbreviation MMO (Much Money Outthewindow) you might have heard of a game called 'Vanguard' that launched recently. Yup... that's the one responsible for stealing a lot of my recent spare time (and time I didn't have to spare).

But anyway...

Regarding this story there was a little voice inside my head who began speaking up and wanted to put something in it that could enhance the mood. You might have guessed already what it is, as it is no revolutionary idea and plenty of other people have done the same – putting music to the text.

No, I'm not turning this into some sort of musical where people dance, or burst spontaneously into song for no apparent reason, but rather I'll try to put in background music certain places in the story to emphasize the mood I was looking for when I wrote it.

The way I'll go about this is that I'll generally find the tracks on the Internet before putting them into the story, so you don't need to go look for them youself. I will write in parenthesis during the chapter when a given track is supposed to be played, and since they for the most part are streaming links I will also write down the links needed to find the tracks at the beginning of every chapter so slower connections (dial-up) should have a decent chance of buffering the music before playing it. I'll try to keep the music suitable for the vampire setting which means that certain genres such as gangsta rap, country and Irish folk music probably won't make it into it (although I hold no animosity towards river-dancing vampires, I'm very open minded :p).

Of course if you don't feel like listening to the tracks but would rather listen to something else, or nothing at all that's perfectly fine, I'm not here to tell you what to listen to – this is just music I used as a means to find the right mood when I wrote the story.

If you do decide to listen, I'd like to know what you think (not about the music itself, but rather how it suits the story and whether or not it adds to it), as it does take me a bit of extra work to find these things on the net.

The music for this chapter is something which everyone reading this ought to be familiar with, and that is a couple of tracks from the CC soundtrack (bonus points for originality huh?).


"Speech"

'Thoughts'

EXCLAMATION!

Supernaturality (wooo me invent word)

Music:

CC Soundtrack Gospel 2 – 14 Make no Chikara / Negative Power

CC Soundtrack Gospel 1 – 3 Eksoshist no Theme / Exorcist's Theme (if that wasn't obvious)

CC Soundtrack Gospel 1 – 9 Hikari to Yami no Tatakai / The Battle between the Light and the Darkness (sure are a lot of the's in the translation)

These first three are supposed to be played in succession by making a winamp playlist (or similar).

CC Soundtrack Gospel 2 – 12 Chrno no Kanashimi / Chrno's Sorrow

CC Soundtrack Gospel 1 – 24 Geki no Kiuko / Tragic Memory


Have to Feed,

because I will not die.

Have to Feed, because I will not die. Have to Feed, because I will not die.

Have to Feed, because I WILL not die. Have to Feed, because I will not die. Have to Feed,

because I will not die. Have toFe ed, because I Will not die. Ha veto Feed ,because I will

not die. Have to Feed, beca use Iw ill not die. HAVE to Feed, bec ause I WILL NOT di e. HAVE t o FEED, bec ause I wi ll not DIE. Have to Fe ed, BECAUSE I wil l NOT di e. HAVE TO feed, BECAUSE

iw ILL n otd ie. ha VETO fe ed, be ca USE iwill NOT d ie. have t OF e ed, be CAUSE i wi ll NO tdi e. Hav e TO fe ed, bec a US eI wi

l lno t DIE. Ha ve to

FEE d, beca USE iw ILL NO t DIE.

Ha VET o FEED, b eca u se i WILL n ot di e. HAVE t o

fe ED,b ec a USE I wi ll NOT di e. h AVE t ofeed, BE c auseiwi lln ot

d Ie. have TO feed, be cau s ei W IL L NO T DI E. HAVEt OFe ed, b ecau se

IwI ll N O t D iE. Hav E to Fe ED, bEc a uS eIW i ll N oTdi E. ha Ve TOfE ed, Be C Au

SeI wIl l N otdi E. hA v eT ofeEd, b eC au SeI wi Ll nO td iE. Ha vet O FeE d, B ec Au SE IwI Ll

N o td ie . Ha VeT oFe Ed, beC aUsEIw IlL N oTd Ie. Ha vE toF eE d, BeC AusEIwiL Lno tdIE. HaVetoF eed, B

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E ca u s EI W iL lN O tD i E. Ha Ve T oFe E D, B E c Aus E i w i L L no td i e. Ha vE ToF E ed, B ec a Us e i w i L

ln Ot dIE. hAv etofe eD, bECauS eI wIlln otDi e. Ha veT OFe Ed, Beca US eI wI Lln Ot D i

E . ha V E t O F eE d, bE C aU S e I w I L LN OT D Ie. H Av eT O Fe E d , B Ec a US eI wI L ln Ot D iE.H a vet O

Fe Ed, Be cAu sEIwiL Lnot dIe. HaV eToF eE d, bE cAuSe IWi l Lno T dIE. Ha ve To Fee

D , be c au sE Iw iL LN ot dI e. Ha V e TOfe E d, b eCa uS ei wI llN oTd Ie. H aV et OfeEd, b eC a Us eIw il ln O

t d ie . Ha V Et o FeE d, bE c A U Se Ei Wi ll NO t DI e. ha Ve to Fe E D , bE Ca u

S e iwi Lln O t di E. H Av ET o fE eD , bE CaU S eIW I L ln O t Di E. H A vE tO FE e D, b Ec aU s eI W iL l n o t D


Tomorrow is another Night

By Shnoosh

Chapter 8 – The Beast Within


"So... you are completely sure about this?" The steady drumming of droplets hitting the car's roof was broken by the voice of a pale-faced man with steely eyes. He was looking out the passenger window still rolling the remains of the match between his thumb and index finger.

"Positive." The blonde girl responded from the back seat.

He turned around, eyes glaring at the two behind him from beneath dark bangs. The stare was completely void of emotion even as an amused smile crossed his lips. "I just find it a bit remarkable that you managed to extract so much from so..." the cinder was crushed between the two fingers "...little... that is all." A cigarette hung lazily from his mouth, and he took a quick drag of it. The idea of a smoking vampire seemed utterly pointless to Chrono, but perhaps the guy needed to occupy his fingers with something – hence the reason for holding on to the match until now as well.

The dramatization was utterly cheesy however.

Maggie shot the Ventrue a look of contempt. "If you don't believe us, you can go back to the estate and find your own leads... I'm sure the Baron will appreciate that considering that he wanted all four of us to go to the Savoy together..."

"Are you done?" The annoyed driver asked, hazel eyes walking from one passenger to the other. Clearly he was a man with patience for neither detours nor fools.

The driver and front seat passenger, who responded to the names James and Morgan respectively, were the same vampires who had greeted Chrono and Maggie the night before. Neither were the least bit satisfied that they had been ordered to aid with the retrieval of the head. The news of a Tzimisce vampire being involved had heightened the severity of the situation, since the members of that clan often held considerable power within the Sabbat, and regardless of whether this had been organized by the sect or not, the Baron had deemed the extra manpower a necessary precaution in case things became ugly.

"Yes... of course... don't mind my obvious ignorance in this matter." The gray-eyed vampire extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray and stepped out into the rainy night – the other three followed shortly after.

They had parked a few blocks away from the hotel in a small and somewhat dismal looking alley. It might have seemed strange when they could easily have parked in front of the hotel, but there was actually a good reason for doing so. The reason was made known when the trunk was opened.

Chrono's eyes widened as the blanket was removed, revealing several large caliber Magnum revolvers and a couple of military grade assault rifles neatly tucked away in the compartment. He recognized them being similar in appearance to M1 rifles. His older brother had been trigger-happy from an early age – probably the main reason why he had gone to Korea – and he could talk for hours about weapons both big and...

well...

bigger.

Thus Chrono knew from a reliable source that a single shot from this rifle could 'drop at least 3 Japs at a distance of several hundred yards'.

Of course... if they had the courtesy to stand in a straight line.

The one named Morgan grabbed one of the over three-foot long weapons as well as a couple of box magazines of which he loaded one into the rifle – it shouldn't have box magazines.

"That's not a regular M1 is it?" Chrono asked.

"It's an M14... brand new... recently designed for the military..." The vampire smirked. "...think of it as an M1 with full auto capabilities... packs a decent punch."

The driver also went and grabbed a rifle plus a few spare magazines, Chrono just stared questioningly at the weapons cache.

"No thanks." Maggie said when Morgan motioned for the remaining two to grab something for themselves. "I don't like guns, and besides..." She placed one hand on her hip. "...where, pray tell, would you suggest I carry such a thing without arousing suspicion?"

"Point taken..." Morgan strapped the weapon to his back and covered it as well as he could with the heavy trench coat. "...although you might distract onlookers with other... assets." The girl shot him a disapproving glance as he tucked one of the revolvers under the coat. "Take a couple of SW's. They are somewhat powerful... although mostly good for weeding out kine."

"As I said: I don't like guns." Maggie's voice was becoming increasingly agitated.

"How 'bout you, fledgling?"

The sentence wasn't pronounced in a particularly patronizing or demeaning way, but hearing himself being 'labeled' again caused an involuntary growl to escape from the back of Chrono's throat. "I'll pass..."

"Lets go." James said obviously not wanting to get any more soaked.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

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The Savoy was everything Chrono expected it to be: Fancy, expensive looking and with an uptight feeling permeating through the atmosphere. But it was also very quiet since most of the guests had retreated to their rooms by now, and apart from the drowsy looking clerk behind the counter, Chrono only managed to sense two others awake on this floor. They were in another room and one of them hardly seemed conscious – probably dead drunk.

The man behind the counter appeared to wake up as the four newcomers approached him. "I'm sorry..." He cleared his throat as he sized the four semi-drenched people up. "...we're fully booked several days ahead..."

Maggie stepped forward motioning for the three others to stay back. "We're not here to rent a room..." She leaned over the counter. "..but a friend of ours booked one here recently."

"Uh... and..." Whether it was by the view he was presented with, the undercurrent in her voice, or a bit of both was not obvious, but clearly the man was heavily affected and he almost didn't seem to register what he was saying himself. "...uhm... who might... ehh... this person be?"

"His name is Aion..." She shot him a smile capable of disarming a tank.

The clerk began shuffling quickly through the guestbook. He wasn't giving the ledger the attention of his eyes, as they repeatedly looked up at the blonde beauty in front of him. He gave her a nervous smile. "...ehh excuse me... what was the last name again?" What he hadn't noticed while leafing through the book was how the vampiress' eyes had followed the pages intently and had caught the glimpse of a name...

"Why don't you check the penthouse..." She suggested. "It's his usual preference."

"Ahh... yes you're right... a Mr. Aion has booked the room for the past few days... funny..." He scratched his temple. "...no last name."

"That would be him. Thank you so much for your help." She turned to leave.

"Wait..." The clerk became slightly agitated as if he began to notice that something was out of the ordinary "...surely you don't intend to pay him a visit now. Hotel policy prohibits disturbing the guests between 10 PM and 8 AM without a proper appointment." He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself. "But, since I can see that you are good friends of his I suppose I can make an exception. I'll just call his room to let him know that you're here."

He picked up the phone hook.

Maggie was just about to say something when Morgan stepped forward, placing both hands on the counter and looking directly at the startled clerk..

"Put! Down! The! Phone!"

The man's eyes turned blank, and he immediately did as the vampire commanded. "What... what're you...?"

"Give! Me! The! Penthouse! Key!"

With an expression devoid of understanding the clerk turned around and opened a safe where spare keys were kept in case of emergencies. The order to retrieve the key was executed with mechanical precision, as if his movements were completely controlled by another. As he handed over the key to the tall vampire his eyes went wide in fear. "What... what did you DO to me? I'm calling the police!" He reached for the phone again.

"Sleep! And! Forget!"

With the phone hook still in hand the clerk instantly slumped over the counter. After a few seconds his breathing steadied and became slower, indicating that he had indeed fallen asleep.

"Sometimes..." He turned around to face the other three. Chrono caught himself being a bit startled at how easily the human had been controlled by the gray eyed vampire. He brushed the feeling aside quickly, not wanting to appear more green than he already felt.

"...the direct approach is the most efficient."

"That was unnecessary..." Maggie said with a hint of scorn. "...I could have persuaded him to not use the phone." They began walking towards the elevator.

"Perhaps... but you would not have managed to get this." He held up the key dangling it in front of her eyes.

"Still..." The blonde challenged. "You ran a big risk there. He could have resisted your domination, and then we would stand with a serious masquerade violation on our hands. Besides you can't be completely sure that he has forgotten the incident." The elevator door opened allowing the vampires to step in.

"Now you're being hypocritical." The dark haired retorted. "As I recall you saved a kine last night. Might he not remember what happened to him? By allowing him to live you broke the masquerade." He pressed the top button and the letters 'PH' lit up. The door closed again and the elevator began moving.

"That was different... if left to the Sabbat he would have been drained – how would it have looked if a seemingly uninjured man was discovered dead with less than an ounce of blood left inside him? And besides, no one will believe an old man babbling about vampires." The argument was solid enough, but she knew her motivations for intervening were of an entirely different nature.

"You still had the chance of making it look like an ordinary murder... If you are that worried about upholding the masquerade, I find it hard to understand why you didn't... The bottom line is that if that kine had resisted me, we could have dealt with it easily and quietly... in fact, I would suggest we do that – perhaps make it look like an accident..." Chrono had previously felt a resentment towards this vampire, but now he was becoming truly appalled. "...in order to protect the masquerade."

The look of disgust Maggie shot him was met with a wicked grin revealing sharp fangs. "I thought as well..." He looked towards Chrono. "You Toreadors really care way too much about the kine for your own good... perhaps you are more akin to them than us..."

"Will you stop this?" James interrupted, having had enough of his partner's deliberate taunting. "This is not the time to fight among ourselves over nothing..." The stern look was met with silence. "Right now... we have a job to do, and I shouldn't have to tell you that it is important." He looked at the other three intently for a few seconds before taking off his coat and retrieving the assault rifle strapped to his back.

As if the weapon triggered some sort of mood switch, the atmosphere inside the elevator suddenly became very oppressive. Chrono's eyes walked from one person to the other – James was resting the M14 on his shoulder looking up at the numbers indicating which floor they had reached – Morgan was taking out his own rifle, his smirk had faded as also he looked to be getting ready – Maggie was staring blankly into the wall, still agitated but holding her anger inside.

The silence deepened further as the elevator continued upwards. It was momentarily broken by a 'click' coming from one of the rifles having the safety released. Chrono's attention went to one of the revolvers being held handle-first in front of him.

"Here..." Morgan said. "...there's no reason to be stupid."

Chrono looked at the other vampire shortly before accepting the handgun. He wasn't that used to firearms but had tried shooting a .357 revolver before, so at least he was vaguely familiar with this type of weapon. It was however quite a larger caliber gun than the 357. He quickly inspected that it was fully loaded before cocking it.

'Ding...'

The sound was followed by the elevator doors sliding slowly aside.

The room was a small softly lit entry hall. A single door with a golden plaque reading 'Penthouse Suite' was on the opposite side. A few plants were placed in the corners, but apart from that the room was empty.

"Strange..." Maggie whispered. "...I can't sense anything up here..."

Her words hit Chrono with a realization.

Neither could he...

Since the incident in the mansion he had been able to sense living (or unliving) beings, and he had quickly gotten used to feeling them all around him. But on this floor... there was no one but him, his sire, and the two Ventrues. "Perhaps... they're not here..." He suggested.

Maggie shook her head.

James cast a disapproving glance back telling them to be quiet, as Morgan went towards the door with the key in his left hand and the rifle in his right. He inserted the key and opened the door slowly.

The unlit room on the other side was devoid of people too, it was another kind of entry hall from which three more doors led further into the suite. Obviously this was where people put their shoes, coats and jackets as indicated by said pieces of clothing being present in the closet to the right.

'Seems like somebody is here...' Chrono thought.

James cast Maggie a glance asking her a silent question, but she merely shook her head again and closed her eyes, trying to concentrate.

Obviously not pleased with the response the hazel eyed Kindred began walking towards the leftmost door. He listened for a few seconds before motioning for the rest to approach. After a quick glance over his shoulder he opened the door silently casting looks left and right. Indicating that the way was clear he went further into the darkened room.

It was some sort of recreational room, there was a bookshelf filled with literature, a couch section were one could read, a solid sculpted marble chess table and a grand piano in one of the corners. The soft moonlight was obscured by the thick layer of water on the windows. Chrono felt Maggie's hand on his arm – she seemed nervous and her eyes were unable to rest. James and Morgan stood with their gazes fixed on a door which led to the right.

A soft light shone from underneath the door.

The two Ventrue went towards the door and placed themselves on either side of it. Morgan motioned for Chrono and Maggie to come stand beside him.

James held up a hand with five fingers.

Four...

Three...

Two...

One...

The Ventrue whirled around forcing the door open and entering the room as quickly as possible.

Chrono followed less than an instant afterwards with Maggie right behind him.

But nobody was in here either.

They were looking into a large study. Along the walls were more book-filled shelves – mostly for show. There was a large sliding glass door leading out to a balcony in the opposite end, and in front of that a dark wooden desk. The soft light came from the electric lamp on the desk.

He felt Maggie grip his shoulder... he saw it too.

On the right side of the desk, with a face frozen in an angry anguished scream was the head of a woman cut in stone. A woman's face so viciously beautiful that it could not possibly be human. Exquisitely terrifying as if the devil himself had crafted it to instill fear and desire into mortals. Two long curved horns protruded from its temples extending more than a foot from the head. Chrono was unable to wrest his gaze from the face. It was like he recognized it, and something kept banging on the inner walls of his skull in an attempt to be let out.

He almost didn't notice the body.

It was right beside the desk.

A white-haired man lying in a pool of his own blood. One of his arms extended upwards his hand gripping the desk as if he had tried to hold on to it for support when he died. Rigor Mortis setting in so swiftly that his hand was locked in place. He had fallen just next to the head. 'Is... that...?'

James looked over his shoulder once before pointing towards the head. Morgan brought out a large cloth sack he kept under the jacket, and the two began to enter the room slowly.

"Wait..." Maggie whispered, halting the Ventrues. "...I don't like this." James turned around with a questioning look in their eyes, Morgan lowered his head in exasperation. "...the man over there, I can't sense him... it's like he's... gone..."

"He's dead..." The hazel eyed vampire stated the obvious.

"If he was human I should be able to sense his remnant aura... If he was Kindred I should too... If he had been diablerized, there should only be dust left... I don't like this..."

"Tell you what." Morgan broke in getting weary of all the apprehension. "Let's retrieve the head, get out of here, and discuss peculiar observations afterwards."

"I'll go get it." Chrono said taking the bag, earning an approving glance from the dark haired Ventrue.

With the revolver ready in his right hand and the bag in the left the young Kindred began making his way towards the art piece... if he could even call it that.

'Petrified remains of a demon queen...'

Following closely behind him was James and Maggie. Morgan guarded the doorway.

The agonized expression of the female head bore deep into his mind. There was something about that face...

"AAAAAAHHHH!"

The outburst came from James, and when Chrono whirled around he saw the Ventrue's face frozen in fright.

"WHAT'S THAT?" The hazel eyed pointed ahead of him.

Chrono spun around again and saw nothing. "WHAT?"

"THAT!" The previous silence was further broken as the M14 was fired, shattering the glass door, emptying the magazine into the night.

"JUST GET THE DAMN HEAD!" Morgan yelled.

(CC Soundtrack Gospel 2 – 14 Make no Chikara / Negative Power, CC Soundtrack Gospel 1 – 3 Eksoshist no Theme, CC Soundtrack Gospel 1 – 9 Hikari to Yami no Tatakai / The Battle between the Light and the Darkness. (Played in succession))

There was a screech inside Chrono's head...

'Bird...'

A Vision forming behind his eyes.

'Eagle...'

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" James toppled backwards trying frantically to reload his weapon.

"Long time no see... Chrno!"

Crimson eyes turned to the desk.

There was a man in the chair now...

With purple eyes...

And long platinum hair.

And the young Kindred sensed something. "MAGGIE! LOOK OUT!"

The warning came at the very last second as the pool of blood quickly rose behind the girl shaping into a statuesquely beautiful woman with dark burgundy flowing hair. Her arms transformed into spidery appendages and the blonde barely avoided the slashing claws with a leap to the side...

A mist gathered in front of Morgan, solidifying into a large bear-like man with small eyes and a vicious dental set. He let out a growl and struck after the Ventrue who immediately pulled the trigger...

Chrono felt a fist hammer into his midsection with a force that sent him flying into the bookshelf behind him with a loud crashing sound.

"TOUCHE!" Yelled the white-haired man who had lied next to the desk. He leapt towards the purple haired vampire.

Chrono immediately delved into his blood to summon his powers.

His speed allowed him to evade his attacker. He rolled to his back and shot...

The white haired man twisted his body so quickly the bullet didn't even remotely connect with his flesh.

He hissed revealing elongated canines and milky white eyes. "HAHAHA!"

Grinning madly he made a dive straight towards Chrono who didn't react fast enough. The maniac apprehended his gun-arm, swung him around like a throwing hammer, sending him into the other wall. "YOU'RE FUN!"

"Leave me alone..." James had fallen to his feet blabbering to himself, "Leave me alone..."

Morgan had emptied an entire magazine of ammunition into the chest of the half-giant vampire, momentarily halting him. He quickly reloaded and sent another salvo into him trying to drive his target back.

Maggie's was trying to break through the defenses of the spider-like woman with her claws, but even though the red haired couldn't match the blonde's speed, she made up for it with skill and... appendages...

Whenever Maggie had tried to exploit an opening, a new spider-like claw had simply burst through the skin of the woman, and now she possessed no less than six wickedly serrated bone claws – each one the length of an entire arm. A hungry look was plastered across the red haired's face as if she was somehow appraising Maggie's body. The stare reminded the blonde of a junk-yard worker scavenging a car wreck for usable parts, and it sent a chill through her very soul when she realized what was going through the woman's head. She knew that this was the Tzimisce who had killed off the entire mansion.

Maggie made a backflip over a chair in order to escape a stabbing claw. At the same time another chitin claw slashed towards her wrist rending the flesh all the way to the bone. Maggie winced in pain leaping as far away from the Tzimisce as possible, while clutching her shredded wrist. She had to make another leap into the air as the claws once again struck after her...

From his chair behind the desk Aion viewed the chaotic fight casually. One of the Ventrues were down and helpless. Chrno had not regained much strength, and Gerard (Jerai as he preferred) would handle him easily. Vincent would also soon teach the other Ventrue why you don't use guns against a vampire – especially a Gangrel. Riselle was having a bit more trouble with the blonde girl who had sired Chrno, but all in all everything seemed to go just fine. "Shade..."

"Ohhh... The father of white wants conversation?" A high-pitched voice chirped from nowhere.

As Malkavian went she was actually very easy to understand... if a bit eccentric. "We should prepare to leave shortly. I think we have outstayed our welcome here."

"A wish... shared by our voices..." She sang back. "...a venture... questing from obscurity to prophecy..."

Aion smirked as he sensed her leave. So... alike... every one so alike in both name and demeanor. He cast a glance towards the sky.

'You really do have a fetish for irony... don't you?'

"HAHA! YA MISSED!" The fifth bullet from the Magnum was ducked by the white haired, and Chrono was rapidly running out of options. This opponent was nothing like the one last night. He was skilled, incredibly fast and on top of that...

Chrono threw himself to the floor, ducking to avoid the full-sized bookshelf which had been hurled towards him as easily as one would throw a tennis ball. The large wooden furniture piece shattered against the wall above him with a deafening crash sending broken wooden planks raining down on top of him. "COME ON!"

The young Toreador leapt sideways pretending to escape.

"WHERE'RE YOU GOING?" The supposedly blind vampire grabbed a metal floor lamp and covered the distance between them in a single jump, preparing to make a wild swing.

Chrono knew this was going to hurt, but he had no choice. Just before the metal lamp collided with him, he twisted his body around, and aimed straight for the vampire with the milky eyes.

'BANG!'

The gun went off, and the other was so focused on striking that he didn't care about protecting himself. Immediately afterwards the lamp struck Chrono in the chest, cracking ribs and sending him hurtling into the remains of the shattered bookshelf... he felt like half his torso had been ripped out, and the other half had been squashed, but it had been worth it, because the bullet had caught the white haired right between the eyes.

Chrono tried getting to his feet when he saw a pair of boots in front of him...

"Nice shot." The voice held approval and definite malice. It made Chrono's eyes widen as he looked up to see the very same vampire standing above him, smiling and with a rapidly healing wound in his forehead. 'That's not possible...'

It was all Chrono managed to think before he was picked up and punched so hard in the midsection that the hand went straight through his stomach, crushing his spine and blasting a crater in the wall behind him...

Morgan was emptying the fourth magazine into the ogre-like creature in front of him, and still he was getting driven back towards the wall – how much could this guy take? The slash wound across his chest he had so carelessly received was still trying to heal. He reloaded a fifth magazine, but before he could shoot again, the M14 was crushed in the grip of a massive paw-like hand. Another hand grabbed the steel-eyed vampire. It encircled his entire chest and lifted him off his feet.

"LET! GO! OF! ME!"

The gangrel smiled revealing his bestial dental set. "I obey only one master!" The other paw closed around the waist of the Ventrue and pulled.

A tortured scream escaped Morgan's lips as his lower body was violently separated from his upper. A sound in between the crunching a of cracker and the bursting of a water balloon could be heard as gallons of blood and remains of intestines appearing to come from a man long dead spilled from his split torso. The broken spine hanging from the upper body was the first part of him which began to disintegrate...

Maggie didn't know what to do... the vampiress was wearing her down since she had to continuously use her blood to keep her speed up. The grinning Tzimisce showed no signs of exertion, and even though she had managed get in a few strikes, the cuts had healed rapidly. Again she tried to lunge for an unprotected part of the spider-womans body but her claws were deflected and she had to twist in mid-air not to be stabbed by two other appendages that shot straight for her chest.

She could not outlast this woman...

Aion was still regarding the battle lazily. With a little smile he rose from his seat and pulled out a katana from beneath the desk. He went to stand before the blubbering man who had been driven insane by Shade's power. 'Such a weak will...' With a clean sweep he separated the vampire's head from his shoulders.

Chrono was barely conscious. He knew he had once more been thrown through the room, and was lying face first in a pile of rubble. A pool of blood was beginning to amass below him as he could not keep the crimson liquid inside himself. A trembling hand went to his stomach... there was a fist-sized hole through his abdomen directly into his innards, and his hand tried to stop the life from dripping out of him...

'No...'

He had to will himself up, he could not lie here... he would die for sure...

'I will not die...'

He rose to his hands and knees still clutching his abdomen, trying to keep everything inside in place. What could he DO?

'Must...'

What could he DO?

'Feed...'

"You're tougher than I thought..." The white haired said amiably. "How about we share a DRINK!" He hurled a bottle of strong liquor at the young Kindred. It smashed against his skull and momentarily drove him into the ground again... Chrono stared up with unbridled fury in his eyes... he was going to kill this one...

Jerai took a drag of a cigarette he had lit... "DAMN! Those are some fiery eyes... here... goes along with it..." He flicked the cigarette towards the crimson eyed Kindred who was still trying to recover and get to his feet.

It instantly set the liquor on fire...

'AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH...'

The cry inside his mind was matched by the one coming from his lungs, Chrono toppled over in mortal pain as the fire began devouring his flesh and evaporating his blood... his healing power worked overtime to try and quench it and his reserves were depleting at an alarming rate. He writhed in a desperate attempt to snuff out the flames, his fists pounded into the floor and his scream filled the room...

"WOOOOHOOOO! HELL YEAH!" Jerai exclaimed as he struck the air with his fists, and danced around himself. "BURN, BABY! BURN!"

The smell caught Maggie's senses almost before the sound of Chrono's scream. Her own world went into slow motion as she saw the purple haired man fall down face first onto the floor, yellow flames licking up his body...

He...

Her eyes widened.

Chrono...

Her lips retracted exposing an animalistic snarl.

Her childe...

And an inhuman sound began emerging from the back of her throat.

was BURNING!

With a howl of fury, eyes drowned in rage and heedless of danger the blonde vampiress leapt straight for the Tzimisce woman in front of her. With newfound speed and strength she caught hold of two of the claws and flung the vampire aside so she could get to Chrono.

Jerai didn't sense her coming and she struck for his face before he could react. Her claws found their way into his eyes, and she drove them viciously into the sockets so only the innermost joint of her fingers were still visible. With a growl from deep withing her throat she threw the white haired vampire to the ground, clearing the path to her burning childe.

Completely controlled by instincts, she grabbed his limp body and made for the nearest escape. The fire burned her arms and her chest, but her enraged mind refused to notice it. Only one thing was going through it right now.

'Safe...'

The girl leapt over the desk and through the shattered glass door. A second leap sent her over the handrail of the balcony, and plunging towards the ground faster than the falling raindrops in a frantic flight from the top of the Savoy...

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"THE BITCH!" Jerai yelled still lying on the ground and clutching his face in his hands. He stood up shakily, moving towards the balcony to give chase. "I'M GONNA KILL THAT FUCKING BITCH!"

"Easy now..." Aion said casually, putting a hand on Jerai's shoulder to restrain him. "...let them run..."

The vampire spun around angrily, milky eyes casting a mutinous stare at his superior. Vincent and Riselle immediately came to stand beside the platinum haired demon. The large man having a stern look in his eyes saying 'don't'. The spidery woman with an expectant look in her eyes saying 'oh please do'.

Jerai let out a low grunt of resignation and went over to kick the pile of dust formerly known as James.

With a small sigh the platinum haired demon went towards the remains of the glass door, extending his arm out into the night air and letting his hand catch a few of the raindrops falling down from above. When the girl had made her escape he had done nothing but watch. He could have stopped them... had he wished to. But... he was not meant to intervene. If Chrno and the girl were supposed to flee, then he would let them, because every little thing was part of a greater whole.

After all...

He glanced towards the skies from where the droplets kept coming.

He...

Believed.

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She ran and ran...

She didn't know where she was going and she wasn't thinking about it.

'Find... Safety...'

It was all that went through her head. An instinct telling her that there was danger.

The burning had stopped.

'Rain... water... good...'

The stone and brick constructions rushed past her vision. Some of them had lights in them, and there were lights out on the streets too... too many lights. She needed to go somewhere to hide.

'Too... bright...'

There was nowhere to hide.

For how long she ran, she did not know, but at some point she came to a large metal gate. On the other side were trees, bushes and no lights.

She cleared the gate with a leap and ran into the park. She liked it better here, there were nobody nearby, and it was dark. Several stone constructions were evident scattered around the park, some of them just sculpted chunks of rock, others like small shelters...

'Shelter...'

The word rang through her head pleasantly and she knew it was synonymous with safety. Activating her senses of perception she quickly discovered one where she could hide. The little stone building had a secret... A rock in the back wall able to slide... In there they would be safe.

With one arm she ripped the rusty gate off its hinges and entered the small shelter. Pushing aside the rock in the back wall revealed a hidden stairway which she promptly ran down. The ceiling was low, the air was moldy and the stairs ended at an archway leading into a single rectangular room with no exits.

She dropped to her knees, hugging the precious thing in her arms close, and as the seconds went by in silence her consciousness slowly reemerged.

The events came back to her, and she immediately loosened her grip on Chrono...

She had to see how bad his condition was.

An expression of misery rose to her face as her eyes began to inspect him...

His midsection was literally crushed, a massive hole the size of a fist had been drilled into his stomach, smashing muscles and bones . He was horribly burned... every inch of skin was blackened... some places even crispy... His face was almost unrecognizable... what little hair was left had melted to his scalp in large black blotches. Bones were visible through his cheeks as patches of flesh had peeled off. His mouth displayed a venomous snarl because the taut skin had pulled back what remained of his lips. His eye sockets were sunken and shut... a viscous transparent fluid exuded from inside them...

'no...'

She had to cover her mouth at the sight of him. An ache in her chest the likes she hadn't experienced for decades threatened to overwhelm her. She moved the hand towards where the pain was, but could feel no beat.

How could something which had been dead for so long still hurt so much?

The pain traveled to her eyes too, and increased to an excruciating scorching as she felt the first drops of liquid form in them.

Without thinking any more she hugged the body of her childe close, and brought his mouth towards the crook of her neck...

(CC Soundtrack Gospel 2 – 12 Chrno no Kanashimi / Chrno's Sorrow)

'please... drink...'

She forced the jaws to close around her flesh, and the teeth to penetrate her skin. It hurt a bit... the feeling of pleasure only present when a vampire consciously fed...

Pushing her own blood out hurt too, but it didn't matter.

He needed blood to live.

Lots of blood.

Slowly the warm tingling sensation in her body emerged, as he began to actively feed from her. The spark of life within him had been so weak... but he wanted to live so badly that it had refused to fade away. A little smile spread on her lips... she could feel the crispiness of his skin softening, new hair growing out already...

'You'll be alright... I promise...'

Her thoughts were suddenly assaulted by the fact that they had failed to retrieve the demon head... and it would be too late now. She realized what this meant... to be illegal... to be hunted... to be made an example of...

How were they going to make it?

How would they get by?

She didn't know.

There were lots of things she didn't know.

She had just wanted him to be alright.

Her hands found their way to his chest and gently pushed him back...

His arms immediately shot around her.

Maggie let out a gasp in surprise...

She hadn't payed attention, he had been feeding from her continuously and was now holding her tight in a steel-like grip.

She tried pushing harder, but he resisted, holding her face back with his other hand as he kept drinking from her neck. A feeling of dread rose in her as she discovered she could not fight him. He had become so strong in so few days, and now that strength was pitted against her. The burning pain in her eyes returned violently. This time she could not hold it back, and droplets began pushing themselves out.

'Please... Chrono... don't do this...'

She was incapable of speaking, incapable of breaking free, incapable of fighting her childe who drank her life away.

But for some reason...

As her consciousness began to fade...

The concerns going through her mind...

They were not for her own life.

They were concerns for him.

She only wanted him to be alright.

As the droplets ran down her cheeks, staining her blouse and the ground beneath her, she realized something.

'You...'

She realized that she wasn't afraid of dying at all.

'...made me feel...'

She realized that she didn't mind giving all of her life to him, if it could make him well.

'...something I...'

She realized what that scary familiar warmth he had managed to light inside her was.

'...believed was impossible...'

And as her arms tightened with the last of her strength, wrapping around the man she would give everything, she realized what she had always been afraid of...

Dying

Alone

That would never happen now...

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(CC Soundtrack Gospel 1 – 24 Geki no Kiuko / Tragic Memory)

People talked about it the following days.

That some sort of large animal must have found its way into the heart of Los Angeles. Several had heard the sound on that very night. Whether it was the homeless man on the street or people who had been woken up in the middle of their peaceful sleep – they had all heard the same thing and described it similarly.

But nobody had an adequate explanation for what it could have been.

The curious had searched through the park the following day.

No trace of any beast was found.

Still the rumors wouldn't die down, but kept circling in and outside the neighborhood.

And among those who had actually heard the piercing sound shredding through the night, as well as those who had merely heard about it from someone else, almost everybody agreed

Something had been in the Forest Lawn memorial graveyard that night, and under mysterious circumstances simply vanished again.

Some sort of great beast.

Something... inhuman.

Because clearly no human could be capable of making such a melancholic and heart-shattering howl.

Like a demon crying out its agony towards the heavens.

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Three nights Chrono spent searching through the dismal stone tomb.

'They . . .'

Three nights he spent with wide, maddened eyes scouring over the floor, gathering every last piece of dust there was.

'. . . will PAY!''

Three nights he spent making sure that not a single part of her would lie forgotten in this darkest of pits.

'They . . .'

The three following nights he spent making the urn which would hold her.

'. . . will HURT!'

Three nights spent with his claws relentlessly hacking at the hard rock and repeatedly breaking off from his efforts, blood caking his fingers and hands.

'They . . .'

Three nights where he obsessively carved and sculpted the container without any tools, trying to form something worthy of holding her beauty.

'. . . will SUFFER!'

Six nights in total did Chrono spend making the resting place for his beloved sire, which he would carry with him forever.

'They will . . .'

Six nights during which his mind became increasingly consumed by thoughts of slaughter, as he fell further and further towards his inner beast.

'. . . ALL! SUFFER!'

And on the seventh he would go out to exact his revenge.

To be continued (obviously)


So that was the end of Maggie, the end of Chrono's optimistic outlook on the future (as well as a good deal of his humanity), and the end of what may be called 'Book One'. Also it was the first blatantly obvious CC ripoff (if you hadn't seen this one coming my skills at obscuring things are apparently a lot better than I give myself credit for), of which there of course are bound to be more.

Hopefully the whole thing served to give a good introduction to the setting, the background, and some of the characters which was the main reason for starting the story here. Of course the characters are taken directly from CC, since I really didn't feel like coming up with a bunch of OC's when I liked the original set up. (Or maybe I'm just not very creative... oh well)

And since it's been a while, I thought it might also be nice to see how the cast is doing...

Rosette: BOO-YAA! In your face wench!

Magdalene: Oh, shove it!

Rosette: How do like it now? HUH? Being all dead and gone? Now it's my turn!

Magdalene: I don't really care actually.

Rosette: HAH! You're soooooo jealous! I knew you'd never get Chrno, cause you know what? He's mine! HAH!

Chrno: (From other part of room) Goddammit! Not THAT way!

Magdalene: Sure... go ahead... you can have him.

Rosette: And there ain't a thing you can do about it! You can just sit here and... ehh... what did you say?

Magdalene: (Rolling eyes) I said 'you can have him'.

Joshua: Hey it's MY turn now!

Rosette: WHAT? NOT FAIR! You're supposed to be jealous!

Magdalene: You know what? I'm not. Considering his track record.

Rosette: What's that supposed to mean?

Magdalene: Well... he's now been in love with me twice, and he's killed me both times, so quite frankly I've had enough. And need I remind you that he's done the same to you? He obviously kills the girls he falls for.

Chrno: Just one more, I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Rosette: What? NO! He wouldn't! Not again!

Magdalene: (on her way out) Face it little girl. You're going to get killed by him. It's just a matter of how long it takes him...

Joshua: I've waited FIFTEEN MINUTES!

Rosette: NO! I don't believe... CHRNO!

Chrno: Just a sec...

Rosette: NOW!

Chrno: Aww...man... you made me miss, and I was so close to beating my record...

Joshua: Hey! My turn now!

Chrno: NO WAY! I lost it because of her!

Rosette: (Stomping angrily towards Chrno) Tell me! Are you gonna kill me again in this story?

Chrno: ehh...

Joshua: Uh oh...

Rosette: Well?

Chrno: I ehh... I don't know...

Rosette: WHAT? YOU ARE? Because if you are... (Waving fist menacingly)

Chrno: (Helplessly) But... It's not up to me... I'm just following the script! And I don't know... honestly... I don't know what's going to happen in the story!

Rosette: (Sneakily) Then we need to steal the script so we can see...

Chrno: HELL NO!

Rosette: Why not?

Chrno: Cause it's the author's dammit... and I've heard he can do things... terrible things... and if we read it and it says that I'm gonna kill you, you'll beat the crap out of me so I'd rather not know...

Rosette: (Moving closer puppy eyed) But... Kurono...

Chrno: Ehh...

Rosette: (Leaning in) If... we get the script...

Chrno: Ro-Rosette?

Rosette: (Seductively) Then... we could... add... something...

Joshua: Hey... guys... I'm still here...

Chrno: Uhh...

Rosette: (Brushing hand down his chest) You... know... (hand going lower towards waist)

Joshua: Uhmm... could you guys leave... or something...

Rosette: Something... you might... like... (Hand finding Chrno's hand and snatching object out of it) SUCKER!

Chrno: HEY! CHEATER! Give me that Wii remote!

Rosette: Nuh-uh! You've been hogging the Wii ever since we got it. It's my turn now!

Joshua: No it's not, it's mine, I've been waiting for ages!

Chrno: But I was just about to beat my high score in hitting the bullseye in that tennis thing...

Rosette: (looking at TV screen questioningly) You've hit it... twice?

Chrno: Well... it's not exactly easy...

Rosette: Stand back. I'll show you how it's done... smaaaaaaassssshhhh SERVE (Loud crash)

Joshua: Holy sh...

Rosette: oops...

Chrno: You... you threw the remote into the TV...

Rosette: I DIDN'T MEAN TO!

Chrno: There's a strap to go around the wrist, so you don't do things like that!

Rosette: But you didn't use that!

Chrno: My motor skills aren't a HAZARD TO MY ENVIRONMENT.

Rosette: It's all your fault! You should have told me I needed the strap on, you know me!

Joshua: (Buckling over in laughter)

Rosette: What so funny?

Joshua: Ehehe... I don't know if that's a good idea... I mean you... with a strap-on...

Rosette: Oh... ha ha Joshua...

Chrno: All I wanted was a game of tennis...

Joshua: I'm serious Chrno. You'd better watch out cause I think she's kinky.

Rosette: Yeah hilarious... now shut up!

Joshua: She'd probably like to tie you down... literally. And do all kinds of freaky shit to ya.

Rosette: SHUT UP Joshua!

Chrno: And now... there's not even a TV...

Joshua: And don't turn your back to her or anything...

Rosette: SHUT THE HELL UP!

Chrno: What's the point of having a Wii, when you haven't got a TV...

Joshua: Cause... when you least expect it, she'll sneak up on you and... BAM!

Rosette: Alright that's... IT!

Joshua: (Running) HELP! I'm being hunted by my sister! AND SHE'S A PERV!

Rosette: (Giving chase) I'M NOT!

Chrno: Just one lousy game of tennis... but nooo...

Well... good to see the cast is doing great. And Rosette playing Wii... Gotta admit it could have gone a lot worse than just a TV, couple of my friends got one of those – quite the addictive little thing I'd say...

Another thing... since I haven't bothered my brother with these stories for quite a while, it means that I'm doing both alpha and beta-reading myself. I believe that I'm catching the majority of grammar and language errors, but since the chapters usually are in the 5-10K word range, there's bound to be slip-ups. So if you find something that needs correction please let me know, so I can fix it.