I don't own Vampire Hunter D, except for the Bloodlust DVD and the novels 1-15. If I actually did have D, he would be doing my chores and looking awesome while he did them.


Title: Following His Footsteps

Rating: T, for teen.

Summary: Traveling with the dhampir who may (or may not) be his brother, Dualarc learns that with D actions are louder than words.


"So, what do you think? Should I get another hoodie or go for an actual coat?"

He didn't answer.

I had my spare set of pants wrapped around my head á la hood. It was the best form of protection from the sun that I had available, even if it did bring my spare clothes down to underwear and socks. I could see our destination (Welcome to Myrsburg! said the sign) a little bit down the road. I hoped any tailors within weren't unwilling to sell to a dhampir. Failing that, I hoped no one would realize that was what I was.

There wasn't much hope of that while I was around D. Not sure why, but he never tried to hide what he was, even when it would make life easier for him. As soon as we got into town, I would have to get away from him (irony) and get my shopping down before the rumor mill got all the way around town.

There weren't many guards at the front gate. That was a good sign. It meant no one expected much trouble. D rode up to the gate, I followed on foot and we were waved through. Of course, this wasn't until he had sworn to be out of town by nightfall. A peaceful Frontier town is still a Frontier town.

He had to have something to do or else he would have just ridden right on past the town like he had done to the last six or seven settlements. I felt pretty confident that he wouldn't leave for at least an hour or so, giving me plenty of time to get my shopping done. Three streets after we entered through the gate, I split from D's trail and went looking for my tailor.

I found one only four blocks away. The only person inside was the owner, a bent old man working at a sewing machine behind the counter. I stepped through the doorway and pulled my makeshift head wrap off gratefully. Walking around in that thing was just embarrassing. The tailor had his back to me as I entered and I was about to clear my throat when I noticed something.

There was a set of glasses on the counter by the cash register.

Now, I am not proud of what I did next. A little amused, sure.

I palmed the glasses and dropped them into my pocket.

'Okay then, Let's try this.'

"Excuse me?"

The old man harrumphed and turned away from his machine. Sure enough, he was squinting at me.

With much let me get closer and where'd I put my darn specs, I walked out with a new outfit and no cash. I didn't have time to be fitted, which left me with buying the things he had available on the shelves. This saddened me, because the only coat that fit was a jacket with no hood. Desperate to avoid using my pants as a face guard again, I asked him to throw in a battered looking scarf that had been wadded up and tossed in with the socks. A few quick loops around my head and I had a workable solution to my dilemma. So long as no one mistook me for a ninja, I'd be fine. I made sure to drop his glasses and then 'find' them on my way out.

Sliding my sunglasses back into place, I breathed a happy sigh of relief. That was one problem solved. Now I just had to find D before he split town.

Couldn't take very long.


….

…Okay, I take that back.


The bastard had gone back on his own trail so many times that it was like being inside one of the mazes the newspapers put in the puzzles section. I endured it for all of half an hour before giving up and just heading for the gate to wait for him.

Then the guards received the 'opening' signal from the guys at the other gate. You know, the one at the other end of the town.

The sole reason they have this set of signals to alert the other guys that someone is entering or leaving is for situations like this; where one person is leaving town and the other person at the opposite end doesn't want them to. Granted, it was probably designed more to contain escaping criminals from the officers pursuing them, but the thought behind it was the same.

Damn it, D!


Stop ignoring me, I'd said.

I'm not a kid and I can take anything, I'd said.

The whole point of making mistakes is to learn from them. With as many as I had made, I should be a genius by now.

So, why was he still running circles around me with this kindergarten B.S.? Why had I not even once thought that he would use the other gate?

And why was every single person in this whole town suddenly in my freaking path?


I caught up to him at sunset.

I'd spent hours running after him to get back the lead he had gotten over me. It was just like the good old days when we had first met: him, pretending I didn't exist. The horse, not caring that I existed. Yours truly, wishing one or both of them would break a leg sometime soon.

He was stopping for the night and had just set up a small fire for his plasma tea when I staggered off the road, panting like a dog under the summer sun. I knew he was making tea, because he never made a fire for anything else. Dhampirs can see in the dark like daylight, nothing with half a brain needed to see a fire to be told to stay away from him and it wasn't out of any desire for warmth. I haven't really gotten hot or cold in weeks, no matter how sunny or cloudy the weather was. I'm not sure I can anymore.

He didn't look up at me as I dropped down on the other end of the fire. I was fishing through my rather small amount of belongings for a kettle and my own stash of plasma capsules when I heard a low, quiet inquiry reach my ears.

"When did you realize I was using the other gate?"

I blinked and glanced up at D. He was staring at me from across the tiny flames and in spite of the question, his black eyes were as empty as ever.

I shrugged and pulled the tiny kettle from the bottom of my pack. There was a placid river a few yards away and I walked over to fill the kettle with its waters.

"I was at the gate opposite the one we'd entered through. I knew you weren't staying because I heard you promise to be out before sunset, so I just went to the gate we hadn't been through and waited for you. That mixing up your scent thing would have worked if it wasn't for that. Why would you have been going to all those buildings if there wasn't anything in town you really wanted? You could get basic supplies, catch up on the news and be out before an hour had passed. Didn't think you'd go back the way we came, though," I explained.

"Hm," was his only response.

Jerk.

It only occurred to me later, as I was drifting off to sleep beneath a big elm tree, that I had just explained how I had found out his deception and made it that much easier to screw me over the next time he felt like it.

Crap.


So, nothing really happens in this one.

But hey, I'm back to writing and Dualarc got his new clothes. No more pants on his face!