Eye of the Midnight Storm
By: The Newly Risen From the Grave One
I'm joking, it's me, Rogue.
*Running away from angry mob* Ahhhhhh! Hey, everyone! Believe it or not, I'm not dead. I've just been away for a very, very, very long time. That and I've been totally uninspired. I mean, this is perhaps the most important chapter of this fic. And if I screw this up, then I'll feel like an idiot.
Well, the wait is over. It's FINALLY here.
The end of Eye of the Midnight Storm, Part I. It'll be explained at the bottom.
~*~*~*~*~
Do you know how it feels to feel your heart being ripped out of your chest, thrown into a fire, being hit 50 times by a sledge hammer, dragged behind a speeding car, and then thrown from a very tall building? At the same time being able to feel it?
That's how Hotaru Tomoe felt at that minute.
So, this is how heart break feels like. She thought she'd feel tears stinging her eyes and sorrow like she's never known.
But that's not what she was feeling. What was she feeling?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
She was numb. Oh god, so numb. She couldn't think, couldn't blink, couldn't even breathe.
So this is what hell feels like.
~*~*~*~
Ami felt her world come apart around her. Everything she knew, her entire universe came crashing down.
How could this possibly be? Trowa was... he was...
A vampire?
The vampire.
The one that killed Serena.
But there was no anger. There was only anguish.
Images of her time with him flashed through her mind. His kisses, his gentle gazes, his dark eyes, and his loving caresses.
How could he be? How? He was so... so... perfect.
But it suddenly made sense. That day at the library... the day after they first met. Why he didn't want to go outside.
She now knows. The reason was so clear. Was she blind not to see it before? Her love for him blinded her. Her normally logical mind made excuses for everything she should have been suspicious of.
Ignorance was such bliss.
~^~^~^~
Duo Maxwell was a vampire. Great, just dandy.
The most cheerful and bright person she knew? The charming and flirtatious brunette? The man whose eyes twinkled with life and mischief?
He was dead?
Anger seized her heart. How dare he trick her? How dare he not tell her?
How dare she fall for him?
Yes, she admits it, she fell for him.
She loved his every smile, every look, every hair on his body. She felt her knees go weak when he smiles. Her heart fluttered at the thought of his beautiful eyes. Excitement coursed through her veins when she feels his lips on hers.
She loves him.
He told her he loves her.
He was evil, incapable of feeling love.
Then why does she still believe that he does love her?
~*~*~*~
Outward tranquility hid the internal storm. So, Wufei Chang was a vampire. Double serving of irony covering a healthy helping of harsh life. What a combination.
That would explain the bitter taste in Rei's mouth.
Life just hates her. Of course, fall in love. He turns out to be evil and dead. A thousand kicks to the stomach would be better than this.
Fate had given her a taste of Heaven, in the most unlikely form. If someone had told her a year ago that one day, in the future, she would meet a man and fall in love, she would have laughed in their face. If they had told her he would be arrogant, proud, sexist and stubborn, she would have punched them.
But she did. And now?
Now she wished she hadn't been given her own private piece of Heaven. Because it was being ripped away from her. Everything she has known for the last few months is going down the drain. Along with any chances of her being happy.
~^~^~^~
Haruka growled as she quickly assessed the situation. The platinum-haired vampire was powerful, very powerful. And from what she could feel, about fifty others were with him. Oh, and let's not forget about the five Gods standing in the room.
She would be lying if she said she didn't get a bad feeling from those guys from the start. But she'd also be lying if she said she hasn't hoped she was wrong.
Truth was, no matter how hard this was to admit, she didn't mind those guys that much anymore.
Don't misunderstand, she didn't like them, that was for sure. But she wasn't stupid, Haruka could see how happy all the girls were with them. She couldn't remember when was the last time they were all truly happy. The bounce back in their steps, the smiles on their faces genuine, and the utter happiness that shone in their eyes.
"What are you talking about?"
Haruka's blue eyes focused on the one who had spoken, Heero. His eyes were blazing with both disbelief and anger.
Cold and amused laughter shook the ballroom. The vampires were sealing the exits, the human guests scared out of their minds.
"You mean you, the mighty Perfect Soldier, don't know?" The intruder mocked. "Your date, just happens to be the Slayer. And the other Gods' dates, the Huntresses."
Baby blue clashed with baby blue, violet with forest green, black with dark lavender, emerald green with ice blue and finally, Prussian blue with dark violet as eyes met. They all searched for anything that would prove the vampire's words wrong.
Yet they found nothing to do so.
"What? No hysterical crying? And here I was hoping for a nice sob feast, or killing, either one. No, both would be better."
Duo looked at the man and glared, violet eyes seething.
"Shut up, Merquise."
'Ooooh, did I upset Shinigami?"
Duo growled, a black aura suddenly surrounding him. Makoto couldn't move. There it was, evidence of who he was... what he was.
"Duo..."
The voice was low, a warning whispered by Heero. Hotaru felt her blood freeze. That was the voice of Soldier, and not the Heero Yuy she knew.
"Quatre..."
All eyes focused on the long haired blond, eyes wide as she stared at the blond to whom belonged the name just whispered.
"Say it's not true."
Quatre opened his mouth. Oh god, never has he wished more than at that point that he wasn't who and what he was. He had been doing just fine. It's been centuries since he was turned, centuries since he accepted his existence. The years have gone by both quickly and slowly. Slowly in that it's been so many years, and quickly in that he knew this was just the beginning of his life. Most vampires lived to be only a few centuries at best, but he has lived for over 1000 years.
Quatre has loved those years. He has amassed an amount of knowledge that most can only dream of. He has seen the world, thousands of cities, hundreds of countries, million of museums and befriended billions of people. He has lived out every dream he's ever had since he was a child, and the new ones that came to be as time passed.
But he would trade it all to be human. He would trade it all if it would drive away the fear, sadness and dread in Minako's eyes.
But he couldn't.
"Mina-chan, I-"
"Shut up! How do you expect me to believe anything you say?! You jerk! You beast! You- you monster!"
As soon as the words were out of Minako's mouth, she wished she could take them back. The defeated, hurt and disbelieving expression tore her already broken heart to shreds.
"Look here, Aino," Duo said, quickly defending his friend.
"Shut up Maxwell, as if anything you have to say is any better than what he does."
"Mako-chan-"
"You have no right to call me that," Makoto spit out, each word dripping with venom.
"I have no right?" Duo screamed back, the hurt from her words quickly becoming anger. "And what? I go from your boyfriend to nothing in five seconds?"
"Who ever said you were my boyfriend?" Makoto asked coldly, her dark green eyes void of any emotion.
"Who said?!"
Duo's rage was barely contained. Black energy radiated from him, the room suddenly became much darker. Makoto's resolve wavered inwardly, but like hell was she going to give up now. She was hurting, who the hell cares if he was too?
"I'll tell you who said! You! When you were screaming out my name when we were fucking like god damn rabbits, that's wh-"
Duo never got to finish his sentence as an enraged Rei sent him flying across the room with a powerful right hook. Trowa caught his comrade in his arms before the stunned vampire had a chance to land most ungracefully.
The tension in the room mounted quickly to a new high. The confused and scared humans could only watch as different colored auras, most of them dark, surrounded the hosts and the hostesses.
"Watch it onna, don't hit Maxwell, only I can."
"Shut your mouth, Chang. I haven't even started giving you a piece of my mind."
"What's that suppose to mean?! Giving me a piece of your mind, hah!"
"Exactly what I said!"
Before anyone could react, Rei and Wufei raced for each other. The last thing both wanted to do was fight, but given the circumstances, it was really the only thing to do. Wufei managed a hard kick to Rei's side. This caused Makoto to race into action as well.
Anticipating his lover's actions, Duo was more than prepared enough to intercept. As their other friends watched on, the four traded blows, the fight heating up second by second.
~*~*~
The vampire standing on the balcony smirked. Yes, the Gods and Huntresses were more than preoccupied. Blue eyes gazed at the ugly creature besides him.
"Let the feast begin."
At his words, over fifty vampires standing by rushed forward. A woman screamed as a female vampire grabbed her neck, ripping off her diamond necklace before biting down into her flesh. Soon, the ballroom was filled with screams of terror and the dying groans of men.
Heero Yuy tore his eyes from the fight between lovers. He was met with the complete carnage that had once been the happiest Valentine's Day Masquerade Ball of his undying life. He turned to the fight between the two Gods and two Huntresses. This wasn't right, not when the other vampires were butchering their guests.
"Enough!"
All eyes turned on him, four angry at the fact that he disrupted their fight and two pairs misty with unshed tears. He ignored the dull pain in his chest when he felt disgusted and hurt violet eyes on him.
"If you guys want to keep fighting, fine with me!"
To his anger, Wufei moved to strike another blow against Rei. Feeling his friend's heated gaze on him, the Chinese man stopped in his tracks.
"But, that won't solve anything, and it's not the best time for that right now."
"What do you mean?"
Heero winced inwardly at the sound of the flat and emotionless voice of one Hotaru Tomoe. But this was no time to rectify everything that's wrong between them. If they can ever be corrected. No, now was the time for the Perfect Soldier to show his detached face.
"What I mean is," he started, his voice held none of the emotions he was feeling inside, "the guests are being slaughtered."
Hotaru's eyes widened as she snapped around, looking at the ballroom instead of the area where her friends were fighting. TO her horror, the vampires were making quick work of the guests. The exits were all sealed, a few of the creatures of the night guarding each.
"Guys! Let's move!"
Before the Gods could even blink, the Huntresses were on the move, weapons summoned and each heading for a different vampire. With a shared look, they moved out as well.
A vampire groaned as a stake was put through its heart. Turning to dust, the victim fell to the ground. The delirious woman looked up. The last thing she saw was a pale face, framed by silky black hair. Violet eyes looked down at her, filled with the most unimaginable pain, covered by a smothering flame of anger. As everything went black, she thought she could see a man in the eyes of the girl, a man with the most beautiful blue eyes in the world.
^*^*^
Rei grunted as she felt a body tackle her to the ground. She could smell the rotting stench that belonged to all corpses. Before she could reach up to dust it however, a look of horror crossed its face. Soon after, it turned to dust and dirtied her dress. When she looked up, she found herself staring into a pair of angry but concerned onyx eyes.
Before her mind was able to process everything, a body went flying into Wufei, sending him half way across the ballroom. The Chinese man managed to land on his feet, though his ego was sorely bruised. As the vampire straightened to mock his opponent, a stake was slammed into his chest from behind. As it disintegrated, Wufei was able to see the narrowed eyes of Rei Hino.
"I don't need your help."
Lavender eyes narrowed even more, despite the ache in her heart at hearing his cold tone. The arrogant bastard, if it wasn't for the room full of people being attacked by vampires, she'd have a fight with him. So instead, she turned her back to him and walked calmly towards a woman being hit in the face repeatedly.
"Nor I yours."
Wufei's own eyes narrowed. He wanted nothing more than to walk over, grab her wrist, make her turn around and kiss those ruby lips before she could even comprehend what was happening. But given the circumstances, that would have to come later.
"Chang! Quite standing around and come help me!"
The vampire snapped out of his daze to see Trowa Barton being plowed into the wall by three vampires. With an annoyed growl, the angry Chinese charged.
~*~*~*~
Quatre grunted slightly as he threw a vampire off of an unconscious woman. It was one thing to suck their blood while they were awake, it's a completely different story when they're unconscious. The sword made no sound as it cut off the head.
"HELP!"
The blond cursed under his breath as he turned, ready to go help the one screaming. That is until he felt someone grab him by the collar of his shirt and throw him roughly against the wall. Blue eyes flashed silver for a split second before looking up to see who it was.
A short haired blond stood there, angry blue eyes staring down at the man in uncontained disgust. Stake in hand, she gazed at him like a piece of meat.
"Don't go charging in so recklessly."
With that, Haruka turned and disappeared into the fight. Quatre simply blinked a few times, trying to grasp what exactly just happened.
~*~*~
Ami heard Trowa's cry for help and tried with every ounce of her being not to run to him. It was hard to keep her mind on the vampires she was killing and not on whether or not he was hurt. And it was like hell realizing that the same hands that caressed her were the ones killing one vampire after another.
It also made her want to kill herself when she thought of the lips that kissed her with such a passion were the same ones that have drank the blood of thousands.
The urge to throw up was suppressed as Ami cut off the head of one of the vampires that charged her. A few wave of rage engulfed her as she renewed her attacks with vigor.
Her boyfriend, her lover was nothing but a dead, savage beast. While she fought at night to eliminate the dirty scumbags that feasted on innocents, her lover was off drinking someone's blood. She bedded the very creature she had aimed to kill for the past few months.
Spotting a vampire heading for en elderly woman lying on the ground, the Huntress known as Ice jumped flipped onto the banquet tables, her high heels destroying the remains of the feast. Blue eyes calculated the distance between the tables and the vampire with amazing speed. With a soft grunt, Ami jumped, sailing towards the female vampire.
The blue-haired genius hit the undead beast with great force, forcing it to slam into the ground with a sickening 'thud.' Without giving her opponent a chance to rise, Ami rolled onto the ground and to her feet. Her sword sailed through the air and cut through the dead tissue of the blonde vampire with deadly efficiency.
'Good job, Ami. Just keep fighting. For once in your life, don't think. Just, don't think.'
~*~*~
Duo wove through the crowds of his 'fellow' beings, scythe gleaming as if mercilessly hacked through limbs and flesh. He didn't know how many he's killed, and quite frankly, he didn't care. There seemed to be an endless supply of these miserable wretches, far more than the fifty he had originally estimated. But no matter, the more the better.
Duo felt a strong arm wrap around his neck and another pinning his arms to his side. The other vampires saw this as a chance to attack and race towards the brunette. After all, whoever killed a Supreme God would be legendary.
The violet-eyed vampire smirked. Fools, did they think a God would be defeated to easily. As the first two minions of Zechs approached, Duo slammed his head back, breaking the nose of the beast that held him. The idiot screamed in pain and tipped backwards, though never letting go of his hostage. Shinigami allowed the beast to bring him back as well, using the momentum to kick the two vampires closest to him, sending them flying through the air.
As the muscular buffoon softened Duo's landing, he rolled backwards, using his arms to push himself into the air. Upon landing gracefully on his feet, he retrieved the scythe he had dropped just seconds ago to cut off the head of a charging undead.
His eyes flickered over the ballroom, checking for anymore dense areas of vampires. The many that he found were being taken care of by one of the Gods or the Huntresses.
But his eyes only thirsted for the sight of one person. And he found her fighting by the door with Haruka, trying to carve a way for the guests to escape.
"Duo!"
The enraged voice of Quatre forced the brunette to turn his attention to his blond friend. The Desert Prince was currently defending a small group of guests.
~*~*~
Minako growled softly and used her dagger to cut off the end of her dress as several vampires surrounded her. Damn, the one time she chose a long dress was when she needed to kick some vampire butt.
'You weren't the one that wanted to wear this dress, Quatre did.'
Damn it, now was not the time to think about him.
But why not now? She was fighting his kind.
His kind. Vampires. He was one of them. He was one of the blood sucking demons that she fought so hard to destroy.
The blond embedded her dagger in the Adam's apple of a brunette vampire that looked like he was a Goth while alive. Using his surprise to catch him off guard, Love slammed the stake in her other hand into its chest cavity. A short time later, the only thing that remained was dust staining her once white dress.
A hand suddenly grabbed her arm and she instinctively turned with her stake drawn, ready to end the miserable undead life of some mother fu-
Another strong hand caught her wrist as blue eyes focused on the creature that held her. Shock was the only way to describe it as Minako stared into the violet eyes of Duo Maxwell.
Her first instinct was to relax and calm down. It was Makoto's boy.
But then she remembered. He was a vampire as well, one of the beasts that she fought so hard to rid the Earth of. With renewed resolve, she narrowed her eyes.
"Hold it, don't stake me just yet," Duo said as he ducked the punch of a vampire that came at him from behind. He didn't dare let go of Minako, so he spun the blond around, the turn creating enough momentum for him to lift her into the air. The blonde's feet fit the vampire squarely in the jaw, sending him sprawling on the ground.
Blue eyes were wide with shock as she felt her feet touch the ground again. She looked up to see the smirk on the brunette vampire's lips. Anger coursed through her, giving her enough strength to rip her wrist from his grasp and slap him.
Duo winced slightly as he felt her hand make contact with his cheek. Damn, she was strong.
"You son of a-"
"Watch the language," Shinigami said with a smile. "I just wanted you to go help Quatre."
Love's baby blues narrowed at the mention of her boyfriend's name. Duo realized that was pretty much one of the dumbest things he's done in a while and held up his hands.
"He's protecting the hostages. Let me handle these idiots."
Minako looked over at her boss, who was single-handedly defending twenty guests from several attacking vampires. Despite her confusion towards her feelings for Quatre, the Huntress in her refused to allow her to stand by and do nothing if innocent people were in danger.
Without a look towards Duo, the blonde sprinted over to help Desert Prince.
~*~*~
Haruka and Michiru moved as one to eliminate a vampire with ease. The taller woman scanned the ballroom, looking for Hotaru.
"Where is she?"
"I don't know," the violinist replied. "I can't feel her."
"You don't think she's in trouble?"
Michiru placed a hand on Haruka's shoulder. Worried blue eyes met the reassuring aqua eyes of her girlfriend and sighed.
"I guess it's a good thing we decided to come."
The blonde's bowtie was quickly loosened and abandoned.
"This is a disaster."
"Hmm… I'm worried about them."
The elegant musician moved towards the center doors leading to the garden.
"Where are you going?" her blonde lover asked.
"I just felt Hotaru."
"Where is she?"
"In the garden… with Heero and that blonde vampire."
Haruka cursed under her breath as the two raced towards the garden.
~*~*~
Heero's eyes narrowed as chaos engulfed the ballroom. The Masquerade party was down the drain. Instead of a night of romance, this was becoming a disaster.
And he had been so close to kissing Hotaru.
'Zechs you damn bastard, you've gone too far this time.'
The brunette stalked towards the balcony, feeling the icy gaze of his enemy on him. Zechs was waiting for him, waiting for the fight.
'I'll give you a fight all right.'
A vampire foolishly charged at him. Without even a glance, Heero grabbed his collar and used the moron's own momentum to lift him into the air, over his head and go flying into a pillar. His eyes were set on Zechs Merquise. This ends now.
"Where the hell do you think you're going."
The voice caused him to freeze, his eyes shutting. Damn it, not now. Hotaru.
"I think I'm going to kill Merquise."
Hotaru tightened her grip on her glaive, eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Turn around."
A growl escaped Heero's lips. He didn't have time for this, and he told her so.
"Make time, damn it," Hotaru whispered heatedly, her anger rising.
The Japanese man hung his head and his Prussian eyes opened, firm. So be it.
He turned, eyed training on his…
His what? Friend? Girlfriend?
They were to be a couple. They were close. After months of dancing around and teasing, they were actually going to be together.
But that didn't matter now. Any chance they had of being together went down the drain the second that bastard of a vampire Zechs crashed the party.
They had everything to gain but instead lost everything. There was no way they can fix this, just because she didn't know. Just because Serena didn't tell her…
'Damn it, you're about to face her in battle, don't think about her sister, don't think about her eyes… her lips…'
Okay, so that's not going to work very well. But what choice did he have? What choice did they have?
Their eyes met and Hotaru felt her heart drop. Those lovely blue eyes were not the mesmerizing orbs of the man she's come to care about. They were lifeless… the Slayer felt a shiver go down her spine.
"All right, so now you have my attention."
The raven-haired college student twitched upon hearing his bored tone. Feeling her anger spread through her limbs, causing her hold on her weapon to tighten.
"Let's get this over with."
Heero's eyes widened as Hotaru charged, summoning his sword just fast enough to block her Glaive. His feelings couldn't get involved. She was much faster and much stronger than the first time he fought her. He didn't know whether that was because she's been training hard or her emotions were fueling her. And if her emotions were…
'Does that mean she cares for me too? In that way?'
Heero felt the end of Hotaru's glaive make contact with his stomach, the metal rod hitting him with enough force to the break the rib of a normal person. All it caused him to do was take a step back and try to force all thoughts from his mind.
"You're wrong Yuy," Hotaru whispered, her eyes narrowing as she charged the brunette again.
"This will never be over!"
The ancient vampire jumped to the side to dodge what would've been a crushing blow from his opponent. Deciding that the time for defense was over, Heero brought his sword over his head and let loose all his anger in a single swipe.
The Slayer rolled out of the way, fast enough to prevent herself from getting killed but not fast enough to avoid the strike completely. A long gash appeared on her arm as the vampire's blade met the marble floor, slicing straight through and causing the area immediately around them to quake.
Violet eyes stared in shock at the sword embedded in the ground. Her opponent simply gave a slight tug and his weapon was free from the solid rock. He turned his eyes to her and rested on the wound he had given her. Hotaru thought she saw a flash of regret but it disappeared so quickly she was sure she was imagining things.
"Nothing goes on forever."
Heero heard himself speak before he was even realized his mouth was moving. He saw an expression of pain flicker over her delicate features but couldn't decide whether it was from the gash or something else.
"You've done pretty well," Hotaru snapped back as she stood. She ignored her opponent's wince. "But like you said, nothing goes on forever."
The two just stood there, processing what the young woman had just said. She had just promised Heero's death , something that made her own blood run cold and made her brunette opponent stop.
So this was it. Enemies. That's what they were. The past few months were erased in a single second.
"That was so entertaining!"
Heero turned, his eyes burning as he regarded the man that had single-handedly ruined the best night of both his and his friends' lives. Zechs Merquise stood on the balcony, smirking in triumph.
"I've finally done it. I've hurt the Perfect Soldier in a way no weapons can."
The brunette felt the hold on his emotions snap, his foe's words mixing with the devastating blow delivered by Hotaru.
"Damn you to hell, you bastard!"
Hotaru watched as her opponent turned and jumped… into the balcony. Zechs Merquise looked a bit surprised as he brought out his sword, the two blades creating sparks as they met. The two vampires stared each other down, the darker blue eyes pulsing with anger while the icy blue eyes stared back with sadist amusement.
"What's wrong? The Perfect Soldier can't handle the truth?"
"Shut up!"
"You got played, Yuy! You let this game of boy cares for girl get to you! You're pathetic!"
The platinum haired being accentuated his words with a kick to Heero's side, causing the brunette to lose his balance and grab onto the banister. Zechs brought his sword down with amazing speed, aiming for Heero's neck.
The vampire college student rolled to one side and knocked his light-haired assailant in the back with the hilt of his sword. The taller vampire cursed and turned, sword swinging. His opponent ducked and quickly made a move to stab the man that had ruined the night. The sound of metal against metal echoed in the ballroom as their blades met.
"What? Can't handle the truth? You shut yourself off for over two thousand years and a little girl, a Slayer no less, reawakes that 'caring' heart of yours. Don't you get it Yuy? You don't deserve to love!"
Heero growled and grabbed Zechs' around the waist, pushing them both through the stain glass window and sending them flying through the air.
Hotaru's eyes widened as she saw the two vampires crashing through the window. IN spite of the knowledge that Heero Yuy was the bastard that killed her sister, concern for his well-being raced through him. She ran for the exit, killing any vampire that dared get in her way.
She burst through the doors to see the two vampires at it again on the lawn. The flowers that Quatre had chosen to be planted that bloomed during late winters were all on the ground, either hacked off from their stems or crushed under the feet of the combating vampires.
Hotaru stood, rooted to the spot. What could she do?
Here were two powerful vampires battling each other, out of blood from the looks of it. She wasn't a Slayer born yesterday, she's heard of Zechs Merquise. His name popped up endless times during her research of the Supreme Gods.
Zechs Merquise, better known as the Lightning Count was supposedly a vampire as old as the Perfect Soldier himself. For unknown reasons, the two were bitter enemies, fighting countless battles in their undead lifetimes. One of them lasted for as long as a week, leaving an entire village in Southern France destroyed.
So, it wasn't surprising that he be the one to break the news to Heero that Hotaru was the Slayer. The vampire took any chance to crush his rival, whether physically or emotional.
But that still didn't tell her what she should do. On the one hand, she could just watch them fight until they kill one another. Normally, that's what she would do. The Slayer loved nothing better than the scum of the Earth killing each other.
But this was anything but normal.
Hotaru was … involved with Heero Yuy, whether or not she'd like to admit it. Though fortunately it wasn't romantic, they were friends. They were slowly becoming more than just friends. No matter how much she hated the Perfect Soldier, she couldn't break off ties with Heero Yuy just like that.
'You threatened to kill him, I don't think you're having any problems wanting to kill him. Remember what you said?'
~I was speaking to the Perfect Soldier then. This is Heero.~
'How do you differentiate the two?'
~Simple, the Perfect Soldier is an emotionless bastard that killed my sister. By the looks of it, the man fighting Zechs Merquise is anything but emotionless right now. His eyes… they burn… only Heero's eyes burn like that.~
'He is fighting the Lightning Count, the Perfect Soldier's worse enemy.'
~Yeah, but still…~
'Snap out of it, Tomoe. Heero Yuy IS the Perfect Soldier. The Perfect Soldier IS Heero Yuy. You can't separate the two just like you can't separate Hotaru Tomoe and the Slayer. And as the Slayer, you need to kill the both of them.'
Hotaru felt her mouth go dry at the realization. The voice was right. She was the same person as the Slayer, there was no separating the tow of them. And Heero Yuy was the vampire that had killed her sister. And for that, he would die. NO matter how much it hurt.
~*~*~
Heero grunted when he felt Zechs slam into him from behind, sending him sprawling on the ground and his sword from his grasp. He moved just in time to avoid feeling the Lightning Count's sword in his stomach and scrambled to retrieve his sword.
This fight wasn't going well for him. Every time he looked at Zechs, his anger consumed him. Any slight chance he had of defeating his rival disappeared when he remembered what the vampire had caused. Instead of helping him, his anger caused his logic to go flying out the window. Emotions only hurt him in battle.
'And in everything else,' he growled as he felt the familiar feel of his sword in his hands.
"You're not even trying, Yuy. If the thought of killing you wasn't so pleasing, I'd almost be disappointed in your lack of effort."
The insult only added fuel to the fire. Heero lashed out, sword swinging left and right. His opponent only laughed at him and sent a world-shattering punch to his stomach. The brunette grunted softly and socked his rival in the jaw.
Zechs growled in annoyance as he charged his enemy. Heero was more than prepared for the meeting of their blades and braced himself.
Zechs' alarm bells went off as he stopped abruptly. He felt the chill of a breeze as a metal Glaive sliced through the air where he would've been if he hadn't stopped.
Ice blue eyes turned in annoyance to meet the void violet eyes of the Slayer. He reached out mentally to feel her aura and was slapped back most forcefully. She was stronger than any slayer he's met before.
'Damn it, Yuy just has to pick the strong one. No matter. The stronger she is, the easier she'll kill the bastard.'
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Slayer."
The comment meant to elicit a response didn't. Instead, Hotaru swung the Glaive at his head. He hadn't expected her to attack him. He figured she would go after Yuy if it came down to fighting the two of them.
When her strike missed, Hotaru turned her attention to an approaching Soldier. The brunette vampire barely brought his sword up in time to block the blow.
'And I was right.'
The Lightning Count watched in amusement as the fight in the ballroom continued on. The Slayer seemed to have every intention of hacking off the Prussian-eyed vampire's head, something Zechs was only too happy to watch.
Watch, until that Glaive of hers came swinging towards him again. Just like that, Zechs found himself in a three way battle with an enraged vampire and a Slayer out for blood, in a matter of speaking of course.
It was one thing to fight Yuy, but it was another to add a Slayer to the mix. If they were both trying to kill Yuy, Zechs had no doubt the brunette vampire would be dead. But she was focusing on both of them, and so the platinum-haired vampire couldn't even focus all of his attention on his rival in fear of being skewered by the Slayer's weapon.
~*~*~
Haruka grunted as she flipped another vampire over her shoulder and her partner quickly bring a stake into its chest.
Their journey to the doors was disturbed by the attack of several vampires. As they finished the last attacker, Haruka looked around.
All of the vampires had been eliminated. Minako and Quatre were evacuating the last of the guests. The other Huntresses and Gods were scattered around the room, eyeing each other in hesitation. What were they supposed to do?
The thought was answered when the doors leading to the garden flew open, the glass shattering.
~*~*~
Zechs growled in annoyance as the Slayer attacked him, destroying once again a chance of killing Yuy. Every time he had a chance, she would take it away from him by attacking.
"I've had enough of your interference!" He bellowed in anger.
Hotaru looked up to see a large, energy ball speeding towards her, courtesy of the Lightning Count. She could feel her hair stand on end. It was far more powerful than anything she's managed to create.
Just as she closed her eyes and readied herself for the blow, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. She felt her head being tucked under someone's chin and the familiar musky smell.
'Heero…'
Hotaru bit the inside of her cheek when she felt her back slam into the double oak doors that led to the garden. Their flight continued as they sailed into the middle of the ballroom. The Slayer gripped the material of her protector's suit when she felt herself land roughly, his weight pinning her to the ground.
~*~*~
The Huntresses and Gods realized seconds after the entrance of the pair that they were actually their friends. Before they could run over to help, the sound of broken glass under someone's shoes. Every pair of eyes save two found their way to the vampire making his way into the ballroom, smirking.
"Isn't that sweet. Congratulations, Yuy, you saved her."
Hotaru groaned as she felt the pieces of glass dig into her back. She knew her back was going to be one giant bruise after that landing. Her ribs weren't feeling too great either.
A grunt from above her informed her that her savior was still conscious.
"Heero?"
The brunette felt his mind work once again when he heard the woman beneath him whisper his name. The smell of burnt flesh reached them both, causing the urge to throw up to hit Hotaru.
"Heero?"
The ancient vampire forced himself to roll off the woman and onto his side. It hurt like a bitch to move. But with the dangerous vampire stalking towards them, he had no choice.
Zechs approached them eagerly, ready to finally kill his rival. The energy blast he had sent towards his enemy's little Slayer was far from what he would've used to kill Yuy, but more than enough to stun the little fool. He hadn't expected that the vampire would leap in front of his love interest. But then again, love made you do crazy things. Useless emotion.
And it was the reason he was finally going to be able to kill Yuy. It had some uses after all.
Hotaru could hear the click of Zechs' heel against the marble as he approached them. She looked over at Heero, who was having some difficulty standing at the moment.
"Hold it right there, ya bastard."
The Slayer practically sighed in relief when she heard the gruff and enraged voice of Duo Maxwell. Looking over at the brunette, she realized that the Gods and Huntresses were all standing on opposite sides of the room. And she was on the Gods' side.
"Watch your mouth, Maxwell."
Violet eyes simply narrowed at the arrogant tone of Zechs' voice. The damn vampire, always thought he was better than them. Well, he'll show him.
"Why you-"
"Duo."
Everyone's attention shifted to the brunette that was now on his feet, but swaying slightly. Hotaru winced upon seeing the carnage that was Heero's back.
Zechs simply smirked. Good, he was back on his feet. It would make knocking him down again so much more fun.
"I don't think you want to stay here any longer, Count."
Ice blue eyes narrowed at the disrespectful use of his hard earned nickname. The smirk on the Prussian-eyed vampire's lips only him angered more as his grip of the hilt of his blade tightened.
"And why is that?"
Heero's eyes closed, though it was not from fatigue but to show his rival that he dared to close his eyes, even though he was weaker at this point and unarmed. As he intended, it pissed the Lightning Count off to no end.
"Look around."
It was then, for the first time, that Zechs noticed the presence of others. And none of them were his minions. His icy exterior cracked for a split second to show his realization that he was horrible outnumbered. Even if the Huntresses and Gods went for each other, they would make time to attack him.
"I win."
Zechs' angry roar shook the entire room, causing a few of the other people in the room to wince. The vampire's aura flared to life, sending a chill down Hotaru's spine.
"You win nothing, Yuy. You think that just because I don't kill you, you win? Face it Yuy, I win. Because even if you live tonight, your life has just become a living hell."
The brunette vampire tried not to let how much Zechs' words affected him show as the platinum haired vampire disappeared. He felt a sigh escape his lips and his shoulders to sag before he fell forward.
Trowa was there in a flash to catch his fallen comrade, careful not to touch the wound on his back. Everyone else stayed where they were, eyeing each other.
Haruka growled softly as she made her way over to Hotaru. The girl sat up and stood with the help of the tall blonde.
Silence settled over all of them and no one dared to break the silence. NO one even asked what the hell Haruka and Michiru were doing at the party, but that hardly seemed important at this time.
The Slayer and the Perfect Soldier locked onto one another, one leaning on her friend for support while the other was basically being carried by his companion.
Hotaru could tell all her friends were waiting for her to tell them what to do. Should they attack? Or should they just leave? She was in far better shape than Heero was, and since the Huntresses outnumbered the Gods, they could very well win.
But that would involve her friends killing their boyfriends, and she killing Heero, He wasn't her boyfriend but he was…
'Don't go there right now.'
But she could kill them right now. Avenge Serena.
'Oh god, Serena. What am I supposed to do?'
She heard Heero grunt and the smell of burnt flesh reached her nose again. He was hurt. He was weak enough for her to kill him. He got hurt while saving her.
'Are you as low as them? Killing him after he saved you?'
But he wasn't human. It wasn't like stabbing someone in the back. It was giving the scum of the Earth what he deserved. So did he deserve death after his act of kindness?
Heero could see the gears turning in the short girl's head. She was trying to decide whether or not to attack. One quick look around the room and he prayed that she wouldn't decide to fight. From the looks of it, none of them could stand the thought of fighting one another.
The couples were staring into each other's eyes, trying to find a way to undo the knowledge they had gained. Yet at the same time, they knew the newest information had held an important part of their lover's personality. It explained so much and made up so much of who they were. And that killed them.
"Let's go."
Hotaru's sharp command shattered the silence that reigned for what seemed like years. Slowly, the Huntresses seemed to awake one by one from their trance and broke their gazes with their boyfriends. The boys almost seemed hesitant to let them leave, but knew it would be for the best.
Hotaru looked at the five men she has come to know and to like. These were the Supreme Gods. The beast that had killed her sister. And yet, why did it hurt to finally know who they were? It wasn't supposed to hurt. She was supposed to feel pleased, pleased that she finally found her sister's murderers and kill them.
But she just felt empty. And her heart wrenched at the thought of fighting them and eventually killing them. But she was a Slayer. Her job was to fight vampires and her destiny to kill them. No matter who they were.
"Next time we meet," Hotaru said as she and the others reached the door, "we meet as enemies."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There ya go! THE END!
*Ducks as readers threaten to kill her* Not the end of the fic! The end of the first part of the trilogy! I did tell you guys I'm splitting up the stories into three sections, right?
Well, this is the end of the first section, Eye of the Midnight Storm: The Paths That Merge. The next part will be EotMS: Fighting for Survival. It will document the struggle of the couples as they try to decide what to do with the love they have discovered while battling each other. It's a fight to make their loves work and a fight to stay alive while the people that you love try to kill you.
The last part of the trilogy will be EotMS: Plunge Into Darkness. It'll pick up from the dramatic ending of Fight For Survival.
This fic is a lot longer and complicated than I originally planned when I decided to write a SM/GW story revolving around vampires. And I really do apologize for taking so long to update. This isn't the best chapter I've ever written and I'm sorry if this disappointed any of you. But my writing style is changing, for better or for worse is your call.
Well, thanks for reading. And look out of the second part of the Eye of the Midnight Storm Trilogy, Fighting For Survival.