A/N: Hey, here's the next chapter, I told ya I was working at a speedy pace. lol. Thank you everyone for all the wonderful reviews! ^_^
To Ralph Wiggum, wow! You're like my most prominent reviewer! Thank you soo much and I hope my next few chapters do not disappoint.
To Light^_^ the idea of Tai becoming vampirized (*shrugs* I don't think that's a word, my spellcheck is going psycho w/ it lol) anywho, I'm liking the prospect of it, but we'll just have to see, it wasn't originally part of the storyline.
To raptorix, what a kick @$$ cool idea for vampire digimon. You just gave me a brill idea for a fic. No vamp critters in this fic though, but if I can work out all the fine details I may write a fic w/ them. ^_^
This was no good, the vampire thought as he flew upon wings of fury into the night sky.
"Master, I'm sorry." The auburn haired fledgling continued to sob into his silk shirt, as she clutched at his lapels, leaving a small stain of blood on the soft material.
"Do not weep my dear. Save your strength for the final battle." He hissed.
Sora's blood shot eyes blinked inquisitively. "Final battle?" she asked.
"Your little mishap has caused quite a commotion, and now I fear our enemies are close at hand." Vlad explained.
At this, Sora buried her face into the vampire's chest. Guilt overcame her. Confusion ruled her mind, but what hurt her worst of all was the fluttering sensation in her chest. It pained her greater than any stab wound could inflict. It was like a virus, devouring her from the inside out, yet she could not cure it, and knew not what it was.
Her loyalty lay with Vlad, yet some unknown force had pulled her to that boy. And when she had seen his crest and heard his voice call out to her, it was then she knew she could not harm him, but how to explain this to Vlad. And if she were to explain, would he listen? Would he understand? Or would he condemn her for such treacherous thoughts?
The young girl had no time to ask anything of him, as they arrived back outside the graveyard, and he gently set her on her feet.
"Come, we must prepare." He ordered, signaling for her to follow, he would not carry her any longer.
"Everything go as planned?" Mircea inquired sarcastically once the two were within the confines of the lair. Vlad shot him a cold glare, with enough malice to freeze the blood of even the undead.
"I expected as much." Radu snorted, "The girl is too young, the vampire instinct is fresh in her mind. She requires more training."
"We have NO time!" Vlad pressed, looming in front of his younger brother so that they were eye to eye with only an inch separating them.
The younger vampire shrank back. At times, he was one to be arrogant, and even so bold as to mock or question Vlad, but his brother had been in a mood the entire night, and he felt it was wise to lay low.
"They are coming." The eldest immortal stated.
Mircea, who had been staring at Sora during the interaction between Vlad and Radu now glanced up at the two.
"And she is at fault!?" Mircea half asked, half accused as he lunged towards Sora, eyes burning fiercely. "Treacherous jade!" he cried.
No sooner had he lifted off the ground to attack, then Vlad using his preternatural skill, slid in between the two, blocking the oncoming peril.
"NO!" his voice shook the walls, causing small particles of dust to detach and flutter to the floor.
Sora winced and clutched at the trinket she bore around her neck.
"You will not lay a hand on her!" Vlad shouted, grabbing Mircea by the collar with icy cold hands and flinging him backwards. Mircea sailed through the air before slamming into the large wooden double doors. A loud crack was heard, but it had only been the wood splitting under the tremendous force. Mircea slid to the floor. With little effort he arose quickly, seemingly unscathed.
"We must prepare for their arrival. And she," he scowled and addressed the girl with one long outstretched finger, "is a vital aspect to our victory!"
"The years have made you mad!" Mircea sneered. "Let us destroy her now, and deal with these children in our own way!"
"We will do no such thing!" the head vampire hollered, his voice raising an octave. "Are you forgetting who the master is around here?" Vlad hissed vehemently.
To this, Mircea simply folded his arms indignantly. His brilliant eyes flickered with supernatural prowess.
"Fine." He stated icily. "Do what you wish. I will tell you this…that girl has infected you somehow, but if you wish to die tonight, then follow your heart." The last word came out as if Mircea were referring to a wretched creature that served little purpose but to be killed.
Vlad's eyes narrowed at this remark and his violet eyes began to take on a reddish hue.
"You will guard the northern entrance." He instructed. "Now out of my sight you cur!"
Mircea obeyed only to be out of his brother's presence.
"As for you," Vlad indicated to Radu, "you will stand watch at this entrance. There are only three ways to enter, I will look after the eastern wing."
Radu merely bowed in acknowledgement before Vlad gathered Sora in his arms and led her down the long corridor.
Tai's heart pounded in his chest, his shoes crunching the gravel as he ran.
"Hurry up you guys!" he cried out to his three companions, making their way as quick as they could to where he stood at the front gate of the cemetery.
The night was still upon them, but the sun would be rising soon. This indeed would give them the upper hand, but they had to find the vampire's lair first.
Out of breath, Matt halted beside his best friend. Reaching for his digivice, he glanced down at the apparatus and let out a short sigh when he discovered Sora's life force was still blinking.
"We're close." Tai muttered, prying at the gate.
"Of course we're close, this IS the cemetery." T.K. said huffing and puffing up to them, followed by Kari.
"What took you so long?" Tai asked in response to T.K.'s sarcasm.
"Well, we're the ones carrying the packs." Kari stated matter-of-factly.
"So what all did you guys bring?" Matt asked, as his breath finally began to calm. They had left without so much as a word or a note to Tai's parents, and ran the entire way, unable to stop as Tai pushed on, refusing to let up until they reached their destination.
The older blonde unzipped T.K.'s backpack and peered inside. "Flashlight, good idea…wooden stakes?" he blinked, "Don't tell me this is holy water?" he asked, pulling out a small vile of clear liquid.
"Not exactly." Kari giggled. "We kinda made it in the sink."
"Crosses." Matt said, pulling out the last item. "I guess that should about do it."
As that was said, Tai finally managed to wrench open the two steel gates.
"Alright…" he said nervously, "we all set?"
Matt nodded, while T.K. gave a reassuring smile, as Kari held two thumbs up.
"Here goes." Tai said, leading the way into the murky fog that lay before them.
"You know something of these…crests." Vlad said, eyeing Sora with unbridled scrutiny. Sora felt as though he were trying to see through her, rather than look upon her.
"You may inspect it if you wish." She said, holding her crest out to him.
Vlad shook his head impatiently. "That would not answer my question." He replied, gazing down at the crest that lay in her outstretched palm, a sneer curled upon his lip.
"I do not understand what you mean. How would I know of such things?" she asked tentatively.
"Liar!" he exclaimed, an angry hand finding its mark upon her cheek.
Sora stumbled back in horror.
"You said yours stood for Love!" he cried, his temper relevant in his voice, as well as his actions.
"I did?" Sora asked, faintly recalling the occurrence. She rubbed her crest in her hand, trying, almost forcing herself to remember. More thoughts of the goggle-clad boy entered her head, as well as eight shining crests, each illuminated in their own distinct color.
"Mine is Love…" she said, her voice sounding distant. "And…then there is Courage."
"Yes?" Vlad coaxed. "And who is Courage?"
"T-Tai." She stuttered, her body began to tremble. The name had come to her, but she did not know from whence it had manifested.
The wheels in Vlad's vampiric mind began to spin as he weighed his opponent. Courage would be easy to defeat, especially for one whose very name had struck fear in the hearts of millions.
"There are more." Vlad interrupted her thoughts.
"Yes…Knowledge."
Knowledge was already a memory, no troubles there.
"Friendship." Sora continued.
"And who might Friendship be?" Vlad inquired.
"Matt." She said, a puzzled look on her face, as if the name both meant something to her but didn't.
"The blonde." Vlad mused. "I have not finished with him yet." he chuckled sinisterly.
"And…Hope."
"When I am through with them, there shall be no hope!" Vlad announced, clenching his fists in an early triumph.
Somewhere along the lines, Mircea had been correct. Vlad's mind had become fogged. Perhaps it was Sora's Love, or the way he underestimated his opponents. For one who had become a pillar of supernatural strength, his strategic mind was rendered dull by his overconfidence. At one time, the key to his success would have been a well thought out plan accompanied by his preternatural powers. But now, he foolishly relied on his powers alone to win the battle.
"I have heard enough!" he said, raising his pristine chin in arrogance. His eyes twitched back and forth as his ears detected a sound inaudible to those of mortal ears. Sora's head perked up as she had heard it too.
"They are here." He grinned wickedly, the aroma of fresh blood already invading his senses.
Tai gazed around suspiciously. It had been almost too easy to find the vampire's hideout. He expected trouble along the way, a few undead, some rogue vampires, or at least some sort of change in the weather, but everything was calm, and eerily too placid for his liking.
"So we found the place," T.K. announced, the LCD on his digivice blinked wildly, "But how do we get in?"
Matt ran his hand along the cold, stone surface. Their search had led them to an unmarked headstone.
"Do we dig?" Kari asked, wandering around to the other side of the grave marker.
Tai's hands rested on his hips as he tried to solve this puzzle.
"The vampire wouldn't bury himself, would he?" The dark haired boy treaded along the perimeter of the grave. "The dirt isn't fresh, look there's grass growing here. The earth has been untouched for some time."
"Unless this is one of his tricks." Matt reminded, absent-mindedly scratching the stitches below his neck that had already begun to heal.
The three boys jumped as Kari let out a startled gasp.
"What is it!?" Tai said, rushing to her side, dreading what he would find.
"There wasn't any writing before." Kari stuttered, her lip quivering as small beads of sweat glistened on her forehead.
"Huh?" Tai stood puzzled, as he bit his lower lip, the sense of paranoia never leaving him, as he glanced around quickly before looking in the direction where his sister was pointing.
Matt's mouth dropped open in a mix of shock and fear, while T.K.'s breath caught in his throat. Tai only clenched his fists, a scowl crossed his face, and an air of resolve seemed to settle over his features. He would not be intimidated.
On the gravestone read each of their names, followed by date of birth and date of death. Kari clutched T.K.'s arm fearfully, as he was the closest to her at the time.
"It's okay Kari." He soothed, but then his muscles tensed as he witnessed a crimson liquid oozing forth from the letters. Now he understood why Kari had reacted the way she did.
Matt turned his head and frowned. "It's just a trick to scare us." He said under his breath.
Tai ran around to the backside of the headstone and leaned up against it with all his weight.
"What are you doing?" the older blonde queried.
"Oh I get it." T.K. chimed, releasing Kari's hand and running over to assist Tai.
Together, the two pushed on the large slab of stone, and slowly but surely it began to slide across the wet ground. The mist still hung thick in the air, but the fading moonlight helped them to see a little bit of their surroundings.
Kari began to dig in her backpack for the flashlight she had brought.
As his sister continued her search, Tai peered down into the darkness they had uncovered. It seemed to him that this was some sort of passageway that led further down into the depths of Vlad's domain.
A snapping sound caught the teenagers' attention, as Matt whipped his head around in the direction of the disturbance.
None of them dared to breath.
"I knew this was too easy." Tai whispered, as the children began to huddle together, each of them back to back. Ready for an attack from either side.
Out of the fog loomed a tall, wretched looking figure accompanied by the stench of rotting flesh. The smell stung their noses, as its owner appeared before them. With one long spindly hand, it shot out, clutching T.K. by the neck as he tried to evade it. The creature's eyes hung from their sockets. It was clad in tattered clothes; it's skin a greenish pallor, while most of its face resembled that of the skull that was scarcely hidden by one layer of slime-covered tissue.
It let out a sickly gurgle as its icy fingers closed around the young boy's neck.
"Matt!" the teenager barely managed as his air supply was cut off. The creature lifted him from the ground and brought him in close. T.K.'s entire body began to quake and he squeezed his eyes shut as the ghastly scent caused them to tear up.
Wasting no time, Matt sprang to his brother's aid. Grabbing Kari's backpack, he swung it at the zombie, knocking one of his arms loose as it hurled through the air.
The creature's glowing yellow eye sockets narrowed at the blonde and it let out a vile hiss. T.K. suppressed the urge to vomit as he dug his fingernails into the soft, squishy flesh of the zombie's hand, desperately tearing at it to free himself.
The mutilated appendage, as if guided by a force all its own, scuttled across the ground on four fingers and latched onto Kari's leg. With tremendous force it pulled her leg right out from under her and she let out a yelp as her body crashed to the earth.
"Kari!" her brother cried, as he moved to help her. However, he never quite made it, as a dark figure tackled him to the ground, knocking the wind from him.
Matt went to swing again, when the creature kicked the bag from his hands. It landed in a heap before Kari; it's contents strewn upon the ground.
By this time, T.K.'s face had begun to turn a pale blue, as his wary arms reached up for one final attempt at salvation. With trembling hands, using his index and middle finger, he drove them into the empty sockets. The boy felt a warm gooey substance ooze from the hollow caverns as he withdrew his fingers.
The undead figure let out a screech of anguish as it released its grip on T.K. The young blonde fell to the ground with a thud. Gasping for breath, T.K. managed to pull himself into a sitting position, while the creature flailed and screamed, walking in a drunken fashion.
Matt reached down to help his brother up, but taking his eyes off the hideous monster stumbling around had proven to be a costly mistake, as the creature, blinded by pain and rage, lunged at him, knocking him on his back.
"NO!" T.K. cried, scrambling up on his own. He started for his brother, when an ear -piercing cry caught his attention. He whirled around to see Kari battling with the detached body part. T.K. instinctively lurched forward and stopped himself to glance back at Matt, who was making raspy, gurgling noises, as the zombie's foot drove down upon his neck. The older blonde was about to use his hands to try and wrench the foot free when a pair of decaying hands shot up from the earth and latched onto his arms, pulling them down at his sides.
T.K. could tell he was in a double bind and froze in absolute fear. What was he to do? Help his brother, or help Kari?
"T.K.!!" the brunette screamed, as she felt along the ground for a weapon, while fending off the limb with her other hand. Finally her fingers wrapped around something. Lifting the cross high, she drove it down into the dead hand. It immediately sizzled and started to retreat when it disintegrated into dust particles.
"Here!" she cried, tossing the cross to the petrified teen.
The young boy caught it and ran up behind the creature, driving it into its back. With one last wail of despair, the body of the undead dematerialized, leaving nothing but dust in its wake.
Matt continued to struggle against the green hands that held him down, as Kari and T.K. knelt down beside him and pulled him free. He sputtered and choked as he tried to get his wind back.
"Thanks." He managed.
Tai struggled helplessly as the dark figure pinned him down. He writhed and kicked his legs, doing everything he could think of to break free. But the man's hold was too strong. Sharp nails dug into his wrists, causing faint trails of blood to drip down his hands.
The scent enthralled the vampire, as he bared his glistening white fangs for the boy. The heat of the vampire's breath caused Tai's skin to crawl. The demonic being moved in closer, enjoying the sense of fear elicited by the young man.
"I will enjoy killing off the leader." He hissed into Tai's ear.
With one mighty blow, Mircea was struck back. His hand clutched the burning sensation that seemed to spread across his face and he roared in pain. A branded indentation of the crucifix Kari had wielded was now evident on the creature's left cheek.
"Leave my brother alone!" her voice rang sharp, sounding much more deadlier than it ever had.
Mircea was now seething with animosity towards the bearer of Light. Gathering up all his supernatural strength, he lunged towards her, fangs bared, his talon-like fingernails outstretched.
"Kari no!" Tai screamed, as his sister was about to be overtaken and mauled by the blood-sucking fiend.
Time seemed to move in slow motion as Tai frantically hurried to stand up. He had to help her…he couldn't let Kari get hurt. But it was too late; he would never make it in time…his only hope…
Hope! His mind cried, as T.K. dove in front of the girl, brandishing a wooden stake. T.K. squeezed his eyes shut as he plunged the piece of wood deep into Mircea's chest. An enormous blast of light knocked him backwards and into Kari. Both teenagers crumpled to the ground, as Mircea let one last cry of anguish escape him before his body exploded into ash. Matt and Tai shielded their eyes from the bright glare, and for an instant, Tai almost thought he had caught a look of regret and pity upon the porcelain features of Mircea's face, but dismissed it as he ran over to his sister's side.
"Are you okay?" he asked with concern to both T.K. and Kari.
"Uh huh." The golden haired boy nodded.
"I think so." Kari replied, inspecting herself for injury.
"That's one down." Tai stated.
"And two more to go." Matt finished, staring at the three solemnly.
Kari lifted herself from the ground and dusted off her clothes. She turned to T.K. who had been standing next to her, looking somewhat disoriented.
"Thanks," she said simply, casting her eyes to the ground as she felt her cheeks begin to glow a reddish-pink.
T.K. reached for her hand slowly, he was afraid she might pull back, but never the less he did so anyway. His fingertips came in contact with hers and she squeezed them tightly.
"I will never let anything happen to you." He whispered as she brought her gaze up to his. Her sparkling brown eyes seemed to reflect off of his own crystal blue orbs, and she smiled.
Tai and Matt gazed back down into the depths of the hole they had uncovered. The dark-haired boy's eyes searched the darkness suspiciously. After that attack, he trusted no passageway unless he could thoroughly inspect it.
Matt reached down by his foot and retrieved the flashlight Kari had been searching for. In all the commotion it had been scattered with the rest of their items and now rested by his feet. He flipped the switch on and shined it into the shadows.
"Looks safe." Tai muttered, taking the flashlight from Matt. His brotherly instincts kicked into gear again and he instructed the two younger children to stay in the middle of the line, while he led, and Matt would guard the rear. Neither T.K. nor Kari protested. Tai was far too engulfed in his search and rescue mission to have the patience to deal with any refusals.
T.K. still clutched the wooden stake he had used to defeat Mircea, while Kari still possessed her cross. Matt took one last glance behind him before one by one they lowered themselves into the pit, following the glow of Tai's flashlight.
***Okay I'm working as fast as my fingers can type to get the rest of this out by the end of the week. *crosses fingers* So R+R….like I need to ask.lol.