*-*-* Théâtre Des Vampires- Chapter 1 *-*-*
The girl next-door from hell. It was a nickname Haruka had given her early on. "Big blues
eyes just don't fit one of us, your whole look just doesn't fit one of us," the ever-tactful
blonde had pointed out. 'One of us.' 'Us.' Vampires. She had been stuck with the curse for
over a century, ever since she, as a simple servant girl, had had the misfortune of leaving her
window open as she slept not long after her twenty-first birthday. She had been startled awake
to find a man bending over her and holding her down, his dirty blond hair in her face and his
fangs attached securely to her throat. She had not fought him, most likely would not have even
if she had had the power to do so; but neither had she welcomed the change. To her, it was
merely a progression from one life into the next. Louis detested what he had done that night,
called her his one moment of weakness--the moment in which he had finally given in to the
bloodlust that always threatened to claim him. Even after taking her under his proverbial wing
and trained her he still had not forgiven himself. She had forgiven him long ago. He was,
after all, only a vampire.
Vampire. The word once struck fear into the hearts of all, now only the superstitious and such
still believed. Vampires were creatures of the night, shrouded in black and mystery. Haunts
with unnatural speed and strength. 'They are not,' Ami thought bitterly, 'Petite teenagers
with big blue eyes. Usagi once told me I was cute. Cute!' And yet she was a most efficient
killer. Her aura of innocence and allure was just the right mixture to lull her victims into a
false sense of security just before she struck. Then again, usually they were so drunk from a
night at the clubs they wouldn't notice in the first place.
Each of them had his or her own method to hunting. Louis, his lover Minako, and her half-
sister Usagi all hated to kill, or even drink off of humans--they only did it when absolutely
necessary. Otherwise they hunted rabbits, cats, and other small animals in the forest. Setsuna
and Endymion posed as lords of the underworld, getting a victim alone and then striking as
one. No one knew how Haruka and Michiru pulled off their meals; most likely Michiru did the
hunting. The blonde was usually too doped up to even think straight. Hotaru played the beggar
girl, she was the frailest and youngest-looking of them all. Rei was a savage seductress--her
philosophy was to 'get a man by the balls and the blood will follow.' She pulled them into a
dark alley and struck before anything could happen. Makoto took it a little further; she drank
*as* she fucked their brains out. The vampires of the Théâtre had become a rather diverse
group.
Ami was not a fanatic killer--she preferred to simply snack. It was, after all, the twenty-
first century. Bloodless corpses drew more attention than they had three hundred years ago so
she almost never went all out, and covered her tracks when she did. But when she was in the
mood for a snack, her moves could have impressed the devil himself. Dressed to kill she
flirted and teased her way past the bouncer, hitting the dance floor as soon as she stepped
inside. The tiny blue-haired girl had become quite popular at all the best hot spots. For the
first hour or so she put on quite a show--she let it all go and held nothing back as she
danced, all the while scanning for victims. She would chose two or three; they were always
completely intoxicated. Like a snake she slid across the floor, wrapping her small body around
his and enrapturing him in sweet seduction, innocence promised in teasing smiles. When she
laid her head near his shoulder and sunk her fangs into his neck, he was too drunk and
distracted to notice.
They always were.
Early, early in the morning she would finally leave, blowing a chaste kiss to the bouncer as
she flung her obsidian-blue cloak around her shoulders. It covered her from head to toe and
the thick hood let only her eyes shine through. She let her hair down, let it hang down on
either side of her face, the dark blue waves shining ominously in the pale moonlight. No one
dared to meet her eyes, they wouldn't even look at her. Except...
Ami could have sworn she saw one man on the street tonight, one with his gaze securely fixed
on her. Eyes of a stunning emerald green haunted her mind as she walked on. She shook her head
to clear her thoughts, licking the last bit of blood from her teeth with her tongue. She was
imagining things. No one ever dared to meet her eyes, they wouldn't even look at her.
Ever.
***
Thirty years. Thirty long years to the very fucking day. No one else realized it, but it
had been thirty years since she was transformed into a vampire. It was the most pivotal day in
her life and yet it seemed to have been a lifetime ago that a cheap hooker had been made
consort to one of the oldest vampires in existence. Lestat had bought her off the streets and
attacked her in his hotel room. At the time she had wanted to die and had let him do as he
pleased with her throat and her body. She was past caring. Perhaps it was that, her easy
acceptance of death, that drove him to leave her with immortality. But when she had refused to
be his bed companion for all eternity he had cast her out and she had fallen in with a new
group she found much more likeable.
So now Makoto wandered the streets again, once more using the tricks of the trade to find her
next meal. She drank enough to sustain herself and left the man, alive, in a cheap hotel room
with only dreams of the exhilarating sex he had just had--she took his wallet with her. The
money she made was one of the few things she felt could begin to justify the crimes she
committed. She hated drinking blood. It wasn't the sex that bothered her conscience, it was
the blood. She didn't know how the others stood it.
But somehow the idea of drinking off animals grossed her out even more so she stuck with the
lesser of the two evils.
With a deep sigh she swung a thick green coat over her shoulders, the hood covering her face,
and stepped out onto the street from the dingy hotel, starting her long walk back to the
mansion she called home. She preferred to walk instead of drive even though she lived with the
others on the very outskirts of the city. It made her feel less powerful and more human--a
very humbling experience. It was something she did every night.
They--Setsuna, Endymion, Ami, and Louis--had bought the house in Tokyo as almost a replacement
for the long-gone Théâtre des Vampires. Only the latter two knew what had happened to it. Then
Haruka and Michiru had joined them, no one knew where they had come from but they were, at
that time, the youngest in the house. She herself had been the next to seek refuge, followed
by Rei who brought her bloodthirsty ways with her. The silent Hotaru was then brought in under
Ami's tutelage. Louis took Minako in and three years later the bubbly blonde showed up with
her own half-sister Usagi.
Yawning broadly, Makoto pulled her mussed hair into a ponytail, letting the sugar-pink locks
bounce along behind her. Years ago her hair had been a dull, boring brown but opting for a
change she had dyed it the most extravagant color she could think of. It clashed with
everything she wore, with her emerald green eyes, even with her white skin but she loved it.
Now she enjoyed nothing more than playing with her hair the color of cotton candy.
Well maybe not nothing. A good roll in the hay was always appreciated.
She grinned evilly as she licked her lips, remembering the fun she had had earlier that night.
She had to admit, it was the best she'd had in the past few weeks--hadn't even come close to
having to fake it. Hooking up with him wasn't out of the picture either. A fuck like that
she'd given him for free, neither blood nor money was taken. Another smile, there were times
she hated her lifestyle but nights like that one made it all seem worth her while. And his
eyes--a beautiful, laughing violet--echoed soundly in her mind all the way home.
***
Grinning like a maniac she ran her tongue over her lips and teeth, licking up every last
drop of blood she could reach. She loved her life, delighted in her work, was as ruthless and
violent as he who had made her. Like Makoto, she had Lestat to thank for what she was, but
unlike Makoto she really did thank him. He had found her one night at a river bank, disposing
of the body of an abusive husband. Just sitting there, just watching, he had been completely
enthralled with her sensuality, her movement, the laughter and malice in her eyes as she liked
the knife blade clean. Lestat knew he had found a protege worthy of his name. After listening
to his offer, the newly-made widow had agreed in a heartbeat.
Not that she had any other choice.
For years they had hunted together, creatures of the night and bringers of a bloody death.
They carried their ruthlessness into everything they did, from business deals to bed. But as
all good things must come to an end, after half a century or so they had grown tired of each
other and parted ways. Much to the shock of all, neither blood nor tears were shed. They
hadn't tried to kill each other, they had just simply left. And so Rei came to be the eighth
member of the Théâtre des Vampires.
She brought herself back to the present and stood, wiping her hands clean on the dying man's
jacket. His eyes had rolled back into his head and his tongue lolled out of his mouth as he
shook uncontrollably, his muscles jerking every few seconds. Each movement only opened the
gash in his neck further, allowing more blood to bubble out. She watched with malevolence in
her eyes as his life ebbed away with the ruby liquid; after drinking her fill she had slit his
throat. That was what he got for trying to put his hand down her shirt--she wasn't the whore,
that was Makoto's job. Flipping her purple tinted locks over her shoulder and out of her face
she straightened her skirt and pulled a lighter from under the fabric. It was one of the most
dangerous things she owned, fire was one of the few things that could kill her and her kind.
Still she ignored the danger as she flipped it on and tossed it onto the body. Letting the
flames consume it, she left.
At least this time she had disposed of the body. Ami always bitched when she didn't, something
about leaving too many loose ends around. While those in the Théâtre served no one, Ami did
lead and protect them. She was in charge for two reasons, one of which Rei discovered when she
first challenged the leadership. Small as she was, Ami delivered a royal ass-kicking when it
was needed. Before Rei could make an offensive move, she had found herself stomach-down on the
floor. Ami sat on her back, using her legs to pin the raven-haired girl's arms as she pulled
her head back with one hand, the other holding a knife to her throat.
The second reason for her command was her age. Louis aside Ami was the oldest, and he didn't
want to lead. Endymion ran second to her but he was still younger, and Setsuna he himself had
made. Haruka and Michiru were enigmas, no one knew anything about them save that they were
juniors to the cerulean-haired leader. Makoto hadn't even reached her fiftieth birthday yet.
Almost forty but eternally fifteen was Hotaru, and Minako and Usagi were even younger; the
former being the older but not by much. They both looked less than twenty but Minako was even
now approaching twenty-five. It was quite a shock to the poor girl.
Drawing a hooded red cloak close over her, she turned onto the street from the alleyway.
Another job well done, if she did say so herself. And she did. Rei grinned smugly as she
walked off, onyx eyes laughing maliciously. She. Loved. Her. Life. It was as simple as that.
Raised a strict Catholic she'd always been taught that murder was one of the worst things that
she could do. She no longer cared that she had damned her eternal soul. She had stopped caring
the night she had killed that abusing bastard she'd called a husband.
So caught up in her thoughts she didn't see the pair of black eyes that watched her from
behind a corner.
***
It had always been one of her favorite things to do: just to lie on her back and watch the
night while sneaking glances at the beautiful man beside her and laughing as her little sister
tried to ignore the 'mushiness.' The younger girl may have been in her twenties but had only
the maturity of an eight-year old. She sighed and rolled onto her side, staring blatantly at
the man she loved more than life itself. Well, that phrase would have worked ten years ago.
Now she just loved him more than death itself. She didn't at all mind the difference, as long
as she was with him she was happy. The night he found her she was a wreck, barely breathing
and half-unconscious after previous vampire attack. The sight had wrenched his heart-strings
so badly he had acted without thinking and done the one thing he could think of to save her--
turned her into one of them. A few years later, young and ignorant, she had wrangled it so
that her half-sister became a vampire as well. The two girls had been best friends in life and
brought that friendship into death.
Minako smiled, she loved the nights where they didn't go out to find a meal. They didn't go
out every night even though they were, first and foremost, hunters. Not Hunters, just hunters.
The Hunters were evil--their sole aim in life was to kill off as many vampires as they could
get their slimy hands on. They were especially after the heart, the Théâtre, in hopes of
capping off the 'axis of all evil.' The Hunters were feared and hated by anything with
fangs.
Soldier.
Silence.
Shinigami.
Dragon.
Peace.
Usagi too was rolling the five names over in her head. 'Peace' was an odd name for a Hunter,
she decided. It was much too, well, peaceful. The Hunters didn't want peace, they wanted
death. Death after death, all they wanted, death after death after death. So why did he insist
on being called 'Peace?' Well, he probably didn't decide that, probably it was just the name
the others referred to him by. Like she was Light. It wasn't something she called herself. It
was something They called her--or her past self, reincarnation blew her mind. They. The
Hunters. She shivered just thinking about them.
Then she made a face and sighed. Louis and Minako were at it again, necking like a couple of
teenagers. It was like they couldn't keep their hands off of each other! Usagi swore to
herself that she would never be like that when she finally fell in love, it just got a little
gross after a while. But for the moment she just rolled away from them, pulling her thick
silver blanket around her face until she was almost completely covered and only her eyes shone
through.
And much to her surprise they caught another pair of eyes, just as blue, hiding in the bushes
a few dozen feet away. The others were wide with shock at being spotted, and yet peaceful with
almost an air of innocence about them. Their gazes were locked for a good minute before she
finally blinked. When she opened her eyes again the others were gone. If they had ever been
there.
***
Silently waiting. Waiting silently. Either way, patience was her best quality. She was not
funny like Makoto, gorgeous like Rei or perfect like Michiru. She was the mute beggar girl she
had always been. Until Ami had found a kindred spirit in the little girl she hadn't even had
so much as a roof over her head. Now, as an eternal teenager, she lived in one of the largest
houses the city had ever seen and yet she still begged each night for her meals.
In more ways than one.
Hotaru clung to the shadows, they had always been her best friends. Every so often she let her
head escape the darkness, eyes of obsidian scanning the streets for possible targets. What
almost passed for a smile flitted across her face: here came one now. A middle-aged woman, all
alone, taking the short walk home from a nearby restaurant. The young girl's eyes adjusted
further to the dark, she could now see her victim as brightly as if it were day. She licked
her lips. Perfect.
Quiet as always she slunk further out of the alley and onto the street, tucking her black
blanket tighter around herself. She made sure the woman saw her, saw how frail and defenseless
she was, before the plan went into action. It always worked, and this time was shaping out to
be no different. The target saw the vulnerable beggar and immediately wanted to help.
"Hey there, sweetie. Do you want something to eat, some money?"
Hotaru jerked her head up at the sound of the voice as if just noticing the other person. With
a mute squeak of surprise she jumped back, further into the alley, further into the shadows.
Boxes flew in her wake, leaving destruction behind her hasty retreat. Either stupid or naive
or both the woman followed her, cooing in that same condescending voice of hers.
"Don't be afraid, sweetheart, I'm not going to hurt you. Here."
This woman was definitely stupid, Hotaru decided, and far too trusting. The little girl
cowered against the dark wall, holding onto the blanket like it was the only thing in this
world she owned. She had wrapped it up and over her head, shadowing her face in darkness. Even
her eyes were dulled as she carefully considered the money being held out to her. Her hand
shaking, she wrapped her thin fingers around the woman's wrist and brought it up level with
her face.
"That's it, darling. Take it. It's yours."
Then her grip tightened. Before the woman could even scream Hotaru pounced. She clung like a
spider to her side, pausing just a moment before she bit down. When she did she smiled
devilishly, relishing the sound and smell of the blood rushing past her fangs. Moving her tiny
mouth over the whole wound she sucked at it until she had drunk her fill and then some. The
woman flailed in her grasp, trying to muster enough courage and air to scream. She could not.
When Hotaru did release her she collapsed to the ground, holding her throat and struggling to
breathe. Even as she dug through her pockets for money, the firefly knew her victim would not
survive.
"Please . . . help me . . . don't leave me like this."
Eyes cold and unfeeling, Hotaru only drew a long knife from under her blanket. In one swift
motion she drew the blade across the woman's throat, eradicating her fang marks. Silent Death
she was, though it was rarely her victims that were silent. She was the soundless angel of
destruction. Smiling, she wiped the weapon clean before storing it and pulling her blanket
around her shoulders and she prepared for the long walk home.
Black gold. Blue the color of the sky. Light ebony. Forest green. Violet. She did not miss the
five cloaked figures that circled not far from herself. Not did she miss the pair of Prussian
blue eyes, burning into her back as she left them behind.
***
"So you found them?" One voice.
"Yes." Four voices.
"Lost them though?" That same single one again.
"Yes." Three voices.
"No. I was caught and had to leave." The fourth.
"Explain."
"I found the Fair Prince but a companion, most likely human, saw me."
"We will find them again."
"Yes." All four.
"Let's go home."
Soldier, Silence, Shinigami, Dragon, Peace. Heero, Trowa, Duo, Wufei, Quatre. They would
search again some other night.
***
End Chapter 1
**************
a brief introduction to each of the characters. if you have any questions, just review and ask or email them to me. just in case you didn't get it, ami is the leader, makoto is a whore, rei is a sadist and once beaten by her husband (he's dead now), louis and minako are a couple, usagi is usagi, and yes, hotaru is mute. she does not speak. the Hunters (the g-boys) are the bad guys to the vampires, just as the vampires are the bad guys to the Hunters. there is no common enemy, except for maybe lestat but he comes in much later.
