*-*-* 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.