Disclaimer- I do not own Vampyre Hunter D. I do not own Meier Link. I am a poor sophomore in high school without a job. This is merely a hobby and I do not make any money off of it. On the contrary though, Radha is mine! As well are Lady Carfax, Mina, and Blaise. These are my creations and cannot be used without MY direct permission. If you wish to use them, contact me via e-mail.

Author's notes: Yes I realize many people spell vampyre as vampire. I do not. If this different spelling bothers you then I apologize. Also, while there isn't any real detail, there is mentioning of yaoi. Plus, this chapter does get rather gory. Therefore, if blood, guts, the hacking of body parts, and relationships between two men upset you, then I suggest you do not read.

Dhampire

Dance to the tune of Survival

D arrived at the hotel and, after showing his note and the medicine, was taken to a room free of charge. The room definitely did not qualify to be in a Hyatt, but it was clean. There was one twin bed with a chair next to it. He could just imagine some poor grief stricken man sitting in that chair next to his sick wife.

"Now were did that come from? Hmmm?" The little demon voice asked him.

"Shut up."

"Suit yourself…" With the sym. silent, D was free to look over the rest of the room. Not that there was much to look at mind you, but it gave him something to do. All that was left in the room that had even a few interesting points was the bathroom. It had an over sized bathtub, possibly to make it easier to clean up a patient, a sink and a medicine cabinet filled to the wazoo with Band-Aids, hydrogen-peroxide, gauze, medical tape, and stuff of that sort.

"Figures…"

At that moment, there was a bang as the door was kicked open and swung into the wall. D was about to launch into an attack, but stopped himself when he realized it was four men carrying a stretcher. Radha looked paler than usual, well what he could see of her from under her cloak looked paler. It didn't click why she was covered with her cloak until her bodice and top were handed to him.

"Okay, tall man. This here woman's bandages need to be changed thrice a day and cleaned thrice a day. Gotit?" One of the four men told him while puffing himself up to sound authoritative. D merely nodded. The man nodded in return, and upon turning on his heel said, "Okay, men. Our work here is done. Teeeen hut!" The remaining three went into a stiff position with their heads held high, their shoulders pushed back, and heels pressing into each other. "Forwaaaard! March!" D couldn't help but to smirk at the foolishness. The leader obvious took his job far too seriously since he seemed to forget that he was not in the army but an apprentice for a small town doctor.

D's attentions then turned to Radha. Upon removal of her cape, he quickly put it back down with a slight blush. Her ribs were wrapped nicely, but the good doctor had left her breasts bare for all the world to see. D decided to wait until morning to do anything about the bandages, so he just sat in the chair and unwillingly fell into a light snooze. He didn't wake up until sometime in the night when Radha tried to get up and cried out when her ribs painfully protested such movements. D watched her for a minute. Her eyes glowed green in the night. Her chest moved slowly up and down under her cloak. She bit her lip to keep from crying. "Crying? The pills…" D stood and turned a light on so he could find the bottle for pain. "Take this. You'll have to swallow it whole because you cannot sit up yet to drink some water with it." He told her while placing the pill in her mouth. After making a face at the taste and swallowing, her pain quickly lessened and she no longer bit her lip.

"Where are we?" She asked after a moment or two.

"Hotel…"

"I can see that…are we in the wolf town?"

"There were no wolves, but we are in that town. There was never a Lucy or a father of a Lucy in this town. It was all a trick used to try and destroy us." D said.

"Oh…" She looked as if she were about to cry as a feeling of failure and pain washed through her. The drugs to did not last long, yet she refused to take another pill. It's almost as if she thought the pain was her punishment and she was ever so willing to take it all. "D…I'm…I'm…"

"Don't…there is no need for it." D told her in an almost gentle tone. There was no need for her to break her own pride anymore than it has been for a simple apology.

She merely nodded in reply. Yet, before she drifted off to sleep, D could have sworn that she had said, "I'm sorry…please don't hate me," under her breath. D began to wonder if he could ever truly hate her.

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The doctor had been correct in guessing the amount of time it would take for Radha to recover. Because, in about three days, Radha had completely healed from the injury. Her ribs weren't even a tad tender. It was a wonderful recovery and the doctor pronounced her fit to travel.

While D readied the horses, Radha slipped down the roads to the house the dragon/mutant had taken her. On the outside, the house appeared unchanged, but as she entered, the vast difference from a few days ago slapped her in the face. There was nothing there. The walls were naked. No pictures of Lucy graced a table and the chipped cups were no where to be found. She slumped against a wall, feeling totally defeated.

"How could I have been so stupid!?!" She growled.

"You weren't…If there had been a single wolf around I would have believed it and then we could have both been killed."

She looked up at him. A few stray blood tears were cascading down her pale cheek. Before D could protest, she was latched onto him in a tight hug. "Please just hold me for a moment." At first, D didn't move. He just let Radha cling to him. However, something told him to oblige her. He couldn't tell if it were the sym. or that voice in the back of a person's head that everyone talks about. All that matter was the fact that he loosely wrapped his arms around her slim shoulders.

True to her word, Radha pulled away after a moment. Her face was clear and perfect, free of the staining blood tears. "We should go…we'll have to ride hard to catch up to them." D nodded and followed her to the horses. The two were soon mounted up and rode off in the direction of their Vampyre beacon.

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"Master…shouldn't we speed up? At this pace the hunters are sure to quickly regain their lost time." Lie mentally asked his master while Crede slept lightly in his lap.

"Are you questioning my judgement?"

"No master!! I'm just wondering…"

"Very well then…I plan to play with these hunters…Besides, they still have to cross through the Mau-Mau…and you know how they feel about newcomers…"

Lie secretly cringed at the thought of the Mau-Mau.

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"D…I don't like this place…Can we go another way." Radha whispered while glancing about their surroundings. The path they traveled on was narrow and surrounded by walls of rocks. A perfect place to set an ambush.

"There is no other way…"

Both Nightmare and Goliath came to a sudden stop when a large gate came into view. It was an odd looking pair of gates, as well as the fence that supported it. As her vision adjusted, Radha almost screamed when she realized the gate and fence were made out of human bones. On either side of the path that led up to the gate were pikes with women's heads on them. Radha couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips. D began to wonder if it would have been wise to take a longer path.

The gates open and two things approached them. The creatures were short and had light green skin with long dark purple hair dancing in the light breeze. Their eyes were pupilless bloody orbs. Yet, despite their freakish eyes, the two could be considered quite handsome. To add to their beauty, they were dressed in stunning clothes encrusted with jewels.

As the two men, Radha guessed at their gender, approached, the two Dhampires' senses started to get fuzzy. It was the same feeling they had when a vampyre was nearby. These creatures weren't vampyres, but they were definitely related.

"Wat business you got wit Mau-Mau?" One of the two asked.

"Yup…They're definitely male." Radha confirmed while looking them over.

"Just passage through." D answered. Radha got the feeling from D that she should remain silent.

"Yo pass thru Vampyre son…But no wuman allowed thru Mau-Mau." The other creature told them, glaring hard at Radha.

"What!?" Radha hissed. "Why the hell can't I pass!?"

"Radha…" D wished she had listened to him.

"No wumen allowed in Mau-Mau…unless…" The two creatures grinned. "Unless shey entertain us."

"Entertain? How must she entertain?" D asked.

"Dance fo us."

"Accepted." Radha smirked.

"Be warned wuman…no wuman has 'ver entertained us…Dey all deead." One said, pointing to the decaying heads on the pikes.

"Understood…Can I have some better dancing clothes though and some warm-up time?"

"We git you clothes…you have till sundown." With that, the two were allowed into the city. Radha would have thrown up her lunch if it had been possible for her to do so. These people, while stunningly beautiful with their deep purple hair and blood eyes, were worse than barbarians. Outside the houses, they sported their 'trophies,' which consisted of various human body parts. In the city market, small captured children were herded up on the auctioning blocks to be bought and sold like cattle. The butcher was busy chopping into a person that Radha thought was once a woman. Radha felt really sick when he picked up a hammer and brought it down on the deceased's head causing bone, blood, and brain to fly everywhere. Both D and Radha sat on their horses in mute horror as a human woman was led up to an executioner's block.

"Dis wuman has failed to entertain us…According to our custom…she shall die…" With those fatal words, the woman's hands and feet were tied to a wall. The executioner took out a long blade and sliced her belly wide open. He then proceeded to pull out her internal organs and tossed the new 'snacks' to the eager crowd. They all ignored her screams for mercy and quick death. Radha raised her crossbow, aiming for the woman's heart, but was stopped by D.

"If we interfere, we'll suffer the same fate as her." Radha growled but knew he spoke the truth. While lowering her arm with that crossbow attached, she looked the woman straight in the eye in hopes of hypnotizing her to cease her pain. It was to no avail, the woman was in too much pain to focus on anything. When they had finally finished disemboweling her, the executioner wielded a mighty axe and sent her head rolling. It was slammed onto a pike and sent out to be with the other heads. The body was dragged over to the butcher's table to be cut and sold as dinner.

It was then that an entourage of the richly dressed monsters approached. They stopped about five feet from the Dhampires, but their leader continued to approach. He was taller than the rest and wore a beautiful purple tunic that matched his long hair. His body was covered with glittering jewels and his head proudly sported of headdress made of nothing more than gold, gems, and large plumes that must of weighed a ton. How his slender neck supported such weight Radha could only guess.

"Welcome to Mau-Mau. You look hungry, would you like something to eat." Radha's face twisted with disgust.

"No thank you." D said while dismounting. Catching the hint, Radha in turn left the safety of Goliath's back.

"Ahhh...So you recognize royalty when you see…I like that…Come…Your woman shall be made ready for tonight. No worries…no harm shall befall her till she fails." Radha was lead away by another man dressed in jewels while the king of the Mau-Mau took D to a large throne room. "Well…what do you think?"

D wanted to tell the man what he really thought, but decided that, for Radha's sake, it was best to play nice in the sandbox for now. "Well I must say that all the jewels you and your people wear are stunning…but what I wonder is what the cause of your hatred for women…I have yet to see a man sliced and diced in your town."

The king seemed amused. "Vampyre son…you're funny. You do not seem to understand the hierarchy of this 'town' as you call it. You might have noticed that this settlement, except for some of the slaves, is composed of nothing except of men of my kind. The reason is that they are my…what do you call it? Harem! Yes! That is the word. This town is nothing more than a harem to me."

D couldn't help but shudder as the king's eyes swept over his body. "What are you?"

The king chuckled. "I am the crossing of a vampyre and a mutant, a new form of hybrid. And with my bite, more of my kind have immerged." The kind paused to run his tongue along his sharp teeth. "A more powerful hybrid than you, Dhampire. Sunlight, garlic, crosses…none of them bother me or my kind." He frowned when his words had no affect on the hunter before him. "You're excused…go where you wish."

D nodded in false respect and turned to leave.

"You know, Vampyre's son…it's been a long time since I've eaten a Dhampire…I shall enjoy eating her heart immensely."

D stopped in his tracks and turned back to the king, his scorn plainly visible in his eyes. "What is the price of her life?"

"If she were to fail, which she will I'm sure…To save her you must become a citizen of my town. Don't worry…you'll be a member of the higher classes…not with the illiterate bastards of the lower levels."

"You mean to make me your pleasure slave?" D wanted to spit on his feet.

"Well…yes…I do. And if I don't get you…I'll just kidnap the next chap who meets my fancy. How else do you think I've acquired a town of yummy men?"

"You kidnapped all of these men? Your lack of honor disgusts me…" D was so repulsed that he could say no more. So, he merely turned heel and walked away.

The king smirked. "Oh you'll be mine, Vampyre's son."

D stalked down the street, cursing at various things. His situation was definitely grim. He could allow Radha to die, or become that mad man's sex slave. It was not a decision he enjoyed making. It was at that moment that a man approached him.

"You're Vampyre Hunter D, right?" His pronunciation and English was perfect. This fellow was obviously not one of the poor "illiterate bastards of the lower levels." The man was about 5'6" with waist length purple hair and of course very attractive to the eye. The only flaw that marred his emerald skin was a crooked scar snaking its way over his right eye.

"Yes…"

"If I could guarantee your companion's success…could you get me the hell out of here? Please…you have no idea what goes on in this hellhole. I received this scar as punishment…if I disobey again…I'm a dead man."

"How could you be so sure you could make such a guarantee?"

"Simple…all but a hand few of the men here are not here by their will and practically none of them enjoy being used…we're more than happy to help you get out of here if you'll help us. I could care less if you get anyone else out, but you must promise to get me out."

D looked at this man for a moment. "If he speaks the truth, Radha and I could easily overcome any loyal subjects with the help of a mob…but mobs are also very wishy-washy…they could turn…and what if he is lying. What if there are only a few who are here against their will…but then again…how could someone like being raped whenever the king chooses…But…a lot of people did turn out for the execution and ate the woman's organs." D couldn't help but snarl slightly at the last thought. "What about the execution...The 'citizens' of this town didn't seem to mind eating the woman's organs."

"That's because half of us are starving and executions are sometimes the only way to get a full meal."

D started to feel sick to his stomach himself. "I can't sense any falsehoods in him…and this may be the only way to save Radha since these 'entertainments' are apparently rigged…Fine…I will help…but only if Radha is unharmed in any way."

"Done!" With that, the man turned to leave. "Oh yeah…my name is Kaag." Before D could reply, Kaag had disappeared into the crowd.

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As the sun started its slow descent, the whole town gathered around a circular area about twenty feet in diameter. In the center of the circle was a ring of fire to provide some crude light for the entertainer to see by. The king sat on a golden throne with D sitting Indian style to his left, a guard standing to his right, and a scantly clad, handsome man on his lap. As soon as everyone had found a seat, the king shouted, "Come out woman…give us some entertainment."

At his command, Radha appeared and slowly entered the circle with her cloak wrapped tightly around her and her hat-covered head lowered so that no one could see her face.

"What is the meaning of this? Where are the clothes I provided? I gave those to you to dance in and I want to see you dance in them!" The king growled. Radha nodded.

In one fluid motion, she flung her hat and cap aside. D could have sworn he felt his jaw hit the ground. The only word that could have described Radha at the moment was exotic. She was clothed in a jeweled bra with bells dangling from the hem. Her slender legs were covered in baggy hip-hugging, virgin white pants while her feet were decorated with golden sandals. Atop her head was a glistening circlet with a single, tapered point reaching for her chin with delicate chains connecting back to the circlet. Her arms shimmered with a dozen golden bracelets and bangles. To add to the amazon look, all of her fiery red hair had been tamed and captured in dozens of beautifully done braids. Even the king was pleased with her looks.

(Author pops in: Okay…before I get to the dancing scene, allow me to explain something. It is early in the afternoon {I shouldn't be up yet…}, I've got my smelly candles lighted, my fountain going at full power, AND I'm blasting some dark classical music. Not to mention, I'm decked out in my Semi-Goth-Punk-Oriental outfit. Also, let's not forget that I have a party to go to at 7:30, which means I'm even more hyper than usual…In conclusion, I'm in an odd mood and not to be held responsible for what happens during Radha's dance…@_@)

"Any last requests before you commit your final act on this accursed planet?" The king asked, licking his fangs with his tongue.

"Just start the bloody music."" Radha hissed, placing her ring covered hands on her hips. The king grinned and snapped his fingers, causing a slow, gypsy-type melody to erupt from a group of musicians somewhere in the background.

At first, Radha merely stood with her hands at her waist.

"No…she's frozen…I pray Kaag comes through with his end of the bargain…" But, D's thoughts were interrupted as Radha started to slowly roll her hips to the beat, her hands sliding up her sides. With her hands dancing above her head, Radha began to move her feet in seductive motions in time with the quickening music. Suddenly, with a burst of energy, Radha spun into an exotic rhythm. Her hands circled from her head to her waist and back up while her hips swung to the primal beat of the drums. Braids flew as her body twisted with inhuman grace. Her feet seemed to hover just above the ground, her eyes locking with no one. As suddenly as she had begun, she stopped while facing the king. With her hands criss-crossed and resting on her ribs, she ran towards him in jazz-run style. Her light-footed sprint ended in the center of the ring of fire. After flicking her tongue in the king's direction like a serpent, Radha picked up where she had left off, twisting and turning her body amidst the flames. The musicians had long given up on keeping pace with her and she now danced to the hearty roars and clapping from the men.

Her lithe form glistened while she danced, the fire roaring around her. In flash, Radha leaped out of the flames. While stepping lightly toward the king, her eyes flashed green as she bared her fangs. The bells on the hem of the jeweled bra chimed as her shook her shoulders at an agonizingly slow pace. When she was no more than five paces from the king, she dropped to her knees, her back arched and hands running down her body. The king immediately shoved his current sex toy off his lap in hopes that she would fill the empty space. Spinning to her feet while her bell like laughter filled the air, the Dhampire danced back toward the center of the ring. As if possessed by an ancient spirit of the forest, Radha danced around the flame, spinning and twisting. The sweat from her body dripped into the fire causing to roar at her dancing. Finally, the spirit seemed to have left her, allowing Radha to finish her dance by sliding to the ground in front of the king, purring at him from her earthly seat. The men roared with excitement, most demanding an encore.

"You look tired, Vampyre's daughter…why not take a seat?" The king asked, casually hinting at his own lap.

Radha rose to her feet and nodded to the king. "As you wish your majesty." She then promptly plopped on D's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. D tried his best not to touch her but it was a tad difficult. He couldn't help but notice the thin layer of sweat that had developed over her body and the way she panted in his ear was maddening. He couldn't help but sigh in relief when she drifted into a light sleep and therefore quit her enticing hisses.

"Hn…" The king then rose and calmed the crowd with a raising of his hands. "The Dhampire's dance is something I have never seen before…but sadly it was not entertaining at all…she will die tomorrow at noon."

"WHAT!?" Radha jumped off of D's lap before any other comment could be made. "You cannot tell me 'your majesty' that you did not enjoy my dance…because if you do you are lying…any fool with eyes can see that you enjoyed it!" Radha snarled, hinting at the king's tight pants. A light laughter could be heard through out the crowd and a lovely shade of red overtook the king's feature just before he sat back down on his throne.

"But it wasn't entertaining at all!" Said a man from the crowd, obviously one of the loyalists.

"Shut up you lying scoundrel!" A man challenged as he leapt to his feet. D recognized him as Kaag.

"You insolent bastard…Kaag…You should know I never lie." The loyalist sneered.

Kaag merely laughed lightly and crossed his arms before replying. "Well…At least I haven't just proven myself to be a dishonorable wyrm as you have just done…you were crying the loudest for an encore." With those words, the loyalist sat done abruptly. Kaag then turned to the still fuming Radha and began to applaud. Soon the entire crowd, except for maybe two or three loyalists, where clapping and cheering as loud as they could. Radha almost squealed in excitement, but she managed to keep her happiness to herself and merely bowed to the crowd.

Radha then raised her hands to the crowd to silence them. Once the silence had returned, she turned to the king. "That dance has left me hungry…and I'm afraid only one thing will do." She then hissed and her eyes flashed a bright green and her fangs extended. The king shriveled back into his throne, begging for his life. "I don't want you idiot…your blood would probably poison me…but I do want…you." She finished, pointing at Kaag. Radha then leapt and grabbed the defenseless man. "Time to go, D!" Catching the idea, D quickly followed her and Kaag. The three were mounted up and riding out of Mau-Mau before it dawned on any of them what had just happened.

They rode all night, D on Nightmare and Radha and Kaag on Goliath. They didn't dare stop until they reached the outskirts of a far off town. It was there that Radha slowed Goliath to a stop. "You can stay here, Kaag…just tell the people of this town that you are a friend of the Fujimiya Household and you shall be looked after."

"There is no way I can thank you enough, Red Huntress…but…if you ever are in a pinch…just call out my name and I shall be at your side by the setting of the sun…or if it happens to be night…I shall be there by the setting of the moon." Kaag then bowed and left the two hunters.

"How do you know he will be safe here?" D asked while pulling along side her.

"It's my home town…Hey…Wait here…I need to get out of these clothes." D nodded and waited while Radha ran behind a large tree to change.

"How did you know to save Kaag?" D asked when she returned.

"I can read your mind…besides…cold bastards tend to think alike." Radha winked then mounted up. "Shall we be on our way?" The question was more of a command than an actual question for she did not even wait for him to nod or voice an opinion. She merely kicked her heels and rode on leaving D one choice: to follow.

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Like it? Yes? No?

Author's note: In response to the Review that asks if Radha is suppose to be bitchy…the answer is HELL YEAH!!! And thank you for noticing. If you ever go to my site and read Saiya-jin Prey, you will find a very similar character, except VC is a Saiya-jin. My heroines tend to be rough and perfect ice queens. This is because they are very extreme forms of myself. I am not a little princess in pink and I don't make my characters ones either. To do so makes me, myself, go OOC…and that is not healthy. For example…if you enjoy lemons and read my PWP Midnight Heat, you will notice that it is a very short-and-sweet romantic night. That thing took me forever to right because sweet is not my style. I know you've gotten more than what you asked about but I hope I have indeed answered your question and not just rambled off nonsense. Well…in short…your criticism was not criticism…but a compliment and I thank you.