A Sequel to ReCreating Hell
Chapter Two: Many Red Tears
By PasifikStar
RJ stopped pounding on her door as the glowing bracelets around her wrists hung there snuggly. Even though her powers were negated, she still had her vampiric strength. Not that it did her any good since there were a dozen lycan guards standing outside her door just in case she tried to escaped.
Going out the window was certainly out of the question. She turned around and looked at the drapes that hung over the thin, ceiling high windows that lined the side of her room. Part of her was afraid to open them, afraid to find a lycan waiting outside her window.
She bit her bottom lip as she reluctantly headed over to the window. She raised her hand to pull open the curtain, but stopped. *What if there's something out there waiting for me...* she thought to herself. *What if I open it and there's this hideous monster lurking outside with it's jaws wide open ready to devour me the second I pull the curtains aside!?*
RJ took a step back from the window. *I have to stop reading Miss Lulu's horror novels...* she thought to herself. Grumbling, she walked back to the bed she had awoken in and sat on it. Immediately, she sank into it's warmth and she crawled to the middle of the bed, where she felt the safest surrounded by the pillows and thick blankets.
She laid down on her back and wrapped the thick blood red blanket around her body. She closed her eyes. *I just want to go home...*
"Princess, what's wrong?" a soft voice whispered in her ear. It was calm and relaxing, familiar.
She smiled slowly as she opened her blue yes and looked into the concerned brown ones of a beautiful woman whose face mirrored hers. "Mama Julia..." she whispered with a soft smile, calling the woman what she had been calling her since she was a child.
"Your heart is troubled, little one," another female voice whispered to her right. She turned her head and smiled once more at the woman with the clear crystal blue eyes. A soft hand touched her head, as she was still laying on the bed. "Do not worry so much."
"Grandma Raine..." she whispered. Slowly tears began to culminate at her eyes. She began to sniffle as she sat up straight in the warm, glowing white void. The two spirits on either side of her were kneeling down next to her.
The woman named Raine brought the girl into her arms and gently stroked her hair as RJ cried. Julia held her hand reassuringly. "They're coming for you, princess," Julia assured her. "You have nothing to worry about."
"I'm so scared..." RJ said tearfully as she found solace in her grandmothers. "I don't know where I am...and I have no idea what's going on..."
"That's why we came to you," Raine said. "Our precious little granddaughter..." She gently pushed RJ away and cupped her face in her hands. Raine's fingers wiped away RJ's tears.
"But you don't have to fear," Julia assured her. RJ looked over at her other grandmother. "Your mother and father and everyone is coming after you."
"Do they even know where I am?" RJ whimpered.
"Your mother summoned Faith to ask," Julia said. "They will find out."
"Why am I here?" RJ asked, looking around. "Why did...Sephiroth bring me here?"
"That we are not so sure of," Raine admitted. "But we are certain that it has something to do with reopening the Gates."
"Reopening the Gates!?" RJ gasped. "WHY!?"
"That we can't answer," Julia sighed. "RJ, you are very special. There is no one in the world like you. That alone might have been enough reason for him to take you."
"Is it because of my bloodline?" RJ asked. She always figured that it was because of that. Both sides of her family were powerful and legendary in their own sense. "It was why mom was targeted."
"Perhaps," Raine said. "As a vampire, bloodline is very important."
"What about Sephiroth? What do you know about him?" RJ asked. "I need to know about my captor."
"I'm sorry, princess, but I've never encountered him," Julia whispered. "All I know is that he is a vicious, powerful man."
"He is an ancient vampire," a deeper male voice said. RJ turned around as the two women on either side of her. There the figure of a man was walking towards them, concern over his face. "He is stronger than they give him credit for."
"An ancient?" Raine whispered, her eyes growing wide.
RJ tilted her head. "I don't understand, grandfather..." She shook her head, confused. Raine put her hand on RJ's shoulder, making the young vampiress turn to her.
"An ancient is an ancient vampire...either one of the originals who were banished from heaven or the first, second, or third generation," Raine said. "They were the ones who remained pure blooded and never mingled with other races."
"What's so special about them?" RJ asked.
"There is so much to then]m, that even I can't tell you everything," Raine admitted. "But they are much stronger, faster, more agile, and can use magic without having sorcerer blood."
"I thought they died out millennia's ago." Julia commented. Raine nodded her head.
"The majority of the vampire clans now believe that to be true," Raine explained. "But there's always been that suspicion that a few were still alive."
"RJ," Caraway said as he knelt down by his granddaughter. His eyes reflected warmth and love as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Promise me you'll be careful around him. He's a very dangerous person."
RJ nodded solemnly. "I...I promise..."
"If we find anything else, we'll contact you," Julia promised her. "But until then, just take care of yourself."
"You're not supposed to come here any time soon," Raine smiled warmly. She kissed RJ's forehead. "Until then, little one."
"Be careful, princess..." Julia said as she hugged RJ.
"We'll watch over you from here." Caraway agreed. He gave her a look of pride, making RJ smile tearfully as they faded and vanished before her eyes.
She closed her own, a feeling of satisfaction coursing through her. She always felt better after being comforted by her grandparents. RJ took a deep breath and laid back down to sleep.
"There is an old mansion in lower Centra," Quistis said as she looked over the information she had just acquired. She was sitting at the kitchen table of their house. Seifer was outside, practicing his gun blade. She was on the phone talking to Squall.
"Has there been any activity there?" the vampire asked over the phone. He, Selphie, and Irvine were in one of the studies of the palace, putting a map of Centra over a large desk.
"Sources have said that there have been lights turned on in the mansion and they've been seeing lycans and vampires wandering around it's grounds," Quistis explained. "I think that might be it."
"What about other property?"
"No activity has been going on in any of Adel's old property...none of the labs have been active since she disappeared. She has numerous deeds to land all over the world, but no reports of activity has been sighted in any of them other than this one in Centra." Quistis asserted.
"That must be it then..." Squall mumbled.
As he finished his sentence, Zell ran in with two familiar faces behind. "Raijin! Fujin!" Selphie piped as she ran to the door way to greet them.
"Hello!" Raijin smiled.
"Greetings!" Fujin nodded as Selphie gave her a big hug.
Raijin looked at Squall and frowned. "Sorry about the bad news, ya know..." he mumbled.
Squall nodded. "Quistis, Raijin and Fujin just arrived," he said. He looked over at the two. "How soon can we leave?"
"We can leave right now if you're ready, ya know." Raijin nodded.
"They said we can leave right now. Can you two get here quickly?" Squall asked.
"Yes, but I'm concerned about Hunter..." Quistis trailed off. She looked towards the stairs. Hunter had fallen asleep on the couch, having never made it up to his room out of sheer fatigue.
"What about Seraphim?"
"She's staying at her friend's house...we're letting her have her sleep over there. But Hunter is out cold...I don't want to bring him." Quistis admitted, worriedly.
Seifer walked into the house, shirtless and wiping his face with a peach colored terry cloth towel as he strode into the room. He put his gun blade down and went to the kitchen for something to drink.
"If you want, you can send him over here," Squall suggested. "But we have to get going soon. The sun's going to set and I want to get out of here as soon as it does."
"I understand," Quistis said. "We'll see you in a bit, then."
She hung up the phone and looked at Seifer who wiped his mouth as he put the water bottle down. "Are we all set to go?" he asked.
She nodded. "I think we should bring Hunter over to the palace," she suggested. "Just in case..."
"Fine, I'll wake him up. Just get your things ready and we'll load them up in the car and get going," he said. Quistis nodded and stood up as she started to pack her things. Seifer walked down the hall and turned on the lights in the living room. His son was sprawled out on the couch, one arm and one leg hanging off the edge. Seifer grabbed the nearest couch pillow and slammed it against his head. "Wake up, stupid."
"Err..." Hunter groaned and rubbed the back of his head, as he had been laying face down. He turned and glared at his father. "What the hell do you want, old man?"
"Don't call me old man," Seifer said as he threw the pillow at him. "Come on, we're going to the palace."
"Did you find RJ?" he asked quickly. Hunter sat up and rubbed his eyes. He was still wearing his clothes from the night before, but it seemed that his mother had put his discarded jacket in the closet and covered him with a blanket. "Is she all right? Where is she?"
"I don't know," Seifer said. "But hurry your ass up, we're leaving right now."
"Where is she?" Hunter persisted as he stood up. He ran his hand through his unruly blond hair and searched his pockets for a hair tie.
"Centra," his mother said as she walked out of the kitchen holding books, maps, and a lap top case. "Seifer, help me with these things and go start the car!" she snapped.
"Yes, mistress." Seifer snorted. He took the maps and books out of her hands as he headed out the door.
"Let me grab my gun blade..." Hunter yawned as he walked past her.
"Hunter..." his mother sighed heavily. He was already up the stairs, heading for his room. He threw open his door and found his gun blade, a new model of his father's, and lifted it up. As he turned he caught the picture on his wall of RJ.
Hunter paused and then slowly walked over to it. A pale hand reached up and touched it's image. "I'm coming for you..." he whispered quietly. Hunter gripped his gun blade at his side and turned around, heading out his door.
As he ran down the stairs, his mother was waiting for him at the front door. "Hunter..." she said softly. She looked up at he son, who gave her a questioning look.
"Yeah, mom?"
"Uh..." Quistis looked away. "Let's go..."
Hunter nodded and walked past her. Quistis chided herself for not telling him why they were taking him to the palace. Instead, she locked the door and headed for Seifer's sports car.
"Rinoa...?" Squall said quietly. He opened the door to RJ's bedroom, where he had followed Rinoa's scent to. He looked into the dark, spacious room, lined with books, stuffed animals, and assorted remnants from his daughter's childhood.
Sitting on the large canopy bed, nearly hidden by the gauzy white and red sheets, was Rinoa. She was sitting back against the head board, hugging a large stuffed animal - one of the many that were on RJ's bed. Her eyes were looking straight ahead, a look of depression on her face.
He walked into the room and called out Rinoa's name once more. Slowly, the vampiric sorceress turned her head towards him. Her eyes were red from crying as a tissue box laid next to her, empty and stuffed with red stained white balls.
"I miss her," Rinoa whispered quietly. She turned her head back towards the wall she had been staring at. "I just want her back, Squall. Safe and sound."
The male vampire bit his lower lip slightly as he approached her. "We'll bring her back," he assured her. "As a matter of fact, Quistis just figured out where she might be."
At that, Rinoa's head shot up, her brown eyes wide with hope. "Where? She is safe? Where is she!?"
Squall sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder comfortingly. "We followed your directions," he told her. "And there had been activity going around Adel's old mansion in Centra. Fujin and Raijin just arrived with the Ragnarok and as soon as Quistis and Seifer get here, we'll leave."
"Oh, thank Hyne..." Rinoa whispered with closed eyes. She leaned against him and buried her face in his neck. "I'm just so worried..."
"I know, Rin...I know..." Squall agreed. His arm around her shoulders squeezed her tightly as he kissed the top of her head. "But she'll be fine. We'll find her and bring her home."
Rinoa nodded her head and clung on to him. "She's our baby, Squall..." she whimpered. "No matter what, she's still our baby. I don't want to loose her."
Squall nodded. "I know..." He took a deep breath. "Hunter might stay here for protection while we're gone. Seraphim is over at friend's. I believe that Tifa's son is over there so she'll be looked after."
"He's not going to come with us?" Rinoa asked. "Every one counts."
"That's true, but he's still Quistis and Seifer's child, Rin," Squall explained. "You can't expect them to put him in danger."
Rinoa let that thought sink in and she nodded, understandingly. Had Hunter been missing, she would've made RJ stay. She took a deep breath and pulled away from him. She wiped her eyes and put the stuffed animal aside.
"I'm going to go get ready then," Rinoa whispered. "I'll be ready by the time they get here."
Squall nodded. "Good...I'll see you then." He stood up and helped pulled Rinoa off the bed. He followed her outside of RJ's room and watched as she turned and headed for their bedroom.
He went the other way, towards the stairs. He had to tell one more person. The person who was probably just as worried as them. Squall walked down the stairs, noticing how the elder vampires had already begun to appear to lounge on the foyer. He turned into the second floor hall way and walked towards Laguna's office.
As he approached, he mentally prepared himself for the sight he was about to see. He lifted his hand and knocked on the door. It creaked open and he stepped in.
"WHY!?" a voice wailed. Squall froze and winced.
*I ask myself that every time I see you...* Squall thought to himself. He looked towards the desk were Laguna sat in his big leather chair. He was hugging a stuffed animal that he kept in his room. At a carnival, RJ had won it and gave it to him since he had been the one to pay for that particular game.
It was hideous orange octopus with large purple spots and sewn on plastic eyes. The vampire clan leader was looking at a photo album he had Ward and Kiros help him make right before RJ left for school in Galbadia. He had cried every time someone mentioned her name and called her every day until she had to ask him to stop because it was embarrassing her.
He then made occasional trips to Deling City just to visit her until Rinoa threatened to move her family out of the palace because she felt he had to 'let go' and stop 'being so clingy'. If he had been bad then, Squall didn't know how to describe his current condition.
"My poor baby!!"
"Laguna!" Squall growled, annoyed. "Stay here. We're going out."
"Are you going to save RJ?" he asked eagerly, looking up at his son with wide eyes.
Squall really didn't want to tell him. Then the old man would insist on coming along and helping. Which was the last thing he wanted. "We're... going to do some research."
"About RJ?" he asked tearfully.
"Yes..." Squall nodded, diverting his eyes. He looked at Kiros and Ward who nodded, knowing what Squall was actually going to go do. "You need to stay here in case anyone...uh...calls with a...uh...ransom."
Laguna nodded pitifully. Squall turned around and was about to head out the door when Ellone came in. "Did you tell him?" she asked energetically.
Squall's eyes went large and he shook his head and held his hands up to stop her. "Tell me what?" Laguna asked quietly behind his desk.
*No! NO!!* Squall's mind screamed. "Ellone-"
"They found out where RJ might be!" Ellone explained as she side stepped Squall and entered the room.
*Oh...DAMMIT.* As Ellone walked towards Laguna, Squall leaned his forehead against the wall.
"Squall!" Laguna yelled as he turned to his son with a frown. "Why didn't you tell me!?"
"Because you'd want to come along!" Squall shouted, annoyed.
"I don't!" Laguna insisted. Squall turned around and crossed his arms, glaring at his father. Laguna shrank back in the big leather chair. "Okay... so I do..."
"You're staying here," Squall snapped. "This is a mission for MY team. Not you. You have no idea what you're going to do-"
"But-"
"Stay here," Squall ordered. "If we NEED anything, we'll CALL. Understand?"
"But-" Laguna began, looking up, desperately wanting to help.
"No," Squall cut him off and Laguna looked down, still hugging the ugly orange octopus. "Kiros, Ward...please make sure he doesn't follow. It's for his own good."
"We know, Squall," Kiros said. "Good luck."
"Bring her back home." Ellone added.
Squall nodded as a shout echoed into the room. "Squall!" Irvine shouted. "Quisty and my brother are here!"
"I told you not to call me that, Kinneas!" a vicious male voice growled, signaling Seifer's presence.
"I'll be right there!" Squall shouted. "Hunter's going to be staying here for safety reasons."
"I'll go prepare a room for him," Ellone said as she headed back out the door. "Uncle..."
"I'm staying..." Laguna sighed, sounding like a pouting child.
Squall nodded and left the room. He closed the door behind him and Laguna stood up, leaving the orange octopus on his chair. He headed towards a rarely used bookshelf and began to press his hands against the walls. Kiros raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"
"Looking for that secret passage way."
"Why?"
"So we can sneak on board and help."
"Laguna, are you serious?"
"Are you going to just stand there or are you going to help me look for the passage way!?" Laguna snapped, annoyed.
"Laguna, you had all the passages blocked, remember?" Kiros sighed as he ran his hand down his face. "After all of Squall's attempts to run away?"
Laguna paused and thought for a moment. Squall was about six or seven and already, for some twisted reason, disliked Laguna. Perhaps it was merely because their personalities clashed, but it was more than just father and son tension. The blue eyed, anti-social vampire boy had attempted to run away twice. All three times being caught because Zell, his accomplice, got them caught. As a result, Laguna had all the secret passages blocked off.
He frowned. "I knew it was going to come back to haunt me..."
Downstairs, Rinoa was thanking Fujin and Raijin for flying over on such short notice and thanking Quistis for her research help. Seifer was carrying his son on his back, who seemed to have been knocked out by a spell.
"What's wrong with Hunter?" Selphie asked.
"We didn't want him to come and told him we were bringing him here to make sure he's all right," Quistis sighed heavily. "And then he complained and refused to stay, so we sedated him with a sleep spell."
"Ah..." Selphie said, nodded as she studied her nephew. Rinny was at the palace as well, helping Zell's wife with Torch.
"Think that was wise?" Irvine asked as he crossed his arms and looked over the knocked out young blond. "I mean, he'll be mighty pissed when he wakes up."
"He'll just have to deal," Seifer said. He saw Squall walking down the stairs. "Hey! Puberty boy, where can I dump him?"
Squall resisted the urge to bite his head off. "Ellone's getting one of the guest rooms ready. She'll be down in a bit. You can leave him on one of the couches. They'll drag him upstairs when the room is ready."
Seifer nodded and was about to drop his son on the floor when Quistis glared at him and pointed to one of the rooms to the side. "On a couch, Seifer..." she ordered. The blond father growled and dragged his son off.
"When you're done, meet us in the briefing room down the hall!" Selphie shouted as she and the others headed over there.
Seifer dropped Hunter's body on the nearest couch before heading after the others. As the door to the room closed, Hunter's green eyes opened. He narrowed them as he sat up and looked around. If he was remembered correctly, there should've been a small panel in the north wall in that particular room.
He and RJ had spent many nights exploring the palace and as a result founded many passages that Laguna had missed. He walked over to the northern wall and looked around. It was a wooden panel close to the floor. Nothing marked it except for the fact that one of the wooden seals had a star instead of a flower on it. He knelt down and began study the seals.
*Perfect...* he grinned as he found the seal. He pushed it into the wall and the panel opened up silently. Smirking he looked over his shoulder and crawled into the passage. *Damn...I remember this being bigger...* The panel closed behind him and he began to head towards the exit to the garden. From there, he would sneak into the back of the Ragnarok, by the engines so they couldn't smell his scent.
He finally reached a panel that lead to the back garden and pushed it open. He squeezed out of the small tunnel and looked around. Using the stealth he had learned at the Garden, he headed straight for the dragon shaped, red ship waiting on the massive lawn. "Did they really think a weak sleep spell would work on ME?"
"Miss Leonheart," She heard the voice calling out to her. "Miss Leonheart..."
RJ turned her head from side to side, tiredly and looked up. There was a pale woman standing by her bed and immediately, she recoiled back against the head board, clutching her blanket up to her chest. "Who are you!?" she demanded.
The woman was pale with strawberry blond hair and dressed in a long, straight black dress. "I am one of the servants that will be assigned to you as long as you are here."
RJ narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "That's all well and good, but if you're really my servant, why did you wake me? I'm part of the Loire clan," she said proudly. "I know how this sort of thing works."
"Master has ordered me to wake you," she said, bowing her head. "Please forgive me."
"Okay..." RJ said. She narrowed her eyes once more. "Do you guys have a library?"
"Yes, Miss Leonheart."
"Can you take me there...?" RJ asked hesitantly.
Much to her surprise, the servant vampire nodded and bowed her head. "Yes, Miss Leonheart, however you are not permitted to leave the confides of the mansion."
"I'm aware of what being a captive means..." RJ sighed. She began to crawl out of bed, towards the side opposite the servant. "Take me to the library."
She put her shoes back on and followed the servant out of her double doors. The lycan guards eyed her and began to follow behind them. RJ glanced over her shoulder and glared at them, annoyed by their presence. "Master will not leave you unguarded. But they will remain outside the doors of the library." the servant told her.
RJ nodded. *At least I'll be rid of them in a bit...* It seemed that the library was all the way across the mansion. It down the hall from hers and at the end of the opposite wing. Large, white double doors that reached the arched ceiling were opened for her as she stepped inside. "Hyne..." she mumbled.
Rows and rows of books. All the walls were lined with them and they lacked windows. There were at least three stories of books and beautiful crystal lamps illuminated the massive room. Slowly RJ walked in, each step echoing in the room. Behind her the doors creaked closed and she looked over her shoulder briefly before turning back around and continuing to walk through the seemingly endless shelves of books.
The smell of dust and old leather bound volumes filled her senses as the low cracking of a fire place at the other end of the library caught her attention. She lifted up the hem of her dress and quickly rushed over to the fire place. There was a coffee table and a finely cushioned cherry wood sofa.
It was as if it was expected for her to go there. She looked around and tried to sense any other presence. She found none. RJ turned and looked at the books. *Vampires...* she thought to herself. *I need to find books on ancient vampires...* With that thought in mind, she headed down the first series of shelves.
As she wandered through the maze of books in the dim light of the library, green eyes watched her move, memorizing each movement she made from each rise of her hand to the quick blink of an eye. After almost an hour of fruitless searching, she was on the second floor.
She laid eyes on old text of underworld history. Some volumes were all about ancients. Smiling, she began to pick them out. She blew the dust off the covers as she translated the old text, thanking Hyne that she had taken learning ancient text as a child.
With her arms filled with books, she descended down the stairs. If what her grandparents told her was true, her parents and her friends would come for her soon. In the mean time, she was going to find out all she could about her kidnapper. *Stupid Hunter isn't the only one who can study...* she thought to herself. *Always showing off because he's so smart while I had to study all the time...punk bastard...*
She went down the stairs and headed straight of the couch. She placed the stack of books on the table and picked out the one she wanted to read first. "Antiquae Vampyrem," she read. She opened the leather bound book and ran her fingers down the worn, beige pages. "Ancient vampire..."
Hours passed, she knew that much. The library lacked a window of any kind, so if it was day or night, she couldn't tell. She had lost track of day and night hours ago. Around her, books were placed in several piles that she had made into categories.
The pile closest to her was the pile she had finished reading, or skimming in most cases, was on ancient vampires. After she felt she knew enough of their history and their background as well as what they were capable of, she moved on to the next pile on 'the fallen children'. Sorcerers and vampires.
She had gotten half way through that pile when she grew bored of it and moved on to the pile of Hell's Gates, which then put her to sleep. As a result, the young vampiress now laid on her back, sprawled out on the couch. Her head was tilted against the side of the couch as one arm hung over the side and rested on the first stack of books.
Her legs were curled up against her in an almost fetal position. Her dark brown hair had been let loose and messily spread around her head in a halo of darkness. The light from the flames in the fire place danced across her face, creating shadows as he stood over her.
Strong arms went underneath her body, lifting her up and bringing her towards his darkly dressed body. Her head tilted and leaned against his head as he began to walk out of the library. Long white hair trailed behind him as he carried his captive out the doors and down the long, dark hallway.
An armed battalion of lycan guards followed closely behind him as he walked across the mansion with her in his arms. She suddenly seemed frail as she turned his head away from him and mumbled some incoherent words.
"Hunter..." she whispered. "Jerk..."
When he reached the doors of her assigned bedroom, the servant who had lead her to the library opened the door of him and bowed her head as he passed through. He headed towards the dark wood framed bed and gently laid the sleeping figure down on the soft material.
She immediately snuggled into the warmth of something familiar, all the while murmuring words like 'moron' and 'idiot'. She rolled over on her side, her locks of straight hair fall back and revealing her creamy pale neck.
He stared at it as he sensed her blood pulsating just underneath tender skin. He could smell her strong blood scent calling to him as her fingers grasped the pillow to her side. She smiled slightly, lost in her dreams.
Green eyes glowed and turned red as he bent down over her.
The pain was brief, but it was enough to wake her. RJ's eyes flew open and went wide as a foreign scent enter her senses and she felt blood being drawn out of her.
All she could see was his locks of long white hair as fangs were deeply embedded in her neck. Her heart stopped as her arms grabbed his black jacket and threw him, as hard as she could, away from him.
His teeth ripped out of her neck, sending a trail of fresh blood leaking down the pale flesh of her shoulders. Her dark dress soaked up the equally dark liquid as her hand rose to cover the holes in her neck. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him furiously.
"YOU BASTARD!!" she screamed. He stood less than ten paces from where she sat up in the bed, her hand tightening around her wounds. *Why aren't they healing!?*
Sephiroth lifted up his hand and casually wiped her blood off of his chin. He then lifted his hand and licked the blood off slowly, watching her as he did so. "You taste...exquisite..."
RJ was seething. Her eyes began to glow red as her fangs elongated She hissed as she raised her hand and tried her magic. As soon as the energy was summoned, the radiated bracelets on her wrists reacted. She screamed as they sent out bolts of electricity coursing through her body.
She was thrown back in the sheets as Sephiroth watched her writhe in pain. Caught completely off guard by the jolt, she didn't have time to prepare for it's effects. Her mind seemed to shut off to avoid feeling any more pain and her body fell, nearly lifelessly to the bed.
The sheets around her were now a mess as her eyes were closed. A slow trickle of blood was slowly being pumped out of the two holes on her neck. He took one step towards her and there was a knock on the door.
"Master! There is a foreign presence within the grounds!" a gruff voice shouted.
Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "They've come for her..." he turned on his heel and exited the room, leaving an electrocuted vampiress laying on the bed. Tears of blood fell from the corners of her eyes.
Hunter looked out the small port hole from where he had been hiding in the back of the ship. He saw his parents, RJ's parents, and his aunt and uncles leave the ship. Further out, he saw the foreboding shadow of a gothic mansion laying in the moonlight.
So what he had heard them talking about was true. Lights were on in different parts of the mansion as stone gargoyles stood watch. He had to join them and soon. He grabbed his gun blade, which he had brought with him, and threw off the tarp that had been hiding him.
Without another thought, Hunter headed towards one of the back doors. He looked around and punched in the code. He had memorized once when he had helped Raijin clean out the back of the ship when he was in school. The sound of depressurizing hisses reached his ear and he winced.
He looked over his shoulder to make sure no one heard him and jumped out the door as soon as the door opened. He landed crouching and jumped up, instantly becoming aware of what was around him as he ran towards the mansion looming the distance.
At the bridge of the ship, Raijin tugged on Fujin's shirt sleeve. "The back door opened, ya know." he said as he pointed to the light blinking on the control panel.
"Camera," Fujin said as she leaned over the panels and began to flip some switches. On the screen in front of them, an heat sensitive scan was set out around the area of the back door as Raijin closed it. She caught the fleeting image of a creature running away from the ship. "There!" she gasped.
She zoomed in on the picture and changed the setting from heat sensitive to night vision. Her eyes went wide. Raijin's mouth dropped. "Is that Hunter, ya know!?"
"Call them!" Fujin gasped as they simultaneously reached for the communication device. "Trouble..."
Hunter ran through the shadows in his werewolf form. He easily jumped over the tall, iron fence that lined the perimeter of the mansion. In the distance, towards the front of the house, he heard explosions. *Mrs. Leonheart and Auntie Selphie must be at it...* he thought to himself.
He himself preferred the sneaking in route. He reached the back of the house and it seemed that all the lycan guards had ignored him, as he was like one of them. They were all headed towards the front gates where his parents and their friends were coming through.
He looked around and put his gun blade on the ground. He drew out a circle on the dirt and then a star in the center. He drew an arrow and cast a spell. The arrow that was drawn on the dirt began to move. First forward, then right, forward, right forward, left, forward and so on.
He memorized the directions quickly and then destroyed the dirt sign with his boot. Gripping his gun blade, he followed the instructions. Forward towards a back door, right into the building, forward, right into the hall way. He mentally read off the directions as they lead him around corners and up a flight of stairs.
Half way down the second floor corridor, he picked up her scent. He knew her scent anywhere and took off the down hall. The guards he had passed were all concentrated at the front of the house, preparing to fight off the attackers.
Hunter slipped in easily and arrived at RJ's door. He could smell her inside as well as the strong scent of... *Blood?* Narrowing his eyes, he threw his body against the door, bursting it open. "RJ!" he gasped out.
He froze in the door way as his eyes landed on her shivering body. She was curled up at the head of the bed, her back against the wall as her knees were brought up to her chest. Her hair was around her body, but he could easily smell the scent of blood. Her shoulders were shaking as she cried. His body changed from his werewolf form to his more familiar human form.
Slowly she raised her head to meet his gaze, her eyes widening tearfully as she saw him standing there, gun blade in hand. Her lower lip trembled as she began to crawl towards the edge of the bed. "Hun...Hunter..." she sniffled.
"Shit!" Hunter breathed out as he ran towards her. He dropped his gun blade on the ground by her bed as he gathered her body into his arms. "RJ, where are you bleeding!?" he asked as her shaking arms went around his body.
She couldn't seem to stop crying. All the relief suddenly washed in as she saw him standing there, the most worried expression on his handsome features as soft green eyes absorbed her in their warmth. His arms tightened around her as he pressed his head against hers.
"He...he..." she stammered out in broken sobs.
He looked down at her and saw the thick stream of blood over her right shoulder and moved her hair away. "RJ, what the fuck happened!?" he growled. He gently pushed her away and her eyes squinted in pain.
"He bit me...and it won't...it won't stop bleeding..." she cried out.
Hunter suddenly came to the realization that RJ was extremely pale. "Hold on," he assured her. He brushed her hair away and adjusted his seating on the side of the bed. His hand went over the wound. "Cure..."
RJ closed her eyes as a warmth spread over her neck. Her breathing was shallow and Hunter couldn't believe that she had lost so much blood. The top of her dress was soaked with it and so were the blankets she had been laying on. Her face was streaked with red from her tears.
"The bracelets..." she said as she struggled to gain her composure. She lifted up her hand to show him the glowing material.
"I read about these..." he said. "They negate powers."
"I couldn't cure myself..." she explained. He nodded as he removed his hand. The wounds on her neck were gone, but she had still lost a lot of blood.
Hunter unlatched the bracelets from her and pocketed them. He figured his mother might want to take them as well. Raising his hand he cupped her face. "What did he do to you?"
"I need...I need blood..." she gasped out weakly.
Without hesitation, Hunter exposed his neck by brushing away his blond hair. RJ leaned forward and pressed her lips against his warm neck. He bit his lower lip as he felt her fangs go through his skin. *Whoa...* he thought to himself. He suddenly felt a bit drugged and heavy as an intoxicating feeling washed through him. "RJ...is it just me..." he grinned stupidly as she put her hands on his shoulders to steady him. "But are you enjoying this...?"
In reply, she lifted one hand and gave him the middle finger. She bit him lightly. *Jerk...* She pulled her fangs back once she had gotten enough blood and licked his flesh to start the healing process.
"Oh..." Hunter grinned. "Do it again..."
"Shut up," she hissed. She wiped her mouth and glared at him. "What the hell took you so long?"
"What!?" Hunter growled. He shot up straight and glared at her as she dragged herself off the bed and looked for her shoes. "What do you mean 'what took me so long'?!"
"You heard me!" she snapped. "Because you took so freaking long, I could've died from blood loss!"
"Maybe I should've taken longer then!" he retorted. She grabbed her shoes and began to put them on.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you!?" she hissed. "How do we get out of here?"
"I don't know, I was so busy looking for you, I completely forgot my way up here!" he snapped back. Her eyes went wide and she stood up.
"What kind of a rescuer are you!?" she yelled. "You found me, but now you don't know how to get out! Way to go, moron!"
"MORON!?" he shouted. "Yeah, you're right! I am a moron! A moron for finding YOU and thinking you'd be GRATEFUL!"
"You can't even find your own way out! Why would I be grateful to a crummy hero wannabe like you?!"
"CRUMMY!?"
"You heard me, MEANY!" RJ shrieked back. They glared at each other.
"I HATE YOU!" they shouted simultaneously.
"Hey! Who are you!?" a voice shouted from the door way. The duo in the room whirled around and saw a lycan guard before them.
"Aw, shit..." Hunter said. The creature growled and lunged towards them. RJ screamed and Hunter grabbed his gun blade in a swift motion. He lifted it up and shot three bullets into the creature.
It fell to the ground with a thud. "Let's go!" RJ said, heading for the door. Hunter grabbed her hand.
"How stupid are you?" he sighed. "Those gun shots, not to mention your hysterical shrieking, probably alerted all the guards. They'll be up here and coming through THOSE doors!"
"MY shrieking!?" she snapped. "What about you, Mr. High and Mighty!? You weren't exactly quiet, either!"
"Let's go!" he growled as she pulled her back into the room.
"Where? The closet!?" she hissed.
"You know, I've had it up to here," he said, putting his gun blade under her chin. "With you and your bitching."
"Kiss my-"
"Love to!" Hunter cut her off and pulled her face forward. Her eyes went large as his lips pressed against hers. *Been wanting to do that since we danced...*
As her mouth opened slightly, he lifted his gun blade and shot the window. RJ didn't hear the sounds of the bullets or of glass breaking as his heated breath caressed her. He pulled away from her abruptly and she stood there, dazed. He smirked and took her hand.
"Wait!" she gasped as she was suddenly tugged forward. Hunter picked her up and heaved her over her shoulder. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"
"Escaping!" he yelled. He stepped upon the window sill and the wind blew against him. Below, he could make out the clear area where they were supposed to land.
"Hunter, they're coming!" she screamed as she looked up and saw werewolves pushing to get in through the bedroom doors.
"Then wave good-bye!" Hunter shouted. He put one arm over RJ's waist and jumped. She screamed as they hit the ground. Hunter's feet sank into the soft earth as he quickly rebounded and began to run.
"Ow! Ow! OW! Hunter, your shoulder is jabbing my rib!" she screamed in pain.
"Fine!" he snorted as he paused and put her down. He clamped his left hand on her right one. "Then run on your own!"
"With pleasure!" she shouted. *Years of dancing prepared me for this sort of thing!* she thought to herself. She easily caught up with him as they ran across the compound.
From her window, a figure looked down with narrowed green eyes. "Should we pursue her, Master?" a voice asked behind him.
"No...we can get her another time," he shrugged. "Let's leave immediately."
"Yes, Master!"
"What do you mean you saw Hunter coming out of the ship!?" Quistis shrieked into her communication piece as she sent a fire spell towards a group of vampires heading towards them.
"He was running towards the mansion, ya know." Raijin reported.
"That idiotic moron!" Seifer growled. "Quistis, look what your son is doing!"
"Why is he just MY son when he does something stupid!?" Quistis yelled back.
"That doesn't make sense," Irvine said as he shot a lycan straight through the head. "Especially when that sort of action is more like his father."
"I won't hesitate to turn gun blade against you, Kinneas!" Seifer threatened.
"Let's just concentrate on getting to the both of them first!" Zell shouted.
"We won't have to!" Selphie shouted.
Rinoa looked up from where she was standing behind Squall. "BREAK!!" a familiar female voice screamed.
Immediately, a highly concentrated wave of magic swept though their left side, petrifying a large group. "RJ!!" Rinoa yelled in joy as she saw her daughter running forward.
As an alarm sounded through he compound, Squall turned his head and let out a breath if relief as he saw his daughter. "Oh, Hyne, Hunter!!" Quistis sighed out relief.
"Where are they going!?" Zell gasped.
Seifer turned his head and watched as suddenly, aside from the wounded and dead or petrified warriors, many were retreating. "What the hell's going on...?" he mumbled suspiciously.
"Mom!" RJ gasped as she ran into her mother. She let go of Hunter's hand.
"Oh, Hyne! Thank you!!" Rinoa cried as she hugged her child tightly.
The ground began to shake and the group watched as a large, black ship emerged from the back of the mansion. "What the hell is that...?" Irvine murmured.
"Let's get back to the Ragnarok!" Squall began.
"No use," Seifer said as the ship's engines started to glow. A loud blast of sound came through as it sped away. "We'll never catch up."