Fellow Companions: Chapter Two
It's been a year since Desdemona's mother given D the mission to rescue her daughter.
"Ya know," came a voice somewhere, as D was riding through a forest, "You lied to people that cared about that poor girl. You know which one, the one with the girl.. Demon… Demona…"
"Desdemona," whispered D.
"How come," came that voice again.
D stayed silent as he rode through the grove of trees.
"Y'know, it's also been a year already. That's a long time. Why don't we call it quits? I mean, they probably gave up now."
A twig snapped.
"They probably hired other hunters and brought her—
"Shh…" D stopped his horse.
"That's funny," said a face from his left hand. "I could of sworn that I heard something. Didn't you?"
D kept silent for some time. Then, he made his horse move again.
"She's following us," said D.
"WHAT! After a year?! How can you make sure that this isn't the same girl?"
They entered a clearing and D stopped. From here, he could see around him.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are," sang the hand.
Time passed by and there was no sign of anybody. A small blue jay flew across, in front of his horse. D continued on.
"Weeell… I guess you were wrong that time, D."
D kept going until he came to the next town. From there, he found a girl standing outside of a store, carrying a rather lightweight sword, tied to her waist by a sash. Her hair, which was just above her waist, was straight and raven black that shone in the sunlight. Her bangs were oddly styled. Her right bangs were ringlets, but her left was wavy. Such a strange combination, but it fitted her face. Her attire consisted of a tight leather fabric. Her knee length boots had high heels and her arms were covered with vinyl gloves that reached up to her midarm. She turned her brown eyes onto the stranger and she gave a small salute with her right hand, using only two fingers.
"Are you part of this town, or are you new here," she asked.
D looked the girl over. She couldn't be more than nineteen years old and her cloak was concealing two small clasps.
"I'm new," replied the hunter.
"Oh… Sorry, but I was hoping that maybe you would help me around this place." She went to a tied horse and began untying the ropes. "Oh, well. Thanks, anyway."
She undid the knot and mounted the horse skillfully, her cloak moved a bit, revealing only the letter "B" on one of the clasps, with a small leaf on the background. She then turned the horse and rode off.
Just then, a young man ran out of the store and yelled after her, "Hey, you! Get back here with my horse! You have no right to steal it!"
The girl looked back and yelled, "Don't worry, I'll have it back to you right after I'm done with it!"
The young man crossed his arms together.
"Well, that was hardly a proper introduction from a princess," remarked the man.
"A princess?" D looked after the girl's trail of dust, moving into the far path.
"Yeah, at least, that's what she told me." The young man looked at D. Then, he blushed and turned back to the door.
"I wonder when she'll be done with it," he mumbled, as he went back inside the store.
D looked at the door, then made his horse move forward in a trot and followed the tracks that the other girl had made.
The sun was scorching hot and this made the young girl tired and thirsty.
"AAH! This heat's gonna kill me!"
She looked around and gasped.
"No wonder why." She looked up at the sky. "I'm in the middle of a DESERT!"
She stopped and looked lost in thought.
"Too bad that river I passed almost an hour ago was a mirage."
She looked around and a sweatdrop appears on her head. Then, she made her horse move again. She passed by an oasis, stopped, and turned back. She then breathed a sigh and started screaming, "ANOTHER MIRAGE!!!"
She started crying out (anime-style: flowing rivers out of the eyes) and stopped instantly. Then, she pouted and moved her horse again. The sandy, dry breeze fluttered her leather cloak and some sand got in her eyes. She screamed and started rubbing furiously at them to remove them.
"I got to get myself sunglasses," she told herself.
She looked up ahead and saw a small town.
"Let's hope that town's not a mirage…"
Indeed, it wasn't. All of a sudden, the young lady's face brightened up.
"It's my," she paused and a sweatdrop appeared on her head, "hometown."
She bowed her head and breathed a sigh (anime-style: a small drawing of a cloud comes out her mouth). She picked up her head and moved her horse forward.
"Well, I guess this way, I could get something to drink," said the young lady, as she looked dully up ahead, slightly leaning against the horse's neck.
She arrived at a small house and dismounted. She knocked on the door and yelled out, "MOM! I'M BACK FROM MY FIVE MONTH TRAVEL! Which was intended to be a ten year travel…"
Nobody answered.
"Huh?" A questioned look appeared on her face.
"That's funny…"
She knocked again. This time, the door opened by itself.The young lady stood with her arm halfway raised and staring at the door with big eyes.
"Ah…"
She entered the doorway and found the place the same that it's always been. She entered the dining room, to her right, and found the wooden table with its bowl of fruit in the middle. About eight chairs were seated around it. She went out at the left and entered the dining room. The soup was bubbling inside the pot and she went to lower the fire. She exited the room to the left and entered the living room. So far, nobody was around. She got panicky and ran up the steps, in front of the entrance door, and entered the bedrooms. Nobody was there.
"Where is everybody?"
She descended the stairs slowly and went out the door unconsciously. Then, she entered the stable on her right and saw only three horses. One was silvery white, another was ebony black, and the last was a cool windy blue.
"Charlemagne, Jasmine, Princess," nodded the young girl as she went to each of them.
"Charlemagne, did you know where momma and pappa went?"
The Charlemagne neighed and shook his head.
"Smart horse," came a soft voice from behind her.
The girl turned around quickly and saw the same stranger she met a while back.
"STALKER," was the first word that came out of her mouth.
"I just happen to go the same place that you were going," was the reply from the dark stranger.
"Really? Is it also a coincidence that you happen to be in the same stable that I'm in right now," suspiciously asked the girl.
"Coincidences do happen."
The girl blushed a crimson red and turned her head.
"I didn't catch your name back there, what is it," asked D.
"Uh…" The girl turned her head back. "It's Voletta Black."
"That name is french," responded D.
"So what if it is? I just happen to like french names."
"Do you know anybody with the name Desdemona?"
"Um…" She appeared to be thinking. "Now that you mention it, I've heard that she was going to the castle of…"
She paused a sudden look of hate flashed in her eyes, "Yukio Kilkin."
"You seem disturbed," reported D.
Voletta stared at D for some time before realizing what he meant. "Oh, sorry," she said, "I'm a little dense about these things."
A sweatdrop appeared on her head as she laughed nervously. D seemed unamused.
"Where is this Yukio Kilkin," asked D.
"How should I know?" Voletta went to the silvery white horse and undid the ropes. "They said that he lives in a carriage/ castle. They've been on the road everywhere."
She led the horse out and grabbed the rope of the other horse. D followed her out.
"I've been trying to find some information about him after I met Desdemona."
"How long ago was that?"
She thought for a minute, "About a year."
D stayed silent. There was a feeling of doubt around him, but Voletta disregarded it.
"I heard that she was hunting down vampires for a living and that she was running away from a marriage with…a dhampir." She hopped on the silvery white horse and took the reins of the horse she "borrowed".
"She's one, though. She just hates anything with vampire blood…" A shadow fell on her face as she whispered, "Even herself."
D caught this, but he didn't say anything.
"I believe the last time I saw the carriage, it was somewhere in the west. I'm going to go now, so…" She extended a hand, as if to shake his. D didn't raise his hand.
"Ah, okay… Till then, my friend." And with that, she urged Charlemagne to move through the desert.
D watched, went back to his horse, mounted, and went on his way.
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Well… hope y'all liked my fic. The longest chapter…so far. Read and Review, please. No flamers.
Volette: (whining) I had to go back to the desert, even after I got sand in my eyes?
Manuel: Yes.
Voletta: (still whining) And I still haven't gotten a drink, yet.
Manuel: (patting her back) ^.^ I'll try to squeeze in a drink in the next chapter.
Voletta: YAY! (jumping up and down)
D: The chapter's over, why are you still talking?
Manuel: Sorry… Till then, my fans!
Voletta: THAT'S MY LINE!
Manuel: Nuh-uh.
D sweatdrops as Manuel and Voletta argues in the background.