Vampire Hunter D:

Bloodlust Alternata

New Blood

Disclaimer: I own VHD (DON'T I WISH!!)

"Iszara, what is the meaning of this!?" the old man demanded. The snake-woman cringed at her leader's tone of voice. "A chamber, sssir, unsealed by tremor," she said, a quiver creeping into her voice. The old man wheeled closer to her, the wheel of his unicycle squeaking. "A tomb of some sort? My dear, the Barbaroi may sell their services but we are not grave robbers," he said. "It isss not a tomb, leader. It may have once been a ressssearch fassssility." The Old Man of the Barbaroi looked like he had been physically struck. "What isss it, leader?" Snapping back to reality, the Old Man said "Oh...well it's...nothing. You may go Iszara. Tell Benge and Caroline to investigate; they could use the experience..."

Four Years Later...

The wind was nearly constant atop the windmills. He could sit there all day and have it blow all of his cares beyond the horizon. Unfortunately, one of the man's more troublesome 'friends' had other ideas. "Good evening, Benge," he said, not minding the fact that the shadowmaster had his arm emerging from his shadow and giving him bunny ears. "How unfair! How unfair to see one all alone," said the shadowmaster, emphasizing the "alone". Ignoring Benge's taunting, the man continued to stare into nothingness, his long white hair blowing around him. 'Well, he's right about the "alone" part I guess.'

It was nearly two hours later when the man descended from his perch to tend to a small vegetable garden that he was growing on his terrace. Again, alone. Although a decent fighter, the man, who remembers his name to be Sagittarius, turned out to be more of a guardian than a warrior. And when he wasn't a guardian, he was something of a simpleton, something which Benge would never leave him alone about. "You're too predictable these days, Siggy," said a sultry voice. Sagittarius flinched a bit with surprise. "Caroline." She hopped down from her perch above him and sashayed over to him. "C-Caroline, what are you doing up here?" he asked, mindful of how close she was to him. Her face made a cute little pout. "Aw, can't I watch my little Siggy?" she asked, eyeing the aerator that was spawning from his left arm. "Sorry," he said, feeling somewhat guilty. For some reason, Caroline had always made him feel different. Perhaps it was the fact that she also loved plants. Maybe it was because she was the first thing he saw when he had been awakened. Maybe it was because he thought that she was one of the most beautiful beings alive. WHAT? 'Where did that come from?' he thought as a deep blush consumed his face. "Now you aren't thinking any dirty thoughts, are you Siggy?"

For four years, he had lived as a Barbaroi, taking jobs at behest of the Old Man, training, and tending to his garden of herbs and vegetables, or simply meditating on one of the vast windmills overlooking the valley. During that time, he had gotten to know several of the others he served with. The first were obviously Benge and Caroline. Benge had been a near constant source of rather twisted-but light hearted-humor, usually at his expense. He never faulted Benge for that; Benge was a trickster by nature, working ever from the shadows and causing mischief or chaos, more often than not a combination of the two. Caroline had always been something of a puzzle for Sagittarius. Despite the many things in common between the both of them, she would often tease him, although never insultingly. That and Sagittarius has a massive crush on her.

Then there was the Old Man, the leader of the Barbaroi. Although eccentric, slightly off-center, and a bit of a perv, he had proven himself an experienced and very capable leader numerous times in the past, as he had learned through conversations with other Barbaroi.

Finally, there was Mashira, the Lycan. To Sagittarius, Mashira was the epitome of the Barbaroi. Although renowned for his strength, he was very gentle when his strength was not required. He was also extremely loyal, doing, within reason, whatever the client asked. Not only that, but Mashira was his mentor and guide to the worlds he had woken to. Sagittarius respected the mutant werewolf greatly, so he was genuinely surprised when he was approached for a job.

The strange black carriage had arrived early in the morning, perhaps an hour or so before sunrise. The vehicle, drawn by four magnificent black steeds, drew up to and passed through the gate, which had been opened a minute or so prior. The driver, obviously a Noble, stepped down from his seat and addressed our leader. After a short conversation, the Noble retired to the carriage to await the passage of day and the Old Man wheeled away to one of the colonnades, apparently talking with someone. Though somewhat giddy over the thought of a Noble being nearby, Sagittarius paid it relatively little mind. That is, until near evening.

The sun was setting to the west when Mashira had come up to Sagittarius. "Sir? What are you doing up here?" The lycan put his hand on the slighter man's shoulder. "I am going on another mission, Young Archer." Sagittarius smiled slightly at this; 'Young Archer' was endearing nickname Mashira used during lessons when talking to the normally reserved young man. "Normally, I would tell you to be good and to hold your head high if I didn't return." His face softened as he continued to speak. "But this time, the client has expressed interest in a guardian. Specifically, you." Sagittarius' mouth dropped open in surprise while Mashira looked on with something akin to a father's pride. "Your job is to guard Lady Charlotte Elbourne from harm. Now hurry, we are expecting company." With that, the lycan went off, leaping from ledge to ledge. It took a moment or so for Sagittarius to unstick his brain before he did something he did only rarely. Following Mashira, he leapt off the windmill, flying down near to where the carriage was, his body supported by the strength of his mind.

Author's Note: Well, that's the first chapter of VHD: Bloodlust Alternata. I hope I wrote it decently. Anyway, Siggy finally gets involved to the original plotline. So what will happen with this trump card thrown into the pile?

Pairings: Meier/Charlotte (obviously!); maybe Caroline/OC. Don't know about D yet...

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