Hey there! Sorry its been so long but i've had a few problems haveing to do with my all pregnant goats haveing their kids at once. . . In the middle of the night. . . dureing a storm. Its really not a fun thing to spend two days and two nights in the rain covered head to toe in placenta. Anyways, I would like to give my most sincere thanks to my wonderful editor MegamiSilence, I wouldn't want to write without her! And to everyone who reveiwed I also give my thanks!

Blah Blah Blah, Disclaimer, Blah Blah Blah ON WITH THE STORY!

Blood Tide, Chapter Three

' Of Golden Eyes and Silver Trinkets '

Serenity sighed for what seemed to be the hundreth time in the past hour. ' I have invited a vampire into my home. . . What the hell was I thinking?. . .Oh yeah, I wasn't!' She shook her head and entered the room in which her 'guest' was now staying. She had not come in to see him since she had dumped him off in here,but she just couldn't force herself to stay away.She just felt so. . .odd. . .when around him. She came up beside the bed and found him still sleeping. There was just something that seemed to pull her toward him, something she didn't understand. . .'Something i'm not sure I want to understand.', her hand, almost of its own volition, reached out and brushed through his chocolate locks then her fingers gently traced the strong lines of his face. "What is it that draws me to you?. . .Why are you different?" She whispered as she rested her palm against his cheek. When she did this, a sudden shock assailed her body with a force that knocked her to her knees. "What the hell?" She got up slowly, clutching at her raceing heart. She looked the vampire over and found that he was unaffected. "What are you?" She whispered into the silence but did not receive her answer. . .only part of it. For the first time she thought of checking his aura. ' But vampires don't have souls. . .Why not? I've done everything else.' She closed her eyes and the star on her forhead started to glow a soft silver.When she opened them, her eyes that had once been a silvery blue color were now a metalic silver. What she saw amazed her. Not only did he have an aura but it was of an extrodinary color that was seen in only a select few. Red, a deep blood red. She closed her eyes again breifly and when she opened them they were back to their normal state. Other than the obvious, the only other strange thing about it was that it was extremely weak, as though his soul were fadeing. . .

Serenity left the room and swiftly put a barrier around the it. She wasn't sure if he was a danger to her or not, but she wasn't takeing any chances with him. She made her way down the grand staircase of her mansion and into the library, a place she seemed to be visiting often these days.After she lit a few candles for light, she went immiediately to the section reserved for those books that concerned vampires and plucked a few from their shelves. She sat down at one of the oak tables and started flipping through their pages. "Theres no vampire that is like him. . .", She concluded softly ," Maybe he is of a new breed. . .no that wouldn't be it. . .a freak of nature?. . .no, he's anything but natural. . .urgh, I can't figure it out!" She slammed her head down on the table and let the cool surface soothe her hot skin. ' Well one thing is for certain, I can't kill him now. . .What the hell have I gotten myself into?. . .'

( Somewhere Far Away. . .(

Deep within the depths of space there is a place that even the gods themselves fear. . .It is known by many names such as; the pit,the nightmare, the blackness, but none describe it as well as its more common name. Hell.It was rather small for a place so renowned, nothing more than a small pocket of space that contained only one star. This nameless star shone with a strange black-red light that had appeared seemingly for no reason. Things of evil seemed drawn here and no one that looked to the light could survive within it's limits for long.

Within the star something laughed, a sound that curdled the blood and froze the heart in mid-beat. There was a loud, distinctive sound that reminded of shattering glass or crystal and the laughing only grew. There was a great lurch asthough space had shifted, and the top of the star crumbled in upon itself and from out of its heart crawled something horrible. . .

( Back at White Manor. . .(

Heero groaned softly and slowly opened his eyes. After letting himself become fully conscious, he sat up from the bed in which he was laying and studied his strange surroundings.

The room was suited completely in a shade of creamy white, from the walls and the curtains to the carpet and the bed covers. The only other color in the room was the deep mahogany of the wooden furniture. To some people the room would seem comfortable and relaxing but to him it was too. . .white. It reminded him far too much of something he lost a long time ago. . .

Suddenly a thought struck him.' The woman. . .White Manor. . . Shit.' He quickly jumped from the bed and to the near window. He pushed back the curtains and peered outside only to see the vastness of the ocean, and there was only one building that faced the ocean , which could only mean . . . ' Shit. ' He ran over to the door and grabbed the doorknob only to be blasted backward by a jolt of energy. "Shit!" He walked over to the bed ,grabbed one of the pillows and threw it at the window only to have it come flying back at him. He sat on the bed ran his hands through his hair. 'Why didn't she kill me?. . .What could she possibly want with me?' He tried to come up with a reasonable explanation, however he was left with blankness. All he could do was wait for her to come back and then find out directly from the source.

Serenity lifted her head from the table and blinked for a moment. 'Is it just me or is it brighter in here? ' She pulled her gaze from the table and looked at one of the windows that was currently glowing with sunlight.

" Ah, no! " She jumped up from her chair and rushed up the stairs with lightning speed. "I can't believe I fell asleep! Oh, WHY didn't I cover that window!" She finally reached her destination and placed her hand on the doorknob while whispering 'Please don't be a pile of ashes!' over and over again. She opened the door and found, much to her relief and surprise, that her bloodsucking guest was not only well but conscious!

With a disconcerting and seemingly unnatural grace he was up from the bed and in front of her. His golden gaze locked with hers but she could not hold them for long. Something lurked in their depths that disturbed her. Something dark but at the same time pure. Was it his soul that observed from those pools of gold or something different all together?. . .

" What? "

She was abruptly driven from her thoughts by a masculine voice. His glare unpleasantly reminded her of ice, so much that she shivered at their intensity. "I asked you why you did not kill me. " There was silence for a moment while she decided whether to answer him or not.

" I didn't kill you because you're different. "

"How am I different? " He relaxed his muscles, letting curiosity best him.

"I don't know. "

" You lie. "

"I don't lie." She cried in her defense. He chose to not ponder on her sudden reaction and change the subject.

"Why are you keeping me here?"

"I was waiting for you to wake up."

"And the barrier?"

"For my own protection."

"From an unconscious man?"

"From an unconscious vampire."

'Clever girl,' he thought to himself, 'maybe I undermined her capabilities...'

Serenity and Heero glared at each other through the invisible barrier that separated them. "Are you going to let me go?" He asked in the same tone as the rest of his questions.

"Yes, after you answer me a few questions." She answered without missing a beat.

"Then ask." He crossed his arms, feeling impatient.

"What were you doing outside my house?"

" Hunting. "

"Did you kill anyone?"

"Yes." Serenity twitched. He was straight forward with her? Why was he so damn cocky?

" Out of malice? "

" Out of need."

". . .Have you ever heard of the Blood Tide?" She held her breath, waiting for an answer.

"No. " Heero did not know what to say to her, being in this situation.

She sighed gently to herself , not even the vampires knew of it. This meant her work was more cut out for her than she had previously thought. With all her questions exhausted she made to remove the barrier when one more emanated, "Did you know you have a soul? " Her query was answered with his eyes widening. He had not known. She shook her head and removed the barrier with a wave of her hand. "You're free to go." He walked through the doorway and as he made his way toward the stairway, an idea struck her. "Wait." He turned back to her and watched as she removed a necklace from its resting place at her throat. She reached up and fastened it around his neck. " This is a talisman that will protect you from the nightmares that plague you. At least a little bit anyways."

' How did she know? ' She smiled mysteriously as though she had heard his thoughts and shook her head. She walked with him to the door where she turned to face him.

"You are welcome back here if you should need me. Are there any questions of your own before you leave?"

"Why are you telling me this?" She smiled that enigmatic smile again and shrugged.

"Because I'm a risk taker, I guess." He stepped out the door and started back to the dead city. "May Selene guide and protect you."

Heero heard her blessing in the wind and the sound of the doors closing. He reached the shadows of the city and leaned back against one of the buildings to think over what had just transpired. He reached up to his neck and picked up the necklace that rested just below his collarbone. He brought it up to eye level and examined it. It was a entity of great beauty and craftsmanship and made of silver, so pure, it was almost white. The shape was of an upside down crescent moon with vines and graceful runes running up its sides and a milky white stone, carved into the intricate form of a rose, resting in the middle. He let the trinket fall back to his chest and tilted his head back against the hard cement.

Her voice said those words over and over again in his mind until he could no longer gather meaning from them. He could remember the sound of her voice reminding him of silver chimes and the silky feel of her ivory skin as it brushed against his. He shook his head to rid himself of his thoughts but even as he walked away, the place where she had touched his neck still tingled with its memory.

Okay! There it is people! Please reveiw and tell me what you think, flames are welcome but please make them with some tact.

PerfectSoldierGurl