Title: Dark Demons
Author: Tapestry
Rating: R
Email: ShaddowCathotmail.com
Standard Disclaimer Apply
... denotes mind speaking
2/01/04
"Woman was created from the ribs of man
Not from his head to top him
Nor from his feet to be walked upon
She was made from his side to be his equal
From beneath his arms to be protected
From very near his heart to be loved."
--Anonymous--
AN: I think I have to make something clear that Geoffrey is not Greg.
Geoffrey's name is pronounced Jeffrey. ('')
9/6/04 - You'll have to excuse me as I haven't written a word in almost
6 months.
Chapter 1: Strangers
The sirens wailed loudly into the night as an ambulance hurtled through
the streets towards Tokyo General. Screeching to a halt at the emergency
entrance, nurses and medical personnel lifted the patients out of the
ambulance and hurriedly wheeled them, the doctor on duty snapping out
orders at a rapid pace.
The sounds of clacking shoes sounded on the tiled floors as they pushed
the patients into the emergency rooms.
Dr. Kagawara stared in horror at the bloody patient lying still on
the examination table, his chest barely rising as it was all but ripped
out.
"This boy needs emergency surgery, STAT!" he hollered. "Some one page
Mizuno-sensei!"
"Sensei! This one's going into shock!" exclaimed a nurse.
Kagawara hurried over to the nurse's side as all his thoughts vanished,
scattering like leaves in the wind. The only thing that was upper most in
his mind was to save as many lives as possible on this horrific night of
tragedy...
Dr. Mizuno Ami heard the loudspeakers page her name on the comm system,
the voice of the nurse on duty, echoing through the hospital corridors.
Her feet, tired from the day's work immediately turned around, taking her
to the emergency rooms. Her shift was nearly over, but if the people at
the wards needed her, she couldn't, wouldn't turn her back on them.
Reaching the wards, she snapped sterilized rubber gloves onto her hands,
a mask to cover the lower portion of her face and stepped into the
pandemonium that was the emergency rooms.
"Give me a quick stat," she ordered at a nurse, her eyes seeking the
patient, trying to determine the extensiveness of the injuries.
One side of the man's face was swollen and purple with torn skin. He
was nearly unrecognizable with his bloated features. His nose and jaw were
obviously broken.
What gave her pause was the bloody wound in his chest. If you could call
it a wound. It resembled more of a gaping bloody hole.
Mizuno Ami, hardly heard what the nurse told her. Her mind was already
seeking out the man's. He lived still... and his will was strong.
"Get him into surgery! Immediately! My God, why didn't you wheel him in
earlier? NOW! Go go go!" exclaimed Ami, hurrying the nurses and medical
aids.
She was by the next curtain in a flash, yanking it open. Her colleague,
Dr. Kagawara turned to look at her, shaking his head in despair.
This one had died.
Her work had kept her at the hospital until it was nearly dawn. She was
tired and only wanted to go home and drop onto her bed and into the arms
of sleep. A traffic accident.
Six people were injured and two of them were still in critical care.
Another three had died. She hadn't been able to coax them back from the
clutches of death.
She had tried to tell herself, that she and her colleagues had already
pulled miracles out of their hats. A Trauma Unit couldn't have done any
better. Yes, she was the doctor that worked miracles and had pulled more
people back from death's door than any doctor her age. Everyone in the
local medical field had said so.
But those thoughts didn't provide her any solace in the least. She was
drained. In mind, body and soul...
This was the part of her job she hated, always questioning if there had
been somthing else she could have done to save that patient's life.
Something more, some other alternative to everything she had decided.
But everytime, nothing came to mind.
"Mizuno-sensei, are you still here?" exclaimed a nurse.
Ami gave the nurse a smile. "I was just thinking...I'll be going soon. I
know what you're going to say."
The nurse merely nodded. It was no secret that many nurses and other
doctors had had to literally force Dr. Mizuno Ami into a car and make her
go home for rest. Usually an attendent drove the good doctor home.
But tonight, there was no need for that.
Checking her watch as she headed towards her car, Ami sighed. 5.30am.
The sun would probably be rising in another hour or two. What she needed
was a hot shower, maybe four to six hours of sleep and then, good strong
coffee before her 1pm shift started.
Reaching her car, her thoughts moving towards a young patient in the
surgery ward, she fished about her purse for her car keys.
She felt the disturbance before she heard it. Tensing, she expected an
attack from a mugger or some snatch thief. What she hadn't expected was
coming face to face with some evil looking person, more monster like than
man, his heavy breathing and sallow complexion with the sunken cheekbones
made her wonder if he was perhaps a druggie looking for cash to get a
quick fix.
The stench of blood and the horrible wounds that dripped drew her eyes,
the doctor part of her, telling her to go the man and care for his wounds.
The other part, probably the sane part, told her to run, screaming from the
horrible looking man as fast as possible.
Yet, she was rooted to the spot, unable to do either.
The man hissed, his eyes like lasers, burning her skin with the hatred
she saw in them. His thin lips peeled back revealing receding gums and
dirty teeth stained a slight brown. Her mind took note of the unusually
large, long canine teeth.
A clawed hand reached out towards her when suddenly, the night exploded
and the darkness disappeared for one brief moment.
When she could open her eyes again and not be blinded, all she saw before
her were a pile of ashes that were quickly being swept away by a soft
breeze.
Her eyes lifted further up and what she saw stole her breath.
A foreign man stood a few feet away staring at her. He was beautiful with
a strong jaw and strawberry blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. She
couldn't make out the eye colour in the dark but guessed it was blue.
He was tall and if he had stood next to her, she would probably only reach
his shoulders. Why were foreign men so big?
Then, she blinked. And he was gone, leaving her to wonder, if eveything
that had just happened had been a figment of her tired imagination.
Zachary reappeared in the shadows, only a mere 30 metres away from where
he had once stood. His heart was pounding, the sound echoing in his ears.
He could scarcely believe what all the signs were telling him. Couldn't
come to grips with every molecule in his body that was screaming at him to
snatch the tiny asian woman and fly off into the night like some
supernatural Tarzan without the vines and loin cloth.
He could still smell her in the air. He watched her stand by her car for
a long while before she moved, shaking her head as if to clear the
cobwebs from her thoughts. She turned her head, looking around her.
Her head stilled to stare at his direction, and for one moment, he
could almost believe that she knew he was still there... watching her.
His nocturnal eyes with their superb vision made out her face in the dim
light.
To him, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her face was
all eyes. Wide ocean blue eyes set in a pale ivory translucent face framed
with a mop of thick blue black hair that curled at the ends. She had to
have had at least one foreign ancestor. No Japanese woman had blue eyes or
the classic cheekbones this young woman displayed.
The riot of emotions that ran through his being were truly intoxicating.
It had been so long since he had felt any peace from the rage and hatred
that had been festering inside his soul. He knew of the black stain that
ate at every male of his race...the sexual heat that drove the males to
insanity.
He had come out to feed, and had found a foul creature of his own race.
Undead. And the monstrosity had in turn, led him to salvation. His heart
skipped a beat and his breathing stopped as the tiny woman made a final
sweep of the area with her eyes, got into her car and drove away into the
darkness.
He stood there, breathing again, assessing his moves. He hungered for
this female and he knew, she could save his soul and bring out the love
and possessiveness that existed... deep within him.
She was his. And nothing on earth could keep her from him.
Zachary returned to the home he shared with Geoffrey, his senses fanned
out, searching for a trace of the other male though it was doubtful if
Geoffrey would be found if he didn't want to be.
"You're back."
Zach had to keep himself from turning around and plowing a fist at the
voice.
"You always have to do that don't you? Mask your presence."
"Habit, old friend." chuckled Geoffrey easily. Geoffrey's eyes moved
over Zach and his eyes frowned. "You battled an undead." It was a statement,
not a question.
"I've found her, Geoffrey. My mate..."
The man's face as impassive, but his eyes lit with flame and curiosity.
"She is human?"
"Yes, apparently native to this land. She had asian features and I
believe she is a human healer. What is that word the humans use?"
"A doctor?" echoed Geoffrey in surprise. "You are sure?"
"I smelled the odour of blood and medicine upon her skin. I am not wrong.
She works in the hospital...and I will go there soon, and claim her for my
own."
"I wish you luck, my friend. The females of this time are unpredictable
and without a doubt, stubbornly independent to a fault. If she is who you
say, you shall have your work cut out for you." murmured Geoffrey before
he disappeared into a wisp of smoke, seeking his resting place as dawn
slowly came, creeping to fill their night world, with light.
Dawn was beginning to come, and as Geoffrey Balzac lay deep in his
underground resting chamber, his soul cried out in denial and injustice at
Zachary's good fortune. Hatred grew but was swiftly tamped down and
locked deep. He would be alone in his loneliness again. But a corner of
his brain chided him at being petty, at resenting the good fortune of
others... Was he even now already heading down into the brink of
madness that lay like a quicksand trap for all the males of his kind?
Two years ago, he had contemplated eternal rest... the sleep of forever.
But others of his kind, they had thought his actions rash and
imprisoned him in deep sleep beneath the earth, waiting till he had,
could rethink his position in life and society.
He had rethought and had decided to give life another chance. He did
not want to fail in the expectations that came to him nor did he want to
run away. He would be stronger and this, was a test.
Of time, and iron will.
Willing himself to sleep, Geoffrey tried not to think about the
consequences if he ever gave into the demon that lusted for blood and
cried out at what it thought was injustice. A man could easily slide into
darkness...
And if he could not control this soon, he would have to go without
Zachary to a new land, a harder existence. He would have to leave...
Just before he succumbed to sleep, he heard a small voice reach out and
touch his mind.
Everything will be fine...
Ami woke to the loud blaring of her dreaded alarm clock. She had no idea
how long the blasted thing had been ringing, but it sure as hell felt like
it had been ringing all night.
Stretching out a hand, she slammed the clock's snooze button and blearily
lifted her head off her comfortable pillow to squint at the blurry numbers
that seemed to just want to keep congealing together and sabotage her
attempt at trying to tell time.
When the numbers could be made out, Ami shot out of bed and into the
bathroom at a speed that would have made Speedy Gonzales proud.
She could hardly believe it...
Twelve! It was blasted TWELVE in the afternoon. Where had the hours gone?
Ami hastily showered and was out of the bathroom at 12.15pm. Lunch! And
coffee! Of all the days that she had to oversleep...
It just had to be the day of her 1pm shift.
Not to mention the promise to visit, a young girl in her late teens had
wheedled from her in exchange for obedience to the hospital staff.
This day just kept getting better and better.
Ami managed to make it to the hospital with 5 minutes to spare. Giving
quick instructions to the nurse at the desk, she made her way towards one
of the surgery wards.
Peeking into the room, she noted the pale girl who occupied it, was awake
with her attention focused on the book she was reading.
"Konnichiwa, Mizuno-sensei. I've been expecting you."
Ami wasn't surprised when the girl-child spoke. The girl had always had
the uncanny knowledge whenever anyone was about to knock or call into the
room.
And it was because of this, she felt an affinity with the pale
dark-haired girl. She was different and Mizuno Ami knew what it was like to
be different.
It really was a shame...
The girl was so young and lovely. Too young to die, and yet there was
nothing she could do about the girl's condition except make her comfortable.
Cancer.
Cancer of the bone that ate away at her cells. It had been too late when
it had been discovered, the cancer had spread like wildfire throughout the
girl's body. She would never see another year, and she would have been only
twenty years old if she had.
"How are you today, Hotaru-chan?"
5 days later...
He couldn't take it anymore. He'd been watching her from the shadows for
four consecutive nights. Nowadays, he was out a little before the sun set,
a quick feed and he was on his way towards Tokyo General. This night was
no different.
Except, there seemed to be some sort of uproar happening within the
hospital.
The police had interviewed everyone related, but Dr. Mizuno Ami knew
tonight would be a long one. Things like this weren't supposed to happen.
One of the patients that had been brought in from the traffic accident
5 nights ago had been murdered in their bed. Staked in the heart with
their throat slit. The victim was a young boy of 17 and Ami remembered him.
She had saved his life... but what had really made the boy stand out
from all the other victims was that he had been special.
Like her. Like Hotaru.
She knew for she had touched the boy's mind and it saddened her that he
was now gone. Of this, she did not tell the police. It would also stand to
reason, they probably would not believe her anyway.
Zachary frowned in distaste.
He still couldn't understand the human penchance to murder their own
kind. Frankly, the selfishness of the human race was quite disgusting at
times. But the stake... someone had obviously believed the young one a
"vampire". The name humans had long called his unnamed race and any species
that drank blood to survive.
Could human vampire hunters be in Japan?
Zach frowned and relayed the information to Geoffrey, revulsion clear in
his mind at the very thought.
Two years ago, human vampire hunters had nearly cost the lives of his
oldest and dearest friend and leader, Darien Alessandros and his mate,
Serena James. He had learned that night... that humans were never to be
underestimated.
And he didn't like it, that his mate was working here, so close to
unidentified danger.
There would be no time to waste.
He would reveal himself to the good doctor, tonight.
Geoffrey materialized in a dark area of the hospital and looked around,
trying to determine where exactly in the hospital he was. It looked like
the hospital's linen room.
His friend had filled him in on the little information available and
it had not sat well with him. If there were any of these human murderers
about, he needed to know of it.
Tomoe Hotaru was on the run from her nurses. She had escaped her room
and so far, eluded all atempts to find her. She knew, as long as nobody
sent Mizuno-sensei after her, nobody was going to find her.
At a young age, she had discovered her ability to predict possible
future events, this had helped her immensely on the streets. However, the
one thing she hadn't predicted was the disease that even now, was ravaging
her body.
At 19 going on 20 years of age, Tomoe Hotaru had been on her own for most
of her life and greatly valued her independence. Even more so, since she
was always in poor health.
She didn't want to die, cooped up in the boring hospital room. She
wanted some excitement before her young life ended. She wished she
had wanted it sooner as she had always only stayed in the shadows before,
steering clear of any conflict between the gangs in the neighbourhood she
had resided in.
And tonight, freedom awaited. She felt a little twinge of regret
concerning, Mizuno-sensei. She liked the young doctor, knew that she
understood that she, Hotaru, was different.
Hotaru sensed the same difference in the doctor.
Calmly, Hotaru backed into the linen closet. All she had to do, was wait
until the nurse coming down the hall passed by and she would be on her
way to freedom.
What she didn't count on, was backing straight into a solid wall. A
wall with arms.
Damn.
Geoffrey felt an infinitely small, fine-boned frame back into him and
tensed. Instinctively, his hands came up to catch hold of the small
creature. A quick scan determined that the 'creature' was a tiny human
female.
In the waning light, he could still see her features that were
shown by the contrasting shadows and dim fading light.
She was small, not even reaching his shoulder, she stood only at half-
chest height. Her dark hair was shoulder length and straight with bangs
covering her forehead.
Her face had a fragile look about her and his hands merely reaffirmed
what that first opinion had been. Fine-boned.
She was staring up at him with wide eyes, a look of shock written all
over her face.
For some reason, that irritated him and brought forth many other head
spinning emotions that startled his composure.
"What are you doing skulking about in here?" he boomed imperiously.
Hotaru could give no answer before she realized, he too had been
wandering about in a dark linen room.
"I could ask you the same thing!" she retorted.
She heard a muttered oath before she was dragged from the room into the
brightly lit corridor of the hospital.
Violet.
Her eyes were an unsual violet purple.
His breath caught and his heart rate sped up. Something had clicked when
he had heard her voice. He recognized it as one he had heard from a not
so long ago dream...
He dared not to hope, but was this slip of a girl...
His mate for life, at last?
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To be continued...
Okay, I'm finished! I'm not writing a very long chapter as I used to do.
No time and not very inspired with any ideas for the moment. This chappie
was just to introduce the meetings between our two couples for the moment.
I have to say... animation IS really busy and tough!
Finished: 14/6/04
Edited: 15/6/04
Author: Tapestry
Rating: R
Email: ShaddowCathotmail.com
Standard Disclaimer Apply
... denotes mind speaking
2/01/04
"Woman was created from the ribs of man
Not from his head to top him
Nor from his feet to be walked upon
She was made from his side to be his equal
From beneath his arms to be protected
From very near his heart to be loved."
--Anonymous--
AN: I think I have to make something clear that Geoffrey is not Greg.
Geoffrey's name is pronounced Jeffrey. ('')
9/6/04 - You'll have to excuse me as I haven't written a word in almost
6 months.
Chapter 1: Strangers
The sirens wailed loudly into the night as an ambulance hurtled through
the streets towards Tokyo General. Screeching to a halt at the emergency
entrance, nurses and medical personnel lifted the patients out of the
ambulance and hurriedly wheeled them, the doctor on duty snapping out
orders at a rapid pace.
The sounds of clacking shoes sounded on the tiled floors as they pushed
the patients into the emergency rooms.
Dr. Kagawara stared in horror at the bloody patient lying still on
the examination table, his chest barely rising as it was all but ripped
out.
"This boy needs emergency surgery, STAT!" he hollered. "Some one page
Mizuno-sensei!"
"Sensei! This one's going into shock!" exclaimed a nurse.
Kagawara hurried over to the nurse's side as all his thoughts vanished,
scattering like leaves in the wind. The only thing that was upper most in
his mind was to save as many lives as possible on this horrific night of
tragedy...
Dr. Mizuno Ami heard the loudspeakers page her name on the comm system,
the voice of the nurse on duty, echoing through the hospital corridors.
Her feet, tired from the day's work immediately turned around, taking her
to the emergency rooms. Her shift was nearly over, but if the people at
the wards needed her, she couldn't, wouldn't turn her back on them.
Reaching the wards, she snapped sterilized rubber gloves onto her hands,
a mask to cover the lower portion of her face and stepped into the
pandemonium that was the emergency rooms.
"Give me a quick stat," she ordered at a nurse, her eyes seeking the
patient, trying to determine the extensiveness of the injuries.
One side of the man's face was swollen and purple with torn skin. He
was nearly unrecognizable with his bloated features. His nose and jaw were
obviously broken.
What gave her pause was the bloody wound in his chest. If you could call
it a wound. It resembled more of a gaping bloody hole.
Mizuno Ami, hardly heard what the nurse told her. Her mind was already
seeking out the man's. He lived still... and his will was strong.
"Get him into surgery! Immediately! My God, why didn't you wheel him in
earlier? NOW! Go go go!" exclaimed Ami, hurrying the nurses and medical
aids.
She was by the next curtain in a flash, yanking it open. Her colleague,
Dr. Kagawara turned to look at her, shaking his head in despair.
This one had died.
Her work had kept her at the hospital until it was nearly dawn. She was
tired and only wanted to go home and drop onto her bed and into the arms
of sleep. A traffic accident.
Six people were injured and two of them were still in critical care.
Another three had died. She hadn't been able to coax them back from the
clutches of death.
She had tried to tell herself, that she and her colleagues had already
pulled miracles out of their hats. A Trauma Unit couldn't have done any
better. Yes, she was the doctor that worked miracles and had pulled more
people back from death's door than any doctor her age. Everyone in the
local medical field had said so.
But those thoughts didn't provide her any solace in the least. She was
drained. In mind, body and soul...
This was the part of her job she hated, always questioning if there had
been somthing else she could have done to save that patient's life.
Something more, some other alternative to everything she had decided.
But everytime, nothing came to mind.
"Mizuno-sensei, are you still here?" exclaimed a nurse.
Ami gave the nurse a smile. "I was just thinking...I'll be going soon. I
know what you're going to say."
The nurse merely nodded. It was no secret that many nurses and other
doctors had had to literally force Dr. Mizuno Ami into a car and make her
go home for rest. Usually an attendent drove the good doctor home.
But tonight, there was no need for that.
Checking her watch as she headed towards her car, Ami sighed. 5.30am.
The sun would probably be rising in another hour or two. What she needed
was a hot shower, maybe four to six hours of sleep and then, good strong
coffee before her 1pm shift started.
Reaching her car, her thoughts moving towards a young patient in the
surgery ward, she fished about her purse for her car keys.
She felt the disturbance before she heard it. Tensing, she expected an
attack from a mugger or some snatch thief. What she hadn't expected was
coming face to face with some evil looking person, more monster like than
man, his heavy breathing and sallow complexion with the sunken cheekbones
made her wonder if he was perhaps a druggie looking for cash to get a
quick fix.
The stench of blood and the horrible wounds that dripped drew her eyes,
the doctor part of her, telling her to go the man and care for his wounds.
The other part, probably the sane part, told her to run, screaming from the
horrible looking man as fast as possible.
Yet, she was rooted to the spot, unable to do either.
The man hissed, his eyes like lasers, burning her skin with the hatred
she saw in them. His thin lips peeled back revealing receding gums and
dirty teeth stained a slight brown. Her mind took note of the unusually
large, long canine teeth.
A clawed hand reached out towards her when suddenly, the night exploded
and the darkness disappeared for one brief moment.
When she could open her eyes again and not be blinded, all she saw before
her were a pile of ashes that were quickly being swept away by a soft
breeze.
Her eyes lifted further up and what she saw stole her breath.
A foreign man stood a few feet away staring at her. He was beautiful with
a strong jaw and strawberry blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. She
couldn't make out the eye colour in the dark but guessed it was blue.
He was tall and if he had stood next to her, she would probably only reach
his shoulders. Why were foreign men so big?
Then, she blinked. And he was gone, leaving her to wonder, if eveything
that had just happened had been a figment of her tired imagination.
Zachary reappeared in the shadows, only a mere 30 metres away from where
he had once stood. His heart was pounding, the sound echoing in his ears.
He could scarcely believe what all the signs were telling him. Couldn't
come to grips with every molecule in his body that was screaming at him to
snatch the tiny asian woman and fly off into the night like some
supernatural Tarzan without the vines and loin cloth.
He could still smell her in the air. He watched her stand by her car for
a long while before she moved, shaking her head as if to clear the
cobwebs from her thoughts. She turned her head, looking around her.
Her head stilled to stare at his direction, and for one moment, he
could almost believe that she knew he was still there... watching her.
His nocturnal eyes with their superb vision made out her face in the dim
light.
To him, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her face was
all eyes. Wide ocean blue eyes set in a pale ivory translucent face framed
with a mop of thick blue black hair that curled at the ends. She had to
have had at least one foreign ancestor. No Japanese woman had blue eyes or
the classic cheekbones this young woman displayed.
The riot of emotions that ran through his being were truly intoxicating.
It had been so long since he had felt any peace from the rage and hatred
that had been festering inside his soul. He knew of the black stain that
ate at every male of his race...the sexual heat that drove the males to
insanity.
He had come out to feed, and had found a foul creature of his own race.
Undead. And the monstrosity had in turn, led him to salvation. His heart
skipped a beat and his breathing stopped as the tiny woman made a final
sweep of the area with her eyes, got into her car and drove away into the
darkness.
He stood there, breathing again, assessing his moves. He hungered for
this female and he knew, she could save his soul and bring out the love
and possessiveness that existed... deep within him.
She was his. And nothing on earth could keep her from him.
Zachary returned to the home he shared with Geoffrey, his senses fanned
out, searching for a trace of the other male though it was doubtful if
Geoffrey would be found if he didn't want to be.
"You're back."
Zach had to keep himself from turning around and plowing a fist at the
voice.
"You always have to do that don't you? Mask your presence."
"Habit, old friend." chuckled Geoffrey easily. Geoffrey's eyes moved
over Zach and his eyes frowned. "You battled an undead." It was a statement,
not a question.
"I've found her, Geoffrey. My mate..."
The man's face as impassive, but his eyes lit with flame and curiosity.
"She is human?"
"Yes, apparently native to this land. She had asian features and I
believe she is a human healer. What is that word the humans use?"
"A doctor?" echoed Geoffrey in surprise. "You are sure?"
"I smelled the odour of blood and medicine upon her skin. I am not wrong.
She works in the hospital...and I will go there soon, and claim her for my
own."
"I wish you luck, my friend. The females of this time are unpredictable
and without a doubt, stubbornly independent to a fault. If she is who you
say, you shall have your work cut out for you." murmured Geoffrey before
he disappeared into a wisp of smoke, seeking his resting place as dawn
slowly came, creeping to fill their night world, with light.
Dawn was beginning to come, and as Geoffrey Balzac lay deep in his
underground resting chamber, his soul cried out in denial and injustice at
Zachary's good fortune. Hatred grew but was swiftly tamped down and
locked deep. He would be alone in his loneliness again. But a corner of
his brain chided him at being petty, at resenting the good fortune of
others... Was he even now already heading down into the brink of
madness that lay like a quicksand trap for all the males of his kind?
Two years ago, he had contemplated eternal rest... the sleep of forever.
But others of his kind, they had thought his actions rash and
imprisoned him in deep sleep beneath the earth, waiting till he had,
could rethink his position in life and society.
He had rethought and had decided to give life another chance. He did
not want to fail in the expectations that came to him nor did he want to
run away. He would be stronger and this, was a test.
Of time, and iron will.
Willing himself to sleep, Geoffrey tried not to think about the
consequences if he ever gave into the demon that lusted for blood and
cried out at what it thought was injustice. A man could easily slide into
darkness...
And if he could not control this soon, he would have to go without
Zachary to a new land, a harder existence. He would have to leave...
Just before he succumbed to sleep, he heard a small voice reach out and
touch his mind.
Everything will be fine...
Ami woke to the loud blaring of her dreaded alarm clock. She had no idea
how long the blasted thing had been ringing, but it sure as hell felt like
it had been ringing all night.
Stretching out a hand, she slammed the clock's snooze button and blearily
lifted her head off her comfortable pillow to squint at the blurry numbers
that seemed to just want to keep congealing together and sabotage her
attempt at trying to tell time.
When the numbers could be made out, Ami shot out of bed and into the
bathroom at a speed that would have made Speedy Gonzales proud.
She could hardly believe it...
Twelve! It was blasted TWELVE in the afternoon. Where had the hours gone?
Ami hastily showered and was out of the bathroom at 12.15pm. Lunch! And
coffee! Of all the days that she had to oversleep...
It just had to be the day of her 1pm shift.
Not to mention the promise to visit, a young girl in her late teens had
wheedled from her in exchange for obedience to the hospital staff.
This day just kept getting better and better.
Ami managed to make it to the hospital with 5 minutes to spare. Giving
quick instructions to the nurse at the desk, she made her way towards one
of the surgery wards.
Peeking into the room, she noted the pale girl who occupied it, was awake
with her attention focused on the book she was reading.
"Konnichiwa, Mizuno-sensei. I've been expecting you."
Ami wasn't surprised when the girl-child spoke. The girl had always had
the uncanny knowledge whenever anyone was about to knock or call into the
room.
And it was because of this, she felt an affinity with the pale
dark-haired girl. She was different and Mizuno Ami knew what it was like to
be different.
It really was a shame...
The girl was so young and lovely. Too young to die, and yet there was
nothing she could do about the girl's condition except make her comfortable.
Cancer.
Cancer of the bone that ate away at her cells. It had been too late when
it had been discovered, the cancer had spread like wildfire throughout the
girl's body. She would never see another year, and she would have been only
twenty years old if she had.
"How are you today, Hotaru-chan?"
5 days later...
He couldn't take it anymore. He'd been watching her from the shadows for
four consecutive nights. Nowadays, he was out a little before the sun set,
a quick feed and he was on his way towards Tokyo General. This night was
no different.
Except, there seemed to be some sort of uproar happening within the
hospital.
The police had interviewed everyone related, but Dr. Mizuno Ami knew
tonight would be a long one. Things like this weren't supposed to happen.
One of the patients that had been brought in from the traffic accident
5 nights ago had been murdered in their bed. Staked in the heart with
their throat slit. The victim was a young boy of 17 and Ami remembered him.
She had saved his life... but what had really made the boy stand out
from all the other victims was that he had been special.
Like her. Like Hotaru.
She knew for she had touched the boy's mind and it saddened her that he
was now gone. Of this, she did not tell the police. It would also stand to
reason, they probably would not believe her anyway.
Zachary frowned in distaste.
He still couldn't understand the human penchance to murder their own
kind. Frankly, the selfishness of the human race was quite disgusting at
times. But the stake... someone had obviously believed the young one a
"vampire". The name humans had long called his unnamed race and any species
that drank blood to survive.
Could human vampire hunters be in Japan?
Zach frowned and relayed the information to Geoffrey, revulsion clear in
his mind at the very thought.
Two years ago, human vampire hunters had nearly cost the lives of his
oldest and dearest friend and leader, Darien Alessandros and his mate,
Serena James. He had learned that night... that humans were never to be
underestimated.
And he didn't like it, that his mate was working here, so close to
unidentified danger.
There would be no time to waste.
He would reveal himself to the good doctor, tonight.
Geoffrey materialized in a dark area of the hospital and looked around,
trying to determine where exactly in the hospital he was. It looked like
the hospital's linen room.
His friend had filled him in on the little information available and
it had not sat well with him. If there were any of these human murderers
about, he needed to know of it.
Tomoe Hotaru was on the run from her nurses. She had escaped her room
and so far, eluded all atempts to find her. She knew, as long as nobody
sent Mizuno-sensei after her, nobody was going to find her.
At a young age, she had discovered her ability to predict possible
future events, this had helped her immensely on the streets. However, the
one thing she hadn't predicted was the disease that even now, was ravaging
her body.
At 19 going on 20 years of age, Tomoe Hotaru had been on her own for most
of her life and greatly valued her independence. Even more so, since she
was always in poor health.
She didn't want to die, cooped up in the boring hospital room. She
wanted some excitement before her young life ended. She wished she
had wanted it sooner as she had always only stayed in the shadows before,
steering clear of any conflict between the gangs in the neighbourhood she
had resided in.
And tonight, freedom awaited. She felt a little twinge of regret
concerning, Mizuno-sensei. She liked the young doctor, knew that she
understood that she, Hotaru, was different.
Hotaru sensed the same difference in the doctor.
Calmly, Hotaru backed into the linen closet. All she had to do, was wait
until the nurse coming down the hall passed by and she would be on her
way to freedom.
What she didn't count on, was backing straight into a solid wall. A
wall with arms.
Damn.
Geoffrey felt an infinitely small, fine-boned frame back into him and
tensed. Instinctively, his hands came up to catch hold of the small
creature. A quick scan determined that the 'creature' was a tiny human
female.
In the waning light, he could still see her features that were
shown by the contrasting shadows and dim fading light.
She was small, not even reaching his shoulder, she stood only at half-
chest height. Her dark hair was shoulder length and straight with bangs
covering her forehead.
Her face had a fragile look about her and his hands merely reaffirmed
what that first opinion had been. Fine-boned.
She was staring up at him with wide eyes, a look of shock written all
over her face.
For some reason, that irritated him and brought forth many other head
spinning emotions that startled his composure.
"What are you doing skulking about in here?" he boomed imperiously.
Hotaru could give no answer before she realized, he too had been
wandering about in a dark linen room.
"I could ask you the same thing!" she retorted.
She heard a muttered oath before she was dragged from the room into the
brightly lit corridor of the hospital.
Violet.
Her eyes were an unsual violet purple.
His breath caught and his heart rate sped up. Something had clicked when
he had heard her voice. He recognized it as one he had heard from a not
so long ago dream...
He dared not to hope, but was this slip of a girl...
His mate for life, at last?
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To be continued...
Okay, I'm finished! I'm not writing a very long chapter as I used to do.
No time and not very inspired with any ideas for the moment. This chappie
was just to introduce the meetings between our two couples for the moment.
I have to say... animation IS really busy and tough!
Finished: 14/6/04
Edited: 15/6/04