By: Lazeralk
Dragon Ball Z/Nightwalker/Vampire Hunter D/Vampire Princess Miyu/Hellsing
Standard Disclaimers apply
Part 3
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Shidou frowned at the pickings on the street, Guni peaking out of his knee length purple hair.
"I wish I didn't have to do this." He whispered to her.
"I hear ya Shidou, but it doesn't look like ya got much choice. Look at it this way, at least there aren't any Breeds lurking around." Replied the tiny green fairy.
Sighing heavily, the former detective made his way through the stone paved streets, his eyes searching out a kill for the night. Riho needed the blood too, and he couldn't deny her it because of his own squeamishness. His tan trench coat and the long scarf hung over his shoulders moved with the slight breeze.
There were very few people out, the crude houses were dark. The state of the world saddened him, and at the same time made him hope that just maybe, it might be the way it was when he was human again.
The steady click of his polished shoes, a noise that had been a lulling backdrop for his nocturnal sojourn, was interrupted by the sound of voices. A group of five men and a young boy came around a corner and started walking towards him.
"Looks like this is it." Whispered Guni, hidden in his long locks.
"Oh, damn." He whispered back.
"Hey mister!" called the boy. "You shouldn't be out right now. Didn't you get the notice?"
"No. What notice?" replied Shidou with a frown.
"Theirs been lots of disappearances lately, so the Queen issued a curfew and night patrols. The notice was sent to every house and shelter in the city." Answered the boy.
"Disappearances? Wow. That curfew is a good idea then." Said Shidou, reaching up to brush a lock of hair out of his face.
"Hey, you have hair like Trunks! I've never seen anyone else that has the same color hair as his before."
"Is that so? It is pretty rare you know, has been for a very long time. Say, what's a kid like you doing out with the night patrols? Shouldn't you be in bed by now?"
"I'm in charge of the patrols. Queen's orders. I'm Gohan by the way."
"I don't remember what my real name is, but you can call me Shidou. I'm so sorry to do this to you, but it can't be avoided."
"What? What are you talking about?"
Shidou bit into his thumb and sent spears of blood into the chests of the five men. While the boy stared in horror, the vampire struck him hard across the temple. By the time he recovered from the blow, Shidou and the five men were gone.
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"But I saw it!" cried Gohan, hands fisted at his side.
"Are you sure? I mean, spears made out of blood? That's kinda weird." Replied Trunks skeptically.
"If Gohan says he saw it then he saw it. Leave it be Trunks." Scolded Bulma.
"Look son, we'll all go with you tonight and see if we can find this Shidou guy again ok? How's that sound?"
"Yeah, ok. We'll all go tonight."
"All except Bulma."
"Vegeta!"
"Shut it woman. You're not going and that's it. You're the Queen, and you're weak."
"You're the King and Goku kicks your butt every time!"
"You're human woman. Just stay here and wait for us to come back. Do some paper work or something."
"Oh you are so sleeping on the floor tonight buddy!" growled Bulma.
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"We need to lie low for a while." Shidou dropped the five cooling corpses in the middle of the audience hall. Arucard, the most powerful among them, descended the short flight of stairs to the floor and lifted one of the men as if he weighed nothing.
"Why's that?" asked the elder vampire before sinking fang into the jugular to feed.
"They've just now noticed us. Curfew is being enforced and they have patrols on the streets. I know at least one person saw me kill tonight."
"Fool, you should have killed him." Snarled Arucard. Shidou flinched and bowed his head.
"He was a child. You know how I am with kids." He mumbled in excuse.
"Shidou?" called a soft voice.
"Riho." Answered the longhaired vampire. A young girl came bounding out of the shadows to give her maker a welcome home kiss.
"You need to eat Riho." He told his charge gently, pulling a glass off a table against the wall. He bit into the wrist of one of the untouched men and let the blood spill into the goblet. When it was full, he handed it to the girl who drank daintily.
"We'll have to ration ourselves now that we've all fully recovered." Said Arucard, filling a glass for himself. He ghosted back up the steps to his throne and sat, throwing one leg over his knee.
"We'll still alternate hunters but we'll cut the hunts down to once a week. These five should last us until next week, then we'll send out Larva and firefly. Shidou, you'll be last on the hunting schedule since you've been sighted, and Riho will have to begin hunting as well." He ordered.
"And what of me?" asked a deadpan voice from the shadows. D gracefully entered the room with his cyborg horse, a beast he'd taken from the stables.
"D. You may not like it but you'll have to hunt also." Said Arucard.
D's face tightened with defiance.
"I swore never to slay a human." He said, his voice cool and calm as always.
"We cannot feed you forever while you sit and polish your sword half-breed. You'll have to pull your weight around here."
"I kill vampires." Intoned the dunpeal quietly.
"So do I. What's your point?" retorted the No Life King with a nasty smirk.
"Then I must take my leave of you."
"Go then if you will, but you will hunt eventually. There is no more livestock, save the humans. You will break down and drink one day half-breed."
D did not reply, he simply mounted his horse and cantered slowly towards the gates.
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"There isn't anyone out but us Gohan. Maybe we should call it a night."
"No. He's got to be around here somewhere."
Goku sighed as he followed his son down Clearwater Street in search of the mystery man with the long purple hair.
"Do you remember how he felt at all?" asked Trunks whose power was beginning to flare in response to his frustration. They'd been searching for a few hours and hadn't found anything.
"Not really. It was almost like he wasn't there. That's why I was so surprised, see, it was like he didn't have any life energy at all. I didn't think he could move so fast."
"No life energy? That's impossible. Everything has life energy, even trees and stuff. Are you sure he was human? Could he have been an off-worlder?"
"He looked pretty human, though I can't remember if he had blue eyes or gold eyes." Said Gohan with a finger to his lips.
"Gohan. It's getting really late. Lets turn in. We can search later ok?" said an exasperated Trunks.
"Yeah ok. I guess if we haven't found him by now he's not out."
"Finally." Growled Vegeta, taking off towards home. The others took to the air also, Gohan casting one last hopeful glance around. The streets were as empty as when they'd started.
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After a whole week of nightly searches that proved as pointless as the last, Gohan finally gave up on finding Shidou on the streets again. He sat in the War Room looking over the reports, combing for clues to the purple haired man. Surely someone had seen something.
Goku had located a substantial underground reservoir and the morale of the people in Hope City had risen as wells were slowly drilled. Gohan has given his father a smile and congratulations, but not much else. He was obsessed with finding Shidou, even if he had to track him down. Nothing could convince him to give up his search.
"Um. Mister?" asked a small voice at his elbow. Gohan looked up from the papers he'd been reading and found the face of a girl a bit younger than himself and smiled down at her.
"Yeah? What is it?" he asked, turning to give her his full attention.
"My mom said to come get you cuz you were looking for the guy with the purple hair." She said.
"You know about him?" asked Gohan excitedly.
"He came to my house the other night and gave my mom a little box." Replied the child.
"What was in it?"
"My daddy's necklace and a letter."
"Can you take me to see your mom?" he asked, itching to read the letter.
"Ok!" the girl cried and took him by the hand. She led him out of the room and past the weapons cache. Thompson wolf-whistled and gave him a leering smirk.
"Hey, Gohan! Cute girlfriend!" he teased.
Gohan flipped him the bird and let the girl drag him out the door and into the streets. They reached one of the newly built houses, a small box-like structure that looked just like every other house in the city, and the girl opened the front door.
"Mommy! I'm home, and I brought Mister with me!"
"Cassandra? Oh hello Mister Gohan. Please come in."
Gohan gave a polite bow and answered with all the manners his mother had taught him.
"Hello ma'am, Thank you."
The woman smiled brightly at him, setting the loaf of bread she'd just finished baking on the counter to cool.
"I take it you're here about the letter?" she said.
"Yes ma'am, if it's not to much to ask, I'd like to read it." Replied Gohan.
The woman's smile faltered, but she pulled a single sheet of paper from her pocket.
"My husband was on the night patrol with you a week ago Mister Gohan. I'm not sure what to think of this."
Gohan's eyes widened as he took in the implications of that statement. He hoped she didn't resent him for being alive when her husband was dead. She handed him the letter and sat down at the table, pulling her daughter up to sit on her lap.
Gohan swallowed and took the letter, noting the paper was actually parchment and very old. Where would anyone get parchment? Pushing the confusing thought to the back of his mind, he opened the letter and began to read.
'Lady Sarah,
I'm terribly sorry for the loss of your husband. However, his death was necessary for the continued survival of myself and mine. There is no specific reason as to why we chose him; he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Please do not feel that he deserved this death in any way. I regret having to kill him, but I also refuse to let my daughter starve. Please understand that it was his life or hers, and I love her far too much to let her die. I know that this will come as little consolation to you, but it is all I have to offer. I cannot ask for your forgiveness, but beseech you not to hate.
Sincerely, Takamura Shidou'
Gohan read the letter many times over, his hands shaking as he held his only solid clue to the mystery that was the purple haired man. Tatsuhiko Shidou.
"I'll find you yet." He whispered to himself.
End Part 3