No want, No Hunger, No Shame
A/N: Cayenne Pepper Powder here!
Anyway, if you survived my BORING Prologue, you should be happy with this chapter, my friends. So, without any further rambling from myself, I will start!
Oh, wait, just in case you didn't already know…this will eventually be a Vash/Meryl!
dialogue – thoughts
"dialogue" – speaking
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Chapter 1:
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1865 London, England
It was dark out, rain drizzled through the cobblestone streets cloaked in black and ran down the gutters nailed to the buildings. The rain dribbled down the walls, patted on the stones and trickled in small streams down to the sewers. The buildings were dark. Black against the smoggy grey sky. The clouds were low tonight, giving London an ominous smell, trapping the stench of death and the fumes of blood.
London was the metropolis these days. A metropolis for vampires, the feeding ground for the bloodsuckers, and a haven for vampire hunters.
Not many people went out at night. It was too dangerous.
As if it wasn't at day too.
Vampires were everywhere, so it was best to stay in large crowds. But even then you never knew if the person standing next to you was a vampire, just waiting suck your blood.
London was definitely not a place to be for the faint of heart, and certainly it was not a place to be at night. Never when it was raining, not when there was so little visibility.
There was, however, someone out. Not a vampire either.
A woman.
A mortal soul creeping through the streets, not making a sound. Seen by only the sharpest eyes, the woman slunk through the rain, careful not to disturb a pebble, not a stone. Not at this time of night, nobody would be up to help her if the need came. It was not as though they would even if they knew. People were too selfish, not caring for anyone but themselves.
Quietly, she made her way down the road, even the street lights were out tonight. A sure sign that vampires were on a prowl. But she had somewhere she was heading, somewhere she intended to go. No vampire was going to stop her, not tonight. Hell, not any night!
She slipped around a corner, making sure not to make a sound, but had the unfortunate luck of snagging her cloak on a loose stone protruding from the building. She was stopped as the material held tight to the wall.
Turning around silently, she took the piece and pulled it swiftly from the snag. She was rewarded by a loud rip as the dark material tore and left behind a small corner on the wall.
Staring at the edge of her torn cloak, she was not aware of the sudden movement of eyes being fixated on her dark form. Swallowing slightly, she forced herself to look for any sign that someone or something had heard. Backing into the shadows, she steadied her breathing and counted as the minutes ticked by.
Maybe it was a mistake to come out so late. Nicholas should have set a better time, I can't be wondering around at night like this! Her mind raced, but as one………two………three minutes ticked by, no sound was heard and she slowly emerged from the shadows and continued on her way.
Unnoticed was the tall form that gently plucked the piece of cloth from the sharp stone and vanished once again into the darkness, watching the small figure like a hawk.
Quickly, and more carefully than before, the woman resumed her route and rounded another corner, where the darkness was blinding and the silence deafening. Even the trickling of water, the quick patter of rain was not heard.
Her footfalls were light, but seemed clumsy in her own eyes. It was ominous, and the feeling that she was being watched suddenly enveloped her more efficiently than her cloak. Slowly, the hairs on her neck rose and stood on end, triggering a slight shiver to flow down her back.
She hurried her pace and strained in the darkness to see something. The only light was that of the dark clouds hovering above her, and the dank mist that flowed like water down the narrow street.
Without a trace, the tall figure followed, the cloth held tightly in its hand.
The woman pawed at the small knife hidden beneath her cloak. She was positive something was following her, and it was making a good job of staying hidden.
She slipped the knife from her cloak and pulled it from its sheath.
Next time Nicholas insists on seeing me, I will bring my derringers, She thought, But for now I'll have tomake do with a blade.
Slowing her pace somewhat, she held the knife ready in her hand. Still keeping silent, she waited and continued on her way. If this thing wasn't going to attack her, she had no reason to harm it.
But if it was a vampire, that was a whole different story
Swiftly, the form following the woman increased its pace, keeping quiet and stealthy. It watched and waited.
The woman hesitated when the feeling of being watched left her abruptly and she was left in the company of her small knife. Blinking slightly, she slowed to a stop and turned around, her cloak swaying lazily in the thick, damp air.
Nothing was visible through the mist, and not a sound betraying any hidden presence was heard.
She loosened the grip on her knife somewhat and was about to turn and continue on her way when something roughly wound an arm around her neck and pulled her up off her feet.
Gasping loudly as she was lifted up, an ominous hiss immediately silenced her and she realized then exactly what has been following her. An impenetrable anger suddenly flared up inside of her and she tightened the grip on her knife and thrust it backwards into the vampire's chest. A gasp was heard and she was abruptly dropped from her position in the air.
Landing unsteadily, she whirled around to face her attacker, who was clutching its middle in pain. She stood with feet frozen and knife held loosely before her. The figure swayed slightly before righting itself and revealing its immense height.
At least six feet tall!
Gaping at the vampire, the woman could all but take in its appearance, her feet still not willing to move.
It was definitely a man, whose face was partially shadowed by a hood, but eyes clearly shining out from underneath. Indeed, he was wearing a long cloak, black with the hood, but by his collar was clearly visible some red material, which also hung out from the cloak by his feet. Black boots donned the vampire's feet, and black gloves pulled over his hands.
Truly he was formidable, but what really startled the woman were his eyes. They were bright, very unlike all the vampires she had encountered before, who had dead eyes. No, his eyes were bright sea green, shining still in the dim light, and they held pain, some eternal pain she had never noticed in other vampires.
Slowly, the vampire staggered to his right, still clutching his side, as if in some great pain. The woman growled defiantly. Vampires felt no pain! This one was surely a very good actor.
She tightened her fingers around the knife and watched indifferently as the vampire fell slowly to his knees. Then, she stared in complete horror as he removed his hand from his stomach and revealed blood, blood that immediately began to flow down his cloak.
The woman was suddenly unsure. Vampires did not bleed freely, only mortals. Could this man be a human? Uncertainly, she approached the man and lowered her knife, thought still keeping a firm grip on it.
She came to stand before the man, whom had his head bowed. And without raising it, he grasped his stomach and hissed most inhumanly.
"Stay away!" she could hear the effort from speaking clear in his voice.
The woman was even more disorientated by this. If he was a human he would want help. If he was a vampire he would welcome her presence as another opportunity to take her life. So, instead of confusing herself further, she stepped back a few steps.
"What are you?" she asked uncertainly.
Coughing slightly, the man replied, "A vampire." He said it clearly, as if to try and scare her off, "Stay away..."
She stared wide-eyed at the man/vampire before taking several steps away and circling around the man to continue on her way. If he wanted her to stay way, it was fine with her, it wasn't like she wanted him to suck her blood.
Not looking back, she broke into a run down the dark street, leaving the bleeding vampire to his own problems. No longer caring if she made too much noise, she sprinted with the knife still held firmly in her hand.
She had somewhere to be and one interruption was one too many.
Rounding several more corners and breaking free of the dank street and into the rain, she came to a halt in front of a large oaken door. Slowly, she sheathed her blade and knocked once on the door.
Immediately, the door was flung open and she was grabbed inside before being enveloped in a bone-crushing hug.
"Sempai, you made it!" The happy voice if Milly Thompson exclaimed excitedly before setting the small woman down.
Brushing herself off, Meryl unfastened her cloak from around her neck, "Barely." She mumbled lightly before hanging it in a hook to dry.
Milly blinked, "What was that, Sempai?" she questioned.
"Ah, nothing, Milly." She plastered a smile on her face, preferring to explain why she was late only once, meaning Wolfwood would be there, "Where is Wolfwood?" she asked her friend as she removed her last boot.
Milly smiled, "He is sitting by the fire, waiting for you." She left the small room and led Meryl.
Realizing she hadn't been to Wolfwood's house for a while, Meryl once again took in its warm splendour. The walls were of wood, worn to a warm shade and donned with many paintings. Nick was a collector of various artworks, and had a respectable collection. The floor was lined with a thick woven rug, which fell all the way down the hallway to end at the entrance to the living room.
The two women entered the living room and were greeted by the welcoming heat of a fire crackling merrily in the fireplace. In his favourite chair, place just to the right of the fireplace in the large room, was Nicholas Wolfwood, smoking what looked like an extra small cigar.
He turned slightly in his chair as the two women entered, "Took you long enough." He huffed.
Although he was a good friend, Meryl had to admit he could be as arrogant as hell sometimes.
"Well, excuse me. It isn't like I can help being attacked by vampires on my way to a dear friends home." She plopped onto the couch opposite Nicholas and sighed.
Milly sat down beside her friend and frowned slightly, "Sempai, you never told me that!"
"I was waiting for an audience, Milly." Meryl explained sarcastically.
Wolfwood chuckled, "So that's why you were late. Almost had me startin' to worry." He leaned forward in his chair, "So, how'd it go? Did you kill it?"
Milly looked shocked while Meryl frowned, "No…" she hesitated, "Have you ever heard a vampire telling you to stay away?"
Wolfwood shook his head, "Can't say I have. How'd he say it?"
"Well, I stabbed him with my knife before he dropped me." She paused as a slight cringe from Milly, "But he bled…he fell down and he bled…" she rested her elbow on the armrest and propped her head up with her hand.
"He bled, sempai?" Milly asked in confusion, "Vampires don't bleed."
Wolfwood rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "He wasn't no vamp if he bled, short stuff." He looked at Meryl rather warily.
The short woman shook her head, "No, I asked him. I was sure he was a vampire when he attacked me. But he bled…so I asked him…"
"You asked him??" Wolfwood asked incredulously, "I usually don't think to stop and ask someone who just attacked me if he was a vampire or not."
Meryl huffed, "Well I wasn't sure!"
Milly gave Wolfwood a look, "Mr. Priest, if Sempai wasn't sure, I think she did the right thing to ask." She frowned, "What if he hadn't been a vampire?"
Wolfwood sniffed, "Fine."
"Finally." Meryl grumbled.
Wolfwood ignored her, "So, what did he say?"
Milly nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
Meryl frowned, "He said…I'm a vampire…stay away." She paused, "But he looked like he was in so much pain."
"Vampires don't feel no pain, Meryl." Wolfwood advised.
She looked from Milly to the smoking man, "I know, but he even looked like one. He had a big black cloak, and a hood on. He was pale looking, but his eyes were different." Her eyebrows creased, "He had bright eyes, not dead ones like any vampire I've seen."
"Sempai, what did you do?" Milly asked.
Meryl looked up and met Wolfwood's grey eyes, "I ran. Milly. I took his advice and I ran…" She said it as she realized her mistake.
"Meryl, you never leave a vampire alive. That is the first rule of the game." Wolfwood shook his head while Milly lowered her gaze slightly, "He'll come after you soon enough."
Meryl sighed, "But I didn't know if he was actually a vampire, I couldn't kill him and later find out he was a mortal, a human!"
"You'll find out soon enough, Meryl." Wolfwood paused, "But I didn't call you here to listen to some vampire stories."
Milly nodded in confirmation as Meryl snorted.
"Good. I'd like to know what almost got me killed getting here for."
Wolfwood ignored that and stretched slightly, "I think I found out where the serum used to convert a dieing human who has been bitten back to the way they were before."
Milly blinked, "Really Mr. Priest? How?"
He chuckled, "I am part of the church, you know. I have my sources."
"Where, Nicholas? Where is it?" Meryl asked hurriedly.
He rolled his eyes, "I said I might, not that I know for sure. Anyways, you aren't going to like it, short stuff."
"I need to know, Nick. My whole career depends on that!"
Wolfwood looked uneasy, but it was true. Meryl was a vampire hunter. But that wasn't her only profession. She could be called a philosopher to some, in search of an unreal elixir that could change the lives of so many people and save the world. To others she was a dreamer, in search of the serum that could give life back to those who were bitten by a vampire. He frowned and twitched his nose.
"I think its up north, in an old castle called Purebrood. It used to be the home of the man who created the serum, but now holds as a base for the vampires and their leader."
Milly piped up, "I never knew there was a leader…" she too was in search of the serum, as a partner of Meryl.
"I don't know his name, but he's a half blood. As ruthless as they can come. He hates humans, wants nothing more than to kill us all. He believes that vamps should rule the planet, never mind us. We are nothing but bumps on his way to total domination. Anyway, he lives with all his minions up in that castle and rules the whole lot of them. Controls their actions, and decides what's to be done. Apparently he has a brother. Twins they are. They disagree with each other's ideas as much as cats chase the mice. The younger one left, hasn't been seen by his brother in two years and doesn't seem to want to show himself any time soon." He paused to let the information sink in.
"The bugger guards the serum, since he can't lay a finger on it without it burnin' his hand off. If you want the serum, you have to get into his castle, avoid the vampires, find the room where he keeps it and find out if it really is real before getting out of there." He sighed and leaned back in his chair, " I would say it's impossible."
Meryl stayed silent for a moment, "Nick, nothing is impossible. Its just very unlikely we would make it out alive if we tried it."
Wolfwood shook his head, "Who's the we?"
"Me and you, and if Milly would come too."
He all but laughed, "I might be a little odd, short stuff, but I sure as hell ain't mad! There is no me in 'we'."
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A/N: That was a lot longer than I expected. But I hope you liked it :)
Oh, yeah, I don't know any real places in London, so if you live there of something and you have no idea where some places that I am going to make up are…they aren't real!
That's all, folks!
--Cayenne Pepper Powder