Chapter 6: Lies, Deceit, and Confrontation

Trieze paced back and forth through the sanctuary dungeon, waiting for the vampire prince to arrive. He was supposed to start his training, but he was nearly an hour late and the vampire king was growing impatient.

"just like his father… always late to important meetings." Trieze mumbled underneath his breathe. He turned as he heard the dungeon door open and watched Heero enter the dimly lit room.

"you're late." Trieze said, removing his black cape and rolling his sleeves up to his elbows.

"I was busy." Heero defended rolling up his own sleeves as well.

"Roaming the surface is not being busy." Trieze said angrily.

"I had…" but before the prince could finish his sentence, Trieze had sent a burst of physic energy into his head. Heero froze as the king began to invade his mind. He felt as if someone was tearing his brain in two. He sulked down to his knees, trying to get the king out of his mind.

"Get up." Trieze said coldly, releasing the young man's mind from his own. Had he attacked any longer, Heero would have surely died.

"Be lucky I can't read your mind or else I'd really see what you've been doing in the sunlight." Heero stood to his feet, recovering from the mental attack.

"How'd you do that?" Heero breathed, his Prussian blue eyes developing a hint of silver in them.

"Don't worry about that. When you become king, you'll have the ultimate power. You'll be able to do that and so much more." Trieze began to walk circles around him.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Heero asked watching the older vampire pace around him.

"Concentrate on the physic power you inherited from your father."

"I have a limited use to them… you know that." Heero stated bluntly.

"What do you think the training is for? Once you learn how to use the powers you inherited from your father, you'll be able to control and use the power you will receive as king." Trieze impatiently explained to him.

"Fine. Then let's get started."

"Good." Trieze stood directly in front of Heero. "Now focus on me."

"What now?" The prince asked impatiently.

"Do what I did… attack from within. Attack my mind." Hero focused on Trieze. He strained at his inherited abilities, trying to penetrate Trieze's steel wall of a brain. They practiced for hours. Trieze continued to push him forward; not letting up until Heero could at least send him some form of pain. After several hours, Trieze allowed the exhausted Heero to stop his attempts.

"We'll continue tomorrow." Trieze said coldly as he left the dark dungeon. Heero stared at the door for a few moments before he left as well.

The vampire prince pried the slayer's bedroom window open and slipped inside. He listened, trying to figure out if Serena was in the apartment, which seemed to be abandoned. He began to finger through the belongings that were on top of her dresser. Wooden stakes, knives, dart guns. It was hard to believe that a woman would be the owner of such things, especially when he rarely saw any type of makeup among the items. His head turned towards the front entrance at the sound of a key, then the click of the door lock. He slipped into the shadows and watched the slayer enter the apartment. She closed the door behind her, and hung her leather jacket on the coat rack. She then proceeded to the kitchen where she retrieved a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

"No point in hiding vampire." She said calmly, taking a sip of the clear liquid. Heero stepped into her sight, a small grin on his face.

"How did you know?"

"I have a sixth sense about that. Besides…. I saw you when you came through the window." He shook his head at the slayer.

"What ya' got for me?" Serena asked placing the bottle on top of the counter.

"He's begun training me."

"Training? What kind of training?" she asked with sudden interest.

"Don't ask." The slayer let out a small chuckle. Heero raised as eyebrow at the mysterious woman.

"It's a shame… the prince of vampires can't take on a little bit of training. Some prince." The slayer went into her bedroom and retrieved the Book of Vampires, and threw it on Heero's lap.

"There are only two reasons why I would want to see you. One… is for you to translate this book so I can save the world or two… if I'm about to kick your ass. So if you don't mind…choose one or leave." Heero grinned at the slayer and opened the book. After a little bit of reading, Heero closed the book, stood, and removed his jacket. Serena sent him a questionable gaze.

"What? What did the book say?"

"Let's just say… If you can't beat Trieze, you won't be able to defeat me." Heero began to roll his shirt sleeves up.

'What do you have to do with anything? I'm trying to get rid of Trieze aren't I?" Heero let out a sigh.

"if it were only that. Trieze is training me to become king. If that happens, I'll become this blood thirsty ruler, stronger than himself, wanting the world as my prize. If I can't stop myself, then you're going to have to do it by defeating me." He fully explained.

"What the hell! Now you decide to spring this up on me!" Serena suddenly snapped at him.

"That's not even the half of it." He gave the slayer a sharp gaze. "We only have three weeks."

"Three weeks. Three weeks until Au Suair. Three weeks until ultimate power." Trieze said to Amidamaru, biting his lower lip.

"Is everything set? Is Heero prepared?" Amidamaru questioned.

"He's nearly there… but three weeks is more than enough time for him to master his abilities.

"Do you really believe so?" Trieze looked up at Amidamaru.

"Positive. At the rate he's performing, he'll be able to control both his inherited abilities and those he receives as king with little effort. Too bad they won't be his for long." Trieze got to his feet and headed for the door.

"Going off to train?" Amidamaru asked with a sly grin.

"What else." Trieze replied back, leaving the room.

"No again."

Serena sent a barrage of punches towards Heero's face, hoping one of them would make contact, yet Heero blocked them with ease.

"No again… faster." Hero instructed her. Serena took a deep breathe and began her assault once more. They had been training for two weeks. Heero would train with Trieze on his physic abilities then train with the slayer secretly. As he continued to block her punches, he watched as her eyes developed a sudden anger in them. She wanted to hit him, to inflict pain. With one swift move, Serena avoided Heero's hand and sent a punch to his face, hitting his cheek. He held his hand to his jaw and moved it around a bit. He sent one quick glance at the slayer before charging at her. With one swift move, he swept Serena's feet from under her, making her fall to the ground.

"You're still nowhere near prepared." He said looking down at the fallen slayer. He held out his hand, offering to help her up. The slayer stared at him for a moment before sliding her hand into his. Surprisingly, Serena was jerked off the ground in one quick move, causing her to stumble into the vampire prince. He quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to him so she wouldn't fall again.

"Um…" Serena breathed. She felt her fingers graze the Heero's ring under his shirt. He looked down at her, not noticing that he was still holding her close to him.

"You need…more practice." He whispered to her. He had finally let her go once he realized he still had his arms around her.

"Can we take a break?" She asked walking away from Heero. He gazed at the woman who begun walking away from him. Serena suddenly stopped, frozen in her spot, yet it wasn't her who stopped herself.

"What the…" She began.

"Fight it." Heero had begun to circle her.

"Is this what Trieze has been teaching you?" Serena asked, her voice tired.

"One of many others. Now fight it. Move. Break free from my mental hold on you."

"What if I can't"

"Then you're dead." She replied bluntly. The slayer stared into his eyes, trying to fight him, trying to get him out of her mind. The vampire only stared back, waiting for her to move. The both of them began to grow impatient. They were standing there for minutes, and slowly it began to turn into hours.

"You're not trying hard enough." Heero finally blurted out after nearly two hours of silence. He had took a seat against the wall and continued to stare at the woman who was standing in front of him, not releasing his mental hold on her.

"If I concentrate any harder my brain will explode." She said annoyed. Heero looked up at her, a small grin on his face.

'Look at the slayer, so hopeless. I could easily kill you if I wanted…seeing you just standing there." She stood to his feet and began to circle her for a second time.

"Watch it… you're beginning to sound like Trieze." She glared at him, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"What? You don't like it? You don't like being vulnerable? Or is it the fact that you can be so easily beaten…" Heero continued to taunt her. He could see the anger grow in her eyes.

"Shut up…" She snapped at him. She hated what he was doing, what he was saying. She wanted to hit something…no, she wanted to hit him.

'What I don't understand is… How could the slayer become so inferior to the thing she slays most? How could…"

"I said shut up!" Serena screamed. All of a sudden she lunged forwards at him, fist raised ready to strike, only to trip and fall into the vampire prince's arms once more. Now, she was more surprised than angry. Without realizing, she had broken free from Heero's mental hold. She looked at him, only to see that he was staring down at her.

"You knew I was going to do that… didn't you?" Serena asked, removing a few strands of her golden-blonde hair from face.

"Trieze used it on me to bring out my power, so I used it on you to fight them." He whispered to her, letting her go for a second time that day.

"How did I do it though?"

"Your emotions were holding you back. By letting them go…you were able to break free." Serena continued to stare at Heero. The silence between them was strong, neither of them of them knowing what to say.

"I should be going. Trieze will start get suspicious of were I am during the day." Serena turned away from him.

"Yeah… maybe you…" Serena turned back around to face Heero, only to find that he was already gone.

"Go." She whispered to herself, finishing the sentence. She took a deep breathe and headed into the bedroom.

Heero looked down the sanctuary corridor, making sure no other vampire was aware of his arrival. He slipped down the hall and into his bedroom, silently closing the door behind him.

"You keep disappearing during the day. Trieze and I are growing suspicious." Heero jerked his head around to see Amidamaru staring at him by fireplace.

"What do you want here?" Heero asked, getting angry as he removed his jacket.

"If your father finds out of your continuous visits to the surface, who knows what he'll do." Heero stared at Amidamaru, who could see the silver forming in Heero's eyes.

"I don't give a damn as to what he does, and I don't give a damn about you…so you can just leave." Heero said glaring at him angrily. Amidamaru let out a faint laugh. He walked closer to the prince so that they were face to face.

'Be warned boy. We know what you've been doing…and we're prepared to stop you at all cost." Amidamaru gave Heero a small grin, before he brushed past him and left the room. Heero gazed into the fire, the anger within him threatening to explode. He needed to get out. If he stayed in the sanctuary tonight, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to control his actions. He didn't need to be around Trieze of Amidamaru, especially when he was so tempted to put a stake through their hearts. With his decision made, he walked out of the bedroom, and out to the surface.

The soft sound of the rain hitting the windowsill lulled the slayer deeper into her sleep. The vampire prince watched as she rolled to her side, trying to get comfortable. He softly tapped the window. Serena jumped up, making Heero surprised at how such a simple sound could awaken her senses. She wrapped her bed sheets around her body, and walked towards the window.

"Usually you just walk in." Serena yawned, opening the window for him to enter. He stepped inside the room, the water dripping from his clothes and hair to the floor. Serena handed him a towel.

"I didn't want to surprise you." He said, drying his brown hair.

"Why are you here?" Serena asked, sliding back into her bed.

"It's Trieze and his right hand man… I think they know about…us." Heero looked at Serena as he took his jacket off and threw it on the side of the bed.

"I guess you'll be staying here tonight then." She got out of bed once more and opened the closet door, retrieving a blanket.

"You get the couch." She said, throwing the blanket at him. He gave the slayer a small smile and watched her climb back in bed before leaving the room.

Heero scanned the words in the sacred book as he turned each page slowly. He sat on the slayer's couch, legs crossed, trying to be comfortable but at the same time keeping his princely image.

"What are you doing up so early?" Heero raised his head from the book to the door that led to the bedroom, to see the slayer standing there yawning loudly.

"Did you get much sleep?" She asked, resting her head on the wall.

"I never went…" He replied bluntly as he looked down at the book and slammed it shut, throwing it on the table. He let out a deep sigh and ran his hand through his brown hair.

"You okay?" Serena asked, taking a seat on the couch beside him.

'We only have a week remaining. We have nothing. No plan…no allies. If we don't come up with something soon, we're going to fail in this fight…and right now….we've already lost." He cocked his head back and closed his eyes. The slayer stared at him for a few moments. Serena picked up the book and slid out the once missing page and began reading it over.

'There has to be something….something in this book could help us…anything." She said looking at the writing on the front and back of the page. Heero stood up.

"I told you… there's nothing we can do. I'll become king…and Trieze will steal my powers for his own. He's already won….it just hasn't happened." Serena quickly stood up and walked over to the vampire prince.

"NO! I refuse to believe that! Trieze hasn't won! There are only two ways that's possible…if I'm dead and….if I'm dead! So don't you dare tell me that we've failed…or so help me god I'll put a stake straight through your heart."

"You seem so confident slayer. What is your plan?" Heero asked, staring at her, waiting for her answer.

"You'll find out when I do… but we haven't failed…and we won't" She said taking a seat back on the couch.

"So what do you plan on doing now?" She asked breaking the silence that accumulated.

"I can't go back to the sanctuary. Too many questions are already being asked. Besides….I have a feeling they know." The slayer shook her head in agreement, and watched as he went into the bedroom, got his coat and slipped it on.

"We're are you going?" The slayer asked, following him to the window.

"I'm hungry…" He grinned as he slipped out of the window and into the streets. The slayer tried to catch up with him but was to late…. All she could do was watch as the vampire disappeared into the crowd.

Damn…the last thing I need is a hungry vampire out on the streets, she thought as she closed the window and headed into the bathroom for a shower.

Heero slipped back into the slayers apartment and closed the window shut. He looked around through the darkness of her home, hoping to find her.

"Slayer…" He called, walking through the entire apartment, finally coming to the conclusion that she wasn't there. He made his way to the couch and began to sit down but stopped himself abruptly. He looked around, his eyes peering into the darkness. He was sure he heard something…like the creak of a floorboard. He began to pace around the apartment, trying to find the source of the sound. The sound of a weapon firing met his ears, then a sharp pain ran up through his left arm. He used his right hand and felt along his now numb arm, and pulled out a small dart. He twirled it in his hands as he felt his eyes get heavy. The numbers began to travel throughout his body as he fell to the floor, unable to move. He slightly turned his head to see the slayer standing above him, a tranquilizer gun in her hands.

"I'm sorry Heero. If you knew what I was planning you'd try and stop me. I can't have that." She put the gun on the table and picked up the Book of Vampires and clutched it tightly. Heero's eyes closed and slowly reopened to see the slayer bending over him. She removed the dart from his hand and placed it next to the empty gun. She removed a few of his bangs from his face and gently stroked his cheek.

"The tranquilizer will ware off in a couple of hours. By then it'll all be over." She whispered in his ear as she got to her feet and left from his sight. Heero heard the door open and close as he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

A group of vampires ran into the sanctuary's common room.

"What's going on here?" Amidamaru ordered, jumping to his feet.

"The slayer….is in the sanctuary. She's already killed three guards….she might come her next." One vampire explained breathing heavily. The sound of a stake meeting flesh was heard as the vampire messenger burst into flames then fell to ashes, revealing the vampire slayer. Amidamaru backed up a few steps as Serena stepped forward and placed her hand on her hips, a sly grin on her face.

"Don't worry…you're not dead just yet. I just need you to tell Trieze I'm here." She said slamming the Book of Vampires on the table next to Amidamaru, and turning to face Trieze's commanding officer.

"I've got a deal for him."