Authors Note: Ok, so I am on a roll with this story now...I am hoping to get it finished in a month or two. I have written 2 other fan fics while I was having a major bought of writers block with this one. But I am back now!! Read and enjoy! I look forward to reading your comments and check out my other stories as well. Again, I don't own D although I wish I did. So don't sue me.

Defenses Down

Vampire Hunter D Fan fic

What neither of them knew was that the sheriff knew where her cave was and he was going to get in there with Pearls help. She promised him she would get the protection removed from the cave so he could kill the dhampir. He was going to get his revenge on that hunter. The sun was setting and Pearl had removed all the enchantments and protection like the sheriff had asked of her. Pearl wasn't a vampire, but a shadow dweller. She lived and controlled shadows, although she looked human. She wasn't very tall, but her hair was as black as ink as well as her clothes. They clung to her curves like the very shadows she controlled. They were identical to what Twyla wore, except the fact they were all black. She was one of the Countess's favorite assassins aside from Twyla. She was able to do the silent killing that Twyla just couldn't do. Crash was Twyla's play thing; he did everything she asked of him. He never left her side, he was like a puppy. It made Pearl sick. She agreed to wait outside for the hunter while the sheriff went in to draw him out.

He should have just fought me back at the tavern. Then we could have gotten rid of him then. The sheriff thought to himself as he walked over to the caves entrance. Pearl moved over to a shadow under the tree and took her form. Death in the night as the sheriff liked to refer to her. The sheriff reached up and pushed on the gates to the cave. They opened silently and the sheriff stepped in. It was cold and damp feeling, he strode forward with his hand on the wall. It was very dark for him to see where he was going. He walked on as quiet as he could hoping not to be noticed.

"Crystal, how does your defense system let you know about intruders?" D questioned as he raised his head to the entrance of the cave.

"My light will flash, why do you ask?" Crystal replied turning to D as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You need to release me."

Something in his eyes told her to do what he said. She released the spell on him and the vines climbed back into the ground from whence they came. At that moment D was up and across the room the where his sword was awaiting its master. He pulled it from its sheath and held it with his right hand facing the caves entrance like a cat ready to pounce on his prey. This was a magnificent sight to behold as Crystal stood there and watched D. She caught movement from the corner of her eye and now she knew why D had her release her, he had his sword aimed at the sheriff. He had gotten past her defenses and she now wondered who helped him. He emerged from the shadows with his plasma pistol in hand aimed at D. The sheriff smiled as he saw Crystal standing next to D.

"Well, this is very fitting that a dead girl would be found with a dhampir." He said shifting his gaze back to D.

"Why have you come here?" she asked him in return.

"Well, I don't like this here hunter and I don't want him destroying the Countess, because then you are alive again and we can't have that. I don't like being made a fool of either, and since he refused to fight me at the tavern he isn't going to resist me now." The sheriff stared at D with blood thirsty eyes.

"Well?" he said again.

D remained silent. His eyes pierced through Sheriff Stone as he glared at him. He knew the sheriff was here to exact his revenge against him for the weapon incident in the town. The sheriff was starting to get impatient with D not doing anything and lowered his gun to D's knees.

"Where do you want to do this?" D questioned calmly.

"Well now we are talking. Actually I was thinking more along the lines of outside. No one wants this cave to fall in on us, and you two are going out first." The smile on the sheriff's face had returned.

D lowered his sword and took a hold of Crystals arm. They started walking down the hallway to the main gates of Crystal's safe haven. She was in total shock that D would just cooperate like this and that her mother hadn't done anything about this intrusion yet. What she didn't know was who was lying in wait in the shadows outside. They made their way through the gates and into the small clearing in front of her cave. D and Crystal stopped and he kept his sword lowered as he looked down at her before turning his beautiful countace to face the sheriff who kept his gun dead locked on D the whole time. She knew why he had looked at her and she turned to face him as well. She was an elemental witch and they were out in the elements. Surely this wasn't something that he could have easily forgotten. The sheriffs' eyes were darting around like wild rabbits. D knew why when he stepped foot outside the cave. There was a shadow dweller waiting for them. Pearl moved into the shadow next to D careful not to get into his shadow. He would know right away if she was there. D was prepared this time but kept his eyes trained on the sheriff the whole time. He knew she wouldn't do anything until the sheriff told her to. That's when the sheriffs' arm started shaking and his gun beginning to waiver. D stood in silence of the night and waited for the sheriff to make his next move.

Sheriff Stone had the famous dhampir right where he wanted him. He allowed him to keep his sword because he wanted to take it from him personally. His mouth crinkled into a smile once more. He looked at the hunter and his beautiful sword; the more he looked at it the more he wanted to skewer him on it. His guilty grin turned to a frown and then he spoke.

"I want your sword hunter."

"If you want my sword then come and take it from me." D replied as he raised the blade vertically in front of him almost taunting the sheriff to reach for the handle.

Crystal turned to D in amazement. Was he really going to take on the sheriff and his plasma pistol with just his sword? She heard things about him and that sword, but she doubted he could stop a plasma round with the blade. She took a few steps away to avoid getting hit. The sheriff glanced in the direction that Pearl had moved to and then back to D. He did it so fast that only D noticed. The sheriff was tensed but D was relaxed. The sheriff stepped forward with his pistol aimed at D's heart. He was close.

Pearl made a mistake in her movements. Crystal happened to see her move towards D's shadow. Pearl realized her mistake to late when she saw Crystals hand reach for weapon. It was all on the sheriffs hands now. Crystals hand shot down to her right hip and let her shrunken fly into the shadow and back to her hand. The sheriffs' eyes widened when he saw Pearl take to her human form again and fall to her knees. Crystal looked at the sheriff then to Pearl.

"I'm sorry I failed you Monty. I'm sorry." Pearl said in a pained gasp and that was it. She was dead. It was then she felt she might have made a mistake with the sheriff still holding his gun to D's heart.

(Holy shit D; she really can use that thing!) Only D could hear the comment his hand made.

"I am going to take that sword from you and kill you both with it now! Your bitch killed my Pearl!" The sheriff yelled as he took another step towards D.

He was about 3 feet away from D when a flash of white light came down between him and the sheriff. D stepped back and lowered his sword to his waist. The sheriff looked down and his beloved pistol had been sliced in half. It happened so fast he didn't have time to pull the trigger. He swore that D didn't move, yet he felt the air from the blade. His face turned into a snarl.

"You're going to pay for that one hunter." He had a back up plan but after what he just saw he was unsure if it would work. He took a step back and reached behind his back. Crystal had already taken care of Pearl and was ready to pull her bow out to handle the sheriff. She reached over her shoulder when a cold voice stayed her hand.

"No. This is between me and him." the hunter said.

She complied. She stepped over to a tree and watched as the fight got under way.