Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Bonds and Beginnings ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )

Jenaar heard some commotion in the woods, and he raised his head under to cover of leaves, pine needles and his own thick cloak. His head seemed to still be swimming, the effects of the elvin blood still lasting in his veins. He squinted in the light, scooting down a little farther into the recesses of his cloak to avoid the sunlight, and wondered what was going on. The early morning light was dappled on the ground through the trees, casting sporadic spots of light over the forest floor, all of which could be extraordinarily painful, if not deadly to Jenaar.

Off in the trees he saw a tall figure light upon the ground, setting a large bundle of something on the ground and crouching over it. There was a flash of white, and Jenaar guessed that it was the figure's clothing or something related.

Damn, he's tall. Jenaar thought as he lazily looked from under his cloak. Big too.

The figure began to unwrap his cargo, leaning over it, his back still turned to Jenaar. The vampire, his curiosity caught up in the happenings in front of him, stood up. He kept his cloak tight wrapped around him, his face staying shadowed under his large hood as he began to cautiously walk toward the figure in white. The figured seemed to take no notice to his approach, apparently too engaged with the thing in front of him to observe the power signature or hear the sounds of the man's feet on the twig littered forest floor. Jenaar squinted his eyes as he drew nearer to the person, and all of the sudden he started, gasping and recoiling a bit.

".... it's him!" he rasped to himself, almost unreadable. "The one at the banquet-!"

~*~

Piccolo heard the snapping of twigs behind him, but didn't pay much mind to it. The newcomer's power-level wasn't even something to worry about. The only thing really irking the Namek was that the stranger felt the need to sneak up on him. Piccolo pretended to not notice him, waiting for him to get close enough to pounce upon and demand why he was here. He loomed over Ryven's cold, outwardly lifeless body and waited for the right moment, his clenched into fists as his mouth twisted into a slight, upward snarl.

For Piccolo was not in the mood to be trifled with.

~*~

Jenaar slowly began to back away from the tall green one, trying to be discreet as he could, until he finally just turned around and broke into an all out run. But what he didn't expect was to run into a large, solid chest, green and clad in a purple gi. Jenaar let out a muffled "oof" and landed on his backside, shaking his head a bit and looking up at the Namek.

"I-i-i-it's you, from the banque- I mean-" he stammered, beginning to crawl backwards. Piccolo merely raised an eyebrow, not being able to see his face with the cloak in the way, and crossed his arms over his chest in a frightening manner, hearing the word "banquet. In the back of his mind, he made a few inferences on who this person could be, but remained silent about it.

"Who are you, and why did you feel the need to spy on us like this?" he asked, his voice frighteningly calm. Jenaar blinked at the word "us", but brushed it aside.

"N-nobody important, just passing through..." replied the shaken vampire. "And I saw that you looked in trouble there, but it looks like you have everything under control so I'll leave you to yourself I have to go g'day to you!" Jenaar rambled, leaping to his feet and turning to run again. But yet again, he ran straight into Piccolo, falling to the ground once again.

"Would you stop doing that!" he shouted irritably. Piccolo merely picked him off the ground by the shoulder and set him on his feet, in the direction of the bundle Piccolo had been standing over.

"Well, since you are here, maybe you can clarify something for me. My student is not feeling herself lately. I found her like this this morning." Piccolo started, pushing the young man toward her. "She has these marks on her neck, and she has been bled through. What do you make of it?"

He glanced at her, then shrugged nonchalantly, though nervous under his cloak.

"Dog bite?"

Piccolo growled. "Baka! Do not be stupid." He shook the young man by his shoulder, threatening to make his hood fall off.

Jenaar grunted. "Guess not. Erm ... bats, then?"

Piccolo's eyes narrowed as he held firm to his shoulder, stooping down to unwrap the girl a little more. He gently took her head into his hand and turned it, exposing her neck and the wound to better his view. Jenaar began to sweat profusely as he saw who it was, afraid that she might wake up but also eager to drink from her again. His hands trembled ever so slightly, not slipping by Piccolo's vigilant eye.

"So, what is it, boy? You are native to this land, I am not!" he demanded again. "Tell me now!"

Jenaar felt panic nipping at his heals, and then to cover it up he began to spout forth a spontaneous lie.

"It's a vampire bite, alright? There are throngs of them in the south, and they just recently slaughtered my village!" he blurted out in a rush. "Some of them might have migrated here, seeking new food sources, now let me go!" Jenaar finally squirmed loose and hit the ground with a thud, darting off in a blind direction before the girl could wake up and identify him. Piccolo started to go after him, but just as he did she let out another moan and stirred under the blanket. Piccolo growled as he watched the man run out of sight, then turned back to his student.

Ryven opened her eyes slightly and creased her brows, whimpering confusedly. Her eyes darted around the forest as she tried to piece together why she was not in the castle anymore, coming up on her elbows a bit.

"Piccolosan- why are we in the forest-?" she stammered. Piccolosan stood over her, his face stern as usual, but his eyes belied a deep concern.

"Do not try and move; you will only make yourself sicker," he advised as gently as he could muster, stooping down. "What happened, do you remember? Someone told me it was a vampire bite."

Ryven let her hand drift to her neck, the confused look still on her face. "Bite-? I don't remember... After the banquet-"

"I was there, then I left," he coaxed.

"You left ..." she repeated, trying to think. She pushed herself up on her elbows and shakily rose to her feet, holding her head in thought and vertigo. It didn't last very long, however, before her knees wobbled and gave out under her, and she fell. Piccolo caught her at the last minute with a disapproving look on his face.

"I said to lie still, Young One," he rasped, easing her back down onto the ground. He covered her with the blanket again. "Now, did you see who did this to you, if anyone at all?"

Ryven creased her brows. "I don't remember ..."

Piccolo grunted a little. "You have to remember, now think!"

"I am! Gods..." she retorted irritably, shooting him a sleepy eyed glare. Despite his warning she sat up and leaned against a tree, trying to think as hard as she could to recall the night before. The noises of the woods seemed to be louder than before, all the noises entering her ears and bouncing around painfully in her head. Sighing a bit, she closed them all out and concentrated harder.

"Tall ... he was tall. Lanky. " She started slowly, in broken fragments. She closed her eyes to get a better picture of him. "It was dark ... but so was he. Tall and dark."

"Anything else? Anything at all?" Piccolo asked quietly. "His hair? His eyes?"

"This is so frustrating! I can't remember anything!" she growled a little, wavering a bit against the tree.

"I know, but you have to try," replied the Namek calmly, trying to keep her calm. "Just settle down and think."

Ryven nodded. "A'right.... tall and dark ... um ... his hair...His hair was long...! Yes, long and in a ponytail, and black!"

Piccolo's face grew dark as well. "Black hair?"

"Yes, black hair, or dark hair. And h- the banquet! It was that magician at the banquet!" she suddenly blurted out, her sickly features suddenly rouging as she tensed. "It was that damned magician at the banquet!"

Piccolo's eyes narrowed as he remembered the man that had identified the bite for him, and his senseless babble before he left.

That stranger ... he mentioned the banquet right off.

"Ryven, stay here." he said shortly, then rose to his feet, powering up.

"Piccolosan, where are you going?!" she shouted as loud as her throat would allow. Piccolo had taken to the air.

"To catch a thief."

~*~

Jenaar flattened himself against a large bounder and tried to remain motionless as he caught his breath. He had been running for the longest time, trying to get away from the green figure in the sky and trying to stay away from the sun as well. Finally he found the dark shade of a boulder, it's long shadow cast by the low early morning sun, and tried to become one with it.

"Damn him ... how can he find me as such?" he panted angrily to himself, his voice barely above nothing.

"I just follow your pathetic power signature," a raspy voice suddenly said. Jenaar let out a cry and snapped his head up, spying Piccolo on top of the boulder he was hiding behind. The Namek stood with his arms crossed in his usual manner, glaring down dauntingly down at him.

"Egad, what the hell are you?!" Jenaar exclaimed shrilly. "Nevermind, I don't want to know. I just want you to die!"

Jenaar drew a great blade from nowhere, his sword obviously magical. The blade itself was black, but surrounding the blade were torrents of flames. Jenaar himself seemed immune to the flames that licked his hand. He brandished the blade frighteningly and stood in the shadows still, snarling beneath his hood. Piccolo merely raised an eyebrow at the vampire, his arms still crossed.

"Heh, your blade is the opposite of Ryven's," he commented. "But no matter. Swords are merely playthings to make people feel better. Honestly, I do not know why you people feel the need to use them."

Jenaar frowned a bit, still not loosening up. "Stop babbling and fight me!"

"Fine," Piccolo sighed, uncrossing his arms. Suddenly he began to roar, and there was a huge gust of wind. Jenaar was nearly thrown back as a bright white aura burst out around the Namek, picking up rocks and leaves and tossing them to all sides like an unruly storm. His white cloak flapped out behind him like a belligerent sail, and the same wind threatened to blow Jenaar's cloak off of him as well. He kept his head down for a second, finally taking a risk and leaping up at the Namek, using his enhanced vampiric agility and speed to his advantage.

"N'AAAAAAAAAH!" Jenaar screamed as he flew toward the now powered up Piccolo, his sword poised for the would be fatal strike. But suddenly Jenaar was tossed aside by an unseen wave of force, the vampire flying into a tree as the Namek flew toward him.

"Drop the blade, now!" Piccolo boomed, holding the vampire up against the tree, keeping his arms well away from the flaming blade. Jenaar merely grunted and brought the blade up toward him, forcing Piccolo to back off as Jenaar landed lithely on his feet. Both opponents growled and began to race toward each other, bellowing out their war cries and readying their attacks.

Suddenly there was a cry from one side of them both, and blast shot between the two. The air was suddenly cold, and when the blast hit the tree it immediately encased it in crystalline, icy quartz. Both Piccolo and Jenaar stopped in their tracks, their heads whipping around to see where the blast had come from. Standing a few yards away was Ryven, pale except for the bright red of her cheeks. She glared at them both, the blanket held around her with one hand while the other was extended out, still glowing slightly from the blast. Snowblind stood beside her, his hackles raised as his lip was curled back in a frightening snarl.

Ryven spoke. "Stop it, both of you!"

"Ryven, I told you to stay there!" Piccolo shouted angrily. Jenaar blanched.

"I'll move about as I please," she replied shortly. Her blonde, washed out head turned toward Jenaar, and catching site of his dark figure, she began to stalk toward him. Jenaar began to sweat again, again from fear and hunger, but stayed still, his flaming blade slowly dropping to his side. She finally walked to where he stood, and then merely stared at him, her wide blue elvin eyes narrowed in a poisonous glare.

"...H'lo" Jenaar ventured somewhat nervously.

"G'day," she said, her tone tight and clipped. His demeanor didn't change with the reply, but no sooner did the words leave her pale lips did her fist rear back and connect with his jaw. Jenaar let out a cry as his head rocked back, her punch not strong enough to throw him back far, but only a step or two.

"Be glad I'm not up to par today, you filthy, perverted Undead," she growled. Jenaar looked back at her, his face full of hurt pride.

"How dare you! I offered you eternal life and youth!" he retorted angrily, holding the side of his face for a moment. Ryven turned her head and spat.

"Feh. You offered me eternal damnation and misery," she replied, her eyes still narrowed. Jenaar growled, turning his head away from her.

"Fine, whatever." he said nastily.

Piccolo powered down. "Are you done arguing now?" he asked sarcastically. Ryven nodded, pulling the blanket around her shoulders more.

"Quite so." she replied bitterly. "Let's get out of here."

"Wise. When we left the castle, there were guards running up the stairs. They are probably looking for you."

Ryven's eyebrow raised. "Grand. Aye, lets leave."

"Can you fly?" the Namek asked, turning away from the vampire. Ryven hadn't thought of that, and immediately tried. She closed her eyes, at first trying to take to the air like she normally did, then resorted to actually concentrating on it. Finally, after a few minute's fruitless struggle, she sighed heavily and wobbled a little on her feet.

"No, I can't," she replied. "Too much power's gone."

Piccolo grunted. "Perfect. We walk, then, and then we, or rather you, should rest some."

Jenaar stood in the middle of the forest, dumbfounded that they were going on about their conversation like he wasn't there. He watched back and forth as the two conversed, his blade now sheathed and his cloak still wrapped tightly around him. At this point, he decided that it would be a good idea to escape, and live to hunt down his prey another day. So silently the vampire slipped away, weary from his long night and the sudden turn of events.

By Jalayne, Al'Thor's going to stake me for this, Jenaar thought bitterly as fled the scene. I didn't even come close to getting her.

It's not like you worked really hard at it, though. You should have finished her off where she stood just now. He told himself inwardly. You're going soft, Jenaar. You enjoyed that meal too much.

The vampire mentally kicked himself. I'm not falling for another woman again, am I? The last one is the reason I'm like this. But maybe this one will be different. Maybe I can be happy again....

Fat chance, not after this little incident. Jenaar rubbed his sore jaw at the thought. But oh, to sink my fangs into that neck again, she's so lovely-

"Jenaar! You disappoint me!" a voice boomed from overhead. Jenaar jumped and nearly fell over, his eyes darting about the forest. The voice belonged to his master, that much was sure, but his whereabouts were unknown.

"M' Lord, it was a slight technicality!" he shouted back, still looking all over for the voice. "I'll be able to get her the next time, I swear it to you!"

"It's such a depressing sight to see your best assassin begging you like a common thief." Al'Thor's voice sighed. Jenaar growled a little as his head bowed.

"Je sais, M'lord. It won't happen again. I'll have to try a different approach." Jenaar replied humbly, kneeling on the forest floor and crunching some pine needles.

"You had better hope so, or else I'll send someone to hunt you."