Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha Fan Fiction ❯ Vampire!Fate: Creation ❯ Part 1 ( Chapter 1 )

The night sky was illuminated by the flames crackling from the burning cottages lining the dirt roads connecting them. Screams were heard as I ran as fast as I could, my small legs not taking me as far as the adults around me. The person to my right suddenly vanished, replaced by a dark figure, clouded in mist, hunched over. More screams came, and the adults ran faster. My mother was gone, left back at my shack that was still blazing flames. She told me to run when the monsters came, and I had fled quickly. The person on my left screamed, falling forward and clawing at the dirt. My eyes looked briefly, seeing glowing red eyes move down to the person's neck. I wanted to scream, but no sound came. I continued to run, fleeing as fast as I could from the demons who had come from nowhere. Despite my best efforts I still found myself falling down, a heavy weight on my back. Pain seared though my body and I was tossed aside without regard. My body didn't move to my commands, my heart starting to slow its beating. I don't know how long I stayed there, wavering in and out of consciousness, but the flames were dying down when my vision returned. A figure was in front of me, crouched down and looking into my eyes. “Young girl,” he spoke, words drifting through me like a dream. “Do you...wish to live?”

 

Vampire!Fate: Creation

By: Satashi

 

Those were my earliest memories. I don't think I will ever be able to forget them, no matter how old I may get. The first few days were the worst, as I could do nothing but whimper in pain as the transformation took place...

 

“Are you thirsty?” A man in a black cape leaned over the barely awake girl as they rode in a covered wagon drawn by two horses. Long purple hair fell from his shoulders, light shining on the gentle features of a nobleman. His eyes were as gold as the sun, shining as the orbs with cat-like slitted pupils caught and reflected the light around him. The small child, no older than ten, could only raise herself up to accept the now bleeding wrist of the one above her. Moments went by in silence as she drank, matted blond hair being stroked soothingly. “Tell me, do you have a name?” The girl had her fill and looked at him with dazed eyes while trying to avoid the sun's light by burying deeper into her blanket. “No? Then I shall name you... Jeanne.”

 

I lived by drinking from my master, slowly becoming aware of things once again. All of my memories from before that night I was turned were gone and I had to re-learn how to do everything, even speak. I can still remember, though, that my master's kind hands were warm and caring.

 

“Jeanne, you must drink.” Again the man knelt down to the smaller girl. “Your fangs are starting to appear as well; soon you will need to be able to feed on your own.”

 

“Access,” Fate looked up at her master before kneeling by the slain wolf. “Why do I get so thirsty?” Moving forward, she found the vein she wanted and severed it. A few gulps were enough to fight off her small body's craving and she stood again, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Why do you not drink so much?”

 

“In time,” Access offered his hand, which was taken by both of the girl's. “You will be able to go long periods of time without it as well. Right now, you are still maturing.”

 

It went on like that for a while. Each day my master would kill an animal for me and allow me to drink, then we would eat whatever meat we could from it. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, though. I recall seeing people less fortunate than me sitting on the sidewalks begging for food. Access always had money, so towns were a welcome sight for me... at least at first.

 

“Access?” Fate's voice was a little less childish now. Her hood pulled closer around her body to block the sun but her red eyes stared ahead of herself at the group of children playing in front of a building. “Why don't I go to school like the rest of the children?”

 

“We are different,” His hands picked up a loaf of bread from a vender's stand and handed it down to her to hold so he could pay. “You do not like the sunlight, correct?”

 

Fate looked down sadly. “But...I want to play.” As they walked, red eyes trailed over the laughing children.

 

I began to despise them, started to hate the children who did nothing but laugh... It wasn't long before it started getting toomuch to bear.

 

A ball rolled down stone paved streets and came to a stop against Fate's leg, making her look down from the hot bread she was enjoying. Shortly thereafter, another child came up to her, panting heavily from chasing his toy for so long. “Is this yours?” Fate asked politely, bending over to pick up the ball for him. The child's friends came up behind him, having caught up, and looked at Fate curiously. “Do you... want to play together?” She offered while extending her hands so the ball could be taken.

 

“With you?” One of the older males snatched the ball from Fate's hands and glared. “They say you have a disease that spreads just by touching, that's why you don't go to school.”

 

Another nodded, glaring. “You're not from this town, why are you staying here for so long? Get lost! Go back to wherever you came from, sick girl!”

 

Fate took a step back. “I'm... I'm not sick!”

 

“Then why do you keep your body covered so much, huh!?” The first boy moved forward to rip Fate's hood back, exposing her skin to the light.

 

“Aahh!” Her hand tried to pull it back up, feeling the heat break down her still developing body. Although not as bad as she thought it was, the feeling tingled her skin, making her fight back as they started tearing at her clothing while laughing.

 

“Sick girl! Sick girl!”

 

“Stop it!” She cried desperately as her hair was tugged. The boys formed a circle around her, pushing her around from one person to the next. “Stop it! Leave me alone!”

 

“Don't come up to higher society, street filth.” One of them glared at her when he caught an armful of the shivering girl. “Stay in the dirt where you belong, along with your good for nothing father!”

 

Red eyes snapped open, feet planted solid as he tried to shove her again. “Don't you talk about him!” Before anything else could be said, words floated into her mind. 'you will have to hunt on your own soon.' Fate snarled, using her power to force back the boy's grip. The two landed on the ground, giving her the opportunity to sink her fangs into his skin. The first bite missed its mark, forcing her to pull away and try again. This time the vein was found, and a harder bite onto it made her teeth bring forth blood. Her lips pressed down farther, sucking painfully hard to encourage the flow.

 

After only a few gulps, she was pulled off by the other boys, who froze in shock at seeing Fate lick her lips slowly. Her body moved forward quickly, grabbing another one of the boys and biting into his neck to taste. The flavor didn't seem to suit her, making her red eyes dart to another. Slowly she dropped the shivering boy and walked forward, then avoided an attack from behind with a sidestep. Her hand reached out to grab the hair of the male almost twice her size and jerked back, exposing his neck.

 

“Jeanne!” Hearing her name being called, the girl stopped her assault and dropped her prey. The boys quickly gathered their fallen and ran away, screaming loudly about the monster who had attacked them. Access knelt down before the girl and placed a calming hand onto her head. “Why did you attack them?”

 

“They hurt me,” She spoke in her own defense, finally covering her body properly again to hide her red, stinging skin. “They... called me names and pushed me.”

 

“I see.” Access stood and took Fate's hand. “We need to leave immediately.”

 

“Why?”

 

“People do not like beings such as ourselves,” He explained as best as he could.

 

“Access...?” Fate looked up at him sadly, the events finally starting to seep into her. “Are you my father?”

 

Slowly the man looked back down at her and smiled gently. “Something like that, I suppose.”

 

That was the first time I ever drank from a human. The taste was different from what I had experienced before, and once I had it there was no way I could go back to animals. The warmth flowing into my mouth was so much different from the cold, lifeless blood of a dead beast. It was then that my master started teaching me things I needed to know in order to survive. I never had much of a childhood, despite him always trying to give me one. Instead, I kept pressing for him to teach me, to let me learn things.

 

Fate slowly picked herself up off of the ground and panted, sweat pouring down her face. Blond hair fell around her vision, having grown longer as the months passed by. As she righted herself, she fell back to sit on her hind quarters and look at the man who had just tossed her like a rag doll. Access was smiling at her fondly and offered his hand to help her stand once he thought she had rested enough. “You are learning very quickly,” he praised her honestly. “What you lack in strength, you make up for in speed. I think you will be best suited for a weapon instead of hand-to-hand combat like myself.”

 

Curiously, Fate took the help to stand and made it to her feet. Her eyes went to Access's body and realized for the first time that she now came up just a little taller than his waist. “A weapon?” Her voice asked, now even less like a child's and now more like a young pre-teen.

 

“Yes. It will help defend you as well as come in handy during various situations.” His eyes looked around the large barn, where they had been practicing out of sight of others. “Ah, yes, this could work for you.” As he walked to the far wall, Fate watched him pick up a training whip for the horses. The tightly bound leather braided rope fell to the ground when he gripped the handle. “A perfect way to teach restraint and focus,” he mused to himself while eying his adopted daughter/apprentice. “This will be your first of many, Jeanne.” To show her what it could do, he flicked his wrist to snap the whip so loudly that the horses around them whined in their stalls. Fate's eyes went wide, seeing a ripple of air haze around the area where the whip had lashed long after the strike was over. Access moved to stand in front of her and measured the whip's length compared to the girl's. Once he decided, a sharp tug severed the leather where he wanted it to, and small flames came from his fingertips as he pressed it together, melding the rope back together at a much shorter length. “Here you are, get a feel of it.”

 

The blond accepted the handle and let the leather fall to the ground just as her teacher had done. It pooled at her feet just as it did with Access and a smile came on her face. “This will help me fight?” She asked curiously with a hint of amazement in her voice.

 

“Yes, but more so than that, it will help you learn how to control yourself. This is key to becoming a great vampire, Jeanne. You must know when and where to use your strength, how to control your thirst, and most importantly: how to make sure you can trust yourself when the situation calls for it.”

 

“I don't understand,” Fate spoke while walking away to sway the limp leather whip around testingly. “Why don't we just drink whenever we want? Why do we hide from humans?”

 

Access gave her a smile without humor. “I truly hope you will never have to find out first hand, but I know it is inevitable. Humans are scared of us, Jeanne. They fear things they do not understand, and us drinking their blood does not bode well for our kind. They hunt us now, and always will. In order for us to survive, we need to know several things. I am teaching you now, but it will be a very long time before you can fully understand.”

 

Again Fate inspected her whip. “What's wrong with going all out all the time?”

 

The male smirked to himself. “Try popping the whip just as I did before.” The girl in front of him nodded, rearing back and slashing her hand as hard as she could. The leather ripped back quickly, making a small popping sound just as it lashed across her face from the unsteady jerking motions. Fate screamed out immediately, dropping the whip and falling to her knees. Her hand went to grab her face, sobbing as blood trickled down between her fingers. “Now,” Access began gently as he kneeled before her again, stroking the blond hair as Fate took shelter against his chest. “I will teach you how to properly manage the skills you do not yet know you have.”

 

I lived the next several months while learning how to properly fight, as well as how to act. My master taught me everything I would want to know: how to properly drink blood, ways of getting people alone to do it, and eventually how to tell if the person's blood was good to drink or not. Using these lessons, I was able to spot my own prey and drink as needed. Although at the time I still bit once a day, I was starting to understand the craving more. My body was developing, and I quickly outgrew the clothes that I had been wearing.

 

“Master,” Fate addressed Access properly as her instructor. “Why am I growing up while you do not change?”

 

The man brushed back his hair and looked over at the girl who now appeared to be a teenager. Her body was starting to grow, and a faint hint of defined hips were starting to show as well as small mounds on her chest. Fate fanned out her shirt to cool herself down and used a jerk of her wrist to make her whip come to her command and coil before snapping it on a small holder on her hip. “You,” Access began, closing the book he had been reading. “Are not growing up, but instead are maturing.”

 

“Maturing?” She asked, voice always laced with curiosity. She made her way over to him and stood beside the sitting man. “What is the difference?”

 

“Vampires do not age,” He explained, lifting his arm and accepting the embrace from his happy student. “We change as needed, and develop our bodies to the situations we encounter. You are small and your body knows that in its current state, it cannot hold the needed amount of energy it will take to survive. You will continue to mature physically and mentally, but your body will stop once it reaches its peak.”

 

“I see...” Fate hummed to herself.

 

“Isn't it time you went into the town nearby to choose your prey?” Access went to pick up his book again but stalled when Fate shook her head. “Oh? Are you not thirsty?”

 

Fate hesitated. “I think... I'm drinking too much.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because...” Her cheeks colored and eyes looked away. “The past few days I've been... bleeding...down there...”

 

Access looked at her, confused, for a few moments before leaning back and chuckling to himself. “I suppose I need to introduce you to a friend of mine.”

 

Master's friend was in a town nearby, but by the time we reached her my first period was over. Despite me telling him, he still insisted that I spend a little time with this person while he did something on his own. I was against the idea but he gave me a firm command to obey her,and I couldn't refuse his will.

 

“I will return later,” Access told Fate softly while ruffling her golden hair. “Listen to what Fin tells you, and learn well. Do not worry, for I will return for you.”

 

“Yes sir,” Fate whispered dejectedly, feeling a caring hand come on her shoulder from behind. Looking back, she saw a beautiful woman with flowing blond hair and green eyes. Her fingers were slender, nails finely trimmed. Despite being taken away from her master, the teenager felt a strange sense of calm wash over her from the touch. The two adults talked for a few moments before another painstaking goodbye came, and Fate had to watch Access walk away from her.

 

“Jeanne,” Fin's voice was as soft as her touch and held a deep knowing tone to it. “Let me show you to your room.” She motioned with her hand back to the large mansion behind her.

 

Fate did nothing the first day but sleep, amazed at how soft her bed was, and lost in the feeling of truly being perfectly clean after she was bathed by her new caretaker. When she awoke the following day, she found a silk dress waiting for her, which she put on after some dismay. The white garment clung to her body from the waist up, covering her completely before spraying out at the bottom into frilly lace and perfect white bows. Unable to find her old shoes, she was forced to slide her feet into delicate, shining slippers with a one inch heel on them. Matching white silk gloves slid over her arms and ran almost to her elbows before also having bows lace them. Finally a veil was placed on her head, faint white see-through mesh falling along her face. 'I feel... like I'm to be married...' Her mind mused lightly while trying to walk to the door, falling once when she tripped over the gown. 'Ugh[Author ID1: at Wed Jun 4 19:02:00 2008 ], I want my skirt back!'

 

The girl walked around the house curiously, looking around in awe at several paintings that decorated the walls, as well as the many vases of handpicked flowers. Her ears lead her feet, trailing the noise of talking until she found her way to the bottom floor and outside. It was then that she realized why she was given these clothes, and a thankful smile came when she felt almost no discomfort at all from the sun's light. Fin was not too far away, sitting at a table along with a few other girls that Fate immediately recognized as humans. 'Why would they be here? Were they summoned so we could drink?'

 

“Jeanne,” Fin greeted her softly, standing up to walk over to her. “Just in time for your studies.”

 

“Studies?” She asked curiously, being lead to stand before the other girls. “H-Hello...”

 

“No, no,” Fin scolded her gently. “Like this.” She lifted both sides of her dress slightly and gave a small curtsy. “Good morning.” As she stood, she gave Fate an expecting look.

 

“Ah... um...” The teen remembered what Access had told her and quickly tried to imitate the motion, giving a shaky greeting. “Good morning...?” To her surprise, the small group of girls politely clapped for her, bringing forth an embarrassed blush.

 

Fin guided Fate to the empty chair prepared for her and gave a short instruction on how to properly sit down while wearing a dress. Fate took to it quickly, blushing again when the girls around her smiled in congratulations for the simple maneuver. “Now, class:” Fin went on, drawing immediate attention to herself. “This is Jeanne. She was brought here yesterday by a very good friend of mine and a highly honored nobleman. She will be staying with us for a while, so do become good friends.”

 

“Yes ma'am,” the other girls politely chorused together.

 

Fate was confused, but withheld her questions as Fin went about speaking to them about writing. Pieces of paper were placed before them, as well as a quill paired with ink. Blinking, the vampire followed with her eyes as the girls dipped their quills and started writing. Instead of words, Fate could only scratch messily on her paper, trying to understand exactly what was going on. When Fin walked around to check up on everyone, she stopped curiously behind her. “Do you not know how to write, Jeanne?”

 

“No?” She answered softly, a flashback coming from the children who had picked on her by the schoolyard. Instead of laughter came a happy smile and a caring hand on her shoulder.

 

“Then we will teach you. Suzuka?” A purple haired girl answered immediately. “Will you aid Jeanne here on recognizing letters and the sounds they represent?” Another happy answer came and Fate found herself shortly alone with the other girl who was smiling at her.

 

“This is the letter 'A',” Suzuka told her, carefully writing the letter on a piece of paper. “It sounds like 'aaah', like “apple” does.”

 

“Apple... ahhh?” Fate repeated, taking interest as she recognized the letter from one of the books Access read to her.

 

As it turned out, Fin hosted a school for women of the time. People of high rank or nobility would send their daughters there to learn how to be a 'Lady'. I was taught how to read and write, as well as how to walk, eat, speak, and stand. She also taught me about everything a girl should know about their body, with private lessons about vampires at night. She told me she was old but I never knew exactly how much so. I did learn a lot from her, though, and after a few years passed I was very well educated for the time. By now the sun didn't bother me as much, and I could stay out in it like a normal person without any ill-effects. Prolonged exposure still burned me,but even that was starting to go down as well. I only felt the need to drink once every two days,but I was sure I could go three without too much discomfort. It was after three years when Access returned to me, looking the same as he always had. Myself, on the other hand...

 

“Access!” Fate ran to her master quickly, hands holding up the hem of her dress so she wouldn't trip over it in the process. Once she was close enough she gave the man a happy hug and held tight. “You came back!”

 

“...Jeanne?” Access moved her at arm's length, a smile claiming his mouth as he took her in. Instead of the blossoming pre-teen he left in the care of his friend, he now saw before him a young woman in her place. Her golden hair was braided back and trailing past her waist, body slender and curvy. She came almost to his shoulder now and her eyes held a more mature shine to them than he could have hoped for. It was hard to take in that this woman in front of him could be no older than fourteen. This fact was driven even farther home when she shyly clasped her hands behind her back, unintentionally pushing out her chest, which now had to be supported by a firm bra to hold up the mass.

 

 

“Welcome back,” Fin's voice came to the pair. “Access, how was your trip?”

 

The man smiled at his long time friend. “Tiring. The paladins are starting to form groups now, using the uneasy peace that's lingering between the two kings as a prime chance to set up their hold as crusaders.” He shook his head lightly. “But there will be a time for talk later.” Placing his hand on Fate's shoulder, he gave her another smile. “Tell me, what did you learn while I was gone?”

 

Fate walked next to him happily. “Many things. I don't even know where to begin!”

 

Fin took it upon herself to brag about her favorite student. “She learned how to read and write after only days. After that, I couldn't keep her from my book shelf. Despite only having a handful, she has read them over and over. She's even gone as far as requesting higher learning books. Your girl probably knows more than most wise men.”

 

“Is that so?” Access grinned, showing off one of his fangs. “So you have matured mentally as well. Tell me, have you kept up with your training?”

 

“Yes sir,” Fate replied quickly, taking note that her master was pleased with her new manners. “Fin trained me every night, and I even learned something really neat!” To prove her point she brought up her hands and placed them really close together. Concentrating hard, she made several sparks flash between her palms before suddenly swaying and falling to the side. Access caught her quickly, amazed and concerned at the same time. “See...?” Fate offered weakly, drained from the display.

 

The older vampire gave Access an amused look. “She has a very high affinity for lightning, so much so that she can create sparks to light candles from her fingertips. It...drains her, however. You can tell you are her master.” Fate smiled proudly, reclaiming her footing. “I will indeed miss you.”

 

The blond blinked. “Where are you going?”

 

Access looked up into the sky. “The way things are going now, Jeanne, you and I will have to be on the move again. Unless you want to stay here?”

 

Fate shook her head. “As much as I've enjoyed being here... I've waited for three long years to see you again.”

 

Fin smiled sadly. “Long years, huh?”

 

“She's young,” Access defended her, his face also showing a sign of pity. “She does not yet know what time is.”

 

I wasn't aware at the time, but France was currently in what would be called 'The Hundred Year's War' . Although we had many small times of... peace... The tides were starting to waver in the favor of the king we didn't want it to. In an attempt to finish everything once and for all, he enlisted the aid of a renegade group known as 'Paladins'. These people hunted demons actively, and believe me, there were more than just vampires floating around. Despite being small and unorganized, they were extremely skilled and quite deadly when crossed. I had yet to fight one, but Fin and Access both have told me about their past encounters. Just knowing that the group were going to be given better weapons and official training made my two teachers uneasy. Myself... I was young, and stupid.

 

“Jeanne,” Access said the name a little firmly, making the blond haired girl stop in her tracks and take a small step back. “Whatever you do, do not speak. Keep your mouth closed.” He waited for a nod before walking forward again and entering into a small café. He pulled a chair for Fate and seated her properly, glad that she had been given traveling clothes as a gift from Fin when they departed. The material was strong and could stand up to repeated abuse that came with constant traveling. She wore a tan loose shirt that was comfortable but gave her the appearance of a slightly under middle classed woman. Her pants matched the look but her posture told a different story.

 

Red eyes looked around to find what caused her master's disturbance, and soon spied a group of men wearing a type of armor that she had never seen before. Instead of plate or leather, small metal rings seemed to be interlaced to make up their covering. It didn't seem practical to her eyes but Access's glare was firm. When a woman went to them to ask for drink orders, Access bowed his head and spoke calmly. “Please forgive me for not meeting you eyes, my lady; I have a nasty burn on my face. Please, an ale for me and water for my little one if it is available?”

 

“We have a well out back,” The woman replied before going off to fetch the drinks.

 

“Master,” Fate whispered softly, getting a glare hard enough to make her sit back. 'Why does he want to avoid them? He could easily take them all at the same time! Is it... is it because of me? Does he think that I have learned so little over the three years he left me!?' Her hand balled into a fist and she looked up again sharply, hood falling from her head. “Master, I'm not a weakling!”

 

Access snarled and reached to cover her head again, but the loud declaration brought the attention of the men next to them. “Oh, does the little girl have something to say? You should let her talk, sir.”

 

“She means nothing,” Access told them, looking away.

 

Another man walked over to their table. “I heard you had a burn on your face. Tell me, what caused it?”

 

“A scuffle with a few peasants over bread.” Access replied smoothly. His eyes went over to Fate, who still had her hood down.

 

The first man inspected Fate. “Lovely lady, how much for a night with you? I'm sure you could use the money to buy more bread?”

 

Fate looked at him in shock, having fully been taught what he meant from Fin. Her best efforts and training made her simply turn to the side and ignore him, silently declining the offer. 'Like I would mate with someone like that. Filthy human.' To her surprise, her chin was grabbed and turned back to the man.

 

“Don't turn on me, hussy. We work directly under the king.” Fate kept her mouth shut and yelped slightly when she was slapped for it.

 

Access was on his feet at once but found three swords placed at his chest from the other men. Not fazed, he simply glared. “Unhand her.”

 

Fate had enough. “You heard him,” She spat, snarling. “Take your filthy hands off me!”

 

“Vampire!” The man holding her shouted as Access made his move. The swords all lunged forward, catching only air as he ducked. His long purple hair flew out behind him as he grabbed another blade thrust at him and gripped it, melting the steel with fire summoned from his hands. As his feat registered in their minds,he punched another in the stomach, making him double over. The third, however, reacted faster and sliced with his own sword. Access flipped back and landed on a table, eyeing Fate, who was now struggling against the hold.

 

Fate felt the first twinge of panic seep into her as she managed to get away from him and produce her whip. A crack of it could normally rip gaping wounds in animals, or cleave small blocks of timber in half from the force. No human had ever made it away from her after a single slash of it, but the man in front of her simply caught the leather in his hand and held tight, jerking on it and making Fate stumble forward.

 

The rest happened so fast she could barely understand it, even with her experiences in combat. Her mouth was grabbed tightly and forced open, a device being pressed against her. A scream came from beside her and a sharp pain ripped through her mouth. Another scream followed and a bitter taste of blood flooded her tongue. A third scream ripped around them as the last bit of pain flared through her mouth. At last, the one in front of her fell to the side, dead before he hit the floor.

 

The blond simply fell forward, catching herself with her palms in shock. Before her, two bright white fangs were on the floor, being stained slightly as black blood dripped from her mouth. She moved a quivering hand to pick them up, barely managing to get them both before Access looped an arm under her and carried her out of the building. “I give you one command, and you can't follow it!” he growled darkly. “I thought I taught you better! Life isn't about force! You have to think, Jeanne, think! I wanted to know their plans so I could counter them and make a greater impact than just a scuffle!”

 

Fate swallowed her own blood, still looking at the ripped out fangs in her hand with wide, scared eyes. 'I couldn't even... touch him...'