Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ Night Angel... ( Chapter 119 )

Nabiki 1/2

(A Very Scary Thought)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

Based Upon the Altered Destinies Storyline

Inspired by the works of such fans as

Wade Tritshler

Richard Lawson

James Jones

And Many Others

Standard Disclaimer: This is inspired by the work of Takahashi Rumiko and is not my original creation. All characters belong to her. This is only a fanfictional work, and is not intended to compromise the rights of the original owners, distributors and publishers of the Ranma series. I have no money to spare and would very much appreciate if no one tries to sue me.

"I take it back, Ranma-kun," Nabiki murmured faintly, "Size really does matter when it comes to counting carats."

Ranma could only stare in blank dismay as he studied the stone mounted in the ornate gold wire ring that adorned Natsume's finger as his adoptive sister-in-law proudly showed it off for their inspection. Natsume was smiling in a way that would have put shame to the sun and stars and she fairly glowed with happiness while Tatewaki looked somewhat sheepish and had a silly grin of his own on his face, his lips still sporting the mark of his fiancée's lipstick.

"Way to go Tatewaki," Keiko complimented, "So when's the date, or are you planning to elope together?"

"Arigami-san," Natsume chided, "You know that I will want my father and sisters to be present when I walk down the aisle to take Tachi-sama's hand in blessed matrimony. It will be the happiest moment of my life to be accepted into the Kuno family, and when that day arrives I will want all of those whom I care for to be present to witness the moment when I fully become a woman."

"Sure you'll want company in the honeymoon bridal suite?" Nabiki asked before turning to Tatewaki, "Congratulations, Tachi-kun, I just know that you'll make my sister enormously happy."

"Please, the honor is all mine, Nabiki-san," Tatewaki said before pausing to correct himself, "I mean…Saotome-san, my sister-to-be."

"What a wonderful couple you both will make," Nodoka boasted happily, "We must inform Soun-chan the instant he gets home from visiting the bathhouse with the Master and my husband. I can't wait to begin planning out the day with you, Natsume-chan. I just know that you will bring great honor to both our families, to say nothing of uniting the houses of Tendo, Kuno and Saotome into one big happy clan of the Anything Goes tradition."

"And I look forward to planning things out with you, Auntie," Natsume replied, "I will want everything to be perfect since we are having the ceremony at the Kuno mansion…"

"What?" Nabiki asked, "You're not having it in the dojo?"

"The reception can be in the dojo, Sister dear," Natsume replied, "But it would be a bit too crowded to have all of the guests that we're planning to invite be forced to sit through a long ceremony, even with the concessions and refreshments that Tatewaki and I will be providing."

"Oh?" Nabiki asked, "And how many dinner guests are you two planning to invite?"

"Just some friends and the immediate family, "Tatewaki replied, "Perhaps three to five hundred in all."

"Three to five hundred?" Nodoka replied, "Oh my, then that means we should get to work sending out the invitations."

Ranma closed his mouth at long last and looked up at the taller boy, then casually reached over and grabbed his best friend by the neck and wrapped his arm around his shoulders…to all appearances just friendly though in actuality he gripped Tatewaki in a headlock.

"Hey, old buddy, whatcha trying to do, make me look bad?" he casually remarked while Tatewaki fought for breath and vainly tried to pry the arm loose from his neck.

"What's the matter, Ranma-kun?" Keiko playfully teased, "Jealous because you had your wedding under the big top?"

"Naw, there's nothing wrong with doing it in a tent surrounded by circus clowns and savage beasts right after Nab-chan and me got through pounding the daylights outta one another," Ranma assured them while Tatewaki appeared to be in danger of turning blue, "After all, shouldn't everybody had a wedding day to remember?"

"That reminds me," Nabiki said, "Kei-chan, mind going back into the house and fetching me my camera? I've just got to preserve this moment for posterity."

"Right Chief," Keiko grinned while mock-saluting.

"Er…Ranma-kun?" Natsume asked of her adopted brother-in-law, "Would you mind letting Tachi-sama go now? I'll need him to still be breathing when we say our wedding vows together."

"Oh, right," Ranma said as he let the other boy go, and Tatewaki fell to his knees coughing and gasping for breath, even as Ranma added the tart comment, "After all, old buddy here did help me pick out the rings for Ucchan and the others."

"Sheesh," Kurumi complained from where she hung back near the gate watching these exchanges, "Pickle me in radish sauce and call me nauseous, the way she fawns on him you'd think Oneechan was winning some kind of prize here in a husband."

"Now that's hardly fair and you know it, Kurumi-chan," Mousse gently chided, "Your sister can make her own decisions and she's clearly happy with this one."

The shorter girl turned a look up at the long-haired Chinese man then said, "And that reminds me…you never gave me any kind of ring when we got hitched…"

"Huh?" Mousse blinked, then began sweating profusely.

And so did Kurumi, who belatedly heard her own words and promptly added a hasty, "Ah-not that I put any stock in those Chinese Marriage laws of yours or anything like that. I mean…who can believe the two of us got married just because you beat me in a fight, huh? Ridiculous…!"

"Ah…right," Mousse said somewhat dubiously, though his face took on a curiously thoughtful expression.

Keiko only turned an amused glance their way before heading back into the house, musing to herself that the Speedster and the Ape-boy did make an unusually perfect couple, even if they were both too clueless to admit it. Kurumi might deny that she was married to the (formerly "big jerk") half-blind Master of the Shadow Senken, but from the way she conducted herself around him you could tell that she was really hung up on the guy, just as Mousse had slowly come around to favoring Kurumi with noticeable affection. The guy might still have an abiding Perfume-fetish, but slowly he was coming around to finally seeing reason on that subject, and since the original object of his love never returned his affections, and was presently at sea tending to her own wife, Ukyo, it seemed more and more likely that the boy would finally buy a clue and settle down with the right woman after all. It was long overdue in Keiko's rather biased opinion, and since Mousse did seem to be taking his duties as a husband seriously-his lecturing Kurumi on her conduct being a prime example-it was more than likely that he would prevail upon Kurumi in the end.

Keiko certainly hoped that this was the case, because the alternative would be heartbreak for both clueless teenaged martial artists. In the meantime she had a request from her own former first love to fulfill, and since a camera was considered a deadly weapon in the hands of Nabiki, it was only fitting for a dutiful retainer-slash-friend to see her former lover well-armed in the photo-book alumni wars of the somewhat distant future (she had a mental image of Nabiki showing off pictures to her grandkids one day, and that brought a smile to Keiko's lips as she headed towards the stairs and passed the nine-year-old kid holding the headless doll who was looking up at her in passing…

Huh?

Keiko halted in mid-step then turned around and saw the aforementioned child staring back at her in silent regard. She had long yellow-brown hair done up in a braid that hung down her back, much like Keiko's own, and unusually intelligent blue eyes that stared back with the wisdom and sadness of the world reflected in their depths. There was something oddly familiar about this girl, and it took Keiko all of fourteen seconds to make the belated connection.

"Oh hey," she said, "I remember you! You're…uh…that girl we met in the graveyard about a month ago…Akita was it?"

The little girl just stared back at her without the least change in her expression.

"Oh yeah, silly me," Keiko clucked as she slapped herself along the side of the head, "Anita…that was your name, right? You're the one who travels with the big guy who goes around with a humungous bad-ass sword strapped to his back…the spiritualist necromancer who purged Kasumi of…er, well…who tried to cure her of vampirism anyway. What was his name again? Donald something…?"

For the first time the little girl spoke aloud, "Donovan."

"Right," Keiko nodded, "Donovan Bane. I remember it now. Uh…is he here with you by any chance?"

Anita merely turned her head and stared into the living area, and as Keiko followed her gaze she saw that aforementioned "bad ass" sword attached to the backside of an incredibly tall and broad-shouldered man who reminded Keiko of her own father in profile, save that this guy had a very different sort of aura about him. Even when quiet he dominated a room with his very presence, and were it not that Keiko was a determined lesbian she was absolutely certain that she would have drooled just staring at his pectorals and glutinous maximus, for the man had an absolutely rock-hard physique, to say nothing of a warrior's braid that put her own to shame. In short, he was someone you did not easily miss in a crowd, let alone in an empty chamber.

Without turning around the man said, "I have come to find her, the one you call Kasumi."

"Er…Kasumi? I mean…you have?" Keiko asked with raised eyebrows.

"It is necessary that you tell me where she has gone," Donavan slowly turned around to fix the redhead with his golden-eyed stare, an effect that magnified his already considerable presence, "I must know for a fact if what I suspect has come to pass. It is my duty since I am the one who sought to purge her, as you have stated, and quite obviously it was I who have failed in my sacred mission."

"Ah…Kasumi's upstairs…right?" Keiko wondered.

The big man merely shook his head from side-to-side then responded, "No…I can sense that she has gone elsewhere, which means that she is coming full into the use of her powers. Quickly, it is urgent that I know…where would Tendo Kasumi go by herself this early in the evening? I must find her before Dimitri, before the foul one can wreck upon her his terrible vengeance."

"Vengeance?" Keiko was instantly alarmed, but she added in nervous undertone, "Er…what do you plan on doing to Kasumi when you find her?"

"I do not wish to harm her," Donavan revealed, "As I said before she has a pure soul, one innocent of the Dark, and yet I would not see her tainted if it can be avoided. If she has become what I think she has become, then Dimitri will be all the more determined to find her that he might drink her blood and gain her life essence. To do otherwise would be unthinkable for him since her purity is tainting his Darkness…"

"Say what?" Keiko blinked, then turned to glance down at Anita, "You got any idea what he's saying, Kid?"

Very softly Anita replied, "The Vampire has become a victim of his own blood thirst."

"Yes," Donavan said somberly, "Dimitri wallow in Darkness, his very soul is corruption and he must be stopped before he spreads that darkness into Kasumi. He cannot abide the purity of her light, and since he is linked to her in a way that I never even suspected before when I sought to break the link between them…"

"Uh…hold on here," Keiko urged, "Back up a minute. You mean when you tried to purge Kasumi of the taint of vampiric blood that Dimitri character put in her you instead…reversed the charges and got him suck being on the receiving end of her connection?"

"More or less, that is one way of putting it," the Demon Hunter answered.

"Oboy," Keiko said faintly, "This is bad…this is very, very bad. If somebody like him got plugged into miss sweetness and sunshine 24/7, then…NAB-CHAN! COME IN HER QUICK!!!"

"Say what?" Nabiki asked as she, Ranma, Natsume, Tatewaki, Nodoka, Kurumi and Mousse all came charging in through the front entrance, only to halt in their tracks when they caught sight of the towering Donovan Bane.

"You?" Ranma gasped.

"The priest from before?" Tatewaki observed.

"Oh my," Nodoka exclaimed, unable to help feeling a certain…reaction at the sight of the handsome and virile man before her.

"You!" Nabiki stalked forward, "You're the one I remember! I've got a bone to pick with you, Mister! Huh?" she glanced down in surprise, finding Anita was suddenly standing in her path blocking her from advancing on her guardian protector.

"There's no time for this, guys!" Keiko urged, "The big guy says we need to find Kasumi and quick! That Dimitri character's gonna be after her again, and this time it's on account of the insulin shock he must be getting off Kasumi!"

"Insulin shock?" Natsume repeated in confusion.

"Yeah," Keiko insisted, "The kind that must be rotting his fangs with cavities by now if I understand the deal here."

Donovan suddenly zeroed in on Natsume and said, "Slayer? I had not thought to encounter one of your sisterhood in this place…"

"You…know about this?" Tatewaki gasped, surprised that the strange man in priestly garb should be able to detect such a thing at a glance.

"You must be mistaken," Natsumi replied, "I am not this Slayer person that you think I am…"

"This is no time for you to indulge in self-denial and delusion, Slayer," Donovan replied, "Your presence confirms the worst of my suspicions. Dire things are on the move and the creatures of the night are gathering their forces to wreck havoc upon the innocent of the world. Where there is need of the Slayer matters must be very grim indeed, so much so that it now becomes plain that I must seek out Tendo Kasumi and prevent her from becoming Dimitri's next victim."

"Why?" Mousse asked, "What will happen if he does that?"

"Then…the world itself may very well be forfeit," Donovan replied, "And I mean that in no way as a rhetorical exaggeration…hold! Others approach this compound, and one among them is a powerful and much sought ally."

"You can sense that with your powers?" Ranma asked.

"No," Donovan answered, "I hear a distinctively familiar sounding motorcycle in the background, and from the way it moves it must have more than the weight of its master borne upon it…it is even using a side-car."

The others all perked up their ears and then Nabiki said, "That's Frank's Monster all right. He must have caught up with his friends. Now maybe we can finally start to get some answers."

They all headed back out the front door and up to the gates where they found Frank and his unusual entourage pulling up, including two familiar faces crowded into the side-car, which same brought more than a few raised eyebrows.

"Officers Miyuki and Natsumi?" Keiko asked, not failing to detect the way that one had been clinging to the other before the side-car came to a full rest.

"Uh…hi," the other Natsumi said shyly as she and Miyuki stretched their legs and glanced around at the exterior wall of the Tendo compound.

"Long time no see, Tendo-san," Miyuki bowed to Nabiki, "Or should that be…Saotome?"

"Ran into these two being chased by some bad guys," Frank said as he parked his vehicle then dismounted, followed by a blond haired man wearing a cross-belt from which dangled a pair of broad-but-short bladed swords, "Along with an old friend of mine. Julian, say hello to the Tendos and Saotomes. Kids, say hello to Julian Fries, Attorney at law and full-time Immortal."

"Charmed," the blond man said as he adjusted his belt harness.

"Lawyer?" Nabiki reacted, "You've been hanging out with a lawyer…while my sister is stuck as a vampire?"

"What?" Natsumi looked at Nabiki with a sharp expression.

"Jokes about similar relations notwithstanding," Julian smiled, "I'm really here representing a very old client of mine, one who is greatly concerned about the activities of our esteemed Lord Dimitri. In point of fact, somebody tried to kill me and some other colleagues just a little while ago, blew up part of a building then knocked me out of a sixth story window then tried to run me down with some hired muscle."

"Man, I hate when that happens," Ranma grumbled.

"Hold on a moment," Natsume urged, "What was that about our sister being a vampire?"

"Kasumi," Nabiki pursed her lips then said with a slightly tense expression, "It seems Donovan's attempt to cure her didn't fully take, and now she's reverted into some kind of vampire, only not one that makes you feel scary…just…kind of scary, as in pretty much disturbing."

"Kasumi has returned to the state of vampirism from which we had prayed she had been delivered?" Tatewaki asked.

"You mean you hadn't noticed that she's recently developed a blood fetish?" Keiko quipped.

"Man, that sucks," Kurumi growled, then saw the way others were turning to look at her and said, "What?"

All at once Frank's attention shot literally over their heads and he growled out the word, "Donny boy…wondered when you'd finally show up."

"I have been here for quite some time, old friend," Donovan replied, "Doing some investigating, testing the local air, seeking to know the currents and get a sense of what may actually be at stake here. Now I must report that matters are even more dire than I had previously imagined."

"Uh, hold up on the Apocalypse for a minute, will ya?" Frank turned to see a set of headlights bearing down on them, "Looks like we got more company come calling."

"uuuh…!" all at once Natsume doubled over, and Tatewaki was instantly at her side saying, "My love? What ails you?"

"Something…wrong…unnatural…not alive…but not dead either," Natsume grated out from between clenched teeth.

"Bear with the feeling, Slayer," Donovan urged, "It will pass in time the more accustomed you are to being in their presence."

"Well, is that any way to greet your old buddies, Donovan?" said a blue skinned Chinese girl who was first to exit the vehicle, followed by her pale skinned sister.

"I don't believe it," Frank groaned, "You two? But I thought that…"

"Matters are somewhat more complicated than any of us were prone to believe, Doctor," Mei-Ling remarked as others exited the side of the car with them, including the trio of Lenore, Chloe and Kiima, along with Blood Mother Ling-Ko, Princesses Miyu and Yui, their respective male companions and-lastly-a dusky skinned M'shulla and a somewhat red-faced Leguire.

"Who are those guys?" Natsumi whispered to her partner.

"Somehow I don't think that they are on the way to a costume party," Miyuki murmured back.

"Just play it cool, girls," Julian urged, "They won't bite without permission. It's beneath their station."

"Is everyone here?" Ling-Ko asked, "Good. Then is there a place where we may all sit in repose and comfort to straighten matters out with some civilized decorum."

"There is indeed, Blood Mother," Donovan replied, "But I would recommend asking permission first before you choose to make this home your new sanctuary for the evening."

"There is little time to stand on official ceremony, and we need a place that is easily defensible, which this compound would seem to afford," Ling-Ko turned and sought out Nodoka with her eyes, "You are the matriarch in charge here? I would formally request it of you that we be granted temporary sanctuary for the evening, at least until the first hour of sunlight. I promise that no harm will come to you or yours and that none of my companions will seek untoward advances upon your people."

"Um…that seems to be a reasonable request," Nodoka turned and said, "Have you any objections, Nabiki?"

"Ah…not at the moment," Nabiki glanced at Frank, "As long as the big guy vouches for them."

"You can trust Ling-Ko to be as good as her word, Kid," Frank replied, "In all the time I've known her she's never yet gone back on a promise."

"Nor do I intend to begin now," Ling-Ko turned to the male members of their group, "Carry Yasmina with us, but be gentle. We have lost enough friends for one night, and I do not intend to count her gone for good while there is a chance for her survival."

"It will be as you request it, Blood Mother," M'shulla replied as he and Leguire set to work unloading a statue from the rear of the limousine.

"Blood mother?" Ranma repeated.

"It's…kinda complicated, Kid," Frank replied, "Better if we save it for later."

"How odd," Nodoka said as she studied Miyu, "You look somehow familiar, young lady. Have we already met?"

"Ah…" Miyu wondered what it was about the curiously amused expression in the mature woman's eyes that was disturbing her the most and began to wonder if-perhaps-she might not have underestimated this mortal on their first encounter.

"I'm sorry," Natsume straightened out, clutching at her abdomen, "You must forgive me, but I…I cannot remain here…"

"My love," Tatewaki said, "If you wish to return to see the doctor…"

"Hmmm…a Slayer, how interesting," Ling-Ko remarked, "Yes, by all means, take her far away from here. No doubt our kind will prove to be too disturbing if she has only just been quickened. Give her a few days at least before she will be able to tolerate our presence…"

"Wait a second," Nabiki spoke up, "The Doctor? You mean Tofu-sensei?"

"Yes," Tatewaki replied, "We came away from his offices not quite an hour or so gone by…"

Nabiki turned to Nodoka and said, "Auntie…I'll leave everything to you. I've got to go, now…I think I know where we can find Kasumi."

"You know where she went?" Ranma asked, then blinked, "Hey, you don't mean…?"

"She went to visit Tofu?" Keiko marveled.

"Well, that does make a kind of sense," Mousse shrugged, "I mean…where else would you go if you weren't feeling like yourself but to a healer?"

"Then that is where we must go to find her," Tatewaki turned to Natsume, "That is…if you are feeling up to the task, my love."

"Yes, I am, beloved," Natsume said with firmness in her tone and expression, "Kasumi is my sister too, and if anything untoward has befallen her…"

"Then what are we waiting around here for?" Kurumi asked, "Let's go find Oneechan and help her!"

"Looks like my work for the night ain't done with," Frank turned to Tsien-Ko and Mei-Ling, "You guys stay here and protect the Blood Mother. And Lenore?"

"Yes boss?" the redheaded vampire perked up.

"Stay out of trouble until I get back," Frank concluded, much to the chagrin of the redhead.

"I will accompany you," Donovan said as though stating the obvious, "I must find Tendo Kasumi before Dimitri, and since you know your sister better than any other, it makes sense to accompany you, Saotome Nabiki."

"Uh…thanks, I think," Nabiki uneasily responded.

"Tendo Kasumi, you say?" Ling-Ko mused, "Now there is a name we have heard spoken about quite a bit lately. I confess that I am somewhat eager to meet this new Master Vampire in our midst in person. Do bring her by once you have found her, Doctor…alive and intact if at all possible."

"What do you mean 'if at all possible?'" Ranma snapped, "She's my Oneechan, and ain't nobody gonna hurt her, not when I'm around!"

"My, how masculine," Tsien-Ko said in mild amusement.

"He does seem very much the fierce warrior…for a mortal," Mei-Ling noted.

Nabiki frowned upon hearing that comment and reflected on the concept that there was more than one definition to the word "Vamp" that applied here.

"Ah, if it's all the same to you guys," Natsumi spoke up, "Miyuki and I have had enough excitement for one night, and I'd rather not risk our necks any more than we have already."

"I would tend to agree with that," Miyuki noted, "And besides which…you and I have some unfinished business to get back to, Natsumi-chan."

"Ah…" her partner colored a bit (not that it was too apparent in the dim light of a distant street lamp, "Yeah…and besides…some of this stuff you're into…it's kind of off the legal books, if you know what I'm saying."

"I hear you completely," Julian smiled, "I'm also sitting this one out…I try and keep a quota of no more than one decapitation in a night. Tends to make it easier for me to sleep in mornings, know what I mean?"

"Swell," Frank nodded, "Then you three wait here and I'll call you a cab in the morning. No sense wandering around with Dimitri's boys looking for fresh young necks to bite."

"But…!" Natsumi and Miyuki chorused together, turning nervous looks towards the vampires in their midst.

"You'll be safe enough around me," Julian promised, "And Ling-Ko won't allow anyone to break her blood oath, I can definitely vouch for that."

"And I can equally vouch that the word of Julian of the house of Constantine is equally to be held as valid," Ling-Ko affirmed, "You need not take it from me, however, that you are safer in our midst than you would be risking your necks facing Dimitri."

The two off-duty policewomen seemed to think that one seriously over, exchanging looks and hovering near to one another before eyeing the assorted vampires with mutually dubious expressions.

"Then it's decided, right?" Keiko asked, "We're all square about who goes and who stays? Me, I'm with Nab-chan all the way."

"Ah…right," Nabiki said, "So like Kurumi said, what are we doing waiting around here for?"

"Right beside you, Nab-chan," Ranma affirmed, and together they took off down the road at a rapid pace, Nabiki and the others racing rapidly down the darkened streets.

The martial artists vaulted to the nearest rooftops and making good time heading towards the Tofu clinic while Ling-Ko nodded and said, "So, those are the famous heroes who fought off Dimitri and his minions. A most unusual group…for an assembly of highly trained mortals."

"They do kick some pretty good butt, Cuz," Tsien-Ko remarked, "So I wouldn't count them too far out."

"Yes, but do they truly understand what they are getting into?" Mei-Ling wondered, "They are formidable, yes, but they are hardly Darkstalkers."

Frank got astride his Monster once again and grumbled, "Yeah, I know….so why do I always get to play babysitter?"

"Face it, Boss, you're just too loveable for your own good," Shelly answered.

"You're just saying that 'cause you're too cute for me to dismantle," Frank rumbled before taking off like a shot, going from zero to ninety KPM in just a bit under two and a half seconds…

Some minutes before all of this occurred:

Kasumi stood upon the roof of her family house with her bare feet firmly gripping the tiles as though they were magnetically adherent. She could hear the voices far below as clearly as if she were standing right next to the parties in question, smiling as she saw Natsume showing off her new engagement ring and thinking wistfully of how good a man Tatewaki was to bring such joy to her adopted sister.

She sighed, feeling more than a bit wistful, and yet oddly at peace with herself as she hovered above the cares and worries of the mortal world beneath her, warmed by the currents of air that wafted past her slender body as she stood in a light dress embracing the coming of nightfall. There was something soothing about the night sky as she felt the harsh rays of the sun vanish over the western horizon, elevating her to the light of the full moon rising from the east and bathing her in silvery rays of life-giving essence.

She loved the night, loved the calming blanket that put the world to bed and awoke the children of the evening, the crickets that chirruped their hellos to one another, the owls and night fowl that stirred from their comforting branches, and the sense that the earth itself was stirring in restful slumber. How strange that she never noticed it like this before, these sounds, this feeling, the sense of life teeming below the surface awareness of the common mortal realm, a time that was filled with the crawling, creeping nocturnal things that nourished the soil and restored vitality to the plants that the sun had baked with its scalding rays. In truth, the nighttime was more alive even than the day since every creature that became active in the evening yearned for the restfulness of the twilight. They day had its many joys, but the night was truly alive with promise and small wonder that romance was in the air since lovers basked in the comfort of the moonlight, the lower sexual realm of the undersoul, that part that was so badly neglected by most major (meaning Sun-based) religions yet was just as valid a part of human nature as the higher consciousness that the sun itself represented.

Kasumi felt strangely alive as she stood there blanketed in the wind and light of early evening, revitalized in ways that she could hardly have described since she was only now paying attention to the changes that had been wrought upon her mind and body. In embracing these new changes she felt the possibilities of things unimaginable presented before her, of things formerly forbidden that were now within the realm of conception, and in thinking this she wondered what to do with her newfound freedom since she no longer felt the constraints of her family obligations weighing her down. For the first time since her mother passed away Kasumi felt truly liberated, and that brought a quiet joy to her soul, one that had to be tested to the limits of her very being.

She already knew something of what she was capable of through trial and practice. Once Nabiki had left her room she had decided to exercise her prerogatives and slipped from her bedroom by going ethereal, stepping out of synch with normal time-space and into another realm where the rules of physics were somewhat different than could be easily imagined. While ethereal only a ghostly after-image of herself was left partially materialized in the physical realm, which to ordinary eyes would be perceived as nothing more than a shadow shrouded in mist, and while in this state she could pass through physical boundaries and move her mass through the tightest crevices, to emerge outside upon the roof as solid flesh and matter.

That was but one of her new abilities, time to demonstrate the second, which she had learned on that parallel world by trial and error. So saying Kasumi stepped out over the edge of the roof and imagined her mass becoming as light as a mere feather, and by projecting her will downward she was able to rise up into the air and levitate like a bird soaring up beyond treetop level. She hovered high above her loved ones gazing down with some amusement as the thought briefly crossed her mind that she might swoop down on them and impress them with this feat, but caution tempered her enthusiasm as she knew that it would be premature to reveal this much to her family while they were still trying to come to terms with the thought that she was no longer entirely a human woman.

Yet the sense of freedom that came with flying was too great to resist, and Kasumi decided to see if she truly could soar like a bird, so she willed herself up to a higher elevator then gently soared above the city taking in the sights of Nerima after daylight. The lights looked so pretty from down below and she was mesmerized by the thrill of seeing everything from a height comparable to Mount Fuji. The realization that she could now travel to wherever she wanted was intoxicating, and as she circled the Furinkan Financial district she could see familiar landmarks as clearly as if by full daylight, soaring past the houses of childhood friends to the shops and markets that she frequently visited when running errands. Furinkan high school loomed up before her and brought with it so many memories of her days as a student there, before she had graduated and come to spend her full time doing household chores and assisting her aunt Nodoka. So many memories flooded through her mind as she circled the play yards where she once had taken part in a great many activities from soccer to badminton, and in a moment of surprise she found that she actually missed sports, something that her younger self would have found quite surprising.

Not being a very aggressive person by nature, Kasumi had always been a bit shy about track and field exercises, even though they were mandatory. Her true loves were Biology and Home Economics, subjects that she had excelled in though her handling of Math and History were somewhat less than stellar academic achievements. She just did not have Nabiki's head for numbers, she thought with a wistful sigh, one reason why she had not gone on to college to pursue the Nurse's training that had been her original goal. She was better at grammar but only passable in her English courses…foreign languages being such a difficult subject. Perhaps it was time to study these again, to learn if she had improved academically from her private tutoring sessions with Aunt Nodoka, and from the many books which she had borrowed from Doctor Tofu.

Doctor Tofu…what was he doing right now? For some odd reason Kasumi felt a mischievous urge to drop in on the dear doctor in order to learn what he might be up to this late in the day. He had always been a trusted family friend…and wise in many esoteric subjects. It only made sense to visit him now so that she would have someone to confide in since he was the one person who might have an understanding of her altered metaphysical condition.

So it was that she sought the familiar building out then levitated down to the roof with as much ease as she might setting down upon a mattress. Her bare feet touched the ceiling tiles on the edge of the overhang near the front door of the clinic, and she paused to take her bearings, extending her consciousness in all directions until she **felt** the presence of the man whom she had come seeking. She knew at once that it was Tofu-sensei as the feel of his aura was exactly what she would have anticipated. She even seemed to detect a "warm-spot" with her vision as she gazed down from her lofty purchase, and then with no more difficulty than one might pose in crossing an open lot she shifted back to ethereal state and floated down like mist past the cracks in the door of his private clinic.

There was a strange golden light that confronted her as she sifted through the front partition, almost as though a barrier had stood between her and the insides, yet she pierced this easily and wound up materializing once again inside the clinic. Her position was quite uncanny since she had become solid once again standing behind and well out of sight of the good doctor, who was himself hunched over a book at his reading desk and seemed quite absorbed doing research on some subject. Curiosity got the better of Kasumi and she decided to "have a peek" by coming up behind him and glancing over his shoulder.

Much to her surprise the book that he was researching was about Vampirism, or-more specifically-about something called "The Slayer," which sounded suspiciously a lot like what Lenore had said about Natsume.

"…And lo, one time it came upon a family that a Slayer and a

Vampire shared the same premises, and both came to a grave dispute

regarding the sanctity of the soul, and they did battle with one another,

and sister did slay sister in the end with much remorse for the family,

though they reckoned their lost child was in a better place…"

"No…" Kasumi breathed, horrified at the thought of what this implied was in store for herself and her adoptive sister.

The soft exclamation brought a more startled one from Tofu, who all but jumped in his seat before he saw who it was that had been leaning over him so unexpectedly that he could feel her breath upon his neck. With a look of dismay he said, "Kasumi? Ah-what a...er…pleasant surprise. I didn't hear you enter…but…how did you get inside? I thought I locked the place up when I closed for the day…"

"I'm sorry, Doctor Tofu," Kasumi replied, "I let myself in. What is that you're reading?"

"Oh, nothing," Tofu hastily closed the book and pushed it away, "Just doing after-hours some clinical research. Um…what brings you to me? I mean…this place? Er…not that it's not…ah...nice to see you once again, but…"

"Are you all right, Doctor?" Kasumi asked, "You seem a little…nervous."

"Nervous, me?" Tofu asked off-key, "Whatever makes you say that?"

"Well," Kasumi answered truthfully, "Your pulse is racing, your blood sugar is way up, I smell adrenaline coursing through your body and your heart is beating as if you were running a race. You're also perspiring quite a bit even though the room is actually a bit cool, and you were stuttering just now when I had only asked you a simple question."

Tofu blinked, "You can tell all that just by looking?"

"Mm-hmm," Kasumi nodded, "You really don't need to be afraid of me, Tofu-sensei. I'm not here to harm you, I just wanted to pay you a little visit."

"You did?" Tofu's nervousness increased, but for entirely different reasons than before, "Ah…you came to visit me? I mean…you wanted to speak with me? Ah…"

"You're doing it again," Kasumi pointed out, then smiled, "Actually, I did want to ask you a question, and since you were reading a book about Vampirism, maybe you can help me out."

"I can?" Tofu blinked once again, "How?"

"By telling me whether or not you can still be a good person even if you are vampire," Kasumi replied, "It seems…ah…well, this is somewhat embarrassing…but, well, it seems that you were right and that I have retained those traits of Vampirism that I gained from Dimitri Maximoff. In fact, I've been doing a bit of experimenting, and I'm learning to use these new abilities. In fact, I'm finding I rather enjoy them…take flying for example."

"Eh?" Tofu blinked, "You can fly?"

"Well…perhaps the term is levitation," Kasumi considered the point, "I believe that is the word that I heard used to describe this new ability. Here, I'll demonstrate."

And with that Kasumi willed herself to rise up off of the floor, and she hovered there for several brief seconds before reversing her position and bringing her feet in contact with the tiles that laced the clinic's ceiling. Hanging upside down she smiled at Tofu and said, "And this ability…I call it walking upon ceilings."

Tofu stared in dismay and said, "I-Incredible! But how can…?"

"I really don't understand the mechanism by which I do it," Kasumi said as she righted herself and touched down upon the floor once again, "It just seems…natural to me now, like working a muscle or performing a special kata. It almost reminds me of the days when I practiced the art, learning martial arts from my dear mother. Oh my...it has been a long while...why did I never give up the martial arts? I know I don't like fighting and hurting people, but there were so many positive things that I used to feel when I was performing an especially difficult maneuver…"

"I…see…" Tofu reached over to the nearest desk then whirled around and held an object out, "And what about-THIS?"

Kasumi blinked at the man's curious actions, then stared at the object in his hand and said, "Oh my…a crucifix? How unusual. I didn't know that you were a Catholic, Tofu-sensei."

Tofu blinked, "Ah…you don't feel anything? It's not…painful to look at?"

"Why would it be painful to look at?" Kasumi stared at the object and just smiled, "I'm not a Christian."

"Right…scratch that," Tofu said somewhat awkwardly as he put the crucifix away then started searching his desk for a different holy object, "So…how about-THIS!"

Kasumi blinked again, "A Tora? Well, I suppose that is more appropriate, but I'm a very devout Shintoist and I don't like seeing a holy symbol abused like a weapon."

"Ah…still not bothering you?" Tofu reached over to his desk again and produced an Ofuda strip, "Then let's try this, shall we?"

With that he slapped the strip onto Kasumi's forehead, startling her as she had not expected him to do something so…violent. But still the strip slipped away and fell onto the floor with no discernable effect, much to the dismay of Tofu, who just stared at it as he muttered, "That's odd…I'm sure I paid a priest enough to charge it with holy magic…"

"Um…pardon me for pointing this out," Kasumi said, "But wouldn't holy signs work best against someone who was…well…evil?"

"Ah…well…yeah, that would sort of make sense," Tofu scratched the back of his neck as he considered the question.

"Well then, do I look evil to you?" Kasumi smiled once again, "I know it must be difficult to accept this, Tofu-sensei, but I really haven't changed all that much as a person. I may be vampiric now, but I am still Tendo Kasumi."

"You are, eh?" Tofu studied her features, fighting a disturbing urge to giggle like a maniac, "Ah…but…how can I be sure that you…well…really are Kasumi?"

"Doctor," Kasumi chided, "I've been coming to you for the better part of nine years now. Don't you think that you should know me by now well enough to say whether I am or am not the Tendo Kasumi that you remember?"

"Ah…well, yes…but…I mean…you've changed," Tofu pointed out, "You have fangs, you drink blood, you can fly and stick to the ceiling…"

"All very good points, but those are only physical qualities," Kasumi pointed out, "There are deeper changes that I am aware of now, but they are largely in the area of my new ability to perceive things that were hidden from me when I was just plain old Kasumi. Deep down I'm still the same person, just…well…a little less intimidated by life."

"Uh…life?" Tofu squeaked the word, finding that Kasumi had somehow managed to back him up against his study table, and that was making him more than just a wee bit nervous.

"Life," Kasumi replied, "You don't know how it feels…it's like being born anew…the excitement, the freedom, the exhilaration. Oh, Tofu-sensei, I wish that I could share it with you, or at least make you more aware of what it's like to be in my position."

"But…what about your family?" Tofu gasped, "Don't you want to be normal?"

"Normal?" Kasumi considered the word, "I'm not even sure what that means anymore. It's like…for the last two years I've been living in a dream world. Ever since I left high school…my life has consisted of going from one day to the next taking care of the laundry, scrubbing the floors, doing the dishes, helping Aunt Nodoka make dinner, breaking up occasional fights between Akane and Ranma…"

"Ah…okay, so life's been sort of a routine for you…" Tofu gasped, finding Kasumi was not standing even closer than before, so close that their noses were almost touching.

"Routine doesn't even cover it, Tofu-sensei," Kasumi replied, "I've been feeling…trapped, constrained…limited by choices that were not entirely mine to make. I nearly became engaged to Ranma, my own brother, and I fell heavily for my sister, Nabiki, but…what would life be like for me if I became someone's housewife? Would I spend the rest of my days as nothing more than a mirror copy of my late mother?"

"But…you loved your mother…" Tofu pointed out, finding himself transfixed by the heat that was radiating from her nearness.

"Yes, I did, and I still do," Kasumi replied, "But I'm not entirely certain that I want to live my life the same way that she did. Nabiki wouldn't do it, and I know that Akane is ill suited by temperament or nature to be a housewife. So what makes me so different, other than the fact that I do enjoy doing house chores? It's just…that isn't all I want to do with my life…I want to do so much more…I want to go places, to meet new and interesting people."

"Ah…heh?" Tofu gasped, losing himself into the luminous brown eyes that were regarding him with such frank emotion.

"More than anything else, though…I want to be what you are…a doctor," Kasumi said, "I want to help people, to heal them, to cure their suffering, to take away their pain and ease their burden. I want to know what makes the body tick the way it does, to learn the ways in which you can cure physical illness, and I want to make people well…there is so much pain and suffering in the world. I want to make things better…if only a little bit by my own actions."

Her lips were closes enough to his chin that he could feel her soft breath, smell the perfume of her body, and the wholesome scent of womanly appeal that she radiated. It was all that he could do for Tofu not to collapse into a gibbering lunatic as he felt his hold on sanity begin to slip away from his grasp…but then Kasumi drew away a bit and he gasped for entirely different reasons, suddenly wishing she had still been within arms reach, the sense of her withdrawal a physical torment that felt as though something inside him were being yanked out of his chest.

"Forgive me," Kasumi glanced down, "I don't what came over me just now. It's…not like me to be this forward with anyone. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, Tofu-sensei. I am sorry for my behavior…I regret that I…lost a bit of my self-control there…it wasn't… proper…"

"Ah…hah?" Tofu gasped.

"I guess maybe I am taking things a little too much at a time," Kasumi remarked, "I need to learn better what my new limits are…so I don't wind up accidentally hurting the people I care about. Please don't think ill of my behavior…it was wrong of me and I do so regret it."

"Er…well…ah…" Tofu babbled like an idiot, an inner voice cudgeling him from behind to speak up and take the initiative here while the rest of him wondered how in sanity he could have wound up in this impossible situation.

"At any rate," Kasumi sighed, then smiled again, "You proved the point that I was making. If I were a bad person would I have been able to say no to my own baser instincts? Would I even know what right and wrong is? Yes, I think I am getting more of a handle on controlling these new abilities of mine, but even more I need to get control over my instincts since they appear to be tempting me into…improper behavior."

"Wait!" Tofu suddenly spoke up as he sensed that Kasumi was about to leave him, "We don't really know…I mean…I don't know…ah…that is…"

"Yes?" Kasumi asked, "You can be frank with me, Doctor, and you don't need to stutter so much."

Somehow her words emboldened him, and all at once Tofu was the one who crossed the space between them gripping Kasumi by the arms and holding her there, reveling in the sense that her flesh was still warm to the touch and felt as alive and firm as ever.

"Kasumi-chan…I…I…I…"

"Yes?" Kasumi asked, surprised at his sudden rash behavior.

"I…desire…to be with you," Tofu admitted, "I…that is…I want to…I want…?"

Kasumi looked up into the man's eyes, and suddenly it was as if she could peer directly into his mind, and what she saw there surprised her to no end, and amazed her beyond words. Was it true? Did he really feel towards her that way? Why had she never once suspected? And yet…was this what she wanted, or merely a reflection of his own desires?

For the longest time she stared into his very being and read the sort of person that he was, took his measure as both a man and a person, and knew with an incredible clarity that Tofu had felt attracted towards her for a very long time…almost since she was a mere teenager barely come into the blossom of her sex, thirteen years of age and much too young for him back then. Even now he could not overlook the age difference, the sense that he was a grown man and she had just barely become a woman…and yet what a woman! Everything he desired in the female sex and more, and all the time she frightened him, drove him to distraction, even pushed his sanity to the brink of madness with his constant bouts of nervous dementia that was caused whenever she was merely in his presence.

And Kasumi felt appalled that she could have been blind to this for so very long. All the time she had thought his clownish behavior was an amusing game he played, something he did for the sake of his patience to lighten up their spirits. His loss of self-control, his cavorting with the skeleton "Betty-chan," the way in which he seemed to casually maim his patience without knowing that he had done it, and all on account of the way she made him feel, a fact that both amazed and horrified her since she knew for a fact that he was the gentlest person she had ever met outside of a mirror.

And in realizing this she felt a deep sense of regret and remorse come over her, for in searching her own feelings she came to the realization that she did not reciprocate his infatuation. She cared for him as a friend and as her doctor, but…it was not quite the same thing as the love that he was seeking. He wanted something from her that she could not give to him, and it saddened her to realize that she wold break his heart with her rejection. She wanted more from life than what he wanted, and if she gave into his desire for her now it would be a mistake for both of them that would leave them both unhappy for all the rest of their remaining days. If she gave into his desire for her now it would become a regret that might even turn into eventual hatred.

And that was a pain that she simply could not allow. She wanted him for a friend too much to want to risk that friendship by leading him on to a wrongful conclusion, but how to make him understand, to give him a token of what he desired so that he would be satisfied and no longer pine for her, rejecting all other suitors. There was another woman that he cared for, one he had met at the urging of his mother, but his unrequited love for her had blinded him to any other possible feelings, and as such he was destined to die alone and unfulfilled, a thought that filled Kasumi with such deep sadness that she almost felt like giving him her body in order to flush his desire for her out of his system.

Oh dear…had she really just thought about making love to Tofu-sensei as a means of ending his hunger?

Well…there was an alternative to this, and it sprang into her mind with an intuitive sense that her new abilities provided. It was a simple enough means of giving Tofu some token of her affection without having to carry a torch for her in eternal longing. It did mean going against her own resolve never to drink the blood of another human, but she knew that it was for a very good cause, and while the hunger was not with her as yet, the instinct for sharing the essence of another living person was strong enough to compensate for any qualms that she might otherwise be feeling.

And so she allowed Tofu to draw her into his embrace, and she brought her lips up to his and gave him a kiss that was wonderful for both of them, even if he enjoyed it far more than she did. She allowed him to kiss her face and neck, to work himself up into a frenzy as the heat of his blood was up and she could sense him starting to develop an erection. In another moment he would tear her clothes off and throw her onto one of the examination beds and have his way with her like a man taking pleasure in a woman…and a strong part of Kasumi found that she actually wanted him to do this…but the sensible side of her knew that it would be a mistake that would deepen his need for her, not diminish his hunger. So instead she waited until his guard was down then positioned her lips against his cheek, painting little kisses down his neck right up to where she sensed a pulsing vein that could be savored, and-taking advantage of his heightened arousal-she bit down with her fangs and felt the rich warm rush of his blood filling her mouth with warm, delicious salty savor.

She did not bite deep, nor did she keep her fangs buried long within his neck, just long enough to take as much as she needed, then she withdrew and felt the wound close itself about her incisors. She licked his neck to clean it of the remaining blood, then relaxed and allowed a rush of juices to fill her own being as she shuddered with amazement at the effect that this created. Tofu also moaned and shuddered, and his body shook with pure unadulterated joy that lasted several long, intense moments before passing, and in that moment Kasumi felt her mind link with his and experienced his orgasm as her own, even as her own body shuddered in climax, and then the feeling melted away, leaving behind a delicious languor that left her feeling oddly satiated, if maybe a bit hungry for more than the mere mouthful of blood that she had taken.

But once the moment passed she was herself once again, and she eased Tofu down into a chair, meeting the man's curiously dream-like stare and the foolish smile that he was wearing, which made him seem oddly boyish and not all that much older than herself. It was a curious thing, and she found that she rather liked looking at him this way, but then she shook off the feeling and had a sense of deep revulsion, realizing what she had done and feeling appalled at her own actions.

"No…what have I done?" she gasped, "Tofu-sensei?"

Very softly he said, "Yes?" as though responding automatically to a question.

Kasumi stood there uncertain of her own actions, but then her resolve returned and she remembered her purpose for biting him and said, "You are a good man, you deserve a good woman. I wish that I could be what you want, to be that woman…truly I do…but…I am not her…I am not the one you are destined to marry."

"You are not…the one…I am destined…to marry?" he slowly repeated, almost forlornly.

"No, my good and very decent friend," Kasumi told him with heartfelt intensity, "You are worthy of loving…I have never known a man who was more deserving of happiness than you…but if you loved me it would destroy us both. Therefore…I ask that you seek out the one named Reiko…and consult with her about your feelings. Be truthful with her as you were never truthful with me, and don't be afraid of what she has to tell you. Promise me you will do this…and that you will try to be happy."

"I…promise…to be happy…" Tofu answered.

"Good," she sighed, "Then that is all that I can ask. Now…I had best leave here before I do any more harm to you. I am sorry…sorry that I did this…I can sense that you…enjoyed it as much as I did…and…Oh my! Is that wetness on your trousers? Oh dear, I do hope you didn't wet yourself on account of me…"

"Wet…myself…?" Tofu softly repeated.

"Never mind," Kasumi said when she felt a peculiar sensation down her own legs, and with uncomprehending eyes she reached down and felt herself beneath her skirt, noticed a trickle of moisture traveling down her legs and went, "Oh dear…what did I just do? Oh my…how improper…"

She was so embarrassed at her own conduct that she immediately went Ethereal and floated up towards the roof once again, whereupon she took to the sky like a hawk fleeing the sight of a recent kill, her mind and emotions in torment as she tried to make sense of her own actions, and the confusing emotions that threatened to overwhelm her very being.

Only seconds after she departed did Ranma, Nabiki, Natsumi and the others arrive at the clinic, and by then Kasumi had long gone from the premises, but when they were shortly to find doctor Tofu sitting stupefied in a chair with teeth marks upon his neck…that was when the shit would begin to hit the fan in earnest, and sister would indeed clash with sister, though not the way that Tofu-sensei had read about in any book on Slayer Lore or Vampires…

Continued

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