Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ What Little Girl Vampires Are Made From... ( Chapter 126 )

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 can't believe you let us sleep through all of this," Natsumi complained while busying herself with her portable tool kit, gun and ammunition, "I can't believe we didn't hear a thing until you came knocking on our door to check on us…"

"I can," Miyuki remarked, "We were…a bit distracted at the time, if you will remember right, Natsumi-chan."

Natsumi's cheeks colored, "Yeah…like I can forget about a thing like that? But you know what I mean! There's no way we'd be able to miss this much gunfire going on just outside our window…so how come we missed out on the war zone?" she glanced up at a serene looking Nodoka.

"Well, surely you can't suspect that I had anything to do with that, can you, Officers Sujimoto and Kobayakowa-san?" Nodoka asked with a blandly innocent expression, "To seal you both off into a room in a different space and time cut off from the material plane without would certainly imply abilities far beyond those possessed by a mere housewife."

"Er…yes," Miyuki agreed, "So…exactly how did you perform it?"

Nodoka only smiled, "Let's just say that it is a good thing that you were not here during the battle or you might have wound up as another pair of casualties from the brutality of the sort that befell the rest of us. Though we appear to have gotten off fairly lightly, all things considered…some of us are not as fortunate about that as are others."

The two policewomen followed the line of Nodoka's stare to where a small gathering hovered about the stricken form of M'shulla, who had taken the worst of the initial battle and was presently being attended to by Donovan and Frank.

"I am sorry," the former said to the aged old Aborigine, "The bullets fragmented and spread throughout your body. They working like a poison affecting your system and preventing you from healing yourself back…and I fear that the effect may well claim your life at any moment."

"I could operate if we had the time," Frank said, "Try to get as much of that crap out of your body before it kills you. Won't even have to worry about antibiotics or anesthesia…"

"Thank you, old friend, but I fear your efforts on my behalf may be wasted," M'shulla gasped, "I am done…I know that well…I can feel death creeping over me, seeping into my bones…it is not long that I have left, but I am prepared to meet my end…which has been very long in coming."

"Hey, we can't lose you, Mush," Frank said, "Who's gonna talk sense to the clan Chiefs of the Yonagar, to say nothing of the other Tribes? Y'gotta hold it together just a little bit longer…"

"No, my friend," M'shulla said, "My day is done and I have…run my course…but do not…weep for me…for I have seen…the birth of a new Queen," he glanced at Kasumi, "…and the joy…of this will follow me…to the next world…"

"Oh my," Kasumi said softly.

"Is there anything that you wish us to do for you?" Donovan asked the dying vampire.

"Tell my tribe…it was my time," M'shulla said with ragged breaths, "I go to the Dreamtime now, to meet old friends long departed…to see my wife and hold her in my arms once again…pray for me, Priest, and ask the gods…to be gentle…"

"We'll get the scum who did this to you, Mush," Frank avowed, "I swear it."

The ancient shaman looked up at Frank with amazingly clear eyes and said, "Swear to me that you will save Ling-Ko. The Blood Mother…must be protected…or there will be a war…and…many more…will die. Swear it…"

"It's done," Frank gripped the man's hand in his own much larger fist, "You take care of yourself, you old snake charmer."

"And you…good friend…" M'shulla's eyes traveled to another set that were filled with tears, "Take care of the little…one…Yasmina…so much…like my own…dear…daughter…"

And with those words he slumped and became immobile…and before their very eyes he began to dissolve into mist, and then he faded away altogether.

"M'shulla…" Yamina's voice shook, then she threw back her head and screamed out "M'SHULLAAAA!"

Even Leguire bowed his head as Donovan made a formal gesture for the departed, then the Exorcist said, "Steel bullets coated in wolfsbane and charged with a magnetic spin. It is a wonder he lasted this long…but I think that it was by force of will…so that he could exact that promise from us. And now a voice of reason has been silenced. His people…both kin and human, will miss him."

"BB Hood and her goons squad did this," Frank snarled ever so softly, "Wasn't Dimitri at all, it was somebody else pulling the strings…Jeddah."

"Yeah," Talbain spoke up, "And that's kinda hard to believe since we saw him get wasted. Guess death ain't the final say in these matters, huh?"

"No," Donovan straightened up, "Would that the natural course could be relied upon, but when dealing with the Dark there are no reliable safe courses. And if Jeddah, the Dark Messiah, is indeed among us once again, then the world itself has cause to tremble."

"So, what are we waiting around here for?" Kurumi asked, "If you guys know where the bad guys are headed, wouldn't it make sense to go after them before they get there?"

"That's assuming that our source of information is reliable," Mousse noted with a glance towards a chained and ward-bound Raptor was squatting at one end of the yard, "Can we really stake so much on the world of a zombie?"

"The villain has the charm and appeal of a viper," Kuno somberly agreed, "There is no reason to believe that he has our best interests at heart…and every reason to think he might be setting us up for a possible ambush."

"Don't matter either way," Frank said, "We can't rush into things without getting the full score, and all Raptor's told us so far is that Jeddah's working with Dimitri and Pyron, which alone oughta be alarming, to perform some kind of fancy spell that requires the blood of a Queen vampire…only what kind of dark magic would require that kinda umph has got me feeling the willies."

"I hear you, Buddy," Talbain agreed, "Only something mucho-nasty would bring those heavies together, when we all know they'd like nothing better than to tear each others throats out."

"Ordinarily I would say let them," Leguire remarked, "But this matter has taken on a life of its own, and now I fear it goes well beyond petty tribal disputes or even a possible war between the blood clans. This time Maximoff appears ready to unleash hell itself, and he must be prevented from this by all means necessary."

"You would be upset with this?" Natsume eyed the French vampire with some suspicion.

"Believe it or not, yes," Leguire assured her, "Vampires may seem to your eyes like demons, but we are very human where it truly matters, and the last thing that any of us would wish upon the world would be the death of the human race, our primary food source. And make no mistake about it, if hell really did open up over the world it could well spend the doom of both breathers and kin, so it is in our own best interest to protect you from the Demon worlds, and from those who might crush all life itself under their cloven hooves…"

"Even though you consider humans to be nothing more than cattle?" Natsume asked.

"Especially because of that," Leguire assured her, "And, if it is any consolation to you, some of my best friends started out as humans. Not all of us are born this way, the vast majority have been Turned over the ages."

"How nice to know that you have our best interests in mind," Tatewaki said with bitter irony in his tone and expression.

"Why not?" Keiko asked, "To him we're happy meals with legs. But you know something…I'm a bit worried about Saotome and whatever it is that Dimitri creep has in mind for him. If he's after the Senken…then what's to keep him from killing off our boy once he's gotten what he's after?"

"Yeah, that worries me too," Frank turned to glance towards the dojo, where they could all see Nabiki sitting in a posture of formal meditation, staring at a candle burning before her without moving for the past twenty minutes, "Kid's taking it hard. It was all I could do to convince her that we needed to prep ourselves before going in there with guns blazing."

"It will not make a difference if we go too soon," Donovan assured them, "Dimitri and Jeddah are on a fixed timetable and we know when they will appear to perform their dark ceremony."

"Yeah, midnight," Talbain grumbled, "If I didn't know better, I'd swear that Fangs has seen one too many bad movies, but if you think it really makes a difference what the hour is…"

"It matters not what hour it is," Yasmina voice shook with emotion, "He is dead, they are dead, they all dead! For what they did to poor M'shulla…"

"Easy Kid," Frank spoke soothingly, "We'll get 'em for old Mush, you can blood bank yourself on that."

Leguire made a soft sound and earned a wrathful look from Yasmina, who said, "You find something amusing about all of this?"

"I am merely reminded of how young you truly are," Leguire smiled, "Barely a century old and so eager to throw your young life away. Take counsel from one who has been there…vengeance is for fools with a death wish. Only by careful planning can you overmaster your enemies, especially ones this cunning and ruthless."

"You sound almost as if you admire Dimitri," Nagi spoke up with a sour expression.

"Not admire, per se," Leguire replied, "But I do confess to a certain…appreciation for the intricacies of his schemes. To think that he would attack us in a secure place during a high-level and highly classified meeting at the same time that he pursues a private personal agenda with Miss Tendo…there is an audacity to Maximoff's actions that speaks of aggressive youth and daring…"

"I would not be so quick to praise him in the present company if I were you," Miyu frowned.

"There are few here who appreciate such schemes the way you do, Loire," Larva rumbled.

"It's cold," Yui said softly, "Cruel and vicious…utterly unfeeling. This thing…this thing Dimitri is contemplating…it feels so cold…so cold…"

"Yui-chan?" Nagi looked at his lady with concern in his expression.

"I sense the same thing too," Himiko spoke up, "A feeling of coldness, of malevolence…I can't put words to the sensation…but walking over our collective graves wouldn't be too far afield a description."

All at once Raptor's voice rang out, "Hah, got that right, Luv! The Boss's plannin' a lil' surprise party in a couple O' hours that'll leave you all feeling breathless…"

"Why don't you shut up?" Lenore snapped from where she and her friends were sitting on guard duty, "Thought you didn't know the full score of what your boss was planning?"

"Er…well," the Zombie King temporized, "He might've let slip one or two words about his plans when he thought I wasn't hearin'…"

"Do tell?" Frank growled as he turned to confront the helpless Raptor, "Care to share those tid-bits with the rest of us?"

"Ain't talking," Raptor smirked with his rictus features, "And whatcha gonna do if I don't squeal on me makes? You think I'm scared of you? It's Pyron and Jeddah that frighten me, and next to them you're just a lotta nothing."

"I warn you, Zombie," Donovan said, "If you do not cooperate, then I have means of banishing you to the harshest realms of pain and suffering that mortal man has never yet imagined."

"Do your worst, ya crummy side-show freaks!" Raptor sneered, "I ain't got no freaking pain receptors to bother me…I'm dead, so ya might as well saves your bluffs for someone who can feel 'em."

"How about I just remove you skull from that sack of bones you call a body?" Talbain growled, "I'll bury the rest and chew you until sunrise."

"Didn't think I was your type, John," Raptor sneered, "C'mon…you blokes is freakin' amateurs next to Dimitri! And ya ain't seen pain until you've seen him dishing it out…"

"Is that a fact?" Lenore straightened out, "Well, what would you say if I told you that I know how to get you to spill the beans…Mate?"

"I'd say you were suckin' on winos, Girlie," Raptor sneered, "But cut back on the Crack addicts, they'll rot your brains."

Lenore's smile revealed her fangs as she said, "I remember you from way, way back, Lord Raptor, back to when you were a bit hit in the Heavy Metal circuit, I was even a fan and collected all your albums."

"So you're the one who bought 'em," Raptor sniffed, "Want an autograph? Of course, you'll have to untie me first…"

"They said you could have been another Rod Zombie if you'd worked a bit on your harmonics," Lenore continued as if not interrupted, "And that your base was a little flat and uninspiring, and you could have used a bit more work with your lyrics and vocals…"

"Everybody's a critic," Raptor snorted, "I've got plenty O' favorable reviews praising me music…"

"Yeah," Chloe spoke up, "And you're probably the one who wrote them."

"So what if I did toot me own horn?" Raptor asked indifferently, "Ain't a crime to self-promote, y'know."

"I was just thinking what a naïve little girl I was back in those days not to see you for the pathetic, talentless amateur that you were," Lenore continued as she reached into her cloak and pulled out several objects, "And if I hadn't been so screwed up back then I might have clued in sooner about what you're really like…"

"Eh?" despite himself Raptor's black eyes shifted to see the objects that were produced in Lenore's hand, and to his amazement he gasped, "Eh…those ain't what I…?"

"Uh-huh," Lenore nodded, "Cassette tapes of all three of your major albums, which I've had in my possession for years and have listened to many a time when I was down or depressed and needed a little stroll through my dark side. Remember this one," she separated one from the trio, "'Bats in the Belfry?' It contains one of your favorite hit singles, 'This Callow Shell O' Mine.'"

"Yeah, I remember tha-WHAT?" Raptor blinked as he saw Lenore break the thing in half then spread it apart, stretching out the mylar ream that it contained, "Hey, what are ya doin'? That thing's a priceless classic!"

"I'm doing what somebody should have done to the master tape," Lenore informed him as she picked up the second tape between her hands and said, "'Risen in Anguish,' the one that put your name on the top LP charts, containing the only platinum song you ever recorded, 'Evisceration Ain't Pretty.'"

"'Ey, the critics-the real ones-they loved that-NOOO!" Raptor moaned as he saw Lenore do the same thing to the tape that she had done to the other one, "What are you doin'? Them things are collectors items! They be worth a…!"

"'Rat's Ass?'" Lenore held up the third tape between her hands, "Not your best seller, but certainly one that earned a cult status by itself. My favorite lyrics included 'Ode to the Gory,' and then there was the one that actually made me cry, 'Tears of a Zombie,' which I believe you composed to remember a girl who once dumped you…"

"ALL RIGHT-STOP! HOLD ON A MINUTE! DON'T DO THAT!" Raptor cried, "I'll talk! Just…don't do nothin' all right?"

"I'm listening," Lenore said as she held the remaining tape in her hands, "Start talking."

"Sadist," Raptor grumbled, then sighed, "All right, then if ya gotta know, then here's what I heard the Boss say to Morgan…that Jeddah's plannin' on ressurectin' something awful that'll give Dimitri absolute dominion over all the vampires…and I ain't just talking about Jezril tribe neither! Didn't hear no details, but the Boss said something about getting back at the one he hates most in all the demon worlds, whatever that means. I figured he must've meant Beliol, but for some reason Morgan seemed to think he was describing somebody other than her old man, maybe my old mate, Domon, or something…"

"No," Donovan remarked, "Not the lord of Hatred…someone else must be the target of Dimitri's hatred."

"Think he might be talking about you?" Frank asked, "Since the two of you are both half-brothers…"

"No," Donovan replied, "We may share the same dark father, but our feud is a personal one, and I do not see Dimitri calling upon the services of others to resolve our dispute."

"Why not?" Kiima spoke up in her ghostly voice, "Are you not, next to him, one of the most powerful of all Darkstalkers?"

"No, Donny-boy's right," Talbain said, "If Dimitri were after him it wouldn't get this complicated, and why a Blood Queen, and what's this business about him gaining dominion over all the vampires?"

"Don't really know," Raptor shrugged, then he glanced sharply at Lenore and said, "Really! I means it! I don't bloody know! Just that, whoever he is, the Boss hates him so much that the words almost choke in his mouth, and his eyes looked a little funny. Don't think it was anybody I ever run into on account O' the fact that I ain't never seen the Boss like that before…"

"Oboy," Talbain winced.

"What is it?" Frank asked.

"Just a thought crossed my mind," Talbain replied, "And I hope to Selene that I'm wrong about it…"

"A being hated by Dimitri…more than any other?" Miyu murmured.

"Could help to narrow it down a little," Larva said, "Dimitri hates everyone."

"You're wrong," Leguire snorted, "Dimitri Maximoff merely loathes and despises the world and everyone in it…real hatred is something altogether different."

"And I suppose that you would know about that?" Yasmina sniffed.

"On the contrary," Leguire replied, "I hate no one. It's too much bother and hard work wasting energy despising another…it's like vengeance itself, highly overrated."

"John," Frank said, "We don't got time for twenty questions. If you've got a clue, Man, then you need to spill it…"

"That's just it," Talbain said, "The one who Dimitri hates more than anybody, including himself? Only one being fits that description…and he's the same one you hate, Donny boy, even when you claim you're above that sort of nonsense."

"Eh?" Donovan asked with frank curiosity.

"Who was it got both of you your start in life?" Talbain asked, then when he saw blank incomprehension in the other man's eyes he said, "It's your old man, the Rakshasa who impregnated both of your mothers…Mor'ghul Devilspawn!"

For the first time in the night Donovan actually registered fear in his expression, and Frank himself looked suitably non-plussed as he murmured faintly, "Holy palimony suits…the spawn of Mordecai? The Rakshasa lord who once came within an inch of opening the Hellgates?"

"The very same…" Donovan's expression turned grim (which for him was saying a lot since grim was his usual expression), "The Rakshasa who raped my mother and forced her to bear me. The creature who brought darkness to my life and whose rampages are legion. He would be involved in something this hellish…but why would my brother want to summon him? He hates our dark father ever much as I do…"

"But that's the point, don't you see?" Anita spoke up, "He wants his revenge, so he'd have to bring him to earth in order to kill him."

"Anita?" now Donovan evidenced surprise, then a new thought occurred to him, "No…not slay him…that is too simple a design to suit Dimitri…" now he turned a horrified look towards the others, "But…what if he seeks to trap our father…and to steal his powers? Can you imagine the consequences of such a thing? To gain the energies of a King of the Rakshasa…"

"What's the deal here?" Keiko asked as she saw the fearful looks that crossed the faces of Lenore, Leguire and Yasmina, "I thought you guys already had Rakshasa powers."

"Our powers resemble that of the Rakshasa," Leguire replied, "But our nature is as far removed from them as apes are from humans…and the power is attenuated by being spread out across the entire breadth of the Vampire Nation."

"And this is a God-level Rakshasa Lord," Lenore revealed, "His powers ain't nothing to sneeze at, and if Dimitri would to somehow add it to the power he's already accumulated from his previous victims…"

"He may well become a vampire God himself," Yasmina averred, "With the power to command all of us, even Blood Queens and Masters."

"So, what do we do to prevent this?" asked Kasumi.

"Excuse me, Miss Tendo?" Frank said as he turned to regard her.

"Well…I'm a Blood Queen myself now, right?" Kasumi asked, "That makes it as much my problem as yours, so it stands to reason that I should use my new abilities to help prevent Dimitri and his allies from doing great evil."

"That almost makes sense," Talbain said, "Except…"

"Oneechan?" Kurumi tried to put it delicately, "We're sure you mean well, but…"

"You are not a warrior, Sister," Natsume put it more bluntly, "If you got into a fight we would have to divert resources to protect you."

"It is true that I am not much good when it comes to a fight," Kasumi replied, "But there ought to be something that I can do to help out. I want to help get Ranma, my little brother back, and I want to make things right for everyone. This all began because of me and what I became on account of Dimitri…"

"I fail to see how any of this is your fault," Miyu turned to Kasumi, "You are an innocent dragged into affairs that should not be of any concern to you…"

"How do you think that?" Kasumi asked the Shinma Princess, "It concerns my family, and that means it is of great concern to me, and if what Dimitri-san plans is as terrible as you suggest, then does it not follow that all of humanity could be affected, and if so, then my family and loved ones would suffer. I think it very much concerns me what happens, and if there is any way in which I can play a part in helping to resolve things…"

"There…might possibly be a way in which you could do this, Lady Tendo," Donovan said slowly.

"Say what?" Frank said.

"Don, what the hell are you suggesting?" Talbain asked.

"That there is a way in which Miss Tendo could well tip the advantage in our favor," Donovan replied, "After all…she is a Queen, and though a pacifist by nature she is powerful beyond reckoning. It stands to reason that her abilities could be used to counter or even cancel out Dimitri's own dark power."

"Yeah," Lenore said, "Considering what effect she's already having on him."

"How's that?" Frank turned back to the vampiric redhead.

"Big-bad Dimitri was complaining about having headaches and other stuff," Chloe answered.

"Indeed," Kiima remarked, "He seemed unusually troubled by something that was affecting him from a distance."

"That is right," Larva spoke up, "I witnessed for myself how Maximoff was becoming agitated and uneasy during our own brief conversation. At the time I wondered if he were under a spell of some sort, but if the source of his discomfort was Tendo-san here…"

"She may be bleeding some of her own nature into him," Miyu reasoned, "And her light could be affecting his darkness."

"Yeah," Lenore agreed, "He kept complaining about the 'purity' of her light bleeding into him and driving him bonkers. Maybe Tendo-sama here could be the key to fouling him up altogether."

"Tendo-sama?" Chloe asked.

Lenore blinked, "Did I say that? Heh…sorry…she's not even of my tribe or…anything like that..."

"No," Leguire regarded Kasumi directly, "But you are right to infer that she is our social superior. I can feel the force within her…compelling me…compelling us to serve her."

"You too?" Yasmina asked as she also turned to Kasumi, "I was wondering if it were just me who felt like that…like if you asked me to do something for you, Tendo-sama, I would do it without hesitation."

"Oh my," Kasumi blinked her eyes, "Am I really that…um…influential?"

"A normal vamp has the power of suggestion and fascination," Frank revealed, "A single look can hypnotize most humans, but when a Queen gives an order to a lesser Vamp it has a similar such effect, and that might mean that you could countermand Dimitri's control over his own Goya minions."

"Goya themselves lack this ability," Miyu revealed, "Which is why they are often employed as hired muscle by Master vampires. They can be influenced by fascination but the only way they can control others is through biting them and stealing a part of a victim's essence."

"It may be that the power within you is strong enough to affect even those human agents who were working alongside the Goya," Donovan noted, "Unless, of course, they are somehow able to block your influence through artificial means…"

"Like helmets and goggles and special protective devices," Nagi noted, "And those mercenaries we fought against had all of those and more."

"Yes, and who were those hired killers anyway?" Yui asked, "Who sent them to destroy us? Was it Jeddah all along, and if so, why then did he act to destabilize our meeting?"

"To sow chaos among us, obviously enough," Nagi spoke up, "To disrupt the peace of the vampire nation…so that Dimitri could rise to power by restoring order."

"Neat trick that," Frank said, "Weaken the union of the bloodlines, set Kindred against Kindred, then ride in on a white horse with the power of a Rakshasa Lord to master the whole lot of 'em. And with no organized resistance to oppose him…"

"So, what are we going to do about it?"

"Nabiki-chan?" Kasumi turned to see her sister standing beside her.

"You heard me," Nabiki stared hard at Frank and the other Darkstalkers, "What are we gonna do to break this up? Has anybody got a plan for tearing this Dimitri guy a new asshole?"

"Um…not so much that just yet," Talbain responded with a shuffling of paws as he found it difficult to meet the intensely focused stare of the Tendo-Saotome heir, "But we're trying to work something out, Tendo-san…"

"Fine," Nabiki said, "Because I have a plan, one that I need you guys to help me finesse. Of course, I do need to ask you a few questions."

"Name 'em," Frank immediately responded, turning to face Nabiki directly as he searched her face with his colorless grey eyes as if seeking to fathom what was so different about her at the moment.

"First off," Nabiki said, "How do you kill Dimitri?"

Everyone else seemed disconcerted at the way in which she said this, but Donovan responded directly, "There are many ways in which my brother can be killed, but the only certain way to be sure that he stays dead is to completely destroy his body so that he can never reconstitute himself from the ashes."

"Most vampires can be slain the same way as an Immortal," said Julian Fries as he came up and joined in their conversation, "By cutting off their heads. But Jezril vampires can be restored to life by reattaching the head to the body, then fusing them with a few drops of blood. Staking them with wood is another way that works with most of the tribes, but pull a stake out of a Jezril vamp and he'll come back to life again. They're tough suckers to kill, and I should know since I've worked with them for ages."

"Why is wood so effective against vampires?" Tatewaki spoke up, breaking his own silence.

"Because vamps are partially etheric creatures, not entirely material," Frank explained, "Their bodies are partially formed of Akashic energies, slightly out of phase with normal matter, and animated by an energy field that holds their integrity together. The more ethereal the bloodlines the more unsolid they get, and Jezril are very ethereal in nature, their actual material selves residing in a partial phase that resonates slightly different from normal matter."

"Most metals won't hurt them like it does a human," Talbain revealed, "Lead, copper and tin just pass right through them, but silver's got a special resonance that affects their energy fields and can disrupt the flow of the pattern. Same rule applies to Weres like me, only we're a lot more sensitive than vamps. Gold also has certain properties that resonates funny with our energy pattern, but it's not as effective as silver. About the only thing that approaches silver in effectiveness is Cold Iron…that is to say, iron that has a strong magnetic field, like natural forming loadstones, and which has been shaped to form without the use of normal heating."

"Without heating?" Mousse asked, "How do you extract iron from pyrite without heating it up?"

"Alchemical methods exists by which iron is extracted and shaped as needed while retaining its polarized uniqueness," Dimitri explained, "The process of heating disrupts the magnetic field…but you can regain it by charging iron and steel through the use of a magnet…or by rotating it at a very fast rate to generate a magnetic field much as you would using a steam-powered turbine."

"That's why steel jacketed shells can be effective against many types of demons," Frank added, "It disrupts their integrity field and leads them vulnerable to physical disruption. But wood's another naturally occurring substance that's even more effective since it was once living…"

"Once living?" Natsume asked with interest, "Why is that so effective?"

"Because all living things have an energy field that still resonates within them even after normal life processes have ceased," Donovan explained, "The vitality of a tree can die, but its bark retains a portion of its essence even after death, meaning that it will leave an imprint in the etheric field, and it resonates against the flesh of a vampire whether undead or living, which is why a wooden stake driven through the heart is the prescribed method for killing most types of vampires."

"It ain't 100% effective," Frank cautioned, "But in most cases once you disrupt the flow of energy in the central nervous system of a vamp he dies from one type of death or another. Goya get torn apart by the pull of dissonant energies between the physical and ethereal ranges, while Yonagar and many types like them, as you've just seen, tend to fade away entirely into ethereal matter. Loire…well, you tend to get left with the skeleton since their flesh tends to shrivel up and soft tissues like the brain turn to powder, but the integrity of their energy field remains intact on the ethereal plane, which is why you can sometimes revive them. Jezril remain intact and solid when they die, and their bodies will come together automatically unless you keep their parts separated, preferably burned to ashes and buried someplace that grounds their C'thonic nature."

"Holy ground is the preferred resting place for Jezril vampires," Donovan added, "Or running water. Water generates a magnetic field of its own that some vampires find quite troublesome…"

"Yeah, tell me about it," Lenore winced, "I hate crossing streams and canals myself…it's like forcing my body to push through an ice wall…"

"Yeah, and even carrying you can be a bitch," Chloe added.

"So, spread a Jezril's ashes over moving water and they'll never come back to haunt you," Talbain added by way of helpful elaboration, "Or bury the head and body in different places that have a spiritual charge that will ground out their inherent nature."

"Even then you have to stuff their mouths with garlic or wolfsbane, which are poisonous to many strains of vampire," Julian noted, "Goya hate Italians like me, especially with our preferred form of diet. To them garlic burns like acid, and then there's spiritually infused holy water…"

"Which must be charged by a true believing priest of good alignment," Donovan added, "Or someone who manifests a highly positive spiritual nature so that the touch of holy water will cause their flesh to burn and shrivel."

"What about the other stuff you see in movies?" Kurumi asked, "Holy signs and crosses?"

"Those only work against certain kinds of vamps, Kid," Frank answered, "And only if you charge 'em up with positive spiritual energies, or else you're a true believer and can give the symbol its protective power through your own inherent nature."

"Indeed," Donovan remarked, "By itself a symbol has no intrinsic power, but by believing in what the symbol represents one can channel positive life energies through the holy relic and thus give it the means for turning vampires."

"I thought most vampires could not bear to look upon holy symbols," Natsume said.

"Only if they were religious before they converted," Julian said, "So don't expect crucifixes and crosses to have much influence with a Jezril. Goya might be gulled into believing they have power, but they're sensitive to most things that would hardly bother the average vampire."

"So," Mousse said, reaching into his sleeve and pulling out a number of holy symbols, "If I were to show them these…it wouldn't have any effect?"

"Not against me, unless you are a true believer," Leguire noted, "A priest might be able to turn me, but I would laugh at the average believer since I, myself, am an agnostic."

"Okay then," Mousse put the holy symbols away, reaching into his sleeves again and saying, "Then what about these items?"

Yasmina blinked as she saw Mousse produce a statue of the Buddha, a much larger crucifix and a Jewish Menorah, which same he held up for their examination, then she said, "Ah…where exactly are you pulling those out from?"

"Sometimes it's better not to ask," Keiko sagely advised her.

Donovan examined the items in question and said, "I sense that this Buddha statuette does have a strong spiritual power, and the crucifix carries a charge…as though it is a symbol of much veneration. The Menorah, however…"

"I would advise you to put that one away," Leguire smiled, "Or else find yourself a nice Jewish girl."

"Hey, I am a nice Jewish girl," Lenore protested.

"Ahem," Kurumi glared at the redhead and murmured the words, "He's taken."

"Hardly practical carrying all that weight around in the middle of a fight," Talbain snorted, "Better try prayer beads and Ofudo strips, or bathe yourself in holy incense."

"Will holy incense affect vampires?" Kasumi asked.

"Are you kidding?" Nagi wrinkled his nose, "It would affect anything with a sense of smell, and some types of incense are downright nasty."

"All right then," Nabiki spoke up once again, "So beheading a vampire or disrupting their nervous system can kill them, but you need to make sure the body is destroyed before it's final. Wood and garlic work against some types of vampires but are less effective against others, while silver and steel have some effect depending on how you use them. Am I covering things so far?"

"More or less," Donovan answered.

"So magnetism or water can be used to weaken them," Nabiki continued, "While garlic is poisonous to many of the vamps we'll be going up against. I think I know how to handle them now, just as long as good left hook can clean their clocks, that is."

"Oh, fists and kicks will definitely hurt them," Frank said, "But they regenerate so fast that you might as well not even bother. Only steel and wood make the best type of weapons for a direct physical encounter, so maybe you should put aside the Anything Goes philosophy for once and use some kind of bladed weapons."

"Fiddlesticks!" another voice joined in as Happosai appeared at a bound into the middle of their conference, "The Anything Goes method will still work just fine against these Goya, especially if you back up your fists with a lot of Ki power. Just hit 'em with a spiritual blast and I guarantee that even the Jezril will feel it."

"You again?" Leguire said with evident annoyance, even as Yasmina reflexively hugged herself to protect her breasts from exploitation.

"You've got something to add, Master?" Nabiki asked.

"Just that you're totally focused on getting your husband back, and it's making you careless about one particular detail," Happosai glared at his nominal apprentice, "How exactly do you plan on facing down Dimitri?"

Nabiki just glared back at the wizened old master, balled a fist, raised it, then channeled her energies and discharged them in a Ki-blast that scorched the earth in front of Happosai, "Like that for starters."

"I see," Happosai examined the mark then looked back up at Nabiki once again, "And that's the way you plan on fighting the Kamasenken?"

For a moment Nabiki's expression did not change, but then she blinked as color drained from her face and she said, "Say what?"

"You heard me, Girl," Happosai said levelly, "What are you gonna do if it turns out that Dimitri has learned the Kamasenken?"

"Ah…well…I…" Nabiki faltered.

"I thought as much," Happosai nodded, "You're still a woman at heart, and that means you're vulnerable to your husband's favorite attack style for dealing with the fair sex. You were barely able to fend him off the first time he used it against you, and he's definitely gotten a lot better at it since then, hasn't he?"

"Ah…" Nabiki glanced away, her expression a token admission.

An awkward silence settled over them for the moment, broken only by Miyu, who asked, "What is this…Kamasenken you refer to?"

"The thousand fists of love," Tatewaki replied, "The ultimate means by which Saotome-kun can stimulate a woman's body and cause her to experience the throes of heightened arousal."

"Excuse me?" Yui blinked.

"Such a method exists?" Larva asked, only to notice the odd way that Miyu, Nagi, Himiko and Yui all turned to look at him, which prompted him to add, "What?"

"Oh my," Kasumi said with a distant, haunted expression, which same she turned upon Nabiki.

"The Kamasenken," Natsume averred, "I had not thought of that…it means that we are all vulnerable to such an attack on one level or another."

"Only women," Mousse objected, "Saotome styled the Senken to work upon a woman's physiology. It's much less effective when used against a man."

"Not necessarily, Guys," Keiko smiled as she turned back to Nabiki, "Ranma-kun may have developed the Kamasenken to overwhelm the pleasure centers of a woman, but Nab-chan here has been the primary beneficiary of this attack, and that means you oughta be a real expert at understanding how it works…and how it could be countered."

"Um…well…" Nabiki faltered.

"Is this true, Nabiki-san?" Tatewaki asked, "Have you learned how to counter the Kamasenken?"

"Even better than that, I suspect," Keiko replied, "If I know you half as well as I think I do, Nab-chan, I'll bet you've even started to work on a variation of the Senken that will work on a man's physiology, meaning Ranchan's."

Nabiki blinked her eyes, but then she colored appropriately and glanced away, leaving it to Kasumi to say, "Oh my…you can do that, Nabiki?"

"Well…" Nabiki said, "The method isn't totally…perfected…yet…but, well, you see…Ranchan's been able to affect me without me being able to…reciprocate…so…"

"So you figured on leveling the playing field in the bedroom," Frank smiled, "Clever girl. I knew there was a reason why I liked you."

Kasumi looked at the giant man-monster, then at Nabiki, then seemed to take a quiet moment to reflect upon the odd feelings that she was experiencing upon hearing those words being spoken, then she glanced down as though in deeply troubled thought as strange emotions warred within her being.

"So…you know a method for countering this new…technique that Dimitri was seeking," Leguire said as delicately as he could, "Will it also bestow upon the rest of us a fighting chance when we go up against the legions that Dimitri surely has summoned to his cause, to say nothing of the likes of Pyron and Lord Jeddah?"

"No," Nabiki turned back and stared at Donovan, "But you said there was a way in which Oneechan could help us?"

"Yes," Donovan nodded, "But…there is considerable risk involved…for both you and your sister, the Slayer."

"Me?" Natsume reacted.

"As you are now you can never hope to triumph against Dimitri," Donovan said, "Your power levels are much too weak, and as formidable as your skills may be, they are nothing when compared to his. However…there is one possible way in which you can increase your power levels relative to his while bestowing upon your sister the means by which she can make full effective use of her talents."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, Mister Exorcist," Nabiki smiled, "What's this special technique you have in mind?"

"Uh…Nab-chan?" Keiko said nervously, "I…don't think it's a technique really that he has in mind…"

"That is correct," Donovan nodded as he gazed upon Kasumi, "Though it may be strange for me to say this, the means by which we can fulfill our aims involves a sharing of blood between you and your sisters."

For a moment there was total dead silence, then Kurumi said, "You have got to be kidding!"

"Donovan?" Frank stared at the Exorcist as if looking upon a stranger.

"Have you flipped?" Talbain asked, "You want Kasumi here to bite her own sisters?"

"No," Donovan replied, "Only Tendo Nabiki. Tendo Natsume must drink of the blood of Kasumi in order to activate her own latent potential."

"What?" Tatewaki reacted, "You would have Natsume-chan…drink from Kasumi?"

"But…wait a minute," Mousse spoke up, "Won't that turn Natsume…into a vampire?"

"Not in her case it won't," Julian said as he stared at Donovan, "I think I understand it now. Slayers are different from ordinary mortals…vampire blood affects them differently, it's more like a catalyst than an activating agent."

"Now hold on there," Frank protested, "You're not seriously suggesting…this ain't the same thing as what happened in Sunnydale, Donny!"

"It is the same in principle," Donovan replied, "Blood transfer would permit Kasumi to access Nabiki's ability to channel life force energies in both positive and defensive directions. That will give her the means of fully utilizing the powers bequeathed to her by her nature and enable her to avoid Dimitri's grasp so that he cannot add that potential to his own. She will also be able to pass on some of this resistance to Natsume, thus increasing the odds of their mutual survival."

"But…what effect will this have on Nabiki?" Kasumi asked, "If I gain from her…will she lose something in return?"

"Not if the bonds between you are as strong as I suspect them to be," Donovan replied, "If your sharing is performed with love and perfect candor, then you will lose nothing in the exchange, and in such a way you can temporarily become the Familiar to your sister."

"A…familiar?" Nabiki blinked, "But…"

"Oh, don't let the big guy unnerve you, Tendo-san," Himiko smiled, "Being a familiar isn't so bad, in fact it's allowed Miyu-chan and me to become a lot closer over the years, eh, Miyu-chan?"

"Eh?" Miyu asked, then a look of almost girlish embarrassment that colored her cheeks in an altogether appropriate manner.

"I can't believe that you of all people are recommending this, Donovan," Nagi said.

"Neither can I," Larva agreed, "I was given to believe that you have always hated vampires, Priest, yet here you are advising a Queen of a new line?"

"Correction," Donovan replied, "I hate the darkness that gave birth to the vampire race, but I am not blind to the fact that there is good and evil in everyone, everyone save for Tendo-san here, who has no dark shadows that I can discern, and that purity could be the shield we need to turn the coming battle in our favor."

"Yeah, but still…" Frank reluctantly protested.

"Here me now," Donovan said with more force to his tone, "The power behind the Slayer is the same force that created the vampire race. Therefore, the power of a Slayer is Darkness…but when tempered with light the dark casts no shadow, and in this way it may be overcome. So too will you gain some immunity to Dimitri's powers, and that will make you three a formidable force to be reckoned with. But the choice is up to you…there is no compulsion to do this on any of your parts. If you wish to decline there will be no recriminations."

All eyes turned towards Nabiki who stood there resolutely considering the options and what she had just heard, then with a determined look in her eyes she met the golden eyed stare of Donovan and saw the sadness in the man that hid behind an impassive wall of discipline and training.

"Nabiki-chan?" Kasumi asked.

"Tell me one thing before I agree to this," Nabiki said, "You hate what you are and you wouldn't wish anyone else to be like you…in your position. So…are you asking me this from your professional view as a priest and exorcist…or as a man who wants revenge upon the demon who gave you birth?"

Something very rare happened then, Dimitri's mouth quirked in what might almost have been a smile on another man's face, and both Frank and Talbain stared in disbelief as they saw this. In sober refrain the tall Damphyr gave Nabiki his most sincere regards then said, "In the end…is there really that much of a difference?"

Nabiki smiled back, "That's what I thought. Let's do this."

"Oneechan?" Natsume stared at her in amazement.

Nabiki turned a frank regard towards her cousin-slash-sister, "Do you really think we have another choice? I'm willing to make a go of it if the man says it could help us. So…what about you? Think you can share Oneechan's burden for a while, Sis?"

Natsume looked down, "If we have to, them we must…if it is our duty as her sisters…"

All at once Leguire gave a sharp intake of breath, and Yasmina stiffened. Miyu and Yui both gasped, and Lenore gave a start as she glanced off into the darkness.

"What is it?" Himiko asked, sensing the shift in the mood of her Princess and the others.

"They are here," Larva said very soberly.

"Who?" Nabiki asked, "Dimitri?"

"No," Nagi replied, "Worse than that…it's the Enforcers."

"The what?" Mousse asked.

"They're like cops," Lenore replied with a shudder, "Only worse…much, much worse."

"They enforce the will of the council…" Leguire said without a trace of his usual arrogance in place.

"Through any and all means necessary," Yasmina finished for him.

"But…" Nabiki started to say when a shadow fell over the gathering…or rather two shadows, both large and imposing as they descended from above to fill the yard with their presence.

"We have arrived," one of the two figures said, his eyes glowing redly as he and his partner swept the yard with an inscrutable expression, "Ordered by the will of the council and He who has assigned us to investigate this matter. The will of the council will be done."

"The will of the council be done," the other shadowy figure concurred, "State the nature of the emergency and why we have been called to this location."

"Called by who?" Frank asked, "I don't remember issuing any summons to the Council."

"No," a third voice said as yet another figure entered the yard, this one of regular height and build, yet swathed in a cloak of night and a broad-brimmed hat that concealed his features, allowing only his upper face to show from above a thick scarf, "We were summoned by Queen Ling-Ko, but I was in the neighborhood and decided to involve myself. On behalf of my father I bid you welcome, old friend."

"D?" Frank exclaimed, "Oboy…"

"Things have just gotten interesting," Talbain murmured softly.

"Indeed," Donovan tersely responded.

"Oh my," Kasumi said, sensing a shift in the winds as matters entered a whole new level of tension…

Continued

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