Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Visions of Darkness, Dreams of Light ❯ Chapter 3

Chapter 14

Drake was enjoying his guard duty immensely. He was quite pleased to test out his abilities on a few swat-bots, and even more impressed by his ability to find even the camouflaged com-bots. Each bot seemed more than a little startled that not only could he find them, by both sound and smell, but that he was more than a physical match for any of them. After a time, however, Bunnie had come to relieve him. He couldn't help but enjoy the cyber-rabbit's company. They talked about minor things for a while, until Bunnie asked about his vampirism. He grinned as he told her about his "fun". She was impressed, and asked him to show her how to find com-bots without goggles, which he did. She wasn't having much luck while on the move, but she could find them when she was still, which was good enough. When she began to tease him about Mina, he took his leave of her. She apologized, saying that the only reason people did it was to fluster him. He accepted the apology, but still told her that he had to leave.

He felt the beginning twinges of the hunger pains. He sighed. <It's always something.> He leaped for a bush, grabbing the mouse that hid under it. He quickly emptied the vermin, grimacing at the taste. No one knew he was feeding on unintelligent life, not even Mina. He sighed again. <If only…no. I will not think about it. She's not interested. She is a beautiful golden mongoose, and you, through a cruel twist of fate, are merely a vampiric human. There's not a whole lot to offer there. How many women can accept only that? I don't even know how far my powers range. I could live forever, or die in the sunlight next week. Maybe she'd accept…No. I will never even attempt to make another like myself. Besides, she'd never accept me, so it doesn't really matter. She's your friend now. Take what you can get.> He smiled, putting such thoughts behind him. <Home at last.>

"Drake! Where have you been? Sally says you didn't come in to feed! Are you ok?" The mongoose asked in a rush.

Taking a moment to translate and comprehend, he stated. "I'm not that hungry. I don't want to waste blood if I don't need it."

Mina looked at him. "Drake… you have blood on your lip." He winced, cleaning it off quickly. "Drake…please, you've been coming home like that for several days now…what are you doing?" He shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "Please, Drake, tell me. Mom isn't home, so you can say. I won't tell anyone, just…please." A moment passed.

He finally met her eyes. "I have been feeding on rats. Mice, actually. And birds, and just about anything else I can find. I catch them and feed. I don't want to hurt anyone. I'm sorry Mina." He looked away, unable to bear the tears filling her eyes. "I'm just too weak. I hate feeding, but I have to. I don't want to hurt anyone, and you guys might need that blood to help someone else." He felt her hand touch his cheek. He looked at her in shock. She slowly drew him down to the yet unhealed wound at her throat. "No."

"It's ok, Drake. You can just take a little, right? If you take too much, run me to the hospital. Simple, ok?"

He felt tears fill his own eyes. "Mina, please…no. I won't…can't hurt you again. Thank you, but no."

She glared at him. "Drake, I'd rather you take a little now, than take a lot later. Mouse blood might be helping, but I know you need more. You're starting to look kinda under the weather again. The blood you get from the clinic leaves something to be desired too. I never saw you healthier than after you took my blood. Maybe just a little is all you need. I'm not worried. I swear."

He swallowed and nodded. He leaned forward, then pulled back. "I want you to be comfortable. C'mon." He led her to the couch. He swallowed again. "Are you sure you want to do this? I mean…" She nodded. He sighed. He slowly leaned against her, feeling her wrap her arms around him. He gave her a surprised look. "What? I need to support myself." She said defensively. He sighed mentally. He moved to the scar, running his tongue over his fangs to clean them as best he could. He bit, trying to pierce the same spot as before. She gasped at the movement. He licked the wound gently, feeling her begin to calm. He continued to drink, trying his best to be as gentle as possible. He felt her begin to shudder, but continued drinking, unable to resist his own hunger, or the pleasure it brought. As he finished, he bit his tongue, letting a few drops of blood touch the wound, healing it completely. He stayed there for a moment. He suddenly noticed that there was a sound to go with her shivering, a low rumble. It took him a moment to realize that she was purring. He pulled away in shock. "Mina? Are you ok?" The smaller mongoose's eyes were glazed over. It took her a moment for her to come out of the trance.

"Wow. It didn't feel anything like that the first time." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "That was incredible. How long did it take?" She asked, reaching for the spot he'd bit. She frowned in surprise when she realized that the fur had completely returned over the spot. "What did you…?"

"It only took a few minutes, and the reason there is no mark is because I let a little of my blood in the wound, and it healed. Sorry that I didn't ask first, I didn't even think about what I was doing." He managed sheepishly

She smiled. "We have to do that again sometime. I'm a little dizzy, but…wow. Is it that good for you?"

He laughed. "It's certainly better than a blood bag. You are ... Delicious. Simply put, you are delicious."

She giggled. "Now that's just silly. Who'd have thought I would enjoy that? It's almost…erotic." She giggled again at the look on his face. "I think this may be the best way to do it. If you drink a bag every week or so, a couple of mice, and a little fresh Mobian blood, maybe you'll be ok."

He stared at her. "Geez, Mina! This isn't something we should do regularly!"

"What isn't something you should do regularly?" Mina's mother asked, entering the room, giving them a suspicious glance.

Drake stared at her in complete shock. "We… I…" He looked at Mina. Noted her disheveled appearance, the matted fur on her neck, along with the after-glow he was sure they both had. He realized that this certainly did not look good. He sighed. The truth was definitely the best way. "I didn't feed at the clinic today. I've been drinking small animals. Mina felt that I needed more than that to keep me healthy, so she offered a little of her own blood. She thinks it won't hurt if I only take a little, combined with blood from the hospital and blood of the animals. I fed as gently as I could, but she did move a bit. I healed the thing on her neck, though." He finished, somewhat nervously.

She gave them both a dark look. "I want to make this very clear. I am very happy that it worked out. And I'm pleased that it wasn't what it appeared. However, next time you two think about pulling something so dangerous, please ask what I think first. Mina, can we talk? In private, please?" She stated all in the same frosty voice.

Drake stood up. "I'll leave. I'll see you two later. Just come find me when you're done. I'll probably be talking to Tails. He's probably tinkering in his workshop on a Saturday evening like this. See ya." He left.

"Mina…"

"Yes, momma?"

"That's all that happened?"

"Momma!"

"Is it?"

"Of course! Drake and I… we never… we aren't even dating! He's not interested like that. We're just friends. I offered, and he accepted. Well, actually, I talked him into feeding. He didn't want to, but he can't live like that. It's not giving him what he needs. He gets blood, but I think he needs at least some fresh blood. He didn't take much, and besides, now that scar from the first time is gone! See?" She separated the fur on her neck where the mark had been.

Her mother gave it a quick look. She let out a soft metallic sigh. "Mina, I'm sorry. It's just…you're growing up. I trust you, it's just…difficult. After all, there is a young man living with us, and you are a fine young woman. Is it really that hard to believe that the two of you would do…something?" Mina blushed furiously. "Next time, you tell me about something like this first. Then I won't worry." She gave her daughter a tight hug. "Promise me you won't do anything I wouldn't approve of with any young men."

Mina returned the hug. "I promise, momma. Don't worry." She smiled. "I'll be good. Besides, Drake would never do that."

Her mother winced. "I think I owe him an apology."

"Maybe. He might not have been insulted. He might have thought you just wanted to talk about something. You know, "girl talk"."

The robotic mongoose laughed and gave her a look. "Boys."

The two of them giggled together.

Chapter 15

"Drake." The huge wolf stated, claws tapping on the wall.

"The acceleration is 5.023 meters per second."

"5.02301 with significant digits." The wolf shrugged. "But close enough." He smirked. "Five…four…three…two…one…Dismissed. Have a good weekend." The bell rang almost instantly. Drake walked out, chatting with Sonic.

"How does he do that? I know for a fact he doesn't have a watch, and there ain't a clock in his room."

"He's always done that. He says he was a teacher for years before El Lardo took over. He told us before that he just got so used to classes lasting a certain time that he was able to plan his lessons to use all of the class time. He usually takes the entire period."

"Cool. About as cool as Mr. W."

"Mr. W?"

"Yeah. My physics teacher last year. He was awesome. Completely, totally, and irrefutable insane. He could tag you with a ping-pong ball from anywhere in the room. He took us to an amusement park where he used to work to have us figure out the physics of the roller coasters. He also had a neat practical joke with a crank generator."

"Sounds cool. Strange, but cool. But I really don't want to know about the generator thing."

"He'd tell you to hold the ends and he'd crank it slowly. When you relaxed, he'd go as fast as he could. Shocking."

"Oh. So, uh…how's the (ahem), you know?"

"The power? It appears to have reached it's limit. I don't think I'm getting any stronger. Good thing too. I was getting worried."

"So you need less, now?"

"No… I need a little more than I did at first. Why?"

"Because you keep skipping feedings. Sally's getting worried that you're starving yourself, but you look better now than you did before. What's up?"

He sighed. "Sally's right. You are smarter than you look." Sonic scowled. "Sorry. I've been hunting small critters. And I've been sipping a little from Mina."

Sonic looked shocked. "Does Mina know?"

Drake looked at him. "I'll tell her. It doesn't hurt her for me to take a bit. I'm sure she'll understand." Sonic stared at him, thunderstruck. He snorted. "Of course she knows! She's the one who offered." Sonic looked relieved.

"So…the two of you are necking, huh?"

"No! I'm just…" His face reddened.

"Tails is right. You are gone, man."

"He told you about that?"

"Enough to tell me that you really like her."

"Doesn't matter. She's not interested in me." <Just you.>

"I don't know, man. I can't see her offering me blood, as a vamp."

"Blood and sex. Interesting comparison."

"I do what I can."

Mina was walking towards the two. Sonic saw her and made a shushing gesture while Drake wasn't looking. Mina smirked. He knew she was always trying to sneak up on Drake. She continued towards them, only to be tripped as the two stepped into the trees. She looked up, annoyed, only to see the same fox that had been harassing Drake before. He glared at one of his trio.

"Man, that was low. Here, let me help you." He offered his hand.

Mina smiled as he helped her up. <I guess he's not that bad.> And then she gasped as he pulled her close.

"Aren't you a soft one? Kinda cute, for an Overlander's plaything." He grinned, squeezing her.

"Let… me…go." She whispered coldly as she tried to pull away, but the fox only shifted his grip back to her arm.

"What's the matter? Don't mind one of those things touchin ya, but don't want something with fur?" The others chuckled. "Maybe…we should convince ya otherwise." He grinned. "Hold her." The others lifted her by her shoulders. She struggled. She stopped, and then began revving up. "What are you doing?"

Mina planted a kick squarely in his jaw, knocking him to the ground. He managed to stagger to his feet. He dodged the next kick and punched her once in the jaw, causing her to cry out. He punched her again, this time in the stomach. She clenched, trying to cry out again, or at least catch her breath. She heard him chuckle.

"Your freak boyfriend isn't going to help you. You, my dear, are going to have a nice long hospital stay." He threw another punch towards her stomach. She clenched, but wasn't prepared for the blow. She tried not to retch, and managed to only dry heave. He pulled back for another. She closed her eyes.

There was a loud thump. She opened her eyes. Drake stood in front of her, his body blocking her from the fox. The fox had hit him in the back.

"Get outta my way, freak."

Drake looked at Mina. "Are you ok?" He whispered, fearfully.

She nodded, trying to keep from moving and causing herself more pain. Drake's eyes flashed red, and he stood, turning towards the three. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He whispered, his voice frozen.

"Just giving her a little lesson. The bitch…" Drake leaped at him, barely able to contain his desire to slaughter the smaller fox.

"If you ever call her that again…If you ever come near her again…"

"You'll what?" He sneered. "You'll cry to the princess? Oh boo hoo." He snickered. "Won't stop us. We're gonna teach you both somethin'."

Drake suddenly grinned ferally. "I'll tell you what. We'll fight. I'll let you get this out of your system. Here's the deal. I win, you leave us alone. You win, I leave Knothole, never come back, and you leave Mina alone. Deal?"

The fox returned the grin. "Ok. Deal." He extended his hand, which Drake shook. He then promptly hit Drake in the gut. Drake fell to one knee, but then grabbed the smaller fox's arm in mid punch, giving it a twist and a yank. The fox fell with a howl at the pain. Drake grabbed his throat and lifted him with one hand. The fox stared in shock as he was tossed into the air, only to be punched himself. He landed in a heap.

"Fight's over. I win." Drake stated, turning back to startled Mina. The fox launched himself at his back.

"Drake!" The human turned in time to get a knife in the stomach. He stepped back in shock. The fox grinned.

"I never lose. Too bad I'm not good about keeping promises, either." The other two grabbed Mina again. She stared in horror. Drake looked at the knife protruding from his stomach. He started laughing.

"That's all you can do? Stab me?" He pulled the blade out. The wound started to pull itself shut. "Buddy, you just made a really dumb decision."

"What the hell are you?!" The fox shrieked.

Drake grabbed the fox, flinging him across the field. His eyes were glowing red. "Think of something." He stalked towards the fox. Compared to now, before he was merely annoyed. Now, he no longer even appeared to be human. In his place was a creature of blood and darkness. The fox was going to die. The fox tried to throw another punch. This one was caught as well, Drake using it to pull him forwards as he spun and landed a blow of his own to the back of the Mobian's neck. His head bobbed forward as he fell into unconsciousness. Drake turned slowly towards the other two, pausing only to grin. One released his hold on the female mongoose and ran as if the devil himself was after him. The other had a knife to her throat. His eyes suddenly rolled back into his head as he too collapsed. Sonic stared at the rabbit in disgust, massaging his knuckles.

"You guys ok?" Sonic asked as Drake ran forwards to catch Mina. Mina looked on the verge of breakdown.

"They tried to kill us!" She wept.

"I'd never let it happen." Drake whispered. He lifted her chin with a finger. He still looked very predatory. "You are too important to lose." Mina blushed, averting her eyes.

"Guys? Do you think I should get the guards?"

"Yes. Hurry back. Mina, could you stay?"

She looked surprised. "Why?"

"Because I don't think I could kill them with you watching. Part of me wants to start beating on that son of a…" His eyes began to redden. He swallowed, and the redness began to fade. "Please…"

She hugged him. "Sure." He wrapped an arm around her as he leaned down. She smiled, enjoying the protected feeling she was now experiencing. <Wow. He just saved me. Kinda like what Dad did for Mom. Only without the eyes…> She blushed, glad he couldn't see her face. <Too important, huh? Wonder what he meant by that?>

After the guards arrived, along with Mina's mother, two of the young men were taken into custody. The third, it was found, had turned himself in almost immediately, swearing it wasn't his idea and refusing to say anything else, but almost begging for protection. As the fox awoke, he began to protest his innocence, at which point the guards had to struggle with a rather unhappy steel mongoose. At the sight of the enraged mother and the startlingly strong human…thing behind, he quickly confessed their intentions. This did nothing for the metal mongoose's rage, and it got to the point where Drake had to physically lift the Robian off the ground to keep her away from the thug. He quickly set off with Mina to calm her down.

"I can't believe that anyone could be so vile!" The silver mongoose ranted, as she had been doing for the past ten minutes. "What kind of a beast would attack someone based solely on who their friends are? Tell me everything."

Mina swallowed, and related the whole, unedited story. Her mother's fists clenched with rage. Mina suddenly wished Drake was here to help restrain her mother if she decided to go after the fox again. She gave her mother a tight hug, which was returned gently. <Whew.>

"You must have been so scared. Who knows what would have happened if Drake hadn't come?"

"But he did. And he was wonderful." She whispered softly.

Her mother gave her an appraising look. "Got his attention, did you?" She asked with a small smirk.

"Momma! I certainly didn't plan it!"

"Neither did I. And it certainly wasn't the way I wanted to meet your father. I didn't really know him too well before then. We didn't plan on anything at the time, I just wanted to thank him. We started seeing more of each other, and…well, you know the rest. We were married, and you came along. And then Robotnik took over."

"Well…he's not interested. But…"

"But…?" Her mother scowled. "Mina, don't leave me hanging."

The yellow mongoose giggled softly. "He said I was 'too important to lose'." She giggled again. "That's a start, right?"

Her mother rolled her eyes and gave her daughter another hug. "Maybe it is. About Sonic…what are you going to do? You can't chase two men at the same time." The last part sounded vaguely like a command.

"I…don't know. I'll talk to Sonic. Hopefully he won't be upset."