Vampire Hunter D Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Eternity ❯ A Hunter, A Partner ( Chapter 2 )

[AN:] Ok, just as Inuyasha is hanyou or half-demon, so is D… but he's called a dhampire (some spell it dunpeal, dampeal… I guess b/c in the English version all the 'r's turn into 'l's… but it's dhampire). I know this, I did RESEARCH! Just for your future reference…

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By the time Yukio's scent had faded into nothing, Chiyoko could hardly walk. Her wounds were many, and deep, and the constant moving kept them from healing. The blood ran down her legs, arms, and neck. She was so weak now; it was a struggle to keep her eyes on D's dark form. But he had stopped.

"Why have we stopped?" Chiyoko rasped, her lungs drawing in air raggedly. D turned to answer her, and the smell of her blood hit him.

"We have stopped because Yukio's scent is gone. Why did you not tell me you were so injured?" he asked, and looked into her glazed eyes.

"Because I am not… I am not weak," she sighed, and collapsed to the ground.

"Hm," was the only comment D made before scooping Chiyoko into his arms. The dhampire looked from the unconscious girl he was carrying to his surroundings, and this gave him cause to frown. Nothing, just a dusty field, a few dry, withered shrubs. The stump of what once must have been a large tree protruded from the ground ahead, and just in front of it was… a hole? "I wonder…" D mumbled, curious.

Carrying the limp Chiyoko, D made his way to the hole and peered into it, sniffing. "Yukio," he growled. So the demon's scent hadn't vanished after all. Somehow, he had managed to escape into this… what was it exactly? A few small stones were scattered around the gaping hole, and at regular intervals. A well of some sort, perhaps. If such was the case, the well had run dry many centuries ago. Apparently that hadn't mattered to Yukio, whose scent hung inside the well's opening. If the demon had gone down there, so would he. Giving the girl in his embrace a hopeful look, D closed his eyes and fell.

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In the warm darkness that enveloped him, D could remember now why he had befriended the willful half-vampire, Chiyoko. She had come into his life by chance. They were hunting the same vampire, an ancient lord named Demosthenos who had killed more than his fair share of his own kind. When he'd finally tracked him down, D engaged the violent Lord in battle… and Chiyoko had taken his kill. She had flown, literally flown, right past him, twirling like a crimson tornado all the while, hair spinning madly. Her long, thin blades swept by the brim of his hat, missing the surprised half-vampire by only a few centimeters. Demosthenos was also obviously not prepared for the girl's entry; one shining blade landed in Demosthenos' right knee, the other came up and sliced into his temple. In shock, the great vampire lord fell to his remaining good knee and screamed. His pain was cut short by Chiyoko's silver sword in a swift decapitation. D had not moved from his spot in front of the battle until now.

He stepped forward slowly, wary of the girl's obvious power and agility. For such a strong thing, she was rather thin. It looked as though the girl perhaps hadn't eaten in a few days… or more. The long crimson tresses that had spun so wildly with her actions now hung down her back, and D noticed the last foot of her hair was darker than midnight. Her clothing consisted of nothing more than a band of black rubber strapped across her breasts, and another thin band running vertically from neck to hips, where the rubber was formed into the legs of what could only be skintight pants. The nearly hermetic leggings ended where a pair of turquoise boots began. Boots was a term used loosely, as they were more like a turquoise continuation of the rubber suit she wore. The 'shoes' didn't even have a sole, only slightly thicker rubber bottom. D considered the girl for a moment, amused that her outfit resembled a cross. How appropriate…

Confronted with another potential enemy, Chiyoko spun her swords, and then pointed one at D.

"I know who you are and what you want, but Demosthenos was mine to kill… it was my right," she stated, chin held high. "I am taking his head… since you're after his bounty, you may take anything else as proof of his death."

Chiyoko bent down and grasped the dead vampire's head. She stared into the dead eyes momentarily, and D could have sworn her own brown ones turned red. "Fuck you," she whispered to the head, then looked back at D.

"Take care, hunter," she said to him, then turned on her heel and walked out of Demosthenos' castle.

D thought that surely they would never meet again, but he was wrong. A year after their first encounter they were once again on the trail of the same vampire, Gregor. This time, the target was not a lord, but an assassin. A very powerful one, at that. Gregor had been at the top of his game, and was not intent on giving it up anytime soon.

This time around, Chiyoko was already fighting the vampire when D arrived. Her hair was once again flying like it had a life of its own, and her motions were as slick and fluid as liquid gold. As D watched her, for that was all he could do while so entranced, Chiyoko fought tooth and nail against the older, stronger vampire. If he hadn't the gut feeling she would be the victor, D would have stepped in to assist. Never one to disappoint, the girl charged Gregor, arms held straight out. With but a few feet to spare, Chiyoko pounced high over Gregor's head and rotated to land facing his back. With swiftness D thought was nearly impossible, the young woman brought her outstretched arms together, cleanly slicing the assassin in two. Again victorious, Chiyoko dropped to her knees… and screamed.

The soul-shattering wail brought D back to his senses, and he tapped his still-sheathed sword on the cold marble floor. Broken from her cries, Chiyoko snapped her eyes to D's. She took a few shaky breaths before standing tall once more.

"So, hunter… did you come here to kill me this time? Or is this a chance encounter?" She said, voice never rising above a whisper.

D took a few steps forward, judging how close to approach by the slowly deepening frown on the other hunter's face. 10 paces from her and the severed assassin, he stopped.

"I have no reason to kill humans, girl. I was also hunting this vampire… and once again, you've taken my kill."

The frown on Chiyoko's face disappeared, and instead, she laughed right into D's impassive visage.

"Certainly you don't think I-… I am not human... I am dhampire, as you yourself are. And I did not take your kill. Once again, hunter, this vampire was mine to slay."

D stared hard into the girl's eyes. If she was lying about being of his race, he would know, and he just might kill her to vent his frustration at being bested again. But she was not lying, and somehow, D was not surprised.

"How is this kill, or the last, yours? What right have you to their deaths?" he asked, flicking his dark eyes to Gregor's corpse. Chiyoko was slowly rising, again showing her proud chin to him.

"Call it family business if you like, hunter. All you need to know is that he, and any other demon or vampire I set out to kill, is by rights MINE," she growled, taking her left sword and slicing off Gregor's head. The look on his face still registered shock, even when severed from his body. Chiyoko paid the assassin's expression no mind as she scooped up her prize. D found himself admiring the girl's tenacity… and the way she nearly glowed with feral energy. She looked like an angel of war after the fiercest of battles.

"Again, take anything you like. Perhaps we'll meet again… under more favorable circumstances," Chiyoko said, a smile lighting upon her small pink lips. Giving a shocked D a wink, Chiyoko bounded skyward and out a window.

D saw her again two months later. After she had taken his third kill, he asked her to accompany him. His terms were simple. She could kill any demon with which she had 'family business', and they would split the profits 70/30… in D's favor. She had no qualms, and neither did D. Many, no, most of the vampires and demons they slew had no special reverence to Chiyoko, and so D got in just as many kills as she. Together they struck down eleven demons, and every kill brought them closer into each other's circle of trust.

And now, trusting fool that he had become, D was falling, falling, into a black abyss… and Chiyoko slept on, oblivious, in his arms.