Vampire Hunter D Fan Fiction ❯ Innocent Souls ❯ Chapter 1: Fair is Foul, Foul is Fair ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: Vampire Hunter D is the property of its creator, Hideuki Kikuchi. I do not own D or any of the characters related to the novel series.

Author's Notes: The concept of the Fey have been around for quite a long time. For as long, perhaps longer, than the legend of the vampire. There are many different legends for the Fey as there are for many types of vampires. I'm fond of the Celtic myth myself, dealing with the Seelie and Unseelie Courts.

Also, I'm writing this fanfiction as how the novels are written. After all, the movies were based upon the novels. Not to mention that the novels give us a bit more information about D's world and how to play with it. Besides, Post-Apocalyptic Western Vampire Hunting is fun!

Innocent Souls Chapter One: Fair is Foul, and Foul is Fair By: Elf

Cedric wasn't alone. There were other children, just like him, staring up with empty glass eyes like a doll's. They lay as still as corpses in their identical white beds, lined up row by never ending roll in the makeshift hospital created for them in the Blackmoure Castle.

A plump, careworn woman dressed in a shapeless grey gown with a starched white apron and nondescript pale brown hair pulled up into a harsh bun traveled through the maze of children. She sighed as she checked each child. Soft hands gently touched each child, checking pulses, putting hands on cool foreheads, and trying to close unblinking eyes.

The townspeople stood in one side of the massive hallway, lord Blackmoure stood in the other, a tragic, brooding figure. Human mistrusted vampire, and vampire mistrusted human. Their alliance was a tentative one if that. They had one common ground; they wanted their children alive and whole again.

They had one hope, but, as always, the humans were mistrustful of anything they did not understand.

However, Blackmoure knew better. He could hear them whispering in disbelief. He could see their thoughts. He could smell the fear on their bodies. The nurse's hazel eyes flickered towards the vampire and he nodded.

The town's mayor tottered over to him. He had his derby twisted in nervous hands as he looked up at Blackmoure. Blackmoure gave him a steady look as the mayor broke out into a nervous sweat.

The mayor asked, "Why did I let you talk us into hiring this . . . this dhampire?"

"For he is the best. I could not best the fiend that did this, so how do you expect a mere human to do so?" Blackmoure retorted coldly.

The mayor flushed and snapped, "Watch yourself Lord Blackmoure. One day I'll see you crucified and set out into the sun to burn."

"Last time you tried that, I ended up with a wife," Blackmoure replied with a tiny hint of a smile.

The mayor sniffed distastefully and snorted, "Yes, who's dead because of you and that dirty half-breed brat of yours. You two should be the ones in the ground, not her."

Blackmoure snarled as he reached for the mayor. The little man tottered back. His crumbled derby fell to the ground.

He never got to touch the pathetic man.

He looked down at the exquisitely curved sword blade gleaming against his throat. He stilled and took a step back. He could smell the newcomer standing behind him, smelling of night air, sunlight, metal, with a hint of something clean and crisp, like peppermints, and underneath all that the sharp, heady tang of death.

"Good evening, your highness," Blackmoure said as he turned around, bowing his head respectfully. "I thank you for coming so quickly."

The mayor gasped behind him. Blackmoure heard the little man's heart racing in terror. It was the only sound in the room other than the soft lullaby of the children's breathing. Then the nurse gasped in something like lustful awe.

Then again, the newcomer had that effect on most women.

"Lord Blackmoure," the newcomer replied, bowing his head. The man's black, large brimmed hat covered most of his face. An opal winked in the hat's darkness, catching the room's dim light. He was tall and slim, even taller than Blackmoure. Thick, wavy black hair cascaded down the man's back only to disappear into the traveler's dark cloak. The newcomer lifted his head and looked around the room.

The mayor shuffled forward and stammered, "We appreciate you coming so quickly, your reputation proceeds you, Vampire Hunter."

"I'm still unclear on why you hired me . . ." the vampire hunter's dark blue eyes flickered towards Blackmoure.

Blackmoure prompted, "Mayor Richmond, may I introduce the vampire hunter known as D."

"Yes, the dhampire hunter," Richmond sniffled distastefully.

D stiffened ever so slightly. The humans in the room wouldn't have noticed the discomfort, but Blackmoure did. Blackmoure's jaw ticked in response. They had no idea who stood in this room, who's son stood here before them. Blackmoure did.

Blackmoure offered, "Maybe the Mayor would like to go back into town while I discuss the problem here?"

The mayor stiffened. D sighed and looked at him, "He can stay. Tell me what happened to the children, Malcolm."

Blackmoure nodded, surprised that D remembered his first name. He began to walk away from the mayor and the town council, motioning for D to come with him. D walked beside him and looked at the children.

Blackmoure started to walk D to where Cedric lay. He said, "It started with a little girl. Her name is Mary and her father is the town apothecary. They went to rouse her in the morning and she looked like this."

He gestured to a tiny girl with coppery curls and a cupid's bow mouth. Her freckles stood out darkly against her pale, translucent skin. Her breathing was faint and her heartbeat was weak. The child didn't have much time left.

D frowned as he leaned over to study the girl. He asked, "Was she ill before hand?"

"No, Mary was a little hellion," Blackmoure replied softly. He reached out to stroke one of those copper curls from the girl's face. "The day before she was up playing, dragging my son off to places fit for no child to venture to."

D turned to look at him. His eyebrows lifted as he asked, "Your son?"

"The fifth to be taken," Blackmoure hissed as they approached Cedric's bed.

D walked over to the child. Blackmoure watched as D took in the slightly pointed ears, the snowy skin, and the tiny fangs that poked out of the child's mouth. D whirled back around to glare at Blackmoure. Blackmoure stood silently, waiting for the accusations that would come flying.

After all, D was his father's son.

It was just that even D's father, with all of his power, had been overthrown for the most part. He lost control of his decadent subjects. Except D did not want the kingdom that was his birthright on his father's side. No, he wanted to protect those on his mother's side and keep history from repeating itself.

Blackmoure did not blame him one bit.

Blackmoure looked at Cedric, sweet curious Cedric who looked so much like his mother it hurt. He closed his eyes and clinched his fists. "Cedric's mother was a vampire hunter hired by the village to kill me. I fell for her as soon as she entered my castle, bold as she pleased armed with only a sword and a cross. Some higher power must have been on my side that day for she loved me in return. Cedric was our blessing," Blackmoure murmured softly.

"And his mother?" D asked tersely.

Blackmoure bit back tears and answered, "Dead. Dead by the hand of the fiend that did this."

"What did this?" D asked, emotion leaking from his voice once again.

Blackmoure shook his head and answered, "A wraith. It flew through the air, dressed all in black robes. However its hands gleamed like moonlight."

"How did it kill your wife?" D asked quietly.

Blackmoure hissed, "It ripped her apart. That's how. And there was nothing I could do to stop it! There were these creatures! A legion of them, with leathery wings and fangs and claws and skin like stone."

D looked at Blackmoure with those dark blue eyes. Eyes that were infinitely sad and alone, showing the burden that D carried. Hated, feared and ever alone, destined to walk between two worlds but to belong to none. Blackmoure was going to do all he could to spare Cedric of that fate.

D stated, "I need a moment alone to look at the children. Tell the Mayor that I accept his offer."

"If you need any help, anything, a place to stay, whatever, ask me and it will be yours," Blackmoure replied as he bowed his head. With one last look at the hunter, he walked back to the idiot mayor. For Cedric and Mary's sake, Blackmoure would slither on hot coals in the sunlight if it would have saved them.

******

"At least Blackmoure isn't eating the peasants, but this is really bugging you, isn't it D?" the tiny demon that lived within the palm of D's left hand asked snidely as Blackmoure walked away.

D quietly chided, "They are children. Shut up and tell me what you can."

He held his hand over Cedric's face. The boy looked so innocent and delicate. Blackmoure said that the child had a friend. Did the girl not care what she had befriended, or maybe she did not care what others thought about those she kept company with.

D asked his Left Hand, "What do you sense?"

"God, you're a slave driver," the demon grunted as D moved his hand across the child's body. He moved it around and ended it over the boy's forehead. Suddenly, his hand grew tense and was trembling.

D asked, "What is it?"

"The boy. He doesn't have his soul. It's been sucked right out of him," Left Hand gasped.

D frowned and asked, "How is it possible?" No vampire had access to such power. However, D knew of other creatures that might be able to pull of the feat. Some demons and some wizards could. It didn't matter. D would take care of it no matter what it was for the sake of the dhampire child.

"I don't know. D, you need to find a witch or something that can tell you more than I can. I just know someone took the kid's soul and ran off with it. If they ate it or whatever . . ." Left Hand drew off with a grunt.

D sighed and looked around. He said, "First we must see if the other children are missing their souls as well."

******

"Their souls missing! That's preposterous!" Mayor Richmond snorted.

Blackmoure frowned and mused, "It matches their symptoms . . . But the creatures that detained me . . ."

D looked at the human mayor and said, "It does seem impossible, but it can happen. Are there any other children left in the village?"

Richmond shrugged and answered, "I don't know. I don't keep up with who's breeding in town or not."

"Your carelessness is the reason this has happened in the first place!" Blackmoure shouted and bared his fangs at the human.

Richmond hissed, "We should have gotten rid of you a long time ago! You filthy blood drinking fiend. You're the reason why we were attacked, harboring a creature of darkness for so long without temperance!"

"I've protected your village before you were born, boy. Shut the hell up or I'll show you what a blood sucking fiend I can be!" Blackmoure snarled, his eyes starting to glow crimson.

D stepped between the two men and stated, "If you do not know, find out. The wraith will attack the next child."

"We brought you in here, you're not giving orders," Richmond sniffled with distaste, "We hired you. You do what we allow you to do and when you have finished your job, you will leave."

"Annoying little asshole, isn't he? Why don't you just pick the little fucker up and throw him across the room, D? Blackmoure wouldn't mind," Left Hand whispered softly to him.

D curled his fingers over his palm in a tight fist.

D stood to his full height and towered over the human. He glared down and stated, "I need you to find out if there are any more children in the village so I can do what you hired me for. If you do not wish me to do that, I'll leave and the children can die within the next few days. If you do not want that to happen, I need your cooperation in this."

The little man fell silent. D turned sharply on his heel and headed for the exit of Blackmoure's study. Blackmoure stood silently, hidden in the shadows and away from Richmond while the human stood in the light flickering from the fireplace.

D left the two men there. How they would find out the information was not his problem. He knew Blackmoure would be good for it. Blackmoure was how the Nobles should be: kind, helping the humans, and protecting them. To save the children, especially his own son, Blackmoure would do anything. That much was obvious.

D headed through the castle back to the great hall. Moonlight filled the room, casting the children in a ghostly glow. However there was something not right, something that didn't belong. A new heart beat and a new scent: female, rich with lavender.

He looked towards Cedric's bed. Crouched beside him was a slim, feminine figure dressed all in black. She drew herself tighter and into the bed's shadow to draw herself away from D's vision. Then, she suddenly vanished from his view, but he could still smell her.

"D, left hand corner, crouched beside the dhampire kid," Left Hand whispered as D reached behind him to draw his sword.

D replied softly, "I see her."

D started to walk over to Cedric's bed. He called out, "Come out. I know you're here. Make it easier on your self and stand up."

The girl stood up and ran towards the huge windows. D took chase. As he ran he drew his sword. He jumped up over the children's beds and towards the intruder. He swung his sword at her.

She spun out of the way, graceful and fluid as water. He struck at her again. This time she reached behind her and drew a weapon. His sword was met with a battle axe.

He stared into the intruder's face. It was covered with black cloth, only revealing eyes that were neither blue nor violet, but a dark shade in between. Indigo, he thought oddly as they drew back from another. He swept his sword up and took a stance. She stepped back and started to spin her axe.

"You should have shown yourself," D stated softly.

The woman replied in a husky, lilting voice, "I like making things difficult, but you're the one attacking with the great big sword."

"And you're the one sneaking around defenseless children," D accused.

The woman shrugged and retorted, "I have my reasons, but right now, you're holding me up."

Suddenly, she sprang at him. D parried her blow away. He drew his sword back and swung it down. She jumped out of its way and caused the blow to hit the ground. While D swung his blade back up, she started to run past him.

He lashed out his leg towards her feet and swept them underneath of her. She fell down with a sharp curse. D knelt before her and grabbed the long cloth covering her face. He yanked it away and the woman glared at him.

Long strands of golden hair fell from the braid keeping the rest of it back. Those indigo eyes glared at him as she scowled. She had fine, elegant features with high cheek bones, an Aristocratic nose, and a mouth where the lower lip was plumper and fuller than the top.

"Bastard," she hissed as she threw a punch at him.

D blocked it as she flipped up to her feet. He rose to his feet as well and took a step back. He looked her over. She was tall, slim with long legs and deceptive strength. She looked him over as well. He waited for the usual appreciative look that women gave him.

In fact, oddly enough, part of him wanted it from this young woman.

It never came.

"D, she's got a glamor over her," Left Hand warned softly.

D frowned at the blonde. She smirked at him. He took a stance. She threw a snap kick to his chin.

His head was whipped back. His hat fell off of his head and drifted to the floor. He winched as he regained his composure. She threw a punch at him. He deflected the blow with the heel of his left hand, earning a complaint from his demonic parasite, pushed it down and to the side, and grabbed her left hand as it came up to strike at him.

She glared up at him and he looked down at her. He moved to bring his Left Hand up to devour the glamor that was shielding her. Left Hand snickered, "Let's see if she's a hag underneath that illusion. She could have given herself bigger tits though."

"They can be a distraction in battle," the blonde retorted before she drove her heel down into the toe of D's boots. D winched but didn't let her go. If anything, he was surprised that she even heard the parasite.

D looked down at her and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I wasn't going to hurt them. Children are precious," the blonde spat, glaring up at D and struggling madly.

D repeated his question. "Why are you here?"

"Bloody hell, let me go or I'll make you let me go," she threatened.

Not bothered by her threat, he bent closer to her. Indigo eyes glared up at him and her pale cheeks were flushed. He had her overpowered and immobile. She went completely still and limp. D sighed and thought that she was beginning to cooperate because he actually did not want to harm her.

Until she drove her knee up into his groin and slammed her forehead into his nose.

Despite the fact he wore body armor he felt that blow. Pain blossomed, his vision blurred as he was rendered completely helpless. He gagged and sank to his knees.

"I told you that you should have let me go," the blonde drawled before turning on her heel.

He watched as she ran to the huge French Windows of the hall. He resisted cupping the injured part of his anatomy as he rose to his feet. "Damn it D, that was one nasty blow," Left Hand chuckled. He closed his fingers over his palm and took off after her.

To stop her from any other retaliation, he dove at her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and tackled her to the ground. They landed hard and skidded on the polished hardwood floor until they hit the wall. He grabbed her wrists with his right hand and pinned her legs with his own to keep her from kicking him. She wasn't a vampire so biting wasn't going to be a problem. She bucked underneath him, writhing and struggling helplessly.

D pressed his weight into her and stated, "Stop that."

She shook her head and closed her eyes. She hissed, "No."

She arched against him again, the sleek lines of her body pressing against his. He was suddenly aware that she was warm, breathing, and wiggling beneath him. Locks of golden hair had come free of her braid, splaying out around her head. She smelled like lavender and . . . D paused, looking down at her.

She didn't smell human, but she was alive and didn't have the tale tell fangs of an other dhampire. She didn't smell of sweat, skin, nor the sweet coppery tang that all humans had. The same scent that tempted D within close proximity, as Doris had. No, she smelled like lavender and that particular smell the air had right before a heavy thunderstorm.

D lifted his Left Hand to her and told it, "Destroy her glamor."

Her eyes opened as she looked at the demon in his palm. Instead of screaming in terror as most would have, she just blinked up at it curiously. It started to suck the magic disguise from her. He felt it in his wrist, pulling his arm as he heard something pop audibly.

"Holy shit," Left Hand gasped.

The blonde was now glowing, as if moonlight suddenly ruptured under her skin. Her hair gleamed like sunlight and her lips looked as if they were carved of rubies. However, it was her eyes that gave D pause.

Around the pupil there was a brilliant violet ring while the rest of the eye was indigo. They were glowing like fire as she glared up at him. However, the pupil wasn't round like it should have been, nor was it elliptical like a snake's or a vampire's while the blood lust was thick upon them; it was oval shaped within the indigo and violet fire of her eyes.

And her ears were now long and pointed, poking out of her hair.

"Faerie," D managed as he looked down at her.

She glared at him, looking hurt and vulnerable as if he had suddenly stripped her nude. D supposed that he had in away and swallowed. It's not a time to be shameful, he amended as he looked at her.

Then she opened her mouth and screamed.

D was thrown back into the air. His ears were ringing with pain as he fell backwards. He hit the ground hard as the glowing faerie stood up. She scowled at him and brushed her black trousers off. Behind her the windows had cracks all through them, as did all the windows around the room.

"Lord and Lady, see what you made me do!" she snapped as she gestured at the cracked windows.

D shook off the ringing in his ears and retorted, "I didn't make you do anything. You panicked and did this."

"Well, sorry if you were on top of me with your little parasite that can devour magic and pinning me to the ground!" she shouted at him as she placed her hands on her hips.

When she put it that way, D blinked. He replied, "You were with the children, what would you have lead me to believe?"

"That she's a soul sucking faerie that must be destroyed before she hurts anyone else," Mayor Richmond said from behind her.

D spun around to see Blackmoure looking bewildered and confused while ten men, all large in stature and roughened, stood at the doorway with the little man. Half of the men held heavy chains in their hands. Even though D wasn't that familiar with the Fey, he did know that iron could bind and kill one.

"I was trying to see what did this, you little pillock!" the blonde snapped as she flicked some of her hair from her face with a haughty gesture.

Richmond smirked and purred, "And you tried to seduce our hired hunter with your feminine wiles. While that might work on a half breed, it won't work on me or my men, you little strumpet."

"I don't like that little troll," Left Hand whispered to D, "He doesn't feel right. Doesn't feel human, but . . . I can't tell what the hell he is unless I get closer. Which means I have to get closer and there are just some things I won't do."

D nodded in agreement. He saw his hat lying at his feet. He bent to retrieve it, taking the moment to reply to his parasite, "I don't trust him."

"Besides, looks like he's gonna kill your new girlfriend," Left Hand drawled as the men started to approach the faerie. D watched as she stood to her full height, almost equal to the men, and smirked. She stood simply, loosely, deceptively still, but D knew she could fly into action in a moment's notice.

Blackmoure walked over to D and whispered into his mind, I don't think she is the one responsible. But there is another child in the village, sickly and frail. I can hide him without the little toad knowing.

Do it. I'll see to her, was what D said in reply as one of the men hit the ground hard. She flipped back from another one's clumsy hands and lunged to kick his feet out from under him. Blackmoure blinked in surprise, probably caught in some memory of his lost wife, before swiftly and quietly leaving the room.

D watched in disgust as they took the faerie down. To her credit, without using any more magic she took down all but one. One lay on the ground coughing and clutching his groin, another lay sprawled out like a broken doll with his neck snapped, two were nursing broken arms, three were moaning unconscious, one was slithering on the ground with both of his knees broken, and the last one she had taken out had his face beat into a broken mess. However, it was the uninjured one who had wrapped her up with the iron chains and shackled her hands and feet.

The nurse rushed into the room and screamed. D moved to the side as the last man slapped the faerie. She was rapidly losing her glow, returning to what she appeared to be when D first had met her, save for the pointed ears.

Richmond and his flunky drug the struggling faerie out of the great hall. As they passed D, Richmond looked up at him with his beady black eyes. He smugly told D, "We're finished with you now. Didn't even need you at all. You can go."

The faerie looked at D with watery indigo eyes as they drug her away.

The nurse walked over to him and spat, "Do you know who they have?"

"No," D answered, shaking his head, "But I do know she's innocent."

The nurse stomped her foot and demanded, "Then why aren't you helping her?"

"Because I think the mayor is up to something," D replied softly as he turned to look at her. "But who is she?"

The nurse answered, "She was also sent to stop whatever was hurting the children, that's all I can tell you."