Vampire Hunter D Fan Fiction ❯ My three leaf clover ❯ true nature ( Chapter 2 )

Vampire Hunter D

My three leaf clover - ch 2 - true nature?

D was roused in the late morning by the little warm body stirring next to him. The new day's sun was had just risen over the lingering mountains quickly warming the chilly air. The morning doves and birds were already up an about, their cheerful coos filling the air. D looked down at the little girl who was innocently nuzzled against him. Her eyelids fluttered and her eyes slowly opened to look back up at D. He was again a bit stunned when looking into her innocent aqua eyes.

"I guess your hungry…." D said in his usual monotone voice. The little girl nodded against his chest. D lifted his arm off the girl and rose to his feet. As he made his way to his saddlebag he noticed how much that small body had warmed him. D's steed was as black as night with horns sporting just above its ears. It stood near the roads edge and neighed in acknowledgement of its rider. D pulled out the heel from a loaf of bread and handed it to the girl who was standing right behind him. He didn't have much in the way of supplies he had learned to live off barely anything, his being only half human helped to cut down on his food intake.

D was a pretty knowledgeable man but now that he began to think he realized he had not idea how to take care of this little girl. He was pretty sure that his small amount of provisions was not enough to feed a growing child. Clove had taken her heel of bread and sat back down next to the tree to eat it.

"Kind of a hassle huh?" D's hand spoke. "I mean all of these things you'll have to do… why bother?" D didn't answer. "Admit it donpeal, you've got no clue how to take care of this girl. It's best to just dump her in an orphanage!"

"No it's not…" D responded. "You weren't there when I was a child… a human orphanage is not the right place for her… I could give her to the most informed child care caretaker but they wouldn't be able to fully understand her needs." D paused and watched the girl. She had finished her heel and now sat looking around her. The mooring sun filtered through the shifting leaves and played on her dress. "If she's with me she won't have to find something out on her own, like heat syndrome…" D turned his attention back to his horse. He buckled his saddlebag and took his horse's reins. He need to go to a town to get supplies but there was no rush. He knows from his years of wandering was just a few miles away. Since he had no bounty to fitful he thought he might as well just walk the horse there.

"Clove…" D called without looking back at her. Clove got her feet and went to his side. "We're going to walk to the nearest town for supplies, we should be there around noon…" D led his horse back onto the road and with Clove walking near the tail end they began to walk. It was a bit on the chilly side but nothing that would have bothered the two donpeals, prefect walking weather.

"Clove…. What kind of name it what? Named after an herb…."

The little girl started at D's hand, the source of the voice. She hadn't met his parasite yet. D glanced back and saw her look of puzzlement. "I guess I should explain a bit…" He stopped his walking and turned to face her, the palm of his left hand extended to her. Clove walked forward and a look of shock hit her face when she saw his hand morph into the face of an old man. She looked up at D with open mouth amazement; she looked more thrilled with this strange quark then afraid.

Left hand screwed up his face, sizing up little clove, "I hope you're a lucky little clover…" he said.

Clove frowned at the hand and put her hands on her hips, "Are you saying I'm unlucky?"

"Well, that remains to be seen… but probably…."

Clove just uttered a `hmp' to this and looked away. D closed his hand a small curve on his lips showing his amusement. He had never shown anyone the parasite before and like before he was pleased with her reaction.

They continued down the sun filled timber fenced lane. Clove got tired of following behind and was now heading their little walk, her hair bouncing with her step and her dress swaying to and fro. She seemed interested in everything, completely filled with childish wonder. It seemed she forgot about her parents for the moment, which was fine for D. He didn't really want to bring the subject up anyways.

Clove began picking long stemmed yellow dandelions that littered the roadside. The modesty and shyness that Clove had was disappearing. Her true nature and personality was coming through. By the time the village came into view she had a large bouquet picked.

D had his dark steed jump the split timber fence into a small tree encircled meadow and then turned to Clove. "I'm going to go into this town, I want you to stay here with my horse," he said as he untied his saddlebag and shouldered it.

"What's its name?"

D looked down at the girl. She was standing next to the fence petting the horse's black velvet nose. She looked up at him. "He's got a name doesn't he?"

He shook his head, "No, I never gave him a name…" Now that D thought about it, he never named any of his horses; maybe he didn't want to get attached.

Clove looked back at the horse, a smile on her face, "Then I'll have to name him… but I have to think…" She looked up at him, a wide smile on her face. "By the time you get back I'll have a wonderful name for him!"

D graced the girl with the slight curve of his mouth and an approving nod. As D started to walk down the path he cast a look back toward the field. Clove had climbed over the fence and was leading the horse farther into the field dandelions in one hand and the reins in the other.

It took D a while to get all of his supplies. Shop keeps were always weary of him but when he requested a child-sized cloak, he got more than a strange look. He had to threaten the storekeeper by grabbing the hilt of his sword to get him to sell it. He ended up pay four times its original price, not that it mattered. D had enough money to go around. When he finally got everything he needed, or thought he needed, it was the late after noon. With his saddlebag full he walked back to the meadow, his steps a bit quicker than normal. He felt a bit of fear, what would happen if some village happened upon the little girl all alone? A sigh of relief left D's lips when he came around the bend and spotted the girl and his horse.

The setting sun cast long shadows over the meadow but the girl and the horse were still lit. The two had settle in next to a large weeping willow. Clove was sitting on the ground. The horse was tethered to a tree limb eating grass lazily. Clove's fingers were working with something, something D couldn't see. He hoped the fence and approached the girl. As he got closer he could see that in her lap were the yellow dandelions she had picked. Clove's head came up from her work and she smiled at D.

D walked to his horse and slung the bag onto it's back, "did you think of a name yet?"

"Yes," Clove replied. She slid her dandelion work from her lap and went to stand by D. Stroking the horse's muzzle she said, "I named him Ives. I think it fits." Clove smiled up at him and sat back down with her back against the tree to continued her work. D finished securing his bag then with a loaf of bread and water canteen to share he sat down next to Clove. She was busy twisting the flowers' stems together. Was she weaving them? Anyone else wouldn't have known the little girl was making a simple flower chain but D had never spent time with young children and certainly had never done any flower picking in his time.

D tore the loaf in half and held it out to Clove. She took it and began to eat it ravenously. "What are you making?" D asked as he uncorked the canteen.

With a mouth full of bread Clove said, "A flower chain of course!" She swallowed and continued, "you couldn't tell?"

D brought the canteen to his lips and took a long drink from it. "No, I can't say I know much about flowers or things that can be done with them…"

"Well…" Clove said in a drawl. "I'll have to teach you about it." The girl crawled closer to a worried looking D. "Here, you have to get two flowers with long stems and take off all its leaves…. Then you go like this…" As she talked she twisted the two stems together, tying them. "Then you can just keep adding and adding…" She picked up another flower and began to add it. "See? It's easy." D just gave an unsure half grin but then his face fell when he realized that she wanted him to try. Clove took the canteen from his hands and held out two flowers to him.

D just started at the flowers and than at the expecting face of the girl. He felt pull at his insides again as he looked into her eyes. He really, really did not want to play with flowers (left hand would never shut up about it for one…) but he didn't want to disappoint the girl. D let out a sigh and set to work. As he tried his best to tie the two stems Clove drank from the water canteen.

D's ending result was disappointing. He had tied the stem too tight, nearly popping the flower off, and when he tried to fix it he just ended up pulling of petals. Clove laughed at his shoty work and took it from him. She quickly tied her work with D's and smiled up at him. D felt vibrations in his hand, the parasite was laughing at his attempts.

The last rays of the sun died and the crickets and animals of the night came alive. The meadow began to fill up with glowing fireflies. At the sight of them Clove jumped to her feet and ran to dance with them. D sat, back against the willow tree, with a faint smile gracing his face.

D's hand sighed, "she's a bother and she'll slow us down to no end but I have to admit, she's a cute little thing."

A/N- This one got done pretty early, thank god! Anymore suggestions as to how to take this story please post them.