Vampire Hunter D Fan Fiction ❯ My three leaf clover ❯ doubts and preparation ( Chapter 4 )

An a/n before we get rollin'…. Thanks for my so far only repeat reviewer Kidagakashantelast, a great VHD writer who's pen name I can't pronounce to save me life. Whoot! You rule, keep the comments comin'!

Vampire Hunter D

My three leaf clover - ch4 - doubts and preparation

The sun streaked through the widow and on to the dusty wood boards of Clove's makeshift bedroom. When she woke up she was upset to find that D wasn't with her. D must have awoken at dawn and left with the brothers she reasoned. When he had risen he was considerate enough to close the window and lay out a breakfast for her. Granted it was all preserved things from their saddlebag but it was good non the less. D was always thinking ahead. Clove took her time with her food, D and the two brothers would be gone for a while, knowing D he would examine the outside to an inch of death. Not that that was a bad thing. He was very throe is all. Clove finished her small breakfast, donned her cloak, and headed down the stairs.

The place was more cluttered and more dusty than dirty. Due to the loss of their mother it would seem. She felt a twinge of sadness as this thought crossed her mind. She could never understand how D could not feel or show some sort of emotion to these and all other clients. Maybe it was because he had been around much longer than her. He must have seen and had many things done to him. She knew her parents suffered the fear of humans, which led to their death. This must had been only one of many injustices D had seen dealt their kind…

Their kind…

The little girl felt strange to think of them like that but she couldn't ignore the differences between herself, humans, and vampires. She could never be satisfied with a `normal' human life. Grow up, get married, have a child, and die. She couldn't settle for that and neither could D. A vampire's life was disgusting to her. Live, die, be reborn, and kill humans to survive for eternity. So she basically had to settle with killing one relative to save another. That was no life but it was the best thing she and D could come up with. She was sure if D could he would give her a better life.

It was strange to explain how she knew this; D never really expressed much feeling. He would give small curves of his lips and would hold her gently at times while she slept but that would be about it. Clove had learned to read D. She could tell of his wants and intentions now but his emotions were still somewhat of a mystery.

As Clove's mind wandered she exited the house. It was still somewhat early; families were just starting their morning meals while more ambitious farmers were already out and about. About 20 feet from the front door was a loosely fence empty field. Clove walked to it and slipped under the fence. She sat her self down in a clump of wild daisies and continued her train of thought.

Clove sometimes wondered if D loved her like she loved him. Clove's love was hard to explain even to her. He wasn't like a parent, she had had those, and she had no siblings to compare him with. Sometimes his cool mask brought a twinge of pain to her stomach, which caused doubt. Did he love her back or even care for her? He must at least care for her since he took her in and let her accompany him without complaint. These thoughts caused tears to sting Clove's eyes. She sighed and curled up, her legs to her chest, in the flowers. The grass was dewy and Clove positioned her cloak beneath her. Maybe he only took care of her because he thought it proper, or like some kind of job. Something he had to do and had no choice. These thoughts filled the girl's mind and before she knew it she found her eyes flowing with tears. Clove began to doze and with out realizing it she had cried so long the sun had hung it's self over her.

"Clove…."

Clove slowly opened her eyes and shifted them up. D stood above her, his large hat shielding her from the bright sun. Clove righted herself and tried to wipe the tear trails from her cheeks. She wondered if he would ask what was wrong, the likely hood that he wouldn't cause her tears to start a new causing her to look down at the ground.

"Clove?"

At the questioning tone in his voice Clove looked back at him. D had lowered himself so he sat on his heels. Clove felt a chill run down her spine and was instantly ashamed of it. Why did she get that chill? She wondered as she started at D, she had abandoned her vain attempt to stop her tears. D fell down on his knees and reached out to Clove. He gently cupped her face and wiped at her tear trails on her cheek with his thumb.

D had no idea why the girl was crying; there was no reason that he could see for it. He hoped his presence would comfort her; it pulled at him deep down to see her cry. The last time he saw her cry like this was when he first met her. D let his hand drop from the girl's face and was silent a moment.

"Are you better now?" he asked her as he rose to stand.

Clove rose too and after taking one last swipe at her face she looked up at him with her beautiful aqua eyes. Slowly her mouth curved into a smile and she nodded. "Yes… Yes I'm all right now… " For the moment her fears were laid to rest and she followed D fatefully back to the doorstep where the brothers where chatting with a villager.

At the sight of his approach Lawrence waved his arm in greeting and stepped a few strides toward him. "It seems that another villager was taken last night, a little girl," he explained. The three continued to walk and soon joined the group.

The villager, a wiry looking, middle-aged man, looked D up and down and gave a faint nod in acknowledgment then turned back to Jake. "Like I was sayin'… I woke in at around 2:30 to a crash, ya know like breaking glass. Well I went to go investigate and came to my little girl Anna's room. I…. I-I saw him, he was…" The man swallowed, tears coming to his eyes. "He was holding my little baby to his chest and she was all limp. He looked- he looked straight at me and smiled. He smiled and then disappeared outta the window. " The man finished and balled his fists staring at the ground and then his eyes caught sight of Clove, who was partly hidden behind D. "You'd better be careful…" he said looking at D. "He'll be after her soon enough too and he take her from you." He pointed to Clove.

D looked down at Clove who stared up at him with her big aqua eyes, waiting for his answer. He looked back at the man and said simply, "He won't get her…" Clove gave him faint smile in thanks.

"Uh… um yeah…. Well anyways I guess we'll have to go in on them tonight," Lawrence said. Clove glanced up at the younger brother. She was confused as to why they would go after a vampire at night. Someone forgot to tell her something.

Jake sighed. "Lawrence why don't you get our things together while I keep talking to this man…"

Lawrence frowned, it seemed he didn't like to ordered around. Before he could get out a complaint Jake continued, "I don't have time for you complaints Lawrence just hurry up."

D glanced down at Clove, "Clove, go as well…" Clove slipped away from D and followed the disgruntled Lawrence into the house closing the door behind him.

When his brother had completely disappeared into the house he continued. Turning to the villager he said, "I'll see what I can do about your daughter, I'll look for her but I give you no promises…" The man looked down at the ground and nodded. D didn't need to hear anymore of this sentiment. The girl was probably already dead or turned. He left the men and headed toward the stables. Jake clasped the man's shoulders. "Go home and pray for Anna, that's all you can do now…" He gave the father an encouraging smile and sent him on his way.

Clove slung the saddlebag over her shoulder, the heavy pack knocking the wind out of her. Hunched over she trudged over to the stairs and began to descend them one at a time.

At the sound of the girl's loud descent Lawrence popped his head out of the dinning room, a room the brothers had turned into a makeshift armory. He had two large bags slung over his shoulder and was holding four shot guns. "Aw jeez…" he said. Right there in the doorway he dropped the guns and let the bags slip from his shoulders to the floor. He walked to the girl and held his hands out. "Here, give me that!"

Clove let the bag slid to the steps with a loud thud. Lawrence grabbed the bag and threw it on to his shoulder. Clove followed him down the remaining steps and to his remaining bags. "But you've already got all those others bags to carry!"

"Mah!" Lawrence responded. "I just gotta carry it to the stable is all."

"Exactly, only to the stable, I could do that!"

"Nonsense," Lawrence said as he pulled the two bags onto his shoulders, a faint groan escaped his lips in effort. "Just do me a favor and grab those guns for me and open the door, alright?"

Clove nodded and hurriedly scooped up the guns, holding them to her chest and opened the door. D and Jake were nowhere in sight having already gone to the stable. Lawrence and Clove began to walk, the younger brother obviously having troubles with the bags.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Clove asked as she gazed up at the taller man.

Lawrence looked back at Clove and flashed her a cheesy grin. "Yeah I'm peachy! I couldn't let your little self carry this all hunched off to the stable, you'd be crippled for life!" he teased.

Clove smiled at the lighthearted man. She thought of how easily a human could forget things, just a few minutes ago he was angry and fuming at his brother but was now making jokes. Clove's mind jumped back to attacking the castle at night. "Lawrence…"

"Yeah little clover?"

"Why are we going after the vampire at night, it seems pretty stupid to me," she said.

"Oh sorry, I forgot to tell ya. The drawbridge only opens at night and because the currents so strong and the rocks so slippery there's no other way to get in."

"There has to be another way," Clove stated logically.

"Yeah, if we had months to plan and a dozen strong handed men we could probably fine one but we don't have any of that stuff," Lawrence said as the two entered the stables. D and Jake were waiting, the horses already out, saddled, and ready to go.

"Took ya long enough little brother," Jake said emphasizing the word little.

Lawrence rolled his eyes and let the bags drop from his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah…" He lifted the donpeals bag from his shoulders and as gently as possible laid it on Ives's back, he didn't want piss off D by being to rough with his horse. He then bent down and took the guns from Cloves arms and began to fit them into shotgun hoisters that the brothers had rigged up to their horses' saddles. After a few moments of buckling the four were ready to go.

"Alright, lets go," Jake called and spurred his horse. The three horses took off at a fast clip, not full sped but nowhere near a trot. They rode on a grassy trail a little used one by the looks of it. Like something deer would create. The three horses ran for an hour of more on the deer trail before the ruins came into view. It was just as the brothers had described to Clove. It was at a place where the plains began to give way to forest and was seated on a high cliff.

The horses slowed and stopped at the end of the land where the drop off was and the four dismounted. Clove walked over to the edge, the gap was at least 45 feet long and the river below it was truly violent. D came to stand at her side, behind them the brothers hastily checked their gear for night was fast approaching. D held out a short dagger to Clove who accepted it.

"Never use it unless-"

"I have to, I know," Clove finished. She stuck the knife into the hem of her skirt and looked up at D. "D how do you feel about this one?"

D was silent a moment then said, "The same about every other one…" D glanced back at the brothers then down to Clove. "Their sister and mother are dead as are the others… Even after we kill this vampire they won't have closure…"

Clove looked to the ground her shoulders falling. She felt bad for the brothers but there was nothing she could do about it. She left D's side and walked back to Ives. She stroked the midnight black horse's muzzle. She hated to wait.

A/n- next chapter they go into the vamp's den!