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The Scarlet Hunter	By : naturechild02 Category: +S to Z > Vampire Hunter D Views: 2103 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own rights to Vampire Hunter D or any of Hideyuki Kikuchi's works. I do not make any profit/monies from this story. This a fanfic written merely for the enjoyment of myself and others.

Chapter List
- 15
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The night D made his decision was the night Katherine was taken. She awoke in the night suddenly and sat trying to grasp why. Then she knew. She sensed him before she heard him: the trespasser in her house. She got out of bed slowly and silently, throwing her robe over her nightgown. Regardless of the extra weight she had put on, she was light on her feet as she searched her room for the dagger she was sure she had somewhere. Then he appeared behind her in the doorway: she hadn’t heard him at all.

“Come quietly and I won’t hurt you or the old biddy,” his eyes resembled an owl’s.

“What is it you want? I have money to spare, let us talk,” Katie grabbed a vase from behind her.

“An old friend wants to see you.” He stepped toward her and she swung the vase. It crashed against his skull but did not slow his advances. She longed for her bow or sword but alas! They were both hidden in the kitchen closet. He grabbed her from behind and crashed through the window. She felt fear swallow her, not for herself but for her child. The man’s feathery arm held her tightly as she struggled to free herself, kicking and biting. He threw her over his shoulder and ran off into the woods. She had a glimpse of the light in Betty May’s room coming on before the trees engulfed them.

Oh, the poor woman will have a stroke after finding me gone, she thought vaguely.

“Don’t struggle and I won’t hurt you. My master wants you unharmed,” the creature hissed.

“And if I refuse?” her red hair hung in her face but she heard his snicker.

“Then I’ll show a pretty thing like you how to be obedient as a woman should.” Katie was silent and motionless the rest of the night.

“Please, you cannot carry me like this the entire way. You woke me in the night and this is damn uncomfortable. I must rest,” Katie’s entire body was sore from lying over his shoulder for hours as he ran. “I can’t fly and carry you or we’d be there already.” He stopped and threw her to the ground. She made a small yelp and grabbed her stomach with both hands. The creature looked at her. He was quite dense but not a total idiot. “You have a little one on the way?”

“Yes,” she gasped, “So if you could be a bit more careful I would appreciate it greatly.”

“The master said nothing about a baby.”

“Remind me who he is, again?” Katie sat up and stretched her legs.

“A great vampire: an ancient. He deserves respect for his wisdom and years. I don’t know why he wants you; I guess he took a liking to you. I only do what he says. It’s not my place to ask questions.”

“Of course, Pseudo. So he has not forgotten me. I shall have to remind him of my brother’s pain.” Her face darkened and her captor gave her an anxious look.

“If you value your life or the life of the little one, you will do as he asks. He’s a fearsome foe. He’s gathering an army to…” he stopped himself and looked away. “Time to go.” He picked her up again, more gently this time, and took off at a sprint.

This creature wasn’t really so evil. He was just a mindless fool. It was a pity she would have to kill him.

D was on his way to Carrillo when he sensed something amiss. He felt distress and fear but he couldn’t put a finger on where these feelings originated. Then he realized, they weren’t his feelings at all, they were being projected into his mind. Katherine. It could only be her: no one else could communicate with him this way. He raced to her house.

“I didn’t hear a thing until the crash,” Betty May sobbed into her apron. “It was a week after you left, four nights ago already. I don’t know what to do. If only I could have stopped him.”

“If you had tried to stop whoever it was, you would surely be dead. I’ll find her.”

The old woman looked into his gorgeous face and sighed. “I know you will, I hope it’s just not too late. Who would take her like this while she’s with child?”

“Who indeed?” D’s voice was cold as ice as he stepped through the door. Where had they gone? Which direction? Four days was a hell of a head start. He stood very still and concentrated on reaching out to her. He could not sense her but the truth came to him. Of course, who had shown enough interest in Katie to murder her brother? And where was he hiding out? He knew the vampire’s secret hideout was in the Forlorn Mountains somewhere. Now was the time to find it. No more playing around and taking his time. He was sure Katie would help him. She would find a way to let him know.

The question is, is he using her as bait to get to you, or is it her that he really wants?

“Only one way to find out.”

Katie couldn’t believe Pseudo had entrusted this mission to such a lowly creature. Though the bird-man was strong and fast, he was very stupid. He let her rest for a few minutes a day and during that time she would rip some of the hem of her robe and leave it on the nearby bushes or trees. The fool didn’t even notice. He slipped up for the last time when she knelt to drink water from a stream and he turned away for a few seconds. In that moment, she bounded up on his back and broke his neck. As his body fell, she ran for it. But not for long. She took a blow to the head from behind and did not even see who her new captor was before she blacked out.

She awoke in a dungeon of sorts with a horrible headache. The rotting corpse of a man lay beside her and as she sat up she saw dozens of dead bodies chained to the four walls enclosing her. The smell made her nauseous. How long had she been out? She felt the back of her head: dried blood but no bump or cut. Could have been hours. Whatever had happened, she had no doubt that she was now in Pseudo’s hidden castle and at his mercy. Now she could only wait until he sent for her. She was famished. She felt her son move within her and fear gripped her again. What would he do to her? She sat quietly in thought for a few hours until the heavy wooden door swung open.

A man stood there, a human man as far as looks went. “Sorry I had to knock you out sweetie but we couldn’t have you getting away. Be a good girl and let me tie your hands so you can come out,” he held the rope out. She tightened her robe, stood and held out her wrists. “Nice place you have here. Love the decorations,” she nodded toward the bodies and he snickered.

“If you don’t try to play hero, you won’t end up like them. But you’re being nice and yielding so far.” He finished tying the knot and used the excess rope to pull her out the door.

“Do you need to relieve yourself?” he asked gruffly. “Yes,” he led her down drafty corridors, twisting and turning all about until she was quite lost. “In here, I won’t watch but I can’t untie you.” And he left her in a room that rank of urine. She finished her business and stepped out to find her sentinel waiting.

“Hungry then?” he looked amused as he pulled her along like a dog up flights of stone stairs until they reached a room that resembled a kitchen. It was quite dirty. A loaf of moldy bread sat on a table along with a glass of water. Her stomach churned and she sprang at the bread, pausing only to pull off the worst parts. “Slow down or you’ll be sick,” the man grinned nastily.

“I will be sick anyway with this choice of meal. Where is your master?”

“You’ll see him soon enough. He wants you fed and watered first. I reckon he fancies you. Might make you a vampire companion. What an honor.” Katie curled her lip in disgust but said nothing as she wolfed down her bread and chugged the smelly water.

She was soon led into an immense chamber where many rough looking men and beasts lounged about at tables or benches. Many seemed to be drinking heavily, some laughed loud and a few scuffles broke out. They eyed her when she entered, some whistling and commenting on what they would like to do to her. She stared about in horror: there had to be at least fifty men in just this one room. So he was building an army, but for what? She held her chin high as she was led to the other end of the room where a large wooden chair sat like a throne.

And there sat her arch nemesis: the vampire she had only really met once. He once again wore the silky blue clothing from their last encounter in the mine. He grinned wickedly as she closed the gap between them; her sentinel no longer had to pull her. “I applaud your victory over my men in the mountains. You are much stronger than I assumed at first.” He stood and gazed down at her, his red eyes like pools of blood.

“You fancy yourself a king amongst this rabble?” She said clearly. He ignored this comment and stepped toward her. She was glad her hands were tied in front of her: that and the robe hid her large belly. “Of course, you had some help then. Your friend the dhampir. But I could swear you have a bit of vampire blood in your veins as well. Perhaps I shall taste it for myself.”

“Not if you value your life.”

“You think he will come save you? Are you in love with him? He doesn’t understand that, girl. He’s traveled this world over time and again alone. He hasn’t the ability to love because he loathes himself. I, on the other hand,” he touched her hair and she flinched, “I respect your skills and adore your beauty. You are a diamond among your fellow humans. Join me and fight by my side, I will give you eternity. I will give you the world.”

She turned her head from him. “Thanks but I do not want the world. I want my freedom. The freedom to go where I choose whenever I wish to. That is all I have ever wanted. I certainly could not side with the likes of you. You are merely a parasite to humanity. You feed on us to survive and you disgust me.”

Pseudo’s grin became a snarl. “You will see, my dear that I will rule over all of humanity. You will wish you had taken me up on my offer then.”

“Megalomaniac. You plan to take over the world with just this lot? You may be brave but you certainly are foolish. D would kill them all by himself without breaking a sweat. Hell, I could if I had the chance,” her voice rang through the chamber and angry grunts followed. Her captor yanked her rope. “Want me to teach her a lesson, master?” he sneered.

“That won’t be necessary.” Her nemesis leaned closer to her, trying to capture her eyes with his own.

“Your vampire tricks will not work on me, Dominique,” she whispered.

He stepped back, amazed. She knew she had caught him off guard, she took the opportunity to step forward in his face. “You are the Dominique of vampire lore, are you not?” He smiled slowly, his fangs jutting over his bottom lip.

“You are clever aren’t you? Is it your vampire blood that recognizes me? That will make you all the easier to turn. You will be very powerful.”

“The power I have now satisfies me well enough, thank you.”

“And yet underneath your tough attitude I sense fear. Real fear. Am I that terrifying? Are your knees shaking under your nightgown?” he spoke these words loudly enough to get a few chuckles from his audience of scoundrels. Katie flushed a little but didn’t back down. “He will come for me,” she whispered.

“Let him come. But until then, I’d like a snack.”

He leaned closer once again and that’s when she took action. She pulled her wrists apart, breaking the rope like a blade of grass. She punched her captor in the face, sending him flying. But before she could turn to Pseudo, he had her by the throat.

“I will force you to choose. Live by my side or die.” He squeezed her throat but she didn’t struggle.

“Wait,” she rasped but he did no such thing. He grabbed a sword and plunged it into her stomach. She cried out and staggered back in disbelief. She began to wail and scream and the look of horror on her face confused the vampire. This was not a scream of pain.

He yanked her robes back to expose her protruding belly that now held a sword. As realization and terror dawned on his face, Katie’s eyes glowed blood red and she thrust her hand into his chest. He coughed, just once, blood oozing from his mouth, before she ripped his heart from his chest and crushed it in her palm. His body didn’t even have time to fall before her nails became claws and in one swift motion she sliced his head off. It flew across the room and landed in the lap of one of Pseudo’s warriors.

At the sight of their leader being torn apart by a woman, some of the men charged her while others fled. But there was no hope for them. Katie wasn’t Katie anymore. Her vampire blood was awakened as a dark miasma enveloped the room. None would survive her wrath.

D flew over the terrain as if the very wind carried him. He saw Katie’s trail of cloth and felt her cry out in pain only moments ago. Was he torturing her? Would D make it in time? He knew that she was counting on him to rescue her and their unborn child from this monster; otherwise she would have never left a trail for him to follow. If only he knew her situation. He felt a rage from her, an intense feeling such as she had never projected before. What was happening? He urged the horse faster.

Only after every being in the room was not only dead but ripped into pieces did she finally collapse from the pain. She became herself again and terror gripped her heart. Katie slowly, painfully withdrew the sword from her stomach and screamed. It was the night she had almost died all over again except now it was not her life she feared for. She tried to stem the flow of blood, she tried to reach the child’s mind with her own, but the world was painted red. It wasn’t long after that the contractions started.

“She could be dead by now. You have to prepare yourself for that possibility.”

“No, she’s alive. But she’s in so much pain. Here it is.” He stood before an open field.

“Where? Ah, I see now. Invisible shield.”

“Find the door before I make a new one.”

The castle was ancient and rotting. He could smell blood and death, not of his beloved but a large number of humans and part human creatures. He rushed in, zeroing in on her smell, her life force. He ran down a flight of stairs and found the origin of the smell. Dead bodies crowded the room: most with their heads missing or bowels spilled on the floor. Nothing moved; nothing stirred; nothing breathed. But he heard a sound in the far corner and dashed that way. He slowed down when he saw her and dread filled him. His heart skipped a beat. She sat leaning in a corner wearing only her gown. Blood stained her stomach and her thighs and there was a pool of it on the floor before her.

“Katherine…”

She was breathing heavily but she would not look at him. She held a bundle in her arms that looked like the robe he had seen her wear before. As he drew closer, he started to grow numb from his neck down. He cut off his emotions before they could overwhelm him. “Katie,” he was beside her now and as she slowly turned her head to him, he saw it in her eyes. She was broken. Her mind was gone, perhaps beyond repair. Even as his mind told him not to, even as his left hand said it: “You don’t want to see it, D, don’t do it;” he reached for the bloody bundle she cradled to her bosom. He could no more stop himself than he could deny his love for the poor blood-soaked woman before him. This was his Pandora’s box that would surely cost him his soul.
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The Scarlet Hunter