Vampire Hunter D Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Encore ❯ Memory and Explanations ( Chapter 11 )

Dark Encore

Chapter Eleven: Memory and Explanations

Author's Note: While this SHOULD qualify as the final chapter, it's really not, as - if you will notice - it seems a little, ah, incomplete at the end. The next chapter is a continuation of this one, a songfic, and an epilogue at the same time, and it will be uploaded soon, so don't worry!

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Mnemosyne smiled serenely at the blonde woman glaring at him not two feet away. "Y'all're gonna gang up on a defenseless farmer, are ya? Now that ain't fair. Two against one, how unfair - two against one! Or three, rather, but that makes it even worse fer me, don't it now? That's so unfair."

The mocking, ridiculing attitude of the vampire was enough to drive Erika to the breaking point, and drive it did. She snarled, "Unfair? UNFAIR?! I'll tell you what's unfair, you bastard! You destroyed my van - I wouldn't be surprised if that damn flat tire it got a while back was your fault too! You also kidnapped my friend and now she's under some kind of weird hypnotism that is entirely your fault that makes her think Meier's completely harmless! I'll kill you!"

Overcome by rage, she raised the blaster once again at Mnemosyne and fired, only to witness Mnemosyne evade it by ducking. A frustrated growl echoed from her as Mnemosyne faded out and then, with insane speed that only proved he was not a normal human, rematerialized in front of her, that nonchalant grin on his face.

"Now, you listen and listen good, missy - Ah can't hypnotize people to make them think somethin' that's not true. All my powers are related to the past, and Ah can't lie. D knows it, an' so does that cowardly left hand of his - don't he?" He looked over at D, who reluctantly nodded. "See? Us vampires can tell the truth if we feel like it. Me, Ah just don't see any reason to lie to folk. S' useless." He floated away before continuing, "Y'all wanna know the truth? D? Missy? Lefty?"

D said nothing, leaving Erika to have to make the choice. "Fine. You tell me - aaaaahhh YOU TRICKSTER!" Her voice switched from dull curiosity to outright anger as she noticed what Mnemosyne had tried to distract them from noticing: The elevator-balcony had started on its one-way trip to wherever it was headed. "You damned trickster!"

For a moment, Mnemosyne's bright eyes seemed to crackle with indignation. His voice rose to a hysterical howl, "A trickster - Ah, a TRICKSTER?! Naw! Ah'm telling you right here and now - D was right, Ah do have something to settle! JUST LISTEN TO ME!" He took a couple of deep breaths, unaware of the silence he had temporarily shocked the female hunter into (D, on the other hand, was naturally silent and could not be shocked any further into silence.)

He took a few steps back, his spine slightly slouched in an attitude of weariness. His voice nearly broke as he spoke again, "Now…now, will y'all listen to me?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued in a clearer voice: "Ah don't intend harm to no one, and all my life - human and vampire - Ah have done nothing 'cept what was for the greater good of things. In this case…Ah failed to help someone once, long ago. Ah was…detained…by those blasted Barbarois!" His voice rose again in anger, and Erika could understand why. She had heard of, though thankfully never dealt with, the accursed Barbarois - heard of their savage nature, heard of their strength…if they were paid to, they would even detain someone like Mnemosyne. Speaking of the vampire…his voice died back down to normal levels, "The Barbarois in question were in the employ of Bloody Carmilla, and it's the infamous Charlotte Elbourne incident Ah am talkin' bout. Ah knew Char and Meier weren't gonna find happiness without help, so Ah went after them. Damn Carmilla - like Ah said…

"Anyway, Ah did not manage to get there in time, could not even see the ship takin' them to the stars - Leila an' D did, if the ol' warp an' weft do tell true. How do ya think Ah felt after that, knowin' that Ah failed to help someone? Me, of all people…but Ah do digress. Ah spent many a year a-wanderin' cross this little piece of land we all live on, not even botherin' ta help people any more. What good would it be, with that guilt on my back? Then…'bout twenty years ago, couple days after it really did happen…the ol' warp-an'-weft blared at me that Charlotte's soul had returned to earth. Ya do know about that thing called reincarnation, right? Well, it exists…

It exists, and Rose there is the girl the warp-an'-weft told me about. Number of years afterwards, Ah came across a totaled spaceship - no prizes for guessing whose it was, and who was in there tryin' to die, yeah? What more needs ta be said? Ah helped Meier back here, went back into business helpin' people so Ah could fund repairs to a ship that was still in working order so they could go back to the stars, and…" He trailed off, a sly shrug on his shoulders.

During this monologue, Erika's aqua eyes had widened and her hands - holding the gun - had lowered in shock. She trembled in shock - then looked up to the slowly ascending balcony…elevator…whatever on Earth it was. Rose was once again looking back at her after her moment of weakness, and the light hazel eyes reflected nothing but sorrow. "We don't need to…"… "I chose this long ago." "…Forgive me for my deceit…" So that was why she had said what she did. It all came clear in Erika's mind then. Even back when Rose obviously wasn't in full possession of her memories…she still had the same heart. She could see it in those hazel eyes, the same eyes she had grown up saying hello to, the eyes of the girl Leila had watched leave this earth years ago.

"I've had enough…" She could hear the old woman's voice echoing in her mind, same as it did whenever she managed to put in some quotes into the telling of her story. Only it was her own voice now, Erika's voice and not Leila's that said the words, and they were aloud and not just a memory. "I've…had enough…" She dropped the blaster to the floor, hanging her head in defeat. Then she looked back at the elevator, which was starting to speed up. She shouted:

"Go on, get out of here! You two waited way too long for this! Fly away! FLY AWAY!"