Vampire Hunter D Fan Fiction ❯ Vampire Hunter D: Demons and Angels ❯ Demons and Angels: Interview ( Chapter 1 )

Vampire Hunter D: Demons & Angels

By Michelle Schanzenbach
© Michelle Schanzenbach 2005
Vampire Hunter D, Meier Link, and Left Hand © Hideyuki Kikuchi

The ancient Château sat on a lonely hill top, guarded it seemed, by 2 knurly oak trees. They stood as sentries against the passage of time here. Indeed the entire place looked deserted. If it weren't for the obvious fact that without upkeep it would be nothing more than a pile of stones overgrown with weeds, D would have went on his way.

"This is the place?"

D ignored the comment that seemed to come from nowhere.

"Sure you ignore me now but if this isn't a trap I don't know what is. You can't be in the business you're in and not have made at least a few enemies. If not vampires, think of other hunters. They're waiting in there right now, waiting for us to get close enough to shoot. Come on; let's go find a nice zombie to off. Anything but this place!"

D pulled on the reigns of the horse to make it stop by the grey green hedge that marked the property line. "The letter said the village needed help. It said they could pay for it. It's worth checking out." He dismounted and tied the reigns to a nearby branch.

"I only hope I get to say I told you so."

D approached the building with a measured tread, pausing every few steps to sniff the air in a feral like manner. He made steady progress towards the chateau.

The Chateau was built primarily of grey stone. It was two stories with towers on each end and a widow's walk running the length between them. The windows of leaded glass were dark and no hint of movement stirred their shadowy depths. The blood colored door did not bode well.

D took his time approaching the château for several reasons. He was hoping to catch something on the wind that would tip the hand of whoever was waiting for him. Secondly he was sizing the place up. Besides the trees and old stones of the manor he spotted several crosses.

"Crosses eh? Well at least it's not vampires then. Hunters. It has got be hunters."

D didn't agree. These crosses were well taken care of. To hunters crosses were merely tools of the trade. They had no real effect unless one had faith in the deity behind them. Very few people now could even recall the god's name. No this person was different. The crosses were tended as lovingly as a gardener might care for a rose bush. Whoever it was had faith, he could feel it. Immune to most of a vampire's weaknesses the minor revulsion to the crosses caught him off guard.

D rapped upon the front door. It gave way beneath his fist.

"That's too cliché for words."

D responded by tightening his left fist. "Quiet." Inside the chateau the timeless feeling felt on the outside, resonated and was made stronger. Crosses were in abundance here. It was hurting to move now.

"Faith." The word sounded as if it came through gritted teeth. "Can we go now, it's beginning to burn?"

D continued to move forward. He could feel the change coming. His teeth ached and his vision was blurring. Soon the crosses would no longer be an obstacle.

"Uriel, Raphael. Will you wait outside, my old friends? I fear your faith pains our guest."

The voice was crystalline in its beauty. D now knew three things. The summons had come from a woman, she had two friends and they were most likely priests. A hand on his sword he moved to the back of the house where the voice had emanated from.

With a sure step he entered a library. The first things to draw his notice were the two men standing on either side of a large chaise lounge. One wore blue robes and the other white.Each carried a painfully shining sword. The man dressed in blue allowed his long blonde hair to flow free. His piercing blue eyes watched D enter. The man in white wore his earthy brown hair pulled back. His brown eyes were also on D, but his hand was on his sword as well.

D willed himself not to change. There was something about the presence of these two men that forced him to reveal himself. It burned. And despite his best efforts he could feel his teeth begin to lengthen. His vision blurred for an instant and then it was over. The change was over but D could only see in black and white.

"Who are you?" D hissed through his teeth. He had to know. He would kill them yes. But he had to know who could do this to him. In ten thousand years this change had only come in the presence of the very powerful. He must know their names.

"Hunter D," it was the woman's voice, though he had yet to see her. "Uriel, Raphael, please?"

Suddenly the pain was gone. The men were as well. His vision was returning to normal and upon the lounge he finally saw the woman with the beautiful voice. She was sitting on the edge; her hands fell between her knees as she lifted her head from her palms and looked at D. Her eyes were like emeralds and her hair, more golden than the sun, hung in waves from her head to rest on the lounge.

"I am sorry if they hurt you Hunter D. They are, rather protective of me." D could see she was dressed as a priest of old. She wore a long black cassock like that of a parish priest right down to the white collar. It was shabby and worn. The cuffs were frayed and the black faded. The hat on the lounge next to her seemed in no better condition. She seemed out of place. Like the chateau she was a creature out of time.

D's curiosity got the best of him. "Who are you? Why did you ask me to come?"

"I have need of your skills." She paused for a moment as if to contemplate her answer to the second part of his question. "As to who I am? In this place I am known as Lady Sara."

D just stood there looking at her. Knowing she would continue without him having to say a word. It just worked that way. It always did.

She smiled at him. It was a beautiful smile, sad but beautiful. In a way it was classic, much like her beauty.

"A certain vampire has been harassing the people of this village. He has been taking their children. His name is Ramius March. At first he only took two. The villagers went after their children but I know of none that returned. A few weeks later we found the children, or what was left of them. They were left in the woods near the village. The bodies were withered and deformed, almost older in a way. We never found a trace of their parents. Guards had been set but they were no match for March's cunning. The villagers were too frightened to hire a hunter, not to mention poor. Recently March has begun taking more children. We have found no bodies and I fear he may be experimenting on them. I cannot go after them but I have money. I will pay you anything to get the children back."

D hated reminding them of this part. It was something he had to do though, so many of his clients did not want to face the likely truth. "And if returning them is not an option?"

"Then I shall pay you to do what is necessary for the children, as well as March." This would be a difficult job. While money was not an issue, it never was when children were concerned, the children were. The more victims the harder it is to rescue them. And children bothered him. When children were the victims he had a hard time staying in control.

Her answer surprised him though. It appeared she had dealt with vampires and their kind before.

"While I know it is unlikely that any will survive I feel it would be a mistake to leave this issue unresolved. Will you help us Hunter D? Will you bring us our children or at least some peace of mind?"

Her green eyes implored him in a way her words never could.

"How many children in all?"

"12"

D took a long deep breath. He could not refuse. "The cost will be high." D paused to measure the look on her face before he revealed his price. "Fifty million dollars."

Without skipping a beat she replied, "Would you like that now or after you return?"

"Keep it. I may not be successful."

There was that sad smile on her face again as she said, "You will be successful. You don't know how to be anything else."

She stood and moved to the doorway opposite from the one D had used to enter the library. It was then he noticed she was bound. Her wrist and ankles were shackled and tethered to the masonry of the fire place via a long stout chain. The lounge had hidden the chains from his view as had her position on it.

She had seen his appraisal of her bonds. "They are merely a precaution. I tend to do things in my sleep that I would rather not. Rest assured I am no prisoner."

D chose not to question her about the chains. She seemed in good condition and besides them she had none of the other tell tale signs of being a prisoner.

"It would be foolish to set out now with evening upon us. Down this hall you will find many vacant rooms. Make yourself at home in any of them. My servants have attended to your horse. I will have them bring you food as soon as it is prepared."

The woman pulled a book a shelf near the door, and started back to her lounge. D was halfway down the hall when she turned and spoke to him for the last time. "March wears a ring. Supposedly he never takes it off. Please bring it to me as proof of his death."

D casually saluted her on his way down the hall. Often times his employers sought proof that their foes were deceased. It was never a problem.

"You saw those chains." It was his left hand again. "There's something not right about this place and it starts with that crazy woman in priests' garb. Smells like a trap if you ask me."

"I did not ask you and I would appreciate it if you kept quiet, parasite." D spoke softly under his breath as he looked for a room with a suitable escape. He'd lived a very long time by not trusting anyone before they had proven themselves.

D finally chose a room at the very end of the hall. Compared to the others it was sparsely furnished but the layer of dust was not as prevalent. He secured the door and after making a few adjustments to the furniture placement for ease of movement, D settled himself on the bed to contemplate his newest client.

The parasite was right. There was something definitely not right about that woman. She wasn't like anyone he had ever met. The place didn't have the feel of a trap though. The woman was nothing like your average hunter either.

There were only a few hours to dark. D decided to catch some sleep before he scouted the village.