Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Vampire and Wereanimal Politics ❯ Leaders and information ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7

I packed up the rest of the stuff I had wanted from Nonna's the next day. My brothers weren't too thrilled with the development but promised to talk with their leaders to see if they might be open to meeting me. I could only hope. Omi told me before I left for my house that day that his pard leader would be happy to meet with me, and that I could take Aya with me.

I was to meet Aya and the pard leader, Trowa Barton, at the Silver Moon Cafe in the Woodfield Mall, off of Rt. 59 and 90. A good public place decorated with all manner of wild animals. lions, tigers and bears, oh my, and many more. The room overwhelmed me with sounds. bells, gongs, drums and more I couldn't yet separate. I spotted Aya in a corner. He was alone.

Aya was silent as I slipped in the booth seat across from him. I winced as I sat down, not yet recovered from last night. He barely even looked up at me. No problem, I just picked up my notebook and tried to separate the noise in my head. I knew the gong and bell and the tom-tom drums, but what I didn't know were the maracas, the deeper bell like a cathedral bell, and a clarinet sounded off. I used my pain to set it all back into my subconscious when I had them all written down.

I was putting the paper and pen away when I noticed a tiny bell going off, I looked up expecting to see Omi. It wasn't Omi. This man was older by maybe six years, it put him about two years older then me. He had a strange hair cut. The brunette bangs were cut so they would sweep down over his left eye and leave the right forest green orb open to view. He had to be just over six feet tall, maybe a few

inches taller then me. He was skinny.

He was one of those people who look like they couldn't do much strength wise and yet took you by surprise when strength was needed. His long sleeved turtleneck shirt hid his form. I knew he was tall and skinny but I couldn't tell if he was wiry, filled out a bit. Not that I really needed to know that. Strength of many different kinds oozed from him. There was a quiet grace that surrounded him, something I was willing to bet he had before he became a were-leopard. He also had the look of an observer, someone who wouldn't say much and spend his time weighing his adversary. He also had a feeling of compassion emanating from him. My first impression was over all, he seemed to be a good man, tough on those that needed it, and compassionate when needed. A good leader who could protect his people.

He was wearing light blue jeans and a turtleneck that almost matched his eyes. The eyes, I was drawn to them yet again, there was something buried deep in those eyes and nothing in the layers in between.

"May I help you, sir?" I asked as if I had no clue at to what he was, who he might have been. Something I was cautioned to do before I met Aya at the cafe.

"Ms. Serena, I presume?" He held out a long tapered-fingered hand for me to shake. I felt a jolt of something from him and it had nothing to do with psychic gifts and everything to do with him being a man and me a woman.

I'm a good girl, I really wish men would stop being so damned tempting like this.

"And you are?" I kinda had to croak that out past my pulse that was threatening to choke me.

"I'm Trowa Barton. Call me Trowa, please." he left it at that, waiting for me to make the next move.

I got up and motioned to my seat and he accepted it, I took the seat next to Aya, forcing him to scooch over. Small price for him to pay when those movements sent pain coursing through me, I gasped as if the seat were cold.

"Omi has had nothing but good things to say about you, Mr. Barton."

"Are you alright, Ms. Serena? Consequently, same about you, Serena. Some of us were beginning to wonder if

he were making you up. I am glad he didn't, though you will have to forgive me, to have doubted such beauty and grace." he bowed his head briefly.

That made me blush, I never did believe it when people say that. "Sir, please stop the false flattery and let's get down to business."

his voice flowed soft over my skin. "Oh, the kitten has a back bone," He had a tiny smile on his lips and the

bell got faster and louder. "Ok, hold up a second, Mr. Barton, back off a bit, would ya?"

His voice let out an accent I was unfamiliar with, all I could do was figure it was European. "Begging your

pardon, lady." The bell eased off and I could concentrate again.

"Alright, Omi tells me he isn't like your average shape shifter. I need to know what I'm going up against and how best to counter it and still be your basic human. No offense."

"Omi, is right, he isn't quite your normal shifter. He plays human incredibly well and isn't even an alpha. An alpha is a strong shifter, dominate to most if not all. I'm an alpha and the leader of the were-leopards, I'm the strongest of them."

"When I first met Omi he was what's known as every body's meat. They would walk all over him and there isn't much he could do about it. I have managed to get him to about the middle of the pard. He has strong morals against killing people or hurting them. He was lucky to get that far. Omi is more of a healer then a fighter, he will never obtain and hold a high place in the pard for that but its ok, everyone is willing to give their life for him. He is also one of the pard that helps the newbies with their first couple shiftings." He seemed proud of my little brother, even though he wasn't quite like the rest of them.

"Lychenthropes fear a few things in particular. Silver kills us, better then most things. We have outrageous healing rates, and can even heal a severed limb, just by shifting. The only way this doesn't work is if the wound was cauterized, had burning metal in it, or silver shoved in it. We would then have to cut of the part and then shift, other wise it could be permanent."

"We lychenthropes can't pass on the," He seemed to pause to think of a suitable word for it. "Disease in human form, but if fully or half transformed we can transfer the disease." As I nodded to acknowledge the information, I hoped I had hidden the look of confusion I knew was lurking beneath the surface. I guess I hadn't done as well as I thought.

He felt the need to explain the half-transformed comment. "A strong alpha can partial change at will. Some of us can make our hands into claws and others can elongate their facial features for the muzzle."

We spent several hours going over different things that would or should help. Mr. Barton's best piece of advice came in the form of a gun. He told me the best thing for me was to learn to use a gun for this kind of thing. Being human meant that distance was my friend. greeaat. Aya nodded at that.

That was the most he moved or did anything the entire time. Coming to the end of the afternoon, I finally got around to asking, "How many different kinds of lycenthropes are there?"

Mr. Barton seemed to consider the question for a moment. "I know of several. There are the leopards, of course, the wolves, lions, hyenas, bears, jaguars, tigers, and even snakes, rats, and foxes. There may be more that I just don't know about." I heard a gong going off in my subconscious, "speaking of wolves, this is Himura Kenshin. He is the challenger for the local werewolf pack." Mr. Barton hadn't even looked up as he introduced the man who had just stopped by the table. I think I could hear a low growl emanating from his throat. Why do I get the feeling Mr. Barton didn't like Himura Kenshin?

"Sorry I'm late, that I am. Please call me Kenshin." He smiled as he slid in next to Mr. Barton.

"All I really wanted to tell you was to avoid were politics, if you can. They will get you killed before you know it. Have a good day, Ms. Serena. Please give my regards to your brother." He moved with a liquid grace and speed as he got up from the booth and walked off. It had occurred to me then that the challenger of the wolf pack leader, was actually a short man, shorted then my brother Omi, so he couldn't have been more then 5'6 but he seemed shorter then that. Maybe 5'4 if that. He had a mess of red hair with gold infused into it, pulled back into a ponytail at the back of his neck. He had large pleasant lavender eyes that always seemed to be smiling.

"Um, ok." I muttered.

"Don't worry he's too serious sometimes. Though in this instance, he is correct. Were politics are something to be avoided at all costs, showing favoritism to any one group, when you have power, only helps to create enemies." Trowa excused himself from our presence.

I was of mixed thoughts on that one. I was thrilled with all the information I got but was slightly unsettled by the feelings he invoked in me, that all these new men I was meeting were invoking.

This wasn't the time for these thoughts. I got from the table and paid my and Aya's bill. All the while thinking I was ready for a Demerol and the best I was going to get was an Aleive, damn. I was ready to go home and process all the information I had gotten, buy a gun and learn how to use it. I also had to go talk to my brothers. I didn't have time for this.

"Where are you going now?" I heard Aya come up behind me. The tom-toms went off in the background before he had even got close.

"I'm heading to the jewelry store buying a cross or two, hitting the gun shop, buying my first gun and ammo. I then plan to spend the evening with my brothers. Then go home, get some sleep and figure out how to use the damn thing I'm going to buy."

"Don't worry about the gun, I have several of those. Go see your brothers. Tomorrow, we go practice with what we got and see what you are comfortable with. Meet me at the range at 10 am tomorrow morning." He walked off before I could protest, not that I would have.

I stopped at a place Hikaru, one of my best friends, told me about. I had to head out to Northbrook to visit the nun run place. Hikaru was incredibly religious. She was the most devote Catholics I knew, she was also my older brother's girlfriend. I then headed to Nonna's. I was lucky to get there by eight.