a/n Ello Everyone! I'm glad to see that you've joined in for the second story in my "My Love" series. That said, for all who have no idea what I am talking about should read "Mark My Love" As it is the first part in the story. You don't have to read it, but don't blame me if you get a bit confused :)
This first chapter goes a bit fast and is a bit confusing. Don't worry, it's just a setup for the next chapter…like a prologue. There are many new characters; most won't be around past the 5th chapter. So don't get overwhelmed by names, kay? Now, on to the show.
I give this chapter a PG rating.
Disclaimer, I don't own Kenshin, nor the works of Ms. Feehan
Trust My Love
Chapter 1
It was night. The kind of night that was crisp, yet warm. Silence held fast to the world as the full moon slowly made its journey across the sky. There was hardly a disturbance, other than the constant chirping of crickets and other such insects. In the distance, fireflies blinked as they hovered in the dark sky, bobbing lazily. Only when tiny feet bound through the grasses did a wave of blinking lights took to the sky in a show of beauty.
There was a child.
Four, maybe five years old. She wore a classic baby blue little girls' ruffle dress. Jet black, straight as-can-be hair hung midway down her back and was wild as she ran barefoot through the grasses. Impossibly large dark eyes dominated her small, innocent face. Her smile was full of the kind of happiness only a child would know. She must of been the most beautiful child that ever walked the earth.
Suddenly, arms burst up from the tall grass and caught the girl.
A man.
A man leapt out of the wild grass and tossed the child high into the air. The girl screamed, not in fear, but in surprise. The sounds of her screams were quickly followed by musical giggles of delight. The man caught the girl as she returned to earth and spun her around.
The man was dark, plain and simple. His age was impossible to tell, yet he gave off the aura that he was far older than he looked. His hair was deep brown and shaggy. Locks of hair curled around his neck, almost touching his shoulders, and large spikes of it jutted up most unnaturally. The mop of hair was somewhat contained with a long red headband that crossed over his forehead, knotted at the back of his head, the excesses left to dangle past his shoulders.
Stewart reeled back; pulling away from the binoculars he held. "Holy shit. There's a kid with them." He finally coughed out, turning to his partner, Jonathan. "We're not going after them with a kid there are we Jon?" It didn't seem right…didn't feel… honorable.
"Of course we are." Jon snapped, dropping the binoculars he was holding, letting them hang by the cord around his neck.
"But the kid." Stewart protested.
"Is a devil child." His partner interrupted. "Proof that these vampire monsters are breeding." Jon ripped the binoculars from Stewarts' hands and shoved a high powered rifle at him. "Shoot the demon spawn, the others will converge to take out the males." They wanted to keep the female vamps alive. For what horrible treatment and experiments, Stewart didn't want to know or think about.
They didn't look like monsters to Stewart. He had seen photos of vampire killings. Horrible mauling that left the person hardly looking like a person anymore. These people before him hardly looked capable of such terrible murders. Stewart wasn't stupid though, he could tell there was something different about these people.
The organization had watched them for a few years now, once they knew they were in Japan. They tried hard to ambush them, but they always seemed one step ahead. And if one of their agents happened to get too close…well…that agent never returned the same…if he returned at all. There were many such groups of people, men and women striving to protect the human race from these vampires. Hardly anyone believed them about the living dead walking on the earth. But that never stopped them from hunting down anyone they felt was suspicious. They had nearly wet their pants when they were told that not one, but five of these vampires were out together in a park. Jon had gathered his team together and they had the place surrounded. The trees that wrapped around half the park provided great cover for the men, Stewart and Jon had situated themselves at the top of a gentle hill a few hundred feet away.
There had been a rumor of a child, but none of their sources were solid, and never in the history of their particular organization (over 500 years) had there been a confirmed vampire birth. It still wouldn't be confirmed until they got their hands on that kid.
"Wouldn't it be better if we brought the kid back alive?" Stewart winced as Jon shot him a look of death. He could almost see his promotion sprout wings and fly away. He was tired of all this field work. Stewart didn't join the organization to shoot things; he joined to research and study, to learn all he could about these creatures.
"Just shoot the damn thing." Jon said through clenched teeth.
Stewart sighed, lifted the rifle and looked through the scope. Two females were lounging on a blanket. The vampire men were not very far from them. The girl was still running around with the third male. They looked like any other family, or group of friends out for a picnic at the park. Only there wasn't any food around, and it was nearly two in the morning. That wasn't natural.
Stewart leveled the crosshairs of the scope at the kid, following her as she bounced around like a rabbit. But something inside him told him he couldn't commit such a forbidden act. He wanted to protect the girl, not hurt her. Stewart was willing to do whatever it took to prove himself, but he couldn't fight the feeling growing inside him. The girl must live!
"Look" Stewart lowered the gun. "I'll shoot the men, but not a kid."
Jon sighed before violently ripping the rifle from Stewarts' hands. "I don't know how you made it so far up the ladder as to be my partner. You are a disgrace to the human race Stewart." He leveled the gun, took a moment to aim, and then fired.
Stewart closed his eyes tightly and turned away.
"What the Hell?" his partner cried out. Stewart spun back around and was amazed to see the bullet whirling in mid air, only two feet from the muzzle of the gun. It took a few moments for the men to even notice that they were not alone. Directly in front of them, hovering inches above the ground was a man. Tall, with a tan trench coat and a look that told them they were about to die. Stewart took a step back and Jon fumbled to level his gun again.
… . .
Sanosuke heard the shot, hell he could hear the bullet coming at them. The males acted instantly. Kenshin dove for Kaoru, Hiko for Tomoe. Sanosuke was left with the most precious of them all.
Itsuko was only six years old, and was the angel in their strange family unit. Sanosuke acted instantly, instinctively. He placed his body between the girl child and the danger, but the danger did not come. A moment later there was a second gun shot followed by screams.
Aoshi. Sanosuke could feel him near.
But the threat wasn't gone. The males scanned the area and found the park crawling with a small army of humans, all armed, all wanting to kill them.
Itsuko whimpered, hugging Sanosuke around the legs. "Uncle Sano?" her tiny fearful voice cut into him like nothing else. Instantly he felt immense protectiveness come over him. He had to do what he was born to do, protect…protect the females…protect the children. All around them gunfire erupted. It seemed impossible to avoid the spray of bullets. Sanosuke curled his body around Itsuko just as a bullet struck him, grazing his side. The Carpathian fell to the ground, dragging the child with him, keeping her between him and the ground. He used his body to shield her.
A moment later the ground under them began to tremble, like an earthquake. Earth and rock suddenly jutted up around the group like a crater. The earth protected them from the gunfire. The men stopped shooting, knowing they were only wasting their rounds.
"Mama!" Itsuko cried as she darted out from under Sanosuke. Tomoe kneeled down and wrapped her arms around the frightened child, crushing her to her and tried to soothe her with her voice. Hiko stood just behind his family, anger flashed in his dark eyes. To their right, Kenshin helped Kaoru as she struggled up from the ground. The female was over seven months pregnant and already she was very heavy with their unborn child.
Kaoru was crying as she finally got to her feet and Kenshin held her tightly. Her large blue eyes were on Sanosuke. The Carpathian felt touched that she was worried for him. Kaoru had always been a little protective of the youngest Carpathian ever since he had saved her life from a ghoul. The action almost cost him his own life. The mindless puppet had been sent after Kaoru by Shishio, a powerful Vampire. Yet Shishio was no match for the Carpathians. Kenshin, livid and knowing his duty, killed the vampire in one blow. But he didn't come out of the fray unscathed. He had been wounded badly, but thankfully, all turned out well.
That had been over six years ago. Kaoru was slowly growing in power and in understanding of Carpathian lifestyle. Yet that didn't stop her from being utterly afraid of the situation. Sanosuke stood, forcing the pain away into some corner of his mind. He wanted to show Kaoru that he was just fine. His wound had already stopped bleeding.
… . .
Stewart looked in horror at his partner. Jon had tried to shoot the creature, but something went wrong. Dreadfully wrong. Jon turned the rifle on himself, setting the barrel under his chin. The creature before them stood, looking passively at Jon as he screamed and tried to fight himself. He reached for the trigger, and the gun went off. Stewart screamed before forcing himself to look away.
Now all that was left of Jon was his headless body at Stewarts' feet. Fear nailed the man in place. He couldn't have run even if he wanted to. Instead, he turned his frightened gaze upon the creature floating in front of him. His face was calm, a picture of beauty.
"You wanted to protect the child." The vampire said. His voice was captivating, beautiful.
Stewart would have given anything to keep listening to that voice for all time. Yet he was able to rip his eyes away from the creature in time to see the earth heave upward around the family they had targeted. A moment later fog bubbled up from the crater, spilling over like a witch cauldron. The thick soupy fog spread out across the park.
"Your heart is in the right place." The creature continued. "But your soul is dark, like mine."
Stewart looked up at two burning blue eyes and he knew he was going to die.
… . .
The fog was only going to buy them a few moments of cover. But a few moments was all the Carpathians needed to compose themselves. Tomoe and Kaoru couldn't shape shift to escape. Tomoe refused to shift and leave Itsuko behind, who was too young to safely transform. Kaoru couldn't transform without great risk to her unborn baby. It was up to the males to clear a safe path for them.
"Tomoe, can you stall for some time?" Hiko was confident in his lifemates' abilities. He was not above asking her for help. "When the time is right, you and Kaoru run for the forest. We'll take to the sky." Hiko rested a reassuring hand on his daughter's head as he gazed at Tomoe. She stood bravely, having full trust in her lifemates' abilities to keep them safe. Tomoe nodded, her eyes going to Kaoru as the poor woman huddled in Kenshins' embrace.
"Yes, do not worry about us. You take care of yourselves." Tomoe said softly. Though Kaoru was Carpathian, she was no where near the age she had to be to have any real power. Even though her abilities grew in strength with each passing day, it would take hundreds of years before they reached the potency she would need to protect herself from such large threats. Tomoe would protect her new sister while Kenshin went off to do the dirty work.
Hiko nodded, stealing a swift kiss from Tomoe before tuning to the others. "Sanosuke, go with them."
Sanosuke nodded. Hikos' word was law, plus it was an honor to be trusted with the protection of the women.
With hardly a warning, Tomoe took a deep breath and let out an ear piercing, stomach turning scream.
The force of it sent the three males back a step. There was so much power in Tomoes' voice, Sanosuke half expected the very air to shatter. Immediately, his stomach began to cramp, and he broke into a cold sweat. Such was the power of Tomoes' voice. The sound of a female in distress woke something in all the male Carpathians around her. Elevating their need to protect the women and destroy the threat to them.
The human men froze in their tracts. The scream wrapped them all in fear and dread. Something horrible waited for them in that mound of earth, and it would be better if they turn and ran. A few men actually turned and took a few steps before doubling over and vomiting. The sound of the scream was so blood curdling.
The Carpathians wasted no time. Kenshin and Hiko vanished into the fog and Sanosuke quickly ushered the females out of the crater. Tomoe stopped screaming, giving them only moments before the humans recovered.
… . .
Kenshin weaved into the night, putting full trust in Sanosuke to protect his mate. This was not the first time they had been attacked, but the humans had never been so brass. It angered Kenshin that they stooped to attacking them when they were with their families. Kenshin shifted as he moved, falling to the ground to land on all fours. Fur rippled on his skin and bones rearranged. He was in their minds, he knew they meant to kill them and take the women. They had strict orders to take out the males and the child. Kenshin wasn't sure what upset him more, the fact that they wanted to take their lifemates, or the fact that they were going to kill his niece.
Kenshin couldn't help but take pleasure when he wrapped his jaws around the throat of the first human he found. The wolf dragged the screaming human to the ground, where Kenshin quickly ended his life, cutting off his air supply. Around him, Kenshin could hear more screaming as his Prince attacked.
'Kenshin, everything is going to be okay.' Kaorus' sweet voice sounded in his mind.
Kenshin didn't pause, he jumped from one human to the next, biting the gun he held and ripping it from the startled mans' grasp. Kenshin went for the throat again but he hid the image from Kaoru.
'I'm suppose to be the one telling you that, Firecracker.' Kenshin answered back, letting her flood him with warmth and love.
'You're letting your anger control you Kenshin. I know you are not this ruthless. They are humans, not vampires.' Kaoru scolded gently.
Kenshin smiled inwardly even as he was running down a third human. 'You know me far too well.' Kenshin found it hard to control himself now that he had emotions. He never knew he would be so impulsive, but he couldn't help but feel such anger when his family was threatened. He had been in there minds; looking for anyone who held the slightest bit of remorse, any feeling of regret joining this horrible group. Yet Kenshin found only greed. Each and every one of them would be rewarded for completing this task and they wouldn't stop till they had what they wanted.
'Stop your worrying woman. Pay attention to Sanosuke and Tomoe.' He cut off their connection, removing himself and hiding everything he did from her. Nether of them could afford the distraction.
… . .
Kaoru was a bit put off when Kenshin removed her from his mind and locked the door to his mind. It was expected though and Kaoru was use to it now. The man didn't want her to see what he was doing to the human men. She knew they were all evil men, but that still didn't make her feel any better about Kenshin killing so many.
He was always so torn up inside afterwards.
Now that Kenshin had his emotions back, he couldn't be a killing robot anymore. It was very important that Kaoru help heal him, help heal his soul after such battles. It was her job, the least she could do for a man who did so much for her.
Kaoru turned her thoughts back on navigating the dark forest. Though it was night, Kaoru could see as if it were daytime. She could see every tree, every fallen log and twig that could give her away. Kaoru could feel and see small animals dart away from the commotion. Tomoe had long vanished ahead of her. Her sister-in-law was not weighed down by a large belly. Tomoe was able to use some of her speed even with Itsuko in her arms. Kaoru wasn't worried though. Sanosuke was behind her, moving in an almost lazy speed and intercepting any humans before she reached them.
How many humans where there? It seemed like as soon as one was killed, another popped up. Who knew how many humans Hiko and Kenshin were killing right now. They were both capable of killing a dozen humans in a single moment if they so wished it.
'Kaoru, pay attention!' Sanosuke materialized at her side in the form of a wolf. His canine body took easy strides across the ground. Gently, he used his big furry body to herd Kaoru in a slightly different direction.
'You know you could just tell me where you want me to go.' Kaoru snapped. She was not a sheep.
'Sorry dear. I want to make sure you go where I want you to.' He laughed mentally and slowed, falling behind Kaoru once again.
Kaoru rolled her eyes at his cocky attitude. The laugh had been for her sake only; Sanosuke really didn't feel any mirth in this at all. In fact, he hardly felt much anymore.
But Kaoru tried not to think about that too much. Again she focused on following the invisible trail Tomoe was leaving behind. However, Carpathian or not, Kaoru felt her body growing tired. It was a lot of work moving in such a normal, human manor. And she was lugging at least forty pounds directly in front of her. Her body burned, already asking for a rest. But Kaoru kept going. She could see the end of the forest where Tomoe was waiting for her to catch up.
Something was wrong.
Kaoru wasn't sure what it was, other than the fact that a near army of men was after them. Kaoru wanted to stop and turn around. Almost as soon as the feeling came to her, Kaoru felt Tomoe in her mind.
'Kaoru stop!'
Kaoru skidded to a stop at the edge of the tree line. In front of her Tomoe stood in the center of the clearing with Itsuko at her side. Three human men stood in the clearing, each aiming a weapon at Tomoe. Kaoru wanted to scream out or jump out there to help, but something happened that Kaoru hadn't expected at all.
Tomoe growled as she shoved her offspring behind her. It was like watching a mother tiger that had been cornered. Her soft, gentle demeanor warped in front of Kaorus' eyes. Tomoe hissed and the scream she let forth was the scream of an angry wildcat, not that of a woman.
… . .
Sanosuke burst from the trees, letting the wolf take over. He jumped for the human closest to him, biting down on the weapon he held and ripping it away. The gun sailed to land harmlessly in the trees. Tomoe took the moment to turn and bolt away, child in hand. Sanosuke planted himself between the men and the direction Tomoe had vanished. None of the humans knew Kaoru was only a few yards away. All they saw was their goal running into the forest.
He scanned the men, feeling the greed within them, smelling the adrenalin fueling them, and sensing the taint of drugs numbing their fear. It sickened Sanosuke. The Carpathian was amazed how low humanity had stooped. How dishonorable and cowardly the men became. Instantly, two of the men leveled their weapons at Sanosuke. He waited till just the right moment to spring at them.
But something happened that Sanosuke should of anticipated, but didn't.
Kaoru jumped from her hiding place. "No! Don't!" She shouted. The males obeyed her demand, unable to fight her voice. But it lacked power, and they soon blinked out of the temporarily command.
Sanosuke watched as the world slowed around him. The humans turned to the female. They moved in slow motion and Sanosuke watched as recognition came to them.
Here was one of the females they were sent out for. Their weapons were leveled. But Sanosuke moved to intercept them. He would not allow himself to fail his best friend, Kenshin. He would not allow Kaoru to he hurt, nor the priceless child she carried. He would not fail his endangered race…he would not fail himself.
Sanosuke jumped and sailed through the air, landing between the humans and Kaoru.
But the men had already fired.
The world sped up again as Sanosuke felt the sting of two darts hit his wolf form. One in the chest, one on his side. The Carpathian looked down. The fake neon orange fletching stuck out rudely against his brown fur. Instantly Sano felt his strength drain away and he was forced out of his wolf form.
The three humans retreated a bit as the wolf shifted into the creature they knew him to be.
Sano tried to remove the darts but he felt as if he were underwater, and had stones for fingers.
The world blurred and tipped.
He heard Kaoru scream for him.
Then all he saw was black.
… . .
The phone rang.
Megumi jolted awake, eyes wide but veiled in grogginess. What the hell was that noise? The phone rang again and the twenty-six year old swung her dark eyes to her alarm clock. 3:45 in the morning? Megumi sighed and rolled over to the side of the bed and groped for the phone. "This had better be good." She grumbled as she snatched the phone from its base and jabbed the "talk" button.
"Yes?" She snapped in a deep groggy voice as she struggled to keep her eyes open.
"Dr. Takani?" asked an unfamiliar voice.
Megumi propped herself up on one elbow. Was it the hospital? Her body snapped awake. Had there been a major accident and needed all the help they could get? "Yes this is Dr. Takani."
"Good." Answered the voice. "Do you remember asking Mr. Takeda for a job?"
This time Megumi sat up fully, now wide awake. "Kanryuu Takeda? Yes I do remember."
Everyone thought Kanryuu to be a bit of a quack. Always talking about supernatural beings and having to rid the world of evil. Many in the medical field just blew him off. But Megumi saw the conviction in his eyes. He was way too rich, way too composed and way too cocky to be wrong. She had always been fascinated with the supernatural. Secretly of course. Megumi tried very hard to blend in with everyone else.
Megumi knew she was a psychic. Logically, the thought was ridicules, especially when she was younger and everything had to have some sort of scientific explanation. Science was rock solid, logical and had very little surprises. Megumi knew she was different, and it scared her. Nowhere in her books did it talk about hearing the inner voices of others, or picking up the feelings of animals around her.
But Megumi found Mr Takeda. And even though his babble was mostly about the walking dead and blood sucking vampires, Megumi felt an instant connection to the man. Here was a well to do, very smart man who was trying to explain such abnormalities scientifically. Perhaps there were vampires out there. Mr. Takeda wanted to catch them, study them, and learn as much as he could.
It had been a bit of a wish for Megumi, to work with the man, and here was her chance. Perhaps she would even be able to find out more about herself. Without becoming an experiment at as well.
"How soon can you start?" the man asked, interrupting Megumi's thoughts.
"How soon?" They were offering her a job?! She ran her hands through her impossible straight, long black hair. "I can start within a week."
"Good." Takeda needs you as soon as possible." There was a pause. "We have a specimen, and Takeda wants you for the job."
Megumi blinked. "A specimen?" Did they mean a real specimen? She nearly dropped the phone.
Good God.
a/n Wow! Is your head spinning a little? That bit at the end with Megumi was to keep everyone from slipping off the edge of their seat. Jkjk :p So…what happened to Sano? Is Kaoru ok? Who is the specimen Megumi gets to work on? All this will be answered in the next chapter. Reviews are a must for a first chapter. So if you read it and liked it, please review! I can't wait to see who came back for more!
P.S. My family and I have been having some hard times as of late. In the past 5 weeks. I've had 4 family members die of various illnesses, including cancer. Needless to say, my muse has suffered. Writing, though it is hard for me in these times, is the only way I can escape the thoughts of my lost family for a short while. And all of your reviews, full of praise, well wishes, hopes and silliness have put many a smile on my face.
For that I thank you. - Melissa