Imperium Dark

Disclaimer: Not much is mine except for the plot. Mai-HiME is not mine. Kool-Aid is not mine. Many things are not mine! I must start planning.

Description: AU. ShizNat. Trouble stirs this ruined world as a new power rises. Shizuru Fujino is given two weeks. Two weeks to convince her captor to spare her life. Her only option is seduction. But the question is who is seducing who?

A/N: This was inspired by many horror stories, movies, and books. I like bloody things References are mixed together to create this world, so if something seems wrong, then it's either intentional or…

Well either way I give special thanks to rock songs. They made this possible.

Important notes: Italics after the prologue voice thoughts. Those without quotations are from Natsuki. Usually, I'll mark to whom they belong to if it's not Natsuki.

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Thanks to: Centauri2002/Caz-sama for beta-ing! I want to thank her for distracting me with random ShizNat pictures. Also she found pictures of evil Shizurus that kept me inspired throughout this entire chapter.

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Prologue:

The World of Earl

Eons ago, where man first tread this planet and first yearned for power, there existed nothing but savages wishing for control. One of them was foolish enough to seek the Lord of Death. Journeying through the murky waters leading to its eerie depths, he was met by walls of fire. Sounds of screeching rang into his mortal ears, yet he fumbled his way in down the horrifying corridors, embroidered with skulls that would chuckle and snap at the cowering man. Then, upon their meeting the man was overcome by the immense aura that leaked from this mighty being. Shaking he muttered the words,

"Make me powerful. Take my soul, anything you wish. I want to be like you."

Amused, Lucifer protruded their hand and dove deep into his body as if searching for something. Then the Devil found it. Grasping onto it tightly, the man wailed in pain. The Ruler of Hell chuckled in their deep voice full of malice, hissing the words like a snake,

"I'll take your soul. Upon your death you shall become my eternal servant."

Then, with a flicker of their dark hand the man flew back from the impact and back to the living world. When he landed onto the sandy floors of a desert, he clutched his chest in pain. He screamed and clawed at his face, writhing and crawling around the sand. The man cried out blood from his ears, nose, and eyes. Moments later, after what seemed like eternity the pain was gone. In its place was a brand on his heart; marked in black were symbols full of unknown writing. A hand lifted his dirty tunic and brushed across the etched symbols.

He…was able to read it.

Nervously he followed and uttered a line of the writing, revolving in circles and twists on his body. It was during that time the first phrase was summoned. Sudden obsidian crystals jutted out of the ground. Tall and leviathan, spiny structures surrounded and barricaded the man. He quickly scrambled up to run…however he stopped dead in his tracks. As the ground roared, pitch black ditches materialized in thin air.

Pale decayed hands, full of gashes colored in purple and blue, held onto the side of the growing holes. One by one the creatures stepped out and screeched in voices void of anything except for anger. They made their way towards the man. The man froze; sweat trickling down his tanned visage. In his fear, he brought up his hands and hid behind his arms.

All in formation, the creatures growled, disfigured bodies curling into a submissive bow. At once they croaked,

"Myyy mastterrr…"

Hands were brought down; revealing at first a frightened man, but then quickly the man bellowed in laughter, evil howls rang into the creatures' ears. Immediately he read another line on his torso and a mighty steed, resembling a horse with wings appeared. The body was made of grey bones; charcoal fumes were exhausted out of the cloudy wings. He smirked. This was his beginning.

With just a few years of his newfound life, he had successfully harnessed the powers given to him by Lucifer. The human controlled the corners of the world and held it tightly within his grasp. Women, money, land, power…he had everything. All mortal existences feared him and obeyed his wishes, attending to his every need. However, one day he fell ill. Fear returned to him after fifty years of his rule. He knew…he was about to die.

In panic he had written all the spells on his body onto a stone tablet. Traveling back out into the desert where his first spell was uttered, he summoned an obsidian palace with the last of his strength. Then, he sealed the stone tablet inside; after his death he vowed to find a way back to his power.

Falling to his knees after setting the powerful tablet onto the pedestal, located deep within the heart of the obsidian cavern, he wheezed,

"M…i…n…e…"

He collapsed and disintegrated, body disappearing in a green light. The man's soul was sent to Lucifer, where the fires of Hell resided. Lucifer smirked and dumped him into one of the floors of their scorching home, and then it was the time where the man suffered burning. His flesh was eaten raw by the souls he had slaughtered. When he was down to bare bone, Lucifer would flick their wrist and his body would be renewed. The process would start again. Throughout the dark fiery region, Lucifer cried out in long, outstretched laughter.

Now forwarding time to merely a thousand years ago, history became a legend. Still, there were fools searching, wandering, across the vast lands in search for the obsidian palace. One…was lucky to uncover the hidden palace. Passing through the erected barrier that was unknown to the explorer, she trod inside the crystalline cavern. The black stalagmites poked out of the damp, smoky waters. Walking deeper with her lantern fixed onto the path before her, she saw a light. Arriving into the heart of the cavern, there stood a pedestal, surrounded by a lake of blood with white steps leading up to it. Taking a deep breath she took the first step…then the second. Finally arriving at the top, fingers grazed onto the stone tablet. Strands of midnight cobalt framed her face. Leaf green eyes peered through her brown-rimmed spectacles. She too, could read the ancient words.

However, as she muttered the first string of words, the chamber rumbled. The seal was awakened; it did not recognize the woman as their alleged master. Quickly, the spell turned into a curse, backfiring at the woman. She gasped in horror as black flames engulfed her being, consuming her entire body. All that was left was her soul. It broke and scattered into twelve pieces across the world, fixing upon a selected soul and merged with it.

This was when the Noble Ancients came to power.

Now to the present time, these twelve beings lurk in the night, rule the night, and are part of the night. Increasing their mighty lineage through blooding, they have gained much power, so much power. Humans fear to tread in the dark for these beings stand equal to them—no, higher than them. Populations between the two were balanced; the twelve Ancients made sure to keep the humans alive…they were their food source. Humans have tried to run in vain. Some however, decided to fight back and became Hunters. These hunters vowed to destroy these bloodsuckers and over the years they have named them Lamiae. But they were better known as…

Vampires.

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The full moon shone brightly in the midst of the night. Casting its lunar rays into the world, trees were lit with an ethereal glow as shadows of these tall, barky plants stretched into nothingness. Forest green eyes akin to sharp emerald peered up to the silver object, blueberry strands fell, covering part of her porcelain features. She saw the navy ceiling was marked starless.

Lithe alabaster hands clutched onto her sable cloak, drawing it closer to her body. Perched and hidden atop a tall tree, she waited. Moments later, green orbs were swirled and mixed with red, turning her irises crimson. It was time and she was ready. Gracefully jumping off the structure, she flitted with soft patters out of the forest and into the clear plains.

Before her, stood a luxurious brick mansion, flanked and protected by metal gates made of silver. The being scoffed at the foolishness; silver was harmless to her as to any other creature in this world. Swiftly jumping over the gate, she prowled in a low crouch, ears perking up to the chirps of grasshoppers and a few crows screeching. Then she saw it. Glancing up, she observed a white marble balcony, resting on its floors was a single lit candle. She smirked; the young girl had done what she had told her.

Defying gravity, she walked up the walls and jumped soundlessly into the balcony. Glimpsing back to the ground she saw a few mindless guards that had fallen asleep on their duty. Humans are such weak beings. Turning around, she twisted the bronze handle of the glass door. It opened with ease and she stepped in. Purple curtains covered her entrance and she calmly strode deeper. The bedroom was masked in darkness yet her crimson eyes could perceive every detail.

Paintings of a young girl with pink curls adorned the walls of the large dwelling. On to the side was a mahogany armoire. Few steps away were a full body mirror that reflected her shadow. What lay in the center though was a queen-sized bed with a white frilly canopy top. She frowned; the young girl was not on top of it. Of course, the being could smell where she was.

Casting a side-glance, the young girl's breathing had stopped upon contact. Wild, uncontrolled heart beats echoed loudly into sensitive ears. Even in the darkness, fiery globes were able to gleam with magnificence. Locking her gaze, the young girl stared back lovingly. Coming out of her hiding place, she ran and embraced the cloaked being. The being brought a hand and stroked the girl's pink curls, a smile widening and showing her sharp teeth. In response the girl snuggled closer, eyes closed and breathed in the being's mesmerizing scent.

"I-I was waiting…" The young girl murmured. She let out a soft giggle when the pale hand began grazing across her cheek and ear. The cloaked being bent down, blowing hot air into the younger girl's ear as she whispered,

"Shiho…I've come for you."

The younger girl blushed and shuddered with excitement. Her beloved had promised to take her away from her cruel life. Growing up rich, she was very lonely until she had met this titillating woman. Shiho took this chance to comb her fingers into midnight tresses. She gulped as silky strands moved willingly against her fingers with the smoothness of running water. Shiho's other hand nervously tugged onto the sable velvety cloak that draped her lover's attire.

"W-won't… y-you…tell me your name?" Shiho wanted to know. Her lover never once mentioned her name. She desired and wished to say her name; she longed to roll its lovely syllables off the tip of her tongue, which are certain to be. Wordlessly, the being lowered her head down to the junction of Shiho's neck and collarbone. The sinuous digits pulled onto the young girl's cotton dress, drawing down the neckline to reveal young flesh.

Shiho moaned as needlelike canines grazed up and down her collar as if picking a spot. Senses blanked and Shiho threw her head back in ecstasy; something was happening. She felt her life was being drained yet an exotic feeling took over. The younger girl felt joy as terse gasps were heaved. Her heart quickened and slowed in high intervals, body shivering and arms limp against her lover.

The being was sucking her blood, sweet red liquid trickled down two gaping holes on Shiho's neck. The woman consumed every last drop out of her; it was a rule amongst the top of their kind. As the last of the younger girl's life was drained, memories flashed in the being's mind. Consuming the younger girl's entire existence also gave part of her soul and memories as an extra. Nonchalantly, she pushed the flashes into the deeper regions of her consciousness. Wafting in the scent of more blood, a flaccid tongue darted out of smooth red lips smeared with scarlet liquid and swept across the wound. Wasting was not part of their nature.

One last drop oozed out, her mouth quickly suctioned the area. The being frowned as another memory flashed across her mind. Shiho had thought of her as a lover. They were not lovers. The relationship was merely the hunter and the hunted. Still, her promise to the younger girl had been fulfilled. She had taken the younger girl to another place, away from this wretched mansion, away from the living world. Carefully picking the younger girl up, the cloaked being strode towards the mattress. Setting the dead corpse down with utmost care, she leaned in once again. Emerald regained their control over ruby, red lips parted for a whisper,

"My name…is Natsuki Kruger."

With that, she leapt out of the window, flitting once again to the forest. Her appetite was served; it would be the next full moon until she preyed again. For a thousand years she had lived this way and with her age fixed at seventeen, preying was easier than breathing air. Natsuki Kruger was one of the twelve Noble Ancients.

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Locks of auburn hair, akin to the texture of satin, drifted along the cold breeze. Inside the wagon she shivered and hugged her body close. A simple purple dress adorned her slender figure, but it was sleeveless, making her vulnerable to penetrating winds. Goose bumps appeared and her body stiffened. She had been sitting in this horse-drawn wagon for hours, taking in the strong odor of decaying debris, laden inside the tiny carriage. Shifting in her seat, her buttocks felt numb and her stomach growled. The brunette wished for anything, just a tiny morsel of food to keep her body awake.

A sudden jolt bounced the girl awake; she had fallen asleep due to hunger and fatigue. Skinny arms rubbed against her body, trying to replenish the draining warmth. A pudgy, dirty head peaked in. The man's mug was aged and dirtied from soot. Coughing to dislodge some of his phlegm, he spat, "Get out and help push!"

She obeyed the commands of her abductor; at least they never tied her up or felt her body. No, she was too precious for that. A beautiful girl like this was hard to come by. Selling her would definitely bring multitudes of fortune and wealth. Weak arms blindly fumbled for the walls of carriage, leaning her body forward. Inching to the exit, she flipped the deplorable cotton drapes, emblazoned in stains of yellow and brown. Red eyes blinked from the sudden light. Looking up she saw the full moon, glistening in its silver glory.

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Flitting in a speed faster than sound, Natsuki darted up to the higher terrain. Patters of muted footfalls padded against the supple grass. She stole a quick glance at the forest beneath her. Canopy tops of dark green fluttered against the wind, scattered around the vast vicinity. Catching something out of the corner of her eye, she made a mental note that her journey back home might take longer than she had thought.

Slave traders...

Emerald irises intermingled with crimson. Red took over and anger seethed in. She growled as her vision focused onto five silhouettes. Lifting her head, she sniffed the air. They were all human yet one smelled strange…like brewed tea leaves of some kind. Natsuki could tell who were the abductees and the abducted for she had a similar experience. Fists balled, the memory did not play well in her mind. A millennium. It had been over a thousand years yet the images were still painted vividly. Dominance, injustice, torture…everything. A tongue rolled across her sharp canines. Tonight, the forests would be tinged with vermillion, thus colored anew. At the crack of dawn, foolish humans shall see her new masterpiece.

Licking her lips, she elegantly leapt down the high cliff, landing harmlessly, whilst leaving a small crater of rock and mud in her wake. Deciding to make her way by skipping on the thick tree branches, she crouched then propelled herself towards one of the sturdy brown structures.

Once more, the Ancient was hidden by the thick branches and leaves. Her midnight tresses flapped against her cloak through her pounces, brown boots denting parts of where she landed. During the time, her eyes were trained onto the five. She was not one to normally spill blood but at present her veins pumped with rage. Crimson orbs swirled with a mixture of black as strong smells of liquor and smoke wafted into her nose. It wrinkled in displeasure, making the Ancient increase her growl. Her hot breaths merged with her increasing aura. The urge to kill could not be stopped.

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Maroon pools half dimmed as her head swirled in a massive headache. Tired arms pushed in vain; the ditch was simply too deep, it had captured the wheel. Its fate was sealed akin to a weak foal entering a lion's den.

"Push you stupid fuggin' cunt. We gotta get goin'." One of the slave traders, most likely the leader of the wretched pack yelled out in his hoarse tone, laden with alcohol.

Fear consumed the young brunette, her sweaty palms pushed harder. She wondered why she was the one pushing when there were four strong men. Her natural red eyes darted to the ground willing for the wheel to move. It twitched and creaked; it was still in the ditch. Her visage was calm despite her agitation; she cursed lightly under her breath.

Suddenly…was it her sixth sense? There was something there; the brunette could feel the hairs on her skin rising in panic. Turning her head, she saw the four men taking swigs out of their liquor pouches, laughing at nothing. They had not noticed the nearing figure.

In an instant a cloaked figure swept down from one of the tall leafy trees. Chestnut strands caught the eyes of angered crimson. Then, red lay upon red. The brunette gasped in surprise, midnight tresses flowed slowly as the cloaked figure landed. In the girl's mind she dubbed this cloaked being 'the goddess of night'. She was certain it was a girl for no other being could have such silky locks framing their hidden face.

Momentarily, Natsuki froze. The girl before her had red eyes yet she smelled human. Pale alabaster fingers protruded, in ready to question the brunette. Her thoughts were shook away as the four men finally noticed their intruder. Drawing their swords, they glared at the hidden figure, draped in a velvet black cloak. Natsuki was well hidden behind the shadows. She took a step forward, the men gulped.

"Well hello gentlemen. What brings you here upon this lovely night," she smirked, full white canines greeted her guests. Beady eyes of the drunken men widened in horror. One managed to mutter the forbidden word. Once pronounced their fates would be sealed.

"…V-vam-p-pire…" He gasped, sword shaking within his grip. Knees buckling, they threatened to collapse altogether. Crimson scanned the area, amused by the sight of cowering men. They stopped and locked onto another pair of crimson once again.

Stepping forward, the moonlight finally lit the face of the intruder. Young rebellious features metallically glowed from the lunar rays. Tucking a loose strand behind her ear, her pale, petite nose stood tall. Red lips akin to the color of blood contrasted against the fair skin parted.

"How nice of you to know. Certainly things…will be easier."

The leader of the pack partially regained his bearings. Yanking out a silver cross, he directed the holy object towards the vampire. Natsuki was still upon the imprudent act; just some time ago humans had decided silver crosses might protect them against their so-called evil. Natsuki's kinsmen merely laughed at the silly idea and decided to play along. This Ancient was not in the mood for jokes.

Thinking this was his chance, the leader snarled, eyes gleaming with renewed confidence. He charged with his sword, aiming at the vampire's abdomen. A sudden scream echoed into all their ears,

"NO!!"

…What!?

The brunette was taken back by her sudden action. She had yelled for her abductor to stop attacking the evil being. Why did she do that? Ruby eyes widened and blinked. Doing a double take, she realized the 'leader' had fallen to his knees, blood squirting out of his slashed throat. He gurgled the liquid a bit before collapsing like a deadweight, pooling the grassy floors with vermillion colors.

Shielding the blood with her cloak, Natsuki had successfully broken off the tip of her attacker's blade. Snapping the metal object into two with ease, she pressed her new weapon between the tips of her fingers, charging for the man's throat. A slit made its way across the startled man in less than a second.

The rest of the men snapped into madness, blades pointing acutely at Natsuki, they roared. Sidestepping to avoid the first swing, she danced across the fields, twirling like a performer acting out a slow waltz. Her visage was serene except for the corners of her mouth, which were tugged into a dark smile. Taking a swipe across one of the men's cheeks, she gave him a Kool-Aid smile, a cut which split the cheeks from the corner of one's ear to another. Immediate blood gushed out of the wound as the man dropped his blade and screamed, trying to claw at his disfigured face but never touching it.

Taking one more swipe, she pierced the makeshift weapon into his heart. Then, as she yanked it out, blood squirted, aiming for her face. Magic swirled in her eyes and glowed with a silver light. The blood stopped in midair. She willed them and they froze into bloody spikes, redirecting their aim to another man, who was blindly swinging his weapon at her. The needles dove into the greasy flesh of the man. One of the spikes rammed into his eye, spearing it like a shish kebab into his mushy brain, killing him instantly.

The last man standing widened his beady black eyes. Sweaty palms fumbled for a tighter grip on his weapon in vain. His clothing was soaked with the blood of his comrades during the short fight. He knew he couldn't win. Dropping his weapon, he fell to his knees, shaking and groveling. The Ancient merely gave another him another blink, long eyelashes momentarily covering her vision. The brunette stood still, this vampire was so stunningly dangerous; she shuddered as her heart skipped a beat.

Then, Natsuki did something out of the ordinary. Slitting her arm, she allowed blood to trickle down her fair, noble skin. A finger from the other arm glowed in silver light and drew the liquid to her hand like a magnet. The vampire's blood swirled into a sphere, bobbing up and down in midair atop her outstretched right palm. Crimson eyes rimmed with silver again; in less than a second the sphere solidified into a sickle. A sickle made of blood. This was Natsuki's Kruger's special ability—metal shifting. As long as the material was made with even a hint of metal, she could manipulate it into submission. But then there was another. The Ancient made a small frown; the sickle just won't do. Calling the blood back into her veins, she chose her second option. This Ancient liked to be flashy.

The ground shook and the brunette leaned her back against the wagon for support. The air became extremely frigid, fallen leaves turned into ice and shattered. In an instant, the ground had turned into ice. Natsuki flashed a deadly glare at the begging man. She inclined her head once causing the man to furrow his eyebrows in confusion. Then, a gigantic glacier jutted out of the ground, impaling the man squarely in his torso. His face writhed in pain, scrunching up as he coughed out blood. The four men were wasted.

Scanning the scenery Natsuki smiled; truly she had created a wonderful masterpiece. Four men died in a T formation—one lay dead at each corner. Three of them were half covered in blue silvery ice, legs twitching from the aftereffects. The last one was impaled; blood streamed like a wonderful pond of life. However, Natsuki would not feed from these people; trash were supposed to be wasted.

The crunching of frozen grass beneath a pair of worn sandals drew Natsuki's attention towards the brunette again. Emerald regained their control and the vampire breathed deeply through her nose. Again she drew in the scent of brewed tea leaves; they came from the brunette. Locking her gaze, she sized the chestnut-haired girl. Her legs were worn with scratches, pale and shaking from fatigue and a bit of fear. The purple dress she adorned hugged her perfect curves despite her thinning body due to hunger.

Continuing up she saw arms hugging around their voluptuous breasts. Natsuki subconsciously licked her lips, a tongue darting out in a seductive manner, leaving a sheen of glistening moisture on them. Finally landing onto the brunettes face, Natsuki was forced to step closer; she was taken by the sight. A tired face, but nonetheless an elegantly beautiful one, stroke resemblance to something which Natsuki quietly dubbed as 'goddess of the day'. Strands tinged in dirty auburn were once similar in quality with Natsuki's hair. That was easy to perceive with her keen emerald orbs.

Pale cheeks flushed in response to the intense gaze, yet she was doing the same towards the other girl. No matter how much she debated the matter, the vampire was simply stunning. She concluded her midnight goddess must have been younger than her due to her young visage. She gasped as the being stepped closer, but it was strange. She did not feel scared at all…no, instead her heart was beating faster due to surprise and anticipation.

Kneeling down to the brunette beauty, she took a pale hand and kissed it in a greeting. The soft smack reverberated and struck the heartstrings of the pair in a hushed harmony. Natsuki stiffened in surprise, but it was expertly taken over by her cool disguise. Grinning, the Ancient decided; this woman shall become her playmate until it was time for her to feast again.

"Greetings, My Princess. My name is Natsuki Kruger, your knight in shining black armor." Suave words laced with the ability to mesmerize any being, was spoken in a low tone. Though it had been a mere slip of words, she mentally scolded herself for giving out her name so early.

The brunette simply blushed as the vampire kept position, kneeling against the icy floors with that intensely alluring aura. There was no need for the bewitching tone, her heart had already been captured by this vampire. This was love at first sight, the brunette believed. Quickly regaining her composure like Natsuki, the older girl breathed in a husky yet melodically soothing accent,

"And I am Shizuru…Shizuru Fujino, My Prince."

The words that passed those soft succulent lips were the chains that would wind their fates together in an interlocking spiral to the depths of a new nightmare. This is their beginning…but will they have an end?

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Note: Whoot I'm really pleased with this chapter. I hope you liked it as much I loved writing it. There are not many vampire stories out there and from my constant writing about blood in chapters 17 and 18 in my other story, I could not resist the urge to create this story full of love and fantasy---and of course blood.

And um…sorry for killing Shiho. I know some of you liked her.

Please review if you like it. I'm deciding whether to make this my main focus, haha.