Of Wind and Darkness

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or vampire anything.

This fanfic was originally written by Eyeinthesky, who has given me permission to complete this story. I have taken the liberty of changing some elements around, adding some meat to the story, though I still recommend reading the original version.

I have taken the "Return" off of the end of the title, figuring that it really didn't make much sense. But it's the same story. Just with out the 'return'. I have reworked some of the story. I've combined a few chapters and lengthened others. I've also taken a bit of time to edit some of my bad spelling and grammar. Oops.

And to answer everyone's question of when I first started to write this...yes...there is no yaoi. Some hints but only because of the vampy-ness of it all.

Reviews are welcomed!

Prologue

The strange monster, who was summoned by a messed up call from Gosunkugi, barreled through Nerima. Gosunkugi couldn't figure how his simple voodoo spell summoned a beast. Yet, the demonic wolfish beast was chasing after his pig-tailed nemesis, so Gosunkugi couldn't find too much to complain about.

The pale faced boy jogged after the monster through the city, hoping to see the final blow to Saotome. Although, alas, Ranma wouldn't be fighting alone, poor Gosunkugi thought as he could see the streams of purple hair fly over the roof tops behind the monster.

The baggy eyed boy also could hear the shrill shrieking of that bandana boy in the distance. "Curse you, Ranma!" and "Akane, look out!"

Wait…Akane? She wasn't supposed to be there.

Gosunkugi's plans never did work out for him did they?

Chapter 1 - Storm Approaching

"Akane, look out!" Ryoga shouted as the strange creature's left claw began to rise to swipe the short-haired girl away. Akane had begun to recklessly charge the monster, yelling about how she could fight too, not realizing the sharp claws over her head.

Ranma rushed in, knocking Akane to the ground while shielding her from the raking claws that just barely grazed across Ranma's backside. The powerful claw slammed into the concrete of the side walk, crumbling it into small shards of rock.

"You idiot!" Ranma shouted at the still stunned Akane. "That would have taken your head off!" Kicking off the ground, Ranma managed to carry Akane away from the now growling creature.

It definitely resembled some kind of wolf, though about the size of a tractor trailer with curled horns and no tail. Its maw snarled viciously at the gathered fighters that surrounded it.

Ukyo began to throw her small spatulas to draw the monster's attention to her. Mousse jumped in next to her, throwing out various chains and ropes around the wolfish creature in hopes to hold it down.

"I, Tatewaki Kuno, shall smite the beast!" shouted Kuno as he began to charge in from the behind, his bokken drawn. Just as he was about to strike, the monster lifted back its left leg and it swung back, kicking Kuno.

The flying swordsman would have been able to land safely, but the bounding Amazon Shampoo used his head to help launch herself over to the right side of the monster. With her chúi readied, she managed a direct hit on the creature's right backside.

"Aiya! Shampoo get good work out with you!" she cried as her hit caused little effect to the monster.

Gritting his teeth, Ranma began to move forwards towards the monster. He could feel the claw marks on his back begin to tense, but he wasn't about to show any pain. And he wasn't about to let any of the others take victory either.

"Ranma! You shouldn't move!" Akane said as she pulled on his sleeve. "What if you get hit again?"

"Lay off," he grumbled. "I can hardly feel it, so don't worry about it."

Before Akane could say anything he bounded over to the fight. Ryoga proceed to grab onto one of the front legs, in an effort to drag the beast down with his unnatural strength. The creature began to chew on the bindings that Mousse wrapped around it, pulling and tugging causing Mousse to begin to loose his footing.

The monster swung its head sharply, causing Mousse to fly up into the air, although still hanging on to the chains and rope. The monster threw the chains into a spiraled arch that flung Mousse to the ground, right into Ranma.

Ranma could hear his ribs begin to crack on his right side where most of Mousse's flying weight hit. The only thing he could figure out that he could do to defeat this monster was use one of his chi energy attacks. Getting too close to perform kicks and punches obviously wasn't working.

Fortunately Ryoga, who was still hanging onto the one of the beast's front legs, was able to keep it distracted, giving Ranma enough time to start charging his energy.

I can do this! He thought as he charged his moko takabisha. Though little did Ranma know that Ryoga was charging his shishi hokoudan at the same time.

Just as Ranma released his takabisha in a blinding ball of light towards the monster's head, Ryoga let loose on the his hokoudan in a large lighted pillar, causing a backlash of energy that threw Ranma in the air and everyone else back to the ground.

The explosion caused a plume of dust and smoke to surround the entire fighting area. When the dust cleared the monster, frozen in its place, began to crumble into dark pieces of soot. Leaving the dazed fighters relieved that the battle was over.

"Come on, sugar!" Ukyo pulled Ryoga up from the mess of soot, trying to shake him awake. She laughed a bit at Ryoga's dazed expression.

"Aiya! That monster now no bother us!" Shampoo chirped happily while resting her chúi on her shoulder.

"Hey guys?" Akane cut in, a worried look on her face. "Where'd Ranma go?"

"The coward must have run away," snipped Mousse, who tried to clean his now broken glasses.

"You always say that Mousse," Shampoo coldly responded, turning her head away from him.

"Yeah, it's not like you did much good being thrown around like that duck-boy," Ukyo teased.

"Shampoo will find Ranma, you stay here and play with pig-boy," Shampoo chirped again as she patted Akane on the shoulder.

"What? NO I'm going to find Ranma!" Akane yelled at her, suddenly angry.

"Wait, who says you could find him, sugar?" Ukyo chided, standing up to meet the other two girls in a challenged glare, while dumping the still unconscious Ryoga on the ground.

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Ranma had crash landed into an abandoned lot. The back lash from the two colliding energy blasts sent him almost across town. Lying on his left side, Ranma tried to assess his injuries. Bleeding in various places, back throbbing, injured ribs, his right side split open, and little to no chi left to hold himself up.

With a groan he laid himself onto his back. Though it did hurt because of the cuts but it was easier to breath. He dreaded the fact that he must have punctured a lung during the fall. He was in so much pain it was hard to focus. Every breath felt like liquid fire and he could hear his lungs gurgling in time with his short gasps. The sun began to set, leaving Ranma alone.

I hope that they find me soon. They are looking right?

Something was wrong. If only he could concentrate. The monster may not be a threat to him anymore, but there was still the feeling of danger. And it was steadily growing, not diminishing

Hey guys? They left me alone?

As the sunlight vanished over the hillside, the feeling became stronger. Cold wind chilled him, tickling the open wounds. Ranma started to struggled, trying to get up, to yell, to call to the others, call to anybody. His energy started to fade faster as if it escaped with his leaking blood from his wounds. His vision began to blur as it was hard to keep his eyes open.

Please, somebody, come back. Help me!

A shadow descended over him, and a sudden coolness touched his cheek. His eyelashes fluttered in an attempt to keep his eyes open.

"Beautiful. You will serve me well," came a dark voice from the hazed darkness.

Who?-

Suddenly, a sharp pain raced along his neck. Ranma thought for a second he had been stabbed in the neck, and he could feel his blood flow freely. But there was also an odd sensation from the wound. A thrill of ecstasy ran through his body as he could feel the last of his life energy being drained away. At this rate, he realized, he would die from the rapid blood loss.

There was an odd sucking noise, and Ranma could feel a strange movement over the wound. He quickly realized that is was actually someone else's mouth! That wasn't a stab wound, he realized suddenly, his stomach twisting in revulsion. Someone had bitten him, and was now drinking his blood!

Ranma struggled to power up, summon any energy he might have left. Although it was no avail as his life began to peter away into nothingness. Mentally reaching, he grasped out for something, anything, a security line to save him from the approaching abyss.

There was a taste that suddenly flowed into his mouth; it had an odd copper flavor.

The taste wrapped around his sinking soul, keeping him from teetering over the edge. He drank eagerly, grasping for a way back, despite the fluttering feeling in his heart that something was wrong. Just as suddenly as it appeared, the source of the taste was gone.

His breathing began to change. Coming in slower and slower gasps, it felt like his lungs were freezing and wouldn't expand like they should. There was a cold emptiness that swirled in his stomach, filtering out through to the rest of his body.

Ranma struggled to breath through his stilled lungs while writhing in agony from the cold pain that swept through his entire body. He tried to call out, but since his lungs were failing the only sounds he could make were small groans and gasps.

Is this what death feels like?

Through the lack of air and the numbing pain, Ranma gave in to unconsciousness. His body stilled; his skin paling to almost a white sheen. Though only a minute passed before he started to breathe again, small and shallow.

Looking down at the boy, D'aray smiled softly.

"Storm. You are now my Storm." The vampire ran his hand down the boy's cold cheek. "A brilliant flame you once were, destined to burn hotly and swiftly, soon extinguished. But now I have changed the fuel and your flame will burn cold and bright forever."

"Come my Storm, we have places to see and people to undo." D'aray swept Ranma up, wrapping a long back cloak around both of them.

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How long has it been? A month? Or has it been longer? He wasn't sure any more.

Ranma let out a long sigh as he shifted his position further into the safe dark corner of his cell, away from the sun light that spilled through the barred window. The coldness from the surrounding stone walls kept Ranma's body numb and stiff.

Was this really his life now? Or was it his death? Had he gone to hell? What had he done in his life that was so awful that he was doomed to spend the rest of eternity as a demon? A vampire?

Well, he had killed Saffron, a god. Or maybe this was the punishment of his ancestors, his father was always telling him how worthless a son he was, but did he really deserve this waking nightmare?

D'aray had locked him up again. What was the point anyway? D'aray had fastened a collar around his neck to prevent him from leaving anyways. If he got too far it would activate, tugging him back to the fortress with a choking force.

Ranma fingered the metal collar; it had a fairly large chain link that constantly banged against his collar bone. The vampire master had no tolerance for disobedience and rebellious nature. Though, Ranma was never good with authority back home, and he wasn't starting now.

Ranma tried to fight him multiple times. Trying what ever skill and technique he knew. Yet, the vampire lord just laughed at the boy's attempts by simply slinging him across the room. In the end the elder vampire would torture him, beating him with various flails and whips.

It was part of Ranma's worst nightmare that D'aray would use these abuses to work him into a killing frenzy. During which he would butcher his former friends and family. At the end of the dream, Ranma would be soaked in their blood, and D'aray would laugh as his servant became completely swallowed up by the darkness.

However, his Master could only push him so far. D'aray had mentioned that the only reason he saw value in the boy is because of he was supposedly an elemental, whatever that meant. He didn't want to be a vampire, he didn't want to harm humans, and he certainly wasn't making it easy for D'aray.

Though, Ranma had to painfully admit, there were some advantages to being a vampire. His Jusenkyo curse seemed to have all but disappeared, much to D'aray's disappointment. He would never have to suffer being a girl again; the only traces left of the curse is that his hair would still turn the bright red when in cold water. Only a small consolation for his current predicament.

Also, whatever injury he acquires, if not a severed limb or torn organ, his body can easily repair the damage. He discovered that after the several beatings he endured by D'aray.

Unfortunately this leaves him to the pains of the thirst. Ranma had never experienced this type of hunger, a deep gnawing sensation in the pit of his stomach. He would even welcome back the Jusenkyo curse if he didn't have to feel this type of hunger.

D'aray had plenty of human slaves for them to feed from. The slaves had been robbed of all identity and were essentially like dolls. It sickened Ranma to even think about the poor souls. He could barley even look at then, let alone feed from them.

He knew that by not giving in to his new vampire needs would cause serious problems. Ranma had already passed out once from refusing to feed. D'aray degradingly fed him animal's blood to bring him back around. Though, to D'aray's irritation, Ranma refused even some animal blood. Not wanting to feed from pandas, pigs, cats, or ducks. Which only frustrated and confused the elder vampire.

There was a sudden noise outside his cell.

Ranma turned to see a guard drag in a human boy, pulling him by the back of his torn shirt to throw in a different cell next to his. They must have caught him wandering around his master's grounds. Ranma couldn't get a good look at the new prisoner before the guard threw the unconscious human into the other cell.

The guard then turned towards Ranma's own cell, lumbering down the narrow prison walls.

"Awake? Feed now, yes?" the demon guard asked in a gravelly voice. This one had an ugly dog-face maw with rusted armor covering its bulky form. These demons were common in this fortress. D'aray named them Guzzlies, a lower form of demon that descended from goblins.

Ranma did not reply to the demon's question. Simply glaring at it from his dark corner, arms crossed over his knees and head resting on top. The Guzzlie growled out what sounded like a sigh.

The guard then turned to a small side cage in the wall. Sticking its clawed hand in, the Guzzlie grabbed at a chicken that continuously pecked at the hand. Then the Guzzlie opened a side hatch to Ranma's cell door, tossing the clucking chicken inside.

"Master gets mad if me let you starve you-self again," it growled again, its broken speech sounding over the squeaking hinges of the closing side hatch. The demon then lumbered down the hall, checking the other cell doors as he went.

The chicken clucked while it settled itself in the streaming light from the window, cleaning its once white feathers. Ranma couldn't help but chuckle; that chicken is safe until sundown.

Yet, Ranma couldn't help but feel tense as the thirst started to well up inside of him. He could swear he could smell the blood in the chicken, or was it maybe the blood from his new prison mate in the next cell over?

Ranma began to pull on his collar's chain link in frustration.

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D'aray watched the minor demons scuttle about the yard, growling and snorting at each other. His bright green eyes narrowed in slight annoyance. There had been another 'uprising' the other day, a pack of low rouge demons decided that the vampire was too soft to rule the tiny mountainous area.

Little did they know of D'aray's wraith when angered. The vampire easily killed the pack with one strike from a lightening storm. The spectacle reinforced D'aray's rule, as well as damaging half his garden.

Which was part of his current irritation.

Some very old friends of his were coming next week and he wanted the grounds just right. He'd even mentioned that his 'Storm' might be able to come to the party, briefly, so he could show off his possession. However, his little fledgling didn't take that too well, throwing another one of his temper tantrums.

Why couldn't the boy be like every other young vampire? Most of those that become a vampire loose their souls to their inhibitions. Gleefully taking part in feeding and killing.

But then, his little fledgling isn't like most others is he?

D'aray gave the grounds one last look and walked soundlessly through the dark halls of his fortress, avoiding any light that had broken through the thick curtains. Entering the library, he took a seat behind an enormous desk of black oak, polished to an ebony sheen.

He opened a drawer to the desk. It contained a green box with a dark ribbon wrapped tightly around it. D'aray pulled off the ribbon and opened the box. There was simply a small book and a fist sized stone tied with tine into a necklace.

D'aray pulled the small book out, trailing his thumb on the frayed spine. With out this book and stone he would have never come to find his little 'Storm'. It had been a detailed report on the successor of the wind elemental.

The elementals were powerful beings that controlled their chosen element. Created by the hand of nature to protect a 'balance' within the world, the elementals can be a powerful ally.

The right of succession though is different from element to element. The only other elemental who D'aray had ever encountered was the water's avatar, a foolish immortal that received the water soul stone by the previous water elemental.

Though the wind avatar, D'aray smiled as he picked up the stone from within the box, is chosen by bloodlines. According to the report found with the stone, there hadn't been a chosen wind avatar in almost a good 200 years.

D'aray spent many nights tracing the old bloodline to the Saotomes. Easily obtaining the wind soul stone from the Saotome woman who stayed at the family house.

Crazy kimono wearing, sword wielding…..

D'aray pushed back his dark hair from his eyes. He wouldn't let it concern him, he had his prize. Now the only thing he needed to do was beat some sense into his fledging before giving the soul stone to the future avatar.

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Helen Star's Notes:

How did I do? I'm glad that I am able to write this story; I've always wanted to do a vampire Ranma fic! But what am I going to do next? Am I going to follow the original for the next two more chapters? Or am I really going to take the high road?

Please review and wait impatiently for the next chapter! I hopefully won't take too long in writing it.

Worked a little on rewriting. Trying to make the chapters longer and flow better. Not much has changed in each new chapter version. Just combining and a little rewording.

Updated for gsteemso who pointed out a single word misuse, changed it to right word. Thanks for keeping an eye out for me for this novice fiction.

For those who don't know:

Gosunkugi – I can't remember if he was in the anime but he was in the manga. He was this little baggy-eye guy that tailed Kuno around, trying to use various voodoo spells on Ranma. Another Akane-lover. (go-su-n-ku-gi)

Bokken – Kuno's wooden sword (bo-kke-n)

Chúi - the 'ball on a stick' that Shampoo fights with. It kinda looks like she took a large dumbbell and broke it in half.(ch-u-e) (was bonbori but I corrected myself)

moko takabisha – (fierce tiger ball) energy blast of Ranma's positive chi. (mo-ko ta-ka-bi-sha)

shishi hokoudan – (roaring lion/depression blast) energy blast of Ryoga's negative chi. Ranma can use too if he's stressed enough. (shi-shi ho-ko-u-da-n)

D'aray – Gaelic for Dark