Hey everyone, I'm back! I am really, really, REALLY sorry for making CV fans wait this long. Creativity was incredibly lacking, and taking into account what I've been doing for the last two years, I can make up so many excuses…but I won't ^_^;;. I am incredibly sorry for not updating this and putting this into vampiric sleep, but now, I'm back to bring it back to life.

…Or at least wake it up for a moment to play in the darkness.

So, am I making excuses? Yes.

Do I think this chapter makes up for it? Definitely not…

Am I hoping that you guys will enjoy it? I hope so!

Am I also hoping you will be infinitely patient like you have been? …Um…Please?

Enjoy you guys! I apologize for the wait!

Disclaimer: I do not own Castlevania or the respective characters, they are copyright of Konami. If I did own them, I would make their adventures much more sexual in nature (It's freakin Castlevania! A good portion of the monsters are sexy women!)

Chapter 1: The Desert Beauty

Charlotte ran her hand over the great slab of stone, eyes closed and mind focused. "Yeah, this is definitely it." She stated, her fingers still tingling with the flux of energy from the next chamber.

"Alright, let's do this." Jonathan clutched the famed Vampire Killer and stepped forward, but Charlotte's arm quickly stopped him.

"Hold on a sec, Jonathan." She closed her eyes and brought her hand to the stone again. "...There's something different about this one."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"It's hard to explain. The energy feels similar to Dullahan's in that last painting, but there's still something off about it." She paused. "I don't know what it is, but I know there's some kind of subtle fluctuation. It's like when you're reading two identical books by different authors. There are some differences, but you hardly notice it."

"…Right."

Charlotte sighed. "…For you, it would be like fighting with two identical swords made of different materials."

"I'm not that dumb, Charlotte." He retorted. "Anyway, no problem. We're used to surprises by now, right?"

"Yeah, but let's be careful." As she pulled out her newest acquisition, the Tome of Arms Volume II, Charlotte placed her broom against the nearby wall. Though she primarily relied on her books and tomes for melee attacks, Charlotte couldn't deny her broomstick had been helpful at times. Having to rely on magic meant she had to hold her book open while preparing an aria, and the monsters in Castlevania certainly weren't known for their patience. Jonathan was usually successful keeping enemies at bay, but there were times when she had to rely on the old cleaning tool to fend off monsters. Of course, it was nowhere near as powerful as her tomes, but it was good enough to stun them with a whack to the head, a perfect opportunity to complete a spell or for Jonathan to finish it off. She clutched the broom tightly in her left hand and held her tome in the right. "Okay, ready when you are."

"Alright, here we go." As the slab slowly ascended into the ceiling, a foreboding blast of cool air swept past them, the scent of age and fuel on the wind. A loud 'THUNK' sounded once the slab locked in place, and cautiously, the two entered the darkened chamber. Fires crackled and shadows danced across the walls and floor, the air still and silent like a crypt. All that could be heard over the snapping flames were their footfalls in the empty chamber. As Jonathan slowly drew a knife in his free hand, his eyes fell upon the hieroglyphs lining the walls, all of them men in a submissive bow. His eyes followed them to the middle of the room, where a great stone mural stood between two gold bird-like statues, depicting a woman dressed in divine yet risqué clothing. The hunter slowly walked toward the mural to get a better look, noting the woman looked much more elaborate than he previously assumed. She held a divine pose and even in aged stone, she looked domineering. Admittedly, despite the fact that it was just a depiction, she looked rather seductive.

"What are you looking at?" Charlotte inquired, her fingers holding a page within her tome. Her brow furrowed immediately at the sight of the risqué depiction. "…You know that's not real right?" She asked with her usual know-it-all tone.

"I know that. I'm just wondering what it's for." Jonathan retorted with annoyance. He stared at the figure for another moment. "You think this was meant to be a queen's chamber?" The hunter asked.

"I guess so…" She paused.

…

Wait a minute…

Slowly, her arm extended toward the stone. "…Jonathan," her eyes widened, "the source is coming from~!"

COME HITHER!

*SLAM!*

Out of nowhere, a sudden flash flooded the room. A playfully malicious laugh filled the air as Jonathan and Charlotte shielded themselves from the harsh glow, their eyes stinging from the intense glare. As their vision slowly focused, Charlotte sensed a change in the air. It felt like some kind of channeled stream coming from a strange angle, and for the briefest moment, she saw a blurry flash of green just above her…and it looked as if it was coming toward…Oh shit! "Watch out!"

"Huh? Whoa!" Jonathan pushed off the stone and away from the eerie green aura. As his feet flew out of range, the aura started to pull back toward the stone, the distortion appearing to 'sweep' the floor in front of the mural. Charlotte quickly focused on the light's movement as Jonathan landed next to her, her mind working furiously to identify the spell. The light was definitely coming from behind the stone, but it didn't look like it was aimed directly for them. It looked more like it was sweeping across the floor and up past the stone mural. She sensed nothing spiritual in the attack, so it had to be magic-based…

…That's it! That 'attack' wasn't an attack at all, it was a defensive spell meant to keep enemies at bay!

Their opponent was a powerful witch.

Jonathan cracked the Vampire Killer against the floor. "Come on, chump! Are you so scared you have to hide from us?!" He taunted with a cocky smile.

"Oh my…What a handsome voice…" It was that woman again. "I think I'll enjoy toying with you…"

Jonathan huffed with a smirk. "Sorry, but I'm not interested in romance with monsters…"

"We know you're there. There's no point in hiding from us!" Charlotte shouted. All the while, she silently prepared her own incantation, a spell that concentrated air into the sharpest of blades, gale force. "Jonathan…" She whispered. He caught her eye and upon noticing the spell, silently readied a second knife.

"Well, that's too bad…I just thought~"

"NOW!" Charlotte thrust her book forward. "GALE FORCE!" A sweeping blast of air shot forth from the tome, breaking into two identical blades as they flew for their opponent. Once they zipped past, Jonathan took off behind them, readying his own set of twin blades. He watched the green crescents quickly fly around the stone mural on opposite sides and twist to converge, ready to slice whoever was hiding clean in half.

"Huh?!" The female voice shouted with shock. "Damn!"

The blades of air swiftly flew past each other and dissipated, showing no signs of blood as they faded away. Just as expected, Jonathan spotted part of a royal Egyptian headdress ring from behind the stone. Looks like she dodged it after all. He quickly pulled his right arm back and prepared for a one-two hit, but just as he was about to let the first blade fly…

His eyes fell upon the most beautiful face he had ever seen. Passionate pink eyes, full lips, and the tone of a divine Egyptian…It was the most perfect face the hunter had ever laid eyes on. Her long raven hair danced down her back as a seductive smile pulled on her lips, her eyes shining with both radiance and malice. Jonathan's knives slipped out of his hands and his mouth fell open with awe. He was completely focused on her beauty, the goddess dressed in a divinely tempting bikini with golden ornaments strewn about her body. The pink scarf waved and bobbed about her body as she reached the height of her jump, her beautiful shoes revealing much of her bare feet.

"…So beautiful…"

"JONATHAN, WATCH OUT!"

"TAKE THIS!"

Before he knew it, Jonathan went flying across the room. Compressed air pushed and smashed him into the opposite wall, the hunter landing with his hands and knees on the floor. The whip was still tightly gripped in his right hand, but even though he knew that she was an enemy, he was beginning to feel reluctant of having to strike this beautiful goddess before him.

"Jonathan, what are you looking at?" Charlotte asked angrily, helping him back to his feet. "Don't lose your head!" Why did he not react to that? It was literally in front of him, and yet he acted like he didn't see it!

"Sorry Charlotte." He shook his head. "My mind slipped." Her scowl was more than enough to say that she didn't buy it.

"So then…" The two quickly looked at the lovely woman, her Egyptian sandals now touching the floor. "Did you enjoy your little flight?" She asked with a giggle.

"…Not really." Jonathan answered.

"Oh come now my handsome hunter…Didn't it feel wonderful to be blown away by Astarte, goddess of beauty?" She asked as she stared seductively.

The lingering silence prompted Charlotte to take note of her partner, spotting the faded blush coming upon his face. What's with that look in his eye? "Jonathan! Earth to Jonathan!" He didn't respond to her outburst.

*THWACK!*

"Ow!"

"Will you get a grip?!" She shouted angrily.

"Sorry…" Jonathan stated, rubbing the back of his head. Of course he had it in the back of his mind that she was a monster, but even so…she was the most beautiful thing he ever laid eyes on. Even more beautiful than the other hauntingly erotic creatures…that Egyptian goddess was a combination of erotic and divine.

Astarte chuckled, slowly walking toward them. "Oh, come now…there is no need to fight…We could live together as lovers…" She said with a seductive tone. Jonathan's smile broadened but he shook his head, attempting to clear his thoughts.

Charlotte scoffed. "Sorry, but like he said before, we aren't interested in romance with monsters."

Astarte grinned evilly. "I never said anything about you, little wench. In fact, I'll gracefully give you a chance to leave with your life. Him, on the other hand…" She smiled widely upon seeing Jonathan blush once more.

"Jonathan…" She whispered. "Jonathan!" Again, no answer…

*THWACK!*

"Ow! What?!"

"Pay attention!"

"Hyaaah!" The two turned upon hearing the cry. Just in front of them was the pink satin veil, its edges as sharp as a blade. On instinct, Charlotte quickly lunged into her partner and sent them both crashing to the floor, the veil's edge flying just inches past them. She sensed another attack coming, and quickly pushed off the floor to her right once more, dodging the other end of the cloth. Jonathan rolled right beside her, but much to her surprise, there was a small cut on his lower back.

"A little slow today?" She asked sarcastically.

"Sorry…Just caught me by surprise."

Charlotte's eyes widened. "Surprise? Jonathan, even I saw that coming!"

"TAKE THIS!" Charlotte turned her head to see a golden baton pointing in their direction. The sudden change in the air was more than enough of a warning, and as the wind began to grow violent, Charlotte pushed off her feet and pulled her broomstick between her legs.

"YAAAAAAAH!" She screamed as the gust pushed her through the air, her clothes and hair flapping wildly with the wind. Her legs dangled like dead weights and her eyes shut closed as Charlotte "flew" across the chamber, the young witch praying for a soft landing. Despite being proficient in spell-casting and magic, Charlotte Aulin had proven time and again that she was anything but a flyer. No matter how she flew, even from a mere six feet above the ground, she was unable to maintain her flight for more than three seconds. The young witch had always blamed it on her fear of heights, but it was hard to believe when she couldn't even pilot her broomstick less than ten feet off the ground. Coupled with several embarrassing incidents, including one where everyone saw up her skirt in class, Charlotte finally gave up flying after much ridicule and embarrassment. She never really liked flying anyway, but now more than ever, she wished that she at least learned how to make a soft landing.

"Oomph!" Charlotte squeaked as she slammed onto the hard stone. She briefly rubbed her sore bottom before she slowly got back to her feet, the force of the landing still shuddering through her legs. However, her eyes widened upon seeing the wall before her. "Jonathan!" She rushed to her partner as he held his head in his hands. Behind her, she could hear Astarte giggling to herself, but she paid it little heed. "Are you okay?"

The hunter coughed. "Yeah. Ugh…" He shook his head as he slowly used the wall to pull himself up. "She's trickier than I thought."

Charlotte scowled but held her tongue. By now he should understand how much that woman was hindering his performance, no need to add insult to injury. "Jonathan…" She glanced back at the woman briefly, an arrogant smile plastered over her face. "We have to finish her off quickly. If she keeps this up, then we're in serious trouble."

Jonathan nodded. "No problem. Got any ideas?" He looked at the goddess but quickly closed his eyes. No…he couldn't let his mind wander, he had to concentrate. She was his enemy. She had to be destroyed. His left hand played in his jacket pocket close toward his waist, fingers delicately dancing over something metal and hard with a smooth grip. His eyes shot open as his hand tightly gripped the hilt of a long knife. That's it! "Charlotte…"

Charlotte looked down to see the knife in Jonathan's hand. "…You got it." She helped Jonathan to his feet and quickly searched for the required incantation as he released the whip to pull out a second knife. Besides the primary ability to project emulations of weaponry, Charlotte discovered that each Tome of Arms contained a powerful spell inscribed in the pages. When successfully cast, the spell created multiple replicas of any given weapon of her choosing, from the small short sword to even the holy whip itself. She had easily surmised that it was meant to supply armies and groups of fighters for any practical use, but thanks to Jonathan, the pair had discovered a way to use it effectively and efficiently. By utilizing the replication spell with Jonathan's proficient knife throwing abilities, the two could summon a storm of swift blades to decimate advancing enemies, a combination they appropriately dubbed 'Thousand Blades'.

Astarte looked with amusement. She slowly made her way toward them as the pair made the final preparations, the hunter wielding a knife in each hand while the witch held her fingers on a specific page of text. Charlotte swiftly whispered the incantation and the words began to glow in a strange aura, the light intensifying with each second passed. Jonathan kept his eyes closed as he focused his mind, honing in on Astarte's presence while he waited for the signal.

Astarte smirked. She had just the thing for him. Her eyes caught his subtle head movement and stopped in her tracks. He knew exactly where she was…and she would be well-prepared.

"NOW!" Charlotte's free hand glowed and Jonathan's eyes snapped open.

THOUSAND BLA~

"TEMPTATION!" Astarte shook her hips and spun on her heel, giggling lightly. Her eyes closed for the briefest moment as Jonathan watched, his eyes widening and his feet shaking. He didn't realize that the knives had fallen out of his hands as he stared on, gazing at the beautiful woman, no, goddess before him. A dull ringing noise sounded in his ears but he paid it little heed. Jonathan simply watched with an expression of awe at the Egyptian goddess of beauty. He was completely smitten by her. He was in love with her.

He was completely devoted to her.

"Jonathan?" Charlotte noticed the delirious expression on his face. Beside the same twinge of annoyance (and some inferiority), the witch realized something was very wrong. "Jonathan!" He didn't respond.

*TWHACK!*

The hunter didn't even flinch.

*THWACK!*

"Hello! Earth to Jonathan!" She screamed, her fear becoming evident.

"Command me…"

Charlotte had just prepared for another strike before Jonathan said those words. "…What?"

Astarte chuckled. "Fight, my love…"

"Yes, my master…" Charlotte had just caught on before she was forced to jump away. A sharp sting on her arm indicated Jonathan's blade had cut her, but she had little time to recover. She quickly dodged another attack, this time countering her partner with a tome.

"Snap out of it, Jonathan!" She shouted. "Don't you recognize me?!"

"Die, intruder…" Jonathan droned. He rushed forward but once again, Charlotte parried the attack with her tome. However, as the blades connected, the hunter forced Charlotte's arm to the side and sent the tome flying from her hand.

"Jonathan! Listen to m~!" She leapt to the side to dodge another attack, both hands now clutched on her broomstick. "She's controlling you! You have to fi~!" Charlotte turned on her heel, sidestepping the sharp sword. "Come on, Jonathan! You're stronger than thi~WHOA!"

*Kink!*

She pulled her broomstick off of the sword, paying little heed to the little nick in the staff. Jonathan was still coming in mercilessly, his attacks steadily becoming swifter and more aggressive. For a brief moment, Charlotte caught a glimpse of Astarte's sadistic smile, but the witch's scowl quickly disappeared when Jonathan closed the gap. He swung his sword once more but she jumped past him, turning just in time to avoid another potentially fatal strike. Despite her usually calm demeanor, the witch's adrenaline was getting the best of her. Like most witches, Charlotte fought with a focus on magic and long-distance attacks, leaving her hand-to-hand combat skills at a barely adequate skill level. If she was forced to, she would rely on hit-and-run tactics while Jonathan backed her up, but in such an enclosed area, there was no way she could execute this effectively. Not only that, but against Jonathan's superior speed, skill, and weapon mastery, it was near impossible to subdue him in close combat. It was essentially pairing a mouse against a cat in an enclosed room.

As the pair continued their skirmish, Astarte watched with the same sadistic smirk. She absolutely could not wait to get this hunter to herself. Once he had killed that wretched witch, she will be more than delighted to show him the fruits of his labor. In exchange for eternal life and pleasure as one of the many in this pyramid, all she'll ask for is simple loyalty. "That's right! Fight, my love! Fight for me!" She shouted.

"Yaah! Haah!" Charlotte rolled awkwardly to the side but quickly got back on her feet. The 'clang' of the sword against stone woke her to the new ferocity in Jonathan's attacks, and just a moment later, she was forced to pull back. If the hunter could just pause for a few seconds she would have her window of opportunity, but for someone of his caliber, that window was near impossible to find. She gasped from a swift attack and raised her broom defensively. Once again, the broom handle caught the sword, but instead of pulling it out, the hunter kicked her in the stomach and forced her onto her back. "HAAAAH!" He jumped into the air and prepared to slam the blade into his master's foe, but before the blade could connect, Charlotte turned her body barely a second before it would have struck her. Jonathan raised the blade and stared with a menacing expression. He screamed triumphantly and prepared to strike her down in the name of the goddess Astarte, but before he could, a sudden blunt blow struck his gut. "Ungh!"

Charlotte thrust the blunt end of her broom into his stomach once more, this time just below his rib cage. She rolled to the side as Jonathan fell to his knees and before he could recover, she slammed it against his back. "Sorry Jonathan, but it's for your own good!" She forced him to the ground with a strong hit to his knees and kicked the sword out of his hands. Charlotte gave only a cursory glance at the woman before she ran for her tome, but just as she grabbed it, she noticed peculiar writings and hieroglyphs on the column in front of her. The symbols and inscriptions…This was no ordinary text, it was for a spell!

At that moment, Astarte's expression quickly began to change. "My love! Why are you faltering? Kill her!" She shouted. Jonathan slowly got back onto his feet but the excruciating pain forced him back to his knees. The hunter groaned as he struggled to stand, slightly crawling with each failed attempt to get back on his feet. "What are you doing?! Hurry you fool!" Her eyes focused on the insolent witch as her fingers ran over the symbols and her eyes skimmed over the writing. She silently uttered the correct spell to herself to get a grasp of its intention, but with each component deciphered, Charlotte was feeling an uncomfortable pang in her stomach. If her instinct was right…then this spell was not something she wanted to try.

However, it sounded like just the thing to turn the tables.

"…I can't believe I'm doing this." She looked over at Astarte and the expression on her face said it all. Charlotte knew her most divine secret. As Jonathan slowly staggered back up, Charlotte opened her tome and recited the incantation as quickly as she could. A light blue aura mixed with golden light surrounded her as the words left her lips, her mind ever focused. She focused all of her concentration into the spell, knowing that it had to be as perfect as possible. Any error could spell her downfall…She had to get this right on the first shot!

…

…

…

NOW!

Charlotte's eyes shot open and caught sight of Jonathan, his hand tightly gripped on his sword and staggering toward her. Here goes nothing!

"NO!" Astarte shouted.

TEMMMMP-TATION!

She shook her hips and spun on her heel, her arms pulling above her head to reveal her white, short-sleeve blouse. A strange chime echoed in her ears just before she saw several glittering blue hearts zoom past her, all aimed directly for Jonathan.

And that's part 1.

Yes, there is no sex scene yet.

Yes, I know you guys hate me now. -_-;

I am really sorry there is no sex scene here you guys. There will be one eventually, but to be completely honest, it's been really difficult for me to write up the scene for some reason. I've been trying all Summer after I posted the note, but well, you can guess how that turned out ^^;

However, I'm going to do something a little different. Jonathan and Charlotte will come back to this part of the confession later on, meaning I'll be working on the sexual encounters with other monsters instead! If there is a certain monster you want to see have fun with Jonathan and Charlotte over another, then please let me know, I'll take it into consideration. Be aware however, that I am putting this to a 'vote' here as well as on AFF, so there will be others' opinions I'll be factoring in. Also, just as a note, I will only write encounters with the monsters of Castlevania, that means Stella and Loretta will not be making an appearance.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and once again, I sincerely apologize for the lack of sex. It WILL be in the next chapter, I promise!

Please R+R! Thanks for reading!

...So, who do YOU want to see have sex with Jonathan and Charlotte next?