Red Lips

"Talking"

'Thinking'

*Talking on Radio*

A/N: Warning-contains violence, cursing, blood, and slight intimate contact.

Mobotropolis District Hunter Archival Entry on Leeches by Rank and Feeding Style: Every type is ranked by how they gather their energy from mortals to survive, both of their blood and life energy. A newborn, or D-class, are freshly made from losing their blood then drinking the blood from their sires, these are the most aggressive; going after at least ten victims each night to replenish their hunger. C-class are those that have lasted at least half a century and go after five victims every other week, and start to learn to actually drain the energy of a victim. B-class last more than a century and only require five victims every month for blood, but at least 20 to get energy. And A-class were considered the 'millennium' lords who last over a millennium; these are the ones that just take one victim for blood a month and 100 for energy.

All ranks are considered dangerous and all novices must not engage any if they are not trained for it. Contact your mentor for status on your training.

End Entry

The night sky brightened with the full moon, and the air was crisp and calm with cold chills. The city's downtown was alive with lights and sounds of laughter and screams of startling cries. Lights dance in the air, illuminating the street and buildings and darkening the alleys; filled of unseen events of the dangerous ones, yet there is protection from within the darkness.

An obscure circle in one alley floor faces the black sky and reflects the few stars that are seen despite the city's lights. Suddenly the natural mirror is disrupted and liquid shatter from a running foot as it crosses the puddle. The figure continued running silently down the alleyway, away from the eyes of the lighted streets, then coming to a slow stop under a dim lighted lamp at an alleyway crossroad until the figure is revealed. Slender legs on padded high heels balances the curves of a female in black flared leather bodysuit, her body covered short ebony coat and gloves; her wings folded to her back. Custom guns under her coat cling to her utility belt. White instantly clashes in the dark of a soft furred head flowed into upward curls under two large bat ears and beige muzzle. Sharp half-lidded turquoise eyes scan the alley crossroad with an irritated frown on her red lips. Suddenly from her radio and camera eye piece earphone made her pitch her ears up alertly.

*Rouge, what's your position?*

"I'm just on the 5th and 13th alleyway, yet I don't have a clear visual yet. Where did it go?"

*You should have been right on top of it.*

Rouge frowned as she looked at the various areas around her. "Well it's not here now. Where did it go, Amy?"

*Don't get your wings in a twist. I'll find-*

"AHHHHHHH!"

The black-clad bat looked to the left alley the sound came from. A flash of red disappeared around a corner of a building, taking with it what looked like a figure of yellow fur and lavender hair, who was the cause of the scream. Rouge quickly reached into her coat and brought out her gun and radioed back to her partner.

"Never mind, I found it. I'm in pursuit to get visual contact, get your analyisers ready."

*Got it. Be careful.*

Reaching the corner she silently glided her steps she peeked around to view the scene of the struggling victim and its captor. A female yellow mink with long lavender hair, a student by her uniform, was held with her back to a wall, her arms at the sides of her head, and her wrists in the iron grasp of the figure before her. She had tears running down her cheeks as she looked fearfully at whatever face Rouge could not identify. At first glance it looked like a typical rape scene but Rouge knew better, she knew the captor was her target. Her camera eyepiece took in the whole scene.

*Okay* came a whispered reply from her earphone. *I'm analyzing…Yup it's a leech alright. I'm doing a full search on what rank it's in, hold your position.*

Leech.

A vampire by popular terms, a terror to all on the planet. Their origin was unknown, but they are merciless when they have a need to feed.

Her job was to keep the mortal world safe from these leeches.

From her view point Rouge could tell the form of the vampire: Male, from its broad shoulders and muscled arms. Species, by the red dreadlock-like spines and gloved large hands with claw-like spikes on the knuckles indicates an echidna. The outfit he wore looked like yellow and red steel tipped boots, and a leather jacket covering a crescent mark around his neck bust. The echidna had maneuvered the mink's hands above her head in one hand as the other caressed her cheek and petting her hair back and whispering in her ear, as if to calm her. Rouge knew that when she saw the mink's eyelids drooped that the vampire's true nature would soon come out.

"Amy, hurry we don't have much time."

It's not that she was scared, but until she knew the rank of her target she couldn't engage. She got more agitated when she saw the leech had started its feed; biting into the mink's neck. Her hold on the gun tightened as she watch the scene of the weakening struggles of the victim; the mink's cheeks looked flushed as the vampire clung her to his chest, her eyes still dripping with tears and her released arm stretched to Rouge's direction randomly, as if pleading to be saved.

"Amy!" she whispered desperately.

*Rouge,* Amy called back. *Hold your position.*

"But, Amy?"

*I understand, but I still can't get intel on this leech, it's dangerous to go at it alone. And also there's something werid.*

"What's weird?" She looked away for a moment.

*The victim is losing her energy and some blood, but her heart rate is normal. From her life reading, it's showing her energy being sustained.*

This was new; there were no records of a stable victim. To give energy while stealing host energy was not normal vampire behavior.

"When's that back up coming?" Rouge removed her coat for more movement.

*ETA 120 clicks. Sally will meet you-IT'S GONE!*

Rouge looked up quickly to see the victim seated against the wall and the vampire had vanished.

"Damn! Where'd it go?" Rouge looked around with her gun up into the silent darkness. Her ears should have heard him move. 'I only looked away for a second.'

*It just disappeared from the radar.*

"I'm going to assist on the victim, urge Sally to hurry."

Rouge made her way to the labored breathing mink, her eyes and ears looking around for moving shadows. She kneeled down next to the mink girl, checking her over. Two trails of blood leaked from the punctures on her neck, but she didn't look in pain, another odd thing. Rouge gently placed her hand on the girl's, she flinched a bit.

"It's alright. I'm Rouge; I'm going to help you. Are you hurt?"

The girl looked up at her with some fear in her eyes, but seeing Rouge's reassuring face she shook her head as Rouge covered her with her coat. 'It looks like she could faint any minute.'

"No…just weak… he said…" she shook a bit. "He said… 'it was not…my night to die.'" Rouge raised an eyebrow at that; defiantly not a normal vampire.

*Rouge, it's Amy, I just finished the analyzing process and there's no record of this leech yet. I'm getting its level reading and…SHIT! S-class!*

Shit was right. Rouge's eyes widened, she can't handle an S-class vampire.

The rank of S-class was the rarest of all vampires; so far only one was known and HQ wanted it to stay that way. Only one hunter out of a whole platoon had barely survived an encounter against it, a training partner of hers, Sally Acorn. No one knew how she survived and she aggressively refuses to enclose it to others. Her information on it was the only evidence of its existence. What bad luck for Rouge to find a new one and alone too, she had to get out of there with the victim.

Fear and panic started to flare inside within Rouge stood up looking to the mink, but she had to stay calm not to cause the girl to panic as well.

"J-just relax here for a bit, help is on the way," Rouge spoke to her sensitive ears twitching everywhere for foreign sounds. She noticed that she had stuttered.

She never had stuttered before.

Mina was losing conscious as her vision moved in and out. She was uncoordinated and dizzy, but she was more scared. She was just walking home from a meeting, when she heard someone humming over the loud traffic. How, she did not know, yet the baritone humming drew her away from the lighted and crowded street to a dark and secluded alleyway. She was pulled into a trance and followed the low hum until she encountered a stranger lounging on the outer wall of a building, a handsome strong red echidna with his eyes closed, hands in his jacket pockets, and beige muzzle that hummed as if bored. He then stopped his hypnotic song when she was close enough and she was released for her trance.

"Nice night?" She remembered him ask.

He opened his eyes to her and she was trapped in his amethyst gaze, but she saw him smirk at her and she knew she was in trouble. Yet, when she blinked and turned to run she bumped into something that wasn't in her path before. She looked up as his large gloved hands grabbed her wrists to see his eyes glowing and his grin now had elongated fangs.

Vampire.

"Going somewhere?"

She remembered she screamed.

The next thing she knew she was placed with her back to a wall away from their pervious spot and held with her wrists in his hands and his body leaning to hers. With all her strength she struggled against him, but he was as stone and she cried in realization that she might die from what her knowledge of vampire said he might do to her. Her tears spilled down her cheeks when his face leaned toward hers.

"Don't worry it's not your night to die."

His mouth was on her neck and before she could comprehend it the pain shot through her with his bite, then a sensation coursed through her like a blanket of numbness. Her struggles became less and less and the red vampire embraced her as he drew some blood but also an essence, an essence she couldn't tell. But still she was frightened.

'Help,' she asked in her mind. She had wanted to go home, she wanted to get this thing off her. 'Anyone,' she remembered that she reached out for something but nothing came. Then suddenly the mouth was off her neck and she was gently placed down and next thing she knew she was talking to a dark clothed female bat that said 'help was coming.'

Relief filled her, so much relief that she felt she could fall asleep now. She looked back up to talk to her winged savior again, who was actually talking into an eyepiece of sorts.

Mina met the amethyst stare.

'WATCH OUT!' she wanted to scream, but she couldn't make a sound as darkness took her.

Rouge crouched down next to the mink.

"Amy, the girl fainted. Can you locate the leech? Talk to me."

*Checking…-ROUGE! IT'S!-KZZZ!*

"Right here."

A breath behind her ear.

With a gasp she reacted quickly, dodging away from the spiked fist as it narrowly misses her head, knocked off her com-earpiece, and punch into the concrete wall with a loud thud. Moving at a distance she brought up her gun toward the figure's position. Her hands shook with the gun while she watched in horror as the retracting fist left a sizable crater and the spikes made deep punctures.

He turned and his eyes glowed back at her; sizing her up. For a moment neither moved, but she could feel his eyes roam over her. Then folding his arms in front of himself the red echidna noted her gun, her attire, and the broken com-piece before smirking and chuckled.

Rouge narrowed her eyes at him. "What's so funny?"

This baritone voice reverberated in her sensitive ears. "Just looking at the irony of this, I mean I'm the vampire being hunted," His fangs shimmered in the dim lighting of the alley as he grinned at her. "By a bat no less. Do you see that too, bat-girl?"

She refused to take his bait, she was already screwed, but she had to stall him for her back up to come. She tensed when he chuckled again.

"I wouldn't be concerned about back up coming," he glanced to a side and his grin widened. "Just to add new info of S-class vampires," she shivered when his glowing eyes went back to her. "We never travel alone."

That's when she heard a faint kerfuffle in the distance, her heart sank at it and she looked to the direction it came from. 'Sally! Amy!'

But that was a mistake.

When she turned back the echidna was right in front of her and preparing to throw his fist. She dodged, aimed and fired her gun, but he flowed out of the line of fire and lunged back at her. Back flipping away Rouge tried to aim again but he caught her wrist; his strength on it made her cry out and drop her gun. Twisting down, she had released her hand from his grip and dove under and between his legs then, with her wings, glided back up and kicked at his back. He grunted at the surprising force of it, and she hissed at the pain in her leg. 'His skin's like stone.'

He turned back to her as she hovered in the air. At first his face show irritation, as he rubbed his back, then he chuckled again.

"I have to admit, you're a lot stronger than I thought for a novice like you."

She didn't answer, but she couldn't help but think. 'How does he know that?'

"But this might prove to be an interesting fight," he looked down at the fallen gun by his feet, before lifting his metal soled boot up to smash it. "Especially since you're out of guns."

Rouge moved her hands to the folds on her legs and revealed scores of kunai, senbon and shuriken. 'But not out of weapons.'

With expert ease she showered him with the sharp needles, changing her aim every time he moved to a new spot. She was mortified to see that he can block her shuriken like he had armor. But she kept at it until she knew she would run out soon. A sudden grip on her ankle drove her down with a scream before being thrown at a wall. Using her wings as an air brake she decreased her speed enough to push back from it. Turning to see him raising his fists at her again, she reached behind her back to clamp her hand bracers on she was able to deflect his punches and used the momentum to move away, but he came back at her. His punches at the ground felt like mini earthquakes under her fleeing feet. When her bracers fell from her aching hands, she flew up again to escape but he was right behind her at a faster speed. She was able to counter a punch with a kick but it felt like hitting a brick wall and the pain that came with it was excruciating and she fell to the ground. Rouge groaned as she picked herself up, then she looked up and was surprised to see him was still floating in the air. The moon shined behind him making his silhouette look majestic, if he wasn't a blood sucking leech.

And he was gaining altitude.

Rouge was breathing hard, her body couldn't take the strain of battle for much longer, and she had sprained a wing in the fall; she lost her flight advantage. Her mind raced for any idea of escape. 'I can't take much more, and he's not even showing any signs of fatigue. I need to stay alive and protect the victim long enough for Sally and the back up to get here…if they have survived their bout.' She shook with fear as the echidna looked ready to dive at her, franticly searching, she felt metal at the base of her wing, a kunai. 'Only one left.' His sudden battle cry alerted her to his finishing dive. Taking the kunai and hiding it in her hand from his view and standing in position she waited until he was close enough. With a strong jump she flew at him, she surprised him, not only avoiding his outward punch, but aiming the blade side of a kunai to cross his face. He was able to dodge the knife edge but it was able to slice at the open corner of his mouth.

Every blade in a hunter's arsenal was coated with a recently discovered element that can cut through the flesh of a vampire. Yet, no one had tested it on an S-class. What a great time to find out?

Landing back down, Rouge took up her kunai defensively toward the echidna's back, but he didn't move for a moment. His body was still, his breathing sounded ragged but not out of breath. Rouge listened and glanced around back at the peaceful looking mink and for any cavalry relief but none come, she saw movement of the echidna's hand raise to his mouth.

The cut on his mouth was bleeding in streams, its color of darkened red she noted. His thumb brushed some off for him to get a closer look, as if he never had seen his own blood before. As he turned, Rouge's guard never dropping at this, he still looked at the blood; his face impassive.

"So first blood is drawn," his soft deep voice rippled a shutter in Rouge's body. Her heart stopped at the glowing twin amethysts. She looked on confused as he started to take off his leather jacket. She shivered in disgust as he cracked his knuckles, then his arms moved to his sides, the palms of his hands facing out; his eyes never leaving hers as he slowly stepped toward her.

"Now the gloves come off."

Rouge then witnessed the most terrifying thing in her career, maybe even her life. The sound of ripping flesh mixed with the tearing gloves as two jagged, thick, and shovel-like claws replaced his hand spikes, covering almost his whole hands.

'Appendage manipulation!'

Her frantic thought was cut off by his roaring charge. She had no choice but to dodge but it wasn't easy, since the claws tore into her shoulder. The resounding boom of his landed fist made her look up and pale at the damage; two jagged trenches plowed into the alley; damaging a nearby building.

She had no time to feel the pain in her shoulder or comprehend his power when he came on her in an instant. Backing up from his strike range Rouge desperately tried to find a way out of this situation.

Until her back hit a stray trash can.

Desperately, through the pain, she threw the can with all her strength at the red echidna and tried to run when she heard the crash of metal and flesh. Suddenly she realized she was now running from metal being smashed and ripped apart like tinfoil. Mortified, Rouge ran faster but a weight slammed into her back and plowed hard into the hard ground.

She was trapped.

Rouge was limp on the ground, her body ached, she could hear nothing but her head roaring in pain and absolute fear as she felt the metal like claw right on her neck.

'It's over…' Tears started to gather in her eyes.

She waited for the final strike, but instead the claw left her neck and she was moved to her back. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see her fate in front of her. Yet, for some moments nothing happened, she could barely hear the echidna's breathing.

Suddenly fingers gripped her chin and lifted it up; the sudden action forced her to look at the glowing eyes. They were half lidded, the cut on his mouth was still streaming his tainted dark red blood, and his body straddled over hers, she felt violated. Rouge just wanted this creature to finish her, to end it now. But he still made no move, and then she gasped in pain as the red echidna rubbed her shoulder wound with his other hand, smearing the blood on his fingers. He brought his hand up to look at them.

Rouge made a look of disgust as he tasted a drop of her blood on his tongue. Her vision blurred, she could hear the high pitched tone of her body, but also his content grunt and sees his feral fanged smile. Suddenly to her horror, he smeared his bloody finger with the flowing stream from his cut and smeared his fingers across his lips, and then leaned down to her face.

"Thanks for the exercise bat-girl. I enjoyed it. Hope to see ya again real soon."

Sirens blared in the distance, the thundering hunter cavalry was coming, but she never comprehended it as his kiss was more than she could take, and she fell into a deep sleep with the taste of the two bloods.

"So, you've had fun, Knux?"

The red echidna glanced at his smirking companion, from his vantage point atop a building, before looking back at the white bat and the young mink girl being taken in gurneys to an ambulance; medics were handling the other hunters of the backup unit. He wiped the remaining blood from his lips and healed his cut with his tongue.

"You could say that."

"Now we just need one more for a full set," his companion cheerfully exclaimed, then turned to the other viewer. "You missed a great opportunity."

The third watcher glanced his red eyes below to another gurney carrying a pink hedgehog into another ambulance. He sneered back, "It was more difficult than I thought."

"Little pinky gave you a lump on the head, heehee!" Came the singsong, which earned a hideous red glare.

"She won't deny me a second time. I will give her the mark as soon as possible."

"You better." Jubilant green eyes turned to a sharp glowing jade. "We need those marks placed before the time comes."

They nodded their heads to their leader. The jade eyes looked down on the mass of hunters with a piercing smirk of long fangs from his lips.

"Can't wait."

A/N-My god what have I been writing? This story actually was made for over two years and I still have a couple more chapters to it! That's real life for ya', it takes top priority. There's no guarantee that all of them will be finished but I know where the plot is going and who knows maybe they will. Well I hoped you liked it this was my darkest writing and it's getting darker. No flames on my point of veiw on vampires please and thank you. Later!