Ohhhh dear. Just for the record, you guys reading this should be very grateful that it isn't my Kenshin fic, or my Moonchild fic... God knows when the last time I updated those was. XD Once again, I have NOT. ABANDONED. ANYTHING. Every fic I have not yet finished, (with the exception of Pay Attention, Class), WILL be FINISHED! I swear!

Three months in Nagasaki and being a week late for school makes one busy. SORRY SORRY SORRY! And now bronchitis the first week back of Spring semester... I sound like Kenshin in the Seisouhen Arc...

And I know, literal years of no updates... I'm trying really hard, guys, I really am... Just be patient; I've been getting inspiration to write more on this from my muses. Specifically a friend of mine known as PhantomSeptember on deviantart, LOL , plus I read through it again and forgot how much I liked it... Here you are, folks: Chapter Nine!!

P.S. RevieworIwillhateyouforever.

Have a nice day!

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Chapter Nine: Underground

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Sunset.

"Momma--"

"Kelly, be quiet, I have to think!" yelled Maggie.

Her hands seemed to have taken up permanent residence in her hair, doing a fair job of tearing out a few unsuspecting strands. The men had come straight into her house, seized both of the dhampires none too gently, and left, shoving her and Kelly up into the guest room with a posted guard. She had seen D wince, only slightly, as one of the men grabbed hold of his injured arm, invisible beneath dark armour and fabric.

"Damn that infernal man a thousand times over," she swore, pacing the space in front of D's former bed. "He could have found a better way to get out of that! Why did he just-- argh!!"

Kelly sat with her knees drawn up to her chin, hugging herself and crying quietly. He mother was preoccupied and she knew she shouldn't bother the woman when she got like that, but she was scared out of her wits from the armed men who had nearly broken down their front door. She was hungry, too, and she had to use the bathroom, but so far their captors had done nothing more than ignore them and poke rifle barrels in their faces if they said anything.

Maggie was tearing white streaks into the floorboards from pacing. And Alucard didn't look good, she mused grimly, turning the bend for another lap across the room. He really looked like he was in trouble. The sun in these parts has killed normal humans every day; they can't be well... Damn that sheriff! This is all his fault...

But then, he hadn't seemed too worried. Usually Maggie could tell when something was bothering him. When he'd freaked out about the sheriff, she'd known immediately that he was angry and knew something she didn't about the official, but this time had been different. He hadn't seemed panicked or rushed, even to her senses. Of course he'd probably been in a billion other situations worse than this, but still, wounded and with an unconscious family member--

"Momma, I'm hungry," the girl whispered, cringing as though ready for another tongue-lashing. "And I gotta go."

Maggie whipped around as though she would, mouth opened to scream, but then she saw the fear in her daughter's eyes and the tears running down her face, and her heart softened. She had been rather harsh on the child. Kelly had been terribly upset when those men practically busted their door down armed with large guns. Sighing deeply, Maggie tried to focus on the fact that D had seemed alright when they left, and tried to comfort the child.

"Oh sweetie, I know. I'm sorry, I just... This must have been hard for you too." Maggie sat on the bed beside her and pulled her close. "You're worried for Alucard, aren't you?" The blonde head buried in her chest nodded up and down. "Ohh," she huffed, tucking her under her chin. "Baby, I'm sorry I yelled. I'm worried too..." The crickets outside grated on her ears in the silence.

"I miss them both," Kelly murmured.

"They are rather special, aren't they? We haven't had anyone this close to us since your father died," the woman said softly, as if surprised by her own realization.

That's right... No one in this town has gotten that close to us, not even our waitresses. Those boys were only here for a few days, and look what happened...

"It'll all be fine, honey," Maggie said finally. "Now here, go get the wash basin; we'll use that as a privy for now. And I think I have some crackers for emergency rations somewhere under these floorboards."

Her eyes widened. Floorboards...

There was a space under the floorboards that led to the basement stairs.

"Hurry up and do your business, Kelly, and then we're gonna go get you those crackers..."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Damn damn damn...

"Spread out! I want him found, damn you!"

The sun would be down in moments. Alucard was barely responding to D, merely a dead weight on his bad shoulder, and the men were hot on their heels. The hunter was stripped head to toe of his usual armour, cape pulled over Alucard to shield him when the sun flared in intensity, and his energy was dwindling. Despite this, the hunter's long legs ate up the ground as quickly as the horses.

Would that we had a horse around somewhere, or even a goat-- He won't last at this rate.

A bullet whizzed by his head.

Perhaps neither of us will.

D's fangs were almost full length, protruding from his mouth and emphasizing his need as he grimaced with the effort of dragging his sibling toward the sheltering boulders through sand and stone. The last of the light had almost faded, but not before D got an unprotected faceful of sun. His eyes danced with spots that were not disappearing and the throbbing at the back of consciousness threatened to grow into something more dangerous.

Where are the rocks? All we could see for miles when we first arrived were mountains and now there aren't any to be found!

Alucard's heartbeat was slowing, he could hear it in his ears, irregular and weak, and a stab of fear went through him. "Alucard? Alucard-- wake," the dhampire grunted, dragging his legs over a particularly large boulder that was no shelter at all. Damned desert...

Closing his eyes, D focused on a pinpoint of light that was centered in Alucard's direction, and pulled.

The blond's eyes flew open with a jerk.

"WHAT--"

He was gasping for air. Wide golden eyes focused on D's countenance.

"What-- what did you do?!" Alucard stuttered.

"Old trick-- of the trade," he grunted, pulling both of them over a trio of large but useless rocks. Jump-starting a man into wakefulness was not usually a good, safe idea, but the hunter was out of options. He knew Alucard would probably be unconscious again in a few minutes, so time was of the essence:

"The humans will be on us in moments and the sun is seconds from being down. If we don't get to a cave or a shelter of some sort, we will be caught, or freeze to death. Use that fire spell you did-- there--" D pointed to the base of an old dead tree and the large, flat stone leaning against its trunk. "Can you do it?"

"I-- think--"

D pulled Alucard into position as much as he could so the blond could focus on his task rather than his aim. "Watch out for the backlash," he gritted, glaring at D momentarily to make sure he got the message. D nodded.

With a burst of smoke and flame, the tree suddenly had a small rabbit hole in its base big enough for a man. Letting Alucard down, he rested him against the hillside and clambered into the small chamber, raising his left palm when he reached the end.

"Eat downward," he commanded.

"I know," it grumbled. "You'd think I'd never gotten you outta this kinda scrape before or somethin'."

Five minutes later, there was a sizable cave at the end of the tunnel and D was literally dragging Alucard half-awake beneath the ground, pounding the earth above them until the flat rock fell through, effectively blocking the entrance and hiding the black scorch marks. They were now hidden, but still in shallow enough ground as to where they could hear the hoofbeats of horses and even clear consonants of the men arguing above them:

"--God damn hunters. I told ya Ric, this is exactly what happens when you trust bounty hunters!"

"Well you can't say they're all like that," came the reply. Horse number two...

"I damn well can after what we been through!"

"Pipe down up there and keep looking! They can't have run much farther!" a young, venomous tenor joined in.

Davis.

Alucard moaned as he drifted in and out of consciousness, his lithe form tossing and turning in the dust, cloak tangling around him. D clapped a hand over the man's mouth, sweat dripping from his face. Exhaustion was taking over; he wouldn't be awake much longer himself.

"I don't-- did you say something?"

"Nope. You told me to shut up, 'member?"

"And I said for you two to shut up and keep going! Now get your asses out there or there'll be hell to pay!"

The horses scuffed as if restless and one by one the hoofbeats faded to nothing.

D. I feel something. There's something among 'em-- one of those men doesn't smell right, the demon said in his head. D could feel it too. The dirt around them only just separated him from a field of subtle energy above their heads, dark and constricting. The shadows of the humans' auras faded, and the hunter sighed, sinking back against the cave wall with a heavy fatigue taking over.

That energy... It felt familiar... reminded me of-- something...

As he tried to think of what it was, the last thing D visualized before he passed out was the blue flashing energy that had surrounded Alucard's sealed coffin.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Davis spat tobacco juice into the red dirt of the path.

Nothing.

He had told Macwell to keep an eye on those two, and the steel-reinforced shed should have been enough to hold them in their weakened state. They'd taken all the hunter's supplies, including his sword and armour, so they should have been no way to get through. Apparently D had more to him than they'd thought. This was setting his plans back a bit; there wasn't much time before--

"DAVIS!!"

The dark-haired man tugged at the kerchief around his neck and rolled his eyes. Too late.

"Any sign of them?" The pony the mayor rode was as fat and stubby as he was, and it tossed its braided mane with an arrogant snort as he brought it alongside Davis's steed. The young sheriff shrugged, towering above them on his tan stallion. Mayor Bityrn bristled at the lackluster response. "Well look harder! I pay your salary, you impudent bastard!"

Ire clawed at Davis's stomach. This was getting annoying. "What, did you expect them to just give themselves up?"

"I expect my orders to be followed! You're nothing but a two-bit farmhand, you worthless whelp of a pig farmer! I could have you hanged for--"

A vicelike hand clasped Bityrn's throat and he choked as he was lifted clear off his mount. The pony squealed when the mayor's leg's kicked its sides, taking off from under him and leaving the fat little man struggling in empty air.

"Ghk-- p-put--"

"You listen to me, old man," came the venomous reply. "If I wanted, I could kill you right here, take all your precious money and leave you to rot without any of my men batting an eyelash. They are loyal to me, not you, and they know damn well that you don't have anyone's interests in mind but your own. Now me, however--" he grinned, dark eyes shining with a crazed light. The sheriff pointed to himself with his thumb, leaning back in his saddle. "Me, I'm just one of the common guys. I know what it's like to be out in the field all day, getting all shot up and never getting any respect for it."

Davis drew the mayor so close that their noses practically touched.

"This town belongs to me, Mr. Mayor sir. And I think you'd do well to remember that."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Alucard's eyelashes bounced gently on his cheeks for a moment, then lifted.

Where...?

The blond pulled his back away from the cave wall and took a deep breath, clearing his lungs of dust and stale air from his hibernation. Where were they? He vaguely remembered rocky terrain and red sand... A dark shape slumped over his knees alerted him to D's presence and his heart momentarily leapt into his throat. "D?"

He relaxed as he heard D's steady heartbeat through his flesh. That's right, he had made them this cave, albeit he couldn't remember hollowing the earth to this extent...

"D? D, wake up," he nudged his sibling.

No response.

Pulling the hunter upright against the rock wall, Alucard settled him into a more comfortable position, his head lolling uselessly over Alucard's shoulder, pillowed by white-blond tresses. Reaching out with his senses, the other dhampire assessed their situation. We can't have been here long; the scorches have barely cooled. He shivered involuntarily, realizing it must be nearing the twenties outside. Must be sundown as well. God, this territory is a harsh place...

D's breath was even and natural on his clothing, so he must not have been too bad off when they came in. He would probably need some time to recover from sun exposure, as well as a good dead rat or two for fluids, but Alucard surmised their hideaway would buy them at least a full day before they were discovered.

"I know you for a few full days and already I'm hunted," he snorted, poking the dark head resting on his collarbone. "Is your day always like this?"

"Actually, it's normally a little better," a voice harrumphed back. "You think this is bad, you should see when he blows his cover before taking the job."

Alucard froze. That had most definitely not been D.

"Down here, pretty boy," the voice spoke again, rather snottily. The blond dhampire stared downward.

It was coming from D's hand.

Tentatively, Alucard picked up the hand and turned it to face palm up. He nearly dropped it: eyes, nostrils, mouth, teeth, tongue-- a face. It was a face. In D's palm. The blond found himself so shocked he didn't speak for a good few moments.

"...Are you-- what are you?"

The face smirked eyelessly: a very disconcerting sight indeed. Alucard tried not to stare as the skin of D's hand moved and stretched with the creature's words: "I'll let D explain when he wakes up. And for all our sakes I hope he does soon, because we're about ten seconds away from having company."

The dhampire blinked.

"We're-- what?"

Alucard's head shot upward as a scuffling sounded above the cave entrance.

Oh no.

They couldn't be discovered now; D was unconscious and although he wasn't certain, Alucard didn't think his last brush with sun had left him ready for an opponent. No other exit, no cover, no weapons but a dagger and one shoddy pistol... Things didn't look good. The noise continued; the man above them was doing something...

Horseshoes scraped the ground, and the horse whinnied and stamped, sending small cascades of dust onto the two men from the red earth above.

"Whoa there, boy; just sit still--"

He must have thrown a shoe, Alucard realized. Perhaps he was tying the creature off above them, next to the tree for balance. Holding D against his shoulder to stop any movement, the pale-haired man held his breath, hoping that the henchman above him would finish his business and leave...

"Hey, just relax; that's my boy--" Another scuffle-- then sudden silence. "Huh?"

Alucard's eyes swept the entrance. A finger poked through the dirt, sending a ray of weak blue light into the cave.

"Well I'll be darned," the man whistled, causing the shrill echo to bounce deep into the pocket of empty air.

Their rabbit hole had been found.

The voice sounded closer. "Let's see what we got here--"

Swiftly, Alucard covered D with the cloak, pushing him heavily away into a dark, shielded corner of the cave and attempting to feign sleep. The stone came away from the opening just as he stilled. He felt eyes on him.

"Holy--"

A pause. He could practically hear the man's thoughts: Was it dead? Was it faking? Should he call for help? There was no one around... Maybe if he tied the vampire up while he was unconscious, he'd be rewarded; catch the bloodsucker single-handedly. Alucard tried to look as worn and non-threatening as possible without moving a muscle. His only chance would be to overpower the man when he came in after them.

Seconds ticked by as the man worked through his fear, and Alucard forced his heart to still.

After a few brief, agonizing moments of indecision, the man blessedly made the right (or rather, wrong) choice and disappeared, reappearing with a length of thick rope wrapped around his arm, and clambered into the cave on all fours.

Sandy brown hair came into view and the man hissed as he caught his foot on a sharp rock, his farm clothes tearing on the jagged stones. Alucard slid one pale hand slowly toward his knife, a mixture of guilt and fear gnawing at his insides as the human crawled nearer. He didn't want to kill this man, but one mistimed sound from him and the rest of them could come running at any moment.

The man was around thirty, tanned and weather-worn, with a dusty denim shirt and heavy canvas trousers and cowboy boots. Perfectly normal for a frontiersman. He wiped his brow; his hands were shaking as he sat up in the tunnel and uncoiled his rope.

"Easy there... nice vampire..."

Right, Alucard sneered inwardly.

A hand grazed his ear and the dhampire's eyes shot open.

The man yelped, but he wasn't quick enough to escape even an exhausted half-Noble. Alucard's knife was at his throat and his other hand yanked the human's head toward its edge, golden eyes promising a swift death if he didn't receive cooperation.

"Don't make a sound," he warned.

The man whimpered.

Alucard really did feel sorry for him; the human was terrified.

Honesty seemed a good policy: "I don't want to kill you, but if you bring them here to us, I will do what I must." Blue eyes widened with fear, beads of sweat trickling down the man's temple, but he didn't shout.

"Do you understand?" Alucard pressed.

Violent nodding, then slightly less adamant movement when the last nod touched his throat to the blade. He swallowed at the feel of cold steel on his skin.

"I-- unders-stand," the human shivered.

A moan broke their eye contact and Alucard whipped around to see D struggling for air. Fear shot through his heart.

"D? D?!"

His first impulse was to rush over and tend to him, but his human hostage was still free. The blond dhampire wrapped the entire length of rope around the human's middle and ankles, then used a handkerchief to bind his wrists. Satisfied that he wouldn't be giving away their location anytime soon, Alucard pulled himself to the prone hunter and shook him violently, panic seeping into the corners of his mind.

"D, what's wrong?! D?! D, say something--"

"He's infected," a voice said gruffly. "Feels like an oven in here."

The sandy-haired man looked around blankly. Who was speaking?

Alucard tried not to bite through his tongue in frustration. What was he supposed to do? They had nothing out here to treat him with! "What do I do with him?" he gritted. The blond swept hair from his face and put his wrist on D's forehead. "He's on fire..."

"Find some blood and clean the wound," the demon spat roughly. "That spell is still in there."

Forcing his legs to move, Alucard ripped a piece of fabric from his sleeve and turned to face the human.

"Do you have any water?" He stared. "Do you?!" Alucard roared, making him jump.

"U-uh I-I-- have a canteen-- it's on the saddle--"

A few moments of searching and a slap to the horse's rear furnished them with a few meager supplies and no proof that horse or rider had ever been there. A lamp in the saddlebag gave him light to work by, and two tin cups accompanied the canteen. A pair of bandannas were quickly destroyed for bandaging. D's waistcoat was opened and shirt removed to use as a pillow, revealing the red, angry wound to the night air.

Alucard's hands were shaking as he doused the wound with whiskey from a bottle hidden in the cowboy's pouch, D's face contorting as the amber liquid seared his flesh.

"Is he conscious?" he asked his brother's palm.

"Lemme check-- nnnnno, he's gone. I can't even contact him in his head."

"Good. Perhaps he won't feel this." Alucard steadied himself against the wall with one hand, breathing deeply to still his rapidly beating heart. The dhampire's vision was swimming, and despite the chill in the air, he felt warm.

We need blood, and soon-- I'm starting to feel faint. I can't help him if I'm out like a light.

The man behind him swallowed, face soaked in sweat. Looking down at the dark hunter, he saw just how pale he was, and how the injury in his upper arm was swollen to the size of an apple. His breathing was labored, and his hands fisted in pain when the wound was touched. Abruptly D's left hand shot open as the creature inhabiting it forced his fingers open reflexively, revealing his palm.

"Listen 'Cardie, he needs blood and he needs it now-- I can't keep his body heat down much longer! Slit that guy's throat and get us outta this mess!" it screamed.

A stifled gasp as the human saw exactly what lay in the hunter's hand.

"WHA-- what is that?!"

Alucard winced at the sound of the man's voice. He didn't want to do this with human blood if he could help it.

Probably should have drained that horse; I am not thinking clearly.

Seeing no alternative, the blond dhampire turned to face his bound captive on the cave floor, nearly hitting his head on the ceiling as he drew himself to full height; at least, as much as he could on his knees. His eyes flashed gold with regret as the man's gaze filled with terror. Even his hair shook with fright as Alucard approached him with his knife.

"Listen to me," he began, "I am not going to kill you. I am not going to turn you, nor am I going to drain you dry. But I need your blood for his survival. Do you understand?" The blond dhampire looked apologetic, but determined. It didn't seem like his speech was working; the cowboy looked as if he was going to wet himself.

Alucard sighed, removing the knife from view. "What is your name?"

Blue eyes started in surprise, darting from him to the injured man on the floor. "Uhh-- uh-- It's-- David-- Dave, call me D-Dave," he managed.

"Dave. My name is Alucard," the half-breed informed him. "Call me Adrian."

The docile normality of that title seemed to take the man by surprise.

"...A-Adrian?"

"Yes, that's right. I need you to calm yourself for me. Can you do that, Dave?"

"U-uh-- I uh--"

"I will not drain anything from you until I have your permission," Alucard stated firmly, making sure Dave's full attention was on him by planting one hand on the wall by his temple. "I need your help, but I am not going to take it by force. I have had enough of the cruelty of men who simply take what they want from others."

Black spots were dancing in his vision on the man's tanned, sweaty features. Come on, collect yourself; he's almost there--

"Will you help me, Dave?" he pressed. Tense silence counted the seconds as Dave stared down the sharp-faced man. D moaned from across the room, twisting in agony as the dark magic flared again.

Please, he implored silently. Help us.

A measure of what he was thinking must have shown on his face, because a split-second later, uncertainty obvious in his eyes, Dave nodded, pulling his wrists up for Alucard to release-- and slice. The dhampire nearly passed out from the relief alone. He nodded back.

"Thank you."

The blade was raised, flashing in the small amount of light from the lamp. Dave did not look reassured at all. Alucard helped the farmhand place a stick between his teeth to stop him from yelling aloud and raised the first cup to his wrist.

"Try not to shout. This will hurt a little..."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It didn't make sense at all.

At twenty-seven years old, unmarried, with no living relatives and a handful of good friends, David Marshall was wondering how in heaven's name he ever got into a situation like this. Living on his companion's farm as hired help, his life had been quite tame for someone who was confined to the Frontier. Monsters, mutants and natural disasters roamed rampant, and crops were harder to grow in the desert than even in the mountains.

In spite of the odds, Dave had a comfortable existance. There was enough food to go around, the animals were surviving, and until the vampires, no creature had ever truly disrupted their way of living. Monthly werewolf hunts kept the wolf and mutant populations down, and few men were lost due to their recent acquisition of heavier firearms.

Things fell into place just like they always had: one accepted the facts and lived comfortably.

But now, in this hole, trapped with two blood-sucking murderers, Dave was totally and utterly confused.

I don't believe this, he pondered. They're supposed to be the bad guys, right? I mean, they sent all those werewolves down to us, they turned Kerry's wife and those families near the border...

Alucard was curled next to D's prone form, sleeping fitfully as the dark-haired man beside him drew shallow breaths. The human watched in dull silence as the pair slept, air drawn almost in tandem, similar pale faces peaceful and unblemished. David found himself truly troubled. Both vampires were extremely strong and definitely capable of slaughtering him right there whether he wanted them to or not.

So why did he ask my permission like that?

The darkness closed around him as the contents of the lamp flickered to its end, and he shifted with a sigh, pulling the saddle blanket around himself. The desert was practically sub-zero at night; he couldn't see how the two of them were asleep in this cold.

As Dave looked on, Adrian began to fidget, and one pale hand withdrew from its dark cloth cover.

As if he'd read the human's mind, half-asleep, the blond dhampire extended his fingers to the middle of the room, and a small spark abruptly banished the darkness. Dave yelped quietly as the tiny white flame expanded until it was a steady, roaring campfire, warming his feet with no fuel below it at all. Even smoke was absent from the blaze.

With wide eyes, Dave watched as Adrian rolled onto his opposite side, covered D further with his cloak, and nestled himself back into the dark folds of his own cape, stilling into sleep shortly after.

David sat in shocked silence, staring dumbly into the flames.

What in the world have I gotten myself into?

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

D could feel the shadow dancing around him, always fleeting, always just outside his line of vision. Something wasn't right. The blackness mocked him, shrieking with laughter and endless mirth. He whirled this way and that trying to find the Dark, but it wouldn't let him see. Every way he turned, there was nothing, nothing--

"So you finally have come back to me, my son," the dark crooned. "You tried so hard erase me from the world, to keep me from your memory. But now that he's here," it laughed, "we won't have to worry about that anymore, will we?"

No... No! Leave me--

"He will guarantee your damnation," the voice taunted. "You can never forget me, my son. I am part of you. And now, the part of me in him has also been awakened through you. Isn't it wonderful? Isn't it grand? Now, we can be together forever..."

No! I have left you behind me! You will never have me!

"Really?" the voice asked lightly. "Then how is it that you have more human blood in you now that was not there before? Why not ask him when you wake, hm?" Shadow flickered at his mouth, his eyes--

"He will ensure that you become just-- like-- ME--"

NO! NO! I will NEVER be you! NOOO! D bellowed, trying to bat the growing darkness away, but the more he fought, the more it entered him, suffocating him, burning him, arms and legs caught firmly in a thick web of black--

"See you soon, my boy," the shadow crooned.

"Very soon."

"NO!! GET AWAY FROM ME!!"

Fangs sank deep into his neck, and he knew no more.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

With a panicked cry, D bucked up out of his covering and shot bolt upright, face streaming sweat and shaking like an aspen leaf. Dracula's face was burned into his retinas, and the red earth of the wall resembled the flowing red of blood. He could still see shadows in the corners of his vision.

A gasp from across the room made him turn sharply, and sapphire eyes met dusty blue.

A human?

The human was shivering in fright and tied from head to foot, obviously a villager who had gotten too close. Alucard had spared him, it would seem. D and the average-looking farmhand locked gazes for a few moments, frozen in indecision and inquiry.

Then Alucard's deep tones broke his focus.

"D? Are you all right?"

Still shaking, the hunter looked down at where the blond dhampire lay beside him, sitting up and blinking the sleep from his eyes. D didn't answer, seeing far too much of his father in the man for comfort. The words from the dream plagued him even as he stared into Alucard's golden gaze, so unlike the vampire king's:

"He will guarantee your damnation. He will ensure that you become just like ME."

A frigid, involuntary shudder wracked D's frame, and his eyes closed in reflex against it. D felt Alucard's hand snaking over his wrist and automatically slapped it away, pulling back against the dirt wall.

There was silence as he registered the hurt in his brother's face.

"...I am sorry," he mumbled from beneath a curtain of wavy hair.

Alucard stayed motionless, averting his gaze. D was obviously shaken and not quite aware of his surroundings. "You are not yet well," the pale-haired man offered quietly. "I... cleansed your wound and gave you blood, but it seems the wound is residual. There is still some remainder of the spell left within it."

D started. His father's words echoed in his head, making his sick to his stomach:

"Then how is it that you have more human blood in you now that was not there before? Why not ask him when you wake, hm?"

"You-- gave me blood?" he choked.

The hunter's eyes fell on a bandage covering the human's left wrist.

His heart leapt into his throat.

D stared accusingly at the dhampire beside him. "You-- you took it from him??" The dark-haired man felt his clawed hands delving into the dirt floor and fisting hard enough to bleach his knuckles deathly white.

Human blood-- I've drunk human blood!

Never, not once in his life had D ever drunk from a human. He saw it as the ultimate transgression, a sin as doleful as that of the Nobles he so rigorously hunted. His father had spilled the contents of hundreds of human veins, and he swore the day he began his life as a hunter that his lips would never touch human fluids. Animals, mutants, monsters of any kind-- even vampire blood would be drunk if necessary.

But never, NEVER, had he consumed a mortal.

Alucard sensed D's grip on reality slipping. There was a crazed look behind his eyes and a pallor to his cheeks telling of a great weight on his shoulders. His brother was having a total meltdown.

"D--"

Dave looked on in horror as D's chestnut mane began to float with an unseen energy, and the blue pendant at his breast glowed dimly with a light that did not come from without. His voice was deadly soft.

"How-- dare you--" The hunter's eyes flashed, his eyeteeth elongating and tapering into sharp points. "How dare you do this to me?!"

"B-But-- I--"

Alucard was beside himself. This had obviously been an encroachment of D's personal standards on his part, but he'd had no choice; the other dhampire would have died if he hadn't given him the life-fluid. The blond took his sibling by both shoulders. His eyes begged D to forgive him, pleading with him to understand as he struggled to escape Alucard's grasp.

"D, believe me-- I didn't know what else to do-- He-- he said it was the only way; he said you needed blood, so I-- I--"

D stopped in mid-roar.

"...He?"

The hunter opened his left hand and stared blankly at the features within.

"Yes, he," Alucard confirmed, still hoping for some sort of expiation.

A fire lit itself deep in the confines of the dhampire's chest. This was unforgivable. He knew, he knew better than anyone what D held most dear. The moment he had been cast out from vampiric society, it had been his curse and his gain to have this demon bound in his own flesh and bone, but never before had the annoying creature gone against him, not like this.

There were a few deft pauses before D slung his sword from its sheath and began sawing downward on his own wrist.

"D! WHAT ARE YOU--?!"

Alucard cried out and flung himself at the deranged hunter in an effort to halt his destructive behavior, but to no avail.

D was on a rampage.

"Speak!" he roared at the thing, bracing it against the earth as he cut. "You knew of the oath! You knew! And yet you would still have him force that swill upon me?! ANSWER!"

The demon gurgled through the blood gushing from D's severed wrist. His blade had gone about halfway through; a few inches more and the hand would be off completely.

"Gghl-- you know there was n-no other way," it gasped out. "Either that or you die without fulfilling your first oath-- the first oath, D-- what would have happened-- if you'd died eh--? Can't have that yet-- can we--?"

With a final wrenching of steel into soft white skin, D removed the weapon and resheathed it. He sat cross-legged, glaring down at the offending appendage with all the fires of hell.

"I will one day be rid of you from my person," he spoke disgustedly. "And that day will be your last."

Around the swiftly healing muscle and gore, a weary chuckle wafted up from the demon.

"And yours, my friend. And yours."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Reviews really do get me going to write more. Hm? Hm? Winkwink nudgenudge say no more?

Thanks for sticking with me on this, you reviewers thus far have been so awesome! I love the input you've been giving me. Saeth Caeirwyn, Wyn and sunbune, you guys have been most helpful! I love the suggestions and believe me, you've made me notice stuff about the story that I didn't even know when I wrote it! Much obliged! (bows)

Keep readin' yall, and I will keep writin'! (Ahh who am I kidding, I want to see this finished as much as the rest of you cool people XD)

TTYS!