Chapter 9-Gates

"There it is…an Imperial Gateway."

Hearing Azrael's statement, Riho rushed ahead to where he and Shido where standing near an outcropping of trees. "Let me see!"

Yukina too got up from her sitting place and waddled up to where the vampires stood, a hand against her back as it happened to be aching pretty badly. "Thank goodness! I had hoped we would get home soon. I didn't want to have this child on the road, and as helpful as you guys are, I don't think any of you have the stomach to help deliver a baby."

All three of the nightwalkers turned to her, Azrael looking queasy and Riho nervous and wondrous all at the same time. Shido simply smiled sheepishly, "We would do what we'd have to. Though, since Riho has no knowledge of how to assist with a fae birth and I really don't want your kin to be angry with me, I do suggest we get you back home to the Crystal Forest as soon as possible."

"Why would her family be angry, Shido-san?" Riho asked quietly as they went back to observing the area ahead of them.

'If there was no other choice, I would do all I could to deliver the baby safely. And her family would accept that, as long as baby and mother were safe and healthy. However, it is a fae taboo for a male to be anywhere in the birthing room if he is not the husband or a family member.' He answered telepathically.

She nodded before suddenly looking back at him in shock, "You know how to deliver babies?"

He laughed aloud at the incredulous look on her face. "You'll find that there is much you don't know about me, Riho-chan. I strive to be full of surprises."

Yukina toddled past them whispering under her breath, "Oh, she's going to be surprised alright…"

Having heard her anyway, Shido turned a sardonic look her way, completely ignoring Riho's baffled stare. "You know? I had forgotten how irritating you fairies could be."

This time, the ice fae ignored him but instead peered ahead. Her face quickly adopted a confused look. "I don't understand, Lieutenant. I see what appears to be a sort of door or gateway between those trees there, but there is nothing else but crags and forest all around. It is not connected to anything!"

Shido too looked in question to Azrael, as the barrier that surrounded the Empire had not been built when he had last lived in the world of the vampires. At that time, while the world of nightwalkers had been separate for the most part from the humans, they had still lived among them. The humans who lived within their territories had either lived with gullible ignorance, or walked among them with either fear or respect for them, sometimes a mixture of both. The lords maintained their territories in any case, and anyone whether human or nightwalker, knew who really ruled the land despite what human governments said. Yet, while the vampires had had their buildings, homes, and places of business, there had never been any physical showing of borders or distinction between the human and vampire worlds. All vampyrs knew which territory was whose and where it began and stopped, but they hadn't referred to it as any sort of central body or nation.

That changed after the day of the Bloody Constantine Massacre.

Once mortals across the world were made aware that the things that went bump in the night walked around them on a daily basis, the vampire lords, the royal family of the fae, and the clan alphas of the lycans, had gotten together and decided to do what must be done about the situation. Shido could just imagine how that meeting had gone down. The person who had invented the adage "they fight like cats and dogs" had never seen vampires and lycans in the same room together.

He was sure that the swift decisions that were made could only have come from the direness of the situation. All three species were old enough to know and predict that the humans would turn violent toward anything they considered different or mysterious. Goodness knows they had destroyed each other because of simple differences, so it was a no-brainer that they would strike out against what was not even human in nature.

None of the three species were large enough to take on humanity alone, so they decided to band together into one force in order to help defend each other. They had all lived in pretty much the same region and while he could bet there had been a grumble, they had all moved their borders and closed ranks becoming one unit. The leaders of the nightwalkers came out to the public, taking over the media and public airways, announcing to the world that they did exist and that they were willing to live in peace with humanity as long as humans left them to their own devices. They stated that the land that they had inhabited for millennia would now officially be their home. And thus, The Empire was born…

All immortals were welcome, but any humans that lived there would have to either bend to their new rule or be escorted to the borders. No humans were allowed in unless they made a bloodvow of allegiance to the rulers of the Empire, and once inside, they could never leave again. Once the war started, humans were banned completely from admittance. Yet, though he had heard speak of the nightwalkers' impenetrable gate that allowed none to enter except those who belong, Shido had never heard of what kind of barrier it was or what made it so special.

Azrael looked back at his companions, "The gateway that surrounds the Empire is one that has never before come into existence. It is completely invisible to the mortal eye. Yet, when one looks at with the immortal eye…"

His aquamarine eyes flashed to brilliant gold as he summoned up the supernatural power that lay waiting inside of him, within his reach when needed. Shido and Riho followed suit, and immediately the area that had once seemed empty, was not so empty anymore.

Riho jumped in surprise and grabbed Shido's arm, "Shido-san! Everything's glowing blue! It's a glowing blue wall that touches the sky!"

"Well I don't know about 'touching the sky' RIho, but the blue you see is energy, fairy energy if I'm not mistaken, given the color." He commented in return, studying the once invisible barrier in detail.

No human would be able to see it, but any nightwalker would be able to sense or see it in some manner. Now that he had time to think about it, there was a charge in the air that he hadn't felt before they were in the gate's proximity. Once he had looked through his vampire eyes, he was able to see that surrounding the stone doorway was what seemed to be a liquid, electric blue wall that rippled and pulsed as if alive. It rose into the air and seemed to scrape the sky; it went along the length of the ground as far as the eye could see on both sides of the doorway.

Yukina, who having lost her power because of pregnancy, couldn't see the wall, but she could feel the energy flowing all around her. "Did my people build this, Lt. Azrael?"

The man nodded affirmatively. "As you both know, the fae don't like going and getting their hands dirty on the battlefield—"

"Lieutenant!" The ice fairy looked at him incredulously. "My people will protect themselves and that which they love to the last man! Our defensive skills are unparalleled. However, it is not in our nature to go on the offensive unless we absolutely need too. "

The vampire laughed good-naturedly, "For not often going on the offensive, you get easily offended, Lady Yukina. "

The woman huffed but she let them all laugh at her expense.

Catching his breath, Azrael continued, "I was just about to say that though the fae don't fight out in the battlefield, to make up for it, they have some of the best defensive skills of any species. They created this wall that acts as a shield and defense for the Empire."

Shido watched the blue energy slink back and forth in pulsing currents and ripples. "How does it work?"

The other hunched his shoulders, "I don't precisely know. However, if a nightwalker hit the wall from either side, they would feel the energy all around them physically like water and if they for some reason still didn't understand what they just hit, the energy would become denser the further you walked until it stopped you cold like ice. If you were a mortal, you wouldn't feel the wall at all, but once you tried to invade its area of boundary it would instantaneously send you to its opposite barrier, a sort of magical teleportation without you even realizing it. So, if a human tried to go though it from here, they'd find themselves stepping into the outer limits of Siberia or wherever our northern border ends. It insures that no human actually enters the Empire by any means and yet, can never say where exactly our borders lie at all times."

Yukina spoke up, "I know of the type of shields that you're talking about. The fae have used them for years in the forests where we live to protect our homes and families. It's why humans always told stories and myths after getting lost in the forest from getting transported across an entire area of space without knowing it. Yet it was never something on so large a scale. It would take many fae, strong in magic, to do what you have described."

He nodded, "The fae High King gathered the strongest of sorcerers in the Forest and had them travel to points along the borders of our land. At each point they created an interlocking shield system that nearly killed them all to complete. I hear that even now they are still trying to regenerate their energy. But once it was complete, it was easy to expand the borders every time we conquer more land, or so I've been told."

"And so is the archway the entry point into the Empire itself?" Riho asked curiously.

"You are quite astute, dearest Riho. There are several of those gateways along the wall, each one is situated where the fae who formed that section was standing. This one was the nearest one to us. Each entry point has a checkpoint team of vampires who man it just in case a human attempts to sneak in. There are also guerilla fighters who protect and guard the gates from the outside in order to aid refugees."

"But why would they need to—"

Riho never got to complete her sentence as an intense laser blast went off above her head and hit the tree next to her. Azrael quickly pushed her to the ground and covered her as more solar gun charges went off. Shido did the same with Yukina and looked into the trees around them. He gritted his teeth as the smell of mortal flesh began to fill his senses, "Ambush…"

Gunfire rained down on them and he vampires had to refrain from their natural instincts to turn into mist and flee in light of the pregnant female in their midst. The blue-haired ice fairy trembled from in his arms, her heart racing with fear. Shido took her in his arms and used his speed to get them to the cover the nearby brush. Placing her in the center of the bush, he quickly constructed an invisibility shield over the disturbed spot, hiding her from view. "Don't move and keep quiet until we come for you. Got it?"

She nodded hurriedly, instinctively curling into a fetal position while her hands wrapped around her middle. He made sure that the area would look as inconspicuous as possible before, he left her to go join his compatriots.

Riho and Azrael were crouched behind a tree, low enough to avoid the gunfire but at the vantage point so that they could see from what direction their enemies are coming from. As he appeared behind them, his childe looked back at him.

'Azrael says that they have closed in on our position and they are trying to cut us off.'

He nodded, 'Keep close to us. We're going to have to fight our way out of this one, Riho. Follow our lead and only take on opponents you can handle. And don't get cocky; these guys know exactly who and what we are.'

He waited for her to acknowledge his mental command before turning his focus to the lieutenant. Touching the man's shoulder, he used a common non-verbal vampyr language, lightly tapping out his question.

What are we up against?

The azure-haired vampire moved his fingers even quicker, drumming against the trunk of the tree.

They are trying to circle around us. Three on the left, three on the right, and three in front. They have solar rifles, but I don't know what other weaponry they may be carrying.

He nodded in return before tapping again against the guy's shoulder.

They are silent and fast for humans, and I'm guessing specially trained to take us down. Stay cautious for whatever tricks they may pull and don't underestimate them. Each of us will take three and cut them down one at a time.

Azrael nodded in cold agreement before moving to the right and disappearing into the foliage, forming into a moving cloud of fine mist. Shido turned back to Riho in time to see her eyes follow the receding form of the lieutenant, before she turned her attention back to him. He crooked his finger at her, asking her to follow him as he carefully moved from tree to tree. As he kept bobbing and weaving through the forest cover, he spoke telepathically to his childe, even as he tried to keep up with the enemy who had also gone silent.

'Riho, we have nine humans out there trying to kill us. They are very lethal and very dangerous, can you sense them?'

She closed her eyes and sent her senses out to gather what she could about her surroundings. It was surprised how hard it was to sense these particular humans, but eventually she was able to make out several heartbeats and breathing patterns.

Shido continued, 'I will be taking on the three men coming in from the front, Azrael is taking them on from the right and I need you to take out the guys on the left. Keep silent, use what I've taught you and follow your instincts.'

Riho looked into his golden eyes, hers still at their normal color, before looking back down to the ground. She had never consciously killed before, and it was making her uncomfortable and unsure. That night when she had saved Yukina's life, she had hardly been aware of herself or her actions, acting instead out of a berserker-like rage. To now do so consciously...

Knowing what she was feeling, Shido put a sympathetic hand to her face and urged her to look up at him. 'I know this is your first conscious hunt, but know that both the lieutenant and I are nearby. If you are in any trouble, call either of us telepathically or use the whistle signals that I showed you. We have to protect Yukina, and these humans are willing to do whatever is necessary to kill and/or capture us. Don't give them the opportunity. We are too close to being able to live a life free from all this. We are too close to having a home again to give up now.'

Thinking back to all the sacrifices that had been made to get them here, to Yukina's little babe who had yet to be born, to Azrael who was waiting for them to attack, to their friends who had given their lives so that they could escape, and suddenly her decision became easier. Letting her claws slip forward and her fangs elongate, Riho looked at her sire with a silent, affirming, golden gaze before disappearing into the nearby foliage.

Shido watched his daughter go and silently wished her a hunter's luck before he went on his own pursuit. He moved quietly on foot, getting a feel for his victims. His night vision and his keen hearing were potent mixes, and easily gave him a huge edge when dealing with mortals. He patiently stalked the man closest to him, waiting cautiously for a moment when the man was alone.

He had to admit that these men were good. They stayed together enough so that they had each other in sight, but not to the point where it affected their movement. He picked up the sound of one muffled cry and knew that Azrael had made his first kill, and thankfully the humans had yet to notice they had lost a member. Knowing this small element of surprise wasn't going to last long, Shido went to make his move on his prey, poising his razor-keen claws for the kill—

"ARGHHH!"

A strangled scream tore through the air, startling all who heard it. Shido cursed their luck under his breath and looked back to the man he had been stalking, only to glance into the barrel of a gun!

Swearing loudly, he quickly sidestepped, but even with his advanced speed, he could still feel the heat of the plasma as it shot past his face. Shifting to mist quickly, he moved rapidly behind hunter and without even pausing, re-phased, reached around the man's neck and sliced down with his claws, cutting through cloth and flesh alike.

He watched the soon-to-be corpse flounder and twitch on the ground, unable to call out a warning or even breathe through the lacerated trachea, before he quickly moved on. He knew that it had been Riho's victim that had screamed that last blood-curdling warning, for the lieutenant would have been more careful and used a lot more stealth than an infant fledgling.

However, now that the alarm had been sounded, the humans would be converging on their comrade's position…which would inevitably lead them to Riho…

It was time to drop the stealth and fight face to face. He felt Azrael join him as he too understood the change in tactics and the charge in the air. Moving with superhuman speed, he gave his companion hand signals telling him how they would approach. The lieutenant glanced at him for a moment, before finally nodding. Shido sent a mental warning to his childe, but it went unanswered and he grimaced in concern. However, before he could try again, a slight whine and the smell of ozone filled the air, and suddenly he was knocked to the ground, burning pain shooting through his shoulder!

He snarled in agony and anger, the animal beginning to rise up within him. Shido clasped a hand around the burnt flesh and splintered bone of his wounded shoulder, before looking around at his attacker. The human assassin was wearing long range night goggles and was already aiming his rifle for another shot. Shido, in a burst of primal rage, felt his body move even before his brain could send the signal to his legs. His fangs had already slid into place and his claws were already at their maximum length.

He was on the man before the hunter was even able to blink in surprise at the turn of events. With one sharp swipe and tug he had easily gotten under the hunter's defenses and ripped a ragged, gaping hole in his throat. Even as the man jerked around in his death throes, Shido laid his mouth against the wound and gulped up as much blood as could. Vampires learned early that when wounded and without another suitable nightwalker donor available, to use any human within reach to supply the extra blood needed for healing. While most wounds would heal without help, extra plasma allowed the body to mend faster. In another lifetime, Shido would have felt guilt in his heart at the thought of using a human in such a way; to take their lifeblood to replace his own. But that was another life, and now—he didn't think twice.

Azrael had gone on ahead of him but he easily caught up, using the wind and trees to aid him in his pursuit. More laser shots zipped past him, but he expected them and avoided. The lieutenant was a blue flash of death as all that could be seen as he cut the hunters down was his whirling azure hair. By the time Shido had caught up to him, he had left three blood-soaked, twitching corpses in his wake.

He could smell Riho ardently now, but he could also smell the several humans that were all around her. He knew Azrael could smell the same by the steely look upon his face, his already crimson-painted claws poised and ready, a single elongated canine was seen gleaming in the moonlight. He knew, that his comrade knew, that the fledgling female would survive almost any harm that came to her. But he also knew that the master vampire would reap vengeance on any and all who dared.

All of a sudden, all solar weapons ceased and a single gunshot from an ordinary firearm rang out into the night. The resulting silence was followed by a shout of "HALT!" in accented Romanian.

The two vampires stopped in their tracks in front of the remains of the group of mortal hunters who had risen out of their hiding places and assembled with their leader. Aside from the solar rifles they held by their sides, a multitude of weapons were holstered and hidden on their persons, including knives, handguns, crossbows, and some things that were unknown to him. There had been more than they had originally figured, fifteen rather than nine, and with the ones that they had killed, the total was eight. The extra six must have been hiding in the shadow of their teammates, making them harder to spot as individuals.

Each was decked out in black garb, cloaks, and camouflage, their body temperatures hidden by the cooling vests they wore, and their scents dampened by the covering scents of wildlife. It wasn't much of a disguise when taking on a nightwalker head on, but was plenty good enough for ambush and sneak attack which was what these units were trained to do. Shido had seen other fighters like these on his travels. They were called the Night Watchers and they were the underlings of the Neo-Centurions. Less recognized, less honored, just as ruthless.

The one who had shouted to get their attention (obviously the leader), held Riho by her arm with one hand and a hand gun in his other. The girl child struggled against the man, but he held her in such a punishing, iron grip that she soon ceased in fatigue. Bruises adorned her face and large shackles bound her wrists, crimson rivulets ran down her hands from the metal fetters and fell to the ground.

The Watch leader seeing he had gotten the bloodsuckers attention watched the two of vampires approach cautiously. They were half in shadow, their inhuman golden eyes blazing in the darkness. Both were tall with ivory, flawless skin, and while dressed in rags, they carried themselves with the air and grace of aristocrats. Both were tall, but the larger of the two looked at them furiously, his sapphire hair swirled in the air as if under its own volition. That one would be one to look out for, but the other blood-sucker—that one somehow seemed even more dangerous. His face showed little to no inflection, and his long, unbound lilac hair shaded much of his body from view. This vampire didn't seem to be bothered or affected by the situation in front of him, his golden eyes were piercing, searching…calculating.

He barked at them in Romanian, "Make another move, and I will put a bullet through her brain. And know this nosferartu, she won't get back up."

Azrael growled, "You monsters! She's just a child—"

Shido placed a warding hand in front of the younger male, tapping out brief message to be patient, before turning to the Night Watchers. "What is it you want of us? We have done nothing to provoke this attack."

The humans sneered and a few laughed, one answering under his breath. "You exist, that's enough!" However, a look from their leader soon silenced them.

He turned back to the nightwalkers and said "You are both under arrest for crimes against humanity, and shall be turned over to the custody of the Night Enforcement Organization and held without bond to await trial for the crimes that have charged against you. My men will restrain you; if you make any moves against them or try to escape in ANY way, they have the authority to use para-lethal force against you and any aiding you."

Shido and Azrael glanced at each other. In other words, the three of them were going to be captured against their will, taken to the neo-centurions, who would then lock them in a cell and throw away the key—if they were lucky. Yet, if they tried to escape now, Riho would be shot by a silver bullet which would kill her instantly, and they would be seriously injured by the solar rifles. And then they would still be taken to the neo-centurions.

Shido considered his options and was unable to see a non-messy way out of this situation. They had to make sure that they didn't find Yukina, and he couldn't let Riho die. And even if they were captured, until they were turned over to NEO, there would still be chances for escape. Arriving at a decision, he stepped forward and held out his hands, palm side up in surrender. Azrael seemed to have arrived at the same thought and followed his movements, also holding his hands out.

Riho looked at them in anguish and self-contempt but kept her mouth closed as the hunters kept their guns trained on the two males and the leader kept the muzzle of his own firearm ground deeply into her skull. She had never so weak before, so useless! The two people who were closest to her were giving themselves up for her! If only she had been more careful and not have gotten caught so easily, they might have gotten away already. But instead, here she was caught and being used as a hostage to get her older and more experienced compatriots to cooperate. To hear Azrael call her "only a child" had hurt, but she was beginning to see that she was indeed a child in their eyes, and that someone older and more mature would not have made the same mistakes as she. But even as she felt the self-loathing drip through her heart, she could also feel great weakness come through her. As soon as they had placed those cursed manacles around her wrists, she had felt her strength suddenly leave her and it was becoming a chore to even do the most simple of movements. Even she in her naiveté could tell what a bad situation they were in. How were they ever going to get out of this one?

The Night Watch leader ordered the two vampires to lay face down on the ground arms extended, to which after a moment of hesitation and indignation, Shido and Azrael obeyed. Two of the watchers approached cautiously, while their comrades kept their guns trained on their targets. They firmly and cruelly placed a booted foot on their backs to pin them to the ground before holstering their guns. In one speedy movement, they wrapped the vampyrs' long hair tightly around their right wrists and pulled up violently causing the two to snarl in anger, before snapping the familiar silver manacles around their outstretched wrists.

The minute the mechanical shackles snapped closed around his wrists, Shido felt two things happen simultaneously. First, came the excruciating pain of four, long, needle-like spikes ejecting from the inside surface of the restraints and piercing through the flesh, muscle and bone of his wrists, causing him to yell out in agony. Secondly, came the much more anguishing feel of his supernatural strength rapidly draining from his body, making his entire being feel languid and fatigued. He knew that the two were directly connected and as his eyes changed from gold back to emerald, he knew their situation had become even dimmer than before.

The humans watched the two vampires suffer with glee, before the two watchers that had bound them pulled them up by their still firm hold on their hair, and threw them before the leader. The man kept his gun on Riho as the blue-haired vampire snapped his fangs at the humans, only to feel a responding jolt from the binders at the use of paranormal energy.

"With those restraints on, any sort of pull on your cursed powers will only make you weaker and will only punish you for the attempt. They have made you weak and pathetic animals, more wretched than the human prey that you have hunted for generations. "He explained unsympathetically.

Shido thought to test the man's words, but Azrael did so for him, first trying to summon his power, and then trying to turn himself into mist. Both were simple feats for even fledglings, but the lieutenant was unable to do so, and instead held back a scream as the sparks crackled around his bleeding wrists. The humans laughed at the failed attempts and the Watch leader simply ordered them to stand. However, before they were even able to get their legs beneath them, the watchers grabbed their arms with grips of iron and yanked them to their feet, no longer cautious of their "collared" prey.

He hissed as the slightest movement of his arms sent pain shooting through his body, and so was careful to keep his bound hands as still as possible. He looked to his comrade for any ideas, but the other male seemed to be busy just trying to stay standing. Perhaps the more powerful the vampire, the more draining the shackles were on the individual.

Struggling to stand up on his own, he made eye contact with Riho. As he touched her mind, he was battered by hot flashes of pain, so much so that he was amazed that she could even stay conscious!

'Riho-chan? Are you alright?' Shido winced at the injury that even a simple telepathic communique could cause.

The young female didn't have the energy or stamina to respond in kind, so she simply nodded. However, even this answer was not unnoticed by her human captor who slapped her hard across the face. "No communication, witch! We know you creature can talk with your minds. If we get even a sense that you are plotting something, I won't hesitate to put a silver bullet deep in your brain!"

Azrael snarled in rage, his fangs white and fully bared. Even as the shackles sparked, the pain rose to a crescendo, and crimson perspiration began to bead his skin, he strained against the two humans who were attempting to hold him. His eyes flickered between teal and gold and blood dripped from his mangled wrists. How dare they touch her! They would not put another of their filthy human hands on her; he wouldn't allow it!

The leader nodded to the man to his right, who subsequently raised his rifle, aiming it for the enraged creature. Riho watched in horror as the soldier prepared to shoot, and before she even considered the consequences, she acted. Wrenching away from her captor with every ounce of superhuman strength and speed left to her, she moved to grab the gun!

"No!"

Shido watched in shock and horror as the shot went wild, catching the girl in the upper-arm and she subsequently cried out as she collapsed to the ground clutching her seared and gushing wound. Both he and Azrael began to crawl to her, but stopped as a second shot rang out through the air, followed by a blood-curdling scream.

The Night Watch chief lowered his arm, the muzzle of his handgun still expelling wafts of smoke. He watched the two older male vampires look upon their blood-spattered comrade in shock, and shook his head at the stupidity and arrogance of these night walkers. He had warned them after all…

A pity…if he didn't know better, the female creature almost resembled a teenage school girl.

Without warning, the violet haired male snapped his head towards him, and even though his eyes were still a normal color, the stone hardness within them caused an involuntary shudder to develop in the small of his back. A low growl could be heard as his lips developed into an animal-like snarl, two razor-keen canines gleamed heralding the impending danger.

He swiftly changed aim and cocked the pistol, letting the killer know that he would be next if he didn't put those fangs away. However, the thing either didn't get the hint, or simply didn't care as it continued to stare down the barrel of the gun without any change in countenance.

He shook his head at the stubbornness of these idiotic creatures. "Don't be stupid."

Unbeknownst to all, a hazy fog had begun to roll in underfoot; a swelling chill had also begun to claim the air. Neither of these caught the humans' attention as the eastern European area was known for its abrupt weather changes. Yet, the facetious voice that spoke out through the inky darkness did.

"Actually…I'd say that you idiots were the real stupid ones…not to mention complete cowards. I mean, shooting your bargaining chip is downright dumb, but shooting a child? Come on now, even you humans can understand how gutless that is."

Dark clouds flowed in, blocking the moonlight and sending the forest into pitch black darkness. The Night Watchers held their rifles and blades close, glancing in all directions for any sudden movement. Their superior kept a keen eye out for the newcomer, all of them trained to not make a sound.

The nightwalkers, which had quickly become ignored, suddenly began to grin, their toothy smiles standing out like the Cheshire cat's in the darkness.

As the moon once again broke through the incoming storm clouds, a flash of lightning lit up the sky, immediately shadowed by a crash of thunder.

The playful voice spoke out once again with a laugh, this time coming from slightly above them. "Well, I guess that's our cue."

All of the hunters turned at once, aiming their weapons at the revealed male who had appeared above them, standing leisurely in a nearby tree with his back against the trunk, his arms crossed. The stranger was dressed in a black, blue, and gold ensemble that reflected its Chinese origin. His dark blue hair was tied back in a ponytail, several small azure ribbons segmenting it as it traveled down to small of his back. His ochroid eyes flashed with a teasing light, yet held a dangerous silver glint within them that almost made them seem violet. His bare arms bore a swirling red Chinese phoenix tattooed around the right upper arm, and a sapphire dragon wrapped around the left.

He mockingly bowed to them despite the many gun barrels pointed at him. One of the soldiers spoke up as he kept this one in his sights, "Taking us on all by yourself? I find that even more foolhardy. There are eight of us and only one of you."

The man looked up tapping his chin in thought, "Hmm, it seems that you must suck at math even worse than me."

He looked over at the man who had spoken, the jesting suddenly gone from his voice. "First, there are only seven of you…"

Faster than a lightning's strike, the strange male attacked, his clawed hand punching into the man's chest and out through the other side!

The other Night Watcher stared in horror at their gutted comrade before taking aim at the stranger; however, a glance at their newly moonlit surroundings gave them pause.

The dark haired male gave them no thought as he pulled his hand back from out of the flailing corpse and shook the excess blood and gore off before wiping it clean on the dead man's cloak.

"Second, since when did 'us' mean 'just one'?"

He looked up to see the men shifting their eyes around their surroundings, as they found themselves pinned in by numerous shadowed combatants that had seemingly risen up out of the forest to encircle them.

His smile widened as the lightning flashed off the sapphire stud earring in his ear and the pointed canines of his telltale teeth.

"Let the fun begin…"

A/N: Hi! Cookies to whoever can point out the quotes in here as well as to the identity of our newest character here! If you've been paying attention and know your anime, you will spot characters throughout this story that I've pulled from other anime shows. Of course they'll be a little altered to match the story line, but I've kept them in character so see if you can spot them. And yes, the new guy at the end of this chapter is one of those cameos!