“Leaving so soon? That's rather rude of you, isn't it? After you've disposed of all my minions in such a gruesome manner. Why don't you reconsider and stay a little longer?”
Ranma and Nabiki stopped dead in their tracks upon hearing that voice resounding off the walls of the alley and turned around.
Nabiki watched the shadows closely, her eyes full of anxiety. She turned towards her companion and had to keep herself from groaning. Ranma's face was almost set in stone. He wasn't wearing his old smirk he had usually worn just before a duel. The smirk which had told of his eagerness for the upcoming fight. Instead, his lips were a thin line and his expression serious. But looking into his eyes, she could see a certain glint there. His eyes had always been glinting like that when he had been confronted with a fight that promised to be challenging. Even if the rest of his face said that he took this fight a lot more serious than any fight before – no doubt because he was directly responsible for her well-being - that same glint now betrayed his eagerness for this unavoidable confrontation. It figured that the jerk was looking forward to fighting some real vampire.
Several things went through her head after she had realized this.
First, incredible annoyance that their return to their home was even further delayed. She had so been looking forward to a nice, relaxing hot bath. And who knew, maybe they'd even bathe together. Ranma always got a little frisky after fighting ghouls, and the sight of a blood-splattered Ranma, panting heavily after he had decimated another group of those zombies, somehow managed to arouse her as well. Another side-effect of her getting turned, no doubt. Not like she'd ever gotten hot and bothered by the image of a sweaty and heavily panting Ranma after he had managed to defeat Ryoga, for example.
After that came the realization that her new master was a lot more intelligent and perceptive than people usually gave him credit. Otherwise he wouldn't have been able to detect that underlying tone of cruelty and anger in that voice, which had told her that there was no way they could get out of this without a fight. He had, though, if his expression was anything to go by, and Nabiki found herself admiring her master even more for that.
This was followed by concern and fear. Up till now, they had only been fighting ghouls, not actual vampires. And the fact that this vampire hadn't blindly attacked them in a fit of rage, but instead approached them in a controlled manner without any sign of fear, told her that he was confident in his own abilities and was not overly disturbed by the ease with which her master had managed to kill his ghouls. She started to have serious doubts about the outcome of this fight and wondered if she and Ranma would be able to get out of this in one piece.
Ranma shifted slightly and crossed his arms in front of his chest, interrupting Nabiki's thoughts. “Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “I'd rather not waste my time by spending it with weak and cowardly scum like you.”
The owner of the voice seemed amused by Ranma's answer. “My my, you've certainly got confidence,” he chuckled. “I can appreciate that.”
Finally the owner of the voice stepped out of the shadows and into the dim light. He was a seemingly middle-aged man of average height, had his dark hair cut short and wore a smart cream coloured suit. He took a few steps towards them and stopped. “But I have to inform you that I resent that coward remark.”
Ranma snorted. “What else would you hiding behind mindless zombie call then?”
The older vampire ignored the pigtailed vampire's remark and took another few steps forward. “And what reasons would you have for so rudely insulting me? After I've offered you only politeness?” he asked with a polite smile on his face.
Ranma shrugged and scratched his head. “Gee, I dunno. Maybe it has something to do with turning people into mindless zombies and then sending them to attack innocent people?”
“Ah, I see,” the man answered, amusement clear in his voice. “You're one of those idealistic types.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” Ranma demanded.
“Nothing at all. But aren't you also a vampire like me? Your aura certainly says so, even if there's something a little strange about it.”
“Hey! I'm nothing like you!” The pigtailed vampire protested vehemently.
The man wagged his right index finger at Ranma and shook his head. “Ah, but you are. What I did to those people is similar to what you did to your girlfriend there. I turned them from simple cattle into something with a purpose. Instead of killing them, I allowed them to serve me. Isn't that what you did to the young lady there?” he asked and pointed at Nabiki.
“It ain't like that!”
“It isn't? I'd say it is. Not only did you turn her. No, you also enthralled her to your will. Forcing her to obey your wishes and making her unable to even form a single malicious thought about you.” His tone changed from pleasant politeness to sarcasm. “That's certainly a noble thing to do.”
“I already told ya, it ain't like that! I didn't do that to her!”
The man's voice suddenly grew serious. “It doesn't matter, I'm afraid.
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(Posted Wed, 10 Oct 2007 22:35)
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