BLOOD MOON RISING
Youkai Fire Fox
III


I’m sick of sight without sense of feeling... - NickelBack


Authors Notes: *giggles like a mad woman* Be afraid, very afraid. AHHHH! I think I like this fic too much. My parents found me trying on some fake vampire fangs the other day; don't think they took it well? *G* Okay, to the point. I hope my story makes sense. LOL So fare we figured out that Seiji is a vampire. I prefer to call them NightWalkers instead. PLEASE R/R! I only write fiction so people can tell me how GREAT I am! *joke*

-I do not own YST. YST and R/W belong to Sunrise Animation, Nagoya TV, Sony Music Entertament and CBS.- But you can pretend I own them, that's always fun.

~*~*~

He was waiting outside for her at the University the following night. Clad in evening clothes with a black silk tie and dining jacket, he was quite the handsomest man she had ever seen or at least the best dressed, Nasuti thought. Running towards him, she commented in good humor.

"I think you were named wrong. Instead of the Trooper of Courtesy, it should have been the Trooper of Fashion. You are giving us women a bad name. We're supposed to be the ones who know how to dress to kill." Her thick auburn hair bounced in long graceful curves over her shoulders as she continued to walk.

"Well, I'm glad to see your fashion sense changed since the Dynasty, because there was no way you were going to kill anyone in those clothes."

She shot him a twisted smile. "Below the belly, way below." He broke into a leisurely smile. Nasuti's dress sense has changed a lot from then. She was in a suite that consisted of a yellow knee high skit with a slit on the side, a white silk sleeveless blouse and a matching short yellow coat that complimented the skirt. A mocha leather briefcase hung from her right shoulder, adding dignity to her pose. She looked as if she was a high paid lawyer from up town.

They walked across the street from the University, casually talking. He pointed to a restaurant located right in front of them.

"In here," he said, and guided her into a small restaurant that was dark and cozy. He asked for a table near the rear, away from the crowd, and smoothly steered their conversation on the data she collected from his request.

"Seiji, I hope you know it was hell getting all this information? You know, I had classes today, right? But, NO, I had to tell them I couldn't because I was on a special research project." Her eyes rolled on the last comment.

"I thank you, Nasuti." There was a trace of laughter in his voice. He waved his hand toward her direction, meaning for her to continue.

She cleared her throat. "So desu. As I was saying, Gabriel DeMont was not easy to find, there are about two hundred Gabriel DeMont's in France and Italy. Luckily, there were only 90 of them during the 1600's. I figured the man you're looking for was very important?"

He nodded.

"Well, my grandfather's friend, in Italy, told me that there was an important crest of a family who went by name of the DeMont’s. One of the heir’s generations down was a man named Gabriel, who was a Viscount of Italy during 1412. That was the only man listed during the 1400's as you also suggested. His parents believed to be French and some other races and you told me that you were not sure if he was French or Italian. This man sounded like the one you were talking about, so I gathered all the information I could. Want to hear it?" Her eyebrows rose upward in excitement.

"Please, if you may Yaguy-san."

"Always polite," she sighed. "Before I continue I'm ordering something to eat."

Nasuti put her order in, but Seiji only asked for a glass of dry red wine.

"Don't you ever eat?" she asked.

"I dined earlier."

Nasuti studied him thoughtfully then shrugged. "Mr. DeMont was well respected and very fond by the ladies, if you get my point? He traveled alot and did the typical things expected of a Viscount. When he was twenty-five years old, he mysteriously disappeared. Of-course I thought it ended there, but I was wrong. Oddly, nothing was heard of him until one hundred years later. People could not live that long Seiji. The filth, conditions, and lack of medical knowledge back then made it impossible. The oldest person during the 1400's of Italy died at fifty-nine. Nevertheless, the people insisted that it was him, records claimed he didn't even aged. I want to know how the people could even remember him after a hundred years; my grandfather's friend said he was well known through his village, so I guess that's why they assumed it was him?" She took a deep breath.

"Seiji, you're not going to believe this, but I think the records were accurate. All the information gather about Lord De`Mont points to this man as the original Viscount. Then I came upon some other details that disturbed me. Seiji, did you not ask me to look up vampires?" Nasuti's eyes darkened with fear.

"Ee, I did." he stated calmly.

She nodded. "Well, one article about the Viscount was issued by a local from the village. This man claimed that he saw Gabriel . . . that h-he saw him murder a woman prostitute and than drank her blood, actually suck it out. Nothing came from the claim because the man died a week later. Strangely, the autopsy recorded that the old man contained no bloods and no embalming was preformed. The report stated as well that the old man had two identical puncture wounds on one side of his neck. No one gave it a second thought. They wrote it up as a robbery. I ask myself this…why someone would rob a poor old man who clearly had no money. “She jumped when Seiji reached out and clutched at her hand.

She continued, "Around 1612 he met a woman from a local village, it was well known for the young woman was his lover. Unlike the rest she actually lived with him and went anywhere he did. It shocked many for the Viscount was aloof for many years and in a few days he brought home a companion."

"Jacqueline," Seiji whispered huskily.

Nasuti looked up disoriented.

"It's no one, continue."

"To tell the truth nothing happened, until two years later. Gabriel disappeared, again, nothing new I thought, except for one thing." Nasuti squared off her shoulders. "When the local police went to investigate his loft where he was staying at the time, th-they claimed that the room was covered in blood, all over, walls, carpet, ceilings, everywhere! The worst part of it was that there was a dead woman in his loft. Not the same woman who was known as his lover but a different one. The report concluded that the dead woman was a prostitute. The woman, who was found dead, was indeed murdered, her blood was everywhere, but the report claimed that it was not hers, it could not be and they had some good reasons why. A medical physician wrote the report and stated that there was too much blood, enough for three bodies, not just one. However, only one body occupied his loft, not three,…one. After that, Gabriel never returned and his lover received everything of his procession." Nasuti clenched Seiji's hand one more time before he dragged it away.

"Seems like Jacqueline was quite busy in her days." His coldness sent shivers up Nasuti's spine.

"Seiji, who is Jacqueline?" She bit her lip.

"No questions, remember?"

She nodded.

"Seiji that's not what scared me. All that information on Gabriel, well, I read articles like that all the time. It was what my grandfather's friend sent me through the fax."

His eyebrows rose inquiringly.

She reached into her leather briefcase and pulled out a pile of papers. She sorted through them, pulled out one in a folder, and handed it to him. Bending her head, she studied her hands nervously.

"Um, in there is a picture that he faxed me, a portrait that was painted of Gabriel."

He opened the folder and shivered with chill and fatigue.

She spoke with a quiet, but desperate, firmness.

"Seiji, Gabriel looks just like you! Christ, he could even be your twin."

He sat in his seat, his strong fingers tensed in his lap.

So that's why Jacqueline called me Gabriel, she thinks that I'm him. He thought.

She gave him a black-layered look. "Seiji, earth to Seiji! Aren't you going to tell me anything, like what the hell is going on?"

A shadow of annoyance crossed his face.

"No."

"What?" she said, surprised again by this unpredictable man.

"You heard me. Nasuti, you promised no questions and that's exactly what I want from you." His tone was demanding.

Too startled by his suggestion she made to attempt to offer any objection.

Instead of throwing a fit as if he thought she would, she shoved; more like threw the file of papers at him.

"There's all the other data I looked up for you. The so called vampires, no questions asked, more information on Gabriel's village, no questions asked, you stupid un- forgiving son of a-" she muttered under her breath, the rest of the words were said so fast that he could not make them out.

"I'm sorry, Nasuti, I didn't mean to sound rude. You have to understand, Nasuti, can you, just for once. Try to understand?" His gaze locked with hers, pleading.

She shrugged and then forced a smile. "Yes, I can try to understand. At least you are not lying to me, you are just are not telling. Nevertheless, I will not take back what I said about you, you stupid, dumb ass, Kapa-"

He cut her off. "Your food is here."

She choked down her temper.

Nasuti finished eating, and they were discussing about the old times her and the guys shared. You would not have guessed that a moment ago she thought about dumping her drink on his lap, all of it, even the drinks of the people sitting next to them. Her smile broadened in approval of their discussion. The subject at hand was about the day Touma almost burnt down the house with his cooking.

Then Raphael appeared at the table.

Nasuti looked up startled, "Raphael, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to meet your mysterious friend from two years ago.

Seiji choked, "Three."

"Oh," She glanced at Seiji. "Raphael, this is Date Seiji of the Date family. His family is well known for their art in kendo, the best dojo in all of Japan, well respected," She smiled proudly, and then turned it away when she saw the glares they were giving each other. She stomped on Seiji's foot. "Seiji, this is Raphael Frontvilliers. His family owns a museum in France dedicated to Asian Art and studies, he's also one of my partners at the University."

"Will you join us?" Seiji asked.

Oh God no! Seiji, you dolt! You do not know what you are doing! Nasuti was frantic.

"I'm sure Raphael can't, he has some classes to teach latter." She looked at Raphael mouthing the words, 'go away!'

"Not at all," Raphael replied and slid into the booth beside Nasuti.

I am doomed! The two most sarcastic people I know at the same table with me! A thunderbolt hitting me in the rear could not be scarier! Nasutie scrunched her nose.

Nasuti immediately ordered a glass of wine for herself. There was a moment of awkward silence as Seiji stared at the older man. Uncomfortable under Seiji's gaze, Raphael quickly drained his glass.

"So, Raphael-san, how do you like Japan?" Seiji asked.

"I like it very much," his gaze rested on Nasutei while he answered.

"You don't look Japanese, Mr. Date." Lightly he fingered a loose strand of hair from his cheek.

"That's what they all say, at first." Seiji let his gaze move over to Nasuti that interpreted annoyance. Where did you find this pansy?

Sinking into her seat, she shrugged.

Raphael glared at Seiji, finding his aloof act disturbing.

"You ever been to France, Monsieur?" his voice harsh.

"Malheureusement I jamais le haricot a` fracais, Monsieur." Seiji translated smoothly.

"If I'm correct, I believe I said, unfortunately I never been to France, gentleman. Yes, that is it. Nasuti use to cuss at us in French when my friends and I use to live with her, you always picked up a word or two."

Nasuti and Raphael nodded their heads to his statement, shocked that a man who spoke flawless Japanese could speak French just as good as any commoner from France.

Seiji laughed softly.

Abruptly, she rose to her feet. "I'm a little tired. You two stay and have a lovely night," she declared softly. "I'm going home. Have a lot of work to catch up, you know?" Smiling she climbed over Raphael.

Raphael sprang to his feet. "I'll see you home."

"I brought Nasuti here," Seiji said, rising, "and I will see her safely to her door."

He held out his hand and Nasuti took it roughly, on purpose. "See you next time Raphael and have a very good night," she said and bowed.

"Nasuti . . ."

Seiji fixed Raphael with a hard stare. "Good night, Raphael."

He took a steep backward, repelled by Seiji's coldness and the look in the man's eyes, by the sudden, unexpected sense of evil. With a last glance at Nasuti, he left the restaurant.

~*~*~

She smiled apologetically at Seiji as they drove home a short time later. "I'm sorry he made a scene. You should have seen him when he met Ryo. My God, he even glared at poor Jun."

"He's smitten with you," Seiji replied. "Anyone can see that."

Nasuti flushed. "Well, that's just him. I am the only other female who can speak flawless French. It does not help me that my grandfather was well known in France, at least that was my mothers doing, his son just married into the family. I think from the start he was memorized to see Miana Giscard's daughter?" Smiling she added, "To be honest, I really don't mind, he treats me very nicely."

"No, Nasuti, I mean he was 'really' smitten with you." He laughed.

"Yeah, well at least my crushes don't runaway brokenhearted." She mocked.

"Hey, that was uncalled for."

"True, it was uncalled for. Seiji, tell me, but is it just me or does Raphael seem-"

He finished her sentence. "Snob, self-absorbed, selfish, a pretty boy, high and mighty? Nope, it's not only you."

"I wasn't going to say that."

"No, but you thought it."

They reached Nasuti's house and exited from the car, walking towards the door.

"I'm exhausted, I could sleep like the dead" Yawned Nasuti.

Seiji choked at her comment while they entered through the hallway.

"Seiji are you all right?"

His hair glowed in the moonlight and his eyes . . . surly it was a trick of light that caused his eyes to glow with that gold flame.

Seiji saw the terror rise in her eyes, and knew that his own eyes were glowing from hunger of blood.

"Nasuti . . ." he whispered.

She shook her head. "I really need to sleep, good night, Seiji."

He nodded his head, trying to control his hunger. It took every ounce of his considerable self-control to keep from burying his fangs in her neck.

"I need to run an errand, I'll be back shortly." There was a critical tone in is voice.

Confused, she wandered restlessly up the stairs toward her room. Remember, no questions. Nota, NO questions, no matter how odd, no questions! Nasuti kept repeating in her head.


"Seiji, cara mia, the night calls for you." Jacqueline said in her silky voice, hiding in the shadows of the night, embraced by eternal darkness.

TBC




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