"We always regret things only when they are too late, we never apreciate a person except when they're gone. Treasure these moments my pet, they will be with you till eternity." The parting words of his sire Pandora echoed over and over inside the young man's head as he rode at the back seat of his rented limo, adjusting the lapels of his jet black Armani suit. His driver, an old man trusted by the mistress, made the craft coast slowly over the streets of Tokyo. A familiar landmark shook him from his musings. "Come back for me around 9:00 Felix, I'll stroll around for a while." the pasenger said, his french impecable, were it not for the heavy accent. The driver nodded, signifying his understanding and stopped the car, he got off and opened the door to the young man's side of the car. "Maybe I'll even have a snack while I'm here." He added, smiling, showing canines that are not common among mortals. A blink of an eye later and he seemingly vanished, the driver went ba!
ck to his vehicle apparenlty unfazed, showing that he, unlike other mortals, is used to seeing things like this.
The young vampire meanwhile was ghosting all over the park, looking for ruffians and hoodlums that he fancied having for dinner, not as dinner guests but as the main course. He effortlessly moved from tree to tree, dashing to and fro faster than the human eye could follow. He stopped suddenly and his face grew whiter if it were possible for a vampire, his eyes widened in shock at the sight he just witnessed. He hid behind a tree and blended with it's shadow as he continued to monitor a couple. The guy, he hasn't seen before, no doubt coming to Nerima when he "left", the girl on the other hand, tugged at his heart strings. The sight of her sent memories crashing to him like a ten wheeler zooming in a highway without any breaks. Her smiles, her movements, her scent, too painful to remember yet just as painful to forget. He tugged at where his pigtail used to be in frustration, forgetting for an instant that her sire had it cut off before he was turned. Seeing her smile !
at her companion like she used to smile for him, those rare moments that she did, was more than he could stand, he left, rushing blindly away from the couple, tears tinted in red flying in his wake, his heart constricting in a pain worse than the hunger before feeding. As he left the park he tenderly whispered her name to the winds. "Akane^�"
Jiro Maeda presents
A Ranma � / Vampire Chronicles fanfic
Immortality Act 1a: The Vampire Saotome
Tetsuya couldn't believe his luck, after three years of pleading, cajoling and begging, he finally got Akane Tendo, the most sought after girl in Tokyo University to go out with him. He turned to look at his date, her eyes, her lips, so perfect, sensual yet in a way projecting immense sadness. "I have to make her smile, anything would probably be worth doing only to see her smile." he pondered on things to do to make Akane smile at him or maybe even giggle a little. His musings stopped when he felt cold, as if an icicle was placed in his back, he turned around and saw no one. "Tetsuya, is something the matter?" Akane asked, noticing his bewildered expression. "N-nothing, maybe I just got scared of the movie we're gonna see^�" he said, thinking that it would be better than telling her that he had a feeling someone wanted to kill him. He heard a gentle giggling shortly afterwards, he looked towards Akane and he saw that she was trying to stiffle her giggles and failing mise!
rably at it. "Sure, you're laughing now, just wait till we get to the movie, then we'll see who ain't scared. " he said, feigning hurt, but secretly pleased that he finally made Akane laugh. This pleasure didn't decrease the feeling that someone wanted to tear him limb from limb, he quickened his steps but not enough to let Akane and whoever it is that's watching them know how scared he really is. "C'mon you, let's see how scary this movie of yours really is." Akane said, giggling all the while. As Tetsuya felt her grabbed his arm, the pleasant feeling this gesture caused in him made the danger feel remote, making him feel safe and content. As far as he was concerned whoever it is that's stalking them could kill him, cause right now he's in heaven.
Beneath a cherry tree not far away, a little black pig was watching jelously as Akane took Tetsuya's arm, in pig grunts Ryouga cursed the fates that made him the wishy-washy man that he is, unable to tell Akane how he really felt. Years ago he thought that if only Ranma wasn't around letting his feelings known would be a piece of cake, now he knew how foolish that notion really is. His martial arts instinct suddenly kicked in, making him aware of another prescence watching the couple. "If whoever that is thinks Akane would be harmed tonight he's got another thing coming." He thought as he roamed around to get a better fix on the other watcher. This of course was a bad idea because Ryouga and roaming mix as well as oil and water, actually the latter has a greater chance of coming together without incident. Soon enough as expected Ryouga, the pig known as P-chan got lost yet again. He got trampled a few seconds later by a stranger wearing an all black tuxedo, rendering him!
dizzy. As darkness claimed him, the last thought in Ryouga's head was "Why the hell does that guy remind me of Ranma?"
Akane also felt the prescence in the park but merely disregarded it as guilt from trying to get over Ranma's death. She tried to steer her thoughts away from her dead fiance and more importantly to the events that caused his demise. "Oh, Ranma^�" she softly murmured, remembering the events that occurred three years ago^�
"How dare you?!" Akane screamed, throwing a desklamp towards Ranma, who "eeped" and leaped out of the way. Standing up from his awkward crouch Ranma began to speak. "Akane, let me explain^�" he said, holding unto her hands gently yet firmly. His face merely inches from hers, his eyes begging her to listen to what he has to say. But Akane failed to see that, as she had the other signs of affection Ranma unintentionaly bestowed upon her during times that are also like this one. Her mind was filled with rage, rendering her incapable of rational thought, nothing registered to her except her anger, fueled by her brain's unending repetition of Ranma leaving her that morning, without word, without reason. Her enraged mind kept telling her how much of a jerk Ranma was for leaving without telling her where he was going, and worst of all for leaving her that morning, fo all mornings, that morning, her birthday. She had no idea she had voiced out her thoughts when he said some!
thing that fueled the already errupting volcano of emotions within her. "Why should I tell you where I'm goin'? You ain't my mother and you ain't my wife neither."he said, then stood dumbfounded as if wanting to take everything he said back, yet it was too late, far too late. Her vision darkened, she failed to notice her arm turning, her palm hitting his face, her mouth uttering the words she never meant to say, "I hate you!" When her vision cleared she saw her fiance, holding his cheek as if in shock. He then bent his head and murmured something before rushing out into the rain soaked streets. She was to find out later that he left that morning to help her friends prepare her surprise party. She wanted to take everything back, to tell him how sorry she was for doubting him. They searched all over Nerima, her family, her friends even her rivals. They all helped look for him, it was close to midnight when Genma, his father returned. He held in his hand a torn red clot!
h and a braid, his braid. "I found this near a bus explosion, they couldn't locate any bodies, he was probably trying to save the people on board, my son^�"he said, his voice fading until the very end it seemed as if he was whispering. Three years ago, yet to her mind, it was clear as if it were yesterday. She was abruptly returned to the present when Tetsuya suddenly said "We're here, Akane." He was seemingly cheerful until he saw her face, his contenance suddenly serious he asked "Hey, you ok?" she nodded as she wiped the tears from her face, tears she didn't know were there, before smiling. She took his arm and lead him into the theater deciding to try to enjoy the night.
Ranma ran, not seeing where he was going, not noticing his curse being triggered, shifting his form from that of a dashing young man to that of a mysterious nymph with ghostly white skin and hair of crimson blood. She didn't know she made a turn into an alley until she had bumped into someone and fell down on her butt. "Lookit what we got here boys, a snack!" Ranma looked up and saw them, a gang of thugs who's goal in life is to terrorize people, the blood in their veins making them look like a kaleodescope of colors in her eyes. "My favourite dish, just the thing to keep my mind away from Akane." she thought as she strutted towards them, oozing sex appeal all the while. "Actually boys^�you got it backwards, you're my snack." She said as she bared her fangs, minutes of screaming, scuffling and muffled curses were heard and then silence^� Ranma emerged from the alley a few moments later, her jacket torn, her immaculately black pants smudged and her hair disheveled. She l!
ooked at her watch, thankfully unscathed and took to the roofs.
Felix gazed at his pocketwatch worridly, the young master was late, and that only meant one thing, he was in trouble. He heard the passenger door open and then close after a hurried "Sorry I'm late Felix, I had a late night snack." Felix raised an eye late night snack." Felix raised an eyebrow upon hearing the young master's tone, obviously the curse was triggered yet again. "The thermos is in the back seat young master, beside the portable stove. Do try not to wet the seats." Felix waited for the response that usually came after he issued this droll remark in his nasal monotone, something he relished each time the young master went out and worried him to death. The response never came, worrying him more as they sped back to the hotel.