FicWad

Chapter XVII



As they continued to watch the concert, the renegades were getting tabs on who was here from the Marker family. By the head count, everyone was there. However, during the break, they noticed the one guy in white that looked like a dork staying very close to her. His aura did not read g’hul, but something else. It was not quite vampire, though it was there. They were not sure, but they had a guess. They then knew that this would warrant further investigation, because if it was what they suspected, then there could be trouble. On the other hand, if he was what they thought, then they may be able to execute the death sentence against him that another group of renegades tried to exact. If it was, they knew he was deadly, because he practically wiped out that entire pack of renegades. There was rumored to be one left, but they were not sure who that was. If he or she were to be found, they would have to try, and then recruit that one. They knew he or she would jump at the chance for revenge. They had to formulate a plan, because, if the family left as a group, then it would be hard to get the daughter. If they became desperate enough, they may go for any of the children, but that would have to wait until the time.



They finished the last set, but people were begging for more, so he called them together, and he said that he wanted to leave them in a better mood. Thus, he pulled out Annie’s Song to start, and that caught Karin’s attention as she danced with Kenta. “I thought that was him that morning!” she said, “I wonder what he was doing at that time?”

“I don’t know,” said Kenta, “Taking a shower?”

She chuckled, and said, “I thought about going over to check. Now, wouldn’t that have been embarrassing if he was bathing!”

They laughed, but then snuggled close as the song continued. He did Wild Montana Skies with Anjou, and finished off with Supertramp’s Give a Little Bit, which he dedicated to Yuriya. Yuriya was standing at the front by that point, and looking dreamily up at her beau. She looked happy, until something caught her attention. She snapped her head around, and noticed someone trying to make his way through the crowd. She did not catch a face, which made her concerned. No one was leaving, so why was he. She glanced back over at him, nodded her head in that direction, and went on. Jean-Claude thought that odd, but he wrote it off as her wanting to meet him after in that direction and he continued the song. Yuriya made her way out of the crowd in time to see six men talking very intensely. Then one looked up, and noticed that someone was staring at them. That got the attention of the rest, and they began to look up. Yuriya now felt conspicuous, and wheeled around to head back into the crowd. This is what the rest saw, and they began to talk some more. Ivan then said, “You two: follow her. See what she found out, find out what she knows, or may have discovered. Then drain her, and ditch her body—discreetly, but not so discreetly that we cannot send a message to Marker.”

On that order, they split up, and went to work.



The festival was over, and people started slowly to make their way on. Elda was on cloud nine, and they had to guide her home. The rest of the Marker family made their way home, as did Karin and Kenta. Yuriya waited patiently for Jean-Claude and the rest of the band to finish packing. They knew the next day would involve the students coming to help clean up, so they did all they could then to alleviate some of what they had to do the next day. They also did this to provide cover for Anjou, so that, if anyone questioned why she was not there to help, he could tell them that she did her bit the night before, so it was cool. Yuriya immediately kissed him, and said, “You were fantastic tonight, baby,” as she held him close, and cleared a lock of his hair from his face. He stared into her eyes, saying, “When I got here, I never thought I would meet someone like you—someone that understands, and someone that can see through my eyes.”

“When my uncle first sent me here,” she said, “It was not for something good. In the end of that, people got what they wanted anyway, and I could live my life. I know that I could never know what you have been through, but I never want to see that happen to you again. If it comes to the ultimate battle, I want to be by your side.”

“What are you saying?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she answered, “I just want to see what the future holds, and if it holds us.”

“You want to marry me?” he asked.

“So, you’re finally proposing?” she said, teasingly.

“Hey, whoa, I mean,” he stuttered, but she put a finger on his lips, and said, “Let’s wait a bit before we commit. However, it just seems to me that it is inevitable, don’t you think?”

She then gave him a serious look, and he said, “You really see that?”

She looked at him curiously, and said, “Don’t you think so?”

After about three seconds, a smile began to curl up over his lips, and he said, “Funny, I’ve only known you for a couple of months, and I feel such a kinship with you. I want to say, ‘We’re moving to fast,’ but the more I try to run from it, the more I loop right back to it. Would it work?”

“No one has to know what we are,” she said, “Besides, with Karin in the picture, there could be a chance for us.”

Jean-Claude thought about it, and said, “If we could not, would you still have me?”

“For all eternity, my love,” she said, “There could be none to replace you.”

Jean-Claude gave it a bit more thought, and then said, “If we could, would it be wise?”

“What do you mean?” she said.

“I mean, would our children be vampires, like us, human, one of each, depending on how many children we have? Would the council even allow it? They are tolerating us, thanks to Henry. However, what happens after that? They would not mind us being together as long as we both remain sterile. Yet, if we had kids…”

He had to stop, and he said, “Listen to me—I’m talking like I’ve already put a ring on your finger!”

“Baby,” she said, “Whether or not we did, these are things that do need to be discussed,” affecting a serious look on her face.

He rubbed his neck, and he then said, “Let’s leave that to the future. Besides, we have eternity—just about—don’t we?”
She smiled, and moved in close to him, setting her head on his chest, saying, “Yes, let’s just enjoy now.”



None of this went unnoticed. They had originally planned to isolate her, but now it seemed that they had to change plans again. The six then saw that there was none left but the two kids, and Anjou. Then Ivan snapped his fingers, and he said, “Wait! Look how she is away from the couple. Move in now!”

Anjou set down her “axe” and went to throw something away. When she turned the corner, she was immediately gagged and hauled away. Anjou was at a loss, but she then remembered that some of her bats were literally hanging around the show, and she immediately sent them to Jean-Claude. Meanwhile Jean-Claude and Yuriya were getting ready to go, and they turned to fetch Anjou. However, all they saw was her guitar. Instantly, Jean-Claude sensed trouble, and his suspicions were confirmed when two bats showed up, squealing and fussing. “Someone’s got Corn Muffin,” he said, his posture instantly changing. He tried to reach out mentally, and he felt her distress faintly. He then knew that there was indeed trouble. His blood was boiling. His entire countenance changed, and Yuriya knew that Hell was about to descend on Tokyo. He reached out mentally to his own bats, told them the problem, and told the bats there to hook up with his own, and scour the city. Once they knew something, contact him, and tell Corn Muffin help is on the way. Maki saw the look on Jean-Claude’s face, and she quickly said, “What’s wrong?”

“Yuriya,” he said, “Take Maki and have Karin get my outfit. Bring it here, but don’t tell anyone else, and tell Karin to keep quiet.”

“Whatever for?” asked Yuriya.

“If my suspicions are correct,” he said, “They know that she’s connected to Henry, and they may try to use her to find Karin. We cannot have any of the adults panic and do something stupid. We have to act now, and resolve this before it goes further.”

“What are you going to do in the meantime?” she asked.

“I’m going to get reinforcements,” he said, “strong reinforcements. When we have found her, I will send Bruce to you, and have him guide you to where I am. Your pyrotechnics could come in handy.”

With that, they started to go. However, instead of Maki running, Yuriya took the ends of her dress and stuffed them into her belt, worked her blood, picked up Maki, and said, “You’d be too slow. Just hang on tight.”
On that note, she took off like shot through a gun. You could hear Maki scream in surprise to the scream as they took off. Yuriya’s enhanced condition allowed her to run fast, and hold tight to Maki, as Maki held tight out of sheer terror! In the meantime, Jean-Claude went to find help.



Wiener met up with his grandfather at Julian’s after the festival. Ever since the fight, Victor had done everything that he could to insure that his grandson would be more prepared for the fight. He did not want to see his grandson that deep in it again. “What are you doing here, grandfather?” asked Wiener, “I though you and Elda were going out tonight?”

“Well, she was at the festival,” he said, “but I guess the atmosphere was a bit too much for her. I think she had a bit too much tonight.”

“Are you saying she’s a lush?” asked Wiener.

Victor gave him a look with raised eyebrows, and Wiener caught the hint, acknowledging his look with a, “Oh!” and they went on. They were not far from their place, when they saw an oddly clad man in a white, shiny bellhop jacket with bat wings approach. Victor was not sure who or what this was, and was ready to cold cock the weirdo, and call the wagon. Fortunately, Wiener recognized Jean-Claude from the festival, and said, “Jean-Claude was its los?”

Jean-Claude caught his breath, and said, “Wir haben eine Grosse problem! Sie haben Corn Muffin genommen!”

“Corn Muffin?” asked Wiener.

“Anjou,” he said.

Victor said the German word for “feces” under his breath, and then asked, “Die saboteur Nosferatu sind sie?”

“Ya,” said Jean-Claude.

Victor thought for a few minutes, and then he grabbed both boys and rushed them into the house. Wiener knew the look in his grandfather’s eyes, and that only meant that they were going in for the fight. Wiener and Victor started to prepare, and this time, they could wear clothes more suitable for vampire hunting. However, it was not something that was as loud as what they used to wear, but it was intimidating enough. Wiener then asked, (in Japanese, because he was more used to using it with his classmates,) “Where are we looking?”

“I have some ‘scouts’ on it right now,” he answered, “Once I know, we can act. In the meantime, I’m going to send bat to those bringing my equipment.”

“Du bist wilkommen zu alles hier,” said Victor, meaning, “You are welcome to all here,” and he pointed to all in the room.

“Danke,” he said, and started to inspect the ordinance. He did not normally need anything more than his trusty saber and skills, but tonight, he thought an extra slice of pain was in order. If he saw so much as a scratch on Anjou, he was going to be sure that they suffered horribly before they died.



By this point, Yuriya arrived at the Marker’s residence, with Maki still on her back. However, when Yuriya let go to drop off Maki, Maki stuck like glue, with her heart racing at double time cadence. “Its okay, Maki, you can let go now,” said Yuriya.

A whimper was all that Maki could get out. She then had to pry her off, and set her down. She said, “Just stay here. You’re so pale right now, they would ask questions.”

“Yep!” she squealed, very content to sit on the porch swing.

Yuriya entered in and slipped up the stairs without being heard. She came up to Karin’s room, and knocked lightly. “Karin, are you in there? It’s Yuriya.”

She opened the door, and said, “What’s with all the whispering?” but Yuriya pushed her in and said, “This has to be kept quiet. Jean-Claude sent me, and asked me to get his hunting gear.”

Karin did not like the sound of it, and she wanted more information. “The reason for the secret is because, if your father knew, he might panic, and blow the whole thing, or make it worse than need be.”

Karin looked at her, and said quite frankly, “What happened?”

Yuriya sighed heavily and said, “Renegades may have gotten Anjou, and he’s going after them.”

Karin was about to get up and tell her father, but Yuriya pulled her back down, saying, “No, Karin, they took her to get to you. If your father panics, he may cause what he wants to prevent. Let them handle it.”

“Who is ‘them?’” asked Karin.

“I don’t know,” said Yuriya, “All he said was ‘reinforcements.’”

Against her better judgment, they went into Jean-Claude’s room, and they were able to retrieve his things. At that moment, a rather large bat latched onto the window, and by its size, it had to be Bruce. Yuriya came in, and pulled him in. The instant she did, Jean-Claude linked up with her, and told her where they were. She said, “Maki’s out front, and I’m leaving her here,” said Yuriya, “So stay with her. I think she’s a bit shook from the run up here.”

They quietly went down stairs, and left the house. They saw Maki sitting there, still in a bit of shock, and Karin sat down with her. “Are you okay?” asked Karin.

“Yuriya…fast…run REAL fast!” she sputtered out.

Karin looked at her, and said, “What happened?”

“She’ll come out of it soon,” she said, “She’ll tell you then.”

With that, she hiked her dress back up to what she had done before, and took off again, leaving a wake a leaves behind her. Karin, at that moment, got the answer.



By this time, she caught up with Jean-Claude, and he got changed. When he came out, Wiener asked, “What now?”

“We wait,” said Jean-Claude, “By my count, word should come soon.”

“How do you know?” asked Yuriya.

“When Ricardo told the other bats what the deal was, Anjou’s entire company of bats were out of the house and flying. With the amount of them, it won’t take long. In addition, they are communicating with her now, and she’s okay, but they are not sure where she is yet. I told Brownie to tell them to tell her that I am coming, and to hang tight. She said that she would keep them busy if she could, and not to worry. I told her to give them a warning. Knowing Corn Muffin, the way she tells things, they better be losing control of bodily functions.”

With the glow in his eyes, all three in the room realized that these creatures might have crossed the line with him. Of course, they had a long time ago, but this time was going to be very ugly.



Meanwhile, at one of the piers by the harbor, they brought in their bargaining chip, and set her down. They had foolishly forgotten to blindfold her, not realizing how powerful she actually was. She was hoping to get her bats closer to her, because the connection was weak, and there was no clear way to get communication through as to where she was. All she knew was that he was coming, and that was all she needed to know. As soon as her bats were in range, she would send the message through. In the meantime, she had to get the message through to these clowns that they had just made a foolish mistake. “This girl is creeping me out!” said one of them, as they carried her in.

“What do you mean,” said another, “She’s just a girl.”

“Look at that stare!” said the first, “She doesn’t even blink! It’s almost as if she’s trying to kill me with that stare.”

The other ignored this, and they hauled her in. They set her on a chair and bound her hands. She just stared at the wall. Ivan came up to her, and saw that death stare. “Well, little miss,” he said, with an evil grin, “What’s wrong? Do you think your daddy is going to be able to do anything?” he mocked.

She lifted her head slowly, and stared him dead in the eyes, saying nothing. “What’s that all about?” he said, “You don’t think you’re going to do anything, do you?”

All she did was continue to stare. However, she did see the window behind him, and noticed a familiar image hanging from the top, with Brownie right next to him. Her staring now was her concentration on her bat, and the communication through it, and Brownie. He looked at her, and said, “What’s wrong—cat got your tongue? Don’t worry; you’ll see your daddy real soon.”

The last comment was made with evil overtones; however, Anjou looked him dead in the eyes, and said, “My father is the least of your worries.”

His eyes narrowed, and he said, “What is that supposed to mean.”

“You shall be dead by sunrise,” she said blankly and quietly.

He became enraged and smug with that statement, and backhanded her—HARD! Even with her fangs retracted, they still stuck out a bit, and blood trickled out of her mouth. She had cut her own tongue, and he had split her lip. She naturally started to heal up, but her face betrayed tears. Now she looked at him enraged, but he just grabbed her shirt, got face to face with her, and said, “When your father comes, and we get what we want, that is the least of what you are going to get,” and he called her a blood sucking female dog. One of the men asked, “Shall we put in a call now?”

“No,” he said, “Let’s wait a day. Let her be missed, and let them panic, and then we put in the call. In the meantime, call Boris and let him know the operation has been a success thus far.”

He knew that Boris would be along once Marker was involved. However, none of this was unnoticed, as Anjou had hoped. The image was shot to Ren, who was just finishing another escapade. The image caused him to vamp out instantly. He was gone like the wind. He only hoped Jean-Claude was seeing this, because he wanted to be sure he had a piece of the action, if they were not all dead by the time he arrived. He need not have worried, because at that moment, everyone at Victor’s place saw his head snap up, eyes as wide as saucers, and if they could have seen under his scarf, they would have seen his fangs. He stood up quickly and said, “At the docks—someone dies tonight!”