Kyuukatsuki and Her Rogue Sister

As soon as he entered the clearing, he stopped running, breathing heavily. Looking around, he decided this was where he was to make his stand. It has to work, he thought frantically, using his own blood to draw the summoning runes on the forest floor. The clearing was covered mostly in moss and was relatively flat, the best place to draw an impromptu summoning spell. Although it was nighttime, Mairoibus was full and Redigo was starting its waning phase. There was more than enough light for him to see. Every so often he would stop what he was doing and stand still, listening to the sounds of the forest. Even though he heard nothing out of the ordinary, he knew she was still stalking him. Every loud noise made him jump, and one particularly loud crunch made him stand up with his sword drawn. He had stood there a long time, slowly turning in a circle with his sword held out in front of him, waiting for her to appear.

He hesitated right before he finished drawing the final rune. Just like every other Hunter, he had heard the stories of what happened after she was summoned. She was just as dangerous as the one chasing him; arguably more dangerous. One never knew what mood she would be in when summoned, and she was just as apt to grant his request as she was to tear his head off. The man slumped to the ground, his energy fading fast. He took a few deeps breaths, his hand posed to draw the last rune.

"They told me not to go alone," he muttered to no one, his voice barely loud enough for even him to hear. He, like those before him, thought himself strong enough to take her on. Steeling his reserve, he drew the last rune and forced himself to stand back up. He muttered the words for the spell, feeling the world turn a bit as the energy left him. The runes glowed with an unearthly blue light. If his pursuer didn't know where he was before, she certainly knew now, he thought ruefully. He then clasped his hands and prayed to the Arches, the Old Gods, and any other unknown deities, that the woman he was summoning would be in an amiable mood tonight.

In the center of the runes he had drawn appeared a maiden fairer than any he had ever seen before. Her skin glowed white in the moonlight and her pitch black hair made a dark contrast. She was wearing a black corset and a flowing black skirt that almost reached the ground, or perhaps they only appeared black in the moonlight. Kneeling beside her were two figures cloaked in black. Although the man couldn't see any distinguishing features, he knew the two kneeling were male. She looked around and instantly spotted the man, who froze at her gaze. Her glowing red eyes were the only indication that she was a vampire.

"You summoned me." It was not a question.

"Yes."

"I see no other vampires here tonight," she said, finally releasing his gaze. Her voice was soothingly low in a very attractive way. Had the man met her in a tavern, he would have been instantly smitten with her. She looked at the men flanking her, who by this time had stood up. They also had red eyes, eyes that were always trained on their master. "Well, except these two," she said with a smile that showed off her fangs. Quicker than the human eye could detect, she flicked her left hand and a sandalwood fan instantly appeared. Even though the night was tepid, she started to slowly fan her face. The man took her humor and relaxed stance as a sign she was in a good mood.

"My Lady-" started one of the male vampires, but she shushed him with a flick of her fan.

"No, no, let him talk." She turned her gaze back to the Hunter, any humor gone, no trace of a smile left. The man felt a cold drop of fear course through his body, and he tried not to let the vampire sense it. "Why have I been summoned? You do know what the penalty is for summoning me without reason, do you not, vampire hunter?" she asked. Her voice, still low pitched, was light, as if she was talking to a mere child. The Hunter was not so sure of his plan anymore, but he had to see it through. He dropped to one knee, lowering his head. Although she was a vampire, she was a pureblood. The only one who could rein in any rogue. He still had to show her the respect due to her status. He took a deep breath and was about to explain why he summoned her, when she interrupted.

"There is no vampire scent around, Hunter," she said. Her stance had not changed, and she was still fanning her face almost lazily, but there was a menacing undertone, almost a growl. He looked up just in time to see her make an almost imperceptible motion with her free hand.

"No, wait!" was all the Hunter was able to get out before one of the male vampires lept for him, tackling him to the ground. As soon as they hit the ground, however, the vampire was immediately attacked. The force of the attack threw the vampire off the Hunter, and he quickly stood up. He drew his sword but did not move from his spot. A low chuckle filled the clearing, and he realized the vampire he had summoned was laughing at the fight.

"That's why I couldn't sense her," she muttered, and threw something at the fighting creatures. An instant later, the male guard that attacked the Hunter was lying on the forest floor, blood leaking around the knife that was still embedded in his throat up to the hilt. The other creature stood up, and only then did the Hunter see that it was the rogue he had been hunting and subsequently running away from. And she was giggling.

"Nee-chan, you ruin the fun!" she said. Her voice was like a bell, light and airy. It was completely at odds with how the Hunter thought of vampires. This one sounded like a young maiden! She too was wearing a cloak, and she pulled down the hood to look at the Hunter. There was the tiniest hint of a wince, and she grasped her right wrist with her left hand "Put that away, vampire hunter. Do you really think you can hurt me, especially in the state you are in?"

"I took an oath when I joined the society to eradicate you rogues," he said, holding the sword as steady as he could. He was aware his arms were trembling, but he still tried to shove the fear down, refusing to show fear or exhaustion in front of these monsters. "You have attacked humans indiscriminately, and have been put on the vampire list of rogues. According to our laws and yours, you are to be-"

"Bla, bla, bla. It's the same spiel every single time. I've been on that list longer than any other vampire. Have you ever stopped to think about why?" the rogue interrupted, tugging on her wrist. There was a sick squelching sound, and she held it up to the moonlight. "Ah, broken wrist fixed." There was movement on the ground that caught everyone's attention. The vampire with the knife in his throat slowly stood up, then pulled the knife out of his neck. There was no blood leaking out of the wound now. He calmly walked back to the vampire that had been summoned and calmly handed her the blade, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. The Hunter stared incredulously at the scene he just witnessed. He had been taught of the vampire's regenerative ability, but only the oldest vampires could heal that quickly. No one at the institution knew how old the rogue was, but if she fixed her broken wrist with only a slight tug...he turned his thoughts back to the present. Any lapse in concentration and he would die.

"Sister," said the vampire with black hair.

"Yes, nee-chan?" she replied with a sweet smile, using another language's word for sister.

"Have you been attacking humans indiscriminately?"

"I'm hungry," she said, still smiling. "And he attacked me first."

The black haired vampire sighed, snapping her fan shut with a click. "You still attacked humans, and you know you shouldn't do that. I am tiring of cleaning up after you. Hunter, I wouldn't do that if I were you," she said, pointing the shut fan at the Hunter. Throughout the sister's conversation, he had been inching ever closer to the rogue. All he would need is a single stab through the heart, and the rogue menace would be eradicated forever.

"Don't worry, nee-chan, I've been keeping an eye on him."

"So, vampire hunter, do you know the penalty for attacking a pureblood?" asked the black-haired vampire.

"I have not nor have any intention to harm you, Lady Pureblood," the Hunter said as calmly as he could, not taking his eyes off the rogue.

"Not me. Her." The black-haired vampire pointed with her fan to the rogue, who was still smiling.The Hunter felt the chill of fear once again flood his body, but a greater fear than he had ever felt before. To harm a pureblood was the greatest offence, and anyone who harmed a pureblood was hunted by virtually every vampire in existence. "She's not really my sister, you know," she continued. "We've just been alive for so long that we might as well be. Ah, if I hadn't already killed the human who woke me from my slumber, I would kill him now out of annoyance for having to deal with this." She had started fanning her face again as she talked, and only then did the Hunter remember something about this particular pureblood. She was second to none when it came to throwing knives, but she was also a master with Spiritus magic, the element of air. There were so many ways she could have killed him that he briefly wondered why he was still alive. But he had much more pressing matters to worry about. This rogue, the bane of the Hunters' existence, was a pureblood. The society only knew of four purebloods who had awoken since the Great War, including the one he had summoned, and kept tabs on them at all times. This rogue was unknown to all in the society.

"No...my Lady, I did not - that is, the society does not know-"

"Be silent, human." The pureblood flicked her wrist of the hand not holding the fan, and the Hunter half expected a knife to strike him. Instead a sharp breeze slapped him on the jaw, forcibly shutting his mouth. "Our word is law. Any who should harm a pureblood is to be exterminated immediately. No exceptions." She was visibly glaring at the Hunter now, and the wind started to pick up.

"Nee-chan, calm yourself. Allow me to finish him off. I'm still hungry. And I did attack that human village..." the rogue said, trailing off with a smile that showed off her extended fangs. The summoned vampire looked at her two guards, seemingly ignoring her sister.

"Kill him. Leave no trace behind, no bone, blood, nor clothing. Come with me, my sister," she said, proceeding to fan her face once more. the rogue gave an exaggerated moan, looked once more at the Hunter, then followed her sister out of the clearing.

A lone wolf happened upon the clearing the next morning. He could smell traces of human blood, mixed ever so slightly with the scent of vampire, but there was nothing in the clearing he could track them with. The wolf padded out of the clearing, annoyed that he was denied breakfast.