Okay, first things first. This is a crossover (duh) between three
series; Ranma, Devil Hunter Yohko, and the Castlevania series of games. I
don't know everything about DHY, having seen only the first three episodes,
so I'll only be using Yohko, Asuza, and Madoka. The other hunters won't make
an appearance, being that I know squat about them. Now, with that out of the
way, let's get the ball rollin'! ^_^
Ranma 1/2 used without permission
Devil Hunter Yohko used without permission
Castlevania used without permission
Bloodlines
=============================================
The light of the torches danced on the walls of the cavern, giving
the shadows of the enclosed space an almost frantic life. In the center was
an altar, carved of stone blacker than even the darkest night. Upon the
altar rested a female form clad in virginal white, manacles on her wrists
and ankles holding her to the cold stone. An arcane design, a five-pointed
star in a ring of crimson, rested beneath the altar, mystic sygils painted
within the circle and at various places in the star itself.
A gathering of robed figures knelt around the design, bowing to the
stone floor as their chants filled the air, spoken in a tongue not heard for
countless centuries. As the chant continued in it sendless monologue,
another figure emerged from the shadows
Akari Unryuu turned to look at the approaching figure, his robes
black as the altar on which she lay. The wadded white cloth prevented her
from speaking, her wide and beseeching eyes searching for even the bares
hint of compassion in the midnight void that was the front of his hood. On
his waist was a belt of polished gold, the head of a howling demon on the
buckle.
//Who are you?\\ she wanted to ask, //What do you want with me?\\
Her heart was triphammering, fear singing its discordant song throughout her
veins as the chanting continued relentlessly. The stone slab was like ice,
its chill penetrating her body through the gauzy white gown.
They had come from out of the darkness, silent and swift as the
moonlight as she went to feed her pigs. Without any warning, several pairs
of hands had grasped her from behind, whisking her back into the night. Her
calls for help never made it past the vice-like grip on her mouth, the
fearful grunting of Katsunishiki the last sound she had heard before her
captors had pulled her into the forests surrounding the Unryuu home.
Now, here, chained and prone, her fear threatened to spiral out of
control. Desperate, she began to think of Ryoga. His muscles, his beautiful
eyes, his cute little fangs, anything to slow her adrenaline-maddened heart.
//Ryoga will come and save me,\\ Akari thought, //I know he will. My
Ryoga would not abandon me.\\
Her eyes returned to the robed figure as he reached into his sleeve.
His hand returned, weilding a long, wickedly curved dagger. The gleaming
silver blade was offset by a jewel-studded handle, diamonds and rubies
almost dripping fromt the extravagant weapon.
//Oh, please!\\ she silently pleaded, //no, please, no DON'T!\\ The
knife rose in his clasped hands, the blade pointing to her heaving chest.
//RYOGA!!\\
The knife gleamed in the firelight for a brief second before
plunging down. The pain seemed to singe every nerve in Akari's body before
the cold began to set in. The world grew grey and unfocused as her eyes
stubbornly refused to remain open. She was tired, more tired than she had
ever been in her life. All she wanted was to close her eyes and rest...
//Ryo.... ga......\\ Akari Unryuu's eyes closed, her least breath
coming out a soft sigh.
The robed man stepped back as the lifeblood trickled down the
sacrifice's side to the altar below. After her last breath, the unholy
symbol began to glow a dark red, tendrils of power crackling across it as
the glow intensified.
The chanting of the acolytes grew louder and more frantic as the
ritual neared its completion. A hot wind blew through the enclosed space,
extinguishing many of the torches as the glow reached unbearable intensity.
He raised his hands in an attempt to shield himself from the light as the
scream of a thousand tortured souls ripped through the cavern.
The glow began to subside, the chanting dying along with the light.
Darkness reigned in the cavern, then a deep silence as the ritual ended.
Unable to see, he lowered his hands and tried to look around. Did it work?
Did their efforts pay off?
Without warning, the torches re-lit, and he saw that they had indeed
been successful. Standing just behind the altar was a man far taller than
any other. A long black cape flowed from his shoulders, touching the filthy
stone floor. His pants and vest were of the same dark material, with a white
ruffled shirt beneath. Pale white hair cascaded down to his shoulder, a
goatee on his pasty face. The ears were pointed, giving him the resemblance
of a dark elven creature.
His eyes, however, burned hot with the intensity of the worst demon,
eyes that could make cowards of even the bravest men. The acolytes rose from
their knees, heads bowed in a gesture of respect. The robed leader dropped
to one knee, and in a cracked and hissing voice said,
"Welcome, my dread lord Dracula."
====================================
"Something is very wrong," Madoka Mano said to herself as she gazed
out the window of the family home. The darkened room was silent, as was the
night outside, but she still knew that something wasn't right.
She could feel it in the air, something had come. Something evil,
something with terrible power and a lust for... what? Whatever it was, it
was a thing that should not be, a thing that did not belong on earth.
As quickly as the feeling of fear and dread came, it vanished,
leaving the old woman afraid and uncertain. She looked to the stairs, glad
that Yohko and Asuza were still asleep. They would need their rest, for
whatever had come was certain to be a threat to them, and they would need to
be ready.
Looking back into the night, she stared into every shadow as if they
held something dark and sinister.
//What are you?\\ she silently asked.
===================================
"He has returned." Adrian Vlad Tepes stood in the shadows of the
squat buildings, the light from the lamposts creating pools of illumination
on the cracked stone walkways.
He had awakened just a few scant hours before, weak and uncertain of
how long he had slept. All he knew was that his father had returned, and
that he had to be destroyed once and for all.
And thus Alucard had armed himself and set off for Castlevania,
ancestral home of the accursed vampire that had given him life. Upon seeing
the resting place of the ancient castle bare, he had begun to wonder what
sort of sorcery had taken place. Dracula had returned to earth, of that
there was no doubt, but where was Castlevania? And where was the Count?
He looked to the form of the man lying in the shadows beside him,
his breathing deep and even. He hated the act of taking blood from another,
to him it was giving in to the vampire heritage he so loathed, but it
couldn't be helped. He needed to regain his strength, and to do so he needed
to feed despite how distasteful he found it.
Feeling rejuvenated, he saw that Dracula was indeed not in
Transylvania, but somewhere far to the east. Even more troubling was that he
could not find a Belmont. From his victim, he had learned that no Belmonts
had lived for well over a century.
It didn't matter, he would find Dracula on his own. And when he did,
he would personally ensure that he never returned to menace the humans.
Turning to the east, Alucard began his journey.
=====================================
Ryoga awoke in a cold sweat, fear pounding through his veins as his
mind struggled to separate dream from reality. The sleping bag, instead of
giving comfort, became constricting as though it were trying to hold him
rather than keep him warm.
He kicked himself out from beneath it, the night air chilling his
sweat-soaked skin. Before him lay the remains of the campfire he had built,
the darkness now enveloping him completely. Among the sounds of the night,
he sat and slowed his breathing, forcing his mind to calm itself and his
body. After a few moments he felt more in control and began to recall what
fragments remained of the dream that had awakened him.
He had seen three men, people whom he had never seen before, yet
somehow knew. A man in a brown tunic and pants, wild brown hair held back by
a bandanna came first, a man he knew as Trevor. Second was a man in a blue
coat, who he knew as Richter. Lastly was a man in light armor, a man who
spoke words he could ill recall. Ryoga knew only that he called himself
Simon. Then, above them all, rose a figure whose very presence made his
blood run cold. The voice, dark and filled with hatred and lust, filled his
mind and sparked a terror he never knew a man could feel.
Ryoga tried to push the stubborn nightmare out of his mind,
eventually succeeding. He sat there afterward, fear still gnawing at his
stomach, trying to understand just what it had meant. He knew that all
dreams had meaning, and nightmares even more, but what was behind this one?
He didn't know, and some part of him kept insisting that he didn't WANT to
know, but he would eventually find out. He just wasn't sure he'd like the
answer when it came.
===================================
Well, that's the teaser. Hope ya like it!
Jed