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A decrepit manor stood lonely on a cliff's edge, illuminated by the moonlight. It had acted as a tomb to many unfortunate souls, led there by a voice as sweet as it was poisonous. Young men and women, their corpses found strewn across the floor, drained of their blood. Tales of curses and nocturnal monsters spread like a plague, and eventually reached the ears of some of the country's best monster hunters.
Kagami Tsurugi was a Japanese woman living in France, born and bred to become a fierce warrior. Her speciality was blades, and it came to a point where no-one could give her a sufficient challenge. Even with combatants who had thrown away any sense of honour, she found herself bored. She was quicker, smarter, more alert of her surroundings than any human opponent could dream of being. She would have surely fell into a slump and given up her warrior status, hadn't she discovered the world of monsters.
Now, she stood before the manor, a sword of pure silver sheathed by her side, a bottle of holy water holstered on the other side. All the stories Kagami had heard made her think of one word: vampire. She considered them the worst of all monsters. Zombies were just mindless servants, werewolves in their frenzy warranted caution and distance, but vampires? They were cunning, intelligent, and knew how bend people to their will. People believed that they had special powers, but Kagami knew the truth: they loved to prey on innocent and vulnerable people. No more lost souls shall fall to this beast, Kagami decreed.
She walked through the door, the air cold and dead. Her heart was steady, her head was clear. She climbed the staircase, not even flinching as the door slammed shut. There was no backing out now. Not that Kagami would have. She walked further up, her hand resting on the handle of her sword, prepared to strike down anything that dared to approach her. The stairs creaked under her feet, surely announcing her presence to anyone inside. Kagami didn't care, she knew whatever was inside was expecting her.
She arrived at the top the stairs, where a red carpet led to an to a balcony. A figure, roughly Kagami's own height, stood bathing in the moonlight. It's long hair flowed with the wind and paired well with the way it's dress waved like the sea below. Even with no discernible features, the figure still radiated beauty. Behind it, Kagami drew her sword. She walked calmly towards the black figure. She knew what it was, what it was capable of, how easily she could lose against it. But she had no fear, just caution.
Kagami walked until she was about two metres away from the figure. They stood in silence for a few seconds before one of them spoke:
"I knew you'd come for me, Kagami. You wouldn't allow anyone else to kill me."
The figure turned around and revealed her face to Kagami. It was almost pure white, like the moon above, and seemed to shine like it too. Her eyes were dark and sad, like a mourner at a funeral. The beauty that radiated from her body was overshadowed from that of her face. Kagami looked straight at it, her own face stoic and immovable.
"No," said Kagami. "I wouldn't." The vampire's eyes seemed to become sadder.
"I won't make it easy for you. I've... Grown accustomed to this new life," spoke the vampire.
"You enjoy being a parasite?" Disgust filled Kagami's voice.
"Eternal beauty is expensive, but I can afford it. And I have no qualms about what I've done."
"And what have you done, Marinette?!" The disgust in Kagami's voice was replaced with rage. "You've lured innocent vulnerable people away and killed them! You are a parasite with pretty face!"
Marinette's eyes widened. "You still think I'm pretty?"
"I think you're nothing but a shadow of the woman I once loved. You're an insult to her and all of humankind. And for that, you must die." Kagami lifted her sword and pointed it at Marinette, who said nothing as she stared past the blade and into the hunter's furious eyes.
The two-metre distance was still there; just enough room for one of them to avoid whatever move the other makes. They stood there, staring each other down, like cowboys. Kagami lowered her sword and entered a fighting stance. Marinette stood nearly motionless.
Everything changed in a heartbeat.
Kagami lunged fowards, stabbing her gleaming blade in the air before her. Marinette glided to Kagami's left and kicked her into the wall. Marinette leapt at Kagami, but Kagami had grabbed one of the bottles at her side, uncorked it, and splashed it at Marinette. She quickly avoided the water, knowing it could scar her perfect skin forever, which gave Kagami enough time to recover and take a blind swing at the vampire. The sword shone in the moonlight and became a smear of light as the tip slashed against Marinette's abdomen. Crimson flew from the wound, and Marinette shrieked in brief agony.
The two women locked eyes, fear in the vampire's, cold fury in the hunter's. Marinette clutched her wound as it dripped liquid ruby onto the floor. She watched as her own blood slid down the hunter's silver blade, and was overcome with vulnerability and rage. She rushed towards Kagami, narrowly dodging another swing. She swerved behind the hunter and gave her another powerful kick, sending her all the way to the railing next to the stairs. The railings cracked and almost split in half, but the held together just enough to keep Kagami from going over the edge. However, both the kick and the sudden stop had dazed her, and her sword slid from her hand. Her vision was blurry, and her body had begun to feel heavy. She could do nothing as she saw a black mass with as white center dash towards her.
Marinette lept onto Kagami, but their combined weight was too much for the broken railings. As Marinette clung to Kagami, the railings gave way and they both fell from the first floor to the ground.
The impact hurt them both, and as the dust settled, they lay there, like lovers embracing. No movement occurred from either of them for a moment, until Marinette stirred and lifted herself off the hunter with great effort. Her strength ran out quickly and she slumped onto the floor next to Kagami.
She turned her head to looked at her would-be killer.
Kagami was still conscious, but her body was broken and she had no more energy to use. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth and down her cheek. From above, the silver blade fell down and clattered against the floor, within arms reach of Kagami. But she had no strength to reach for it.
Marinette turned herself over and wrapped her arm around the hunter, the pair of them looked as though they were merely laying in bed.
"I.." Whispered Marinette. "I had hoped you wouldn't have had it in you to kill me... That'd what we used to have together would make you hesitate."
"I.." Wheezed Kagami. "..can't bear... to see you... like this..."
"I know. But I wanted this. I chose this. I was too afraid of death, it comes so easily." Silence. Then:
"Why don't I share this gift with you? Why don't we share eternity together?"
Marinette bore her fangs, like a snake preparing for to bite. Kagami couldn't protect herself from it.
The vampire's mouth moved closer and closer towards the pulsing vein in the hunter's neck. Kagami felt Marinette's cold breath on her neck. She braced for the pain.
It didn't come. What she felt instead was wet and slimy and on her cheek. Marinette licked the blood that trailed from Kagami's cheek to her mouth. Once her tongue reached Kagami's lips, she planted her own onto them. Marinette embraced Kagami's broken body, tears streaming down her face.
"I can't! " Marinette cried, removing her lips from Kagami's. "I want to enjoy forever with you so much!
But I know you'd rather kill yourself than live this cursed half-life." Marinette hugged her lover tightly, the tears seemingly never-ending. Tears fell from Kagami's eyes too, each one cleaning a line down the dust that caked her face.
Marinette laid down Kagami and stood up, her face filled with sorrow. She looked down at her lover.
"You're strong. You'll recover. And when you do, you'll find me, no matter what corner of the world I hide in."
"No matter..."
Marinette glided away, out of the manor and into the night, to hide in some dark corner of the world.
Kagami lay on the floor, tears down her face, her eyes filled with sorrow. Her ribs had shattered, her sword arm fractured, head about to burst. But nothing hurt her more than her heart. Kagami Tsurugi, bane of monsters, bested by one that wore her lover's face.