Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Walks at Midnight
By : Henrietta
Category: InuYasha > General
Views: 4163 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.
Chapter List
- 1-Walks at Midnight
- 2-Whiskey
- 3-Blood
- 4-Swamp
- 5-The Girl
- 6-Bugs
- 7-Poetry
- 8-Braids
- 9-Dead Man Walking
- 10-Trouble
- 11-News
- 12-The Wind
- 13-Plans
- 14-Vengeance
- 15-Cleaning up
- 16-Souls
- 17-For Erin
- 18-Alive again
- 19-The Search
- 14
- 15
- 16
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

AN: 7:30-Having a little trouble with italics. Will edit this later this eve. Sorry for any confusion this may cause.
AN2: 1:27am-Still having trouble with italics--why can' t I get them to download onto AFF?! Any suggestions? Put some page dividers in to indicate flashback for now. Also had to change update date because I need to try to get these earlier chapters edited and up. Dark Avenger and Jane have been working so hard! Special thanks to Stephanie for beta-ing this current chapter.

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A streetlamp flickered nearby, reflecting patterns of light erratically off of the inky black puddle near Erin�s foot. That�s blood, I think. Erin�s mind was quickly shutting down, and her thougths were no longer coherant. She refused to look at her hands, which felt sticky with the blood from Fortune�s wound. That, coupled with the fact that all three of them were splattered with blood and Sesshoumaru had just recently removed his fist from Fortune�s chest, all left her feeling both queasy and strangely detached. There was just so much blood�the blood on the ground, blood covering the two men, why was there so much blood? She felt far away, as if she were watching the scene in a movie. It would have to be a horror movie, she thought, staring off into the distance quietly. No, she decided, this does not feel like a movie, but more like a dream. She stood very still, wondering if perhaps she would wake up any second.

�We are leaving,� Sesshoumaru�s monotone startled her out of her trancelike state. Still feeling a little dazed, she did not move, but watched him out of the corner of her eye. He turned swiftly and began walking away in the direction from which he had arrived. This finally got her moving and she stumbled after him in her haste to catch up. She did not want to be left behind here, dream or not.

Fortune called out to the two of them, �my home is near, just around the corner in fact. We may clean up there if you wish.�

Sesshoumaru looked doubtfully at the vampire. He was surprised that he could have missed the location of his daytime resting place if it were indeed so near. The vampire�s guile was somewhat commendable at times.

Fortune had stripped off his tattered and bloodied shirt, revealing the pale skin of his chest gruesomely splattered with blood. There were also trails of blood soaking the front of his pants, but he must have decided it best to leave those on for now. The wound that had caused the bloody mess had quickly healed.

Considering the fact that they were all covered in blood, Sesshoumaru was inclined to accept the vampire�s offer. The hotel was farther away, and located in a more populated area.

�You may take us to your home if it is indeed as close as indicated.�

Without a response, Fortune tossed the shirt down a sewer drain and began walking in the opposite direction. Sesshoumaru followed, �come Erin,� he prodded her shoulder gently startling her out of the trancelike state she had reverted back into during the brief exchange.

After only a few feet Sesshoumaru stopped, causing Erin to collide unceremoniously into his back. He seemed to hear something, but all Erin could hear were the small insects buzzing around her ears. She brushed a mosquito from her cheek, leaving a small smear of blood on her hand. More blood, she thought numbly.

Sesshoumaru had been aware of the two figures standing deep in the shadows when he first approached the scene. Despite several attempts, he had been unable to catch any lingering scent from the two figures. This was strange in itself. However, Erin�s distress had effectively wiped the puzzling and mysterious figures from his mind. It was more pressing that he remove Fortune from Erin�s jugular at that point.

Now that they were departing, his attention was yet again directed to the shadowed figures upon hearing them speaking in what he judged to be a Slavic tongue. He strained to catch their softly spoken words.

�To je nebespecany. Videl jsi Fortune.�

�Ano�

They know of Fortune, he noted. In that case, he decided that they were likely vampires as well; masking their presence as he had knew Fortune was also capable. They continued their conversation;

�Take tam je holka. Ona ye jeho snadiny.�

�To ye Pravda. Pojdme. �

Holka, hm, they are likely talking about Erin. Sesshoumaru spoke some Russian and Croat, having become somewhat of a linguaphile over the centuries, but since this was neither of those languages, his understanding was limited to the one word. Even so, that single word, holka (girl), revealed enough for him to comprehend their intention. When Rin was alive, she had been used as a tool with which to attempt the manipulation of his powers on numerous occasions whether at the hands of Naraku or some other evil. Erin, it seemed, would likely share a similar fate.

Sesshoumaru sighed and continued walking. He should be accustomed to this by now. He would discuss it with Fortune at a later date so as not to further alarm Erin. She was likely nearing the ends of her tolerance for dangerous situations. He had learned early on with Rin that she could only take so much bloodshed before dissolving into hysterics.

Judging by the now familiar shell-shocked expression on Erin�s face, she was similar to Rin in this regard as well. Sesshoumaru knew what he had to do. He had learned this comforting technique late in Rin�s life and was given the chance to practice it on several occasions, thus enabling him to become adept at wielding it effectively. He carefully wrapped his right arm around Erin�s shoulders and pulled her close against him. She looked up at him in surprise. He gave her the smallest of smiles and was pleased to see her expression become peaceful. After a few seconds, she even smiled back warmly. It worked every time.

After only a few blocks they were deep into the surrounding neighborhoods. Much sooner than expected, Fortune stopped in front of pair of huge oak trees announcing, �We�re home.� Erin could see the white facade of a French revival style home, a typical style for the area of town, peeking through the gaps in the tree branches. Fortune stepped in between the pair of trees and proceeded down a series of stepping-stones, which had almost been completely obscured by years of uncontrolled mossy undergrowth. The other two followed, Sesshoumaru ducking beneath a low branch, breathing in the rich scent of damp earth and moss as he stepped under the great oaks and proceeded towards the large home. On each side, an overgrown garden of antique roses, gardenia bushes, and wisteria encroached on the path. Erin pulled a gardenia flower from a nearby branch and, after breathing in its intoxicating sweetness, placed it behind her ear. The brisk walk, as well as Sesshoumaru�s unexpected comforting gesture, had done wonders for her state of mind.

Fortune climbed the creaking steps leading up to the long porch towards a thick paneled walnut door decorated with ornate beading. He produced a silver key from his pocket and unlocked the door. �Come on in,� he waved his hand in a friendly gesture, seemingly pleased at the opportunity to entertain guests in his home. He led the two of them into a long hallway ending in a wide staircase. A wave of hot, stale air assaulted their senses. Sesshoumaru�s sharp nose picked up the acrid odor of mildew. He also caught the faint whiff of decay from somewhere deep in the house.

Fortune laid his key on a marble-topped commode, gesturing for them to follow him into a room off to the left. The old wood floors creaked with each step. Following the others down the hallway, Erin trailed her fingers along the faded velvet and silk floral-patterned wallpaper, enjoying the textured feel of it under her fingertips. Before entering the room, she paused to admire the stained glass transom above the doorway. I�ll bet the colors look so beautiful with sunlight shining through. Too bad Fortune can�t appreciate that.

The parlor was impressive. The large room was elaborately furnished in typical Victorian style. There were several overstuffed red velvet chairs, including a settee and a couch with wood trim decorated with ornate flowery carvings and filigree. Two large and colorful oriental rugs covered the oak floors and the walls were again covered in the textured wallpaper, only this time the motif was limited to rose and cream colored pin stripes. Several rosewood tables and chairs were also scattered throughout, displaying a set of ivory inlayed boxes, and doilies�white lacey doilies were everywhere. There were doilies on tables, draped across chair arms, and on the backs of chairs.

It was furnished, as was the rest of the home, tastefully with nineteenth century antique furnishings, looking for all intents and purposes as if a Victorian family occupied the home rather than a single male vampire.

�Oh, this place is so great,� Erin gushed.

�Fortune,� Sesshoumaru queried, �did you kill off the entire family living here in order to possess this lovely home?�

�I�ll have you know I acquired this place strictly by legitimate means,� he responded in an affronted tone, �though I am a little flattered that you would think so well of me. An entire family! And afterwards stealing all their possessions�now that would be quite an accomplishment.�

�And I am certain you are quite capable of such an atrocity.�

�It was an inheritance, if you must know�

Sesshoumaru took another glance around the room and reached down to finger a delicate tassel hanging off a silk pillow, �None of these appear very old. I thought you had been around longer than the nineteenth century, Fortune.�

�Oh, I�ve been around for much longer than that,� he corrected flippantly, settling himself down onto a red velvet settee and grinning up at the youkai mischievously.

�You are getting blood on your legitimately obtained furnishings,� Sesshoumaru pointed out.

�I will take care of it later. I have become quite adept at removing bloodstains from my furniture. I�ve had many years of practice after all.� Fortune grinned even more broadly at this statement.

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to chuckle at this grim joke. The vampire was becoming almost adept at eliciting reactions from him with his banter�the key word here being �almost�.

Erin looked around the room, studying a series of oil paintings of garden scenes when her eyes settled on a portrait of a graying woman to her left. The woman wore a severe expression and was dressed formally in Victorian style clothing. But what held her attention were her eyes, they were the same peculiar gray color as Fortune�s�a little darker and less intense perhaps, but a striking resemblance nonetheless. She was a little surprised by this since she had assumed the unusual gray color of his eyes to be a vampire trait. She looked back and forth from the woman in the painting to the vampire�finally deciding that despite the similarity in color, Fortune�s eyes held an otherworldly look that was difficult to pin down.

�Who is this woman in the painting, Fortune? She looks like you a little around the eyes.�

�Oh, that was my great-great-great-niece, Charlotte Dubois.�

�Your niece? She looks so old?� Erin was a little confused by the mention of all the �greats�.

�Well yes, she was, in fact, already deceased when I took possession of the painting. It was an inheritance of sorts.�

Only vaguely registering what was being discussed, the mention of family caught Sesshoumaru�s attention. He had not heard the vampire speak often of his family. It was interesting for him to contemplate having your blood �descendents� still walking the earth, but in human form. His curiosity was piqued and he was prompted to ask, �how did you acquire such an inheritance so many years after you were supposed to have been dead, Fortune?�

�Let�s see, how do I explain this,� the vampire paused in an uncharacteristic loss for words, �I impersonated a great-great-great-great nephew of mine,� he was not certain if he got the number of �greats� correct here, but continued, �I thereby succeeded in acquiring many of the fine historical pieces you see around you. It was the best way to keep these items in the family, so to speak.�

His great, great, great, great nephew? Erin wondered exactly how old that would make Fortune. Perhaps it was impolite to ask. �Your nephew, I mean great-great nephew, didn�t he want all these things?�

�You see, Erin,� his voice now took on a patronizing tone as he was annoyed with the direction that the questions were taking, �he was of poor birth and had not the necessary resources needed to maintain his inheritance, which included many family lands, furniture, this lovely home, and so on. That is why, I, a more deserving and conscientious candidate was instead fated to receive these family heirlooms.�

Sesshoumaru was dubious of this explanation, �You did not answer the question, vampire. Why did your nephew not protest at your stealing both his inheritance and his identity?�

�Great great great nephew,� fortune corrected, still not certain if he had gotten all the �greats� correct, and offering no further explanation. Instead, he made a great show of studying a figurine of a hunting spaniel perched on the table to his right.

Sesshoumaru was beginning to realize that his teasing accusations of foul play earlier were not unfounded, �I see. Your reticence is quite suspect. Go on�explain what happened to this nephew of yours.� He was quite certain the explanation would reveal more of Fortune�s depraved nature.

�If you must know,� Fortune finally answered in a condescending tone, making certain the others knew of his irritation at having this bit of embarrassing information dragged from him, �he died before he could claim his birthright.�

�You mean you murdered him,� Sesshoumaru offered.

�I wouldn�t use those exact words.�

�Are there better words to describe such a despicable act�butchery, slaughter, homicide,� Sesshoumaru teased in a deadpan voice.

You are one to talk, Fortune thought angrily. �Yes, yes, I killed him and stole his identity. But if you had known the little bastard, you would realize that the world was better off without him.�

�Well, if you are any indication, I would imagine so. Your relatives were undoubtedly as odorous as you. �

Erin listened quietly to the entire exchange, looking quite pale at this point.

�That�s pretty twisted, Fortune,� she finally added.

�Yes, thanks. No regrets. I have kept up the property quite well as you can see.�

Erin was shocked at his careless dismissal. �You should at least feel sorry for it, you know,� she chided.

Fortune did not reply, but instead looked down and began to study the Staffordshire figurine yet again thinking, if that little bitch doesn�t get off her high horse soon, I�m going to take great pleasure in knocking her off myself.

�I presume the doilies are your personal touch, Fortune,� Sesshoumaru asked in what would have been a snide tone if he allowed any inflection into his voice.

�As you should know, my long-lived friend, Victorians believed that everything should be highly decorated. This sentiment always seemed in conflict with their conservative nature. They did not approve of smiling,� he gestured towards the dour expression gracing his niece�s face, �of course, their teeth were falling out.�

He paused, as if considering a thought, �not to say there have not been some minor changes in the d�cor. I have added modern plumbing and electricity as well. But, these details were not self-inspired. Emma, one of my human friends, directed these changes some time back.�

�Your human friend. Did you kill her as well?�

Fortune said nothing but sent him an angry glare which only served to fuel his suspicions. He was enjoying getting the better of the vampire.

With the issue of his nephew settled, Fortune directed the others to the washroom to clean up and went in search of fresh clothing. Strangely, he felt pleased to have visitors in his home again, such things always made him feel vaguely human again and he was uncertain why that should please him at all. As he ascended the stairs which lead to the bedrooms, he recalled that last time he had entertained others in his home, if you did not count any of his soon to be victims. Those did not remain alive for very long.

Staring back down the stairwell, a memory of the young woman, Emma, tugged at the edges of his thoughts. He let it wash over him in a wave of nostalgia.

Emma trailed her fingers along the stair railing before waving those fingertips, covered with thick gray dust, in front of Fortune�s face.

�You need a maid.�

�But I have you, don�t I?�

�Though I�m still not certain what I am to you, Fortune, I am definitely not your maid. Or was this your plan all along�gain the trust of an innocent human girl, tempt me back to your home, only to then force me into a life of perpetual servitude cleaning your messes.�

Fortune smirked down at the young woman, stepped closer until they were mere inches apart, �I don�t make messes. Things are just as they were when dear Charlotte passed away. Everything here is as untouched as you are, love.� He reached out to touch her cheek and Emma stepped back quickly, causing her to come perilously close to the stair�s edge. Fortune quickly snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her back a safe distance. �And you are too clumsy to be my housekeeper, at any rate. You would most assuredly prove yourself to be a disaster.�

�Humph� Emma turned away and crossed her arms over her chest, pouting. Fortune loved that expression. The barest corners of her full lips were turned down in a childish sulk and her eyes narrowed sullenly. There was a faint blush coloring her cheeks. She looked quite alluring in fact.

�All right. If it bothers you that much, I will allow you to clean,� Fortune taunted, smirking again.

�Shut up, Fortune, I just do not like being called clumsy.�

�But you are! It is one of your more redeeming characteristics.�

�Oh really, what, pray, are my other redeeming features in your eyes, Fortune.�

Fortune paused. He wanted to make this good. Perhaps he might inspire another one of those lovely pouts again, �Your childlike manner is enchanting. You remind me of a spoiled rotten four year old. And, your flaws are interesting, that prominent scar across your chin gives you character and looks so very human. Let�s see, your eyes are a little too close together, making you seem unintelligent and reminding one that you don�t often use your head �I count this as a redeeming characteristic since I find that feeblemindedness is always a plus in a woman...�

�Just stop it Fortune! That is not funny. You are such a little shit!� Emma had tears in her eyes at this point. She turned away again, burying her face in her hands. Fortune had been hoping for a pout, but realized he had gone a bit too far with his teasing, as he was apt. He did not enjoy seeing her tears.

�Emma,� Fortune called softly, gently trying to pry her hands from her eyes, �I was only joking. You know how I am. Come on, I�ll take you out to a restaurant tonight.�

Emma looked up at this, eyes puffy and red from crying, �But I thought you hated going out in public.� When he shrugged, she smiled and giggled, recovering quickly, �I�ll just get washed up.�

Those were crocodile tears, you spoiled little thing, Fotune thought watching her hurry off to dress.

Fortune leaned against the stairwell, gazing off into the distance with a small smile on his face. Too bad it turned sour in the end, he mused. Or, perhaps sour was the wrong word to use, since her blood had been so sweet. It had taken place soon after she had insisted on �updating� his home with the installation of running water and electricity, at his expense of course, and adding a few of her own decorative touches which he never could quite decide whether he cared for or not. The good intentions of his few human friends often closely preceded their demise. He shook his head. Sometimes he even surprised himself with his own nefarious deeds. But as the infrequent feeling of surprise never failed to please him, he again headed off towards the bedrooms with a spring in his step.

Fortune resisted the urge to delve into his late niece�s drawers in search of a lacy undershirt with which to offer the youkai. He tried to imagine an affronted look on Sesshoumaru�s face in reaction. However, imagining any expression on the stoic youkai�s face was not an easy task, but he smiled at the idea anyway. In the end he decided against this course of action, however, since he did not wish to disturb the neatly folded contents of those drawers. He prided himself in keeping things in the home as they were. It gave him a sense of security, having a place to return to each morning that appeared untouched by the passage of time.

Fortune did not change his own clothing, since etiquette dictated that he first see to the comfort of his guests. After selecting several shirts from his own personal belongings, Fortune returned to the parlor to find Erin and Sesshoumaru sitting in silence. Again, he wondered how Erin could tolerate the youkai�s reticence, didn�t he bore her he wondered, tossing the clean shirts in their general direction. Sesshoumaru began removing his bloodstained shirt.

Oh boy, Erin thought worriedly, now I�m the only female in the room with two half-naked, good-looking men. She supposed it did not matter though, since neither of the two were actually �men� in the traditional sense�half naked vampire and youkai, she corrected. She wondered if this made it less scandalous.

�Put these on,� Fortune pointed to the small pile clothing which had landed in a heap on the floor, �and don�t worry about returning them to me. Keep them. Erin, I know that you need all the clean clothing you can find.�

�I only wore that shirt twice because my clean ones were in the wash at the time,� Erin exclaimed shrilly, remembering the incident a few nights back when Sesshoumaru had sniffed delicately at her soiled shirt, causing Fortune to burst into a fit of laughter. �I can�t help it if we didn�t have washing powder for like a month!�

Fortune smiled at her reaction and gingerly picked up Sesshoumaru�s discarded shirt and the label caught his eye. �Louis Vuitton, huh. Isn�t that what all the rap stars are wearing nowadays,� he asked, looking at Erin who simply shrugged her shoulders. �Yes, I think so. Let�s break out the Hennessy. Sesshoumaru, you�re so icy,� he sang the last statement, making Erin erupt into giggles. He was pleased that his joke, not even one of his better ones, had caused her to laugh.

Someone had to keep the three of them entertained, after all. Fortune smiled, he was certainly well-equipped for such a role.

�I have been called that before,� Sesshoumaru responded in a bored tone.

�Not in the way you are thinking of, my friend.�

Sesshoumaru ignored the vampire and pulled on his borrowed shirt, marveling at the agreeable sound of the young girl�s laughter. She did remind him of Rin in so many ways.

AN: This chapter was a little different. Hard to beat the last chapter�s fight scene, so I hope you like it. Thank you for all the reviews! I was so pleased to get so much response from the last chapter. Guess I did something right there. And yes they helped motivate me! These past two weeks have been so busy, but you have been so kind that I made certain I found time to write so that I could update on time. I will try to update again within two weeks time if possible. Still have that birthday party coming up next week and need to get some of these edited earlier chapters of this story fixed up and read to repost. As such might need a little longer to update a new chapter. In August, I hope to have a little block of time in there to do a good deal of writing, so hopefully I'll give you a few, quicker updates during that time. As always, review and let me know what you thought of the chapter and offer any suggestions you wish.

Botticelliangel: Thank you so much for spotting the time problem in the previous chapter. I can�t believe I had it so screwed up and didn�t notice. You�re great! And I�m glad that you enjoyed the fight scene as well as Fortune�s free lunch?.

Gem: glad you found the chapter refreshing and I really am looking forward to reading those story suggestions. Thanks for taking the time and e-mail me anytime.

Flowers: Glad that I struck a cord with your fan girl fantasy, and ever so pleased that you found my story engaging. I love Elsewhere, as you already know.

Susanne: I�m happy to hear that my writing is improving since that is what I�ve been striving for all along. And it�s nice to hear you like the characters. It is difficult to keep Sess in character, so good to know that I�m succeeding somewhat. Um, this chapter may mess things up a bit though. Oh well.

Unknownlady: You live only an hour from New Orleans�Baton Rouge perhaps? You ought to e-mail me.

Liberatedmysterygirl: Thanks a bunch for the help as a beta for this chapter. It�s been fun and thanks for all your support.

Dark Avenger: Thanks to you as well for help in beta-ing my early chapters. I will post the edits sometime this week (very proudly, I might add). Thank you as well for the review and word of support.

FF.net:

Sesshoumarubride: Thanks for the support and the story recommendations. I just love wicked_oni, don�t you?

Hesha07: Glad you enjoyed the chapter and thought it flowed well.

Sirval: I read your story and enjoyed it! Thanks for the tip. Still wondering how you happened across mine�.

Off the beaten path: Yeah�I�m proud to have inspired your laughter, especially since it was more than once. Hope you keep enjoying this fic and keep laughing.

Special thanks also to Dark Avenger and Jane Doe who have both offered to work as a beta on the early chapters and on up to the present. Go Jane and Dark Avenger!

Er, and please excuse my bad Czech. My friend never got back to me to help me with grammar. I�ll correct it when she does.

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Walks at Midnight	By : Henrietta Category: InuYasha > General Views: 4163 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Walks at Midnight