Vampire Hunter D: Stolen Sunlight

Chapter 9

When Leigh woke up the next morning she was greeted by the sight of D sitting at the small table in their room. She was still a little spaced from waking up, but it looked as if he had dropped some sort of capsule in a small glass of water and was currently staring at it. She was so busy trying to figure out what she was seeing that she hadn't moved yet.

As her head cleared more, she noticed the liquid was becoming a deep red and after a few moments D drank it quickly. Leigh couldn't contain her gasp as she realized what the liquid must have been. She had forgotten that even D needed a fill in occasionally. That served as another reminder that she was in a world far removed from her own, with rules she only had a tenuous grasp of.

D raised his gaze at her gasp but looked away almost immediately. He was quickly on his feet and gathering their things together. He ruffled through the packs, pulled a few things out and set them on the table. As he was working he spoke to Leigh over his shoulder. "We must leave soon. I'll be waiting with the horse."

With that, he grabbed one of the packs and walked out the door. Leigh could only shake her head at his brusqueness first thing in the morning. She wasn't exactly a morning person but that was taking it to new levels, although she wasn't really surprised.

With a shake of her head she stretched and got moving. She used the sink to splash some chilly water on her face, effectively waking her up and moved to see what was left out on the table. She smiled when she saw a comb and ribbon. She had forgotten that D had said he had one for her and seeing it reminded her that he had his moments, no matter how hard he appeared most of the time.

She quickly combed through her hair and braided it back. It was long and curly enough that anything else would produce endless tangles. It had been a pain combing them out with her fingers the last time she had been on a horse with D.

Once she had that finished she put everything back in the pack and headed downstairs. The common room was completely empty at that hour, so she headed straight outside. She noticed the sun was barely coming up and there was still dew covering most everything. D already had everything stashed in the saddlebags and was leaning on the post waiting for her to join him.

Leigh did make note that they still only had one horse. She stifled a sigh. After her confession yesterday, she wasn't sure how D would feel about having her touch him. She wasn't sure why he decided on one horse, but she hoped it wouldn't get too awkward. She would have to be extra careful.

As she reached him D took the other pack from her but didn't immediately put it in the saddlebag. Leigh gave him a curious look as he went through it once more. She was curious what he was looking for until, to her surprise, he pulled out a smaller cloak and handed it to her. It was thin, but she could tell it was sturdy. Leigh took it from him and clasped it on with a smile. It was nice traveling with someone that had an eye for the details.

Once she had the cloak on she started to mount the horse with one foot in the stirrup. She had realized there was something she had wanted to talk to D about before they left town. "Oh! I almost forgot! D, I, um, well I hate to ask you, but I was wondering if we might be able to get me a gun before we leave town?"

At her request, he finally stopped and stared at her for a few moments. She had given a lot of thought to the question of self-defense the previous night and that was the best solution she could think of in her current situation. She knew how to handle both pistols and rifles, at least the kinds she was used to seeing. As long as they didn't have different firing mechanisms, she was sure she could still handle one.

She was taken by surprise by his response however. "Why would you require a gun?" He hadn't denied her outright, but she had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. Of course, he wouldn't think about her defending herself if he was close by, but she didn't see the need to rely solely on him.