Reunions & Resurrections

Prologue:

It began with the disappearance of an special young girl. The police came to her father to talk about the scene of the crime. “Not a trace was found of anyone other than your daughter. Even though there was signs of a struggle, no trace of the kidnappers were found and that means they were real professionals. Do you have any enemies, anyone who would benefit from taking your daughter?”

“I’m an archeologist, who would gain from taking my daughter? I’m not rich or even famous.”

“Has there been any suspicious figures hanging around you either lately? Someone seen or your daughters mentioned watching either of you before she was taken?”

He remembered the teenaged boy he had seen on numerous occasions when he was out of a night and how suspicious he was, the fact he always seemed to be watching them, silent and still as a statue and then gone with a passing car or truck after he noticed him, almost like he was WAITING for him to notice him.

What if he knew?

So he lied and said no, waiting until they left and night to fall before he locked up and left for the last place he had seen the boy. Sure enough he was there, looking startled by his appearance.

The more steps he took towards the other, the angrier he became. How dare he stalk him and his daughter! How dare he help those who took his precious daughter!

He was a few steps from the boy when their eyes met, blue eyes to his.
Dizziness struck his so severely he felt himself falling and everything going black.

When he awoke he found himself sitting down on the wooden bench of the nearest bus stop, something clutched between fingers of his left hand. He found an small hand written note here. Waiting until he was inside his home safely he smoothed the paper out and read it.

I’m Sorry.

I know about your daughters kidnap, but
believe me, I had no hand in it. I knew
They were going to try and foolishly decided
to try and stop it by myself, but by your reaction
I am too late.

You see we are in the same boat, you and I.

My name is Cloud Steward and if you wish to
know more-I myself don’t know a lot-there is another
who does, he will meet you at The Midgar Arms
Hotel, room 201 about 9.30 tonight.

Tell no one, the police can’t help us, only we ourselves
can help our loved ones together.

He frowned. By the sounds of things his daughter wasn’t the only kidnap victim. By the looks of things this boy also had a loved one taken. Somehow he had found out they were going after HIS daughter and was watching out for them, Probably thinking he could follow and locate the other victim or victims but they were too smart or quick for him.

He would meet with this guy he recommended, at least he’d get clues on the capturers or info for the police.

He arrived an hour early to find the boy in the lobby, deep in conversation with another man, tall but overweight wearing an ugly purple suit. He looked extremely concerned, lines of worry in his fat face. He was making wild motions with one hand and every now and then he could catch snipes of what was being said over other noise and conversation. Words like “too much risk” and “safer for our others” and “come to harm”. The boy, ‘Cloud Steward’ was trying to soothe him, assuring him it would work out, that “Seph knows what he’s doing”, and “he’ll be the ones to get them back for us” and “he’s special, the one we need, The Chosen One.”

“What if you’re wrong? You’re risking the lives of our only family left, they could kill them in retaliation!”

“I believe in Seph, Reginald, I believe in him totally when he says he’s the one. Why else would they take his daughter? He’s the one destined to save our families and the very planet and Seph is the one destined to bring him over and into the sect, Just as HE is destined to follow our ancestor and birth a new stronger line of us.”

“I don’t need reminding of it, Cloud” when the man looked at the boy sternly he signed “I know that SHE expects us to be just like her and keep popping out the babies, but it’s not easy, happy?!”

"Now" the boy nodded then checked his watch "he will be here soon, we should go." The fat man nodded this time and one after the other they left.

When he was gone he sat and had a good hard think.

Could there be more than just his and this boy's loved one who was being held? By the inklings of what he had just heard there was perhaps numerous hostages and their families had banded together to try and find a way to locate and save them.

And Cloud believed HE was the one destined to save them all. But how and why?

There had to be some link to them all, something he and these others all had in common, but what could it possibly be?

And what was with this 'Seph is the one destined to bring him over and into the sect', did he mean join the group of families? And what about his 'HE is destined to follow our ancestor and birth a new stronger line of us.'

He could only get his answers by going up there to see this guy, this...Seph. He reached the door, knocked softly and steeled himself.

A few seconds later he heard the door unlocked, it swung open slightly and a face peared solemnly at him. After a long pause he opened it all the way and stepped aside "come into my residence and be welcome."

"Who were you expecting?" he asked as he pushed past to enter the apartment. Covertly he inspected the other as he passed him.

He was tall but well-built, a fine figure and face and a pair of intense green almost fluorescent eyes which strangely made his long dead-straight hair of solid silver that reached just above his well-toned ass all the more intense….Wait, did he think that? He was way to old for that sort of thing, let alone thinking, he was 65 for Gaia Sake.

“Can’t be too careful. Don’t know when they’ll try and come for me next time” he said as he closed and locked the door behind them, leading him to the lounge room where he motioned him to the sofa “sit down, I’ll get some drinks.” And was gone before he could protest.
Sitting down on the couch he called out “I don’t need a drink, thank you.”

“You will soon enough, believe me” he brought out two glasses and an old-looking bottle of wine which he opened in front of him, pouring out two half-glasses. He set the bottle on the coffee table in front of him and took one for himself “try it, it’s an excellent vintage.”

After making sure to watch the other swallow a mouthful of the liquid he took his own and took a cautious sip. The liquid was cool, sweet and fruity with an slight coppery-iron bite, but it spread around his body and made him feel warm and good. Before he knew it he had finished the glass and was reaching for the bottle.

Realizing what he were doing he paused, but still wanted more. The others face broke into a small smile “I knew you’d love it. Go ahead, have as much as you like, I have more bottles in store.”

As he poured himself another glass he asked about the letter and the implications of other kidnappings-including someone HE cared for. “Yes” the figure started to pace “my younger brother Yazoo. Not just him but my records show at least twelve others in an two year period.”

“Do we have anything in common? Anything, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant?” He asked around a mouthful of his third glass.

“Yes there is, history.” His eyebrows creased “what do you mean?”

“Our distant ancestors knew each other-all of us. They were friends or allies against one evil man. Those who have our loved ones are trying to locate all those descendants and once they have us all they will kill us enmasse to avenge him and then use our blood to try to resurrect him. A few of us have gone into hiding to become safer. It was Cloud’s job to protect you and your daughter, but when he failed, I failed.”

He froze, looking at him in horror and shock “you can’t be serious about that!”

“I am and so are they, here, this is a list of the kidnap victims, see if you recognize any names or know anyone” he stopped pacing long enough to hand over a folded piece of paper before resuming.

Wine glass in one hand he opened the page and looked down the paper. There it was, fourteen names, with both his daughter and this others brother on, even Cloud, his on the bottom and to his shock the others on the very top. His brother was the first victim, but why and now?

Yazoo Harker
Angeal Seward
Yuffie Seward
Tifa Morris
Barrett Morris
Cid Morris
Lucretia Godalming
Grimoire Godalming
Loz Westenra
Aerith Westenra
Zack Godalming
Denzel Seward
Marlene Van Helsing

“The surnames are familiar, why and where I don’t know though.”

“Try Jonathon and Mina Harker, Quincy Morris, Dr John Seward, Lord Godalming and Professor Abraham Van Helsing.”

“Yes!” he gasped, looking up at the figure in surprise “my great great granddad had some diaries with people by those names. I can’t remember them though, I haven’t read them in ages!” This put the other in a new light. No longer was he full of theories or useless ideas, he was right, which meant the reason of the kidnaps was right.

Numbly he asked “what are you going to do? I heard Cloud talking downstairs to some other guy earlier. What makes him and you so sure I am the one to save the others?” The other didn’t seemed shocked by the fact he’d overheard them talk and only said “they blame YOUR ancestor for the entire thing, the others are just side issues. They think if Abraham Van Helsing hadn’t interfered that evil man would have succeed. Consequently they still plan to take you as well. That’s where I come in.”

“What do you mean?” he had lost count of how many glasses he’d had, when’d the second bottle had come in, and was feeling a little numb, like he was drugged-or drunk.

As you are now you are too powerless, to helpless and simple to move against them. They would find it easy to kill you before you get any where near the hostages. But if I bring you across and you allow yourself to be captured they wouldn’t be able to harm you or stop you. Once you’ve located the others you could contact me without their knowing and together we can save the others and make sure those son-of-bitches could never hurt another family again.”

"How...?" he was finding it difficult to speak now "how can you...bring across ..."

He looked at him sadly "I'm sorry it had to come to this but you're our only hope and I can't fail THIS TIME like I did before, like I did you and your daughter. I should have been there to guard you both myself instead of leaving it to a child like Cloud. I just thought someone like me would be too obvious, that a blond teenager was easily ignorable. Now I see I was a fool and selfish."

Something in him wanted to deny this self-depreciating idea but his mouth would barely move and the more the other talked, the more distraction.

"It WILL hurt, and for that I am truly sorry but it is the only way." He took a step towards him "I apologize in advance." He took another step forwards.

Instinct screamed at him to run, to escape but he couldn't move, his entire body was numb and he couldn't even speak now. He could only fall back on the couch and roll his eyes up to look at the silverette helplessly, trying to question him with his eyes.

"I am sorry" he said one more time.

As he watched a change came over the other, his eyes went from that brilliant green he had first seen to blazing with their own inner light and slitted like cat-eyes, shinning from an pale pale face. Fingers were suddenly longer and definitely sharper. There was the muffled sound of cracking bones and his jaw moved slightly, his lips drawing back to reveal his top front incisors-front and back long and sharply pointed.

He hissed almost sensually, leaping onto the coffee table in front of him and the couch-movements fluid and graceful he couldn't help but notice.
Then he was launching himself at him.

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