Three weeks passed. No sign of any vampires. And all this time, even though they had not seen any vampires, Larara never had a weapon of any kind to fight with. Her belief in this entire ‘vampire slayer’ business was dwindling faster than ever. But her whole weapon problem was solved one night when Conqet, Kitsune, and Suna FINALLY decided to take Larara to a secret underground establishment that they had been telling her about for so long. Actually, Conqet was the only one who was there to take her because Kitsune and Suna were busy that night. So, Conqet took her. Conqet was amused by Larara's reaction to it.

"So...what do you think?"

"It's...it's..."

"It's?"

"Amazing..." Larara whispered.

The roof must have been at least 4 stories high. It was all one big room. The roof and side walls joined to make a dome shape, while the end walls were flat. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all paved with cement. There were different 'stations' along the walls. One station had weapons, another had costumes, ect.

"You know, just because we haven't seen any vampires yet...it doesn't mean they're not out there. Seeing isn't always believing, Larara."

Larara slowly turned to face Conqet. "Yeah, I know...it's just that I've never heard of vampires actually existing, that's all. I could believe...there's just...no proof..."

"So much for the whole 'seeing isn't always believing' crap," Conqet muttered to herself. "Anyway," she said to Larara, "you want a weapon?" Conqet took her over to the weapon station. "You pick one. This is the only equipment that can kill a vampire, and REALLY kill them. Don't you believe for one second any of that 'vampires are killed with silver' junk everyone talks about. Silver doesn't kill vampires - it kills werewolves." She jerked her head around so she was looking right into Larara's face. "Believe me, I know. Anyway...take your pick!"

Larara walked down the table, examining every item there was, which wasn't much. There was a cross, glowing cuff links, and yes, even, a squirt gun.

"A - a squirt gun?" she asked amusedly, picking it up. "You’re supposed to kill a vampire with a squirt gun?"

"Yeah. Careful with that."

"Oh, please. It's just a squirt gun. What could happen?" Larara aimed it at the wall and squirted a couple times.

"Hey! What did I say?! Don't play around with this stuff! It could be dangerous...or expensive...!"

"But it's just-"

"No, Larara, it's not JUST water! It's HOLY water! That stuff is hard to come by! I'd rather you didn't waste it, thanks!"

"Oh...I see now. Sorry."

"That's okay..."

Larara picked up the cuff links. "What do these do? They're glowing yellow...!"

"Be very careful with those. They have more power than you think."

"But what do they do?"

"Let's just say this - sunlight kills vampires."

"Ah...I see. Thanks." Lastly, she picked up the cross. "What about this?"

"That cross does two different things. The cross itself burns vampires, and it, like the cuff links, emits sunlight."

"Very cool. But...none of these weapons are really working for me. Do you have anything else?"

"Well, there is one more thing...but you are just a rookie, after all. You don't have much experience on the field, so I don't know what it will do for you, but I have confidence in you. I sense something about you. Something good. I'll let you see it and try it out," Conqet told her.

Conqet took Larara back into a different room just beyond the table with the weapons on it. There were no lights in this room, except those glowing from something that floated on the far side of the closet-sized room. Encased in a glass tube was the most beautiful sword Larara had ever seen.

A blue-green glow surrounded the sword, and it had a clean blue blade with golden accents in the handle. While it was very beautiful, it looked huge, and it was probably too heavy for her to carry. Nonetheless, she walked up to the tube and stared at the sword. All of a sudden, the sword's blue glow seemed to grow stronger. It was as though the blade knew that Larara was there, and it sensed something special about her.

"I-I've never seen it do that before...then again, it doesn't do much, but it's actually having a response to your presence. This is so unusual..." Conqet said. She stared at the sword, clearly deep in thought.

"Well...what should I do?" Larara asked.

"You could touch it if you wanted to," Conqet told her.

"Conqet, I think you're thinking a little too hard...!"

"No I'm not. Let's just see what happens. Touch the sword. Don’t worry about the case it's in. Don’t worry about the weight of the thing. It won't matter. Just touch it."

So, Larara did as she was told. She reached up and placed her hand around the handle of the sword. All at once, the glowing stopped. Larara picked up the cutlass and admired it a little more closely.

"This thing is awesome! Where ever did you get it?"

"I won it in a bet. Have you ever heard the song, 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia?'"

"Yes, of course. I love that song."

"It was a bet similar to that. Only I didn't play the fiddle...and it wasn't against the devil."

"That's amazing..."

"Hey...put both of your hands on the handle and hold it straight out away from you." Larara gave Conqet a strange look. "Just do it. I want to see if this will work."

Larara put her other hand on the handle and held the weapon out away from her body. All of a sudden, a swirl of dust and wind enclosed her inside a small tornado. When it finally died down, Larara found that she wasn't wearing the same thing she was when the tornado had started, and she didn't feel the same. She felt braver, stronger, and smarter. She was wearing a warrior costume that was the same blue color as the sword and gold accents.

"Whoa!" Larara exclaimed. "This is incredible!"

"Wow..." Conqet said in disbelief. "I can't believe what I'm seeing..."

"Looks like I'm ready to fight vampires now, huh?!" Larara said excitedly.

"I guess that weapon was meant for you. I mean, Suna, Kitsune, and myself all did that same thing, and this didn't happen for us. You must be some sort of 'chosen one.'" Conqet smiled at Larara. "Let's go hunting. I think we should keep the sword here, but we can still go scavenging for a few blood-suckers, don't you think?"

"Definitely! Sounds great!" Larara agreed.

So, they put the sword back, Larara's clothes changed back to what she was wearing before, and they set out on the hunt for vampires. They split up so that finding one would be faster. And indeed, it was.

As Larara walked down a long, dark alley, she heard a vicious laugh from somewhere behind her. She spun on her heels and found a pair of glowing brown eyes and white teeth behind her. Without a doubt, it was a vampire. He had dark brown eyes and medium brown hair.

Larara could only gasp. She didn't know what to do. She started to back up, hoping that she would be able to turn and outrun the creature. But that plan was quickly abolished. The vampire picked up his pace, grabbed Larara by the neck, and threw her against a wall. She fell into a heap on the ground, only to be picked up by her neck again. She couldn't do much anymore - she was too weak and too limp. He slammed her against the wall and held her there. He smiled his evil smile again and pressed his lips to hers. She made no move to kiss him back, but instead, held her mouth tightly shut. It wouldn't have mattered anyway - he started moving from her mouth to her cheek, still kissing her all the way. He then moved from her cheek to her neck. When he got there, he stopped, looked into Larara's eyes, smiled, and opened his mouth wide.

Just as he was about to crunch into her neck, delivering a fatal bite, something yellow, black, and white whirred past them, knocking the vampire to the ground. Larara fell into the sand below her and managed to look up. To her surprise, it was Rayne, fighting off the vampire! Her wolf fought valiantly against the fiendish creature. Larara was scared for her the whole time, fearful that Rayne would be bitten. She hadn't asked Conqet if the bite was deadly to animals, too. Finally, the vampire stopped. He turned and ran in the opposite direction, trying to get away from the wolf that forced him to retreat. The fight hadn't lasted more than thirty seconds. Rayne snarled in his direction one last time before running over to Larara to make sure that she was okay.

"Oh! Rayne! I love you! I love you! I love you! You're the best dog in the whole world, and I love you!" Larara caressed Rayne with hugs and kisses.

Just then, the vampire returned. But he didn't stop to get Larara again. Instead, he kept running. Larara looked down the alley to see if she could see why the vampire was running. Then, it revealed itself to her. Conqet came dashing out of the darkness, and in her hand, a sword, whose blade was in the shape of a cross. She glanced down at Larara who was sitting in the sand, cradling Rayne's head in her arms and kissing it lovingly.

"You are so lucky you have such a loyal companion."

"Yeah, I know. I love her so much, and I know she knows that I do."

"I remember you talking about her once. You seemed to be very proud that she was part wolf. That's actually a very good thing. Vampires fear wolves. Wolves were sometimes kept by priests back when the vampire population was larger, like, in the 1500's. The priests would baptize the wolves so that they would never be harmed by the vampires. Their generations have only increased, and, while not all wolves were owned by priests, it is extremely likely that Rayne is a descendant from a wolf that did belong to a holy person. That's why wolves are immune to vampire bites. And even though she's only part wolf, it still helps."

"That's good. No, that’s a miracle. I’m so lucky to have her."

"Sorry I couldn't get here sooner. I was a few blocks away but I could tell something was wrong. I had to run all the way over here."

"That's okay. I have a guardian angel right here."

Conqet smiled at Larara, then at Rayne. "She's a good dog. Definitely one you want to keep around."

Larara looked up and smiled at Conqet. "Believe me, I'm never getting rid of her. Nothing would make me give up Rayne. Nothing at all."

"Not even your own life?"

"Definitely not even my own life."

Larara and Conqet both looked back down the alley in the direction the vampire went. He had collapsed on the ground not far from where they were sitting. Just then, someone ran into view. It was a girl. She looked at Conqet and Larara, then down at the collapsed vampire. She quickly knelt down next to him and began checking his pulse. Both Larara's and Conqet's eyes widened with fear.

"Don't touch him!" Conqet yelled.

The girl looked up for a second, then opened her mouth and hissed at them, revealing two white fangs of her own. A female vampire.

She looked back down at him and checked for a pulse again. Conqet stood up slowly.

"Conqet! Stay here!" Larara hissed. "She'll bite you!"

"Wait...I have the strangest feeling that I know this vampire..."

Conqet slowly started walking towards the female vampire. Rayne pulled herself from Larara's grasp and stuck to the shadows immediately behind Conqet. Larara flattened herself against the sand beneath her. As Conqet got closer to the new vampire, Rayne began to growl, as if letting the vampire know she was there. The female vampire then started to back away, which was a huge mistake. This simple act revealed her identity.

"Kitsune?" Conqet asked.

"Conqet?" Kitsune said. "I-I didn't know you were out hunting tonight..."

"That makes two of us," Conqet said. "Kitsune, you're a vampire? Why didn't you tell me? And why have you been hunting them all this time?"

"Well, because..."

Larara started to stand. Kitsune, unaware that it was Larara, looked in her direction and hissed again. That, too, was a mistake. Hissing at Larara triggered Rayne's anger, and instinctively, she attacked.

"Rayne! No!" Larara shouted. Rayne immediately stopped and ran back to Larara.

"L-Larara? I-is that you?" Kitsune asked. "A-a-and is that y-your wolf?"

"Yes Kitsune. It's me. And yes, she's my wolf. Sorry about that. I didn't know she was going to attack you."

"I didn't know it was you..."

"I understand." Larara walked over to Kitsune and Rayne followed, but she kept her distance. She didn't like the idea of someone hissing at her master. A cat was okay, because that's what they do, but another human was too much for her.

"Okay Kitsune. How long were you planning on keeping this a secret?" Conqet asked.

"As long as I could, Conqet. I'm sorry if you're hurt, and I understand if you are..."

At that moment, the other vampire started to come to. Kitsune knelt down to help him up. He was a little shaky, but he was finally able to stand on his own. Once he was totally aware of his surroundings, he took a few steps back. He couldn't forget the girl with the cross or the wolf-master...or the wolf herself.

"It's okay, Daikon. You're fine. She's not going to sic the wolf on you...unless you do something really stupid... which I know you usually do..."

"Just make sure it doesn't happen..." he grumbled. Rayne growled angrily. Daikon whimpered and began to tremble. He stepped behind Kitsune and crouched down. "J-just keep it away from me..." he said.

"Call her an 'it' again and see what happens..." Larara threatened.

Daikon straightened up and glared at her. Rayne growled even more fiercely. Daikon cowered back down and Larara smiled, satisfied.

"Oh please, Daikon," Kitsune said, annoyed. "She's only part wolf. It won’t have the same effects."

Larara widened her eyes and looked at Kitsune, as if to say, 'Don't tell him that!' Kitsune must have understood, because she slapped her hand over her mouth.

"Oops..." she said.

"Oh really? Hmm..."

An evil, toothy smile crept over Daikon's face. He moved his head towards the sky and closed his eyes. Then, all at once, he opened his eyes and looked straight at Larara. His once brown eyes had turned blood red. He broadened the scary smile and looked down at a very surprised Rayne, who immediately took a fighting stance. He lunged at her, and she pounced.

Grasping his neck in her white teeth, Rayne tackled Daikon to the ground. He somehow managed to wrench himself free from her deadly hold and ran straight into her side, head first. Rayne yelped in fear and pain, but she refused to give up. She grabbed his ankle in her mouth and flung her head from side to side furiously. Daikon screamed and tried to kick Rayne. He was unsuccessful and she pounced, taking his throat once again. Finally, he decided he had had enough, and he screamed his surrender. Larara called Rayne off, and she happily and obediently trotted up to her.

"You didn't let me finish, Daikon!" Kitsune said, laughing. "She may not be all wolf, but that doesn't mean she can't kick your ass!!!"

Everyone laughed (except Daikon) as he crawled behind Kitsune as though he were seeking protection from her. They all praised Rayne, who basked in the attention.

"Uh, Kitsune? Where's Suna?" Larara asked.

"I dunno. It's Friday night. She could be anywhere." Then, noticing Larara’s nervous look, she added, "No, she's not a vampire, too. At least, if she is, she hasn't told me."

"Does she know about you?" Conqet asked.

"Nope. I wasn't ever planning on telling you, but it looks like the secret's out. The only reason I've been hunting with you guys is because I thought it would better hide my true identity."

"But...Conqet said that sunlight kills vampires. How were you able to walk around at school and stuff?" Larara asked, confused.

"Sunlight does kill vampires. But it only kills us when were in our vampire form, as Daikon and I are now. Speaking of Daikon, where did he go?"

They all looked down and saw Daikon on his hands and knees so that he was at eye level with Rayne, and he and Rayne were glaring at each other and growling. It was like a pattern; Rayne would growl, then Daikon would growl, then Rayne, then Daikon, and so on. Rayne appeared to be amused, but Daikon was getting angry. Rolling her eyes, Kitsune lifted up her foot and kicked Daikon on the shoulder. He fell over. When he got back up, he glared at Rayne, then turned his back to her so that he wouldn't keep playing around. He sat there and pouted for a while.

"Stop fooling around Daikon. You are so childish," Kitsune said. "But, anyway..."

At that very moment, two more vampires ran into the alley. They were both male.

The first had black hair and glowing yellow eyes. The second had blue hair and blue eyes.

"Oh...hi guys. I wasn't expecting you. Conqet, Larara, this is Luranno and Nukum."

"What are you doing with these humans?" the black haired one, Luranno, asked, agitated. He then jumped back a little. "And why is there a wolf here?!"

"That's not a wolf," said the other vampire, Nukum. Then he looked again. "Is it?" His voice became shaky and nervous.

"Yes, she is a wolf, but she’s only half wolf. Don't be a baby," Kitsune snapped. "Anyway, Nukum, Luranno, this is Conqet and Larara."

"Pleasure to meet you," said Nukum. He had an English accent, though none of them could understand why, being that they were in California.

"Charmed, I'm sure," Conqet said sarcastically.

"Ahem?" Larara fake-coughed.

"Oh yes," Kitsune remembered. "And...this," she said, pointing to Rayne, "is Rayne. I suggest you don't bother her. She may not be full wolf, but she can still beat anyone in a fight any day. If you want proof, just ask Daikon." And with that, Kitsune turned back to Larara and Conqet again.

"Daikon...! You let a wolf get the best of you?" Nukum asked him.

"A half wolf?!" Luranno burst out laughing. Nukum joined in.

"Hey, guys, shut up! You try fighting that beast, and we'll see what happens...!"

Nukum stopped laughing, but Luranno smiled. "Very well. Uh, Kitsune?"

Kitsune flipped around. "What?!"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to challenge that wolf to a little one-on-one battle."

"She's not mine. Ask Larara."

Kitsune stepped out of the way and pointed at Larara. Larara looked down at Rayne, who looked back up at her with an expression that said 'Go for it.'

"Fine. But the fight ends when I say so. Or when you give up..." She smiled evilly at Luranno, who smiled the same smile at Rayne, who snarled.

"Let's do this. I'll show you, Daikon. There's nothing to it."

Rayne and Luranno took positions across from each other. Hate was the only emotion inside of them. Baring her teeth, Rayne snarled menacingly at Luranno. He smiled at her, showing his own white fangs. They stood watching each other for what seemed like a long time. Rayne barked once, and Luranno jumped at her.

He jumped so high that he left the ground, giving Rayne the chance to run under him. She did so, and he hit the sand hard. She turned on a dime and leaped onto his back, where she grabbed his arm and bit hard. He let out a scream of pain, but he didn't give up. He rolled over so that Rayne was underneath him. Although he was putting all his weight on her, she didn't let go of his arm. Instead, she sunk her teeth deeper. Luranno was raging mad. He elbowed Rayne in the stomach, forcing her to let go. She laid there for a moment or two, acting as if she was unconscious. Larara gasped. She took one step forward. She started to run into the 'battle zone' when Luranno opened his mouth to bite her. Conqet yanked her back.

"It won't do anything to her. I promise," she said, trying to remain calm.

Larara's eyes welled with tears, but she didn't get into the fight. She backed up into Conqet's open arms. When Luranno was inches from Rayne’s neck, her eyes and mouth flew open and she grabbed his face in her strong jaws. Her top jaw fell on one cheek and her bottom jaw closed on the other.

At first, he didn't know what was happening, but when he did, he started flailing his head back and forth to get out. Finally, Rayne let him go, but he was even more angry. He didn't get to do anything, though, because before he did, Rayne snapped down on his neck, just as she had done to Daikon. He fell over, with her still attached. He closed his eyes and waited a few seconds. Then, all of a sudden, he opened his newly red eyes and sliced his fangs into Rayne’s neck. Immediately, she let go, threw her head back, and howled. Luranno kept his hold.

"Rayne!!" Larara screamed.

She grabbed the cross sword out of Conqet's hands and ran over to them. She swung the sword across Luranno’s side. He jumped back, dropping Rayne to the ground where she lay still. Larara picked up her head and held it close. Conqet's eyes filled with tears. Kitsune gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. Nukum stood with his mouth open and his eyes wide. Daikon didn't change his facial expression, but he was watching intently. Luranno army-crawled away from them, his shirt ripped where the sword struck him, replaced by a bloody burn mark. Larara's cheeks were streaked with flowing tears. Rayne was still alive, but she was in bad condition.

With an effort, Luranno stood. He turned towards Larara, who looked up at him with hate-filled eyes. His eyes showed a much less powerful hate, but anger was still there. She watched him as he slowly limped over to the cross sword. He picked it up and held it high above his head, ready to swing it down and slice it into Larara.

"No!" Conqet cried.

Larara crouched over Rayne’s injured body, ready to accept the blow, but it never came. Instead, she heard the sword fall to the ground, followed by a loud thump. She looked up cautiously, and was amazed by what she saw. Daikon had Luranno pinned against a wall, his strong hand holding Luranno’s neck firmly in place.

"Enough," he growled.

With that, he dropped Luranno into the sand and limped back over to where Kitsune, Conqet, and Nukum were standing. Luranno managed to stand and limp over to Kitsune, who checked out the burn on his side. Then, she checked his wounds from the bites that Rayne delivered. Once she was done examining his injuries, she nailed him in the face with a tight fist.

"What the hell is the matter with you?!? Fair fight, Luranno! Fair fight! That means no biting!!!"

"What are you talking about? I was bitten all over!"

"What other weapon do you expect a wolf to fight with?! They don't use their claws! They don't have hands to hold something with! They can't punch or kick you!"

"I don't give a damn!" Luranno snarled. "I'm not apologizing to her! If she didn't want the wolf to get bitten, she wouldn't have let her fight! It's her own damn fault that her pet is probably dying..." Luranno, his voice and eyes clouded with hate, glared at Larara. Kitsune, enraged, hit him in the stomach so hard he almost threw up.

Larara's head shot up and looked at him. Now, instead of only detest, she felt fear for Rayne. To her great fortune, Rayne began to wake up. She hated Luranno so much. She hated his guts. She especially hated Daikon. But she hated them both with a passion. True, Daikon had saved her life, but he still tried to kill her, and he did try to kill Rayne, although he was unsuccessful. Luranno had been unsuccessful as well, but in the end, it didn't matter, because they hated her, too.

After Rayne had started to regain her senses a little more, Larara decided that she was done risking Rayne's life. Together with Conqet, they carried Rayne home.