"Look, he's still here!"

 The man of the pair of humans bent down next to the screaming baby. "Odd..." he said, frowning as he wrapped the baby in a blanket and picked him up, trying to calm him. "It's been over three days...."

 The woman shaded her eyes, looking for approaching demons.  "I don't think they're coming for him," she said.  "Here, give him to me."

 The man obliged. "I really don't understand these high demons...." he said, shaking his head. "Why would they want to abandon a perfectly heathly child?" he asked as the baby's screaming subsided slightly.

 The woman rocked the child gently.  "There, there, darling, it's ok."  She looked at the man.  "We should keep him."

 THe man looked startled. "Keep him?!" he exclaimed.

 "What else are we going to do?  We can't just let him die!"

 "But what do we know about raising demons?! He might kill us in our sleep!"

 "But he's just a little sweetheart, aren't you," she cooed at the baby, bouncing him gently and making him giggle.  "I'm going to go feed him.  You can come home if you want."

 The man hesitated. "IF you're sure...."

 She shot him a look.  "Hush.  Who's idea was this venture?  Who's the one who's kept us alive?  Now if I've convinced you that I have better sense than you I'm getting out of this weather and feeding my new son."

 "You're insane, calling a demon your son, you know that..."

 "And you were insane thinking we could come down here and missionize them, so we're even," she shot back.  "I think I'll name him... Erik.  After my father.  You like that, little guy?" she cooed.

 The baby smiled and babbled, waving his arms.  Under the blanket his wings also tried to move.

 The woman beamed.  "He likes it."

 The man sighed and gave a small smile.

 They reached the house before long.  "Now I'm going to give you to daddy while I make you din-din," the woman cooed at the baby.  "Don't worry.  Daddy isn't as scary as he looks."

 Erik made a gurgling noise an the older man grimced slightly. "I don't know the first thing abotu babies...." he protested.

 "Just hold him," the woman said in exasperation.  She tucked the baby into his arms and went into the kitchen to get food.
 

Erik hid in the closet of his caretakers room, trembling in fear from the sounds outside.

Finaly, it went quiet, but he was still too afraid to move. It wasn't until he smelled the smoke that he began to panic.

Grabbing a cloak his adopted mother wore, he bolted from the closet, wrapping the cloth around himself. "Mother!" he called in a panic as he avoided the already rapidly rising flames. "Father! Where are you?!"

His foot slipped on a wet spot an his eyes went wide. "Mother!" he cried, kneeling atthe fallen woman's side.  Her blood was everywhere and she was cold.   Frightened, Erik clutched the body close. He gave another cry seeing his adopted father's body, torn to peices and scattered around. Parts were already starting to burn.

'You must flee, little Erik....'  His mother's voice urged him.

Erik whimpered slightly, tencing, but got to his feet, running out of the burning building.

There was laughter outside as a group of demons watched the building burn.  After a moment one paused and pointed at him.  "Look, there was a whelp."

Erik tenced and hunched, trying to look menising to the demons and preparing to run.

They laughed.  "Look at the thing, all covered in blood."  One picked him up by the scruff of the neck, claws biting into his skin.  "Trying to be a real demon?"  He pulled the cloak away, showing Erik's wings.  "You'll never be a real demon," he said, pulling on one wing hard, as if trying to rip it off.

Erik gave a cry and flailed, clawing at the demon and yelling as he tried to get away. His face tence and he screamed, pushing at his tormenter with everything he had.

The demon holding him cried out and dropped him.  The other demons laughed.  "Too much for you?" they sneered.

The demon picked Erik up again, holding his throat in a crushing grip, expression enraged.

Erik flailed again, scratching at the hand at his throat. As his vision began to darken he again pushed with all he had. The burning in his lungs moved to his head and then exploded outwards towards his attacker.

The demon dropped to the ground and the others stopped laughing.  Several of them converged on the small boy.

Erik pulled back, utterly frightened.  He looked around for an exit and tried to flee.

There was a low growl as several of them attacked at once, somehow managing to miss the boy and kill each other instead.

Erik stood, trembling in the middle of the carnage before quickly running away to hide in the nearby woods.
 
 
 
 

The wet nurse looked at the squalling infant a moment before putting him to her breast again and turning to the doctor.  "We really don't know what's wrong, doctor.  He just never wants to stop nursing and when he's done he seems more upset than when he started."

The doctor pondered. "Have you tried giving him to Unia? She's on the highest levels of vitamins for the malnurished babies. It may be he has a defisiancy of some sorts he's looking to releive."

The woman nodded a moment, then jumped, trying to pull the child away from her.  He whimpered, nuzzling closer, and she stopped, looking at him strangely.

The doctor blinked. "What is it?" he asked, conserned.

"He-- he bit me!  I think he drew blood and he only suckling harder...."

The doctor blinked again, then walked over. "Bit you? But he hasn't teath yet...."

After a moment the baby let go and started to nod off to sleep.  The nurse pulled him away and he smiled a wide baby-smile, flashing tiny fangs.

The doctor blinked yet again. "Amazing..." he said, voice almost in aw. "His demonic parent was a vampire! That would perfectly explaine everything! Let me see him?"

The nurse handed the baby over.  The baby looked up at the doctor with round eyes, then giggled.

The doctor smiled widely. "He was missing the blood, that must have been why he was so upset," he nodded, speaking mostly to himself as he cradled the baby in his arms. "I had read in school that the mother vampire's milk is like a rich blood more then a milk...." He poked a finger at the baby's mouth to get it to open wide. "And the teeth have retracted again," he noted.

The baby started suckling gently on his finger.

The doctor giggled. "I'll have to get you a bottle..." he smiled. "Make up a forumula that would closely resemble what you're looking for so you don't go biting all the nurses." He pulled back his finger and gently swiped the baby's nose.

The baby looked up at him solemnly a moment, then giggled again.  After a moment, his thumb went into his mouth and he fell asleep.

The doctor gently rocked the baby in his arms a moment, smiling before handing him back to the nurse. "Bring him to me before you feed him again and I'll have a formula ready."

"Yes doctor," she said, taking the baby and leaving the room.

The doctor smiled fondly and then went to work on the formula.

A few hours later another nurse brought the sobbing baby into the medical room.  "They said to bring him here," she said helplessly.

"Did something happen?" the doctor asked as he rushed over.

The baby reached for the doctor as soon as he saw him.

"I think he's hungry, but we haven't been able to feed him well yet, have we?"

The doctor gently took the baby. "There, there, we'll get you something," he said gently, stroking the baby's back as he carried him over to his work table.

The baby continued his hiccuping cries, butting against the doctor in frustration.

"Hush, hush..." the doctor tried to calm the boy, reaching for a bottle. "Soon, little one, soon..." he said, filling the bottle with a dark red liquid and then putting it in the warmer, bouncing slightly to try and calm the baby.

The crying slowed, but he looked up at the doctor looking like he'd start again any moment.

The warmer beeped and the doctor opened it and retrived the bottle, checking to make sure it wasn't too hot. "Here you go..." he cooed, putting it to the baby's lips.

The baby nuzzled against it in confusion a moment, eyes crossing as he tried to look at it, then sucked on it.  He took the bottle's nipple more firmly in his mouth and sucked avidly.

"There you go..." the doctor smiled as the boy drank.

When the bottle was almost empty, the baby dropped it and curled close to the doctor, yawning widely.

The doctor put the bottle down on the counter and smiled, shifting his hold on the baby so he was snuggled agaist his chest.  "I think that's a seal of appoval," he smiled.

The nurse looked amazed.  "That's amazing doctor!  How did you do that?"

THe man blinked. "Most baby's sleep after being fed, I just gave him what he needed," he smiled.

"But we've never been able to do that yet!  What did you give him?"

"Vampire formula," the doctor smiled. "It's a mix of milk and blood that has been fourtified with iron and other vitamins to closely resemble the milk of a mother vampire." He gave a small giggle. "I found the most wonderful refreance book in the medical library..."

"So he's part vampire?"

The doctor nodded. "He bit Yala yesterday. He wasn't getting what he needed..."

The woman nodded.  "Shall I take him back to the nursery?"

The doctor hesitated a moment. "If it wouldn't be to much trouble could you have one of the boys bring his bed in here?  None of you has been taught as how to care of a half vampire, and I do think it would be best if I kept an eye on him."

"Of course, doctor," the woman said, and left the room.

The doctor looked down at the sleeping baby in his arms and smiled. "I should find out what you are named, little one..."

The baby yawned widely.

The doctor giggled.

After a time, one of the nursery boys came in bearing a crib.  "Where do you want it, doctor?"

"Over there, where there's all the space but it's still close," the doctor  nodded and pointed with his tail.

The boy nodded and set up the crib.  "Is there anything else?"

The doctor shook his head. "THank you, Kenjo," he smiled.

The boy smiled and left.

Very gently the doctor placed the baby in the crib and tucked the blankets around. "Aah, silly me, I should have asked him to find out the boy's name..." he tisked.

Not long after, the boy woke up.  He looked around at the unfamiliar place and started crying.

The doctor rushed over. "Are you alright, little one?" he asked, reaching down to pick him up. "Are you hungry again?"

Once he was picked up, the child quieted.  He looked at the doctor with round golden eyes, sniffled once, then reached out to tug the man's nose.

The doctor giggled and gently poked the baby's nose in return.

The boy giggled happily, arms waving in excitement.

The doctor giggled again as well.
 

As the man dragged the limp body through the door the secretary picked up the intercom and called down to the hospital wing.  "Doctor!  Come quickly!  I think it's Nikita...."

There was a clatter from the doctor's office and in an instant the tailed demon as there, eyes wide and conserned. He froze as he spotted the boy. "Little one..." he said, voice shocked. "Deka, call Tanl and tell him to met me in my office and then call the Master and tell him I wish audiance..." he said to the secretary as he moved to gently take Nikita in his arms.

The boy moaned softly, face contorting in pain.  His eyes fluttered open, not quite focussing on the doctor.  "Daa-da?" he questioned in a hoarse voice.  "Hungry...."

"I'm here, Nikita... here..." He offered his wrist. "Not too much, I'll have some inriched for you in the office... I'll take care of you..."

The boy weakly sank his fangs into the doctor's wrist, but almost immediately began coughing horribly and dry retched all over himself.

The doctor swore.  "We're almost at the office, just hang in..." He pushed open the door an gently placed Nikita down on the table before rushing to get the supliy of blood from the cooler.

In a few moments he had it warned and he handed it to NIkita. "Drink..."

The boy spilled almost as much as he got into his mouth, and after a moment he was too tired to continue drinking.  He put the cup down with shaking hands and curled up, trying to find a position that didn't make him shiver with pain.

The doctor fretted, quickly treating and bandaging the boy's wounds. "Be still a moment... this will dull the pain..." he said gently as he prepared an injection.

"Daa-da," the boy said again, tears in his voice.  "Nikita didn't do anything wrong...."

"No, no you didn't..." the doctor soothed. "They had no right... no right at all..." He shook a moment in repressed rage and then calmed himself. "You need more blood... try and drink more..." he urged, holding the cup to Nikita's lips.

The boy tried drinking again, but quickly became tired.  "Hurts...."

The doctor grimed. "I'll set up an IV..." he smoothed Nikita's hair a moment in comfort before bustling off.

The boy lowered his head to his knees and began crying softly now that he could

The doctor quickly rushed over to the boy's side again, eyes heavy with worry.

The boy looked up.  "Wouldn't stop hurting," he said in a shaking voice.  "No reason.  Just hurt!"

The doctor's face was both paned and angry. "No right..." he said, voice trembling. Very gently he pulled Nikita into his arms. "Just relax... I'll protect you... noone will ever hurt you again... I promice..."

Nikita began sobbing into the doctor's shirt, crying as he hadn't since he was a baby.  "It was wood," he whimpered.

The doctor gave a sharp intake of breath and cradled the boy. "So crule...."

"No-- no reason....  Didn't DO anything."  The boy sobbed, then looked up at the doctor, eyes glazed with pain.  "Hurts...."

"The medicin should start to work soon, try to relax..." the doctor soothed, stroking the boys hair. "Try to rest..."

The boy sobbed brokenly, breath slowing until he fell asleep.

The Harem Master entered the room.  "What is it, doctor?  I'm very busy."

The doctor looked up, eyes hard. Slowly he stood, Nikita still in his arms. "The one who did this..." he said slowly, voice serious. "He must be delt with...."

The Harem Master's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in anger.  "What happened?"

"Nikita says they hurt him with out reason and wouldn't stop... and they used wood agaist him...." The doctor said gravely.

"Unforgivable!  Nikita is pampered pet, not a fetish object.  Even if he is the king, he will be dealt with."  The Harem Master snapped his fingers and a boy came to his side.  "He leaned close and whispered instructions in the boy's ear.  The boy nodded and set off at a run.

"Heal him, and keep him here as long as you see fit," the harem Master said.

The doctor nodded.  "I will..."

"Good."  The Harem Master turned and left.

The doctor called his asstant to retrive soft bedding.  He carefuly lay Nikita down on it and began setting up the IV to help the boy heal.

The boy flinched from the touch, whimpering softly, but didn't wake.
 
 

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