Chapter One

Reconnaissance

TOKYO (MODERN DAY EDO) JAPAN

2008 (HEISEI 22) DECEMBER 1ST

　　　 Sitting alone in the corner of the dimly lit Club Eden was the vampire Takeru of Clan Ryoku. With a glass of Gin and Tonic in one hand, Takeru flicked through a black leather-bound notebook with the other. He scanned the room carefully, moving only his eyes. By extending his energy outward like wings, he could get a feel for the surrounding area.. Takeru was adept at remaining unseen in a sea of people. People extolled him for this trait. It allowed him to both hunt and gather intelligence while being completely hidden.

It was your typical high-end Tokyo night club; too dark to make out facial features from a distance, men in crisp business suits sitting on the balcony away from throng of dancers below, a DJ spinning records in the corner surrounded by enthusiastic fans and attractive bartenders who flirted freely with the patrons. The bar was lit from below by beams of light. The dance floor was filled with effect smoke and flashing lights from the ceiling and walls. Against the walls were black booths and small tables, each with a single black tea light on top.

The atmosphere was furtive, as the patrons paid little attention to what was going on at other tables. It was the place people went to be unseen. No one ever asked for identification, and there were no reservations. It was normal to find men in impressive-looking suits with gorgeous women at their sides and occasionally some near the back of the club conducting meetings or collecting debts. It was not place where you would find the average night club goer. Club Eden was a watering hole for the underbelly of the Tokyo night scene. That made it the perfect place to hunt prey; for it was not unheard of for people to disappear there and never be heard from again.

Takeru Furuyoshi had an art of stalking his prey; he always took his time looking for just the right person. Someone alone, someone inconspicuous, and someone no one would notice slipping out of sight. Takeru took a sip of his drink, holding the glass up near his face. His electric blue eyes hid in the curtain of hair that fell around his angular jaw. As he set the glass down, Takeru spotted a young man in a white suit eyeing him curiously. Seemingly unfazed by the mortal even seeing him when he was semi cloaked, Takeru grinned, intrigued by his admirer. When he met Takeru’s gaze, the young man quickly turned away. Takeru took in the mortal’s appearance. He narrowed his eyes and scanned every visible inch of him, noting his flashy suit, designer watch, and snakeskin boots.

A host He concluded, taking a swig of his drink without his eyes leaving the man. A Host was a male escort who made his money by swindling gullible women into spending their fortunes on them. They hunted among the rich and vulnerable, who were more susceptible to their charms. The Hunter and the Hunted. Takeru smiled to himself as he watched the man thinking, we are similar creatures.

Using his hyper intuition, Takeru pulled from his mind and his movements that he was mildly interested in the dark beauty lurking in the shadows. Takeru was used to stares when he was not completely cloaking his presence. He was very handsome, and the candlelight hit his face at just the right angles, highlighting his superior bone structure.

He stood at 178cm with a slim but toned build. A black designer suit hugged his form as if it were made for him, contouring to his body shape. His dark hair nearly covered the left side of his pale long face and his eyes which were like almond-shaped sapphires were nearly hidden from view. A few strands of his hair fell to the bridge of his thin nose like the tip of a knife.

He nonchalantly brushed the strands out of his face, his thin lips curved into a smile as he once again caught the eye of the young man at the bar. Confirming his assumption, the mortal’s cheeks went slightly pink in response to his smile. Takeru drained his glass in one gulp, slipped his notebook into his pocket, and stood up. The vampire strode over to him noiselessly. His crocodile boots made no sound as he glided through the club, stopping next to the young host leaning against the bar. The host’s body heat rose as Takeru neared him. Their eyes met and then he had him. No mortal could resist his mind trick. With that look, he could bind any mortal’s will to his own.

The young host followed Takeru to the restroom, then he held him up against the wall. Takeru slipped his arm around the back of his neck, then he tilted the young man’s head to the side with his long white fingers and saw his pulsating artery. He opened his mouth, Takeru’s lips on his creamy skin, then he sank his teeth in his neck. Delicious blood flowed rapidly into Takeru’s eager mouth, strengthening him, and relieving him of his thirst. His eyes glowed with brilliant blue when the blood touched his lips. As his victim’s blood flowed into him, so did his memories, flashing like visions in his mind. He saw him in a bar with countless patrons, male and female, drinking and engaging in more intimate activities. He could learn his victim’s life story just from his blood. It was called Blood Knowledge, a shared link between the vampire and its prey. Mortals did not have the same mental shields as vampires, so their thoughts and memories were free for the taking.

Takeru moaned appreciatively, enjoying the intimacy of taking blood, the bond between the hunter and its prey. He took in everything the mortal felt, his thoughts and emotions were shared as if he were draining both his life and his blood.

His hunger for blood quelled, he sealed the tiny pinpricks left by his fangs with the swipe of his tongue across them. The mortal stood limp against the wall. Frowning, Takeru locked eyes with him once more and delved into his mind, pulling the image of himself from the man thus wiping his memory of the event. Takeru steadied him against the wall and broke the connection to his mind. As soon as he left the restroom, the mortal was left thinking why he went into the restroom in the first place.

Takeru cloaked his energy completely upon exiting the restroom, his body tensing slightly as he scanned the club once more. All too easy for someone to attack a vampire still high from fresh blood. His eyes were everywhere, from the patrons leaning against the banister on the top floor to the patrons’ caressing in a shadowed booth near the back of the club. The club was just as he had left it only minutes ago. The vampire had another reason for being at Club Eden besides hunting, but the only vampiric energy in the area came from him. Sighing, Takeru pulled out the notebook from his breast pocket, took out a pen, and flipped to a previously tabbed page. Squinting, he scrolled down it and crossed out the words CLUB EDEN. Then he looked down the list to the next club: LA LUNA.

Takeru left Club Eden shortly after, reached into his back pocket, pulled out a tiny black device, and pressed the button upon it, which unlocked the doors of his dark SUV parked just outside the club. He jumped in and started the vehicle with the push of a button.

“Welcome back, master!” the voice navigation greeted him. “Where to?”

“Club La Luna, Hachioji,” he said. The navigation screen showed a series of spinning orbs than a detailed map of where he was in relation to the club.

“Club La Luna, Hachioji. You will be there in 23 minutes if you take this route,” said the navigation, the route highlighted on the screen in red. Takeru turned onto the street and set off for Hachioji.

“We have received intelligence that the enemy are frequenting clubs in the Kanto region.” Takeru recalled his leader’s words. “They are hiding themselves amongst the Tokyo underground scene. You must locate their hub discretely and report back. The safety of the people of Kanto rest in your hands. May the Gods be with you.” Takeru squeezed the stirring wheel and sped up. He could not let his leader down. He was entrusted with a dangerous, and taxing task and he was thought to be the best for the job. Takeru was one of the oldest vampires in his clan, second only to the Methuselah of Clan Ryoku, the most powerful group of vampires in the Kanto Region.

I have been to 5-night clubs in the downtown area and there is no trace of the enemy’s stronghold. He could not return to his maker with no news. The enemy had to be found. Takeru easily ran a light that changed to red halfway through passing it, but he did not slow down. Tokyo was their land, land they had protected since the Edo period. Enemies within their territory could mean only one thing: conflict.

***

Some 20 minutes later, Takeru was turning on to a quiet side street. He drove carefully down the road, eyes wide looking for anything unusual, but that was difficult to differentiate. The street was unusual. It was so unlike the area around Club Eden with its expensive eateries and pastry shops. Takeru was surrounded by abandoned buildings and closed businesses. He came to a stop at the end of the road and peered around cautiously, cloaking his energy to appear mortal as opposed to invisible.

“Your destination is on the right master,” the navigation system announced, and a smiley face appeared on the screen. Takeru looked to his right and there it was squashed between two larger buildings.

“I heard of off the beaten track, but this is ridiculous,” Takeru commented.

“Right window down,” he said to the screen, and the car window rolled down slowly. Takeru leaned out slightly and looked up at the wooden sign hammered above the entrance. It read CLUB LA LUNA in fading gold letters, a tiny half-moon sitting next to the letter A in Luna. It is definitely open, he thought as he heard music with heavy bass from outside it.

Dark material covered the club’s windows, making it impossible to see in it from the outside. The street was deserted since everything else there was closed. “No crowd or security guards outside and no foot traffic, this would be the perfect place,” he said, then he closed his eyes and opened his senses to find traces of the enemy. Vampiric energy was like physical pressure but invisible to most immortals. He let his mental shields down a fraction and then he felt it, it was like an ocean closing in around him. He quickly replaced the shields, his skin paling before his eyes.

The strength of the pressure depended on the power of the immortal. Some vampires could cripple weaker vampires with the pressure of their energy. Such vampires often held back their energy to stay hidden in public and when they fed. Mortals also suffer discomfort around vampires, but even the weakest vampire could hold back their energy to make it easier to hunt for prey. What Takeru felt was like the pressure of a dozen high-level vampires.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

He screwed up his face and made a U-turn for the parking garage he passed earlier. There was only one space left in the garage. He locked the car with a push of a button, pocketed his key device, and made his way down the empty street to the club.

He opened the club door only wide enough to slip inside, then he quickly closed it behind him. La Luna could not have been in more contrast to Club Eden; it was crowded with young patrons dancing to EDM tracks spun by a DJ near the back of the club. It was lit only by strobe lighting and other DJ effects.

He slipped past the large vampire near the entrance, who said nothing to him. The vampire was foreign, taller even than Takeru, and stood like a statue by the door, but he did not pay him any mind since he was not giving off any particularly powerful energy. Takeru marked that he felt weak for a vampire despite his rather large physic. He strode by him and found an empty table in the left corner of the club where people had stacked their bags and jackets. As soon as he sat down, he was scanning the room for the source of the powerful vampiric energy he felt outside when a waitress in red came by to clear glasses off the tables. She approached Takeru and greeted him brightly.

“Good evening. What can I start you off with tonight?” she said, eying Takeru curiously, her thin eyes taking in every bit of his appearance.

“Mm, what do you have?” he said seductively, locking her gaze to his eyes. She grinned in response and leaned close to him.

“Well, if you’re interested in something special, we have ‘Chidori’” she said with a pointed smile.

‘Chidori’ was Japanese for Blood Bird, code name for warm blood. In this way vampires could attain blood without all the trouble or if one were too weak to hunt.

“What’s in it?” he asked, picking up the drink menu card on the table.

“Red wine, cassis and strawberry juice,” she answered in the same cheerful voice, but Takeru could read the suspicion in her eyes. He pulled a face and shook his head.

“Seems too sweet for me. I’ll have a double martini,” he said, replacing the menu card on the rack in the middle of the table. The woman wrote his order, nodded, and walked away. Takeru followed her with his eyes through the tables and patrons, then she approached a large booth on the other side of the club and whispered something to the man sitting in the middle. He hid his face with a black mask usually worn to ward off germs or the cold, a common look in the winter. His black hood was pulled too low over his eyes to be normal. So Takeru reached into the waitress’s mind and eavesdropped on the conversation. It was a little trick he could only perform with lesser vampires. Since he had locked eyes with her earlier, he could get into her mind without the use of blood knowledge.

“I don’t think he’s a Ryoku Master, not even a vampire,” she said to the man. Takeru could not see the man’s face because it was too dark, but he was curious about the shadowed vampire. Takeru’s skin prickled. This vampire’s energy was off the charts. He could feel it through the woman’s mind.

“Or he’s cloaking himself pretty well,” the shadowed vampire replied. His voice was not deep. It was high-pitched, and he spoke slowly, pronouncing every syllable.

“Find out Rin,” he said to a female vampire at his side. “Follow him out when he leaves and take some troops.”

“Yes, Sir.” She said, her eyes flashing in Takeru’s direction. She stood up and disappeared through the door behind them followed by a pair of male vampires. Before Takeru lost connection with the waitress’s mind, he tried to get a glimpse of the one she called Master, but she turned on her heels and left the table. Once she was out of sight, the connection to her mind was broken.

Takeru’s mind was racing. There was no mistaking it now, this was the enemy’s hub. Now he had a bigger issue, they suspected what he was. He kept calm on the outside, pretending to enjoy the music, all the while thinking he needed an escape plan. I must get out of this area and lose those enemy vampires with no one finding out I am Ryoku. Seems like an easy enough task. The waitress came back a while later with his drink while he went over ideas in his head.

“Here you are, one double martini, enjoy,” she said still as bubbly as before, but Takeru noticed she was being careful not to meet his eyes, smiling widely and bowing low before hurrying away to another table. She would not him to enter her mind, but little did she know it was already too late for that. Takeru would not let it be too for him.

Once the headlining DJ was through with his set, Takeru knew what he had to do. He got up, placed some money on the table for his drink, and disappeared into a large group of patrons. He exited the club alone by slipping past them, and out the back entrance. He sped down the street towards his car at a run but before long; he sensed vampiric energy following him; then suddenly three vampires surrounded him the female vampire Rin from the booth and two lackeys.

Rin wore skin-tight black pants and a matching leather jacket. She adorned her neck with a spiked collar and a chained necklace held together by a tiny lock that rested against her throat. She had a small build, came up to about Takeru’s chin, and but her small stature did not make her appear any less ferocious. She bared her fanged teeth and fixed him with a cold stare, her eyes as red cherries and her energy emanating from her like flames.

“Leaving so soon?” she asked playfully, with her fangs in full view and her red eyes gleaming.

“I got what I came for,” was Takeru’s reply. Then faster than any of them could see, Takeru was suddenly behind Rin, his arm around her waist pulling her to him. The other handheld a small silver dagger embedded with rubies to her throat. The other vampires froze and looked at each other. “One move and I’ll slit her throat,” Takeru shouted at the other vampires. However, before his very eyes, Rin miraculously dissolved into water then reappeared next to her companions.

“Madoushi,” growled Takeru, glaring at her. Only a Madoushi could change their shape at will.

“Which must make you what? Ryoku? Tennshi?” she spat back at him icily.

“I’m just a wandering immortal who doesn’t take kindly to being attacked for no reason,” he said agitated, his eyes taking in their positions and the surrounding area. The street was at present still deserted, but if that changed innocents could get involved and he did not like the idea of fighting three vampires while defending a hostage.

“Such a pity! If you were mortal, I would have made you my slave,” she said wickedly. “I like to inflict pain ‘wanderer’…excruciatingly slow pain that would have you kneeling at my feet.”

“You think you could scare me, Madoushi?” he growled back. Takeru turned his other hand outward as something long and silver pierced through the middle of his hand, revealing another dagger. Takeru’s slender body made fighting with daggers like a dance. He twirled around and slashed the three vampires in the chest. The female looked down at the blood seeping through her top, then she glared at him, her eyes flashing.

“I like to inflict pain too,” he said then his daggers dripping with her blood. Rin sneered and whispered “Downpour,” but this time when she morphed in water, it came down like a piercing waterfall. Moving quickly through the deluge, Takeru carefully dodged all her cascading attacks. Soon her attacks became erratic. Smiling to himself, he used her irritation and her lack of focus to his advantage.

The lackeys watched in silence surrounding the two, and Takeru took this opportunity to throw the daggers right at them. They howled in pain as the poison tipped daggers bore through their flesh and then they fell to the ground unconscious. Rin stopped dead and watched her kin lying unconscious on the ground. Rin should have been poisoned too the moment she was first slashed. Must be her water morphing diluting the effect. Must find another way to take her down.

“They were weak,” she said coolly, not showing the slightest concern for her kin. “We underestimated you. Now I hold nothing back. Shatter!” she shouted as she pulled out an ice spiked whip. The whip looked like it was made of flexible ice and the spikes stoke out like lethal shards of crystal. Rin swung the whip around rapidly, Takeru had to jump and flip out of the way but the whip was free moving, thanks to her ability to manipulate water, and she hit him in the face and leg. The ice cut him like a knife. Traces of the shards glittering in his wounds.

A line of blood trickled slowly down his cheek and oozed from his leg. To make matters worse, she continued to dodge his attacks by morphing. I have to immobilize her. His eyes flashed as the idea hit him. He watched Rin’s moves carefully, counting the seconds between her morphing and directions she went in each time until a pattern emerged. Reacting quickly, he grabbed her just as she was about to change her form then Takeru sunk his teeth into her neck which completely halted her movements. It was over. Madoushi could not change their form while their blood was being drained. She struggled against him, but to no avail before going limp in his arms. Her blood was like liquid fire. He felt her rage as it entered him, but not much else from Blood Knowledge. He could, however, alter her memory, which he did with ease. He sealed her neck wound with a slip of his tongue and set her down at his feet.

He bested her, but now he had to deal with the aftermath. Bending low, he used his incredible strength to drag Rin and her lackeys by the arms to the side of the abandoned restaurant. Rin’s memory was dealt with, but he still had to take care of the other two. Takeru could not take her lives. If anything, the vampire from La Luna might sense Rin’s energy disappearing. Takeru reached into an inside pocket and drew out a syringe. Inside it, venom taken from a water-dwelling creature that caused its victims to experience short-term amnesia. The Ryoku cultivated the venom in mass for just such a use.

“Time to head back,” he said as he straightened up. His eyes darted to every window and every car within a 100-meter radius, careful to look for anyone that might hide in the shadows. Once he was sure no one was watching from either the club or by any means of surveillance, he disappeared into the night.