Enid was leaned back, and the stylist was washing her hair thoroughly. Another lady was giving her a manicure, and another lady was giving her a pedicure. She hadn’t ordered any of the above. It had been arranged by Takuma. Yasu’s father. She had begrudgingly accepted it if for no other reason she wanted the smell of Taichi out of her hair immediately. Her hair wash finished the stylist left. Enid waited patiently for them to finish before standing up she thanked them. The polish was blood red.

She stood up and walked to windows. The sun was setting, and Tokyo began to light up below her. She crossed her arms and looked out over the city.

A hundred years ago I wouldn’t have been able to imagine this view.

She watched the cars move around and the flashing lights. She glanced at the TV, then back outside, she sighed and bounced on the bed and turned the TV on. She wasted the whole night watching different shows, sucking blood out of blood bags with a straw.

She heard a knock on the door and yelled come in, her mouth was half full. She was wearing a bathrobe and nothing else. Two thousand years was enough to give up on any need to be bashful. She heard Yasu’s voice and swore under her breath pulling the robe tighter. He walked in hands in pockets and then abruptly turned his back to her.

“Sorry Melanie-san!”

“It’s alright I’ll go put more on. What’s up?”

“My father wanted me to let you know he has set up a meeting with the families tonight. They will hear you out.”

“Oh, that’s good news.”

“He suggests you dress well and has provided me with money to take you shopping for something appropriate.”

Enid tapped him on the shoulder when she’d finished dressing.

“Its okay, I’m as decent as you’ll get me.”

Enid was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans and her docs. Yasu looked confused, he didn’t remember her bringing any luggage.

“Let’s go shopping, any good places to eat around here?”

“Not around here, I know a place though.”

“Good, and I want to see everything!”

“We should get started.”

The pair spent the day shopping, sightseeing and eating. By evening Yasu looked like he was ready for bed.

“The meeting is happening at a house outside of Tokyo. Away from prying eyes.”

Enid nodded.

“I can understand that.”

“You look good tonight, very professional. They should take you seriously.”

“I have a feeling the autopsy files your father acquired from Naha will do more for me then clothes.”

Yasu nodded.

“The oyabun should not be taken lightly. Melanie-san. They are old and very proud men.”

“I understand.”

“I know but father asked me to remind you.”

Enid nodded.

“As he should he is the one who is going to be in trouble if they feel their time has been wasted.”

“You have a deep understanding of our ways.”

“In many ways, I have lived your life for all of mine. The titles are different, but there are always old men who are very proud and don’t like to have their time wasted.”

Yasu laughed. He pulled into a long driveway and parked the car. He rushed around to open her door. A motley group of men in black suits were chatting in front of the house, smoking and laughing. The saw Enid approaching and parted for her giving her a small bow. Enid returned the offer of respect. One of them opened the door for her. She was wearing a black skirt, off-white blouse and black suit jacket and black pumps and black hose. She went for the standard Japanese businesswoman uniform, something that would fit in with the Yakuza and their typical dress. She entered and a man patted her down for weapons. Looked in her bag. As they weren’t the owner, they only contents they could see were assorted feminine curious and a wallet. He motioned her inside. She saw more than a few weapons arranged tidily on a rack. She walked deeper into the house and down a small set of stairs and into a room with a long table with twenty older gentlemen seated it. She bowed respectfully to them. They acknowledged her presence. Takuma stood before a window; Enid noted he did not have a seat at the table. Nobuyuki however was seated amongst the heads of the various syndicates. She had not realized he was that high up in the organization. She approached Takuma and bowed to him. He turned to the assembled oyabun.

“We thank you for coming tonight. Honored guests. This is Melanie. She is called Raijin by her family. She has a proposition she would like you to hear.”

One of the syndicate heads snorted.

“You expect us to believe this child killed seventeen men four nights ago?”

Nobuyuki slammed the table.

“Are you calling me a liar? I watched her kill three of them with chopsticks.”

“Of course, you’re going to exaggerate for her, how else can you justify bring a gaijin into your family.”

“Should she demonstrate her skill for you?”

Enid gave Nobuyuki the very smallest shake of her head. She had no wish to embarrass one of the oyabuns.

“As if she could.”

“Put your sword where your mouth is, I would bet her blade against any here.”

Enid bowed quickly.

“Sempai. Perhaps I have a solution to this. There is a video of my attack on Sakamura Towers. Perhaps I could call Taichi and we can have someone pick it up?”

“Excellent idea daughter.”

Enid was escorted out while the assembled Yakuza discussed other business until the tape arrived. It took about an hour. Enid was summoned back into the boardroom and the eyes of all the men at the table were now on her. The man who had been insulting her before stood and bowed.

“Raijin-san. I apologize for insulting you earlier. The Yamaguchi-gumi acknowledge your skill and agrees to your proposal. We will call upon you if are in need of your skills to deal with these sorts of matters in future.”

Enid listened and watched as each syndicate in turn made the same offer. She bowed respectfully to each.

“Thank you, I am honored to be in your presence and to have your trust oyabuns. I have no wish to take money for your pockets, only to save your men the danger of dealing with such foes as I have been trained to slay. I demand no reward for this work only your permission to perform these duties in your territories. Please ensure that any payments you would have received before are still received.”

Enid bowed again. The men around the table nodded and slammed their hands on the table.

Nobuyuki motioned for Enid to sit at the table and she did so in the proper fashion. A bottle of sake had been provided and she poured into the large cup. Offering it with a bow to the head of the Yamaguchi-gumi. He took a sip and passed it to Nobuyuki and so on until it was back to Enid, who then drank the last sip.

“You are now Yakuza. It is time for your first tattoo.”

Enid glanced at Nobuyuki who nodded.

Technically I can use magic to make it stick but I should get it photographed in case I need to replace it. Never know when someone is going to burn my back with a flamethrower, or flame breath.

She bowed and Takuma lead her to a room where an elderly Japanese man waited. Enid pulled off her jacket and took off her blouse. She pulled her bra off. Takuma and the old man were looking at the fading angry red scar across her abdomen. The death arrows had also left their mark. Six scars in all, not faded but they probably would be in a century or two. She sat down leaning over the chair and let the men talk.

“I am told they call you Raijin. I have planned a black dragon with lightning running along its body.”

He showed her the design. It was an oriental dragon stretched along her back, with black scales and crackling blue lightning arcing along it. Enid nodded. The tattooist began once he started the tattooing which he was doing with a hand tool she barely felt the pricks. Compared to the other pain she had felt in her lifetime it was nothing. The work was painstaking and slow. She chanted as he worked using blood magic to seal the ink in her flesh bit by bit. Her work was as painstaking as his. It took hours. The whole time she forced her body not to heal. In the short term it wouldn’t heal, but over time the blood would just do it’s will.

Would have been easier in the sunlight, but then of course I wouldn’t have been able to make it semi-permanent.

“Such fortitude, I have rarely seen it in a man, let alone a woman.”

Enid nodded. She looked down at the black veins beginning in her hands.

“Excuse me I need to use the washroom now.”

The old man nodded, and Enid went into the washroom pulling out one of her bloodstones that held the blood of a Pugmentia she drank it in. The black veins on her hands retreated and vanished and the scars on her abdomen faded from the angry red to faint white lines. The other scars remained as they had been. The death arrows were potent magic indeed. Enid walked out of the washroom, the old man had left, and she pulled her bra back on. And got herself dressed. She walked towards the back of the house she could see a few of the Yakuza remained. They were watching the sunrise and smoking. Nobuyuki saw her approaching and waved her over.

“Raijin-chan, the old man says he’s seen oyabun that squirmed more when getting a tattoo, said you were like working on a piece of canvas. You didn’t move once.”

“I am used to sitting still for long periods of time.”

“Can we see?”

Enid shook her head and sighed.

“I just got dressed. Fine.”

She pulled off her jacket, and her blouse leaving her bra on this time. Takuma raised an eyebrow obviously noticing the scar on her abdomen looked different. Nobuyuki didn’t notice and clapped.

“Perfect!”

Enid pulled her blouse back on and buttoned it. And then slipped into her jacket.

“I looked in the mirror he’s a master at his art.”

“Best of the best. Is it going to stick?”

“I took steps. It won’t last forever, and all bets are off if someone comes at my back with a flamethrower. But it should last for a human lifetime at least.”

“Raijin-san, what happened to your stomach?”

“Fire demon. Got me good before I was able to cut it in half. Its taken a long time to heal.”

He nodded, though his eyes said he was unhappy to know the real answer.

Nobuyuki patted Enid on the back.

“The tape was a good idea.”

“I didn’t want the old men to start pulling out swords and challenging me, I really didn’t want to embarrass them.”

“It was perfect. You showed them your prowess, they see you understand our culture, and saw that you did your best to avoid embarrassing them. You gave them an honorable way out. It is like you’ve been navigating politics since you were in diapers.”

“I’ve dealt with tougher rooms. With less desirable results unfortunately. I hadn’t intended to join the Yakuza.”

“You belong with us, you were an outsider, now you have a real family. And don’t worry no one’s going to expect to go around breaking arms. They’ll call you when the dangerous stuff comes out. Yasu will take you to the hotel, you must be exhausted.”

Enid shook her head.

“I need to go to University of Tokyo, I promised a linguist I’d help him do some recordings of my native language.”

“English?”

Nobuyuki laughed.

“No, my English is terrible.”

She paused and switched to pictish.

“This is my real language.”

Nobuyuki looked at her strangely.

“It occurs to me I never asked where you were from.”

“Scotland.”

“But they speak English, don’t they?”

“Not always.”

Nobuyuki nodded.

“We’ll get you a driver Yasu is probably too tired to keep up for any longer.”

Nobuyuki walked up to the fence and looked over it, seeing one of the lower ranking Yakuza smoking and trying to wake up he yelled and asked if he could give Enid a ride.

“Go out front he’ll take you where you need to go, see you back in Naha.”

Enid gave a slight bow.

She made her way towards the front door. She saw many Yakuza laying around the house sleeping off hang overs. She felt sorry for her new driver who probably wasn’t feeling much better.

Spending the day speaking her native tongue would be a good way to relax in her opinion. The good doctor would be nice to have as a contact if she ever needed something translated and she lacked the time or ability.

*****

Enid looked out her window. She could see the island of Okinawa forming in the horizon. The plane was descending. She had only had rare occasion to be on airplanes since she was able to take day flights. She usually ended up in cargo or on night flights. When she did fly herself, she was never high enough to get this kind of view. The sun would be setting soon. She was going to have to go hunt a Pugmentia tonight. She needed more blood for her stones in case she ended up with wounds she couldn’t heal without sleeping. She couldn’t afford another twenty-year slumber. The necessity of it didn’t make her feel any better about the deed. She was still ending a possibly innocent vampire’s life. Surely, she could find one that no one would miss and that was doing something wrong. That was the truth of why she let them go about their business. She used them as food stores as much as she used humans. Human blood would heal her eventually but not without a healing sleep. The pugmentia blood, was the high-octane variety of blood. She sighed and leaned her forehead against the reinforced plastic of the window.

You know the blood was at a premium, you know what the blood magic would cost but you did it anyway for vanity! Silly girl. You’re two thousand years old. You know how to behave better that. And now another living being must die for your vanity. Some new leaf you’re turning.

She lifted her head up and heard the announcement that they would be landing soon and to put your seat belt on. She sat up straight and buckled herself in again. She glanced over the plane she saw smokers hurriedly finishing their last cigarettes. She shook her head. Enid had never understood the human need to inhale what to her smelled like toxic miasma. During the day when she was stuck near them, she’d find herself coughing due to her need to breath. It was repulsive. At night it didn’t matter to her either way. She’d witnessed a few vampires partaking in her time, and never quite understood why they bothered. Especially the Pugmentia, putting something that was smoldering so near their very flammable flesh for no gain besides to relive their glory days. She shook her head again and put her magazine away and got ready for the flight to land.

Edo was waiting for her when she exited the plane. She was surprised. She hadn’t expected to see him for a few days.

“I thought you were still in Tokyo.”

“Boss wanted to come home last night. Doesn’t like being away from the island long. Says the mice like to play to much when the cat’s away.”

Enid smiled and nodded.

“Well thank you for being here to pick me up.”

“No problem. I’ll get you home, need lots of sleep, school tomorrow.”

Enid nodded.

“First day of senior high school.”

“I never went, finished minimum I needed then I got into real business.”

“Ever wonder what you missed?”

“No, school is for ‘nerd’”

He said the English word with some difficulty then pushed up a non-existent pair of glasses and did a weird laugh. Enid looked at him with a quirked eyebrow.

“You know Revenge of the Nerds? Lamda Lamda Lamda!”

“No, no idea what that is.”

Edo shrugged knock some ashes out the window from his cigarette.

“Funny American movie.”

“I’ve only seen one movie, Breakfast Club. Eyre dragged me to it, then nearly got me eaten by a demon. Still not a fan of movies.”

He shook his head.

“You should get some glasses for school, like Superman.”

“I don’t need glasses to look like a loser, I’m gaijin they already know I’m the dumbest kid in class.”

Edo snort-laughed.

“You don’t seem dumb to me, Raijin. Seem like one of the smartest people I know, Boss says you played the Obayun like a professional. Takes smarts to do that.”

“They are like anyone; They look out for themselves. I just made them think it was their idea to let me help them. Why risk their men for profit when they can risk me a gaijin?”

“How did someone so young get so smart?”

“I’m a student of people. You watch people long enough, you start to learn they’re all different, but they all are self-centered. Even the so-called ‘good’ people. Everyone is out for me. Just different types of me. Some want to build up their terrible self-esteem. Maybe they bully people smaller than them, maybe they give generously feeling they have success, maybe they commit suicide. Then you have old men like the obayun. Rich, paranoid, also full of themselves. And some of them deserve to feel that way. You can keep them happy by playing to their egos. Not fawning over them, by showing just enough respect, with a small bit of ego yourself. Show you have confidence, but you understand they are made men, they’ve done their time and you’re paying your respects to that. If you want them to like you, you have to make them think you want traction in the organization, that in ten-fifteen years you might be a threat, because you have hunger and drive, but right now, they can use that. Maybe you want their job, maybe you don’t, but if they think you want their job one day, but you’re respectful in your service they’ll give you a taste because it keeps you on their side. Humans are selfish, that is the one truth of the human condition.”

“You’re pretty pessimistic.”

“Everyone wants to be the big dick in the shower, I know I don’t have one but it’s a saying. Every human’s core thought is I want, I want, I want. The nineteen eighties as a decade is all about that, I want, I want, I want. It’s always been like this, just way more obvious these days. I’m no different, I have wants, and typically they’ll override other’s needs.”

“But some people just want to survive.”

“That’s the point, want to survive. What makes a random human’s right to survival more important than a random cow? They both breathe, they both eat.”

“Well humans have a soul, intelligence.”

“What if there were something else that had a soul, was more intelligent than humans? What then, who has more right to survive?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

“Take demons for example, powerful, love feasting on humans and their souls, need them to survive up here. They are intelligent, and very, very old, do they have more right to live because they are more intelligent?”

“Well no.”

“I’m sorry, I’m getting off topic. Do yourself a favor, spend some time just listening to and watching people. It’s what I did. Humans talk a lot, but they don’t listen to what people are saying. They only hear the words.”

“I’ll try it. You sure have a bunch of weird ideas in that head of yours.”

They pulled up to her building. Enid got out without letting Edo open the door for her.

“See you later Edo, thanks for the ride.”

“Welcome back to Okinawa.”

Enid closed the door and waved as Edo left. She trudged up the stairs to her apartment. The contents remained as she had left them. Save for a vase of flowers from Nobuyuki and a wrapped gift. She opened it, inside was a new notebook with a black dragon emblazoned on the front. The card was simple. Good luck with your new school year Raijin-chan. She nodded running her fingers along the dragon.

The man sure knows how to make you feel like part of the family.

She put the book down and opened the balcony door. She walked out and leaned on the rusted railing smelling the ocean breeze. The moon was full, and she could see it reflecting on the South China Sea.

I will never get used to this view.

She lowered her gaze to the beaches. Then to her left where should see the US military base in the distance. Then back to the city lights of Naha. She’d seen the Pugmentia several times and she knew what they looked like. The attack on herself and Nobuyuki’s family should have provided her with more than enough justification for further retribution from her. But she couldn’t help thinking that she had already made her point and that any further action would escalate the situation and would also be extreme retribution. No one had been hurt except the blood slaves.

Quit being squeamish. If you’re going to be hunting supernatural shit, you’re going to need Pugmentia blood to patch yourself up.

Enid pushed herself off the Balcony. She went back inside and started pulling her hunting outfit out. She drew her curtains closed. Her old trusty black t-shirt, combat pants, boots the chainmail from Atlantis. Trench coat and Bloodseeker who must have sensed the upcoming hunt because it was eager in her hand. She sheathed it and pulled her hooding over her head. She pushed the door open to the balcony again and leapt into the air landing in the back alley below almost silently. She pulled the shadows in and became one with them. She let her senses loose. It had been over a year since she had become the hunter she was born to be. She heard the pulse of the city.

She knew the Pugmentia she would hunt. He had a thing for children. Not the disgusting human thing, but he would hunt children. Never kill. Vampires called a thirst for innocence. They believed the blood was purer and would make them stronger. It did nothing of the sort. While the vampire in question had never killed in her presence odds are good that it had before. Such feeding wasn’t outlawed but was frowned on. It was as good as a justification as anything.

A frequent hunting ground for the vampire was St. Sarah’s orphanage. Lot of abandoned mixed-race children. Half Japanese were treated worse than Enid was. She perched on a building near the Orphanage and settled down to watch. The full moon afforded her a good amount of light to view the building by. She could see a shadow slipping around the edge of the building. She jumped down off the building still moving as part of the shadows. She crept up to the window it had entered and listened at it.

“But why can’t I stay with you?”

“I’m a ghost. I cannot take care of you.”

“But I don’t want you to be a ghost.”

Enid’s hand released the hilt of Bloodseeker. He hadn’t been feeding on orphans, he’d been visiting his daughter. Enid retreated and watched the vampire slip into the Shadows, he was too young and weak to have the trick of the light work on her. She followed him waiting until he was in an alley away from prying eyes and she lunged out of the shadows pinning him to the wall. His eyes were wide with terror. He’d been cloaked as well and likely thought himself completely safe. Enid pin him on the ground fangs out, eyes glowing. She must have looked like something out of hell to him. Her face was concealed by the shroud of shadows with only two red glowing eyes visible.

“You need to let your daughter go.”

“What…what are you?”

“I’m someone who has been doing this for thousands of a year.”

He held his hands over his face begging for mercy. She couldn’t make it out, her Japanese was very good, but he was basically babbling. She slapped him hard across the cheek.

“Shut up and listen.”

“If I can find out you’ve been visiting her, others can to. Then they can use her against you. You need to let her think you died.”

She dug through his pockets pulling out his wallet, she looked at his name. Okoro Enji, with an address. She shook her head. She looked at the streets on either side.

Idiot.

“Did no one teach you how to survive?”

The vampire who was still crippled with fear shook his head.

“You cut all mortal ties; You do not carry your real license with your real home address. You should have left Okinawa. You are dead. Okinawa is a small place, people will figure it out, then they will hunt you. Then hunt the rest of us. If this were another century, I would have killed you already. Okoro Enji is dead. Be someone else. For your daughter’s sake.”

He was crying blood tears now.

For the love of the god.

She pulled him up and dusted him off.

“Go home and clean up but get out of here, it’s not safe.”

He seemed to gather himself when he realized she wasn’t going to drain him dry. He stood and bowed.

“Thank you for your mercy, Haha Ketsueki Megami. I will heed your words.”

“Your daughter will be alright; I will watch over her for as long as I am here.”

He bowed several times.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Enid walked down the alleyway and dipped into a nook and pulled the shadows around herself fully again. She slipped his wallet into the pocket of her trench coat.

Well there goes that fucking idea.

She made her way home, the hunt would not be successful now, not enough of the night left. She climbed up to her balcony and went inside. Pulling her coat off and packing her hunting gear away, along with a very disappointed Bloodseeker, whom she addresses directly.

“Look I’m sorry, I’m not go to kill some poor wretch that only wanted to see his daughter.”

She shook her head at the sword and put it back in her pack.

“That is enough out of you.”

She decided to have a shower and get prepped for school the next day. There would be no Pugmentia blood tonight.