January 30, 1864

I'm writing this down in some vain hope. Hope for what, I don't know. Maybe this is all a dream and I'll wake up on my tatami mat back in Edo. Although, this is more of a nightmare. I shouldn't have come here! I shouldn't have worried… but I'm probably getting ahead of myself.

I should probably start from the beginning. My name is Yukimura Chizuru. My father is a Western-trained doctor, Yukimura Koudou. He had to go to the capital for a while; he didn't know how long. Before he left, he told me not to worry and that he'd write to me as much as he could.

Of course he told me not worry. I always end up be worrying. He knew that. He wanted to put me at ease… I should have listened. No, but I never do. I always worry, no matter what people tell me. And if I worry too much, I do stupid things, like with tonight—

Sorry, I'm getting off subject. Anyway, my father told me not to worry, and then he left, off to Kyoto. In the beginning, everything was fine. We exchanged letters easily; in fact, it was kinda hard to keep up with his responses. He sent some many. Probably because he knew how I worried.

Then, my father stopped sending me letters. I tried to wait, thinking maybe something had prevented the mail from coming in, but after some time, I began to send him letters, one after another in some misguided gesture that maybe my letter had been lost in the mail or he had simply been too busy to respond.

Still nothing. The wait was becoming harder and harder, and I really began to worry. My father had left me contact information for an associate's of his, Dr. Matsumoto. However, I soon found out he was out of town and wouldn't return for some time.

I swore at the moment. I never swear, but at that moment, I spat a flurry of obscenities. I was so upset, so emotional. The wait was practically unbearable. I couldn't take it anyway.

So I headed to Kyoto myself.

I didn't just up and leave, though. No, my father raised me better. I took some necessities, my late mother's kodachi, and traveling clothes. Male traveling clothes. I wasn't foolish enough to walk alone as a girl. That was just asking for trouble.

My trip to Kyoto was actually uneventful. I managed to pass through the checkpoints without arousing suspicions, thankfully. And when I got to Kyoto, everything was still fine.

Why couldn't it have stayed that way?

I began my search for my father immediately upon reaching the gates. Again, the worry wouldn't allow me to calm down. I began my search midday. I kept this up until the sun had already set.

Stupid. I shouldn't have waited so long. But, hindsight isn't going to help me now.

Anyway, it was then I noticed I wasn't alone. There were three men, all armed with swords on their hips. Samurai… well, actually, ronin.

See, Kyoto is notorious for its high crime rate. It is called the City of Ronin for a reason. Ronin often resort to stealing and violence in order to keep themselves afloat. And I was apparently their next target.

They wanted my kodachi. But I couldn't give it to them. Call me whatever you want, I know I'm not a samurai but…

This kodachi was my mother's. It is the only thing left from her. I couldn't bear the thought to part with it. So I did the second most sensible thing at the time.

I ran.

Some might call it a coward's way out, but let's be responsible here. I might have some knowledge on self-defense, but against three armed, probably skilled, ronin? I didn't stand a chance. My only option at the time was to flee.

Maybe next time, if there's a next time, I should choose a better place to flee to. I figured that just losing them would be enough. They were persistent, but I did eventually lose them.

You would think it would all end here. I lost the men pursuing me and I could continue on with my day. But you'd be wrong in thinking that, because what followed after… I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies.

At this point, I could still hear the ronin calling to each other. I picked a good place to hide, and their voices were off in a different direction. I began to calm down until…

Until…

I heard them laughing.

No, not the ronin. The ronin weren't the ones laughing, because they were now screaming at each other for backup. And then, soon the alley I was hiding it was filled with the sickening sound of bodies being cut open, gurgled screams of the dying and wails of mercy before being cut off suddenly.

Even when the three ronin no longer made any noises, I could still hear the horrible laughter and the slap of metal piercing flesh again and again. I felt sick. I wanted to vomit right then and there, but I somehow managed to keep my lunch inside my stomach.

I needed to get away. Whatever those things were, I did not want to be discovered. I had to escape, and I had to do it now, while they were occupied. I tried to stand up, but my legs had gone stiff from lack of movement and terror. I stumbled, crashing into some wooden planks.

The entire world froze at this point. My entire body had gotten cold and a chill ran down my spine. Slowly, my head began to turn into the direction behind me… I wish I had never done that.

Those… things were looking directly at me. They looked human, but… I know they weren't. No human would ever look like that. Savage, almost vile grins were plastered on their faces, while these haunting, unearthly red eyes glared right at me… like I was some kind of prey placed before a pack of hungry wolves.

The blood of the ronin was splashed all over their bodies, even on their faces. One even licked the crimson fluid off its lips while eying me.

I had to run. I had to run, but my damn legs wouldn't move. I was terrified. You don't understand how petrified I was at that moment. They were the stuff of nightmares, demons. Sorry, it's hard to put it into words at this moment. All I know is that I will never be able to forget what I saw.

Anyway, I couldn't run, too terrified to even move. And then, a miracle happened.

Someone wearing a blue coat came in and stabbed the heart of one of the things. It squealed before collapsing. A second blue coat wearing individual came in afterward, taking on another as the first man killed the final creature.

All was silent. I was incredibly grateful—who wouldn't be? But I soon discovered I really had nothing to be grateful. Out of the frying pan into the fire.

And that's how I wound up here, locked up in this strange place. The strange men had introduced themselves as the Shinsengumi, the notorious 'Wolves of Mibu.' Let's just say their reputation proceeded them in terms of their brutality.

Granted, I am still grateful. I probably shouldn't be, considering one of them threatened to kill me if I tried to flee. But they had saved me from the horrors of hell. Who knows what would have happened if they hadn't come when they did?

It's getting late now. I probably should wrap this up soon. In the morning, they're apparently going to decide what to do with me, which will, all things considered, mean death. But I still hope maybe I can somehow wiggle out of this. I had gotten this far. My father is still missing. I had to find him, and if it meant I had to escape here, I would do it.

…But I don't want to sleep. Despite the promise of death in the morning, I can't get those twisted, inhumane faces out of my mind. Every time I close my eyes, I see them, smiling manically, fangs dripping with blood.

And if I listen closely, I can still hear them fainting pleading for my blood.