Chapter 2

One Of The Days

Yawning, Katsu woke up.

Licking his lips, he sat up, eyes still closed. He had slept better than usual. For once, he did not dream.

He cracked a small smile. Often he would wake up, knowing that he had a dream, but it would be impossible for him to remember what it was. And later on he would just completely forget the feeling of not being able to remember something that you know you know.

Katsu glanced to his side.

Next to him she lay there, underneath the thick sheets that kept both of them warm. The Fukuoka winter was especially cold this year.

Anju.

Katsu reached over and gently stroked her cheeks and then her silver tresses. He loved the silky smooth thickness of her hair, the radiant color of it.

"Good morning," he whispered and kissed Anju on the cheek.

"Mhm..." Anju half murmured. "Is it time?"

"Yes, I'll have to go soon."

"Ok"

Katsu got out of bed and went into the bathroom.

Quickly, he undressed himself and turned on the shower. Without a shower, he'd never be able to wake up properly. It was almost like a religious ritual to him.

A few minutes later, the door suddenly opened and Anju stepped into the shower. For a moment, Katsu simply stared.

"Not now Anju, I got classes soon" he sighed, but that wouldn't stop her.

Without a reply, she stepped in and closed the door behind her.

Giving him a sleepy smile, Anju pressed herself closer to Katsu. Her tresses almost glistening under the bathroom light.

"Let me wash your back for you," she said and turned Katsu around, who easily complied. Wordlessly, he let her wash his back.

After Anju was done, Katsu automatically turned her around and put shower gel on her back. She shuddered at the sudden coldness.

Katsu felt her small backside, her slim waist, her smooth skin. And before he could deny himself, he had his arms around Anju, wnuzzling her long hair.

Anju smiled and stroked Katsu's arms. She could feel a hardness press against her backside.

It was warm.

"Katsu..." she whispered.

"Argh, damn it. I have to run," Katsu moaned, but he couldn't complain. It was his own fault that he was late. Or rather Anju's.

"I'll be back in a few hours," Katsu said and gave Anju a quick kiss, who was standing at the doorstep.

"I'll be waiting for you," Anju said stoically, but she had a small smile on her face.

Katsu chuckled at her answer. Anju was probably the only person in the world who said things in such a way naturally. Her voice sounded emotionless, but she had a smile on her face. Sometimes it would be a caring voice, but an emotionless face.

He knew that some people would call his simply 'weird', but he saw it as part of her uniqueness. She was the only person in the world, be it vampire or human, who was like that. It was part of what made Anju the only one he wanted to spend the rest of life with.

Walking down the road as fast as he could without running, Katsu looked at his watch. It was 9pm.

He looked up at the clear night sky. The stars were especially bright tonight.

What a beautiful night sky, he thought. It reminded him of the times when he met Anju for the first time. That night, when he saw her on the rooftop, the night sky was just as clear as it was tonight.

Katsu reversed his sleeping pattern so that he could spend more time with Anju. At first Anju offered to change her sleeping pattern to that of a human's and stay awake during the day. But, soon it turned out to be a bad idea. Vampires' skin can't stand the sunlight, and hence even when Anju managed to stay awake during the day, she was stuck in the house.

So in the end, it made more sense for Katsu to to become night active and sleep during the day.

In the beginning Anju was against this idea. She thought such a drastic change would harm Katsu's body, who had known this single sleeping pattern it's entire life. But after seeing how easily Katsu reversed his sleeping habits, she gave in.

After all, Katsu had plenty of practice when he was in Tokyo.

After moving back to Fukuoka and miraculously passing final high school exams, Katsu signed up for night time classes in sociology.

It wasn't his first choice, but night classes didn't offer many options. In fact, he could consider himself lucky for even finding classes at 9:15 pm.

Or rather, those were morning classes to him and Anju.

At first grandpa was against Katsu taking sociology, he couldn't see any point in taking it, but he soon gave up. Ironically, Anju as his wife has even less of an influence over him in this matter. As far as she was concerned, university was nothing but a gathering of fresh, young blood.

Panting, Katsu arrived at the university and quickly walked into the lecture hall. Just made it in time.

He had half a mind to blame Anju for causing him to rush. But then again, Katsu couldn't complain. In fact, he didn't mind at all.

With a small sigh, Anju watched Katsu vanish around the corner.

Every day, the exact same pattern.

Well, almost the same.

She'd see Katsu off with a quick kiss. Then some hours later he would return and around 2 or 3 AM they would go over to the local branch of the Vampire Hunter Guild.

Since Katsu is the only human alive with experience with vampires, he is an invaluable source of information to the hunters. And since Katsu got dragged to the Elder's House and got knocked out by bats numerous times, he had a treasure chest of observations.

Plus, his wife is a vampire.

And if Anju was in a good mood, she would talk a little to the younger hunters. Always giving them a smile that would flash her fangs and send shivers down their spines.

That was how Katsu earned the money for rent, food, gas and everything else. He gave lectures about vampires.

Or rather, he tells his students of the observations he made during his adventure back in Tokyo.

When they were alone, Anju had explained many things to him. For example, the times when a vampire matures from a human to a full fledged adult vampire.

But she made him promise not to tell his students certain facts. Facts that could be extremely disadvantageous towards vampires if ever leaked to humans. Katsu was the only human that she trusted with information like that.

The fact that most vampires were extremely old fashioned, for example. Most didn't even have a television.

Anju walked back into the house and tied up her long wavy hair. Long hair would only get in the way during work.

She made the bed, did the laundry, cleaned parts of the house and watched some night time TV.

Most female vampires would not even think of doing such chores. It was a human way of doing things, they say.

But living with Katsu, Anju wanted to give him as much of a normal life as possible. Usually, vampires would let bats do the laundry and cleaning.

Katsu did not exactly fancy the idea of having hundreds of bats under the roof. He did not exactly have many good experiences when bats showed up along with vampires.

He never did say 'no' to Anju's habit of keeping bats around, but she could the uneasiness in his eyes whenever that topic came up.

So, Anju decided it would be better for her to do the work alone.

It was good exercise anyway.

She stuffed the clothes in to the washing machine and turned it on. Her planned chores for today were done.

She walked into the living room and sat down.

Exhaling, Anju's melancholic gaze wandered to the ceiling,

It was so quiet. A bat wouldn't be able to fly off the rooftop without being heard by Anju. After all, her ears were far better than any humans.

It were times like these that Anju wished Buggie-kun was still here.

It's been so long ago since she last talked to him.

Some months after Katsu had come back to Tokyo, Buggie-kun decided for himself that it was time.

"I'm going to go now Anju," he told her with a wicked grin on his face. But underneath that, was a warm and sincere smile.

Anju began to demonstrate, but Boogie-kun cut her off.

"I've been with far longer than I should be Anju. I've talked to your little human boyfriend. He's a fine man. You can rely on him. I trust him. He is completely different from when I was young. Which is a good thing."

Boogie-kun chuckled at his own joke.

"Go to his side now Anju. You've grown up. You don't need me anymore. And it's time for me to leave. I've had more than enough of this body!"

There was a silence.

"Thank you Anju." Buggie said calmly.

It was the only time Buggie had ever been so polite to his master.

Succumbing to Boogie-kun's demands, Anju untied Boogie's soul from the doll body and watched as all life faded away from the cotton doll.

It wasn't until months later that Katsu got to know why Anju was crying that night.

Boogie-kun's sudden disappearance never crossed his mind. He never liked that doll to begin with.

I wonder where he is, Anju thought. Maybe he is in heaven? Or hell? Do either exist? Did his soul simply fade away into nothing? Anju didn't know.

She still kept the lifeless doll in the closet, taking it out occasionally.

Perhaps Boogie-kun was right, Anju wondered. She was a young woman now. She perhaps didn't need a companion anymore. Now that she had Katsu by her side.

Shaking her head, Anju sighed. Mornings like these were especially lonely. But she was used to it. Even when she still hasn't matured into a vampire, she had spent a lot of time in solitude.

Besides, Anju had other worries.

As much as she hated to admit it, university was a gathering of fresh, young blood.

Meaning human girls of Katsu's age were there too.

And Anju was well aware that there were many cute, sweet, dainty curvaceous young girls there.

And although this feeling would only come occasionally, Anju was scared.

Not scared that Katsu by himself would stray away from her. No. But rather, that one of the sweet human girls might take a fancy in Katsu and seduce him.

And take him away from her.

The only male, human or vampire, that Anju had ever entrusted her heart to.

The only one, she had given herself to.

After all, a human girl would be able to have normal children with him. She would be able to live a normal life with him.

They'd be able to grow old together.

All of that, Anju couldn't do with Katsu.

Anju was scared.

"I'm home!" Katsu called out as he opened the door.

Anju popped her head out of the kitchen.

"Food is ready," she smiled. "This time I've decided to try something new."

Before Katsu could reply, Anju returned to cooking.

Katsu had an uneasy smile on his face. Anju did not have a sense of taste. Every recipe she'd try making for him would take weeks and months for her to master because she didn't have a sense of taste, and hence wouldn't know if her cooking was bad or not without any help.

And without a sense of taste, Anju can't go by 'the feeling' or intuition.

Everything had to go my grams and millimeters.

And whenever she tried something new...well, let's just say it's taking a reasonable risk.

Katsu walked into the kitchen, curious of what Anju was up to.

On the table, he saw the usual: rice, fried eggs and some fish.

"Anju...what's that new thing you said you were trying?"

Anju flashed him a grin. "One minute"

Whatever it was, she was definitely happy with the result.

Katsu gulped.

And two minutes later, the oven door opened and Katsu's surprise was there: a chocolate cake. Indeed, Anju had never tried baking one before.

Katsu's eyes widened. He grinned.

Anju set the cake on the table. A smile of satisfaction on her face. Even though she'd never be able to taste it properly, she could tell him the smell and looks that the cake was a success.

Laughing, Katsu put his arms around Anju.

"When'd you learn to bake so good?"

"I've had practice following recipes down to the last gram."

And indeed, the cake was very good.

There wasn't a day that went by where Anju didn't wonder how long this life would be able to continue.

But...she wanted to give Katsu as much of a normal life as possible.

And that's chapter 2! I guess I really went overboard with slice-of-life. But I think it's something every fantasy story needs. Some good slice of life. Show what the characters do every day besides the adventures. What they do when they rest.

Well, I hope you enjoyed.

Thanks for reading!

-Chris Bachman