Galaxy 1001D presents:

Bram Stoker's Kagato

Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker

Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra

Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu

Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray

Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris

Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield

Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward

Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato

Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way.

Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker

And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima

Chapter Two: Ship of Horror

On the treacherous seas, the Russian ship Demeter was tossed by stormy waves. In the cargo hold, poor Mihoshi did her best to secure the count and his possessions. "Oh my," murmured the distraught blonde, "the coffin has come loose!" No longer clad in her the blouse, jacket and long skirt of a proper Victorian lady, Mihoshi was clad in a set of brown trousers with a matching vest and a white shirt whose collar was secured with a loose tie. Her blonde hair was bound in ponytail high in the back. Instead of wearing high-heeled shoes, she was wearing practical boots as she climbed on to the sturdy casket to keep it secure as the ship rocked back and forth.

"Yaaah!" Mihoshi screamed as the coffin slid across the hold and slammed into the bulkhead, knocking her off. "Ouch," she groaned. "That hurts…Oh my!" To her horror, a box had come open spilling its contents on the floor. "We've been robbed! There's nothing in here but dirt!" Tears welled up in the blonde's eyes. "Oh no! It's all my fault! I should have paid more attention when the workmen were loading it! Now who knows where our things have gone!" She pounded on the coffin with her fist. "Master Kagato! Wake up! We've been robbed! Somebody took our things and put dirt in the box to weigh it down!"

"Renfield, you fool," Kagato's voice hissed as the coffin opened. Count Kagato rose out of the coffin like a ghost, without even using his hands to climb out. "What are you blathering about now?"

"It's our stuff, Master!" reported a teary-eyed Mihoshi. "Somebody took it and put dirt in the box to make it look like our things were still there."

The levitating Kagato relaxed into an almost gentle smile as his feet touched the ground. "No need to concern yourself. I not only draw power from the blood that I drink, but the soil of my homeland. I've taken the liberty of packing several boxes of earth from Transylvania to ensure that I shall always have a place to rest."

"Oh, what a relief," the lovely lackey sighed. "I thought we were robbed! What should I do now, Master?"

"Just clean up the dirt and repack it as best you can," the diabolical dominator responded. "I'm going to go up on deck for…a bite."

"Oh, do you need directions to the mess hall?" Mihoshi asked innocently.

"No, I thought that I would start with the first mate," smiled the terrible Transylvanian.

Weeks later, an old man with spectacles and a moustache gazed out to sea after checking the main lamp of a lonely lighthouse. His long gray ponytail was visible in back of his coat and a captain's hat was on his head. He filled a long, curvy pipe with tobacco and struck a match to light it.

"Father?" asked an awkward male voice. "Where are you? Are you way up here?"

"Up here, Nobuyuki," the old man called.

A tall black-haired man with eyeglasses and a pencil thin moustache appeared from the stairs. "Oh there you are, Father. Couldn't resist a chance to watch the sunset, huh?"

"At my age, a sunset can mean many things," the old lighthouse keeper nodded.

"I'm confused, Father," Nobuyuki said to the old man, "you've always had such a big part in all the Tenchi Muyo series. Why are you stuck playing the part of an elderly lighthouse keeper in this story?"

"You had a bigger part than I did in Tenchi in Tokyo," the old man reminded him. "I don't mind. I'll probably be playing many different roles in this story. I could be a Scotland Yard detective in a later chapter, or a senior partner in Tenchi's law firm."

"It's hard playing an Englishmen when you've got a Japanese name," sighed Nobuyuki. "I don't think I'm going to have a big part in this story."

"I'm not worried," the old man replied. "'Katsuhito' may be awfully Japanese, but 'Yosho' could be European. Maybe I could be a Norwegian or something."

"Norwegian? As if," Nobuyuki mocked. The two men shared some lighthearted laughter. "So are you ready for dinner?"

"As long as it's not bangers and mash again," Katsuhito sighed. "If I have to eat one more British meal I'll be sick to my stomach."

"Not to worry, I got rice balls and miso soup," Nobuyuki assured him. "It's not much, but at least it's not English."

"It will be Man Han Chuan Shi after eating mutton for the last few days," Katsuhito breathed in relief.

"Hey, father?" Nobuyuki pointed out to the distance. "Is that a ship?"

Katsuhito followed his son-in-law's gaze. "Why yes, I believe it is. That's the Russian ship Demeter if I'm not mistaken."

"It's a good thing that you got this lamp lit when you did," said Nobuyuki. "It's getting dark fast, and already a ship needs guidance. Say, how exactly does a lighthouse help a ship, anyway?"

"Well, the rocks around here can be pretty dangerous," the old man responded, "especially when it gets dark or the fog rolls in. The peninsula that we are on sticks out enough to be a hazard for ships, so the light lets their crews know where we are and tells them to stay away."

"It tells them to stay away?" Nobuyuki blinked. "I thought it was supposed to guide them in to a dock or something."

"No," the old man shook his head. "The nearest port is almost ten miles away. It's supposed to warn them to stay away."

"Then why is it heading straight for us?"

"What?"

Sure enough, the Demeter was heading straight for the lighthouse. If the tramp steamer didn't change course, it would wreck on the rocks below.

"Change course, you fools!" Katsuhito shouted. "Can't you see the light?"

"It's getting awfully close," gulped Nobuyuki.

As the Demeter crashed on the shore below, a woman's wail could be heard on the wind.

"Quick Nobuyuki!" The old man commanded. "Get the first aid kit! We've got to check for survivors!"

"Right away father!"

By the time the two of them reached the injured vessel, the sun had set and they had to use lanterns. They walked over to see the Demeter listing at a rakish tilt.

"Holy cow!" Nobuyuki cried, even though he didn't come from India.

"What's that?" Katsuhito shined his lantern at the railing of the ship to see a furry creature leap from the deck onto the beach below.

"What was that?" Nobuyuki gasped. "Some sort of dog?"

"A wolf, if I'm not mistaken," Katsuhito's face was set in a stern expression. "Something terrible has come to these shores. Something that has no business being on God's green earth. I fear for the days ahead."

Nobuyuki gave no sign of having heard the old man. He was at least twenty feet away and shouting to get Katsuhito's attention. "Father! Look at this! The sand is all bunched up against the hull on this side! We should be able to get on board without much trouble!"

"All right," the old man nodded. "Lead the way."

The two men explored the ship in trepidation.

"Where's the crew?" Nobuyuki asked. "There's no injured. No survivors. There aren't any dead bodies."

"Let's go to the wheelhouse," Katsuhito suggested. "If nobody's there, maybe we can find the ship's log."

Although navigation was difficult, it wasn't long before a woman's crying led them to the brightly lit bridge. There they found a blonde woman dressed in men's clothes crying her blue eyes out. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered. "There wasn't anyone else on board and I did the best that I could! I don't know how to steer a ship, but we ran out of crew!"

NEXT: A Blonde in Bedlam