Thanks as usual to those who reviewed the last chapter:

Shidori

Zizzi Hungarian

BlackWingsBlackSoul

Kantra

Lord Makura

BadLuckCat

Now onwards!

Order 12: Harsh Fates

His travels brought him to a new land, foreign and unfamiliar. He crossed many seas to get there. When he did finally arrive, it was dusk, and the setting sun was turning the sky orange and pink. Dracula seemed to be getting many strange looks but he opted to ignore them. The people spoke a language he did not recognize. He took it upon himself to snatch a passerby off the streets. With his pockets and veins full, he then proceeded to look about.

The No-Life King found it to be an interesting place. Through a bit of eavesdropping he learned the name of the area: Edo, Japan. He could say he'd never seen anything like it – though he couldn't say much for the food. Through his wanderings, he came upon a large crowd outside a house. He paused to see what the commotion was and heard one word repeated several times.

"Geisha?"

It was another twenty minutes before he could enter and he was instantly entranced.

Geisha, he learned, were traditional, female entertainers, whose skills included performing various Japanese arts, such as classical music and dance. Dracula had never seen anything like it. The woman on stage, named Kuzunoha, danced with a captivating elegance that reminded Dracula immediately of Elena. As he watched the woman twist and bend in her fascinating display, he wondered if Elena had ever been here, if she could see the dancers that rivaled her own skill. And as he sat entranced, he felt the need to sink his fangs into the pale throat of that woman who held the crowds' attention so fiercely.

He waited patiently until the show had ended and made his way through the rice paper screens and spied on the geisha. Kuzunoha sat at a vanity mirror, wiping away the white face make-up. She caught sight of Dracula in the corner of her mirror and quickly turned, looking over her shoulder. "May I help you, sir?" she asked snobbishly.

Dracula gave a grin. The make-up was a true illusion. Without it, she was just another spoiled, stuck-up actress. He stepped forward and bowed. "A pleasure to meet you, Kuzunoha-san," he said smoothly.

She rose to her feet. "You are not allowed back here," she said and Dracula noted a hint of nervousness in her voice. "You will have to leave."

"Oh, I will," he assured her. "Just as soon as I get what I came for."

She backed up against the table as Dracula came close. His hand shot out and grasped her wrist, pulling her close to him, a poor parody of a lover's embrace. Before she could let loose a scream, he sank his fangs into her neck.

Oh, was it sweet, that thick, rich liquid flowing down his throat, satiating him. Her fingers clutched his sleeves, trying to push him away but still he held her tighter, drawing heavily on her life fluids.

A sudden gasp ripped him out of his blood induced stupor. He jerked his head up to see the fluttering tail of a kimono round the corner. The sound of footsteps brought his attention in the other direction. Someone was coming.

"Kuzunoha-neesan!"

Quickly, he lowered the woman to the floor gently and made himself scarce. He had to find and silence the witness.

It was a woman – no, a girl – and she stumbled over herself in her attempt to escape. Dracula only sped up, excited with the thrill of the chase. The girl tripped then scrambled to her feet but not before Dracula caught her around the back of the neck.

He slammed her against the nearest wall, his face looming near hers in the dark. "Wandering in the dark is a dangerous habit," he growled.

The girl was barely out of her teens. Beautiful, almond shaped, hazel eyes were wide with terror as she struggled to breathe. She shook her head wildly, sending her medium length black hair into a frenzy. "Please," she begged, her voice shrill and terrified. "Whatever I have seen, no other man shall ever know, I swear it!"

"You are quite right, madam," he said and lowered his mouth to her neck. She squeezed her eyes shut and gave a low moan.

"Hm…" He paused slightly, his fangs trailing across the skin. She twitched, holding her breath, her muscles tense as Dracula continued his examination.

She smelled sweet, he noted. Like flowers and fresh water. It was a natural scent unlike Kuzunoha's musky perfume. And she was young too. He decided not to kill her. He drew back slightly and she opened her eyes a little, peeking through her lashes.

"You are…letting me go?" she breathed softly, dread and hope mingling in her voice.

He smiled softly. "Yes. For now," he added, stopping her before she got too happy. "But I will be checking up on you soon, Miss…" he trailed off, indicated he wanted her name.

A faint look of sorrow touched her face. "My name is Meiko," she said quietly.

"Meiko," he repeated. "Look over your shoulder for me. I'll be seeing you." He took a step back from her and prepared to leave.

"That won't be necessary," she squeaked. Dracula turned and looked at her and Meiko shrank into herself in fear. "I mean," she continued. "I don't get out much so there won't be any...need to..." She trailed off and shook her head wildly. "I have to go now," she said and before she departed, she bowed respectfully. Dracula hung in the shadows and watched her make her way down the street and vanish into a house. He smirked secretly before going to search for a place in an inn for the night.

-

It was raining lightly the next day. During his exploration of the town, Dracula heard rumors about Kuzunoha and the famed geisha's attack. She was alive but bedridden. He shrugged, not caring either way. He found himself retracing his steps from last night and ending up in front of Meiko's house. But it wasn't exactly a house.

The front of the place had openings, like a wooden cage, through which about a dozen or so women were gathered. He stepped back and read the sign hanging over the door: Edo's Finest Enchantresses. The place was a brothel.

A slight frown crossed his face. He stepped forward again up to the face of the building and looked within, searching for Meiko.

"Ano, ano," a voice purred. "If it isn't a stranger." A pretty young woman sat with her back against the wall of the cage, a silver and black kiseru clutched in between her fingers. Her dark red kimono fell off her shoulders to reveal a significant amount of her cleavage. She smiled at Dracula with lips painted liquid red. "Shall I show you a good time, gaijin?"

He masked his revulsion with a cool smile. "I'm looking for Meiko."

Those red lips of hers formed a small O in surprise before she smiled again, resembling a tiger somewhat. "Meiko, Meiko, oh, you mean Tsukiko," she corrected him and looked over her shoulder. "Oi! Tsukiko!"

"Yes?" Meiko turned and paled considerably at the sight of Dracula. She rushed over, falling to her knees in front of him, her hands grasping the wooden bars. "What are you doing here?" she asked, panicked.

"Tsukiko?" he asked, ignoring her question for the moment.

"Oh, they give us new names when we come here but my real name is Meiko."

The other woman suddenly spoke up. "How do you know this gaijin, Tsuki?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh!" She turned to the other flustered. "He was here last week, Yuzusu-sama."

"Funny," she said, blowing a trail of smoke from her mouth. "I don't recognize him."

"He, um, came when you were with Yamamoto-sama." Meiko looked towards Dracula. "You know the rules. I can't just sit here and converse. You have to pay."

He'd listened to the two speak then turned at Meiko's instruction. He walked into the establishment and up to the man who was obviously the owner. He handed him a single golden ryo and pointed Meiko out of the throng. She shifted through the other women to him and took his hand, guiding him upstairs. When they got to their room, she slid the door closed behind them and pressed against the frame.

"What are you doing here?" she asked again. "I swear, I haven't told a soul."

He waved her away. "I don't care about that. It wouldn't make the least bit of difference if you told anyway." He turned away and seated himself among the plushy futons. "I didn't know you were...in this line of work," he said, evasively.

She calmed down and crossed the room to sit near him. "It's not the best of lifestyles," she admitted and poured herself a small cup of tea. "But I have to do it." She offered him another cup. "Tea?"

"No thank you," he mumbled. "Why do you have to do it?"

She seemed surprised that he had asked such a question. "Because. My mother died about two years ago and my family has fallen into debt. I was the only collateral so I had to take up the task of earning the money back."

He looked at her surprised. "How old are you?"

Her eyelids lowered sadly. "Eighteen."

For some reason, the revelation made his blood boil.

Meiko quickly changed the subject. "So, sir, would you care to tell me your name?"

"It's Dracula," he muttered distractedly.

An eyebrow raised curiously. "That is a most peculiar name. Where are you from, Dracula?"

"Transylvania." He looked at her with a faint smile. "Ever heard of it?"

She shook her head, smiling. "Can't say that I have." Silence fell and she fidgeted nervously. "You know, you're wasting an awful lot of money to just sit here and talk."

"That's my choice, isn't it?" he said, fixing her with a slight glare.

She looked surprised then smiled softly. "Oh, you're one of those kinds. Well, I guess that's lucky for me."

He looked at her, raising an eyebrow curiously. "One of what kind?"

"One of the nicer patrons. Usually, the men who come here are pretty single-minded. But every now and then, I get a nice gentleman who isn't here for that kind of thing. They're nice but they never last."

He scoffed and looked away. "It'll be a sorry day indeed when I have to pay for sex."

And so the two sat in companionable silence until the hour was up and the owner came knocking to tell him he would have to leave. He looked at Meiko before she would have to regain her spot as a caged woman. He would be back the next day.

"What's your interest in me?" she asked him after they sat silent for several minutes.

"That's a hard question to answer. In the past, I've always done what I felt compelled to do." He looked at her. "So why do you keep doing this? Why not escape like the first night?"

"Oh," she looked away, twisting the sleeves of her kimono in her hands. "There are guards in the building all night but they come to check on the girls every hour. The nearest point out of Edo is well over an hour from here and there are police and the like littered all over the way. It'd be pretty impossible." She looked up with a smile. "But I still sneak out sometimes to watch the geisha show. That's what I wanted to be as a little girl."

"My mother was a well respected geisha. But she grew old and when that happens, a geisha has to retire. She had saved a lot of money though so she was able to marry my father and have a family with him. Then she died and my brother and father went through the rest of her money too quickly. They had debts to pay and so they sold me to do it for them."

Dracula's fist clenched. "Why didn't you refuse?"

She looked at him in surprise. "I couldn't," she said simply, her brows knitting together in confusion. "I don't know how it is in Transylvania but women aren't allowed much free reign here. You don't have to look so angry though. I've accepted my fate."

He bared his teeth. "You mean, you accept the fate someone else decided for you. Once can make their own fate."

She gave a soft chuckle. "Oh, I suppose you're right. But it isn't so bad; I've gotten used to it. You know," she said suddenly. "Our professions are sort of similar. A geisha is judged as a moving work of art. She is set upon a pedestal for the world to see, never making her own choices. She cannot pick a man to love for she must be for the world's men to have. Similarly, a prostitute cannot love one man either." Her voice hid a tone of bitterness.

He reached out then, suddenly, grabbing her wrist and pulled him to her. He caught the look of surprise on her face before his arms wrapped around her and he held her close. Her muscles were tense before she relaxed, bending her body into the hug.

"Don't feel sorry for me," she murmured softly.

"It isn't fair," he responded.

"Life rarely is," she said.

And they sat that way together, Dracula cradling all that was unjust in his world, Meiko simply sitting through another night of her wretched life. She knew not to get too attached; good things never lasted.

He lowered his head and whispered into her ear, "I'm going to get you out of here."

She looked up at him. "What?"

-

Dracula devised the plan. She would sneak out after one of the usual check-ins by the guard. He would make his way from the path leading out of Edo, dispatching the guards as he went and they would meet up at the middle. From there it would be easy enough to escape Edo, hopefully unscathed.

Meiko breathed heavily, hidden under her covers, feigning sleep as one of the brothel's many bouncers opened her door to make sure she was still there. As the door slid closed again, she sat up quickly. She tied her sheets together and attached it to the balcony railing as she had many times before. Holding her breath, she slowly descended the building and landed on the ground below. She gave a relieved breath and brushed herself off before heading off into the night. She should have taken the time to look up and notice Yusuzu, tracking her movements from her window.

Meiko was stealthy in her movements, ducking into the shadows when she thought she heard someone coming. She traveled for about a half hour when she began feeling victorious. This could work, she thought excitedly. I could make it. I might become a geisha or open an okiya of my own. I could actually be –

A sudden pain cut through her back. It didn't hurt though; she felt disconnected from the pain, from the downward fall, from the roaring shout of "MEIKO!" that passed through her ears.

She fell forward onto the ground and could only watch as feet moved in and out of her vision. The sound of cursing, the clang of blades, rang out around her but she couldn't move her head to watch. Dimly, she registered she had been stabbed in the back by a katana. She closed her eyes and sighed softly.

The noise of battle died down after a minute or two and Dracula knelt before her. "Hang on," he said urgently and scooped her into his arms. He moved faster than anyone she had ever seen, she noted in the back of her mind. They stopped near a small river and he rested her gently on the bank. "I can close the wound. Just hang on." He raised his wrist to his mouth and made to bite but Meiko raised her hand weakly and stopped him.

"Don't," she said simply.

"But-" he faltered. "Why?"

"I'm quite tired of this life," she said softly. "Freedom in life is a concept not known to me so I shall take freedom in death." She closed her eyes and released a rattling breath. "I would like to see my mother anyway."

"But…" He fixed her with pained eyes. "I can save you."

A faint smile crossed her face and she looked at him. "You are a very lonely man, Dracula; I can sense it. I'm sorry but you will remain that way for time to come." His eyes widened as she spoke. "My suffering is ending. But yours is no where near through," she said softly.

Saddened, he lowered his head and kissed her gently, breathing in her scent one last time before her breathing stopped and her body went still. He carried her into the water and watched as her body slipped under the surface.

He made his way back to the main village and promptly sent fire to the brothel. He watched as the women escaped the burning structure. His eyes caught Yusuzu rushing through the crowds, to freedom, and he followed.

Dracula watched as she stopped, catching her breath, a victorious grin on her face before he landed in front of her. She had little time to react before he lashed out, thrusting his hand through her chest. It was poetic justice that she should die right after being freed. Just like Meiko.

The next night he departed from Japan, never to return to that place again.

Quickly, some terms:

Ano – Japanese for 'well'
Gaijin – Means foreigner.
Kiseru – A Japanese pipe. Most feudal animes will show it but you can google at all the same if you're curious.
Okiya – A house where geisha are trained

Alright, leave a review!