A Fox in Japan
AN: Hello there, my dear readers! Well, this one took a while to get out, and it is a bit short but I hope that you enjoy it nonetheless.
Now to reviews.
mpowers045: Yeah, that kid can be quite amusing.
pervy sage: Captain Love was not a thing in this universe. Alejandro here isn't like the one from the Banderas movies, he is an actual son of Diego.
L-etranger0: Thank you.
Sophie: I'm glad you think so.
5 Behind the Curtains
The Vega trio stood in front of the main entrance of the Kamiya Dojo, the residents of the said dojo also standing there to greet them off.
"We thank you for your time and your food," Diego said as he took off his hat and gave a bow, his son and grandson mimicking the gesture.
Alejandro then looked up with a smile. "And for the company, of course," he said causing one particular doctor to blush.
"But unfortunately, we must take our leave," Diego said as he put his hat back on. "But we hope to see you all again soon."
Kaoru also bowed. "We were honored to have you as our guests. We also hope to see you soon."
"Perhaps next time we will pay a visit to your hotel, Don Diego," Kenshin suggested.
Diego smiled. "Well, I suppose since you treated us, it's only fair we treat you to something as well."
"Father, we can talk to the manager of the hotel to have a little fiesta. And we can invite our new friends to join us."
"Wait," Yahiko said. "You're inviting us to a… party?"
Alejandro nodded. "Essentially."
"Then we have to go!" Yahiko exclaimed excitedly before turning to Kaoru. "Come on, sis. How often is someone inviting us to a party?"
"Well… I suppose we can go," Kaoru said.
"It would be rude to decline such a generous offer," Megumi said. "We'd be delighted to visit you."
"Well, if all of you are in agreement," Diego said before reaching into his coat pocket and taking out a piece of paper before handing it to Kaoru. "This is where we are located. Just tell us when you have the time."
Kaoru gave the elder Vega a smile. "Thank you, sir Vega."
"I hope to see you again soon," the young Joaquin said. "You're really nice people."
"You can bet!" Yahiko proclaimed.
And so, the three Vegas departed as the residents of the Kamina Dojo waved them off, walking down the stairs away from the Dojo and happy to have met some new friends.
A great future seemed to be ahead of them.
In one of the fancy two-story houses located at the edge of the city, a man was seated in his office, with several yen in his hands which he proceeded to pile on top of others that he put on his desk, counting his fortune slowly.
The room was lavishly decorated, more in a western-style than an Eastern one. A deer head hanging off the wall, red silken drapes at the window, two Polish sabers mounted on the wall, a statue of a bear standing on his drawer. Things like his chair, desk and closet were made of fine brown wood.
The man himself seemed to be in his thirties, with a small goatee on his chin, short brown hair, and blue eyes. He was also dressed in his old military uniform, a blue shirt with golden paddings on his shoulder and silver buttons, black pants, and boots.
His name was Rafael Monastario, son of the infamous Capitán Enrique Sanchez Monastario of Los Angeles. After his father was driven out of the Pueblo de Los Angeles he was disgraced, his military rank taken from him. Monastario settled down, even married, and had a son, Rafael, but soon died of a deadly disease.
Determined to live up to his father, Rafael went to military school, rose through the ranks until he held the title of Capitán, despite the poor reputation his father had. He was even sent to Pueblo de Los Angeles, where he was positioned as the comandante.
However, Rafael lived up to his father's reputation a bit too well, ending up using similar corrupt ways of exploiting people to line up his own pockets with money. That of course got him the attention of Zorro, who was a thorn in his side for months.
You would think that a man operating for nearly thirty years would slow down eventually, become sloppy, but Zorro still moved and fought as if he were a man in his prime.
Rafael touched the left side of his neck, a place where Zorro left his mark when they dueled for the last time.
The worst was yet to come as Diego de la Vega came into the picture, planning on exposing Rafael's illegal activities, and putting him on trial. It didn't end well for Rafael as the evidence that don Diego acquired was too damning, and Rafael was forced to flee the Pueblo de Los Angeles, similarly disgraced as his father.
He went to visit his mother one last time but then found out that she was killed in a bandit raid.
With nothing left anchoring him to the states, Rafael fled to the land of the rising sun, using several connections he established during his time as the comandante of Los Angeles.
The land had a war that ended only recently, and Rafael decided to take his chance there.
Despite there being no conflict, many people were still on edge, the losing side still holding grudges. With the assortment of weapons he smuggled with him, Rafael was able to make a lucrative business in Japan, selling weapons to rogues or people still willing to bring Japan back to the old ways.
The process was slow but steady, with Rafael once again turning a profit from illegal activities that even extended to the criminal underworld. His wealth grew, not to the point of what he had as a comandante of Los Angeles, but he was getting there.
Rafael was cut off from his musings as he heard some rapid knocks on his door.
"Come in," he replied in Japanese, becoming fluent in the language over the years. He needed to if he wanted to have lucrative business with his benefactors.
The door opened to reveal a bald man dressed in a black military uniform, with some heavy scarring on the right side of his face, a rapier at his side.
"Greetings, comandante," the man said, knowing his superior liked to be referred to by his old title. "We have found something you will find very interesting."
Rafael raised an eyebrow. "Then, by all means, Fernando, show me."
The man, Fernando nodded before moving away, and soon two other guards came inside, both of them carrying another man who seemed distressed to be here.
Rafael wasn't sure what was supposed to be so special about this man, he looked as plain as it gets. But something then caught his attention and he squinted to have a better look. Rafael's eyes widened as he saw a very familiar scar shape over the man's eye, the Mark of Zorro.
"What is the meaning of this?" Rafael asked with an edge in his voice.
"I found this man at one of the Tokyo bars, and the moment I saw the mark on him I had brought him in for interrogation," Fernando explained. "As it turns out, he and some other men were the ones responsible for the destruction of that warehouse. They were trying to steal some weapons but were stopped by a single man.
"I had him give me a detailed description of this man, and, I'm sorry to say, my comandante, but it would appear that it was indeed the Fox himself, Zorro."
Rafael didn't utter a word, making his men feel a somewhat uneasy silence for several moments.
The former comandante's expression narrowed, hate filling his eyes. "Zorro," he growled through his teeth. "Of all the places in the world, he just has to appear in Japan." He then slammed his hands on his desk, spilling some ink and throwing several papers. "And now he is once again on my trail?!"
Rafael growled before putting his hands on his face. Just his luck. He thought that he was out of reach of Zorro since the masked vigilante would be busy within California, but now he suddenly arrives in Japan and foils one of his operations? He knew it was only a matter of time before Rafael is discovered by Zorro.
Rafael then glared at the bandit his guards were restraining before rising up from his desk and walking over the quivering man.
"Um… wh-what will you d-do with me?" the bandit asked, nervous sweat dripping down his head.
"What will I do?" Rafael said as he looked down at the man. "Well, you and your friends went to steal from me, and then later ended up causing an accident that destroyed many of my merchandise. Not only that, you were followed by a very dangerous man, a man who you now brought on my trail." He then reached into his uniform and took out a small pistol before pointing at the bandit's chest. "What do you think I will do to you?"
"No, wait! I'm begging y-!"
Rafael pulled the trigger, making a loud bang sound across the room. The bandit then became limp the guards' hold, his shirt turning red.
"Get this trash out of my office, before he stains my carpet!" Rafael ordered as he put his gun back.
The guards straightened and saluted. "Si, comandante!" they both exclaimed before dragging the man away.
Rafael's scowl never left his face as he thought of what to do in this situation. He needed a way to get rid of Zorro, and fast. So many of his schemes have been foiled by the Fox before, so he wasn't sure what he could currently do to guarantee success.
"Comandante Monastario!" came a voice from a man who just appeared at the door behind Fernando. This one was also wearing a military uniform, though with his age you would think he should have retired. His hair was completely white and so was his thick mustache, with the man looking like he was pushing seventy. Nevertheless, he did seem like he possessed some of the strong muscular build he had in his youth.
"What is it, Gonzales?" Rafael asked.
"Our spies have on one of the docks have reported sightings of the de la Vega family!" Gonzales said.
Rafael and Fernando's eyes both widened as they heard that.
"The de la Vegas? They are here as well?" Rafael said.
"Si, it is them. The reports match their description," Gonzales answered.
"So, the peacock and his family have arrived here as well," Fernando commented.
Rafael was deep in thought. This couldn't be just a coincidence. Zorro appears in Japan, and now he hears that the de la Vegas have arrived at the same time.
"Sergeant Gonzales, when exactly did the de la Vegas arrive in Japan?" Rafael asked.
"About three days ago," Gonzales replies.
Rafael nodded before turning to Fernando. "And when exactly did this incident with Zorro happen?"
"Two days ago," was the scarred man's answer.
"I see," Rafael said. This definitely wasn't a coincidence. Zorro wouldn't just abandon the people of California to follow a single noble family.
Rafael remembered how his father once accused Diego de la Vega of being Zorro since the nobleman was in many instances close when the bandit appeared only to not be seen when he actually appears but was then refuted as 'Zorro' appeared in the pueblo while Monastario was trying to convince the governor.
Now that he thought of it, there were also instances where Alejandro de la Vega was also close when Zorro appeared but was never actually seen when the bandit was there.
Yes, it all began to come together.
Rafael then let out a wide smile before turning to his two top henchmen. "Señores, it would appear that we are very fortunate," he said making the two of them look at him confused. "All of our enemies are here, but this time we are the ones with the true element of surprise."
Night came all too quickly for Alejandro, who was back in costume and ready for another inspection of the city.
What he discovered the previous time when that explosion happened, is that someone was illegally smuggling weapons into the country, and he needed to know who it was.
So right now he was running on the rooftops, headed to the police station that saw located several kilometers away from the hotel he and his family were staying at. When he arrived, he saw that this place was only lightly guarded, with several officers around the premises.
Two guards stood at the entrance, the rest of the station surrounded by a metal fence. Both of them were currently facing forward with occasionally glancing to the sides. When they were once again looking forward, Zorro moved quickly, light on his feet as they barely made any sound as he ran before jumping the fence, grabbing it by the bars for some extra assistance.
The moment his feet hit the grassy ground he quickly went to hide behind the nearest tree. He peeked to see a guard walking around the large white building. When the guard turned corner, Zorro waited until he was far enough before springing forward, unnoticed by the guard.
When Zorro was near the building he jumped and took out his whip before swinging it, making it wrap around a plank. He then began climbing up quickly, the crack of the whip surely getting at least someone's attention.
When he reached the end he swung himself on top of the roof and quickly unwrapped his whip. He was able to hear someone talking just below, no doubt a guard who heard the whip. Zorro waited a little longer, eventually hearing the guard mutter something about not drinking too much next time.
Slowly crawling on the roof, Zorro moved to the front of the building. According to the schematics he read, the main office should be located on the top floor, right in the middle. Peering down to see now guards there, Zorro swung himself from the roof, his feet landing the still of the middle window.
Hanging with one hand on a plank, he used the other to quickly open the window and enter before anybody saw him. He quickly closed the window behind him, and closed the drapes, making the room he was in dark.
Then there was a small light as Zorro held a match in his gloved hand. He looked around, trying to find anything to prolong this light. Seeing a candle, he quickly grabbed it and lit it up, making sure to have it in front of him so not too much light can be seen outside, the drapes only being able to do so much.
Then he moved to drawers, containing many files on many cases. After a minute of searching, he found a file that he was looking for, the one containing the details of the case where the police investigated the explosion in the warehouse.
Zorro had to admit, he normally wouldn't do this kind of thing, but if it gave him a chance to stop a crime ring with such resources he would do it.
He looked over the details, memorizing names of the company that owned the warehouse, what was the official story of the cargo that was being held there, and anything else useful. All this information would help him discover possible future operations and other possible illegal storage houses.
Whoever was behind this better beware, since they too will bear the Mark of Zorro.
AN: And this is where we end this chapter. We finally get to see the villains of this story, and we have Zorro on their trail. What exactly are the villains scheming? Well, we shall find out further down the line.
Also, I implore you to check out my other stories, they are worth it. And leave a review, they are great motivators.
See you next time!