"What's going on," shrieked a scared and confused young woman found lying in the cold, damp fields of the Japanese countryside, "What's happening?"
"We have to go," a male friend hurriedly suggested, "We can't stay here. We have to go now!"
The woman looked to her left and the visions she saw were horrifying. Blurred images of her closest friends attacked and taken down by complete strangers. Merciless screams of agony and torture accompanied by the sights and sounds of peril, senseless murder, and bright lights. It was only an engagement party. Why did the night have to end like this? With death? An answer couldn't be found for all the woman heard was her name, "Kiyoni…! KIYONI…!"
"Yo, Kiyoni," beckoned a female friend, "Yoooo! Earth to Kiyoni!"
Back to reality, "Huh? What?"
"Damn, girl. That's the third time you've spaced out tonight. Everything alright?"
Shibuya district, Tokyo. Halloween was in full swing and the city knew it. Just about every inch of the neighborhood was filled with a combination of tourists and locals either dressed for the holiday, making their way home, or just out and about. Kiyoni and her friends were a part of the dressed-up crew...sort of. "I'm fine," she said, "I'm just hungry. If I don't find someone or something to satisfy me, I'm gonna pass the hell out."
"Maybe you're just not looking hard enough," words coming from Juri. She, too, was on the hunt tonight. Both women were employees of a nightclub near the Shibuya train station called Aphrodisia. An adult entertainment hotspot where patrons can indulge themselves in their most lustful desires with little to no questions asked. An establishment full of the sexiest and most libido-raising dancers and entertainers east of the Atlantic Ocean. One of the biggest draws to the club is its employees. Juri, Kiyoni, and about ten others are all the walking epitomes of lust, incubi and succubi. Beautiful and alluring on the outside and on the streets but nasty and perverted in the sheets. On this Halloween night, Juri and Kiyoni were assigned marketing duties, handing out flyers to passers-by promoting the club's holiday special. Juri was dressed as a sexy siren to lure some sailors into her sea of sexuality while Kiyoni stepped out as an enticing black widow spider looking to string someone into her web of seduction.
"Oh, I'm looking," Kiyoni retorted, "Trust me, I'm looking." The assignment wasn't too bad. There were some men who were genuinely interested while others scoffed at both the idea and the girls. Women, who were intrigued by the idea, turned it down out of fear of either society or men. So old school.
"Ugh, this area is dryer than my pussy," announced a fellow succubus blessed in the breast department. Neither her figure, her blonde hair, nor her blue eyes could attract a mate tonight.
"We'll find someone, Aiko," Kiyoni assured, "We have to."
"This coming from someone who spaced out three times tonight? I doubt it."
"Damn. When did my daydreaming become a problem?"
"Since tonight. You know Halloween is like our Christmas and right now, we're not even getting charcoal."
Juri added, "Or anything hard."
"Okay, okay, okay," Kiyoni insisted, "How about this? We spread out and find someone to feed on...on our own."
"I'm for that," Aiko concurred, "I think I saw a few western tourists at a bar."
"Ooh," Juri inquired, "Were they cute?"
"I don't know. Maybe? Does it really matter at this point?"
"Well...kinda…"
"Well, you two have at it," Kiyoni suggested while touching up her makeup, "I'll go...somewhere else."
"Good luck," Aiko wished.
"Call us if you get in trouble," Juri followed.
Kiyoni dismissed the sentiments as she walked away, "Yeah, yeah."
At the same time and inside the Shibuya station, two young priests greeted former and would-be passengers with flyers of their own containing information on Christianity and their church. "The time of darkness is upon us," preached a young man with icy-blue hair, "Please do not succumb to the cold and desperation of misguidedness and evil. Our lord and savior shall bring you the warmth and security found in the light." Despite his efforts, it's his partner whom people gravitate to. This young man of the cloth came off as compassionate and approachable with a smile that was as warm as some of the words proclaimed by the other gentleman. What was even more outstanding was his hair. Mid-back length, perfectly tied back, distinctly red in color, with side and fore bangs immaculately framing his soft masculine face, highlighted by his bottle-green eyes. Red hair? Green eyes? In Japan? Really? "Hey, Shuuichi? How's it going on your end?"
"May the Lord bless you," Shuuichi beseeched, "And peace be unto you." Two young women dressed as anime characters smiled and giggled upon receiving flyers from this youthful minister. They wandered off actually considering Shuuichi's offer.
"Geez, Shuuichi. How do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"How do you manage to reach out to so many people? I've only spoken to one person since we've been out here."
"Brother Touya, I cannot say. Perhaps, people pick up on specific vibes and gravitate towards the more favorable ones?"
"Huh?"
"Try not to be so aggressive with God's word," Shuuichi advised, "Remember, we want people to follow His path using the free will He gave the world. We cannot nor will not use force to gain parishioners."
Touya contemplated on that advice, "Yeah. Not be so aggressive…"
Kiyoni walked inside the station to grab a drink and a bite to eat that will hold her over for the next few hours. Upon first glance from the escalator, she saw the two clergymen doing their thing on the ground floor. Ooh, preacher boys...or are they called altar boys? Either way, they have no chance being out here. This is a yokai holiday. Let them have Christmas. A quick picture of them is sent to Kiyoni's friends with the caption, "Uh oh. There go the choir boys."
Juri responded, "Ooh! Go for them! Go for them!"
"Why?"
"Duh! Guys like them are the biggest freaks in the world. What if one of them is a virgin?"
"I...guess…?"
Aiko chimed in, "You never know unless you ask. Juri's right. Christian men are soooooo freaky in bed. They're just as repressed as some of the normal men in this country. All that talk about, 'Thou shalt not this' and 'Thou shalt not that' just makes them more likely to do any and everything behind closed doors. Trust me, I know."
Kiyoni thought about it, "Mm, idk."
"Have you ever been with a Christian?"
"Don't think so."
"Ever considered being with a Christian?"
"Judging by what you said...maybe."
"You should totally do it," Juri encouraged, "Ooh, go for the blue one!"
Aiko countered, "No. The redhead is cuter."
Kiyoni stated, "I didn't even take that good of a picture and you can tell by that?"
Aiko's response came in the form of a gif image that read, "I said what I said."
Kiyoni deboarded from the escalator on the first floor where Juri requested another, more focused picture of the two clerics to which Kiyoni obliged. Juri agreed with Aiko afterwards, "Yeah. Definitely go for the redhead. He's hot af." Kiyoni mused while watching from the first floor. The red-haired one was kinda cute. However, the way he engaged with people kind of turned Kiyoni off. In other words, Kiyoni has never approached this type of prey before. Despite that, Kiyoni could use someone new in her life and if what Aiko said was true, this may be the opportunity Kiyoni was looking for.
In order to catch said prey, the predator must be prepared for anything. A quick stop at a Starbucks for some iced tea and a trip to the bathroom were the first two steps. Gone were the extra "limbs" Kiyoni had attached to her costume. They were intimidating and annoying, anyway. The black bodysuit was adjusted to open a window to her buxom bust. The red and black waist trainer she wore was fixed to enhance her noticeable waist-to-hip ratio. The suede, knee-high boots were refitted to display her shapely legs. A quick finger-comb through of her loosely-curled, Isis-styled ponytail hairstyle, a slight shift of her jeweled headpiece, and another touch up of her makeup completed the revamp. Channel the personalities and sex appeals of Cardi B, Megan thee Stallion, Doja Cat, and Queen Beyonce, and Kiyoni was ready to go.
"May peace be with you," Shuuichi confided to two more people as Kiyoni approached from behind, her stride confident and undeniably feminine. Even though Shuuichi and Touya were handing out flyers, they were surrounded by display tables containing pamphlets discussing Christianity and the church's mission to introduce yokai to the religion. Kiyoni couldn't help but giggle at the thought. Christian yokai? Oh, the irony. "Hello there," Shuuichi noticed, "May I help you?"
Okay. Juri and Aiko were right. This guy is hot af. "Eh, hello," Kiyoni acknowledged. Shuuichi's warm smile and matching vibe were just hard to ignore. This "mission" may be more difficult than Kiyoni thought. "I was just...browsing. I… Your church converts yokai?"
Shuuichi awkwardly disclosed, "Sort of. I apologize for the misinformation. The church doesn't necessarily convert yokai. Our mission is to teach willing souls the ways of Christ, be it human or yokai."
"Oh, yeah," Kiyoni leaned forward, "How so?"
Shuuichi couldn't help it. It was natural for him to take a quick peek at Kiyoni's cleavage. However, it was just a peek. Nothing more. He cleared his throat before delivering his spiel, "Well, for starters, are you familiar with the bible at all?"
"Mm, can't say that I am. However, I am aware of...some of the ideas...that are in it?"
"Such as?"
"Eh, well...there's the... Oh! Thou shalt not kill!"
Shuuichi approvingly laughed, "Yes. That's one of the ten commandments found in the Old Testament. Anything else?"
"Eh...honoring parents?"
"Yes. Another commandment."
"Then there was that crap about shepherds and sheep and all that."
"Psalm 23, verse one: The LORD is my shepherd. I shall not want."
"Yeah, that."
Shuuichi laughed again, "Okay, so you have some knowledge of the bible. I'll give you that. However, if you want to learn more, you're more than welcome to attend mass tomorrow. It's 'All Saints Day'."
"All Saints Day? Damn, how many holidays do you have? I thought it was just Christmas. Just like we yokai have Halloween. You know, tonight?"
"Oh. You're a yokai. I'm sorry. I thought you were a human."
"Really? Is it because of the way I look?"
"No. Even by human standards, I've never seen one as pretty as you. Though, I guess, your eyes would give the opposite thought some merit."
That made Kiyoni blush...hard. No one has ever complimented her the way Shuuichi just did just now. "Thank you. I guess. I don't see too many people around here with green eyes or red hair if that makes you feel any better."
"Thank you. I like to be unique. So...are you...interested in attending our mass?"
Kiyoni picks up the pamphlet, "Tomorrow morning? What time?"
"10 A.M. Services start off with devotional and prayers for the deceased, the bible lesson for the day, communion since it's the first Sunday of the month, and prayers of departure. Pretty straightforward."
"Sounds like a snoozefest to me, but if you're going to be there, I guess I can show up. You're not like...getting some sort of commission out of this, are you?"
"Certainly not. Brother Touya and I are merely volunteers. Have been for some time now. What about you?"
"Eh...you don't wanna know just yet. Just know that I'll be at your little...thing tomorrow."
"Sounds perfect. I'll hold you to that."
"You do that," Kiyoni strolled off with a smirk on her face.
"Wait! Miss?"
"Yes?"
"I didn't catch your name. I can greet you better if I knew your name."
"Ikeda. Ikeda Kiyoni. Yours?"
"... Minamino. Deacon Minamino Shuuichi."
"I'll see you tomorrow...Deacon Minamino."
Shuuichi nodded in acknowledgement as both his breathing and heart rate returned to normal, "Tomorrow...it is." Kiyoni called it in on her way back to the club, she had enough hunting for one night. Aiko and Juri have no idea the kind of challenge they just gave their fellow soldier in carnal temptation.
