The sun relieved the moon to the beginning of a new day. Crystal awoke in her room; darkness was all her eyes could see. Since the embrace, sunlight has only been slightly tolerable. She approached her blinds with caution, knowing that the sunlight can be damaging to her. Her sensitivity to the warmth she remembered from days past made her nostalgic.
Her cell phone rang, the first sound of the day. Crystal glanced at the LCD and saw it was work.
"Can you come into work today?" was the first thing she heard from that little miracle of technology. It was her boss, Rich. "I told you that I can only work nights. Don't you remember? You are such a jerk sometimes," she said looking at her alarm clock. 9:13 in the morning, this guy has zero tact.
She clicked the phone off and sat down on her futon bed, still weary of the night before. What did he mean by he needs more than Danielle's help? And who is Kuro Hana? He can't handle it by himself. Crystal lied down to take a little break before she started the day's routine. She began to doze off or so it seemed.
When her eyes opened, the dark room where she and Gareth were before spread out to fill her sight. She heard some voices behind a large door, the only entrance to the dimly lit room. Lydian approached the door with caution. The first voice she recognized was Gareth, the second sounded very foreign. The combination of English and a mixed tongue was all she heard.
"She must not know about this. I don't want her to think that I am incapable of keeping her here."
"Don't worry. I have everything in control. My reputation and family are widely recognized with the kindred."
"Please 'hunter', be swift and protect my love."
As the words left Gareth's mouth, the door's lock popped and the door creaked open. Crystal nearly toppled over from the surprise and girth of the door.
"You are awake, good. I need to speak with you. I have hired a protector for you."
"Who is he? The man you were speaking to was not from this town. And why did you hire a mercenary? Those types are only after gold."
"He is a friend of the family. His reputation is untarnished. You will like him."
"I don't feel comfortable with a soldier-for-hire."
"We will need all the help we can get."
At the conclusion of their conversation, Crystal was snapped into reality by the sounds of "Heart of Asia". She slid over the other side of her bed, looked at her cell phone; it was Garan.
"Hey kiddo, where you at?" he said.
"I am still at home. Where are you?" she inquired.
"I am on my way to work."
Crystal looked at her clock, almost noon.
"Can we meet tonight? 10 o'clock at the mall sound good?"
"Yeah, sure. That sounds good. I'll see you there. The same meeting spot?"
"Yup. Talk to you later. Bye."
She put down her phone and rolled back over again. Contemplating whether or not to get ready, she decided to head for the shower. The warmth of the water over her body felt comforting. She turned the water off and stepped out. The beads of water glistened on her ivory skin. The dampness of the room made her skin tingle. There is someone here other than me. Who could be here?
As the thought escaped her mind, a shadow passed the doorway. Frightened, she unsheathed a small silver dagger that was near the sink. Again, the shadow passed. It didn't make a sound. The presence was an evil one, something familiar. She slowly approached the door. The shadow saw her shadow in the cloud of steam in the lavatory. It knows I know it is here. She rushed to her room and stood in a defensive stance. Waiting for the nothing. The evil was gone. Whatever it was, it's gone.
Slightly annoyed and at the same time scared to death, Crystal rushed to gather her things. She dressed in her long black satin skirt with a burgundy lace top. She didn't even stop to put her make-up on or let her hair dry. She ran to the car, not even pausing to check if the front door locked. The engine gave off a small whine as she started it up. Pulling away from her home, she couldn't help but feel she was being watched.
Crystal didn't know where to go. The car seemed to know. Heading south, she eventually reached her destination. At first, she didn't know where she was going, but then it hit her. Why am I in Red Bank? A window opened and a head poked out.
" What the hell are you doing here?" said the voice. The glare was obscuring her line of sight.
She got out of her car to get a better look. Crystal approached the building with caution. She looked up and the head was gone from the window. She heard a noise and a door swung open. A slightly built man appeared from the portal. He was shirtless and there was a large scar on his side.
"How did you know I was home?" Jae said.
"Lucky guess, I think," Crystal replied. It dawned on her that she drove to Jae's studio apartment. Why am I here in Red Bank?
"Tune in Tokyo, Crystal are you awake? Why are you here? You look like hell. Come inside and join me for a cup of ramen. I was in the middle of a workout when I saw your car."
They walked into a stairwell, up three flights of stairs and around the bend; it opened up to a very spacious studio loft. The room was centered around a leather couch. The sleeping quarters were another flight of stairs up and were fully furnished with furniture that could only come from Japan or China. In the corner was a tatami mat, a heavy punching bag hung from a large chain; the wall had a variety of swords and other Asian weapons. Jae picked up a Bo staff that was leaning against the marble breakfast bar that was the center of the kitchen. Shiny pots and pans lined a rack that also hung from a chain.
"So what brings you to my humble abode?" he said with the sounds of Dynamite Rave playing in the background. Jae handed her a cup of steamy soup.
"I don't know, someone was in my house, I freaked out and left." she said to her cup o' noodles.
"Do you know who would be psycho enough to break in while you were home?"
"No" she replied.
The phone rang, Jae went to the nook where his desk and computer were. He punched a few keys and spoke, "Talk to me."
"Hey, what are we doing today?" the voice said on the speakerphone. It sounded familiar. "You coming up to the mall?" It was Trinity.
"I will eventually. I have to finish my workout and run a few errands. You know the usual shit. But I do have a few tokens I want to burn up. Crystal showed up here. Say hi Crystal."
Deep in thought and fighting the dehydrated peas floating around in the broth with a chopstick she managed to conjure up a reply. " Oh, hi."
"Hey Crystal!!! Get any from Garan yet?"
"Trinity! Cut it out. She doesn't need to hear shit like that. I'll tell you about it later. I'll call you when I get there. Okay?"
"Yeah, I guess. Okay talk to you later. Bye Crystal."
Jae punched a few keys and the speakerphone hummed off. He popped off another couple of keystrokes and the computer buzzed with more music. Stomp to my Beat hummed out. "Is it bothering you?"
"What? The music? No."
He nodded in response and glided over to a large stainless steel fridge. He pulled a carton of orange juice and drank heavily. Crystal winced each time he swallowed.
"What?!?" Jae looked confused to her response.
"Nothing…"
"Oh, okay. I am going upstairs to do the triple S's. I'll be down in about fifteen minutes. Make yourself at home." As he turned to go up to the loft, Crystal noticed a tattoo. Jae doesn't have ink… A black rose? There is something that's not right here. The rose was placed on his right shoulder, and a small kanji was just below it. Hunter. What the hell does that mean? Jae disappeared out of sight; the sound of running water was heard in the distance. Crystal started falling into a trance. She ended up passing out on his futon.
"Crystal, you awake?" Jae's voice made Crystal jump into consciousness.
She blinked forcefully, when her eyes focused, Jae was standing above her. He startled her; she jumped back, nearly cracking her head open on his wall. " You scared the hell outta me! I didn't hear you coming."
"Sorry, I have a bad habit of doing that to everyone. So where are we going next?"
"I don't know. I guess we should cruise up to Menlo. You ready to go?"
"I think so. Give me a minute. I got to check my voicemail. Eh, I'll check it heading to the car."
Crystal and Jae headed to the far corner of the studio. They walked down a small hall, banged a left and went down a few stairs. The hall ended and a large basement began. The lights flicked on by their movements. A navy blue Kawasaki Ninja with silver trim sat off to one side, a dark blue Celica sat just past the bike, and the familiar old red Celica sat near the door. It looked out of place next to the overwhelming blue that was before it. Jae snapped the cell off and looked to Crystal. "We going together or separate?"
"I think it will be best if we went separate."
"Okay then," Jae concluded and moved toward the bike. He fired it up. The hum of the engine was melodic to the ear as he revved the engine. "The door faces your car. I won't close it till you get out."
Crystal moved toward the exit as Jae streaked past her. She fired the T-bird up and was on her way to the mall. Hunter…why haven't I seen that tattoo before? Is he hiding something? When did he get all the new wheels? When did he have so much money to buy the new cars? The thoughts filled her mind most of the ride to Edison. Jae buzzed her a few times before peeling out of sight down Route 1.
Upon arrival at Menlo Mall Crystal pulled up to the second deck to her usual parking spot. She got out and walked up the stairs to see him dismounting the bike. "Jae…. I thought you only had the red rice burner."
"I got these a few months ago. The red one is my everyday car."
"Oh, okay."
Just then, Jae's cell rang. "Yo! Talk to me…"
"What took you so long to call me back? I was getting worried," it was Trinity.
"Crystal and I just got here. Where you at?"
"On my lunch break, go by the booth, I'm hanging there."
"Okee."
Jae buzzed the phone off and flicked the cigarette he just finished by the Pepsi machines. Murmured whispers came from the crowd about Jae's bike. Trinity intercepted them as they entered the mall. "Smoke break! These kids are driving me nuts!!!"
Crystal and Jae made an about-face as Trinity buzzed by them, her Marlboro Menthol Light already lit as she whizzed the door open. Jae sparked up a Newport and Crystal followed suit with a Salem. The trio walked to the shade of the stairwell. "So you are smoking his brand now? Do tell…" Trinity started, " and whose Ninja is that?" Trinity didn't see that Jae was resting his hand on a silver and dark blue helmet that sat next to them on the curb.
Jae waved the helmet at Trinity, Crystal let out a small giggle. "Mine Trinity. I thought you knew about it? Oh well." Trinity sat there and drooled over the bike, forgetting that she parked her purple, green, and white Kawasaki down by fire command.
"Sorry, I must have forgotten about that conversation. So Crystal, what's the deal with you and Garan?"
"We are dating, I guess. I saw him the other night. We are supposed to meet here tonight after he gets out of work." she said.
"Cool. So there I was surrounded by mallra…." Before she could finish Jae shot a look as he was exhaling the last drag. "Sorry," she retorted. His muscles rippled underneath his navy blue wife beater. She continued talking. "Playing video games today?"
"Yup, it's my day off, gonna try to relax a little."
Crystal, beginning to feel she was intruding excused herself and made her way to the arcade. "What's wrong, hun?" was all she heard as the conversation faded in the distance.
She walked in the dimly lit arcade; the sound of the bass was all she heard. She inserted a few tokens in a fighting game. By the time she was finished Trinity and Jae meandered in with Rob, Megan, and Wendell.
"So where is everyone?" Trinity asked.
"I haven't heard from anyone at all," Jae still had the face of confusion like the conversation they had made him go deeper in thought.
"Garan was the only other one I heard from today," Crystal replied as she put a dollar into the change machine.
Jae's phone went off again. The sound of 'Kung-Fu Fighting' was becoming annoying to Crystal. "Someone is mister popular today," Trinity said with sarcasm. Jae stepped aside to get better reception from his crappy Nokia phone. Jae's facial expression turned very somber. "I got to run," Jae said as he tossed his cell into his pocket.
"But you just got here," Trinity said with a whine in her voice. "You never have enough time to hang out anymore. Good God Dammit!!!!"
"I'll call you later, I promise," he said as he gave Trinity a kiss on her forehead and a smooch on Crystal's cheek.
The two girls followed him out to his bike. He fired it up and sped down the ramp to the highway.
Trinity turned to Crystal. "I have to be back to work after this cig, catch ya laterz?"
"Yeah, I'll find you in a little while."
Crystal walked back into the arcade. "Where's Jae?" Megan said when she approached the machine.
"He split a minute ago. Someone called him and he jetted. He didn't say where he was going or who was going to meet. He just left. I think it was his job calling him in again."
" I can't believe he would skip out on us!" Wendell cried out, apparently angry at his fellow yellow.
Jae sped back to his loft. He nearly brained himself on the garage door. He threw his helmet on the futon that he never bothered to put back up after Crystal knocked back earlier. He rushed over to the nook where the computer blinked a text message as he took off his coat. It read: I'll be there in 5 minutes.
He went over to the fridge for another dose of OJ when he sensed a presence. In one swift motion, Jae spun around and pressed a shiny curved scimitar to the throat of Garan. "Have you ever heard of a doorbell?" he said, lowering the blade and letting out a sigh of relief.
"I needed to talk to you," he said as he lit up a Salem. "I need your help."
"The all powerful Gareth needs my help again. Gee, I haven't heard this story before. The answer is 'no'."
"Do I need to remind you about Lady Ashleigh?"
"You are a fucking dick! You always get me with that!! It wasn't my fault. There were too many outside elements that involved too many Innocents." He clutched the blade in his hand tighter and tighter until his knuckles turned white. The blade began to rise along with his blood pressure.
"You need me and I need you."
"It's him isn't it?"
"Yes, he found us this time."
"You must always bring my bloodline into this. I am getting tired of being dragged into these petty dramas. The masquerade is getting boring."
"You were born into this. You had no choice when your mother did what she did."
Jae shot Gareth a look that all of his ancestors felt. But it was true. Jae couldn't avoid his destiny and Gareth needed his skills.
"It involves Crystal too."
Jae glanced at the photo on his wall of himself, Crystal, Henry, Rob, Danielle, and Marc at the diner. They all had huge grins on, Jae was making the peace sign, and Crystal had her arm around his neck.
Garan looked at him, waiting for a reply. "I can't lose her again Jae, you know this." Jae slowly walked over to a scroll that was near his training area. He lifted it up, revealing a small room. The walls were lined with a variety of weapons. They were made either from oak or silver. Jae scanned the room for the weapon of choice. The sword was in the back of the room behind a bulletproof glass door. The keypad beeped as he entered the code to unlock it from it's resting place.
"What are we doing?" Jae asked.
"I have to meet up with Crystal at 10 o'clock."
The sun fell again to the night. The air was humid and the fog lingered around Menlo Park. Crystal was leaning against the T-bird smoking a cigarette when the lights began to dim from the nightly timers. A low hum came from the ramp. Crystal stood rigid at attention. Garan's Pathfinder rolled up with another car following it. The dark blue Celica glided to a stop behind Garan. The haze made the car appear to float through the waves of fog. Garan stepped out and greeted Crystal with a long embrace.
"Get a room!" a familiar voice shot from behind the Nissan.
Crystal glanced at the general direction and didn't see anyone.
"The cavalry has arrived. You know him already. He's a dhampir, a half-breed with some unusual talents. Meet Kuro Hana."
Jae stepped out from the fog bank. A long trench coat billowed in the breeze behind him. He slipped it off his shoulders; " It's getting too hot to wear this thing."
"Jae?!" she said in slight confusion. The expression on her face was crinkled and deep in thought. Why is Jae here, Garan? "He is here to help." Help with what? Baldric?
"I hate it when you types do that. It's like me talking in Japanese when everyone speaks English. You fucking vamps must cut that shit out. Pisses me off when you guys do that."
"Shut up Jae."
"Garan, cut it out. Get out of my head."
"What is going on here? Why are you here? And what's with the grand entrance?" Crystal demanded to know.
"Garan… where do we start?" Jae asked.
Garan inquired of her, "Do you remember the night when you awoke in the room and I was outside talking to someone?"
"Yes, I had a vision that was like that. Don't tell me that Jae has something to do with this."
Jae sighed. "I guess I'll start. Kuro Hana means 'black rose' in Japanese. Gareth was friends with my father and my mother. He was there when I was born. Gareth swore to keep my family's secret. It is highly unusual and is looked upon unfavorably by the clans. Mortals are a source of food for most vampires, and some cases minions.
I was sent to Japan to learn the way of the samurai and to learn how to defend myself. Little did I know that I was being prepared by my father's clan to become an emissary. I was taught to be a noble, a respectable person. But I also was trained in sword battle. When I was sixteen, Gareth came to Japan to return me home. My training was never completed formally. My sensei came with us to England. I continued my training in our estate. It took the whole trip home to tell me what had happened.
I found out the secret was out. The nation found out about my parents bearing a dhampir. The Sabbat sent an emissary, more like an assassin, to investigate the situation and kill my parents, and me, if the evidence proved to be reality. It was Baldric they sent to England. After my parents' deaths, my father's clan adopted me. The Toreador clan claimed me as their adopted son, even under the scrutiny of the other clans. I, the emissary for the Toreadors proved to be beneficial. The frequent wars between the clans slowed down, almost stopped altogether.
I was blessed with many vampiric traits. Enhanced strength and speed, and I could still walk in daylight unscathed. I age very slowly, but I do not have their regenerative powers. Being able to move in sunlight proved to be useful to my clan, now my extended family. I hunted the Sabbat most of my days, since they were weakest during their sleep. But I didn't hunt all of the time. I spent many of my days mediating rival clans, most of the time mediating my own clan's meetings.
My next loss was when my sensei died. I was trained to fight, but I was trained to fight honorably. I lost my father for the second time when he died. We were in the middle of a workout when he collapsed. Gareth was there when it happened; sensei had grown to love him, not like a son but a close friend and brother to me. He went back to Japan with me and was there when my school buried him in the Tokugawa family temple.
We returned to England. In the passing time, I began to live a normal life. My days were spent exploring Europe finding others of my clan. A large group in Italy was one of the biggest discoveries I had. They taught me the history of the clans. I learned that each clan has a history and all their origins. I returned home a few years later with the knowledge of each clan's behavior.
I met Lady Ashleigh during the war, the Revolutionary War to be more specific. She was the prince's daughter, and a vampire. I felt safe around her. I was beginning to feel more human, giving in to more of my emotions. Her affection was more of a curiosity, since I was the only recorded dhampir, the first as far as anyone can remember. We grew to tolerate our differences and fell deeply in love.
When England started losing the war, we decided to move to America. The Prince wasn't too happy, but he gave me his blessing in marriage and we moved out of England. Gareth, Lady Ashleigh, and myself boarded the next ship to America. The trip was a long arduous one. I was the only recorded passenger with two very large coffins packed with my 'dead parents' on my log. Lady Ashleigh and Gareth were in a deep slumber. A minor spell I used to make the trip easier on them. They only awoke to feed.
We arrived in New Amsterdam; the war was over by the time we arrived. We lived very happily until more vampires started to arrive. The New World was a territory to conquer for the other clans. A feeding ground, but to most, a place to start their own covens. We spent most of our days and nights hunting the Sabbat that came over on trade and charter ships. When steam ships were invented, things got way out of hand. We were killing more than twenty a night. It proved too much for all of us. Still we hunted the rogues, but then we began to be overwhelmed.
We all took turns going on hunts. I went on most of the hunts because I could walk in the sun. The nights I went on the hunts, Lady Ashleigh and Gareth researched a better way to stop the oncoming plague. That's when I discovered the legend of the 'Slayer'. We searched for the one that could assist us stopping the incoming storm. Every time we caught wind of one, they were either killed or disappeared. The first Slayer that was in America wasn't till the late 1800's. All those damn vampire movies make such a mockery of what I do.
Baldric came to America finally, but we didn't find out till it was too late. He planned on hunting us down because the Sabbat thought I was such a threat.
He finally found us; it wasn't pretty. Gareth wasn't around; Lady Ashleigh and I were home on our ranch when he attacked us. We were relaxing for a night. It was the first time I had fought a vampire of his strength. He caught us off guard. The attack came swift and merciless. He went to the one thing I held dear to my life, Ashleigh. He struck her and tortured her while I was helpless. He didn't even attack me. It seemed that it was more personal than business. When I awoke, the sun was rising. He crucified her and left her in the middle of our chambers.
The foundation was destroyed and the morning sun peeked through the gaping hole in the side of our home. I still remember her cries and pleas when the sun greeted the day. I was powerless to free myself from my bindings.
I still wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat remembering… having to see the one vampire that I truly loved begin to burn alive in the sunlight, the one thing that can't harm me.
Gareth returned a few hours later only to see our home destroyed. He freed me from the binds that Baldric put on me. I rushed over to her remains and vowed to destroy him.
I buried her in the field where we spent many nights watching the stars and picking wild flowers. Now here we are, Baldric is back and it's my chance to avenge her death."
"Oh." she said speechless. Crystal didn't know what to say. Her thoughts were still processing the information Jae told her. Gareth was in the shadows smoking another cigarette.
"You done yet?"
"Go fuck off Gar, Ashleigh thought of you as a brother, don't you speak like that about her."
Jae's face went from angered to strained. He unsheathed his sword from his shoulder.
"He's here. I can sense him."
Paul stepped out of the shadows and applauded. "Excellent story Jae! I am so pleased you remember me."
Jae grimaced and quickly turned to yell, "Crystal, go with Gareth, get out of here! Go now!!" Paul disappeared into the shadows again.
Garan and Crystal both ran downstairs to their cars. "Crystal, get in!" Garan ordered. "No, I won't..." was her reply.
The fog began to get thicker; the only sound was the hum of the lights. Jae scanned the garage for anything that might give away Baldric's position. A shadow moved off in the distance. Jae moved silently to pursue. "Be careful, stay focused on what you are doing." The thoughts of fear, anger, hate, and all the emotions were running through his mind. He finally got to where the shadow was. He's near… "I can sense you." Jae spun around and struck with his blade. Metal met with metal. The strikes were perfectly met with flawless parries. The battle was like a choreographed movie. Jae struck, Baldric parried. Baldric attacked, Jae dodged or parried.
I am not gaining any ground. I better regroup.
Jae flashed off a quick set of strikes that threw Baldric off balance. The warrior turned and ran toward his car only to be stopped halfway by Baldric. Jae swung his sword furiously and managed to disarm him. He swung his deathblow only to catch air.
"Coward! Fight you coward!! Can't face me!?!"
Jae sheathed his sword. He moved toward his car. He turned around to look behind him. "Something is not right." Baldric came over the rail to punch Jae, but missed miserably. Jae dropped to the ground and rolled against his car. He misjudged how far he dodged. His head hit the door, dazing him. Baldric went to strike again and hit metal. Jae appeared behind him and gave him a swift kick to the back of his head. The roundhouse connected, sending Baldric over the Celica's hood. Jae slid across his hood to smash his heel against Baldric's forehead. Another connection. Okay don't get arrogant. He's playing with you. Baldric reared up to his full height, standing a few inches taller than Jae. The fists and feet began to fly. Each had their fair share of connecting and missing. Jae was beginning to get fatigued. The battle was longer than he expected.
Jae swung around to catch Baldric in the throat. But he was gone again. He spun around to see where he had escaped only to be met with a blade in his chest. The pain was more than unbearable, as Baldric twisted the blade further into his heart. Jae screamed in pain, as his assailant smirked. "Say hi to Ashleigh for me, when you see her in hell."
Baldric pulled the sword from him, and Jae slumped to the ground. The concrete felt warm to his dying body. He looked around to see if Baldric was still standing over him. He was gone. Jae tried pulling himself up with the last of his strength. He fell to the ground. He looked at his blood soaked hands. His vision began to blur a little. He started fading in and out of consciousness. The fourth time his vision cleared, a white security truck pulled up. A female guard ran out and he heard frantic cries into her radio.
Crystal clutched her head and cried out in pain as she sensed Jae's life energy departing. "No, no, no, no…." she whispered to herself, horrified. "Not Jae…"
Garan immediately knew what had happened and they ran upstairs to see Jae lying in a pool of his own blood, with Trinity by his side.
"Trinity, help me…." He tried calling to her with the little breath he had left in his lungs.
She dropped the radio and fell by his side. "Oh my God, oh my God…" She placed her hand over his wound trying to stop the bleeding. Tears began to fall from her cheeks.
"Help!! Somebody HELP!!!" she cried out into the foggy night.
"Trinity, don't let me go…"
"Save your breath. The paramedics are already on their way."
The sound of sirens began to fill the garage. Edison police and an ambulance screeched to a halt in front of them. Men started to pour out of the vehicles.
"Trinity, there is something I want to tell you," he said straining for breath.
"Shhh… hun, save your breath. Help is here. You are going to be alright," she said to him trembling and trying to hold back from crying again.
"There is so much I want to say right now… Trinity…I want to say…" Jae coughed, a small stream of blood began to trickle from his mouth. Ashleigh, I am finally free now.
"Don't say it, I know already, I already know," she began to cry uncontrollably. She held his head and stroked his spiky blond hair.
"I want… to say… that …I….." his body began to convulse and then relax. All the life that was left had escaped his body. "Don't go…don't go….please…. don't leave us….me" she began to cry; her tears falling on his face and neck. The paramedics pulled her off him to start administering first aid. She fought them every step of the way. Trinity watched as his shirt was torn off and the medics defibrillated him. She turned away not wanting to witness it. One of the paramedics declared, "He's already gone. Time of death 10:48 p.m."
Garan looked back for a moment before they left. Jae…why did it have to happen like this? A single glistening crimson tear slid down his pale face. I haven't cried in centuries. My friend, my brother, may you now rest in peace. And may you finally be reunited with the Lady Ashleigh."
Chapter 9 >>>