Somewhere I Belong
A Saiyuki fan fiction by Iapetus
Disclaimer: Be glad that I don't own Saiyuki – my artwork sucks. I also don't speak Japanese, but that's beside the point. ^^
Beta Readers: Truth to Madness and Orenda
*Jaw drops* I can't believe how many people reviewed the prologue! I was really surprised, but very happy that you all enjoyed it. Thank you to: keistje, mabaroshi16, Hikari-neko, gallatica, Am1-13th, Merf, K. Firefly, D-chan, Forsaken^On3, KarotsaMused, Chevaux and Padre Fear for taking the time to review it. *bows in gratitude* Review responses can be found on the link in my bio.
Definitions:
Sedition- Conduct or language inciting rebellion against the authority of a state. Insurrection; rebellion.
The prologue took place six months before chapter 1. THIS is where the story begins.
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Chapter 1: Promotion
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There seemed to be nothing special about the bar in the middle of the street. The building, as well as those around it, was in surprisingly good condition for the side of city they were in. Maybe it was because the people in that area were doing their best to be seen as respectable – as if they were an oasis in the slum. Maybe it was because they were close to the border between the main part of town and the outskirts. Or maybe, it was because no one was willing to mess with the person who seemed to run the place.
The building in question was built solidly with a variety of earth-colored bricks. The pharmacy on the left-hand side, the restaurant on the right and a large wall across the street were built of the same material. There was evidence that someone had tried to tag the large brick wall, but the street's residents had done their best to wash it away.
A faint buzzing sound caught the attention of a young man with shoulder length crimson hair and eyes to match. He smirked as he looked at the flickering light of the bar's neon sign. It was the giveaway that the street was in close proximity to the red-light district. The young man liked the touch. Had the sign been working perfectly, the bar would not have appeared to be his kind of place anyways.
"Gojyo!" Several girls stood up and immediately came to his side as he walked in the door. Women always seemed to migrate towards him every time he entered a room.
"How ya doing, Gojyo?" the bartender called out from behind the counter. "Want the usual?"
"You know it." He turned to look at the women surrounding him. "And how are you ladies doing tonight?"
"I'm fine now that you're here," a brunette said seductively.
"Yeah," some of the others agreed.
A strawberry blonde with her hair cut short casually touched his left arm as she began to speak. "Tonpu says he wants to challenge you to a rematch after last week's game."
Gojyo fought to keep from frowning. Tonpu never came in demanding a "rematch" unless he had some important information and needed to talk to him alone. Things had been growing progressively worse in the capital, and all Gojyo could do was listen as the innocent suffered.
Only, he didn't just listen. Gojyo was in a position that few held. When one hangs out in a bar and lived in that part of town, a person heard things. Well, he couldn't really call himself a person since he never was human in the first place, but he liked to think that he was at least a little bit better than the rest of his kind. At least he was trying to help the humans…
Gojyo caught Tonpu's eye from where his friend sat in the corner of the room. He was already shuffling a deck of cards, but he was not doing it in his usual carefree manner. His eyes were serious. This is something big…
He turned back to the women and smiled. "Hmm… I don't want to embarrass Tonpu that much today. How about you give him and me a few minutes, beautifuls?"
The women were not keen on leaving their bar's stud, but obliged as he gave them a sly wink. "I promise I'll make up for it later." They seemed to cheer up as he made his way to the counter to grab the bottle of 151 proof Rum, a bottle of Tabasco sauce and a glass the bartender had set out for him. Gojyo saw that Tonpu didn't have anything to drink. "I'll have a Budweiser too."
Taking his alcohol, Gojyo sat down across form where Tonpu was seated. He was unusually quiet, even for one of their "rematches." He set the beer close to the turquoise-haired man's hand and smiled.
"Thanks, Gojyo, but you didn't have to…" he began.
"Don't worry about it. It looked like you needed a drink anyways." He opened up the Rum and mixed himself a "Fire in Heaven." "I always need one this time of night." He quickly downed his glass and set sat back in his seat.
"How can you drink that stuff? You're going to kill yourself like that!"
"Yeah right, Tonpu," he said in a good-natured laugh before dropping his tone. "It isn't as if alcohol could hurt my system now anyways. Yours either."
The other man shrugged as he took a swig of his beer. "All I know is that this is enough for me. I haven't had to feed in about a week."
"Yeah, but if you don't get some soon, you'll go crazy."
Tonpu shrugged again. "The copy girl in my office works well enough. She never seems to object me taking a sip here and there…" There was an awkward pause.
"So, aren't you going to deal? I don't think those cards could be shuffled any more than they are already."
Tonpu actually smiled as he dealt out five cards for each of them and put his ante in the center.
"How many do you want?"
Gojyo looked at his hand and pulled a couple of cards out. "Two." He paused to make sure that they were not being overheard. "So, what's been going on?"
"What hasn't been going on is more like it. Dealer takes three. Did you hear about Old Man Liang?"
Had he heard about it? He had been there. While Gojyo had never cared for authority, police Chief Liang had sincerely wanted to protect the city. He was one of the few officials in the system that was not corrupted. Unfortunately, the man's senses had dulled with time, and he had died in the crossfire of Lirin's most recent kill. It was not the rookie Hunter's fault for the mess up; she had been ambushed in a similar way that her brother Kougaiji had been seven months ago. Had Gojyo not happened to be passing by…
Killing twenty Weaklings, the derogative term for weak vampires, was nothing for someone like Gojyo. He had been a Keikan his whole life, and only those with brain damage would think they had a chance against a powerful vampire like himself. Lirin had taken out ten of them herself by the time help had arrived. However, the police squad that had been in the area had already been decimated beyond recognition. Even Gojyo, with all of the gore he had seen in his days, shuddered at the thought.
"Yeah." He threw his ante in, as well as a few dollars to start the bidding. "Messy way to go."
"Did you hear who they are going to replace him with?"
"No."
The man seemed to toy with his cards, and finally matched Gojyo's bid. His play is slow today, slower than normal…
"So, who is it?" he demanded.
Tonpu's eyes narrowed. "Who else is "qualified" for the position?" he sneered.
Gojyo's face tightened visibly with hatred and worry. "Dammit…"
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It was four in the morning, and anyone with common sense stayed off the streets. With the people unable to figure out exactly what was going on, they simply fled to their houses as soon as night fell. A blonde-haired figure in a black leather trench coat, however, seemed oblivious to the unwritten rule. He was often glad that the humans kept to themselves – it was much more annoying when they didn't.
All he wanted at that moment was to feed. No matter how much alcohol he consumed or cigarettes he smoked, there was no way he'd be able to last forever. It would have been easier if he had found himself a willing victim long ago – women always seemed to try to throw themselves on him when he was at work – but Genjo Sanzo found it disgusting to even think about taking them up on their offer. He refused to depend on others. The only person he could count on in this world was himself. Even if he had become one of the creatures that had killed his master, Sanzo would never stoop to their level.
A single gloved hand rose to adjust his sunglasses that hid his eyes from the world. He was restless from the lack of activity in the past few days. Even his work was subdued. There hadn't been a major fight in over two weeks. Everywhere he went, he could tell that something was about to happen.
It was generally Sanzo's disposition to not care about what was going on with other people, but he knew this time that it had to do with vampires. Even before he had become one, anything involving the vampires had become his business. He was still on the hunt for his master's killer, and he didn't care how red his hands became or if he damned his soul to Hell, as long as he got his revenge. No one had ever crossed Genjo Sanzo and lived to talk about it.
A small break appeared between two of the large buildings to the vampire's right. He peered down the narrow alley, contemplating on whether to take this shortcut home or to travel the long way via the streets.
If he took the shortcut, he had a good chance of running into another vampire. Vampires were territorial by nature and he hated dealing with the stupid ones who couldn't see that he was just passing though. He was always reminded of the dogs that barked at people when they simply walked in front of "their" yard. This often seemed to occur on the days when he was in a bad mood, and he was more than grateful to work out some of his frustration on them.
On the other hand, he could take the long route and remain out in the open. With the police always patrolling the streets, he would often be stopped and forced to show his identification. If the officers were in a particularly bad mood, they might try to rough him up. Not that they could, but he'd just be screwing himself over by picking a fight with the city's "dear and devoted" law enforcement. It was less troublesome to just avoid them completely.
Sanzo's eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance as he headed down the dark alley. Given the choice between a vampire and the police, he'd take a vampire any day. At least if one of his own kind annoyed him, he could always kill them.
He had been barely walking for a minute down the new path when his heightened senses detected two people nearby. In the stillness of the sleeping city, it was easy to hear their conversation. The vampire found his legs moving in that direction.
"C'mon baby, give me a little kiss," the first one, a man, said in a low voice. Sanzo noted that it wasn't really a man, but a Weakling.
"No thank you," a young woman's voice responded as she apparently tried to get away. Sanzo could hear struggling, and then the sound of a body being slammed against the side of the building.
"Really?" the Weakling replied in a sickeningly sweet tone. "Look me in the eye and say that again to me, baby."
"Let me go!" Sanzo could hear more struggling as the woman tried to free herself. Her efforts were futile; there was no way a normal human woman would be able to resist any level of vampire. It would not be hard at all for the Weakling to take her right there on the spot.
It seemed as if the Weakling's patience had worn out – short that it was. "Open your eyes you damn bitch!" The blonde-haired Keikan winced slightly as his sensitive ears heard the sound of bone snapping and the echo of an empty metal container. Sanzo was now standing in front of the opening of the side alleyway both the Weakling and his prey were occupying.
The weaker vampire immediately tensed at the sensation that the two of them were no longer alone. He spun around, coming face-to-face with the intruder. For a moment, neither one moved.
Sanzo's eyes naturally slipped down from other vampire to look at the girl. The desire to feed rose again as he saw the young woman try to support herself with the trash bin she had fallen against.
The Weakling stepped in front of the girl defensively, attempting to look Sanzo in the eye. "She's mine. This is my territory. Leave us alone."
"Che. Are all Weaklings as stupid as you are?" he said smugly.
"What did you just say?!" the Weakling demanded, bristling at the words.
"An idiot like you couldn't possibly understand."
The other vampire's face contorted in fury as he rushed his higher-level counterpart. Is he truly that stupid? Sanzo thought to himself. He knows there is no way that he can defeat me.
It was too late, though. Sanzo had informally challenged the other vampire for his prey, and he could not back down on his actions. He could feel his body beginning to be pumped with adrenaline for the upcoming fight.
The Weakling bared his fangs and moved with a speed that no human eye seemed to be able to follow. This wasn't the case for a Keikan's eyes – instead the moment seemed sluggish and uncoordinated. Sanzo easily sidestepped the charge, his timing making it appear that it was only "coincidence" that he did not get hit.
Turing around, the two vampires repeated this so-called routine, much to the annoyance of one and boredom of the other. Sanzo wanted to yawn. It was close to morning, and while sunlight did not turn Keikan vampires into ash like Weaklings, he had been up all night at his job and wanted to get a bit of shuteye.
The Weakling threw a punch that Sanzo caught with his left hand while his right shot out and grabbed the other vampire's neck. He glared at the pathetic creature as his grip tightened.
"Why is it that I always run into the stupid Weaklings?" he asked rhetorically as his grip grew so tight that it snapped his neck in two.
Injuries that vampires got from other vampires usually took a day and a night to heal. The weakling couldn't move, and Sanzo wasn't going to help him get inside before the dawn came. He'd turn to dust as soon as sunlight hit him.
The shock of his neck breaking seemed to have pushed the Weakling into unconsciousness. He probably wouldn't even awake before his death.
Too bad, Sanzo thought, it would have done the bastard some good to feel a bit more helplessness before he died.
Stepping over the body, Sanzo walked over to where the girl lay on the ground. He crouched down and looked at her through his dark sunglasses. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she cried silently, despite her valiant efforts to hold them back. It somehow seemed that she was not crying at her own physical pain, but at something else.
"Are you ok?" he asked. The sound of his voice brought her back to awareness.
"I can't feel anything below my waist…" It appeared that her lower spine had snapped in the scuffle, for she could not use her legs.
She's so helpless… His fangs slowly began to slip down in anticipation.
NO, he was not like that. He wouldn't do this. He wouldn't take this woman, no matter how much his body wanted him to.
Forcing his fangs back into his gums, Sanzo tried to think of a solution. He couldn't just leave her here. Images of his master lying in a sea of blood flashed in front of him again. He had been powerless before then, but maybe now he could actually do something…
"C'mon, let me get you to the hospital." He moved to pick her up when he saw her shake her head.
"Please… oh please god don't take me there." A few more tears fell down her face. "You know what would happen to me if I went."
Sanzo wanted to slap himself. How had he been so stupid and forget about that?
"What do you want me to do, then?" He asked in a curt tone. "You won't be able to hide this forever."
Her expression broke into a small smile as she looked up at his face. "You're one of them, aren't you? A Creature of the Night?" Sanzo couldn't see any reason to lie to her, and nodded his head. Her smile widened. "I grew up hearing rumors about you, but now that I finally get to see one… you're different from the legends."
Sanzo knew that the legends about vampires going through the capital city of Oniori were far from the truth, but his eyebrows still rose slightly at the statement. Why would she be happy to see him?
"You're different. You look like an angel."
An angel? Him? Yeah right. Not everyone could help being a vampire, but no one could claim to be innocent and also be a Keikan. To put it simply, the strong devoured the weak.
Sanzo's eyes had drifted to her neck. Her skin was smooth and without blemish. She wore no jewelry to obstruct the perfection; he could even see her jugular throbbing beneath the surface…
Shutting his eyes, Sanzo quickly turned his head away. He was no angel – he was a devil. The girl noticed this, and her look softened.
"Its ok, you know," she said shyly. "I'd rather you kill me than someone else." Sanzo made move to protest, but she continued.
"It's ok," she repeated. "It isn't so bad if I give permission, is it? You're not like the others, I can see that you don't want to be what you are – you even put on sunglasses to keep me from looking into your eyes." Her left hand rose to his face, and before he knew it she had taken off his glasses and looked into his violet-red eyes.
"Grandma always said that to look a vampire in the eye was to see death. I guess she was right…" Her vision glazed over and became half-lidded as she fell under hypnosis and her body limp in her "angel's" arms.
Overwhelmed by his senses, Sanzo lost control of his resolve. Feeling his fangs slip down again, he bit down on the tender flesh of her neck and drank deeply.
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The sidewalks were crowded with the hustle and bustle of the noon rush hour. The Diet had made a decree long ago stating that no one could work in an office between the hours of 11:45AM and 12:45PM. Most people, not wanting to stay in the office, would head home for lunch, unless their apartments were too far away.
Cho Hakkai scolded himself for timing his morning errands incorrectly. He had needed to deposit the money from his tenants' rent, as well as pay his utility bills. After his parents' death many years ago, he had inherited an apartment complex as well as a few other pieces of property. When he had grown old enough to run it himself, he sold the other pieces of property to help completely pay off the apartment. He was one of the only "normal" people in Oniori who owned any property.
The close proximity of those around him made the green-eyed man glad that he did not have to carry a briefcase or purse like so many other people. Being an Apartment Manager had its advantages – his hours were flexible and his work was always at home. His tenants were also all good people. He used to have a resident a year ago that was often fairly loud when his friends were over, but he had had a good heart.
Had. That was the key word.
Not wanting to think about it, Hakkai found his gaze wandering to the empty streets. It was so odd seeing sidewalks so full and a large expanse of nothing in between them. While one got used to it after awhile, it still seemed outlandish to have people patiently wait for the light to change at crosswalks to cross streets with no vehicles on them.
The Diet had highly restricted the use of automobiles strictly for themselves. An exception had been made for the emergency services, and any civilian who had been able to jump through all the hoops to get a permit. It took dozens of steps and several months to even be considered, and even then it was nearly impossible to get an approval. Most people just didn't bother with it.
Hakkai could have taken his jeep to the bank – it would have been much quicker – but that would have brought a bit too much attention to him than he'd like. He needed to keep a low profile, especially since most of his close friends were unable to, and gas prices were incredibly high as it was. Very few people knew that he had a vehicle permit, and he preferred to keep it that way. He was also hoping to check something out on the way back home…
Turning a corner, the young man found himself in one of the busiest areas of the capital. Across the street to his left was the hospital, where he saw people constantly entering and exiting the building. On his side of the street were several shops, including a very popular and expensive restaurant with outdoor seating. Due to rush hour, all the tables had occupants, and the waiters were still trying to squeeze more people in. He had wanted to stop by somewhere for lunch, but the idea of waiting an hour and a half for even a seat by someone he didn't even know didn't appeal to him.
"Cho-san!" Eyes skimmed the seating, he found himself looking at one of the most prominent figures in the classical music world, Sha Yaone.
"Sha-san!" Yaone was the adopted sister of his best friend, and they had known each other since they were kids. Hakkai noticed that she had managed to grab a table for two, and the seat across from her was empty.
"Is this seat taken? He asked quietly, noticing how she scanned the area to make sure that no one was looking at them. When she saw that the main waiter's head was turned, she shook her head slightly with a smile.
"I thought you had rehearsal today," he asked in a much more casual tone. "I know that you usually pack your lunch and eat it at work during break. I thought you didn't like the large crowds of the noon rush."
Yaone smiled as she stirred the ice in her water with a straw. "You're right. But today's practice was cancelled so we could all go in for our yearly physicals."
She took a sip of her water and continued. "I don't understand why they don't stagger it more than this. It would be a more effective system if they did."
Hakkai's face grew serious. "You and I both know that many things the Diet does doesn't make sense."
Yaone nodded solemnly as the two of them were both temporarily lost in their own thoughts. They were quickly brought back to reality when they noticed a waiter heading in their direction. They both put on their traditional smiles, seemingly oblivious to any sort of serious exchange.
"Ah, I see that your friend has arrived, Sha-san." The elderly man took out a notepad out of his vest's pocket. "May I get you anything to drink, sir?"
"A water is fine, thank you."
The blue-haired lady waited until the waiter had walked away before she spoke again. "I thought you liked the sake here. It may not be the stuff that you normally drink, but it is still very good."
"Well, I was planning on having some tomorrow night when Gojyo comes over, and it would be odd to drink this early in the day." He laughed nervously. The man's alcohol tolerance hadn't ever been completely calculated, for he never seemed to get drunk. He could even drink Gojyo and Kougaiji under the table and remain sober. Given the already divine-like alcohol tolerance vampires – especially Keikan vampires – possessed, that was saying something.
The waiter returned a moment later with Hakkai's water, and they placed their order. When he left again, the green-eyed man found himself looking back across the street.
A small knit group seemed to be forming in the courtyard of the hospital. Hakkai's eyebrows rose slightly as he nodded his head in their direction. Most of them were wearing white shirts with writing on them that he couldn't make out. Yaone stole a quick glance before returning his gaze.
"That's the reason I came. Shuuei just found about it, and I was the first person he could contact. We were going to meet here, but something came up and he wasn't able to explain it to me, but it sounded like something big."
Hakkai's eyebrows rose as she continued.
"And it isn't just that either. Did anyone tell you about what happened last night?"
Hakkai's calmly took a sip of his water. Things are happening all the time… "It depends on what you are referring to."
Yaone's eyes darkened. "A body was found earlier this morning in an alleyway, her spine snapped and all of her blood drained. The police covered it up quickly, but not before a Hunter was able to find it. I don't know who did… Shuuei didn't go into detail about that."
Hakkai's expression remained steady. A Hunter did not disclose more information than they needed to about their new target, in fear that others might be captured and tortured. No matter how much he trusted Yaone, he was not going to tell her that it had been him who found the body, and that he was going after another Keikan.
"Shuuei wanted me here because he said that something is about to happen," she continued, "and he couldn't personally make it. If he's right, it should be starting any second now."
Indeed, something was happening. The group of people seemed that they were not going to just simply "talk" anymore, but do something. The warning bells went off in Hakkai's head when he saw a flash of white poster board.
"You know how there's a group who's dedicated stopping the "operations" on cripples," Yaone whispered. "Well, they're standing over there. They were planning a protest in a few months at the next Mass Physical, but something came up to make them take action now."
"What?"
"One of the police officers that found the body in the alley is a sympathizer with the group and told his friends.
"He had seen the bodies of those that "failed" to come out of "surgery." He wasn't a fool; it was easy to tell that they looked exactly alike."
"So they're going to protest today," Hakkai finished. While he despised what went on in the hospital behind closed doors, he could do nothing to stop it without becoming a target of the Diet.
"Yes, they are, and we're about to lose another one of our contacts. That policeman is participating."
The group of people had started to march in a line from one end of the hospital courtyard to the other. He saw about half of them holding up signs of different colors, but most of them were red and white. They held similar messages, but some just repeated what was said on their shirts.
"Stop the Murder?" Hakkai read. "With a sign like that, the police are going to be here in under a half hour."
The brown-haired Hunter amended that statement when he saw the leader pull out a megaphone. Make that less than ten minutes…
"CITIZENS OF THE CAPITAL! YOU ARE BEING DECEIVED!" he began, directing his speech towards the opposite side of the street. Those passing by winced at the volume.
"When are we not?" Hakkai heard a man remark quietly to a friend at a table nearby. "Everyone knows that the Diet covers stuff up…"
The speaker continued. "LAST YEAR, 3173 HANDICAPPED PEOPLE DIED IN THIS HOSPITAL BECAUSE OF "FAILED" OPERATIONS THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO HEAL THEM." He paused to let the fact sink in. "THIS NUMBER HAS BEEN RISING WITH EVERY SINGLE YEAR, AND SO FAR OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE MET THEIR DEATHS IN THIS WAY IN OUR CURRENT YEAR." The crowd of rush hour, which had previously been passing by at a fast pace, had gradually slowed down.
"THE TRUTH IS, THE HOSPITAL HAS NOT BEEN OPERATING ON THEM TO SAVE THEIR LIVES, BUT HAVE BEEN KILLING THEM QUIETLY ON THE DIET'S ORDERS! THIS IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY! WE CAN'T JUST LET THIS REMAIN COMMONPRACTICE! RISE UP AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!"
Their salads came, but both Hunters simply picked at their plates. Neither one was very hungry anymore.
The rush hour crowd had completely stopped. Hakkai noticed that some people had started to cry. Others seemed to get a determined look on their face, and went to go join the demonstration.
Suddenly, an old man in ragged clothing ran up and grabbed the megaphone from the leader. "THE DIET HAS BEEN HIDING SOMETHING ELSE FROM YOU!" The leader was frantically whispering in the man's ear, seemingly trying to get his megaphone back. The old man seemed oblivious as he continued.
"THE DIET HAS NOT BEEN EXPLAINING TO YOU WHY SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN "GIVEN PERMISSION TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE CAPITAL!"" Unlike the other "prophets of doom" that frequented the streets of Oniori, Hakkai could see no insanity in the man's eyes. "THEY ONLY SAY THIS TO EXPLAIN AWAY THE DEATHS THAT THEY WANT TO HIDE FROM YOU! BOTH THE CRIPPLES AND THE UNEXPLAINED "MOVINGS" MET THEIR DEATHS IN THE SAME WAY! THEY WERE ALL KILLED BY VAMPIRES!"
As if on cue, the sirens of the police cars could be heard. Hakkai shut his eyes tight to the situation in helplessness. There was nothing anyone could do for the demonstrators, and he couldn't help but remember his own pain when he thought of how his own sister had "moved away." He knew that Yaone was feeling the same kind of emotions at that moment too, for both Gojyo and her had lost their older brother for the same reason.
Everyone in the capital knew of the legends of vampires, no matter how muddled some of the stories had become – whether one chose to believe in them or not was a different story. Hakkai and Yaone had seen enough proof to last them the rest of their lives and those of their future reincarnations. Still, the Diet did the best they could to cover up everything, and anyone who even so much as mention the word would be sent for "Reeducation."
"Reeducation" was the fate that awaited these protestors. If they did not succumb to the Diet's teachings, they'd then be charged with sedition and given a dummy trial. The trials always ended in public executions. If their offence became even more heinous than that, they would also be "given leave to move away from the capital."
"I'M TELLING YOU THE TRUTH! NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THESE DEVILS HAVE INFILTRATED OUR SOCIETY, INCLUDING THE DIET! DO NOT PRETEND TO BE IGNORANT ANYMORE! NO ONE IS SAFE, NO ONE-"
The old man the megaphone suddenly snatched out of his hand by a policeman and was hit over the head with it. "Worthless scum," the officer said as he kicked the fallen figure of the bedraggled man.
Hakkai and Yaone's eye darkened as they saw the new Chief of Police step out of the leading cop car. It had been obvious from the moment that Captain Liang had been killed who would replace him. The Hunters were even suspicious that he had instigated the ambush on Lirin for just that purpose. They wouldn't put it past him.
Chin Yisou shut the door and watched as his officers subdued the protest. His expression was disturbingly cheerful, but it was if he was silently hoping that someone from the crowd would try to lend a helping hand.
His gaze stopped on the two Hunters, and he smiled at them. Whispering something quickly to his second-in-command, he walked over to where they sat.
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There are hundreds of legends about vampires, so it is hard to stick to one particular version and claim that it is the *correct* one. The exact model of my vampires of this story is a mix of several of these legends, plus a few twists of my own.
The most important thing to remember at the moment is that there are some legends in which incredibly powerful vampires can actually go out into the sunlight.
Please let me know what you think of the chapter! This story is a bit different from anything else I've ever done, so I appreciate any input, whether it be comments or criticisms. Thank you for reading!
-Iapetus