It's been a long, long time folks, and it's my entire fault.
I'd written the first half of this chapter in March but I got sidetracked…majorly.
School got in the way, and as soon as summer started I worked almost every day. I had free time, but lacked motivation. I also went on a two-and –a-half week vacation to Japan (which was boss by the way; I got to geek the hell out). Finally, on another trip (which I'm currently on now) I was able to finish this chapter!
Beware folks; this story is reaching its final chapters!
Thanks so much to those who reviewed and are following the story; it makes me feel all warm and giggly inside every time I see a new follower. Anyways, enough about me; onto the story!
Warnings: This chapter contains old characters, very minor OCs, and Tatsumi being a weirdo.
(Shiki and its characters do not belong to me. I only own the stupid side characters that usually die.)
Sunrise: Chapter 3
July 27th, 1990: Seoul, South Korea
It was hot; very, very hot. With the time just nearing 8 PM, it was a blistering 96 degrees. Even in shorts and a tank, Natsuno was sweating. Who knew vampires could sweat? He remembered the summer heat when he and Tohru would splash hoses at each other to cool down, but this heat was inescapable. Wiping sweat from his forehead, Natsuno sighed and walked back inside the house that the survivors of Sotoba had called home for the last year and a half.
Sunako and Tatsumi were watching a Korean drama; oddly enough, Tatsumi got more into the shows than Sunako. Seishin was in the kitchen, pouring fresh bags of O-Negative into four ice-filled cups. He walked into the living room and offered one to Natsuno, who gladly took the drink and started to slowly sip it away.
Sunako started to drink hers, but Tatsumi set it to the side and continued to watch the show; only during the commercials would he even allow himself to drink. When Natsuno teased him about it at first, he seriously replied that he didn't want to be disturbed from the intense drama. After that strange conversation, Natsuno generally left Tatsumi alone about his shows.
Natsuno slouched into the couch besides Sunako and tried to watch the show; that try was in vain, for Natsuno couldn't keep his mind on the show. It was just too damned hot. Natsuno sighed and pushed himself further into the couch. Maybe if he tried hard enough, the couch would absorb him and he would be cooler.
The show ended with a cliffhanger and had Sunako and Tatsumi sitting on the edge of the couch. Natsuno laughed out loud at the hilarious sight, and Tatsumi balked at him. "How can you laugh at time like this? Min-Jung is in the hospital and Kyu-Bok doesn't know and he's flying to America! This is terrible!" Once again, Tatsumi was scaring him in a way that he couldn't describe, so Natsuno left him alone.
A news report flashed on and caught Natsuno's attention. A young, decent looking reporter came onto the screen. "Good evening, my name is Chun Hei Gyoh coming to you live with a very special report. Four years ago, a town in Japan mysteriously caught on fire and burned to the ground, killing most of its inhabitants."
All movement in the house stopped within a second. Seishin, still holding the leftover O-Negative bags in his hand, instantly appeared by Natsuno's side, intently focusing on the screen. Looking out of the corner of his eye, Natsuno saw that Sunako and Tatsumi also had their complete attention on the television. The announcer started to speak again, and Natsuno put his full attention on the screen once more.
"The town in question is Sotoba village, a small town that was known for its uncanny abilities to make fantastic wooden headstones for burial sites. Perhaps this was foreboding in the fact that, in just several hours, a once peaceful and innocent town turned to ashes, killing several hundred people. However, here at Channel 6 News, we have a special inside view of what really happened that fateful night in Sotoba, thanks to our interviewer. His name is Dr. Toshio Ozaki, and he was the head doctor of the town's only clinic; he is also one of the sparse survivors of the tragedy.
"Today, I had an interview with Dr. Ozaki and he told me with complete conviction, that the fire was not what had killed off most of the town's residents. He states that several months preceding the fire, a strange epidemic had been going around. He said that an anemic-like disease had spread throughout the village, claiming almost half the lives of its people. He also spoke of mysterious disappearances that ranged from single people to entire families, gone without a trace.
"Dr. Ozaki believes that the entire epidemic started when a mysterious, unknown family had moved into the town's uninhabited mansion on a hill overlooking the village. After they came to the town, he stated quite clearly that 'People just started to drop like flies'. While he neglected to tell us the name of the family in question, we were able to find the information about the elusive inhabitants.
"Their names were Seishirou, Chizuru, and Sunako Kirishiki. The bodies of Seishirou and Chizuru were found in the aftermath of the fire, but the body of their daughter, Sunako, has yet to be found. Earlier we'd asked Dr. Ozaki if he believed any of the 'mysterious' family had survived, but he gave no comment. His facial expressions however, gave a different impression, as though a new twist had just dawned on him.
"This concludes our report today. Dr. Ozaki will be staying in Seoul until the 31st for a medical conference. Stayed tuned for the upcoming weather broadcast and sports discussions at 8:30. I'm Chun Hei Gyoh, and this has been a Channel 6 News report."
As soon as those last words were spoken by the announcer, Tatsumi clicked the remote and the TV turned off. It was dead silent in the house of the vampires. For several agonizing minutes it stayed like this, until a sniffle from the only female in the home broke the tense silence. Natsuno looked over to see a tear-struck Sunako who was trembling. In all his life, he'd only ever seen her cry once, and it was much less severe than this.
A sob escaped her throat and she buried her face into Tatsumi's shoulder, streaking his shirt with tears. He threw his arms around her and started to smooth her hair softly, whispering words of comfort. Tatsumi met the eyes of the other two males in the household, and his gaze was severe. An unspoken sentence rang throughout the house of the vampires: we must find him.
July 30th, 1990 – 8:30 PM
Dr. Toshio Ozaki was being watched. Sure, he hadn't seen his new stalkers, but after years of watching his back and staying clear of the shadows had given him a heightened sense as to when he was being followed. Walking out of the parking garage, he observed that almost no one else was around. Sure there were a couple of stumbling drunks around, but no one who would notice if something major went down (like, say, a stalker vs. the stalked showdown perhaps?). He looked around, but he only heard silence, and only saw darkness.
Pulling out a pack of crappy cigarettes from his front jacket pocket, he sighed and said, "I know you're following me, and I really think you should know that I've handled stalkers before; it didn't end so well for them." He lit it up and inhaled deeply. Complete silence answered his statement. He exhaled slowly before a quiet, almost indistinguishable voice replied.
"Toshio, you have become quite the violent man in the years we've been apart." Seishin stepped out of the shadows, wearing all dark greys and blacks. Beside him, Sunako appeared in a light yellow summer dress.
"It's been awhile, Doc," Natsuno said, stepping out of the shadows to the left of Toshio, wearing a light grey tank and brown board shorts. Tatsumi appeared next to him, again in his white once piece track suit that ended in quite short shorts.
"It had indeed been awhile, Yuuki-kun," Toshio responded evenly, surprising even his self; on the inside, Toshio was a nervous wreck. He took another long drag from his cigarette and breathed out, watching the smoke flow into the darkening sky. The vampires stood silent and waiting.
Leaning against his car, Toshio spoke on. "I always knew that someone got away, but I'd had no idea that more than one of you'd survived, presumably you two-" he gestured at Natsuno and Tatsumi "-day walkers; the fact that the cute little leader that orchestrated the murder spree that destroyed my village surprises me and disgusts me. My mother died in that town; my wife became a vampire before my very eyes."
The vampires stayed silent, still anticipating that he had more to say; they were right.
Toshio reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his keys. Unlocking the trunk, he pulled out a medium-sized briefcase. "I knew you would try to find me someday. I am grateful that it took you this long however, because it allowed me to acquire some…interesting items."
He opened the briefcase and pulled a long, black object that had the same basic shape as a gun, but certain things were different. The barrel was larger, as if made for a bullet four inches in diameter. The gun also had a shoulder strap, as though you could carry it around your shoulder like a bag.
"I know I'm going to die soon, and I almost hope by your hands. I couldn't save the village; it's fitting then that I die like the rest of my fellow villagers, murdered by the bloodsuckers. However, I won't be going alone."
"I'll see you in hell, you little life-sucking bitch." The gun pointed at Sunako and Toshio fired.
A shot rang out; blood splattered across the walls.
The night was silent once more.