So this is Japan. Elizabeth Joestar thought as she stepped off the boat onto the dock. Just by standing, she was the center of attention at the dock. She was taller than most of the men, and her bright blue eyes were a sight few had seen before. Even with the developing interest in western fashion, her form-fitting dress and long scarf showed the people of the docks the elegance of England. It seems like a nice place, but Mr. Speedwagon told me that there are vampires here. And vampire hunters.
"DePeche, my things." She gestured for her luggage, and the man nodded.
"Of course, of course, Mrs. Joestar." Elizabeth frowned at the name.
"Please call me Lisa Lisa," she sighed, turning away. "You know what Mr. Speedwagon says."
"Abandon the old you, and so will they," DePeche agreed, carrying the many suitcases under his arms. "My apologies, Lisa Lisa."
"I was told that you already know the Japanese language. Is that true?" DePeche asked Lisa Lisa, who was inspecting her new home. It was a large hotel room, with an entry room with a short table and a back room that was presumably for sleeping, though it had no bed and only a large dresser with a mirror as furniture. There appeared to be a closet with various pillows and blankets in the back room, but nothing else.
"I picked it up while training in Tibet with my father. Now tell me, she said, her tone going from cool to icy. "Why am I here? There isn't even a bed, let alone a bath."
DePeche gestured to another door. Lisa Lisa opened it to find a small bathroom with just a sink and a toilet. "It's the only hotel in the area that has such fine indoor plumbing." He pointed out the window towards a building across the street. "And so close to a woman's bath, which allows for all women, regardless of nationality." He pulled out the futon from the closet and laid it on the floor. "This is your bed. Don't worry about cleaning; the maids will handle that.
He sat down on a particularly large suitcase. "Now, I know you are supposed to avoid attention, but there are some things that you need to know. First, I know you were told about the reports of vampires; they call them demons here, and they eat humans in this country. We haven't discovered if they are related to the stone masks, but they might be. If you encounter anything that resembles the vampires that the stone mask creates, then please let us know." Lisa Lisa's cool stare turned a bit colder still.
"I think I have had enough experiences with vampires and their ilk." Memories of the Major ran through her mind. "But since Mr. Speedwagon is doing so much for me, I suppose I can let you know if I do see one."
"Thank you, Lisa Lisa. The second thing is related to the first, but I don't think Mr. Speedwagon told you about this: there are also rumors of an organization that hunts these demons. Their swords are able to burn the demons, similar to how Ripple affects vampires. We have made contact with them; if you could discover their relationship with the stone masks and vampires, that would help us greatly."
"He did mention something about vampire hunters, though he didn't mention their swords or that I'm supposed to investigate anything." Gazing at the bathhouse, she sighed, "I guess I shouldn't have expected to have a relaxing exile." She brushed her necklace, making sure her father's gift was still with her.
Standing over the basin of water, the woman carefully removed her sweaty clothes. She tested the water with a toe, sending a ripple spreading across the surface of the cool bath. But there was a hazy spot in the center, like a drowned piece of paper. She leaned in to see it clearly and screamed at the demon's face that came to view in the water. The demon's face snarled, exposing the sharp fangs, then leaped out of the water. It grabbed the bathing woman by her arm and pulled her into the water, holding her struggling head down. When the body stopped thrashing, the demon sank beneath the now calm water, the limp body following behind. Slipping into the small tub, leaving nothing but her clothes.
"Zenetsu, you are to go to the southeast on a solo mission." Those words sent a shiver of dread down the spine of the swordsman.
"But I'm still in recovery!" He cried. "I just broke both of my legs!"
"Don't complain to me! You've been given a clean bill of health. So they must believe you are ready for this mission." She read over the message and furrowed her brows. "You've been given an escort mission."
"So no demons?" Zenetsu's attitude brightened immediately. "That sounds pretty safe."
"You're supposed to safely escort a foreigner here."
"A foreigner?" An image of a tall, bearded man with light hair and a large nose popped into his mind.
"You need to make sure she's safe and..." She continued talking, but Zenetsu wasn't listening anymore. His mind was enraptured by one word: she. Images of tall blondes in dresses filled his mind.
"When do I start?"
Every time she stepped into the bath, all her worries were washed away. No matter how many times I come here, this experience simply takes my breath away. This relaxing atmosphere is such a blessing. I wish we had these back in England.
The worries and tiredness crawled back. The pain from the loss of her husband and her separation from her only child started taking hold of her again.
"Ah, miss Lisa Lisa," a young woman said. "Please come and sit by us." The girl was just reaching her middle teens but already had several suitors after her. She and her friends visited the baths nearly as often as Lisa Lisa, and over the course of a week or so, they became rather close to the foreigner. Lisa was as exotic to them as they were to her, after all.
"We were just talking about how ocean blue has gone missing," the girls giggled at each other, sharing conspiratorial glances. "Some say she ran off with that fisherman's son, who has also gone missing. They were seen together by the-"
"Aiiee!" A scream pierced the quiet air. Lisa Lisa turned around and saw a man jump out from under a bench and grab at the screaming woman. The other girls screamed and rushed out; cries of "pervert" and "help" filled the air as they wrapped up their things and fled. But Lisa Lisa fought against the flow of women and walked towards the man, who was mostly submerged, and was pulling the unfortunate woman into the water with him.
"Enough of this," she said. She grabbed the woman and pulled. The man in the bath released the woman, causing Lisa Lisa to stumble, and he lunged at her, teeth flashing. She wrapped her arms around the scared woman and rolled to the side, dodging the man's bite. She jumped up and took a fighting stance.
"I see you're no ordinary man." She took a deep breath, "Time to test out the theories." The vampire started to circle the women, but the sharp glare from Lisa Lisa caused him to pause. "I need you to pass me that towel," she said to the frightened girl. "Then run when I tell you to." Her voice left no room to argue.
The girl tossed her the towel, which started sparkling with a bright golden light when grabbed by the Ripple warrior. "Go!" The vampire lunged at them, his mouth impossibly wide. The girl scrambled to run, but Lisa Lisa met the monster with an attack of her own, whipping the demon across the face with the sparking cloth.
The demon howled in pain and clutched his rapidly melting face.
While he was distracted, Lisa Lisa wrapped the towel around herself and ran for her clothes. Just as she grabbed her scarf and turned to finish off the vampire before it tried to hide or make one last attack, a curious wind blew past her. One second the vampire was holding their loose jaw in a panic, and the next it had a surprised look on its mostly melted face as it flew through the air completely separate from its body. The head landed in the bath, melting into a fleshy goo that crumbled to ashes before it could even sink.
"Don't worry, I would never let a demon hurt such a…" He trailed off, his mind having trouble forming complete sentences and taking in the sight of Lisa Lisa. She towered over him, wearing nothing but a wet towel that clung to her well-developed body. Her blue eyes gave such an intense fierceness that he felt pinned down.
"It's rude to stare at a lady," She said, walking towards him. As she passed, she gently laid her scarf over his head, obscuring his vision.
Zenitsu reached to pull it off, his brain starting to come back to life after he lost sight of her for a second. What's that sound? It sounds like...sparks? He grabbed the scarf and pulled, but the scarf didn't budge. He frantically tried to find the end, but couldn't find it through all the twists and turns. Just before he started to get desperate and try to cut it off his own head, it slid off in the smoothest motion. Lisa Lisa was standing there, now fully clothed in her typical dress, her scarf now in its proper place around her.
"Let's find a better place to talk," she said. Without another word, she left the bathhouse.
Zenitsu listened to her, really listened. He heard her every breath, the pulsing blood in her veins, the thoughts in her head. He listened to see if she was trustworthy, if she should see the secrets of the demon hunters. He heard a rhythm. A rhythm similar to what the pillars sound like when they're training, but slightly different. This sound was softer than the powerful beating hearts the pillars have, but not weaker. No, this beat was just as steady as any pillar, just more subtle. Did I really save her? He thought, stunned for a moment, then quickly followed the commanding woman through the confused crowds that were gathering around the bathhouse, wanting to find out the answer. In their hurry to leave, neither of them noticed the dark tendrils receding into the water.