Amor Vincit Omnia

The moment had arrived, but we needed to wait for nightfall to head to the battleground. As we made our way to the Aokigahara Forest, we stumbled upon a small clearing in the midst of the woods. We sat down there, and I couldn't help but ask:

"Kaori, I have a question..."

Her eyes turned toward me with curiosity, and she responded:

"Ask away, G."

"Did you have someone when you were human, a partner?"

She turned her gaze back to me and said, "Yes, I had one boyfriend. His name was Hiro. We were engaged. He joined the war when it broke out and promised me we would get married when he returned. He was an excellent pilot and participated in numerous battles. He gave his life sinking an American ship."

As she shared that story, I could see her face lighting up with pride. Her eyes sparkled when she mentioned his name.

"I was sad for many years, and I finally understood that it was his choice. He died for his nation, believing in his ideals and accepting things as they are. I'm at peace with that."

I didn't know how long it took her to reach that point, but I had been over a year, and I still couldn't get over the deaths of Marie and Lucero. It still hurt and reminded me of how unfair life can be. Kaori pulled out a ring. It was a simple silver ring.

"The engagement ceremony was very beautiful. Our parents were present. Look how lovely it is!" Then she added, "Do you have anything from your wife?"

I pulled out a small photo I had brought from home after becoming a vampire.

"I'm sorry I didn't have time to take a picture of my daughter. Everything happened too fast," I said, feeling my sadness.

"How old was your daughter when she passed away?" she asked intrigued.

I clenched my fists tightly and gritted my teeth. "A couple of weeks..."

Kaori's mouth dropped open, and she looked at me uncomfortably. The images of the moment flickered again – the screams, the crying, the gunshots – invaded my mind, and I shrank back, closing my eyes and covering my face with my arms.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

She wrapped her arms around me and rested her head on my shoulder. I admired her strength. She had lost her boyfriend and her entire family in the war. She had no one, yet she managed to survive. I wished I had that strength.

She took my hands and encircled them with hers. They were still trembling.

"G, they'll always be with you, in your memories and in your heart. Don't think about their deaths, think about their lives and what you need to do to honor them and keep their memories alive through your actions. I'm sure Marie would do the same in your place, but it's up to you to stand up and move forward. I'm with you, we're both in this together."

"How do you manage to move forward after everything that's happened to you?" I asked her.

"By fulfilling their will day by day, by being the best version of myself."

"There's no turning back... I must keep going, we must keep going," I thought to myself.

"It seems that in the end, not everything is manga for you, right?" I said with a smile.

The sunset passed, and night approached. I focused on conducting satellite reconnaissance to identify possible threats and areas of entry. I detected a large wall with a gate, possibly filled with cameras and guards. There were weapons, but that didn't concern me. What concerned me was whether there were more vampires inside the mansion.

From the data I had extracted when I hacked the server, I knew that in the yakuza group's house, Yui was completely anonymous. There was no reference to her, but there was evidence of human trafficking at the mansion and in the city. It seemed that Yui was at the top, but she operated very discreetly, ensuring there was no association with her. Everything indicated that her right-hand man, a man named Ryūji, was the de facto leader.

"I think I know where they are, but I'm not sure how to actually get there..."

"Leave that to me, G. You're the map, and I'm the way."

"We can't get too close, just close enough for me to access their network."

"Understood, G. Let's go!"

I could get a rough idea using satellites, but Kaori was crucial to determining exactly where to proceed.

"I'm sensing something... around here..."

We moved quickly until we were close enough for me to access their network without Yui detecting our presence. I analyzed all the cameras, phones, computers, and data. Yui wasn't the only vampire; there was another one, a guy named Takeshi. Police records indicated he was a thug and extremely violent, with a history of multiple murders.

"This guy is a serial killer," I muttered.

"What?" Kaori asked.

"Kaori, you've been replaced. Yui turned someone else, a man named Takeshi. The police data isn't encouraging," I added. "I think she's using the mafia to turn some into vampires in exchange for supplying people. That way, she doesn't have to hunt; they treat her like a queen. She probably wiped out rival gangs using her powers and climbed to the top of the pyramid."

"She achieved what she wanted... and... what's the plan, G?"

"Neutralize the guards and sabotage... we're ninjas now!" I replied with a grin.

"Let's get to work!"

We went through one by one, incapacitating them quickly. I turned off the cameras only for the brief moment we needed, without drawing attention. I looped videos for each camera to make it seem like nothing had happened. This way, the guards would always see the same thing, unaware of anything.

We jumped into the garden and moved inside without triggering any alarms.

"Your idea of recording videos on the cameras was brilliant, G."

However, I knew that sooner or later, the vampires would realize. I handed Kaori a dagger, and we set the stage. We threw numerous smoke grenades everywhere, and the shootout began.

Yui and Takeshi pushed us back outside as we tried to enter.

"Ah... little Kaori is back! How's the heroine doing? Have you finally stopped being pathetic and matured? Although, with the ridiculous attire you're wearing, it doesn't seem so," Yui exclaimed. I could understand something using the translator.

"This country is a peaceful place! And you want to ruin it just for your ego!" Kaori retorted.

"We need a place to settle and protect ourselves from foreign vampires. I've explained it to you several times. The humans living on our island should be for us, not for invaders like the despicable foreigner you have with you."

I saw her glaring at me with anger. "So, that was her plan... to create a coven in Japan for her and her kind," I thought.

"People aren't a breeding ground you just take from!" I exclaimed.

"Takeshi, get rid of this foreigner! He hurts my eyes just by looking at him," she ordered.

The guy lunged at me. I could see why she had chosen him perfectly for that role. He had incredible strength, much greater than any vampire I had ever fought, even Od.

As Yui and Kaori fought, Takeshi relentlessly attacked me. I used several tasers to paralyze him, but he kept recovering and destroying them one by one. Yui, despite not seeming to have supernatural abilities, was very agile, blocking each of Kaori's strikes and responding with precise punches and kicks. Their fight resembled a dance.

I quickly drew my saber and slashed at the guy's arm. It started to burn, but he kept attacking me. He bit my hand and managed to tear it off. The saber fell a few meters away from me. I threw a couple of smoke bombs and put on the mask. Both my enemies and unfortunately, Kaori, inhaled the gas, triggering their thirst. Slowly, the guy began to weaken, and Yui delivered a kick to my face, sending me even farther from my saber. Yui disarmed Kaori, snatched the dagger from her, but I managed to turn off the blade before Yui could injure her. So, she could only bury the blade into one of Kaori's legs.

The guy, almost engulfed in flames, lunged towards Kaori.

"Kaooooriiiii!"

I activate the remote mode of the saber and throw it towards Kaori. She grabs the saber and ignites it. This surprises Yui, and Kaori lands a precise diagonal slash, then she jumps up and from the air beheads Takeshi, putting an end to both of them.

Kaori looks at me with a smile and strikes a pose with the saber. I gaze at her incredulously. "Really? On the brink of death and she responds like that..." I think to myself. Finally, I lay back on the grass, taking a deep breath, thinking, "That was a close call."

"We did it, G! I didn't know you could do that with the katana! It was impressive!" Kaori exclaims.

"Please, just bring me my hand, I need to reattach it..." I reply with a smile.

Kaori hands me the hand, I put it back on and wiggle the fingers a bit. "Seems like everything's fine." In the distance, we see Ryūji, the man who was Yui's right-hand, crawling towards the door. Kaori approaches him slowly, saber in hand, her black eyes fixed on him, ready to go for his neck.

"Don't do it..." I plead. "The bloodlust will only weaken us further. If you give in, you'll always be her slave."

Ryūji pulls out a gun and shoots at Kaori, but the bullets ricochet off her body in all directions. With her cold black eyes, Kaori tells the man, "If you have honor, you know what to do..."

The man, frightened and trembling, takes the gun, looks at me and Kaori. I observe them both. Finally, he decides to end his own life with the gun. I watch with sadness but also understanding, as he chose death over facing his mistakes, much like I was on the brink of doing on several occasions. Then I look around, and with a sigh, I say to Kaori:

"There must be no evidence..."

"Let's get to work," Kaori responds.

We set the mansion and all the bodies ablaze. I gather all the electronic equipment and destroy it. When only ashes remain and dawn is about to break, I see Kaori gazing at the sun, its rays revealing her nature, the saber in her hand, and the wind gently touching her hair. She turns around and returns a smile to me. It seems that my heart is starting to feel something different, and that scares me, terrifies me with that sensation.