After a long journey, the ship finally anchored, and I could hear the place where I had arrived.
"Japan," I heard.
A small smile had formed on my face. I had unknowingly arrived in Kaori's land, the woman who had taught me to love.
Our adventures had been difficult, with many enemies on our tails. Since we met in China, while I was wandering the world, Kaori had been exiled by another vampire, named Yui, her converter.
Yui was a bloodthirsty vampire and wanted to use Japan as her sort of farm. She had made deals with human mafias like the Yakuza to traffic humans. Kaori possessed the ability to sense "evilness" or its residue in humans and vampires, and seeing how Yui degraded her country, she decided to confront her, ending up banished. That's how we met in China.
After overthrowing Yui, and Kaori helping me destroy the plans of the vampire scientist Joham, our closeness became personal, and we became attached to each other. But I knew that back then, our goals were different. She wanted to return to these lands to establish a coven to protect her people, while I had to return to my land to find out what was brewing back then in Santa Maria.
I began to wander through the streets of Tokyo, searching for signs of Kaori using surveillance cameras, data, or satellite signals, even hacking house by house, searching for clues. I wished to see her again, even if it was just to say hello.
I passed by a laboratory and different research centers. Japan was rich in technology and had everything I needed to repair my weapons. The country was a vibrant center for my technopathy, although sometimes overwhelming.
Finally, after wandering through several alleys and moving away from the city, I reached the same forest where Yui had settled, the Aokigahara forest. There I was able to find what seemed to be the place where she had established herself, along with her new coven.
The place was nothing more than a cabin, of a very traditional and rather simple style, compared to the luxurious house that Yui had in that year. I saw a couple of photos and smiled when I saw her, accompanied by three other vampires, two guys, and a girl, all Japanese.
"Maybe I shouldn't have come. Will she want to leave her coven to join me on another adventure? Surely she will find it difficult to resist the temptation," I thought, laughing.
Suddenly, I heard sounds coming from the forest; it must be them. So, I slowly went out as a sign of peace.
A flashbomb fell in front of me, leaving me blind and partially deaf. I didn't have time to put on my mask when I felt a sudden hit.
"It's the hunter! Catch him!" I heard one of the guys shout.
"Do you like it now?! Your own dirty tricks!" Another one annoyed me.
I knew they weren't Japanese because they spoke in English among themselves and didn't use their accent. So, I brandished the saber and ignited it.
"Careful, Stefan, we need him alive," muttered the other.
I could feel their movements and waved the saber from side to side, but it didn't seem to hit the target; I was killing flies. I blocked a kick with the saber, and I was kicked, but not before managing to cut off one's leg.
"He got me, Vladimir! It burns, it burns! Turn it off, Ahhhhh!" A third guy screamed.
I heard the two guys called Stefan and Vladimir, who seemed to enjoy watching the third vampire burn.
I flew out from another kick and let my saber fall to the side. Two other vampires began to jump on me, and I managed to pull out the dagger, injuring one in the knee, while I was being badly beaten, I could almost regain my sight.
At that moment, I heard a male voice shouting in Japanese:
"Banzaaaaai!"
It seemed to be the voice of a young boy, almost a teenager, and I heard them engaging in a four versus four duel, while I shook my head and my ears began to stop ringing.
Upon regaining my composure, I could see the two vampires called Vladimir and Stefan. They were dressed in very old-fashioned clothes, accompanied by what seemed to be two other nomads.
I quickly grabbed the saber and saw Kaori fighting hand-to-hand against a nomad, alongside another male vampire, whom they managed to subdue. The girl was being overwhelmed by Stefan, and both Kaori and her companion rushed to her aid.
I jumped on one of the nomads and managed to give him a side cut. The remaining nomad was taken down by the girl and the youngest Japanese vampire. At that moment, the two vampires named Stefan and Vladimir fled.
"Shōri!" the youngest boy yelled.
Almost all the Japanese vampires looked at the saber with suspicion, except for Kaori, who watched me with a radiant smile and a unique sparkle in her now amber eyes.
"Konbanwa, dear G," she said, a little nervously.
"Hello, hello, everyone. I'm sorry," I said, sheathing the saber.
"Sugoi... Are you the Samurai?" asked the younger boy, approaching excitedly and looking at the saber with fascination.
"Um, no... I'm a friend of Kaori," I said, a little confused and thinking, "It seems like she made a friend just like her."
The younger girl bowed and said, "Arigatou gozaimasu, Gonzalo-san. Kaori-san has told us a lot about you and your adventures."
"No, no," I said. "You saved my life; I should thank you."
"Friend..." said the older boy, with a somewhat challenging tone, seeming to be my age, and his appearance was like those K-pop stars, he was the tallest of the four.
The younger boy approached to shake my hand.
"Konbanwa, Gonzalo-san, I'm Hikaru, nice to meet you," the young boy said, shaking my hand vigorously, up and down.
The girl approached him, jumping around like Kaori used to do, gave him a kiss, and said, "And I'm Sakura. Pleasure to meet you!"
For a moment, I thought to myself, "Wow, I feel like I'm at an anime convention."
Most of them seemed to be of the same style as Kaori, cheerful, enthusiastic, and with mannerisms similar to anime characters, except for the tall, slim guy, who kept looking at me seriously. When I saw that both he and Kaori were holding hands, I understood why he looked at me with such distrust.
"Kaori has a partner," I thought, feeling a little sorry, but knowing it was something that could happen.
Now she signals to the tall guy, and he slowly approaches me and greets me, shaking hands reluctantly.
"Greetings, Masao, pleasure to meet you."
Kaori looks at him, and he finally indicates for them to go look for the vampires who had escaped.
She and I were left alone, and crossing her arms, she asks me.
"And... What adventures bring you here, Gonzalo-san!" She claps her hands enthusiastically.
The situation was strange, if not uncomfortable. I understood her reasons, but I still felt a little hurt. "What am I going to say? Hey, come with me on a new adventure and leave your new boyfriend behind?"
"In fact, I almost came by chance. I jumped on a ship escaping from some guys and ended up here, so I thought I'd come to see you... I mean... see you all... and it seems like it wasn't the best idea."
Kaori tousles my hair with her delicate hand and says, "My dear G! Always in trouble!"
She took a pause and began:
"Look! Have you seen our secret base? Here we have the center of our operations! Do you like it? When we parted ways in America, upon arriving, I found a sick boy. He was terminally ill, had been beaten up after defending a lady from a mugging."
"Masao," I told her.
"Yes. He reminded me a lot of you. He had been doing the same thing for quite some time, always trying to protect the weakest. He had no mother, no father, and was an only child; he had spent his whole life in an orphanage and practically lived on the streets."
I interrupted and said, "And seeing him terminal, you decided to turn him."
"Yes. I swear, G, I had no idea if you were going to come back, I didn't know if you were going to stay with me here, or with your family there, or if you were dead..." She seemed genuinely guilty.
"Don't feel bad," I told her. "You moved on with your life; that's what matters. But hey, you still wear the bracelet."
She looked at the bracelet and said, "Of course, my dear G, always."
"And the others?" I asked, to change the subject.
"All orphans, living on the streets. With me, they found a purpose to live for; it makes me very happy to see them so content."
"You've matured a lot. You're quite a leader now, huh?" I joked.
"Major Kusanagi, with her own team, my dear G," she hinted, making a cool gesture.
The trio returned from the forest, and Hikaru ran towards me, pointing his finger at me.
"I know who you look like with your katana! You're Tanjiro! Demon Slayer!"
Kaori and Sakura opened their eyes and mouth, starting to scream along with Hikaru, high-fiving and saying, "Ya-taa!"
I just shook my head, and Masao put his hand on his face in embarrassment; we both looked at each other and smiled, appreciating that we had something in common.
Hikaru came up to me, because I didn't had idea what was he talking about, and he mutters to me on my ear, like confessing a secret:
"Demon Slayer is the best manga ever, I told a guy about our kind and your story, and he is now drawing this new manga. Of course I made up some stuff, but it is going to be epic, just wait for it."
"And?" Kaori asked, concerned, interrupting my conversation with the boy.
"They vanished, but I don't think they'll come back around here. Anyway, we'll be prepared," Masao said.
Finally, the five of us walked to the port. I needed to find a boat that would take me to the continent so I could reach the place where the ancient book was supposed to be. I decided not to tell Kaori or her friends anything to protect them in case the content of what I'm looking for is too much for the vampire world.
Upon arriving at the port, I found a fisherman's boat, who seemed to be a friend of the group, and I recognized him immediately. He was the same man who had taken Kaori and me from Russia to Alaska. Things were getting strange.
Finally, I boarded and bid farewell to their coven. Although I was initially sad to see her with someone else, I realized how happy she was with them, and that left my heart at peace. Now I can focus on my mission.