I will always love you. Those words have haunted me for the past five years. Of course, if I could, I would return those words, but I can’t. The one I love is dead, and it’s my fault she’s dead. After all, I’m the one that killed her.
Tenaka, my Sire, died at my hand. The rage and pain of Lantis’ death sent me into a fury. I fought her, giving in completely to my vampiric side. It was too late when I came to my senses. My love was dead.
So, call me a lost soul. Call me a deserter. Call me cursed, blest, undead, vampire, whatever you want. I call myself a lost cause. I live as a creature of the night. I’m no longer human and can never be human again. I have accepted this and that’s why I left the ones I once called friends.
Heh, they’re probably searching for me. Well, they’ll never find me. And they’ll never find my daughter either. Of course, they don’t know I have a daughter, only Lantis and Tenaka knew... And they’re both dead. And they aren’t talking. Well, at least not talking to the others. Tenaka speaks to me because of the Sire-Childer link.
I’m rambling. I should get on with this story. This is a story of what my life became once I left the Guardians. The Guardian of Darkness, now a vampire, has gone rampant and she’s now a demon, just like the ones the Guardians are supposed to fight to keep Earth from being destroyed. Well, what happens when one of them changes sides? Here’s that story.
Spring 2008
Hiroshima, Japan
It was night and I had been awake for the past hour. Kashya was still asleep. She was still young enough that she didn’t wake up until the last faint ray of light disappeared from the Western horizon.
I sat by her, stroking her long black hair. I gazed at her calm and still face. She looked like a mirror image of me, except she didn’t have freckles like me. Her skin was pale like Lantis’. She had my brown eyes.
It was only a few minute later that she woke up. She sat up, yawned and stretched. Kashya looked at me, rubbing her eye slightly.
“Is it time to get up, mama?” She asked. I gave her a faint smile.
“Yes, it is. Are you hungry? If so, I’ll get you something to eat.” Kashya only nodded. “All right,
I’ll be back shortly.” I kissed her forehead gently and stood up. I was wearing black leather pants, black army boots and a black bodice. I grabbed my black trench coat and swung it on. Next my katana was strapped to my waist. I then went in search of two meals, one for me and one for Kashya. However, a five year old vampire doesn’t drink as much as me, so I always carried a glass with me to drain some blood in to. Then I took my share from the same human and returned before the blood grew cold.
I knew one day I had to teach Kashya to hunt for herself. I promised to show her when she turns 13. As she steps into the teenage years, she can start to hunt for herself.
I stalked the streets of Hiroshima, eyes searching for a victim. I located a man sitting on the sidewalk 30 meters ahead. I made sure no one else was around. I broke into a run and caught him by surprise. I used my sword and slit his throat so he couldn’t speak, but not enough to kill him. I then grabbed the cup and filled it with his blood. I placed the cap on, slipped it back into a pocket and then sunk my teeth into the man’s neck.
When I had taken the rest of his blood, I let go of him and he slumped to the sidewalk. I sheathed my sword and turned and ran off. If all went well, he would be found after the teeth marks disappeared from his neck, so it would appear as a common murder, instead of a vampire stalker.
I quickly made my way back to the crypt Kashya and I were staying in in a nearby graveyard. I entered and Kashya came to me. I kneeled down and handed her the cup. Kashya began to drink from it. I patted her head slightly before standing and removing my trench coat and katana.
I then went and sat in a chair. After a kill, I would always tend to experience that person’s life in the span of a couple minutes. I closed my eyes as I began running through this man’s life. This man had, in his prime, been an extremely successful businessman. The rush I got from his youth was unlike anything I had experienced for a long time.
I came out of his life, feeling energized. I grinned slightly and shook my head a little as the last of weariness left me. Kashya was almost done with her share of the man’s blood.
Why do you not speak to me anymore? Tenaka asked. I sat back in the chair.
I have a daughter to care for, my Love. Once she gets older and can fend for herself, I shall speak with you longer than I do now. I replied. Tenaka seemed to laugh shortly.
Ah, so you have gained the maternal instinct. You would do anything to protect Kashya’s life, wouldn’t you?
Of course I would. Why would you ask, Tenaka?
Because she is Lantis’ child and not mine. I laughed internally.
No offense, Tenaka, but you and I could not possibly have had a child together unless we adopted. Again, I laughed internally.
I know, but still, it pains me to see how much you love and cherish this child. Yet she is the child of a man you never truly loved, but from a man whom you only wanted, never needed.
And I needed you? There was no hesitation in Tenaka’s reply.
I was your Sire. You could not refuse that you couldn’t resist me.
Come now, Tenaka, who in their right mind, male or female, could refuse you? But I will admit I truly loved you then, I truly love you now and I will always truly love you.
It seems as if your child needs you now. But remember, you can never be rid of me, Akuma. Tenaka’s presence left me then.
Why did she call me Akuma, you ask? I have forgotten to mention the fact that I have changed my name. No longer am I Anne Johnson, younger sister to Mark, Guardian of Darkness. I am now Akuma the vampire. Akuma is Japanese for devil. This name fits me to a T. I kill for both necessity and pleasure. I am a demon, after all.
“How much longer are we to remain here, mother?” Kashya asked as she handed me the empty glass.
“Not much longer. I can sense someone searching for us and they’re getting too close. I’m not sure when we’ll be leaving, but it will be very soon.”
“Why don’t we leave now?” I concentrated a moment on this presence I had felt every day these past five years. It was vampire, not human. It wasn’t close enough that we had to leave tonight, but it was too close for comfort, as it always was.
“We don’t have to leave now. Besides, I need to think of where to go and how to get there. Perhaps we can leave tomorrow night.” Kashya looked at me for a moment, her brown eyes always questioning me in some way. Kashya then simply turned and went to play with her toys on the other side of the crypt.
Once again, I sat back in the chair. I crossed my arms and legs and went into deep thought. This persistent vampire was somewhere in Western China. I could tell it was an older vampire, at least 400 years old, but I doubted it had teleportation powers. I could tell it was confused on where to go. My trail was extremely light and hard to follow. At times I make another vampire’s trail appear as my own. This clever trick had worked numerous times over the past years.
How could the Guardians not pick up on this trail you ask? First off, this trail is only one that vampires can pick up. And second, I keep my Guardian aura suppressed at all times. They know I’m alive because of that damned Light Guardian, the one who’s my opposite. Her bond to me is tighter than any of the other Guardian’s bond to me, but it is not as tight as my bond to Tenaka.
I’m trailing off the subject. I should go to Russia. Tomorrow I can travel to the Japanese coast and take a ship to the North. Yes, Russia will be a good place to hide. It is an extremely large country and a vampire’s trail will be hard to pick up there.
I came out of thought and realized most of the night had passed by. I felt the first rays of sunlight to the East were appearing. I silently cursed the sun, as I always did everyone morning.
“Kashya, tomorrow we travel to the coast and take a ship North. We shall be going to Russia.” Kashya looked at me and simply nodded.
A week later, we had arrived in Russia. Of course, we traveled through a couple other countries before we got to Russia. The vampire trailing us was following a fake trail. At the moment the vampire was in India. I was once again smiling as this vampire was again falling for my trick.
This must be a really stupid vampire. Or else they’re determined to find me. Well, I’ll make sure they don’t find me. I’ll show them that I can’t be found when I don’t want to be found. I thought to myself.
The night was still young, so Kashya and I had time yet to find a place to stay. I was almost sick to death of staying in crypts. As we traveled, I spotted an old building at the edge of the woods.
“Lets check this place out. If it’s deserted, we’ll stay here.” I said to Kashya. She merely nodded and followed me. I set my hand on the handle of the door and opened it slowly. I poked my head in and saw that it was an abandoned church. The dust and cobwebs proved no one had been here in years. At least no human had been here in years. A vampire could live here and not disturb the dust and cobwebs.
I moved inside the door and Kashya followed. She glanced around and her face scrunched up.
“It’s all dirty, mama, can’t we go somewhere else?” She asked.
“Kashya, the dust and cobwebs cannot affect us, see?” I walked towards a bunch of hanging cobwebs a few feet away. I literally walked through it like I was a ghost. The dust on the floor wasn’t disturbed either. Kashya looked at me oddly. “Don’t ask, it’s just a trait we vampires have. I guess we repel things like this.” I said, glancing to the front of a church where a giant crucifix still hung bolted to the wall.
A funny thing, it is, that a crucifix transfixes me, rather than repels me as most people think. A crucifix cannot ‘burn’ or ‘shun’ a vampire. In fact, we really love them and think they’re beautiful artwork. Then again, what vampire wouldn’t like to see the image of the damned Christ nailed to a cross and suffering a human death when he could have used his ‘divine power’ to save the promised people. We vampires love to contradict and shoot down Catholicism.
Kashya walked to my side and huddled next to me. I could tell she didn’t like the place being so dirty, but hey, for me it was better than a crypt. Kashya wrapped an arm around my waist, well, as far as her little arm could stretch around it.
“It’s too dirty for me here. Can’t we find somewhere else, mama?” Kashya asked, looking up at me with those big brown eyes of hers that were my own in color. I kneeled down so I was eye level with her.
“I’ll tell you what. If I clean this place up, would you like to stay here?” Kashya thought a moment. She then nodded her head. I gave her a faint smile and brushed some of her black hair from her face. “All right then, I’ll start cleaning.” I stood up and went to find the broom closet.
After about 10 minutes of searching, I did manage to find a broom and duster. So, I went and started to clean some of the areas. Of course I wasn’t going to clean the entire thing, but I would clean the area we would use for sleeping and the main walkways and so on.
After I had cleaned a pew off, Kashya came and sat down on it and intently watched me as I labored. I had forgotten how much effort it took to clean. I hadn’t cleaned anything in several years.
Suddenly, I stopped what I was doing. My eyes went dark and I glanced harshly at the church door. I growled under my breath, whispering curses. I set the broom gently down on the ground. Deathly silent, I used the vampiric speed and ran to the door. I stood there a moment, analyzing the situation.
There’s only one. How strange. Oh well, this is my land and I’ll fight for it. With that, I threw the door open. It flew in to whoever was out there, sending them flying backwards. I came out the door and slammed it shut. I glared harshly down at another female vampire.
“What the fuck are you doing?!” She exclaimed as she sat up, rubbing her back.
“Protecting my territory which you have trespassed on!!” I exclaimed.
“For crying out loud, give me a break! I just wanted to see who my new neighbor was!” She stood up. She was my height, give or take an inch. Her silver hair hung to the middle of her back, perhaps a couple inches longer. Her hair had dark blue streaks in it. Her eyes were a stunning dark purple.
“Well, you could’ve asked for permission. I have a child in there and I always kill first and never ask questions.” The woman looked at me like she was disgusted with me.
“With that attitude, you’ll probably kill many vampires and humans who could’ve been a friend to you.” My eyes grew dark, almost black from their normal brown.
“I have no friends and I don’t need them either. Now please get off my territory!” I demanded, more than asked. The woman crossed her arms.
“For Christ’s sake! You could be a little nicer! I did nothing to hurt you. Jesus, vampires these days. I don’t know why vampires intend on siring new ones. They can’t learn who we truly are.” The woman rambled as she turned and started to leave.
“I can still hear you and for your information, you have no idea who I am and why I act this way, so just shut up about it because you know nothing!!? I cried. She stopped and glared at me with those dark purple eyes.
“You have no tolerance of anyone. I don’t know how in the world you got a kid unless you kidnapped it from human parents and sired it yourself. And by the way, my name’s Kiyami, if you wanted to know.” She turned and kept walking.
“My name’s Akuma.” She glanced at me as she slowly kept walking.
“Funny, you don’t look Japanese to me. If we meet again, tell me your real name.” With that, she vanished in to the darkness. I turned and went back inside and went to continue cleaning.
“Who was it, mama?” Kashya asked.
“Just a vampire intruding on my territory. They won’t come back, so you have nothing to worry about.” I said as I continued to clean.
Hm, she was interesting, wasn’t she? I remember Kiyami very well. I was her Sire, too. I was enraptured by her striking beauty and I wanted her for myself. I was young then, only about 150 years old. After about 50 years or so, I grew tired of her. Of course, I realized she wasn’t really the one I wanted. It was you I wanted and no one else.
You’re such a flatterer, Tenaka.> I replied.
You see, I always get what I want. I wanted you and I got you. I wanted your body and I got your body. I wanted your love and I got your love. I paused momentarily again.
And it was me that killed you. Tenaka was silent for a few long moments. Because you wanted me to only want you, I killed you as revenge for Lantis’ death. I straightened up a moment, stretching my back. I glanced to my left and moonlight glinted off of a ghostly form I knew all too well.
I know. It was my jealousy that led to all that. Fate just didn’t want us to be together. A felt a light twinge as Tenaka stroked the side of my face gently and lovingly. I saw her eyes, looking longingly back in to mine.
I want you back, Tenaka. I want to turn back time and stop myself from killing you. Tenaka smiled sadly at me.
Yes, but if you hadn’t killed, one of the other Guardians would have. One way or the other, you would still be without me today.
Yes, but at least then I wouldn’t have to live with the pain and regret of killing you.
As long as I’m here, you truly haven’t killed me. My spirit, like yours, is undying. So if you die too, our souls can be together for eternity. Tenaka’s ghostly lips pressed against mine. I closed my eyes and was instantly transported in to another realm, one that was not in this galaxy. I opened my eyes and saw the real Tenaka in front of me. Out to the side of us, I could see what seemed to be a type of collision, or giant ball of pulsating light of all colors.
“Where are we??
“This is the center of the universe, where everything is born and destroyed. This is the place of souls. And it is where you and I can spend eternity, if you wish.” I smiled at Tenaka.
“Of course I wish that. But I can’t join you until I raise Kashya.” Tenaka’s hand rested on my cheek while her other arms slipped around my back and pulled me tight against her. She gazed ever so deeply in to my eyes.
“Then until you join me, we shall go on as we have been these past five years, my Love. Return now to your daughter and raise her well.” Tenaka said then kissed my deeply and passionately. I returned the kiss and when I opened my eyes, I was back in the church.
I took a deep breath and continued with what I was doing. As I had always done these past five years, I cursed myself for killing Tenaka. And that scene of my arm punching through her chest kept playing and replaying in my mind’s eye. I knew my life as a vampire was far from over, but I had absolutely no idea of the pain and anguish which would fill it until the moment I died.