In the back of her mind, Kasumi knew that coming to the hospital was a
mistake. Sunrise was only two hours away for one thing. For the other, she
had know idea how her family would react to her presence. Any number of
things could happen and she didn’t want to dwell on any of them. She had
seen the shocked expressions before she ran away; she didn’t think she could
bare seeing them again.
Another thing that worried her was Sasuke. The two had parted ways less
than an hour earlier, promising to meet in the park at sunset on the
following day. Although the young ninja had promised to reveal nothing to
anyone, she still felt nervous about it.
Finally, after several moments, the nurse looked up and said, "Miss Tendo
is in Room 28 on the second floor."
"Is she alright?" Kasumi asked, worry for her sister override concern for
her own problems.
"I’m sorry, I can only release that information to family members."
"I’m her cousin," Kasumi answered. "My name is Ranko Tendo. I just
arrived and a neighbor told me something had happened."
The nurse seemed a little skeptical, but Kasumi easily forced her will on
the young girl to make her accept the story. After a moment, the nurse
shrugged and answered her questions.
"Your cousin was brought in for severe trauma. She is stabilized, but
unconscious. Poor girl, she lost nearly seven pints of blood and was just
lucky that her sister called the Dr. Tofu so quickly," she said. "Don’t
really know what happened, or how someone can loose so much blood from such
a small wound. But then again, from what Dr. Tofu tells me, that family
seems to draw trouble."
"Thank you," Kasumi answer, exerting her will to make the nurse forget she
had seen her.
As she moved down the hall, she kept her ears open and her eyes keen for any
sign of her family. Opting for the stairs instead of the elevator, she
quickly made her way to the second floor. Opening the door, she quietly
peeked out of the door. Seeing no one, she walked into the hall.
Moving as quickly as she dared, Kasumi made her way down to room 28. As
she neared it, she slowed her pace considerably. As she reached the door,
she stood before it and extended her sense to hear what was going on inside.
********
"That was the last time I ever heard the voices of my family, Gabriel."
Gabriel started as Kasumi addressed him. He had, once again, been so
entranced by her tale that he had lost track of time’s passage. The storm
outside still raged, but the lightening had long since stopped.
"What did they say?"
Taking a long drink of her wine, Kasumi leaned back in her chair and
replied, "Their words are something I would rather not repeat, Gabriel."
"I see."
"No!" Kasumi exclaimed, knowing full well what Gabriel was thinking. "I
did not mean it in that way. Their words held nothing but kindness and
wonder. They held none of the anger I expected to hear. They are the last
true memory I have of my family and I wish to keep them with me."
"I understand," Gabriel replied. And he did, understand. It was a long
held superstition by many that when one let memories out in words, you lost
them forever. If the words his Primogen described where as special as she
said, he could not blame her for not wanting to speak them.
"After I left the hospital, I took up sanctuary with the Prince for several
days," Kasumi continued. "During that time, I was careful not to leave his
haven except to feed, and that was done only in the latest possible hours.
The ghouls, however, kept me appraised of my family’s search for me."
"It was at that time the prince told me that having my family searching for
me would be dangerous to the Masquerade, thus, I had to leave the country to
keep from being discovered."
"But you didn’t leave, did you?" Gabriel ventured, wanting to know what had
happened.
"Not at first," Kasumi answered, looking away and cradling the old photo
album in her arms. "I couldn’t just leave my family, even though I
basically did just that. I couldn’t bear the thought of them searching for
me for the rest of their lives. I wanted so badly to return to them. Deep
down, I know they would have accepted what I had become, but I couldn’t
place them in danger, not after what happened to Akane. I had to do something."
"What?"
Turning back to him, Kasumi reopened the album and carefully leafed through
the pictures again. "I decided to kill myself," Kasumi said flatly.
"You what?!" Gabriel blurted out.
"I knew that my family would never stop looking for me as long as they knew
I was alive and had a hope of me coming home," Kasumi replied.
Looking at her, Gabriel could see that she was straining to keep her voice
even and unemotional. He could, however, see the tears which threatened to
flow anew. Gabriel knew that his race could cry, more than most gave them
credit for, but he never knew a Kindred that let herself cry so easily.
Perhaps it was better that way. Perhaps crying was her only way to deal
with her tragic past.
"The Prince and I worked on several plans that could convince my family that
I had died. Surprisingly though, it was Sasuke who came up with the final
idea."
"What happened?"
Leaning back, Kasumi raised her glass and once again swirled the liquid
inside. A bolt of lightening suddenly landed nearby. As the red liquid
within the glass caught the light, it send a strange dance of electric light
flashing across the room, lighting it for but a moment with its beauty.
"A day earlier, there had been a horrible fire in an old apartment building
in Tokyo. Nearly twenty people had died that day. One of them, was a young
girl who was – at the time – my age. She was the right height and weight
and, like most of the others, she had been horribly burned to where it was
nearly impossible to recognize she had been human. The girl had been a
runaway from one of the orphanages and had very few records. With the help
of some of the ghouls, we substituted my dental records for hers."
"That… must have been hard on you," Gabriel replied.
"That was the hardest decision I’ve ever made, Gabriel," Kasumi responded.
"I still have nightmares about how horrible it must have been for my family
when they where told. I had no choice though."
Gabriel nodded. He could do little more for fear of his voice breaking. He
did not want to even think of how difficult it must have been for the family
of such a charming person to be informed that she had had such a horrible
death. Even if the dead girl had been someone else, he did not want to
think of the psychological impact it would have made.
"After that happened, I knew that my family thought I was dead and that I
could leave," Kasumi continued, a single tear falling from her eye. "You…
you’ll never know how painful it was for me to do that, but I did. I fled
the country several days later and moved to America. Sasuke, who had since
made it his duty to protect me, followed me there. That, however, is
another story entirely and not something I would make you sit through."
"Did… did you ever… I mean, did you ever make any contact with your family
again?"
"No," Kasumi answered flatly, her voice pained. "As per my request, the
Prince sent me letters and messengers every so often to let me know what was
happening to them. There were times I wanted so badly to return to them; to
become part of their lives again, but I knew I couldn’t. They though I was
dead and it was better that way."
"Do you know what happened to your sister? Was she alright?" Gabriel
asked. In doing so, he felt as though he was opening an ancient wound that
should have remained closed. However, the well being of his Primogen’s
sister had seemed to be of high importance to her. He could not help but ask.
"Akane recovered perfectly," Kasumi answered, a nostalgic smile accentuating
her features. "I received word several years later that she and Ranma had
married. Two years later, I received word that they had a baby girl whom
they named Kasumi."
"I’m sorry," Gabriel said. "I didn’t mean to stir unpleasant memories."
Smiling at him, Kasumi sighed happily. "Quite the contrary, Gabriel. The
memory of those letters is still quite strong and very pleasant. To be
honest, I still have them and I read them on occasion," she commented.
"Whenever I picture my sister in a wedding gown, with Ranma at her side, or
picture the two of them cradling there children – yes, Kasumi was not their
only child – I am sad a first, but it never fails to make me smile in the end."
Gabriel nodded silently. He was certain that, although his Primogen was
only hitting the highlights, the news she had received had not always been
good. Respectfully, he kept silent.
"I returned to Japan seventy years later when I received word of Ranma’s
death at the age of eighty-eight," Kasumi said, smiling sadly. "By that
time, he and Akane had already had three children, all of whom had at least
two children of their own. Like their parents, the children grew up with
martial arts and two of them even volunteered to take over run of the dojo.
>From what I understand, Ranma died happy and Akane followed him only a year
later."
"I guess that was my last gift to them," Kasumi said, pausing to take
another sip of wine. "I have helped all of their descendants with the dojo,
making sure that it has stayed, relatively unchanged over the past
two-hundred. It’s still there today and is still the Saotome Dojo. They
don’t know who I am, of course, but I do visit them every so often to see
how the old home is doing."
"That was truly the one good thing I have been able to do with my existence,
Gabriel. I’ve been able to carry a torch for my family’s dreams long after
those dreamers have left this world. That is the only reason I have in my
life to be happy now."
As Gabriel watched his Primogen turn away from him, he knew her tail had
been completed. He could see the tears threatening to over take her, but
could also see the willpower forcing them back. Without thinking, he asked
the one thing he had been asking himself through the whole story.
"Kasumi… why did you tell me this?"
Wordlessly, Kasumi handed him a small piece of paper from the album. Taking
it, Gabriel read it silently.
I remember when, so long ago,
I chose to leave the day.
I made my choice but did not know,
The price that I would pay.
For a time this was my home,
The darkness was my friend.
But now it chills me to the bone,
Since I met the beat within.
And now at last I know the pain,
Of never having light,
And now I know I shall remain,
A creature of the night.
Raising his face from the words, Gabriel felt a tear run down his cheek for
the first time in decades. He had no need to ask the poem’s meaning. The
poem described the Kindred in perfect detail; creatures of the night who
never truly knew the price they paid for their eternal life. The poem, was
about Kasumi and the pain her existence brought her.
"I wrote that many, many years ago, Gabriel," Kasumi said, answering his
unspoken comment. "It wasn’t long after I left Japan actually. Consider it
well."
This, brought Gabriel up short. The poem’s meaning had been crystal; clear
and easy to see. However, whatever his Primogen was hinting at, was a
complete mystery to him.
Seeing this, Kasumi looked at him again and reaching out, took the poem and
placed it back in the album.
"Gabriel, I have told you my story to illustrate a point to you. Only two
other people know it. One is the Prince, the other is Sasuke," Kasumi said.
"When you first came here, you told me you wished to embrace your lover. I
told you to make sure you did not trade a treasure for an empty box."
"I don’t…"
"When I was embraced, I loved Kaneda with all my heart," Kasumi continued.
"He told me of the dangers of being a kindred, but all I knew was that he
and I had a chance to be together forever. When I asked him to embrace me,
I did exactly what I have told you not to do. I traded a treasure – my life
– for an empty box, even though I did not know it at the time. I realized
that many years later when the Prince informed me of how happy my family
seemed to be. I traded my life and my family for a life of eternal darkness."
"Perhaps, if Kaneda were still with me, I would think otherwise. However,
since he died, all I can think of is how I let myself be taken away from the
light. If I was not embraced I would have been able to leave some legacy
the way my sisters did, but that will never be." Kasumi paused to wipe
another tear away. "With Kaneda by my side, I cared nothing for the price I
would pay for immortality. But, now that I look back, it wasn’t worth it.
Love can be a wondrous thing, Gabriel, but after it is gone, what then?
Will you leave your lover one day, leaving her to wonder if you will not
return? Or will someone take her life in an effort to hurt you? The answer
is that you don’t know. You _can’t_ know."
Gabriel stared calmly at his Primogen as the words sank deep into his
being. "You are saying that you will not speak to the Prince," Gabriel
replied. "Aren’t you?"
"No," Kasumi replied. "I am saying that I want you to think about what
will happen someday. Kaneda tried to tell me what may happen, but I did not
listen. Now, I wonder if I would change things if I could. The answer is
that ‘yes’ I would give up all of this to be with my family again."
Nodding, Gabriel stood rather shakily. "You…. you’ve given me a lot to
think about."
Bowing her head slightly, Kasumi also rose from her chair and walked to
Gabriel’s side. "I know, Gabriel," she said. "I thank you for listening to
my tale, you’ve done me a greater service than you’ll ever know. Talk to
you lover. Tell her what I have told you. After that, if she still wishes
to be embraced, bring her here and I will speak to the Prince on your behalf."
Turning to her, Gabriel reached out and took hold of her hand. Raising it
to his lips, he kissed it lightly. Releasing the hand, he bowed deeply. "I
will do as you ask, my lady."
Kasumi could not help but smile at his sudden change in demeanor; so
different from when he had first arrived. Stepping forward, she offered him
her arm and, as he took it, they moved away from the window to the door.
Halfway there, Gabriel suddenly released her and returned to the table.
Retrieving the album, he made his way back to the table he had found it upon
and reverently placed it in the exact same position he had found it.
As he returned to the door where Kasumi patiently waited, he said, "It
seemed proper."
Nodding, Kasumi moved to one side to allow him to exit the room. With a
final look back, she shut the door soundly.
*******
In the main hallway, Gabriel silently retrieved his jacket from Sasuke as
Kasumi waited patiently near the door. Gabriel took one last look over the
mansion, trying valiantly to find some small memory within it that he could
take with him.
The encounter with his Primogen had gone better than he could every have
prayed for, and he knew that he would never forget her kindness to him. As
he finished the final button on his jacket, he walked to the door and
prepared to face the storm once again.
"Are you sure you do not wish to stay?" Kasumi asked. "It is quite bad out."
"I’m afraid I must decline my la…um… Kasumi," Gabriel answered, correcting
himself at the last moment. "But my lover will be expecting me sometime
soon with news of my encounter."
"I understand, Gabriel."
Turning to the door, Gabriel grasped the knob, but released it before
turning it. "Kasumi," he said quietly. "In all my years I have never met
someone as kind as you. I thank you for entrusting your story to me."
Pausing Gabriel turned to face Kasumi, his eyes happy, but his face dead
serious. "I swear on the blood, that it will never be repeated by me."
Smiling, Kasumi reached out and gently grasped Gabriel’s shoulder. "That
is why I told you."
Nodding, Gabriel turned back to the door, ready to open it. To his
surprise, Kasumi reached out first and quickly threw the door open. A
moment later, she moved through the portal and into the rain beyond. As he
watched, her cloths immediately became saturated by the shining spears of
rain, hugging her body tightly.
"Kasumi!" He and Sasuke shouted in unison. "Where are you going?"
Turning quickly, Kasumi smiled brightly and spread her arms wide. "To the
storm!" She called. "It’s been far to long since I ran with it!"
With that, Kasumi turned her back on the stunned males and ran off into the
torrents of rain.
******
The rain stung her eyes and body as she wound her way through the streets
of Tokyo but she did not care. Her body and soul felt more alive then it
had in a century. The cold, crystal raindrops slammed against her, but she
ignored them. The pain within her seemed to wash away as quickly as it came
to her.
Deep inside her mind, Kasumi told herself that nothing had changed and that
she simply wanted to do something she had not done in years. Her heart,
however, would have none of her mind’s cold logic. Her heart knew that her
euphoria was caused by the lifting of a great weight upon her chest. She
had so long kept the memories within her buried, and letting them out had
somehow freed part of her soul she thought lost long ago.
Speeding through the empty streets, Kasumi dodged any and all obstacles
within her way. A mailbox here, a lamppost there, all were nothing to her
now. Her soul was free of the melancholy that had held it for so long.
Moving randomly through the streets of the city, she passed many of the
places she had known in her youth. Although each of them had changed, they
had all remained the same in her eyes.
To one side, the Ucchan stood like a silent monument to her memories. The
now international Okonomiyaki restaurant, still run by Ukyou’s
great-grandchildren, seemed to smile at Kasumi as she passed. The lighted
interior, filled by patrons who had braved the storm for a sure to be
delicious dinner, glowed warmly at her.
In another section of town, the not quite so world famous, Cat Café was
likewise doing business. As she passed, Kasumi could see Lotion, Shampoo’s
great granddaughter eagerly waiting on one of the tables within. Behind
Lotion, stood Shampoo. Age had been kinder to the amazon than it had been
to Cologne, but the solid white hair and slightly wrinkled face easily
betrayed Shampoo’s true age.
Finally, Kasumi found her way to her object. The high brick and
chain-length fence that surrounded the city’s graveyard. Without breaking
her stride, Kasumi leapt over the fence to land at a crouch on the other
side. Sprinting forward, she made her way to her objective.
On one of the larger plots, stood numerous tombstones of various ages.
Slowing her pace, she made her way to each of them. Silently, she ran her
fingers over the smooth cut marble surface of each marker. As she did so,
she could feel tears welling up again, only to be immediately taken away by
the torrents of rain that crashed against her.
Walking by the tombstones, she silently traced the kanji that marked each
one. To each one, she offered a silent prayer. Finally, she reached her
true objective. Kneeling before it, she silently traced the kanji of the name.
"How did you know I would come here, Sasuke?" Kasumi asked, seemingly to
the air.
Behind her, partially hidden by the crashing of the rain, a small murmur of
surprise sounded forth. Obviously, her pursuer had not thought her so
perceptive. Such was the way of things she supposed.
"I followed you," came the reply. "You weren’t exactly being sneaky as to
your path."
"I suppose not," Kasumi replied.
"You could have told them you know."
Smiling, Kasumi let out a sigh and answered, "No Sasuke, I couldn’t."
"With all the strange things that happened to the family, I’m sure they
would have accepted you eventually."
"That would have endangered the Masquerade."
"I don’t think so," Sasuke replied, kneeling next to Kasumi.
Bowing her head, Kasumi touch her nose to the ground, offering a silent
prayer. A moment later, she stood up quickly.
"No, Sasuke," she said. "For better or for worse, Kasumi Tendo died a long
time ago."
Turning from Sasuke, Kasumi silently read the tombstone.
In loving memory of:
Kasumi Tendo
1976 - 2003
A kind heart, a loving soul
A sister and a friend.
Helping Sasuke to his feet, Kasumi smiled at him and lead him away from the
grave. "Come, Sasuke," she said. "It’s been far to long since we’ve spoken
to the rain."
Shaking his head, Sasuke replied, "No, Kasumi. Tonight is yours. I’ll
not intrude on it."
Smiling warmly, Kasumi reached forward and hugged Sasuke tightly. A moment
later, she turned from him and sped of into the storm. The kiss of darkness
had taken her from her family, but it had itself been taken away by the
action of a solitary stranger. As Kasumi moved off into the night, she felt
her heart soar for the first time in a century, carried aloft on the wind of
her memories.
********************************************** The End.
A big thanks to Francis Gilbert and William Kotas for pre-reading and
prodding me on this story. Without their help I may not have gotten it
finished by my self-designated release date.
If you’ve read this far, thank you very much. I hope you enjoyed it.
*******Begin Disclaimer*******
-Ranma ½ is the creation and property of Rumiko Takahashi as well as a whole
bunch of other people that
are not myself.
-Vampire: The Masquerade is published by White Wolf Games and written by
Mark Rein-Hagen.
-Both of the Above are copyrighted by their respective owners and are used
_WITHOUT_ permission.
No copyright infringement is intended.
Nobody sue me okay?
-All other names which appear in this fanfic are made up by me and are the
property of no one in particular
*******End Disclaimer*******
Author notes:
Okay, how many people figured out that Kasumi was the vampire? How many
people where surprised that Kasumi was the vampire? How many… okay you get
the idea. ^_^
Right now, you are probably asking yourselves: "Why the hell did he make
_Kasumi_ a vampire?" Or, at least something alone those lines I hope.
Well, there’s no real answer for why I did. I was just playing Vampire one
day and I just got this weird idea of combining it with Ranma. Over the
course of a year I worked myself up to writing it and this is the product.
In trying to write this story, I went through all the main characters of
Ranma and tried to figure out which one would be good, interesting and above
all else surprising.
I considered Shampoo for a while, but then Thomas R. Jefferys came out with
Huntress. Of course, by that time I’d already eliminated Shampoo from the
choices. For a while, I considered Kodachi, but then I realized no vampire
would be dumb enough to embrace _her_. No slight against Kodachi mind you…
she’s just a little to crazy. I didn’t want to use Akane or Ranma nor any
of the Adults (although Cologne would make an interesting Nosferatu –
Phoenix ducks as Cologne swipes at him with her staff). Nabiki I thought
would be too obvious and Kasumi just seemed wrong.
That’s when it hit me. Kasumi seemed so wrong for the part, that she became
right for the part. She had all the characteristics I was looking for and,
to be perfectly honest, there aren’t enough fics out there that star Kasumi.
The more I thought about it, the better the idea sounded and I finally
decided to go for it. This story was the result.
I realize Kasumi was OOC through much (if not all) of this fic, but what
can I say? She is now 227 years old and a Vampire. She killed Kodachi in a
frenzy and almost killed her little sister. If that ever happens to you,
see how different you start acting. Seriously though, don’t try that, these
are trained anime characters after all. ^_^
As promised, I’ve included a small glossary of terms from Vampire that I
used throughout this fic. This is a means to clarify things, but bear in
mind that it is extremely brief. I hope it helps though:
Auspex – One of the Vampire’s "psychic-like" powers. It can be used to read
minds, heighten your senses, etc.
Beast, The – The slang term for the driving force inside a Vampire. The
Beast is purely psychological but if a vampire doesn’t feed, it can cause
them to frenzy. The Beast also takes over when a vampire is severely
threatened or hurt.
Blood – The life of a vampire. Since they can no longer make their own
blood, they have to feed off others. This also refers to what lineage, or
clan, the
vampire belongs to.
Catiff – A clanless vampire. Usually one that has been illegally embraced
or one who has been ostracized from his or her clan.
Clan – The specific bloodline a Vampire belongs to.
Embrace, The – The act of a Vampire siring a progeny. Basically, it
involves the sire draining a person’s blood to the point of death and then
giving them a
taste of Vampire blood, which causes them to undergo the transition from
human to Vampire
Frenzy – The state when the beast takes over and the vampire loses control of
his/her actions. It can be caused by injuries or from lack of feeding.
Gangrel – A clan of Vampires that are almost always associated with having
animal-like features and wild habits. They are often called, "Outlanders"
because they don’t always participate in Vampire society.
Generation – How far a vampire is removed from Caine, the first vampire. A
fourth Generation Vampire is significantly stronger than a Tenth Generation
Vampire
Hunger, The – The need for blood which drives all vampires to feed on blood.
Kindred – The literal term by which a vampire refers to himself/herself.
Kiss, The – The act of taking blood from another person. This can be taken
from a mortal or another vampire. Between vampires, this act is the
equivalent of making love.
Masquerade, The – The "law" by which vampires conceal themselves from mortals.
Primogen – An elder who advises the prince. Primogen’s are usually early
generation vampires that don’t want the role of Prince.
Prince – Collectively, the most powerful Vampire in a city or territory.
The Prince has the say so of what does and does not happen in Vampire
society and
can take actions to punish people who break the rules.
Progeny – A mortal that is sired by a Vampire. All vampires with the
exception of Caine are the Progeny of some other Vampire
Sabbat – Also called the "Black Hand" these are vampires that seek to control
vampire society through any means necessary. Don’t get them angry at
you.
Sire – The Vampire that embraces a mortal.
Toreador – A Vampire Clan that is often associated with the arts. They are
very
much concerned with collecting and preserving artistic treasures, which
include people’s talents.
Cultural Notes: Kasumi’s Eyes – The way I’ve always played it, is that when
a vampire frenzies or becomes otherwise angry, the beast surfaces ever so
slightly and causes the irises of the eyes to become a sort of off-white
color. If you ever saw the TV show "Kindred: The Embraced" you saw this
effect quite often.
Cultural Note: The Wine – Vampires only gain sustenance from blood.
However, the can still eat and drink when the fancy takes them.
Story note: This is an inside joke for Vampire Players. If you paid
attention to the ‘*’ symbols which divide scene changes, you will notice
that they lower in number by 1 every change. You will also notice that they
all vanish in the scene change just before Kasumi attacks Akane. After
that, they return again.
Coincidence? Definitely not! The * are a measure of Kasumi’s blood pool
throughout this story. Sorry, that is an in joke for VtM players that I
couldn’t resist adding.
Well, I hope that helped.
I hope everyone had as much enjoyment reading this story as I had writing
it. I put a lot of effort into this story to get the mood right and I hope
I conveyed it correctly.
C&C is highly requested and all constructive type is appreciated. Flames
are read, thought over, laughed at and promptly discarded. Seriously
though, as soon as time permits, I will reply to all emails I receive.
Thank you all for reading!
Sincerely,
James C. Jones aka The Blood Phoenix jace@utkux.utcc.utk.edu
*******************************************************************
jace@utkux.utcc.utk.edu -- Phoenix@citynet.net * /// /// *
James Jones: The Blood Phoenix * \ // / / *
Dedicated Anime Fan and Avid Roleplayer * \ //// _/ / *
* \_ //// / *
"Watch you back, shoot straight, * \___/ / *
conserve ammo and never, ever * / \_ *
cut a deal with a dragon." * /,)-_( \_ \ *
-Shadowrun Street Proverb * (/ \\ /\\\\ *
* // *
"No Sanctuary is Eternal" * (( *
-Immortal: The Invisible War * *
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