by Jet Lupin
Oh no.
Someone shut that kid up!
I am so baked! Haha! Can anyone tell? Can you smell vape?
Why do they get to skip the line? What makes them so special?
Phil shut his eyes, trying to think of something, anything else. His sensitivity hadn’t kicked in for hours, so he’d forgotten about it.
I’m such an idiot!
He wrestled against the invasive thoughts until Shige laid a gloved hand on his shoulder. Everything fell away. “Trouble?”
Phil nodded. Those goggle like sunglasses looking down at him made him feel like a science experiment. Everyone in the waiting area was staring at them now, wondering who they were, Shige more so than Phil.
“We’re done. We can go.”
With hushed words and well wishes, they parted with the flight crew at the airport’s exit. People stared at Shige’s strange attire. Smartphones flashed as people snapped pictures. Phil tried to hide his face behind Jonquil. He was certain they didn’t want him in there too.
A short, thin young woman surrounded by thickly built men pushed through the crowd and made them disperse. Every one of them seemed tough, bearing battle scars and thick features. From the general quiet of their minds, none of them was human, including the woman. Next to her burly companions, she appeared slight, but Phil learned through Abby that he couldn’t judge by appearances. Her thick hair was in a smart bun at the base of her neck, a streak of white ran down the middle of her head. Dye would have fixed that easy enough, but she bore it proudly.
She bowed in Shige’s direction and nodded to Jonquil and Phil in turn. “Welcome to Tokyo. Shige-san, welcome home.”
SHIGE
The most valuable thing Shige had learned from his maker was the power of pseudonyms. They let you do business, provided privacy and protected not just Shige, but anyone who associated with him. Over the years, he learned to balance more than just the one he took on for business. Any name that was publicly facing was a potential liability. The name his hotel reservation was made under, Makoto Kurosawa, was close to his birth name. Few people still living knew that, so there was no harm in indulging in nostalgic. But as soon as they got into their suite, the phone started ringing.
Chiaki picked up.
“It’s the front desk. They have Sebastian holding.”
“Hang up.”
“Who’s that?” Phil leaned up, struggling for alertness. The time difference was catching up with him. Shige didn’t want to worry him, but he also didn’t want to lie.
“My brother.”
Phil blinked blearily at him, trying to clear his mind. “Your brother? I thought he was dead.”
“Not by traditional means. We share a maker, but we haven’t talked in God knows how long. I didn’t know he was in Japan, and he shouldn’t have known I was here, either.”
“But he does.”
The phone rang again, giving Shige a moment’s reprieve.
“He’s waiting for you in the lobby,” Chiaki said, her mouth turned down in a grimace.
He had no more desire to engage the man waiting downstairs, but if he ignored him, Bas would never leave. He’d be waiting for them whenever they emerged. Shige wanted to delay his meeting Phil for as long as he could.
“I’ll send him away myself.”
“Can you trust him?”
“Yes, but I can’t get into why.”
“I’m going with you. I can read him.” Phil started to sit up, but Shige pushed him down onto the bed.
“I’ll be fine. You rest. I won’t be long.” He took Jonquil with him, for Phil’s comfort.
Shige hadn’t set eyes on Bas in more than 50 years. And despite such a long absence, dislike rose like bile in Shige’s gut.
Though it happened a lifetime ago, Shige continued to resent Sebastian for his part in his change. Bas held no great love for him either. He wouldn’t approach Shige now without good reason.
An attendant from the desk came around to meet Shige as he entered the lobby, a professional smile on her round face. “Your guest went to the washroom. He asked that you please wait for him here. He’ll find you.”
That sounded like the Sebastian he remembered. He had no doubt that Sebastian was here. The sick feeling in the pit of Shige’s stomach that heralded his presence had taken root. He’d probably cornered some unsuspecting victim and talked them into a blow job. Shige thanked the attendant and headed outside.
The night air was cool on Shige’s skin. He didn’t get goosebumps anymore, but he still enjoyed a bracing chill in moderation.
Jonquil followed Shige out, set up by a pillar within sight. Cars streaked past, their headlights leaving ghostly afterimages. He barely recognized anything here. New landmarks had cropped up, stores had come and gone. Only thanks to the map on his phone did he know where he was. He hadn’t frequented Tokyo when he lived here, but he knew things wouldn’t be much better once they got closer to his hometown. He was a tourist in his own country. The idea conjured up more annoyance.
The automatic doors of the hotel slid open. A few intrepid foreigners stepped out into the night, cameras dangling from their necks, selfie sticks in hand. Bringing up the rear was Sebastian De Sousa, who hadn’t aged a day. His hair had grown, his clothing modern and up to date. But that seductive aloofness about him that Shige had come to hate was ageless.
He glanced around before spotting Shige standing in the shadows of the building, out of the way of foot traffic. Time ticked by as they glared at each other, neither willing to give up an inch. Shige wouldn’t be the one to speak first.
“Four-hundred years we’ve known each other, and this is how you greet me?”
“I’d rather not greet you at all. Why are you here?”
“I live here,” Bas laughed. “This country is rather nice. You’d know that if you visited more.”
“Don’t be cute,” Shige growled.
“I can’t help it if you see me that way. The same way you can’t help surrounding yourself with pretty ones.” He nodded to Jonquil and winked. Jonquil kept a stern face in spite of the color creeping up his neck.
Bas sniffed the air. “I see you’ve broadened your tastes too.”
Bas joined him in the shadows, towering over him. Shige battered back the urge to step away. The unease creeping into his limbs made him queasy. The familiar smell of cloves and tobacco wafting off him turned Shige’s stomach. Unless he lashed out first, he was probably the only creature on Earth safe from Shige’s wrath, not counting Phil. They were worth more to each other alive.
“You don’t have to make such a face. This isn’t pleasant for me either.”
How many times had he said that when Rosamund forced them together for her amusement like dolls? Shige held back a shiver of revulsion. If that had been Bas’ aim, he failed. “I’m not here to wax nostalgic. Get to the point.”
“You’re here to visit the child you left behind. Toshinori?”
Shige stepped back at that, too surprised to stop himself. “Why do you assume that?”
“He told me. We aren’t exactly friends, but we talk more to each other than you do to either of us.” A glib smile creased his face as he fished a cigarette from his jacket pocket. “He said you’re here to discuss something you sent him. A sample or something?”
“I wasn’t aware you two were close.” Shige measured his words, trying to feel out where this was headed.
“There’s a lot you don’t know.” Bas pulled out a well crumpled pack of cigarettes. He stuck one between his lips. “Whatever you sent Toshinori’s got him all excited. He’s making plans, telling anyone who will listen. Whatever he wants, don’t give it to him. He can’t be trusted.”
That went without saying, but Shige hadn’t expected Bas to be so blunt about it. He had Shige’s attention.
“He makes no secret of his scorn for you,” he continued. “He even tried to start a rumor that you died and Abby had taken over. He planned to unseat her, but it didn’t pick up stea
m. Forgive me if I don’t quote him word for word. I don’t use such language.”
“I saved his life!” Toshinori had always been an ingrate and terrible at keeping his vitriol to himself. It made manipulating him easy, back when Shige had had an interest in such things.
Bas lit his cigarette in flagrant disregard of the No Smoking signs posted on the walls around them. “Apparently not well enough for his liking. That tumor?” Here, Bas tapped his own temple. “It’s growing. Slower than if he were human, but faster than he wants.”
“Then he can give up and die. I gave him time he wouldn’t have had to fix it himself. It’s not my fault he squandered it.” Shige’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He silenced it.
Bas puffed away at his cigarette. “I never said it was. Honestly, I don’t care about your feud or his life. I just need you to stay alive. Since you didn’t seem to care to protect your own life, I was going to step in. But…” He glanced down at Shige, the corner of his mouth tugging up in a grin. “You changed your mind about wasting away. Too bad you waited so long. Tell me, what sparked that?”
Shige ignored his gaze. He wasn’t going to reward his fishing.
He chuckled, sending plumes of smoke into the night sky. “All right, don’t tell me. I don’t really care.”
Shige stroked his chin. “Can I ignore him for now? In your opinion.”
“You can, but I wouldn’t for much longer. Get whatever you need from him and get rid of him. If he’s not a liability yet, but he soon will be.”
“Hm…” Toshinori had always been self-serving and conniving, traits that made him a good businessman. He overestimated his own intelligence, which made him easy to control, but without Shige’s constant influence, his ego ballooned. Things had changed more than Shige could have anticipated.
“Bring your human with you?”
Alarm flared up, but he tamped it down. “That’s assuming I have one.”
“You know our kind is no better than a bunch of grandmothers when it comes to gossip. Pampa spoke much about the things he found before his messages stopped coming. He said there was one with you that you paraded around that club of yours. You wouldn’t share him. He must be yours.”
“Were you friends with Pampa, too?”
Bas laughed loud enough to earn him an ugly stare from passing pedestrians. “I’ve never met him. I know someone who knew someone. That sort of thing. You didn’t answer my question.”
“The human’s a donor.”
“Except you don’t like donors. Bagged blood was the best thing to ever happen to you.” Bas dropped the spent cigarette butt to the floor and ground it out. “Plus, I’ve heard what happened when Pampa took him. Or they assume it was Pampa. You sent out your little search party, then Pampa disappeared, his home was destroyed. Easy to connect the dots.”
Like a bunch of bored, gossipy old women. Shige couldn’t stop people from talking. He only hoped these tales didn’t grow out of control.
“You do realize Toshi’s not the only one unhappy with your return? I don’t know why they care. Most are apathetic, though.”
“The ones who care need to get hobbies.”
“Too true. But, if, by chance, your human is here, don’t bring him around Toshinori. I’m sure he’s heard the same rumors I have. If he thinks he can use your human against you, he will.”
“And he’ll end up like Pampa.” He wouldn’t deny that he killed his former friend. He was too old to parade the fact around, but he owned it, and he wouldn’t answer to anyone for it. “Thank you for warning me. Anything else?
“Nope. My job is done.” He ground out his cigarette on the pavement. “Too bad you couldn’t have stayed in hiding. This’ll blow over soon. It always does.”
Bas walked right over to Jonquil, eyeing him up and down. He reached out, as if to palpitate one of his thick biceps, but Shige cleared his throat, stopping him.
“I’ll contact you soon. Pick up when I call.”
Shige checked his phone for that missed call. As expected, Toshinori had left a voicemail and a series of urgent text messages. They all said they needed to meet. Shige deleted them, He’d get back to him when he was ready and not a second sooner.
Trouble always found its way to Shige. But Bas was right: it would pass... Like a hurricane, upending everything in its wake. He hoped they fared better than they had the last time.
Chapter 4
PHIL
Plans had changed. Phil hadn’t been clear on them in the first place so that didn’t mean much. He was getting swept up in the current of events again and he didn’t like it. What’s worse, he didn’t know how to stop it.
“My meeting was moved up. This is better. You get more time with Chiyo,” Shige told him. He suspected there was more to it than that, but a chance to talk wasn’t coming anytime soon.
He’d only gotten a couple hours of sleep, but he was lucky he got that. From the moment he opened his eyes, things were in motion. They packed up Phil’s things and were hustling him back into the car. He hadn’t seen much of Tokyo in the few hours he’d been here and it had all been from behind a pane of glass.
They caught a train to Gifu shortly after sunset. According to Chiaki, Gifu was only two to four hours out, not far, but it would be an eternity on so little sleep. They claimed a section of seats together with Jonquil by the window, blocking Shige from the last rays of dying light. Chiaki took a similar spot next to Phil. The rest of their entourage stayed behind in Tokyo.
Night followed them as they left the city. Shige grew more alert as it got darker. Through the window Phil could only make out the rough shapes of hills and fields as they zipped past. What little he could see made him think of Midoriyama in the broadest strokes. He may have left the country years ago, but it seemed it was never far from Shige’s thoughts.
The train wasn’t too crowded, and fatigue kept Phil’s sense muted. The rocking of the train and lack of scenery lulled Phil to sleep. He stayed sleep until Chiaki shook him awake. Her eyes flashed gold before returning to a dark gray.
Two men waited outside the station for them. One sat behind the wheel of an idling van, the other stood next to the open door. The stocky man took off his hat and bowed so low to Shige his head nearly touched his knees. He spoke fast and animatedly to Shige and Chiaki, moving his hands in sweeping motions, leaving the English-speaking members of their group out of it. With a broad smile on his tanned face, he turned towards Phil and Jonquil. He gave them a more reserved bow. “I am Nikko,” he said in English. “Come, come. I’ll take you home.”
The van had three rows of seats. Jonquil and Chiaki sat in the last row, Shige and Phil took the middle. The man in the driver’s seat looked exactly like Nikko except less cheerful, his complexion more sallow. He had a Hanshin Tigers baseball cap pulled low on his head. Nikko took his seat and turned around. “This is Gekko. My brother.” Gekko grunted in Phil’s direction, but tipped his hat to Shige. Compared to the deference Shige’s other people showed, this was almost rude. And like the rest of Shige’s people, they weren’t human or vampires. Phil didn’t need to touch their minds to know that.
Nikko’s teeth came to sharp points like a shark. Dark blue hair peeked out of the edges of Gekko’s cap. He glanced in the rearview mirror from time to time with the slivered irises of a cat. Nikko’s hair was bright orange.
They rumbled through the sleepy town where most of the shops were closed or closing, and headed off, civilization falling away.
They turned off the main road onto a mountain pass, a dirt path flanked by weeds and tall grass starting to brown. The van staggered over bumps and stones, but everyone was too road weary to complain. Shige pressed himself to Phil to escape the chill seeping into the car. Turning the heat on would have been an easy request, but instead he wrapped his arms around Phil’s middle.
Phil was tired, annoyed, but he couldn’t be mad at this. It was what he’d needed. That closeness, that touch. The other stuff continued to exist; right now it just
mattered less. This was what he’d wanted from Shige. More of this.
Nikko turned in his seat to face the back of the van, his eyes alight with eagerness as he stared into Phil’s face.
“What are you?”
“What?” Phil blinked dumbly at him. He wasn’t sure how to answer or what was even being asked of him.
“Are you yokai America? Vampire? Like Abby?”
The pieces were coming together. Nikko had probably met his fair share of humans, but not many non-Japanese aside from Abby. Phil hadn’t intended to act as an ambassador for his race when he came here. He saw no way out of this now.
“I’m human… kind of like Abby, but I’m not a vampire.”
Nikko pointed to the skin of his own arm. “Africa, like Abby?”
Shige wasn’t listening to any of this. One of his hands snaked under the hem of Phil’s shirt, petting the fuzz on his belly. There was no space to squirm away from it, the touch both ticklish and dangerously inappropriate in this cramped space. Phil seized his hand and made him stop. “Some of my ancestors, yes. I’m from America.”
Nikko nodded. Satisfied, he turned to Jonquil. “You?”
“I, uh…” Jonquil looked to Shige. “Yokai?”
“Close enough,” Shige didn’t open his eyes, but he was present. Where had Phil’s lifeline been when he needed it?
Nikko grinned broader, showing more sharp teeth. “Show me?”
“Maybe later,” Shige said, bringing that line of questioning to a close.
Jonquil sagged with relief.
“I’ll show you later,” Nikko promised. “We both will.”
Gekko grunted, though, it didn’t sound like agreement.
Nikko continued to quiz them on America, American yokai and being a darker skinned human. Phil answered all he could, but with each response, the questions got more invasive. Just as Nikko was circling a question about the color of Phil’s dick, the van lumbered to a stop.
“Hold on to something,” Gekko warned in a voice that sounded like shards of grated glass rubbing together. Phil gripped the back of the seat in front of him, bracing, as they started down a steep incline into a gorge. They rocked across the uneven terrain. Gekko controlled their descent the best he could, but it felt like they were being slowly tumbled inside a dryer.