Karin Fan Fiction ❯ Karin's Wedding ❯ Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 

It was soon the next night, and Chiyuki was still wearing the blindfold, slowly growing back her eyes, with Ren at her side, still well steamed at the events that had just transpired the night before. The initiation was held for the third senior most member, but it was not truly a night for celebration. There was definite business to discuss. Henry sought the opportunity to speak, considering that he was the chief, and it indeed was his concern to be involved. “To those of the Clan: there is a threat to this city that appears to be far more dangerous than what we first assumed. Last night, what should have been a simple outing turned tragic. Bokor sorcerers of the dark side of voodoo ambushed several of your members. They not only know how to fight, but they were drugged up in such a fashion that their adrenal glands were pumping out far more endorphins into their system than what would normally be there.”

At this, he let Clarice take the floor, and she described what it was that made them so strong. “Endorphins are natural to the humanoid body, and they are what make one able to do athletic feats. However, it is also, in a sense, a narcotic, in that the body can become addicted to endorphins if given enough over time. However, it is needed, because, in times of great stress, those glands will provide enough endorphins to provide one under that situation to perform superhuman feats of strength. I am sure you have all heard stories about the petite mother able to flip over a burning car to save her child trapped inside. Those stories are true. Well, what this potion does is act like a street drug known as PCP, or Angel Dust. It can have one of two effects. It can either make one very tranquil, or, in the right amounts, turn someone into a raving maniac pumped up on endorphins, which causes him to not feel pain, and have the strength of at least five men. They don't stop unless something completely immobilizes the person. Sometimes, they have been known take several bullets and keep coming before they finally drop. What I believe they are planning is to bring over a handful of bokor and several soldiers so affected to fight us. Now, I know there are some here who want to make a full out attack, but we must be careful.”

At this, Jean-Claude took the floor, and said, “Last night, because they were as Clarice described, it was messy trying to stop them. No insult to our human members, but because they were humans, and all but two were of vampire blood, we should have easily defeated them. However these soldiers all seem to be expert in Capoeria, and they were all under the influence of that potion. As a result, they broke Kenta's back temporarily. He was able to heal, and defeat his opponent, but it could have been worse if he had snapped Kenta's neck instead. Antonio broke the jaw of his opponent, and he kept coming as if nothing had happened. I had to use pressure points to stop the one I fought, and had to use an old trick that I do not show to many, due to its potentially fatal effects. Francois blew out the knee and ligaments of his opponents, and the man still kept trying to fight. We had to immolate the last one to defeat him. We had to remove every trace that we had been there, and the police are still trying to find the gang responsible. They never will, but the fact that it went to that extent tells us that an all out fight would draw far more attention on things than we care for right now. We want humans and vampires to coexist, but they are not quite ready for that yet. A full scale war would make matters worse, and the authorities will not care who is guilty for what.”

At this, Friar Antonio took over, and said, “An all out war is what they want because they dearly want to stop all that we see here. Even if it costs them their lives, an all out fight would actually accomplish what they want, so they must feel that they cannot lose no matter what. Therefore, we need to come up with ways to end this quickly before it can get going. We must find unconventional ways to handle this.”

There was silence, and deep thought was flashing around the group. Then Victor stood up and said, “If making it quick is needed, then we need the most efficient way.”

He was affecting the most businesslike look on his face, more than people had seen before. He stroked Elda's chin, and he said, “I will succeed where Alfred was not allowed, leipshun.”

 

Elda looked up and, for the first time, saw Alfred's face in his own. For the first time in a long time, she saw strength in him that attracted her to Alfred in the first place. In that time, science was still being attacked, and a few superstitions were floating around that were more believed than the scientists that were dispelling them. However, the main reason why they were attacked was that they were trying to bring change. One thing that has always rattled humans was when someone tried to disrupt the comfortable world in which they lived. Even if it was change for good, they still attacked the change, because, truth is, by nature, humans are lazy, and they always seem to seek the easier way of doing things, rather than take the hard road to change. Worse, many felt affronted by the thinkers, because of the reason that, even though their thinking was towards bettering the situation for their fellow man, those that had not come up with the ideas did not like the fact that there was someone smarter. They felt that the thinkers were saying that they were better than the average man was, but what they really were saying was that they wished to be as wise, but lacked the ambition and intestinal fortitude to gain what the thinkers—the true ubermenschen—had gained. This was the reason why Alfred was willing to stay by Elda's side despite knowing what she was. He was more willing to accept her because she did not pose the threat that myth had taught. Because of his reasoning, he was always the one to want to dispel myth, and educate people. However, people were not ready for that. It was because of this relationship, and because of humans helping to shatter their love, along with the persecution for the exposure of a dhamphir to the inquisition that Elda despised humans for centuries. Yet, because of her purposeful isolation from the human world due to her hatred, she had not seen that humans were becoming more accepting of things—a vision that Alfred and James both had, Jean-Claude was actively trying to make happen, and a dream that seemed to be coming true. Victor and Wiener were both trying to right the wrongs of the Sinclair family, who were trying to avenge Alfred for a crime vampires did not commit. She finally looked at Victor, and said, “Alfred would be proud of you.”

Before he spoke, he turned and kissed her sweetly, saying, “Then let us make his dream come true.”

 

Victor spoke with the efficiency of a German general, saying, “Instead of coming up with some complicated plan, we have to find the simplest solution. The more complicated the plan, the more that could go wrong. Therefore, the simplest way to handle this is blitzkrieg.”

There was some mumbling about what he had said, because the term had a sinister connotation to it considering the ones who had used it in the past. Victor suspected that this was what was being discussed, and he said, “All that term means is `lightning war.' It was used even before World War One by the German armies. All it means is a quick, hard, overwhelming attack. You find the enemy, bring him out to a battlefield of your choosing, and then annihilate them. Never fight a foe on their terms, because you already have lost half the fight. In chess, there is something called tempo. This is where you are making moves that force your opponent never to be able to carry out his game plan. If you have several areas of attack, that is called tempi. If you have tempi, your opponent will more than likely lose—it's only a matter of time and technique. Therefore, we need the tempi. What we need to do is take some time to put some thought to how we can lure them out, and slaughter them like they are so many cattle!”

Jean-Claude was impressed at that. It was one of those things that were so simple that you wonder why no one had thought of it before. “Then, let's take that time. We can take our time, because, if we can keep tabs on them, it does not matter how many they bring. They can only bring so many. In the meantime, we have to watch them, and keep their numbers culled, but not in such a fashion that causes them to be aware of the plan. We attack in ways that keep them guessing. Furthermore, we have to watch their actions to ensure that they do not make zombies. That would make things harder, because they would have us try to kill people who had no choice in things, and they would be just as much a casualty as would one of our numbers falling. Therefore, watch them, keep their numbers down, and prevent any kidnappings that you find, until we are ready for the main thrust. In addition, I am going to teach everyone some fighting techniques that are so severe, I do not trust many people with that kind of knowledge. However, considering what we face, you now must learn.”

Elda stepped up, and wanted to say something, so Jean-Claude relented, and she stepped up, saying, “I guess I need to start with an apology to the humans.”

That turned some heads. Jean-Claude scratched his head for a second, a bit confused, then his eyes went wide, and he smiled broadly. He could see the proverbial light bulb over her head, and he said, “After all this time, you finally get it!”

She continued, “Yes, many humans deserve vampire wrath. Yet, in reality, those that deserve that wrath no longer walk the earth. However, they are not the only ones with blood on their hands. We vampires deserve some of that blame.”

That really got some mumbling going in the crowd. Jean-Claude smacked his right fist into his left hand, and he thought, “If there is any prejudice left in this group, she is about to put an end to it!”

Elda continued her statement, “Yes, they hated us, but our hatred in return only made things worse. I believe our hatred, and seeking revenge at every opportunity made us just as bad as the ones that hunted us. All it did was set up a chain of violence that never ends if allowed to continue. However, to stop it, someone has to take a stand, and be willing to do what others were not willing to do.”

She then turned to the friar and nodded. He gently smiled, doing the sign of the cross towards her. Yet, she then said, “Yet, if that is to have any effect, it has to be a two way street. Therefore, I, of the original European purge, who had friends killed and tortured, who lost her first love because of it, who has the most right of anyone here, save the Devil sisters, to demand justice, will put an end to her side of the hate, as one was willing to put an end to they of his ilk. I cannot hate anymore, because I can see how wrong it is to hold a grudge for so long, and hate wears you out. I have hated for centuries, and I am just tired of hating. I cannot hate anymore.”

She then ran to Victor's arms, saying, “Say you'll be with me.”

He said, “I know not how many years I have left, and I do not believe them to be many. Yet, as long as I do have life left, I shall never leave you. When that comes, please, make me happy by finding someone that can give you as much love. There is no need for you to be lonely.”

Everyone applauded at this sight. It was odd, though, that it seemed everyone was hooking up with someone else. Ai, seeing this, knew that she should be happy. However, it only left her feeling sadder than before. That was about to change.

 

As things were going on, she slipped around to the front of the house, and began to weep. However, she heard a voice that stopped her dead in her tracks. “My love, it's been a long time, but I have been able to break that horrible demon's spell.”

She froze, her eyes went wide, and she slowly looked up to see Ryuu standing before her. She could not believe it. She began to hyperventilate, caught herself, and ran to his arms as she put him in a big bear hug. “How did this happen? I thought you were dead!” she exclaimed.

“Thanks to the presence of those bokor goons,” he said, “I was able to get the right things and incantations I needed to counteract the curse.”

He stood about the average height, and had black shaggy hair with red tips that hung over his eyes. He had a slender build, and wore a black tee shirt, black leather jacket, black fingerless gloves, dark blue jeans, and military boots. He looked punk, but he was quite handsome. He made the mistake centuries ago of angering a demon who slapped the curse on him, but the presence in Japan at that time gave him the chance to change all that. In fact, he was one of the most elder vampires on the earth, and he was a pure blood. Thus, his power was vast, and he knew that the Clan could use his help. He had admired Jean-Claude's dream, and knew that, with his leadership, wisdom of the centuries, and indeed having the ability to see humans indeed change to the point where they could accept vampires, he knew that his dream could come true. He looked at her, and said, “Well, how did you come back? I thought you were gone?”

“You'd be surprised,” she said, “And in fact, there were some that Jean-Claude knows that I know as well. Truth is that I knew him a long time ago. I saw everything that happened to him, including his leaving for Japan. Remember that everything happened in the same areas of the Micmac nation where Jean-Claude lived. Just before I went under, the ancestors of those that rescued and mentored him rescued me. I was gone before he had a good chance to know me, so it was no surprise that he did not remember me. I am so glad he turned out the way he did. When the first chance to come to Japan came, I took it. I am so glad we all found each other. However, there is something you need to know, darling—and it's something that may make you happy.”

“What would that be?” he asked, as he smiled at her.

“Well, were you there to see what happened a few nights ago with that Mimoun character?” she asked.

He thought for a moment, and then he recalled how she had to inject them with her blood to rescue them, and then he said, “Do you know what that means!” he exclaimed.

It was dawning on her just as it was dawning on him, and she said, “Oh God, we can be man and wife! YES!”

She bear hugged him again, and she said, “Come, darling, we have to introduce you. You are the best thing to happen to us!”

 

As the kibitzing was starting, Karin was in deep thought, and she said to Kenta, “You know, I was wondering, you know, just until this is over, if we should postpone the wedding?”

Kenta shook his head, and said, “Karin, we've been over this before. If we do that, are we not saying that we are scared of them? Are we not telling them that they can do whatever they want to us? Do we not encourage them to do more? No, Karin, we have to go on with our normal lives. Weren't you and Yuriya going to go with Maki in a couple of days to get the dresses ready, and do the reception planning? Go do that, honey, because I think that will make you feel better.”

Karin snuggled up and said, “You're right: I'm acting foolish.”

As they snuggled up, Jean-Claude looked at the two of them, and he turned to Victor and said, “Do you think there's a possibility that we can use the wedding to draw them out?”

Victor put a moment or two of thought to it, and said, “Could that be risking her?”

A different voice then spoke up, and said, “Not at all, that would be perfect.”

Jean-Claude wheeled around to see Ryuu standing there, with Ai on his arm. She said, “Now we're going to stomp some heads!”