NationStates Jolt Archive

Sano Ichiro and his lovely fiance, Sakamoto Amane, lived in a quiet little suburb on the east side of Honismishu City. Today, however, they found themselves enjoying the rush of inner-city tourism. They had spent the day travelling among the many tourist traps and museums of the Central City District of the city, marveling at the area's towering skyscrapers, their glass walls reflecting the sights down toward them. Neon lights, though only 12 noon, gave an extra bit of flair to the area, along with many video screens blaring advertisements. Now, they were seated at a semi-fancy cafe, enjoying a bit of sake, rice wine, and sushi. The cafe had open air seating, and was protected by the bright midday light by a large red and green awning, which fluttered in the mild breeze. They sat, enjoying the meal and talking about what they had seen; like the State Alchemist Building, the Natural History Museum, and a guy on a unicycle trying to cross a busy intersection. Without much incident, other than a pigeon stealing a rice ball, the couple payed their 6 kokus and walked out from under the awning. Without warning, Ichiro began screaming...loudly. He dropped to the sidewalk and began rolling around beating himself, as though he were on fire. Indeed, moments later, a grayish steam began rolling off his exposed flesh. Panicing, Amane began beating at him, truly thinking he was on fire. This didn't work, however, and soon one of the waiters had rushed out, and brought him back under the awning...where the episode stopped. Sano was heavily panting, out of breath. Having calmed him down, the noticed what looked like a severe sunburn. Again, they tried to leave, and were met with the same results, only worse this time. Amane decided it was best to call 911. In minutes, an ambulance had arrived, and took Sano off to Central City Hospital Foxtrot.
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Central City Hospital Foxtrot...

"Doctor, is he going to be okay??" Amane asked, distraught and fearful for her fiance's health.
"Miss Sakamoto-san, I don't know what I can do. Blood tests indicate that he's contracted a mutated cold virus. Instead of attacking his sinuses....it's attacking his red blood cells," the doctor said with a heavy sigh.
"Is..is that it?" Amane asked, half hopeful.
"....No," the doctor said. "Though it feeds on red blood cells, it's genetic material infests his regular cells, and is basically stopping his biological clock..."
"So, he's becoming immortal?"
"No....not that simple. His cells will no longer age as fast, he'll still die like a regular human being...eventually. It's also granting him superior strength and speed...I...I've never seen anything like this. My associate in dentistry examined him, and theirs been a complete change in his anatomy there....His canine teeth have become much longer, and sharper."
"But how does this explain his reaction to the light?"
"Well Miss Sakamoto, the light is apparently over-exciting the viruses, and it begins killing all his cells, not just his blood cells."
A thought struck Amane. "Wait...if it's attacking and killing his red blood cells....won't he eventually die...?"
"I'm sorry Miss Sakamoto....Yes. Right now, you should head on home, or to a hotel nearby. It's getting late, and visiting hours are now over. I'll do all I can for him, as will the night nurse."
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Central City Hospital Foxtrot,
Fast Forward, 2 AM....

The young, fairly attractive night nurse was sitting behind her computer on the floor's reception counter, playing an involving game of solitare. It had been a long night, and she'd dosed off twice. However, an eerie sound snapped her fully awake. Down the hall, a door clicked, and a moaning came up the cooridore.
"Hello?" she said frightfully, peering down the dim cooridore. She grabbed a flashlight off the desk and began walking down it in hesitant steps. "You really shouldn't be walking out of your room," she said in a motherly manner. Ahead, she saw a dark figure. "Mr. Sano...? Is that you?" The dark figure suddenly disappeared. The nurse turned to retreat to the desk to call for security, but when she turned around, Sano Ichiro stood towering over her. Her flashlight gleamed in the reflection of his barred teeth, the canines now potruding over his lips. He slowly began advancing on her, and locked his hands around her throat. She let out an inhuman scream as Ichiro opened his mouth and bent down, aiming for her neck.
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The following morning, a massive police team was assembled by the nurse's lifeless body, dried blood coming from her mouth and neck. Meanwhile, the doctor stood with an associate, reviewing Ichiro's latest blood tests.
"I don't understand...Just yesterday, his red cell count was down to 30%! He was near dying!"
"And now?" his associate asked.
"It's back up to nearly a hundred!!!!"

Back by the body, one of the hospital's janitors was bending down, examining the blood. He dipped his fingers in it, and found it to be still wet. However, what he failed to know, was that the blood was not the nurses. Sano Ichiro had been scratched, and bled onto the floor. Also, the janitor missed that he had an open paper cut on his index finger....which was now covered in the blood...
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Unkowing what to do, Amane had written a letter to the catholic priest in the Cherry Ridge Embassy, the only one she knew of if the area, asking for help for Ichiro.

(OOC: I'm going to avoid the cliche RPs with this one, and hopefully take it in a new direction. I already know of one person who wants to be involved, but as of yet do not know how others could be incorporated into this RP.)

Father Marco glanced over the lettter. It seemed that everywhere he went, he was faced with something of the sort most priests never experienced. He sighed. He was suppsoed to be filling in as chaplain for only a week, as a favor to his classmate.
He sent an e-mail off to the archdicoese, asking for permission. It was granted to do anything necessary, and he recieved permission from local Catholic authorities. (ooc: I'm assuming it's ok, since you want me to help.)
He stood up, and shoved the envelope on the inside pocket of the jacket of his clerical suit. In his pockets he only carried identification, from the Archdiocese, his drivers license and another card from the Ridgian government proving that he was from the embassy. He also carried his rosary, his prayer book and some money. A small bottle of holy water, mass kit, stole, extra vestments, a spare clerical suit, as well as copies of his ritual books, and a bible, a catechism, and the code of canon law were tucked under a back seat. As a final precaution, he kept a Beretta stampede revolver locked inside the glove compartment, and his sword shoved under a back seat. In the armrest, there was a swiss army knife, used for practical stuff.
He walked outside and got into the Volkswagon Eos that he was borrowing while in PP, and sped off to the location of the return address. The license plate was amrked from the Ridgian embassy. He pulled up to the house, and got out. He knocked, and waited for an answer.

OOC:I could get inot this easy..

OOC: Sorry, this will be a purely out-of-character post. Here's the latest: I do have another post coming. However, I have an advanced placement chemistry test tomorrow, and an honors physics test on Wednesday. Thus, I'm studying my ass off. Hopefully, hopefully, I will have a post up on Thursday.

Raven Corps, I do have a plot-line for this, and it'll most likely take more than just this one RP. However, I'm completely open to other ideas, so if you'd like to drop me a telegram, I'd be more than happy to look over any idea you've got, and try to get you in here. Sound good?

Amane welcomed Father Marco very, very warmly at the door of her home. "Oh thank you, thank you for coming Father! You have no idea how much this means to me!" She brought him inside, and brought him a bowl of warm tea as a courtesy. "Oh, I'm absolutely devastated! My fiancée, Sano Ichiro...he's been struck with a life-threatening disease! The doctor's have absolutely no way to cure him!....They say that...that when...my...." She broke down into tears, unable to finish the sentence. "Can you...can you visit him?..." she chocked out between sobs.
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Meanwhile, the janitor had been found with the new virus in him. He had attempted to leave the building at noon for a quick lunch break at someplace with better food. He had had an exact replica of Sano's fit right outside the awning, and, as fate would have it, was taken immediately to the same room as Sano. Three others from the area were soon brought into the hospital too. Being the only doctor familiar with the case in any degree, Sano's doctor was placed in charge of all the cases for this virus.

After his attack the previous night, Sano Ichiro had returned to his bed, oddly satisfied. However, his mind wouldn't let him sleep. Secret to even his fiancée, Sano had long held great contempt for the human race, cursing their weaknesses and shortcomings. Now as he laid there, though, he was turning it over in his head, his thoughts racing. What....what have I done? he had thought. I had been close...close to dying. Yet now, now I can feel the strength back in me! What...what does this all mean? But, he now realized, he wasn't human. I'm...I'm not like them anymore! I just preyed on them!! I'm stronger, faster! I'm supreme to the human race! He had realized what he had thought of as a new species entirely, with him as the first of its kind. Humans eat cows, pigs, and chickens. But now, now I eat humans! I'm above them in the food chain! His muscles stiffened as the gravity of his thoughts hit him.

Now, though, the janitor lay next to him, muttering on about being a dead man walking. Sano decided that he'd be nice and "cheer" this man up, seeing as he was no longer human, and like himself now. "Hey, janitor."
The Janitor was startled, and almost shot upright in bed. "Who, what, huh?"
"Calm down."
"How can I be calm?! I'm about to die!!" the janitor wailed miserably.
"Oh shut up. You're not going to die, the same as I won't."
This intrigued the janitor, as Sano was a marked man too, or was supposed to be anyway. "What do you mean."
"Don't you find the four puncture wounds in the nurse's neck a bit odd?"
"Yes, like somebody..."
"Correct, like somebody bit her. Check your teeth, janitor."
The janitor listened to him and did. He found his four new fangs, our the extended canines, rather. "You...you killed her!"
Sano's grin was his answer.
"I'm turning you in!" He reached for his panic button.
"Stop. That's nature."
We got a stare like he was crazy.
"Allow me to elaborate. Humans eat animals to survive, correct? And we're loosing our blood, correct? Well...?"
"Are you saying, he have to eat other humans to survive?" the janitor asked, wide-eyed and horrified.
"No, I'm saying that we must eat humans. We're no longer humans. We're superior to them. We're supreme on the earth. Now there's three others. They must be alerted to this, and how they must survive. And they'll surely place more people up here on security."
The janitor grinned evily. "Heh, I'm Yoshikuni Ibuki. It's a pleasure to meet you."

OOC: Tundran empire...you have a telegram

Father Marco accepted the tea. He liked coffee much more, and rather disliekd tea, however, he drank it without any complaints, or any visible subconscience movements. He thanked her, and when she started crying, he comforted her, but then said, "I do not understand how this is a case for a priest." When she broke out in sobs, he quickly added, "However, if you wish, I will make a pastoral visit, and look at him." Thoughts raced through his head, praying that it wasn't demonic possession. He excused himself briefly, and went out to his car. He tucked Holy Water, his prayer book, and rosary beads into his pocket, and his reversible purple-green stole in his jacket pocket. He then carefully tucked his revolver out of sight, under his jacket, in case the murderer still lurked within the hospital. He went back inside and asked, "Do you want to drive, and I will follow, or do you want me to drive. Or would you rather stay home?" He waited for an answer.

"I'm...I'm in no mood to drive. Please, just let me ride with you," she said, shaking visably.

Father Marco nodded, "Very well." He led her to his car, and held the door for her. He then jumped into his side, and drove off to the hospital. Upon arriving, he inserted his collar, and walked inside. The woman trailing him, he asked a nurse and was led to the man's floor. He stopped at the desk, and said, "We are here to see Mr. Ichiro."

"Ah yes. Sano-san and his roomate, Yoshikuni-san are in the 3rd door to the left down that hall, Father. Please, be quiet, and don't let too much light into the room," the nurse bowed politely. Father Marco and Amane went down the hall to the third door on the left. Outside, Amane broke down, and couldn't enter, grief struck with Sano's condition. She continuously wept something about how such an innocent man could be so cruely infected. Father Marco entered quietly, shutting the door behind him. The room was suffocatingly dark, the shades drawn tight. Sano, being the room's first occupant, was closest to the door, and saw the Father Marco enter. To Sano, he was the exact personification of all that he hated in humanity; it's self-righteousness and arrogance and weakness. "Ah, Father. How nice of you to come. I take it Amane has called you here? Perhaps she told you of my 'terminal' disease, and has asked you to give me my final absolution?" He grinned slightly evily, his fangs showing.

The priest looked at him and said, "We give annointing of the sick at times other than death now." Sano's mocking did not go unnoticed, and he said, "If you do not wish me to be here, I will leave." He then noticed the fangs and said, "You don't look very sick to me, is it a relapse?" He was still standing near the door, and he felt his revolver. He kisssed his stole, and then placed it around his neck, and took out the Holy Water, and opened the bottle. He said, "Are you Catholic, or or something else?" He then added, with a smirk, "Or am I here more for your fiance, than you?"

Sano slowly rose from his bed and made his way toward Father Marco. "Yes, I believe that you are here more for Amane, most likely. No, don't go for your gun. I know you have one." He came up close to the Father. "My dear Father, I am but a simple child of God, one of his many creations. I am suffering no relapse, I assure you; this disease shan't go away." He chuckled slightly, raising a hand with sharp, pointed nails. He slowly brushed a speck of dirt from Father Marco's shoulder. "But, it is probably better that you did come. I prefer playing a...fair game. Just remember this: when people find out what has really become of us and why I haven't died yet, your trinkets and tap water will not save you. Take heed of that." He suddenly appeared tired, and made his way back to the bed. "Assure Amane that I will be fine, and that we shall marry, and become like royalty. I thank you for your visit, Father."

Father Marco asked coldly, "What are you?" In his heart, he thought he knew already, however. He blessed the two men, and waited for an answer.

"Ah, but dear Father, that would ruin the surprise. But don't worry, patience is a virtue, and all shall be revealed in due time. But come, let's not worry about this sort of stuff. Tell my fiancee what I asked you to."
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Amane and Father Marco had departed shortly afterward, and soon it was night, and the hospital was once again dormant...or mostly. A larger security force had been left on Sano's floor. It comprised of 5 private security men. Stealthly, Sano made his way to Yoshikuni's bed. Yoshikuni was getting anxious at this time. His blood count had been depleted, and he was in grave danger. Sano, though also low in his blood count, was somewhat less affected, the virus working slower on somebody else's blood. "You ready to in form the other three?"
"Yes, yes for the love of the kami, yes!" Yoshikuni was indeed fearful that he would die. Much moreso than what he had to do to keep living.
"Calm down, it'll be fine," said Sano, impatiently. He crept back over to his area of the room, and redressed himself in his own clothes. Yoshikuni did the same, though slightly more noisy. "You ready?"
"Yes."
"Then let us go." Sano opened the door silently, and the two stole out of the room. The noise of a round of poker up the hall assured them of a safe mission. Three doors down on the right, they found the room of the other three afflicted. The room was slightly larger, and held all three of them. The entrance of Sano and Yoshikuni, executed noiselessly, startled the other three. They were in the ravages of the disease, also at the end of their lives. Despite this, they listened to Sano's grand speech and his plan. There were five guards, and five of them; rather good odds. Even though four of them were acting sloppily due to weakness, they were stronger and faster than the guards. Without even caring about introducing themselves, the trio readily accepted Sano's alternative to a rather painful death. So much so, that they actually knocked Sano and Yoshikuni aside as they burst out the door and ran speedily up the hall.

Their lack of stealth did not go unnoticed, and the security men saw the trio, with Sano and Yoshikuni behind them, speeding up the hall at them. Two pulled out pistols and began firing at them; unable to get a good aim due to panic and the sheer velocity of them. Two men dashed straight for the elevator, not really ready to risk his neck for a small paycheck. The other picked up the phone, dialing 911.
"911, please state your emergency," said the operator's voice, rather uninterestedly.
"I'm at Central City Hospital Foxtrot, and we're under attack by some patients!"
"Ummm....excuse me?" the operator asked, quite confused. "You're under attack by whom?"
Before the man could reply, the trio reached the two shooters, striking fangs first, sinking them into their necks, blood flying out. The odd-man-out shot straight for the officer on the phone. "It's...it's...VAMPIRES...AUGGGHH!!!" he screamed as the last of the trio struck him, teeth first. Sano and Yoshikuni took their time getting to the last two, who were stuck waiting for the elevator. The doors "ping"ed open as they reached the men, entering the elevator with them.

The operator on 911 was going to write it off as a prank call by rookie security guards, but the sounds of the attack in the background sounded almost too real. On a hunch, she dispatched 4 squad cars to the area. After that, she went to the bathroom and lost her dinner.

The four cars showed up at roughly the same time, and four of the officers entered the building laughing and joking. They passed the receptionist, who bowed politely, and hit the up arrow on the elevator. The doors "ping"ed open, and two bodies slumped out of the carraige, blood streaming from their necks and streaked across the back wall. Two dark figures jumped down from the ceiling and crashed over the four officers, rushing for the door. One officer had the presence of mind to radio a warning to the others standing outside, who had about enough time to raise their pistols. Sano and Yoshikuni bowled over them, avoiding the sloppy shots. Sano made it to the top of the somewhat smaller building across the street in three bounds up the fire escape. Yoshikuni just dashed into the shadows of an alley.

Across the city at the Ridgian Embassy, Sano alighted outside Father Marco's window. Using excess blood, he wrote a message:

Humanity Shall Fall To Us;
Your Church Shall Lead Them.

Father Marco woke up suddenly, at the same time as the attacks. He had fallen asleep exactly how he had been on return from the hospital, completly tired. A while alter, he heard scurrying. He ran outside, to see the messege, and the man slipping into the dark. He jumped into the car, grabbed his cellphone, and alerted the police to the way the man was running. He sped off after the man, revolvers pulled, and follwoed by four embassy police cars, with four men each inside. They informed the local police of their actions.
When the local police responded, the embassy police returned, and along with more security, closed off the area around the embassy, to preserve evidence. Father marco continued after the man, however, fell behind local police.

Sano proved too fast for both the police and Father Marco, and had soon outrun both of them. He and Yoshikuni had planned where to meet, and soon the two were back together again. The other three had just been pawns, and were left behind to fend for themselves. Here now, Sano exposed a much grander plan that he had been thinking about during the day.
"Yoshikuni, there must be more of us in this nation now. If humans really are to take us seriously, we must organize them."
"Yes, of course. But that's easier said then done. How would we do that? We've got no central area to rally around!"
"Or do we?" Sano asked, posing a rhetorical question. "I have an uncle who owns a rather large farm just north of the city. He's a loner, so he won't exactly be missed. He's got a large barn, and several other outhouses. We can set up there and recruit others from there," Sano said, grinning evilly.
"Sure, sounds like that'll work. Let's go," Yoshikuni said agreeing readily. The duo departed their meeting place to catch a north bound Osprey.
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Shogun Nakamura Himura Kenshin had a very regular morning routine. He would wake up, exit his futon (always on the right side), roll up and store his futon, and walk across his room and throw open the window curtains to enjoy the view of the palace ponds. Next, he would walk out of his room on the top level of Honimishu Castle; his family's rooms took up half the floor, and into his office, the other half. Here, he would make breakfast himself, and then sit at his desk, giant bay windows over looking the rest of the city across the bay and the rising sun at his back. Other windows to his left and right showed him the rest of the city on the bay's shores. On top of his desk would be a newspaper folded like an origami bird. Today's routine went exactly as normal...until he opened his paper bird.

THOUSANDS MURDERED!
VAMPIRIC DISEASE TO BLAME!

The shock of the headline was enough to cause him to spill his hot tea over what had promised to a very satisfying and filling breakfast. He scanned the paper quickly; noticing the important points, such as the first case was documented by a doctor within this very city. He made a note to order this man here. There was also a short account of the attacks at that hospital. He made a note to call in the surviving police officers. There was also an account about a small-scale enocounter at the Ridgian Embassy. He made a note to call Father Marco in. So many notes, and such little time. Thousands more could die tonight if something was not done.
Why does no body ever wake be up for this sort of thing?
He enacted his notes, and called for all parties to meet in his office at 1:00 that afternoon. A joint meeting would help to solve this whole thing quicker.

The next morning, after mass, Father Marco appeared outside, and looked at the blood. There was a guard detail posted around it. The commander of the deatail, a Lieutenant, dropped a pen, and went to grab it. He missed, and, scraped his arm on the wall, and then in the blood. A few minutes later, he began to scream. He was broguht inside to the infirmary, watched, and placed under guard.

By one o'clock, it had been forcibly suggessted to the involved parties that they partake in a meeting with the shogun. Of course, no one had a problem with this, and so they all were brought to Kenshin's office. There, they were sat at a long, luxorious table, made of mahogony with gold trim. Shogun Kenshin was seated at the head of the table. After they had been seated, Kenshin stood and greeted them, "greetings. I've called you here on an unfortunately serious note. As you've all heard, there is a disease out there that has begun turning my citizens into vampires. That, quite frankly, is rather disturbing. Now, I have some food on the way up, and some drink. Unfortunately for some of you, there is no alcohol as this is an issue of the utmost seriousness." He sat down. "Now, Doctor. You were the first to come into contact with this. What can you tell me about this...problem?"

"Your Excellency, this occurance is a virus. Unfortunately, that means you can't throw antibiotics at it. It also appears to be a fast acting virus. It takes control of the host's systems in a mere day.

"This disease produces vampiric symptoms. It causes deformities in the canine teeth, and in the fingers. Notably, it makes them longer, sharper, and more sinister. Most important to point out is the toll it takes on the red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the other cells. It consumes these cells, and depletes the count. This is fatal. However, the need for new blood drives the patients crazy, and causes them to seek a new source of blood, other humans unfortunately. That's where these new canines come into play, they are sharp enough to puncture skin and blood vessels and allow the patient to drink their victim's blood."

Kenshin was shocked and appalled by the news. "Do you have a cure for this, or anything to remedy it at all?"

"Sir, currently, no. I have a friend in pharmecuticals who I've contacted about this. He says it may be possible to produce new blood cells in the way that insulin is produced, using genetically altered bacteria," the Doctor said.

"Tell him to contact my office. Whatever money he needs for this research will be granted immediately," Kenshin said. He turned to the security guards from the previous night's attack. Their eyes were blood shot, and it was clear that they had gotten very little, if any sleep. "How do these people move? You've faced them one-on-one now."

One officer stood and saluted. "Sir, these men move with much higher mobility than any other foe we've ever faced. Their speed was too much to track and aim. Their strength is incredibly higher than other humans, and one of our officers was knocked dead by a single punch."

The Doctor interjected, "how can you call these men foes?? They're human beings, and Pschycotian citizens!"

"Sir, regardless, they've attacked military forces. This makes them foes. They also pose a threat to the populace in the current situation."

"Enough," Kenshin said. "Now, Father Marco. One of these men has taken a personal assault on you. Why would they be interested in the Catholic Church?"

Father Marco listened quietly to what was going on. However, when the Shogun addressed him, he responded, "Your Excellency, I am not certain that this is an assault on the Catholic Church. I was called on my the first victims fiance to visit him in the hospital. He mocked me, and sent me off. I had a feeling soemthing was wrong, yet did not know what. I woke up around the same time as the attacks, and, shortly after, the blood appeared on the wall." He thought, and then continued, "The messege was most certainly strange. My guess would be that he sees the Church as the strongest entity in his so called struggle. A challenge of sorts." Father Marco sat quietly, and then gre pale. He jumped up, and pulled his cell phone out. He called the Captain of the embassy guards, and ordered him to lock the sick man in his room, with enough food for a while. Under no circumstances was he to be removed, nor anyone enter. Guards were to be palced there twenty four hours a day.
He explained to the Shogun what was going on, and sighed, "This is going to get worse before it is solved."

"Mmmmm...yes. An association of the Catholic Church with the good force, the other side of the conflict. Legends often tell of the Catholic Church being the force that people turned to in the face of 'evil'." Kenshin thought over this for a while. "You know what...I do believe that these men constitute as a threat to the state by their actions. If they continue to recruit people to their side, we'll have major problems. And Father Marco, one of them seems to have an odd fascination with you and your Church. So, here's what we'll do: my forces will track where they go, and I'll give you full permission to either apprehend or eliminate any vampires that show no sign of being civil and peaceful about this. How does that sound?"

The Doctor began to raise an arguement, but was silenced by a simple wave of Kenshin's hand.
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The Farm,
0500 Hours...

Sano and Yoshikuni had made their way north through the city, and they had made it into the countryside by dawn. In fact, they had been able to make it all the way to Sano's uncle's farm.

So, as the sky began to grow lighter, Sano, Yoshikuni, and two others they had found surveyed the premise from the bushes. It consisted of a rather large plantation house, several old servant's quarters, and a very large barn. For a short period of time, Sano disappeared into the underbrush. However, he returned with an odd device on his arm. "It's an old toy," he explained. Silently they made their way to the main house's door and rang the door bell. Several minutes passed, and then a tired looking man in a nightgown answered the door. "Hello Uncle," Sano said.

"Sano...is that yo...." Sano's uncle's question was cut short. Sano had raised the arm with the device on it, and a long, metal sword blade extended from it. Sano plunged it into his uncle's chest, and then withdrew it.
"Thank you for the farm, Uncle." He turned to his followers, "there should be more people on the premises, they're yours. Take them." His followers shot off into the night.

Father Marco began to say that he could not kill a man, then stopped himself and said, "If these men were truely good, they would allow themselves to die. This could be consdiered a just war, as it fits all of the criteria. Killing is not murder if done in defense either." He thought it over and said, "I will try blessings at first, but I have a feeling that this is a mix between demonic possession and a virus." He thought and then asked Kenshin, "I don't know about you, but I think it is time for me to ressurect the White Rose.*"

*Catholic Militia, mainly used to protect church officials.

"Permission for it to operate in this nation to help resolve this threat is granted. My intelligence personnel are searching for the men from the Doctor's hospital as we speak. I will let you know when we find their location. God speed."

Marco nodded and said, "Blessings to you, Excellency." With that, he went back to the embassy to make preparations.

By sunrise, the vampires collected at Sano's farm had settled in, with full veins as well. The main house was occupied, as were several of the out-buildings. In fact, two more vampires, travelling in cloaks, had been assisted and pulled out of the growing light. Sano's following were along many of the same beliefs as him. Many of them had been disgusted by mankind at one point or another, some had illusions of power, others just wanted to have a little bit of "fun".

However, something came up that Sano had not been expecting. Around ten o'clock, two men came to the door in heavy work clothes, as would be expected of factory workers. Unbeknownst to Sano, his Uncle had collected another job, and was now the foreman at an important industrial plant. Since the main house faced west, he was forced to open the door, as the men had seen several of the vampires (thought they did not know it) moving behind the drawn window curtains. "Hello and welcome. How may I help you gentlemen this fine morning?" he asked, bowing and acting like a butler might.
"We're looking for Master Sano-san," one of them said. "He didn't report for work, and he was due to come in early to review some of the progress on our recent...project."
"I'm terribly sorry," Sano said, playing his character perfectly. "Master Sano-san is incapacitated. He is terribly sick."
The men looked at each other, and the one man leaned in toward Sano, "he didn't catch that retched vampire disease, did he?"
"Oh-ho! But you jest! Of course he did not!" Sano said, laughing, though a bit annoyed at the statement. "There was a chill last night, and we fear he's caught pneumonia. We're keeping him in bed just to be safe. He should be better soon. Thank you for your concern." Sano bowed and shut the door on the two men. Turning, he saw Yoshikuni.
"What was that?"
"Two men. Apparently, Uncle has another job, and he's missed," Sano said, annoyed. He shook some of his brown hair out of his eyes.
"We in danger?"
"We shouldn't be. They're just union workers."

Unfortunately, the answer given to the two men didn't satisfy them, and they expressed their doubts to each other as they walked away. Neither had seen this new butler before; they had been to the farm many times for poker nights. Furthermore, it had been all that cold the previous night. In fact, it had been unseasonably warm. And they were at a farm! But there was no work being done outside. Everything was shut up tight. One of them had been there this time the day before, and it had been bustling! At the end of the farm's driveway, instead of turning left toward the factory, they turned right...toward the police office.
=================================================

Sano's uncle had been a well-respected man in town, short of a Daimyo in fact. So, the police decided to take the extra step and sent out 4 cars to investigate. The officer on duty at the station, after personally dispatching the men (it was a small town, after all), checked the wanted list on a recent e-mail and found a disturbing coincidence. At the top of the list today, was a man bearing the name "Sano". The officer called Central down in Honismishu, and after briefly describing the situation, he was patched through to a deep, garbled voice. Again, he described the situation. His response was a simple *click* as the line went dead.

The four cars pulled up to the Sano Farm, their lights flashing. Two officers got out and walked up to the main house's door. They knocked on it, and it was opened by Sano Ichiro a few moments later. "Sir, we'd like to speak with Sano-san."
"Ah, so many people careing about his welfare. I'm sorry, he's sick and unable to entertain anyone," Sano said, evaluating the situation. He shut the door quickly and locked it. Yoshikuni was again behind him.
"The police are here??! We're fucked! What'll we do, what'll we do??"
"Shut up. That closet behind you contains several katanas. Give 'em to the others in the house, and tell them to come into the rooms of this foyer and get ready," Sano said coldly. Another knock came at the door. Sano walked over to it, a gleem in his eyes and a grin on his face.

The two officers were taken aback by this rude response, and were unable to react for a second. They knocked on the door again. Finding no response, one of them pounded on the door heavily. Suddenly, with a loud *shunk!*, a thin metal blade shot through the wooden door and through the officer's chest. It disappeared quickly again. Before the officer's body had even hit the ground, it came through the door again with another *shunk!* and pierced the second officer's head, withdrawing inside the door again. As the officers' bodies hit the doorstep, the other officers jumped out of the cars, unsheathing their katanas. The lead officers hit the door and broke it down, bursting into the foyer, meeting with Sano's sword-arm and dying instantly. Another was struck down quickly from the side by another vampire. A third officer reached Sano and exchanged several lightning quick blows with him in a kind of dance, but was cut through the middle. The sound of metal clashing rang through the foyer. Several of the vampires suffered bad cuts, but three more officers were killed. The last officer, finding some common sense, fought his way back outside the house until the vampires dared not chase him further. Sheathing his sword, he ran back to one of the cars and began driving away quickly.
===============================================

Back at the Ridgian Embassy, Father Marco's phone rang. Upon being answered, a deep and garbled voice spoke, "ten miles north of the city on Route 4, on the left, the Sano Farm. Numbers and weapons unknown." The line clicked dead again.

Father Marco quickly jumped up, and through his cape on over the black cassock he was wearing. He rushed to the car, and jumped in. He had with him a Crucifix, a roasry, Holy Water, a prayer book, and his stole, as well as his revolver and sword.
On the way there, from his cell phone, he called the Psycotican high command. He had found the number through the embassy.
As be pulled up, he kissed his stole, and threw it around his neck. He attached his sword, which was crafted in the Fire of the Holy Ghost's love, and approached the home. He stopped before the porch, and fired at the door hinges. The door fell off, and he holstered his weapon. He threw Holy Water in front of him, and then yelled, "In the name of Christ, I command you to show yourself!"

"Heh....heh.....heh...." came the ominous laugh from the shaodws at the banister at the top of the curved staircase. "You, sir, are either incredibly brave, or incredibly foolish to break into a den of vampires. And now I wonder, which one are you?" Sano stepped out of the shadows and into view, faint light glinting off of bloodstained teeth. He was dressed richly, having raided his uncle's closet. Indeed, he appeared very stately and regal. With a sharp, quick *shink!*, the glittering sword blade shot out from underneath his sleeve. "Maybe....Maybe we should test out which one it was. Maybe we should teach you a lesson, or put some sense behind your bravery." Sano shot out and over the banister and came down at Father Marco, sword out and over his head, arcing down toward Father Marco.

ooc: I need to get a post up, but it will suck.
ic: Father Marco drew his own sword to blick the vampire, and also stepped back into the sunlight.

ooc: Yes, very crappy post. I know.

Special Agents came out from the surrounding brush with their rifles aimed at the vampires in the compound. Quickly they grabbed Father Marco and retreated out of the area, rifles covering their retreat. Sano jeered and mocked the priest all the way out of ear shot.

"Father Marco," one agent said. "You're lucky we were in the area. His Excellency just found out you had taken off for here and alerted us. More agents are coming in to contain these vermin. Please assemble your forces for later, and allow us to take over here." They had retreated to an area where a UH-60 Blackhawk was waiting for them. Father Marco was pressed onboard in a way that said 'don't argue'. On board, a phone was handed to the priest. Kenshin was on the other line, "while I respect your courage, Father, do not be so foolish. We are working on not only a blood alternative for the growing population, but a vaccine as well. I am told it will not be long. We should be able to contain them for the mean time. Please prepare your forces and stand by."