Chapter 5: Disinterment

As a young girl, I loved to visit cemeteries. They always seemed beautiful, filled with flowers and trees. The grass was always trimmed and kept free of weeds. There were angels on pedestals, their pebbly wings spread out behind them. There were babies and lambs carved into thick granite markers. And there was peace. No one approached me in a cemetery. People walked about slowly, talking softly, perhaps offering a quick glance or a smile as they passed by.

My fascination with cemeteries did not wane as I aged. Each grave marked a lifetime of memories that were lost to the world. Underneath a few feet of dark soil, the bodies and experiences of countless generations were reabsorbed by the earth.

After I awakened from my brief death, when I transcended the boundaries of mortality and became one of the kyūketsuki, a longing for the grave began to grow in me. Ai Ōnishi belonged to sunlit days dreaming of her life with Tomo. She could not exist dwelling in the shadows, her memories of love slowly diminishing. I had to put Ai to rest, so I placed all that remained of her among the deceased. There was not much left at that time. A dress. Some jewelry. A few mementos. I buried them in a cemetery to decay alongside the others whose time had passed. Ai Ōnishi, daughter of Nobu and Megumi Ōnishi. Rest in peace.

But no matter how tried, I could not bear to leave her behind.

As I moved with the Kuroiwa clan, so did what remained of Ai. I always placed her belongings in a serene part of each cemetery—a place where she might finally rediscover the peace she once knew.  Most of the time, I would find a newly dug grave and sneak her into it, only to unearth her again when we were forced to relocate. When we moved last, I found her a small mausoleum of her own.  A mausoleum known only to me.  A mausoleum I visit tonight for the last time.

I pause briefly at the door to check the area. It is rare that I can come to pay my respects to Ai Ōnishi. Tonight will be the last night doing so, though. Tonight, I plan to exhume her one final time and return her to the world. Tonight, she becomes as Lazarus.

The feelings inside me—excitement, joy, love—are all mortal and hard to contain. I thrust open the doors. I have come to free Ai from her burial chamber. I have come to let her experience fresh air and open skies.  I have come so that she may love again.

Thoughts of regaining Tomo ravage my mind, and I find it hard to concentrate. My only concern is to slide back the lid of the vault and look upon Ai’s belongings once again. If I can touch them . . . see them . . . I think I can recapture what it was to truly be her . . . .

I catch myself as I begin to take my first step into the mausoleum. I am suddenly aware of someone close behind me. My racing thoughts cease and my mind becomes focused. The person has come much too close. I allowed myself to be careless for a moment, and in that moment, someone managed to evade my senses.

“Stop where you’re at!”

My first instinct is to alter myself to appear human. It is within my abilities. I am still strong from the feeding.  But it is too late now.  If I had sensed him sooner, I could have hidden that I am one of the kyūketsuki. I could have charmed him, convinced him I pose no danger. But I allowed him to get too close. I can hear Ai beckoning me, pleading with me. She wants me to ignore him, to let him live, and I want so much to give in. I know that I cannot, though. Traces of Mukade linger, and she abides no risks. I turn, ready to pounce.

But Tatsu is already upon him.

If he could scream, I am certain his voice would carry with it maddening fear and pain. Instead, the confusion, sorrow, and insanity can only be read in his face, his body paralyzed by Tatsu’s bite. I avert my eyes. Only hours before I had done the same, taking away the life of the vampire hunter. As I watch Tatsu drain the officer, the act seems abhorrent. Monstrous.

When Tatsu finishes, she lets the body slump to the ground. The sound of the dead flesh collapsing to the walk breaks the silence of the attack. Tatsu drags the back of her gloved hand across her mouth, wiping away any excess blood.

“You have to be more careful from now on, Mukade. I will not always be able to protect you.”

Tatsu smiles, and once again I know not whether it bespeaks of friendship or malice.

“I think you are safe, for now,” she continues. “I must leave you with the task of cleaning, though. Okāsan will inquire after me if I am absent for long.”

Saying nothing more, Tatsu turns and walks away.

I do not move until she is out of sight. Then, I drag the officer’s body into the mausoleum. If I had not planned on releasing Ai previously, I would have to now. This place is no longer safe. I empty the vault of Ai’s possessions and replace them with the officer’s body, all the while thinking of Tatsu. The refrain of “I will not always be able to protect you” pervades my mind as I secure Ai’s possessions in my pack. The image of the officer being drained flashes in my mind. This time, I can hear him scream.

Click “Read more” for credits.

Credits:
Ai Ōnishi/Mukade
Hair: Deviant Kitties Alienor-Red
Skin: Deviant Kitties Runny – China
Eyes: Celestial Studios Mirror Amber
Outift: Bare Rose Tokyo Carmilla
Gloves: Musashi Leather Gloves
Boots: Beckenbauer Productions Revolver Darklord Boots
Sword: Musashi Tek Yakiba

Tatsu
Hair: ETD Loopy – Black
Skin: Whispers of the Night Deathly [Blood Gloom Stalker]
Tattoo: Bare Rose Tokyo Kokuryu Tattoo
Eyes: Celestial Studios Mirror Green
Outift: Bare Rose Tokyo Carmilla
Sword: Hanzo Blades Imperial Fury Katana

Officer
Outfit: K.O. Designs Police Uniform

All pictures taken at Zelmanov’s Funeral Home.
Thanks to October Hush for her assistance in completing this chapter.