Dracula on NBC starts Next Friday, October 25

A new re-telling of Dracula starts on NBC next Friday, October 25.  Dracula is an American living in London.

Here is the link to NBC's website preview page.

http://www.nbc.com/dracula/

Any mention of Dracula, and I need to do some shameless self-promotion, which is to promote the prequel to this blog, the novella, Sword of the Undead, which is also a re-telling of Drcaula, except the vampire is a Japanese samurai lord who moves to Los Angeles in 1872.

Sword of the Undead at Amazon (Kindle version), but also available in paperback.

Ron Sakamoto has a sex change

I found an old attempt of this sequel, where the detective's name is Sandra Sakamoto.  I think I'll keep her.  Then maybe add the history of her being a descendent of Abraham Van Helsing.  I was going to add Kaze no Katsumi (the character from my zombie short story), as well - and I still might, but discovering this 17 page effort - probably written before I got sick last year and forgot about it - has given me some things to think about in how the story progresses.

A New Course

I guess it's because he's a new character, but I like the character Kaze no Katsumi, I created for the short story, Zombie Brawl.  Ever since I started thinking about the sequel, which was when I was still writing the first book, I wanted to add another "supernatural' character in there - I thought, who in Japanese hirtory, could I use - I was thinking about Abe no Seimei, who was an astrolger and Imperial Court counselor back in the pre-shogun Heian Period. 

Other aspects I'm thinking about adding to the story are perhaps a treasure that came over from China to North America when the Chinese conducted their around the world expedition in 1421, or even incorporating something about the Yamato " clan, which is the clan which "unified" Japan back in the B.C. days.

I wrote the first story with Kaze no Katsumi in first person, so I wonder if I should do this story in his voice, though the major combatants will still be Yagyu Jubei and the vampire, Kageura.

Zombie Brawl, or the Rants and Raves of a Mass Transit Commuter the Day the Zombies Attacked the Train

What do I do when I'm not thinking about vampires and samurai?  One is to think about zombies and ninjas.

This is what I have been writing in my absence writing about the vampire Kageura.

Please check out Zombie Brawl, or Rants and Raves of a Mass Transit Commuter the Day the Zombies Attacked the Train.

OT - Zombies

I just completed a draft of my zombie short story, so I will be concentrating on that for a few days.  Unfortunately, the Kageura story is the casualty since it is the story i am experiencing a block on. 

At this point, I might go back and piece together the events that took place inthis blog and organize them into text form for the second scene in the eventual novel.

This is a work in progress.

I will post here when the zombie short story is available for sale.  I am planning on it to be 0.99 on Amazon Kindle only since it is a short story of about 13 pages.

Writer's Block Continues

This is the worst about being a writer - working through blocks.  Fortunately, it is not an all-around block, just with this story.  I am currently productive with my book on my recovery with spinal cord injury, Toe Up to 10K.  But even with progress on that, I have not been as active on the blog with the same name.

If you are a writer, it is pretty nice to be working on multiple stories, but it also means that one story might be delayed and writer's block might take longer to break through since you have an alternate to work on.

Hopefully, this block will pass.  I am currently drafting a short story about zombies, and also reading a book about Japanese history, so hopefully writing in the same genre and reading historical non-fiction will spark ideas for the Kageura story.

Author's Entry: Still having writer's block

Even with the interview with Jubei, I am still having writer's block.  This is one of the reasons I started this blog for my sake.  I knew there would be times when i just wouldn't know how to proceed, but hoped that by writing it out, some ideas can come to me.

I could test out sample prose, interview my characters, try out plot progressions, and then when the final book is ready, I could go back to this blog and the entries can sort of serve as notes.

Author's Post: Interview with Jubei

Author:  Are you happy with your role so far in this story?

Jubei:  To tell you the truth, No. I am not happy.  I broke Sakamoto out of prison, but other than showing up at crime scenes, I haven't had much action.

Author:  I know you want to confront Kageura, but I don't know quite how to set it up for this book, yet.

Jubei:  I understand being an author present difficulties in manipulation. The other characters would agree.

Author:  How do you want to confront Kageura?

Jubei:  I'd like to run into him, have a spar session - maybe more than one before the end of the book.

Author:  What have you been doing the past 150 years since the last battle.

Jubei:  Keeping a low profile.  Hunting demons.

Author: And Sakamoto, do you plan to tell him about Van Helsing?

Jubei:  Yes, when the time is right.

Author: How about yor plans for now, that you have broken Sakamoto out of jail.

Jubei:  I have a place out in the desert - he can rest there and we can work on strategy.

Author: I didn't know that. I thought you ad a place in Hollywood.

Jubei:  I do, but I also have a hideout in the desert, where I train. 

Author: Thank you for this interview, Jubei.  It has been quite helpful.

Jubei:  You are welcome.

Jubei Yagyu Entry: Breaking Ron Sakamoto out of Jail

The detective, Ron Sakamoto was arrested for killing his girlfriend and was arrested.  He was placed in a holding cell and awaiting his bail hearing.

It was a set up by the vampires.  I had to rescue him - but I had to do it without seriously hurting any of the policemen.

The only way to do it was to use a wooden sword, and to barge in. 

Fortunately, I have developed some supernatural strength since being afflicted witht his curse, as well as some stealth abilities.

I snuck into the jail and let the air direct me to Sakamoto's cell. When I got to it, he was in a cell with a dozen other people.  Was there a way to get him out without the others escaping also?  I made myself invisible to all except Sakamoto, then asked him to come to the cell door.  I opened the lock using some magic, and the door opened. Sakamoto slowly slid out.  Soon, the guards and the prisoners knew he was outside the cell.  Here is where we made a run for it.

As the prisoners jeered and cheered, the guards came running.  Carrying Sakamoto on my side, I ran through the guards knowcking them over with my arm, or hitting them on the side with my kendo stick, until we were outside - then I took to the air.

Ron Sakamot entry: I was arrested

I was arrested for killing my girlfriend, but I didn't even get a chance to call it in.  She burned and vanished, leaving no trace - yet within minutes, uniformed officers showed up and arrested me.  I admited i killed her, but in self-defense.

I can't describe the emotions I feel now.  I am grieving the loss of my beloved at my own hands, yet objectively, I know that was what had to be done. She was going to kill me.  And to top it of, the arrest... I am so confused.

Ron Sakamoto Entry: I Killed Maria

I had to do it.  I'm not crazy.

I hadn't seen her for a few days, but she was waiting for me at my home.  She looked different.  Void of humanity.  She tried to seduce me, and bared her fangs.  My words came out naturally, "Are you a vampire?"

"Yes," she answered.

She wanted me to join her.  She came closer.  It didn't matter what I thought, she was determined to bite into me, and feast off my blood.  I pushed her away.  Angered, she came at me.  But, somehow, Abraham Van Helsing's crucifix flew out of a drawer.  I didn't know it was there. 

Maria backed off, but her features indicated that the human was no longer there.  The physical appearance was just a shell for the creature.  She came at me again.  I grabbed a ceremonial sword i had on the wall for decoration, and instinctively, sliced off her head.

Jubei's Entry: On Kageura

Kageura is difficult to analyze. While alive, he was an honorable man, yet he was a lord. By nature, warlords are ambitious, but he and his clan were not overly so. 

His thirst for power came as he felt betrayed by the Tokugawas, but also with the transformation to being a vampire.  Even though the Tokugawas were no longer in power when he moved to the United States, he struggled with himself  - much of his struggles are internal, his honorable human self, with the dishonorable vampire self.

In Japan, in recent times, before he moved to the United States, he was pretty much content just existing, but his he has been resurrected now, in modern times, I can feel his ambitious spirit in the air.  Maybe I am wrong, but I think I am right.

Kageura Entry: Taira Clan Treasure

The reason I chose the United States to move to was not because I could not live as a  vampire in non-Tokugawa Japan, but because the divine Yamato sword, most likely is buried somewhere in the current Los Angeles.  It is said that whoever wields the sword weilds great power. 

When the Taira clan lost the Genpai War, it was rumored that a small faction of the clan stayed behind in Japan, and retrieved the Yamato sword and brought it to China, where the few survivors of the Taira clan fled to.  As the family integrated into Chines culture, the sword was lost and probably at that time, integrated into Chinese treasures.

The story continues that the sword was part of a treasure brought aboard one of the ships in the Chinese expedition around the world, which in 1421, reached the shores of North America.  The ship containing the sword was severely damaged during a storm, and sunk near the coast. but not before some of the treasure was saved and brought to shore.  No one knows what happened tot he treasure after that.

I am sure the sword is still with the other treasures, and will go on a quest to find it. Then I will use its powers.

Author's Entry: Candy is bit, part II

Candy walked faster.  The car slowly followed her, narrowed the gap.  The water swished underneath the car's tires, and pittypatted under her boots.  Candy increased he pace.  The car did the same.  Candy started to get angry.  It was the same guy who harassed her at the club. If steam was coming out of Candy's ears, the rains would douse it. 

Candy stopped.  The car stopped, then slowly caught up to her. 

"Come On, baby, I want a happy ending," the driver said.

"Listen, I do do that sort of thing.  If you are that desparate, then I suggest another part of town."

"But it's raining, and your here...I'm here now." The driver opened the door to the passenger side.  "Get in, please."

"No."

"I'm begging."

"No."

"You don't want me to make you, do you?"

"I can beat you up, any night."

"Oh,. yeah?  We'll see about that."  The driver started to open the door. Candy readied herself.  The driver got out, and as he got both feet out the car, he scrambled back in and floored the gas pedal. The passenger side door still open.

Candy was glad, a but shocked. While she knew she could beat him in a physical fight, she didn't think he'd run away like that.

Candy turned around and bumped into a solid form.  "Oh, excuse me," she said instinctively, and looked up.  A pair of long fangs descended upon her.

Author's Entry: Candy is Bit

Fortunately, that was Candy's last dance. Unfortunately, it was also Candy's last dance.  At 1:30 A.M., the clubs doors would be shut and locked in a half hour.  She sat in front of her dresser and sighed.  "Why did I ever leave Ohio?"

Candy Cain's real name was Mary Schlager.  She wasn't  a singer, so she couldn't audition for all those talent shows on television.  She could act, however, according to all the locals: friends, teachers, local drama critics.  The former Mary Schlager never liked her name and dreamed of moving to Hollywood, changing her name and make it big.  Candy Cain was not the name she imagined she'd have for herself.

Candy lived only a couple of blocks from the club - in a partially rennovated neighborhood regarded as an arts district.  There was debate whether the neighborhood got passed over for other areas of downtown Los Angeles which revitalization exceeded hers, or if the neighborhood was still in the process of urban renewal.

The rain poured hard.  Candy opened her umbrella, and walked out.  Headlights shined the way ahead from her from behind.  She was being followed.

Author entry: Possible opening for the actual book

Aspiring dancers move to New York, aspiring actresses move to Los Angeles.  Candy Cain moved to the latter, yet worked as the former.  Many people would refer her type of dance as an illegitimate form of dance.  At this point, she didn't care if it was or wasn't an artsy respected form of dancing.  All she cared was that it paid the bills.

The lack of customers indicated the weather outside: cold and rainy.  Candy received a small wage, but most of her income came from tips customer's would give her.  Not the tips from dancing - that would only pay the rest of her rent - the rest of her bills and any savings would come from tips customers would give her by keeping them company - not the way most people stereotyped the dancers - but literally, to keep company with the customer with conversation.

It was hard to be motivated when the customer pool was slim; and the cold wet air roaring in from the outside.  She went through her motions.  She didn't notice a tall shadowy man come in and stand near the corner of the room - nor did anyone else.  Her mind was focused on a problem customer sitting in front of her.

"Shake it, baby! Come on! What am I paying you for," he said as he shook a lone dollar bill in front of his face.

Candy ignored him, but he was relentless.  No use being nice to this guy - he was an obnoxious drunk.  Probably cheap, too.

The man, a short, thin, middle-aged balding man in his fifties, continued to verbally harass Candy, until he jumped on stage and grabbed her.  She punched him in the groin, and ran off stage.  This amused the strange man standing in the corner. 

"Never changes - the relationship between dancers and their customers - whatever the culture, whatever the time," he thought.

Ron Sakamoto Entry: ???

I had the scanner on on my way home.  A robbery had just taken place nearby and I swung over to see if I could catch the culprit.  But the patrol men were already there.  I got out and talked to the victim and the officers, and started back to my car. I looked into an alley as I passed by one, and saw a human figure on top of another.

I went closer to break it up.  The one on top looked at me.  She had an evil look to her. Blood dripped from her mouth.  I stepped back.  The vampire slowly crawled towards me, seductively and menacingly.  Suddenly she shrieked, turned around and disappeared.  A hand tounched my shoulder.

It was Jubei. 

"That was Maria,"  I stammered. 

"I know," he said. Flatly, without emotion, he said, "You must now destroy her."

Ron Sakamoto Entry: Ran into Jubei

I ran into the mysterious samurai today.  Or, rather he probably arranged it so that I'd run into him.  All the supernatural possibilities are overloading me: vampires, immortal beings.

"You are the famous Yagyu Jubei aren't you?" I asked, directly.

"My name is Yagyu Jubei, yes, but famous, I do not know."

"Of course you are.  You've been portrayed in countless movies."

"Those are all fiction."

"If you are 400 years old - this reality is more unbelievable than anything I've seen of you in movies."

"You've found your family records."

"Yes."

"Then you know about Kageura?"

"Kind of.  I didn't find the complete journal. Just bits, and I had to piece it together.  I would still like to hear it from a primary source."

Jubei proceeded to tell me the whole story, of course some of it was heresay, for there were periods where he was not involved in the tale.

This is getting stranger by the minute.  All my vampire knowledge came from the movies, and now Jubei tells me that this vampire cannot be staked, but must have his stomach slit and beheaded, like a ritual hara-kiri.

He asked me about Maria. I said that I had not seen her for a few days.  He said he had a strange feeling about her, but cannot pinpoint it, and perhaps i should she that she is all right.

I asked him how I can contact him, and he said, that he will know.  Whatever that means. 

Maria Ramos Entry: A New Life

I was walking along the street when a man came up to me.

"Ms. Ramos?"

"Yes."

"Excuse me, but I remember you from the party. I also read your bylines.  There's not just one.  There is a whole nest of them.  Hundreds of them.  I can take you to see where they live."

"Sorry, mister. I'm busy."  I tried to brush him off, but then he looked at me, stared into my eyes, and I could not resist.

"Please, Ms. Ramos.  I insist."

This man led me into a cave. I cannot remember how I got there.  He told me to look through a crack, and there were hundreds of them, as he said. 

"Welcome." A deep voice said, behind me.  I turned around.  He was tall, and appeared to be dressed in Japanese samurai armour. 

"Won't you join us?" He asked.  Instinctively, I exposed my neck and offered it to him.

Kageura v Jubei, pt 3

Continuing the account of the duel between Jubei and Kageura, Van Helsing wrote:

"The two men circled each other.  Yagyu waited for kageura to move first. Kageura swung at Yagyu's stomach. Yagyu deflected it.  Yagyu let Kageura initiate the attacks, deflecting each swing, countering only when he felt he could hit Kageura back. Kageura became impatient.  His swings gradually became less controlled. One one swing, Kageura sliced the fabric of Yagyu's kimono, but Yagyu deflected the blow and countered it with his own horizontal blow to the stomach. Yagyu's blow cut kageura, but not deep enough. Kageura charged at Yagyu, sword above his head.  Yagyu defelcted the oncoming blow, and in one motion, slcied horizontally against the stomach, and up across the neck. Kageura's head flew off and onto the floor."

I changed a word or two, but the above paragraph is an excerpt from the book, "Sword of the Undead," (lost in Sakamoto's world, but inour world, it is available on Amazon, and other online bookstores.)

Ron Sakamoto Entry: Kageura versus Jubei, circa 1872 pt. 2

It appears that the vampire, Kageura, kidnapped Harker's wife, Mina.  Van Helsing, with a group of people, including Jubei, confronted Kageura inside the castle, which I gather is kind of around where Dodger Stadium now stands.

A compilation of Van Helsing's writings to come up with the battle:

"The two men stared at each other.  This wasn't a duel between man and monster, it was between two master swordsmen.  They respected each other.  In this moment, Kageura's humanity came out.  He stated that he is the one who is cursed, not Jubei.  Jubei only wore a kimono, but Kageura was in full armor. Kagura took off his armor to make the fight fair."

"Yagyu Jubei Mitsuyoshi," proclaimed Jubei.

"Kageura Hidetora," replied back Kageura.

Ron Sakamoto Entry: Kageura versus Jubei pt. 1

It took all day, and although the full story of the battle with the Japanese vampire is not in one place, I think I've pieced together a fairly comprehensive story.

An attorney named Jonathan Harker had gone to Japan to finalize a real estate deal with a Japanese warlord.  Van Helsing mentored one of the early pioneers of mental health by the name of John Seward.  Seward and Harker were mutual friends of a woman named Lucy Westerna.  Lucy had been taken ill. Van Helsing concluded that it was the work of a vampire.

A mysterious Japanese samurai immigrant from Japan appeared.  Van Helsing wrote, "a stake through the heart won't kill these type of vampires, rather, the stomach must be slit, and then the body beheaded."  I couldn't find any other references to "these types of vampires," but I assume that there are differen types and different ways of destruction - not just the one few same way they show in movies.

Look at me, thinking vampires are real. What's scary is that after reading these things, and witnessing what I did at that party, I am starting to believe the existence of these creatures.

Van Helsing also described the Japanese samurai. Said his name was Jubei Yagyu. Hey, wait, wasn't that the famous samurai who disappeared back in the early-mid 1600's? (In real life, Jubei died in his  in his own village when he was 43 years old).   He described this samurai being tall, thin, with a forlorn lockof hair.  Why does this description sound so familiar?

Ron Sakamoto Entry: No, it couldn't be

Van Helsing's description of  Jubei fits that Japanese guy I keep running into.  But that is impossible. It would have been impossible in Van Helsing's time. Jubei was born in 1607. He would have been over 250 years old in Van Helsing's time, and he'd be over 400 years old, now. 

But vampires live forever.  What if Jubei was a vampire, also?

Jubei and the vampire fought. What if it was a battle between two vampires?  Or maybe Jubei is a vampire hunter.

This is just too much.  

I cam across Van Helsing's account of the sword fight - but I'd like to put together other writings that put that fight into context.

Ron Sakamoto entry: Asking Ma About Great Grandpa

My mother is the keeper of  great grandpa Van Helsing's personal writings.  I found out he is actually my great-great grandfather, and he was much much older than his wife, like about 30 or 40 years.

I asked her about what she knew regarding his chronicles about fighting a vampire in the 1870's.

She said the exact records of that one is lost, but it is referenced in some of his other writings. I asked if I could see them, or better yet, if any photos of him existed.  She said yes.

There was one photo, a portrait photo of a couple - they were my great great grand parents.  He looked like a scholar, hardly one who looked like one who would hand-fight a vampire and win, or even be competitive - but looks can be decieving. 

Now that I can kind of picture him, meanwhile Mom was bringing me tons of papers written by him.  I could begin my research. There was a lot of material to go through.

Maria Ramos Entry: Bit by a Dog

I was bit by a dog. It seemed friendly enough.  But I guess it was scared. I reached over to check to see if it had any identification attached, and it bit me and ran away.

I've read about those rare instances where innocent dog bites lead to blood infections, which lead to amputations, and the bite did break my skin, so I put on some antiseptic, bandaged it and went to urgent care. 

When the doctor removed my bandage, the wound, small as it was, had healed completely. There was no sign of a dog bite.  But it had been less than an hour.

Strangely enough, since the dog bite, I hear voices, specifically, a voice, as if it is calling me.  It is a commanding, yet alluring voice.  It just calls. 

Fred Jones Entry: Target: Maria Ramos

He is my master. I yearn to serve him, yet I fear him.  He won't transform me into one, yet I want to be transformed.  He has shown me immortality and strength, for the sacrifice of not being able to go out when the sun is up.  Is it really a sacrifice? It is just a matter of adjusting my waking hours.

If I do what he asks of me - commands me - I may yet be transformed. He has given me some powers.  To transform into animals, specifically, a wolf and a bat.  He has injected his genes into my blood.  Although I am not a vampire, and I cannot transform others, I can spread his genes into others - put them under his spell.

He has asked me to put the journalist, Maria Ramos under his spell.  I asked him why - He said it was none of my business - just that he met her at a party.

There she is.  I transformed into a wolf, but I will act like a dog.

She seems fearful, but I will be docile. She will think I am just a large lost dog.  She is searching for identification on me - talking to me like  I am a baby.  I slobber over her, lick her face.  She puts her hand near my mouth. I bite her, and run off.

Ron Sakamoto Entry: Abraham Van Helsing

Abraham Van Helsing was my great great grandfather on my mother's side.  Old family tale says that he fought a vampire back int he late 19th century.  The vampire was a Japanese warlord, named Kageura.  Abraham Van Helsing was a medical doctor, but also a scientest and researcher.  He kept a journal.

One such journal was titled, "Sword of the Undead,"  Supposedly, this chronicles his fight against the vampire.  I've never seen this journal, but it is talked about a lot at family get-togethers.  There are some of his writings I have seen, which reference this journal. 

I need to find these writings.  Perhaps it will help me with this case. 

Great grandpa Van Helsing had other journals, in which he wrote about other supernatural beings, but those are currently missing, as well.

I also want to talk to that Japanese character with the anime haircut. I think he might provide me with some clues also.

The incident at that vampire party really freaked me out.  I am beginning to believe that maybe these creatures do exist for real.

Maria Ramos Entry: Vampire Party

I got my boyfriend to go to this vampire party.  I as a journalist, he as a cop.  Just after sundown, we went to a house in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles - just northwest of downtown Los Angeles on the east side of the Hollywood Hills.  It's an older, eclectic neighborhood of working class and artsy class - and weirdo class - it's not surprising that this party would take place here.

The hostess introduced herself as Alicia.  I introduced myself and Ron and identified ourselves as journalist and detective, respectively.  We asked to only observe, that we didn't wish to participate.
Alicia asked the others - no one had any objections - so we were allowed in. Alicia invited us to join in if we found their lifestyle interesting.

In the age of HIV, its hard to imagine something like this.  They take precaution, but still very dangerous in my opinion.  But they do have rules - each participant is one half of a couple - both of whom know each other.  So, it's not like you are drinking a stranger's blood.  But still.  And why do it in a group setting - each of these couples can do it in the privacy of their own homes.  I guess it's to justify their lifestyle. 

Anyway, they prick their partner's fingers just so a little blood oozes out, kind of like when you get pricked to have your blood sugar levels tested, and the partners lick off the blood.  It's not like they bite their partner's neck and start drawing out gallons of blood.  All very tame, I was thinking, when one of the men actually attacked his partner by biting her on the neck. Blood started gushing out from the jugular. 

He looked up at the rest of us, chin bloodied, mouth dripping with his ex-partner's blood. He had his fill and wanted to escape. Ron took out hs gun and aimed.

"No, that won't do any good," someone yelled.

"The hell it won't" Ron answered. The "vampire" charged, and Ron shot at him  - emptying his magazine.  The bullets hit, I know - but the vampire just ran through them; He knocked Ron over, and ran out the door.

Everybody was understandably shaken.  "Sometimes, a real one infiltrates a group like ours," someone said, as is to educate us about their main concern regarding their lifestyle. 

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You don't think real one's don't exist, do you?" 

I looked over at the dead body, neck shredded.  If the dancer and prostitute were also a vampire's victim, this was not the same one.  This one was too messy. 

Ron was groaning and holding his head.  He was recovering from the vampire's blow.  "Gotta go through great grandpa's notes," I heard him mutter.

Ron Sakamoto Entry: Chat With Jubei

I was walking along Hollywood Boulevard and peering in shop windows casually, when I saw that Japanese man who showed up at the two crime scenes.  I never did believe in return to the scene of the crime, but no harm in questioning this guy.  I walked into the coffeehouse, ordered coffee and sat at his table.

He was drinking tea.

"How's your coffee." I asked.

"It's not coffee, it's tea. And it's okay - I've had better."

"You showed up at the two crime scenes where the victim's had puncture wounds."

"Those are the one's I investigate."

"Are you some sort of detective?"

"Sort of."

"A vigilante."

"No.  Don't worry, I leave police work to the police."

"That's good." 

"So, you investigate crimes which the victims have puncture wounds. What are you, some sort of vampire hunter?"

"There was something familiar about you when I first saw you.  Yes. You should know."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Look at your old family albums."  he said, and disappeared.  I didn't get his name, and he literally disappeared. 

I decided to take the subway back into downton Los Angeles.  I saw a familiar face going down the steps.  "Hey, lady," I yelled, but she too, disappeared, like the stranger. But I knew that face.  It was Candy - the dancer.

Kageura Entry: New Recruit

My first disciple - woman can be warriors.  Women can even be Empresses who officially rule - But the Tokugawas and the Western influences which began during the Meiji Restoration put an end to that.  I learn that it changing again during this era.

Candy is her name. She danced for men. But she is strong willed.  Life did not go her way - she felt humiliated and ostracized, but did what she had to do - and most importnatly, kept her dignity in spite of what others might of thought of her profession.

Candy, yu are the first to be resurrected.  I have been recruiting others, and you will recruit others, and our recruits will recruit others.  And soon, we will have an army of warriors and we will be victorious.

Jubei Entry: From the Past

Another victim of Kageura was found today.  In a dumpster.  I passed by, and had a sense about the detective. I had the same feeling before, when the dancer was killed.

I told the detective that this victim was killed by the same one who killed the dancer. He looked at me, was about to say something in anger, but stopped.  "Do I know you?" he asked.  I don't know if he referred to the other night, or if he meant something else.

I sense that I know this man from a past era.

"I do not think so, yet I do sense that I know you," I answered.

"Humor me," he said, "How do you know it was the same killer?"

"By the smell," I answered.  He ignored me and walked away.

"Hey, Lieutenant," an patrol officer called to the detective, "The dancer,"

"What of her?"

"Her body disappeared from the morgue."

"What she do, walk away?"

"You're not kidding.  It's on tape."

Maria Ramos Entry: Headline: Vampire

My name is Maria Ramos.  I'm a journalist.  I write for an online newsite.  It's all going digital anyway - saves paper costs and trees.  I heard about the victim who dies from loss of blood, and the only wounds were two puncture marks in the neck. 

I don't believe for a second that this was the work of a real vampire - but someone who just thinks he's a vampire.  The Dracula complex is up there, probably second after the Napoleonic complex.

I have an advantage over other journalists on this case. My boyfriend is the lead detective looking into this killing.  Of course, he can't provide me with any confidential information, but I can do some research and feed information his way.  In a way, crime reporters can be second eyes to detectives.  The vampire angle is great.  I love Ron, but I am a journalist also.

I met Ron for lunch, bringing a free weekly community paper that caters to the alternative lifestyles in the city - and boy are there several - and unlike a small town in the mid-west, where a lot of this is hidden - in LA, all this is open information.

I asked Ron what he thought about vampires.  He reminded me that his great grandfather had supposedly encountered a vampire, but he thought of it as family legend, but since it was an old family legend, he knew a lot about vampire folklore - and no, he did not think this killing was done by a real vampire.  How about someone who thinks he's a vampire? I suggested.  He said, "Maybe."  I couldn't really get a handle on his thoughts on this case.

Anyway, I opened up the personals section and found an ad, which I read out loud, without thought, for it suprised me.  "Vampirism - for real - Group meeting for those interested in the lifestyle."  You don't see postings like taht on public internet get-together groups. 

I ended up calling, and got an address. I told Ron I was going - he protested - but I was adamant.  He insisted on going with me, for safety's sake.  And that's how yu get a cop to go with you to a "vampire" get-together.

It was all set, we were going to a gathering of vampires in the Silverlake district of Los Angeles on Friday night.  Lets see how close these vampire wannabes are to the real thing.

Ron Sakamoto Entry: With the coroner

The coroner confirmed that there were two puncture marks in the neck, and he felt that was where the blood was drained.  He paused, as if he wasn't sure he was sane, or if he thought I would consider him insane.

He took me to the body and uncovered Candy's face, pointing to the neck.  "Here's where the puncture wounds were."  They were gone.

"Doctor, this is unbelievable, but I believe you. I saw them myself at the crime scene." A could hear the doctor breathe a sigh of relief.

"I don't understand it," he said.  "We are in the stone age of science, but I can only think of one thing, and that's not science, that's supernatural - out of my realm of believability."

"I thought the same thing you are now, at the crime scene."  But when I got home, I started thinking.
My great grandfather was a doctor by the name of Abraham Van Helsing.  He claimed to have come across a vampire in his day - so my relatives like to tell.   It made me interested in his notes.  I need to find them.

"Your name's Yamamoto? but on the paternal side was a Van Helsing?"

"Sakamoto. And Van Helsing was on my maternal side - Picture bride and all, but it wasn't legal at the time, you know, between Whites and Asians. So, their daughter married a Japanese man, and their daughter, my mother married a man named Sakamoto."

"Oh, well. I didn't mean to pry into your family history."

"That's okay. I have a feeling I'm going to start prying into it myself."

Ron Sakamoto Entry: Candy's story

Her name was Candy Cain. At least that was her stage name.  Corny, I know.  But that's how she was billed.  She moved out here from Ohio when she graduated from high school.  She was the star of her high school's productions, and there was little doubt, she'd leave the town to make it in the major leagues.  The odds of a local talent making it big in Hollywood from out of the blue is like a local high school baseball star getting discovered by a major league scout while playing catch at the park.  But  they come anyway.  I don't fault them, but they should have a plan "B."Aspiring actresses come to Hollywood, dancers go to New York -  but it is as a dancer she made her living in Los Angeles.

Candy was actually a lucky one - she earned a good wage as an exotic dancer.  It's a perfectly legal way of earning money, too.  It just might be one where some personalities might hesitate to talk about.  Candy was one.  She didn't like being that type of dancer, but give her credit, she did what she had to do to earn money, legally. 

She had to deal with customers like Jones, so I'm sure she was pretty good at defending herself.  And Jones doesn't look like he could kill her in a fair fight, and he doesn't seem the type - though looks can be decieving.

Here's what we know. Candy confronted Jones.  Jones said he gave up and turned around.  I can't believe Jones killed her, but I can't believe he doesn't know anything else that happened after that.

Candy was found dead, but all her blood had been drained out of her.  There was no sign of spilled blood in the area, and that would be impossible, no matter how hard it was raining.  Unless she was killed someplace else and dropped off at the location where she was found.  But Jones' last location, according to his own admission, was almost exactly the same location where the body was found.

The coroner's report found no bullet wound, trauma by a blunt object.  Death was caused by a loss of blood.  It made note of two puncture marks in the neck.  I only know of one cause of death that is caused by puncture marks to the neck, and that is un-real.  It's time I had a chat witht he coroner.

Kageura Entry: Lots of Japanese

I was among the first of the Japanese to move to the United States.  I am sure I was the first in Los Angeles.  I am in a part of town where many of the business signs are written in Japanese and Roman characters.  Many Japanese must have moved here after I did.  I wonder if they are samurai blood or peasant blood.  No matter. Perhaps I will find many warriors here.  But, my warriors need not be Japanese, any nationaity will do, as long as they have the warrior spirit.

Ron Sakamoto Entry: Back to High School

Fred Jones dropped his wallet near  the crime scene.  I went to his home, but he wasn't at home. His neighbor told me that he was a widower, and had been somewhat withdrawn since his wife's death.  She told me that he was a principal at a high school in Torrance, CA. 

Torrance is a large beach city in Southwest Los Angeles County. It has a population of approximately 125,000.  It's the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, and it's family friendly.

I arrived at the office, but just told her that Mr. Jones' wallet had been found, and I just wanted to inform him.  She buzzed me in. 

Mr. Jones was in his late fifties, a little young to be widowed, I thought.  He seemed mild mannered, but you never know.  I asked him how he came about being in that part of town.  He broke down.  Admitted he was lonely and followed a dancer for a block or two in the rain, offering her a ride home - yes, he was being a pest, but he had been drinking. What was it, had she pressed harassment charges against him?

No, she was murdered, I said.  He buried his face in his hands as if he couldn't believe it.  "You don't think I did it, do you?" he asked.  He swore she was alive when he last left her.  I said, no, he wasn't yet a suspect, but I was just trying to get to get some information to help solve the crime.  I don't know if he believed me.  I don't know if he killed the victim, but I don't believe him when he said she was alive the last he saw of her.

Jubei's Entry: It's a Large City

When I first moved to Los Angeles, the city had a population of only 5,000.  San Francisco, at that time had about 100,000 residents.  Even so, that is a small amount compared to modern day Los Angeles.  I did not move back to Japan after battling Kageura, along with Van Helsing, Seward, Harker and Holmwood. In fact, Van Helsing and I would meet up a few more times during his lifetime. 

I live as I have the past 300 years - drifting out of people's lives before they suspect the fact that I do not age.  I eat, but do not need daily, or even weekly nourishment, so it is easy for me to be out of sight.  While mortal, I was the oldest child of a high ranking clan - I had money money to begin with, and I still have money that was minted when I first arrived here.  I hid from the public during the war between Japan and the United States, but those times were among the busiest for me for the carnage brought out the  monsters.  Kageura had told Harker that he felt Japan would revert back into a dictatorship - and indeed it did - But Kageura, in that state he was in, I wonder if he secretly planned on being that dictator.  His current state was created out of an evil essence - one he has tried to fight, but cannot, as I have fought off.

I do not think he merely plans on an existence of killing innocents just to survive.  He was a lord in his day, he is ambitious.  He must have a plan for those he transforms.

In a city of 5,000 he was easier to trace.  But nearly 4,000,000, and compared to the last time, extremely more noisy, and developed, and smellier - it will be a difficult task in this environment.

Fred Jones Entry: I Lost My Wallet

I'm back at work today.  Of course, I can't let anybody know where I was last night. I suspect some of my male co-workers frequent the same type of places, but it's something that's not talked about at my job. I am a high school principal.  There would be nothing more embarrassing than for my co-workers, or students to find out.  Yet, I can't forget what I saw. I feel the need to tell somebody.  My wallet? Where is my wallet?

Ron Sakamoto: Strange homicide

I hate it when I get woken up in the early a.m. , especially on a cold rainy night.  People think it never rains in LA, but it does, and sometimes, pretty hard and pretty often.  Thank goodness I live nearby.  The murder took place in the Santa Fe Arts District - formerly full of warehouses, which developers tried to make into a gentrified neighborhood and they still are - but its progress was surpassed by othe parts of the city.  So, now, its an eclectic mix of artsy lofts, wholesale warehouse outlets and strip joints.  The victim, so I am told was a dancer at one of the neighborhood clubs.

The strange thing is, she was drained of blood, and no sign anywhere of the blood. Maybe the rain washed it away, but that's more of a supernatural explanation, more likely she was killed someplace else and disposed of here.

I noticed a strange man dressed in black. A lock of hair covered one eye, and a baseball cap covered his head.  Probably a gawker, but there was something about him that caused me to make a mental note of him.

Kageura Entry: My Castle is Gone

I have been resting underground since my resurrection.  It smells of waste.  It is waste.  But it shields me from sunlight.  Little beams of sunlight come through, but I can easily avoid them. Lots of rats. Mr. Renfield would enjoy this place. But I do not.  The castle I had comissioned to be built is gone.  It is now a huge bowl like structure with very bright lighting.  It is here, that I will raise my army.

Author's Entry: I'm stuck

Originally, I was going to have a couple of runaways who were friends with the dancer as primary characters, try and solve the mystery, then become students of Jubei. But then I thought, maybe a one on one battle between Jubei and Kageura.  I'm not sure, yet. I might try different scenarios, which might make this blog somewhat confusing, but if things in this blog don't go from point A to point B, logically, it's probbaly because i'm trying to figure stuff out (which there will be a lot of) - hopefully, a great final product will come out of this blog - or ideally, a whole series of adventures/battles.

Kageura's Entry: I will create an army

I walk along a stretch of road in the middle of town.  Strange vehicles, but lots of people on foot.  Most are despaired, but among the people, are a special type. They have lost hope. Many are young.  They remind me of the inhabitants of Onigashima.  But, instead of co-existing with them, I will be their leader.  They will serve me, and in doing so, will find a purpose in their existence.  And our kind wil rule over those who would banish us from society.

Jubei's Entry: He's Back

I know I destroyed him over 100 years ago, and 250 years before that. But he keeps resurrecting. Since he placed his cursed injury onto me, I, too, must walk among the living after my time, but differently.  I must do battle with those who feed off the souls of the living.  It was at an intersection of a desolate area of Los Angeles.  I was drawn there, but didn't know why at the time.  Yellow police tape.  I saw the victim - drained of blood.  And I knew. It wasn't any other vampire - I instinctively knew - Kageura is back.

Fred Jones Entry: What I Saw

I am a widower, and sometimes I need to let off some steam.  I don't do it often, but it was raining; I was depressed. I decided to go to the club. There is a dancer there I like, Candy. She probably never noticed me - though she did, last night - my fault, I was drunk and obnoxious towards her.  I just wanted her to be with me.  So, I waited for her to leave. I followed her as she walked in the rain.  I kept asking her to keep me company.  I saw a figure appear behind her. She turned around to tell me off, and then she turned around and Oh, God! I can't bear to remember.

Kageura's Entry: At the Strip Club

I walked into an entertainment store tonight.  100 years have passed since I last walked among the living.  The world has visually changed, but the culture of the living has not.  Alcohol is served to the men, and women dance to entertain men. 

An obnoxious man was harrassing a dancer.  It was too much for her. She cried and left the room.  He ruined his own entertainment.

Later, I walked outside.  The dancer is walking in the rain.  The man who harassed her is following her in a horseless carriage.  The dancer turned around to insist to the man to leave her alone.  When she turned around, I fed on her, and in return, she will receive immortality.   I looked towards the man. He was staring at me.  Scared.    "From now on," I commanded, "You are under my command."

The man sped off thinking to escape, but he is already under my control.