this is a song for the lonely -OPEN-

[Grim Ai Albacore]

this is a song for the lonely, when no one else can hear you

I'll be there to help you into the darkness.

It was nearing midnight. The moon was just about nearing it's highest point in the sky and all there was to do was nothing. Humans were smarter these days. They were much harder to find and much more harder to ketch.

His red eyes stared at the sand below the crunching of his feet, to bad they were in the way and he with out x-ray vision. he took a deep breath knowing fully he never truly needed it and exhaled. the faint smell of blood laced the air and all he could think of was nothing. how life had grown so boring in such a short time. it was pain full to really fathom the idea that things could instantly change to be a bad thing, even for him. he hated the world, yes, but yet he loved it all the same. life was hard and even he knew it.

his eyes looked up hearing something more then just the waves and his feet. he held still holding his breath and then exhaled as a small squirrel ran past him followed by another squirrel who was followed by a cat. he shook his head and trudged on. there was no point stopping the cat to save the squirrels as there was no point in helping a human. they would simply die anyway.

His hands slowly moved into his pockets and he stared up at the moon once more. usually a human would show up by now and try to kill him. ultimately losing in the end and becoming dinner of some form or another, but nothing. nothing was happening. for once it was a nice night or at least it seemed that way. he let a soft smile grace his lips and then quickly fade. there was no real reason to smile. the world was a war with everything and people wanted nothing more then power or just plain freedom. Freedom. freedom was a nice idea for anyone. the freedom to live as one pleased. the freedom to do as one wanted. the freedom to do anything!

he wanted freedom to love.

he hung his head only to have his bangs cover the right side of his face. his eyes narrowed and he began to walk once more in the soft noise of the ocean.

[Mishima Satoshi]

A shrill and piercing voice echoed through the ruins of a magnificent cathedral, the last remnant of a time long since forgotten. The magnificent church, though mostly destroyed by centuries of harsh weather and animals, was still beautiful in its own right. The stained glass, cracked due to temperature changes, reflected distorted colors of moonlight into the temple’s pulpits. The once holy ground is now littered with rats, and the skeletal remains of human beings.

Satoshi entered this cathedral reading the inscriptions on the wall which read “Temple of the Plague” in Latin text etched into the wall. Satoshi was unaware of this place, having never come across it in any of his many travels around the world. The true origin of this place was that it was the worship house (and final resting place) for all of those who belonged to an ancient cult cast into existence in a time of great fear and death. The cult worshipped an ancient demon known as Enma Dai-O.

Upon further examination, Satoshi could see that in the spider web filled corner on the balcony of the old cathedral, shrouded in shadows, was an unkempt girl with a skull on each hand. The skeletal remains were relatively small in size, probably once belonging to children. On her right hand, the skull wore an oversized hat, and on her left hand the skull wore a feminine bow. Using them as puppets, she had a conversation.

Kill…kill… kill
Murder…murder…murder...

Her words echoed throughout an empty, abandoned cathedral countless times at a frightening speed before letting out a mind numbing shriek of what sounded like pain. But as soon as the echoes of the shriek faded, a shadowy figure was calmly sitting, a black rat running up her arm and onto her shoulder.

The silhouette stood up, staring down towards Satoshi, and quickly through the remains off of the balcony and down to the second floor, causing a number of rats to scatter away from the projectile. She came uncomfortably close to him, her lips nearly pressed to his ear as she rested her hands on his chest. She whispered with a shrill voice,

Submit...

With the words echoing into evanescence, Satoshi Mishima snapped back into reality. He was in the back of his limousine being driven home from a meeting with a Russian business partner, and had dozed off, having a nightmare. His recent dreams have been plagued with similar occurrences, all of them included the same cathedral, and the same girl whispering in his ear.

After each dream Satoshi would wake up, a bit jittery and out of breath as if it was stolen from him. There was something within him changing, and for the first time in his long century of life, he truly felt worried.

As the limousine weaved in and out of the empty streets of San Francisco, the shining moon at its highest point reflected off of the roof of the vehicle. Satoshi, and a few of his highly trained bodyguards riding with him, drove past the beach.

Satoshi, who was still feeling uneasy, politely asked for his driver to stop. He exited his vehicle, telling those inside to go off. It wasn’t as if he needed his bodyguards, he and his brother could manage themselves quite well. However, Satoshi always liked the picture of a tyranical leader with a secret force of highly trained killing machines. Something about it just screamed ‘super villain’. Not to mention that this task force was fully capable of dealing with situations that he doesn’t really want to get involved in.

He began walking the sands, his mind lost in thought, listening to the gentle crashing of waves.

[Grim Ai Albacore]

it was more then just the night. more then just anything. he longed for what he couldn't have and hated it all the more. his eyes slowly moved around inside their sockets as he stopped once more seeing a faint figure on the horizon. perhaps it was human, yet he was in no mood to deal with such hostile creatures. he pulled his hand from his pocket and pinched the bridge of his nose.

this was so tiresome. the days passed by slowly one after another and all his mind could do was focus on what he had lost. what he never really had to begin with his eyes opened slowly as his hand dropped to his side. life was getting repetitive and nothing was entertaining anymore. he pulled a small watch from his pocket and stared at it for all about five seconds then replaced it back into his pocket. he patted it like an old English man and sighed deeply. To bad. he thought as he closed his eyes once more.

His eyes opened once more to see the figure closer. Close enough to make out features. male. short, though most were compared to him self. huma- no immortal. his face hung slightly showing off no immediate response to the smell, but deep down it was nice to actually see one other. they were rare beings after all. he smiled wicked like and lifted his head. "Ogenki desu ka?"

typically he would have said nothing but yet he wasn't feeling himself. he looked at the immortal as it neared and then sighed placing his hand over his stomach and bowing slightly. at this point he knew exactly who he was. Having spent time in Japan, it was a miracle anyone didn't remember Mishima. his eyes closed as he showed his settle yet polite side. he brushed his hair back from his eye only to have it fall back in place, and stared at Mishima. "How are you?" he asked once more not sure if the immortal would greet him the same after all a seven hundred year old vampire is a bit intimidating. he stood adjusting his feet accordingly with the sand and stared.

[Mishima Satoshi]

With a throbbing head, Satoshi continued to slowly walk the shoreline, a slight crunching of wet sand beneath his feet with each cautious step. His brisk steps became limps as he clutched his chest, feeling what seemed to be a cramp in every muscle in his body. He stopped, the pain to unbearable to proceed as his blue eyes rolled upward in their sockets, only the white of his eyes were visible.

Satoshi’s body tensed up, every cell in his body felt as though they were disintegrating at once. He cursed under his breath and suddenly his sight became dark. The ringing in his ears was unbearable. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, the image if an ox burned in the back of his mind. And then, his pain was gone. Satoshi was confused as to what was occurring, but now he was glad the for the moment, he was decent.

As he came to his senses, Satoshi saw a figure quickly approaching him. A human? No, he was distinctly vampiric in nature. A well trained eye could tell just by his mannerisms and they way he walked that he was a vampire. A very old one at that. The figure did not seem to be approaching in a threatening manner, but the ever paranoid Satoshi was cautious to be so trusting.

Satoshi approached with his right hand behind his back, a thin metal barb came from his index finger, made from the distal phalange. He did not plan or want to attack, but Satoshi would certainly prepared if he]/i] did.

Suddenly, words broke the silence broke the silence. Not his, but the vampire’s, and his voice--and he spoke in glorious Japanese. Finally. Someone in this god forsaken country who spoke anything other than the revolting English language. It was only a bonus that the language was his own. He withdrew the talon coming from his finger, not feeling threatened at all when the vampire stopped before him, asking him how he was.

When Satoshi spoke, it was also in Japanese.

“You speak Japanese. As a matter of fact you speak it well.” Satoshi said with a slight grin, “Forgive me, I’m being rude. I am Mishima Satoshi. Pleased to meet you. What is your name?”

[Grim Ai Albacore]

His eyes narrowed as Mishima placed his hand behind his back. he had no real reason to return the gesture so he simply brushed his hair to the side. it fell back over his eye and he sighed in the slight defeat only to look at Mishima and his new found pride.

“You speak Japanese. As a matter of fact you speak it well. . . . Forgive me, I’m being rude. I am Mishima Satoshi. Pleased to meet you. What is your name?”

"I know who you are." he replied in Japanese. "And thank you." he wasn't really good at introduction but nor was he really good at most things. he sighed and placed his hand back into his pocket before looking around. they were both a lone. truly a lone. he looked at him arched his brow and spoke, once more in Japanese. "Grim Albacore." in japan, if memory served him he was known as Grim Ai. ironically they simply used his middle name.

Grim was good at certain things and when it came to killing anyone he was well overly qualified. but unlike Mishima, Grim wasn't the leader type. Yes, he lead the Yakuza years before Mishima was ever around and to most he was a ghost, or rather a famous myth. he like that people still remember his work but yet he couldn't just fathom that idea. He was so young. that was the past and now days he was known for other things. better things. his eyes looked at Mishima, studding his features. his train of thought was broken when the small phone in his pocket started to go off.

he pulled the small phone out and then looked at Mishima for a second before silencing the phone and placing it back in his pocket. "Sorry about that."

[Mishima Satoshi]

Satoshi raised a brow when the man before him claimed to already know who he was. His suspicions, however, were cleared up when he said his name. Grim Albacore. He knew that name from he and his brother’s time spent in the Yakuza--the elaborate tattoos covering his back and arms tell the story of a darker, but much more exciting time. He believed in Japan he was known as Grim Ai. In a way, the two of them were both legendary figures in the Japanese underground.

“Ah. Grim Ai, am I correct? A fabled figure of the Japanese underground, just like myself... although I must admit you were long before I came into power.” Satoshi knew that although they shared a similar past in the Yakuza, the two men to different paths. Grim Ai was never one for leading, he tended to function in the shadows honing his craft--an excellent killing machine if there ever was one. Satoshi Mishima, on the other hand, was completely incapable of taking orders. He needs to lead, which is why he remains a public figure to this day.

That was the one thing Satoshi had over his father, despite the old man being a ruthless and cut throat bastard, his ambitions were but a fraction of his son’s. Where Soichiro wished to be the richest man in the world, Satoshi strives for power, and his quest will not end until he dominated not only this world, but all worlds that presented themselves. A certain arrogance that was the main export of Mishima Satoshi.

Satoshi didn’t like his father, well he down right hated him; but he never questioned his exceptional skills as a businessman. In the world of international conglomerates, there were none better than that man--at least up until Satoshi took over the company and militarized it.

He reached into his back pocket, taking a pack of his favorite Lucky Strike cigarettes, taking one from the half empty box. After offering one to his new acquaintance, he placed his cigarette on his lips, lighting it with his Zippo lighter. He inhaled deeply, releasing a cloud of gray smoke into the humid night sky.

“So what brings a legendary crime lord to a godforsaken city like this?” Satoshi said cooly in his low, smooth voice.

[Grim Ai Albacore]

so he was still believed in. good. not that it really mattered, it was just a bit of an ego booster. he shrugged as if it was nothing and looked at the ground. the sand was showing his weight and all he could hope to do was just stand there thinking there were better things then the sand to look at. he returned his gaze to Mishima and sighed.

"Indeed, but when does fable become fact?" he smiled and looked at Mishima's hand. it wasn't the hostile reach behind this time but a reach for something more relaxing in human terms. Lucky Strikes. in all his seven hundred years he had never truly seen the greatness in cigarettes. to him they were just things people used to fill time or revolt in their youth, and then become unable to give them up in their older years. then there was the fashion statement, but who needed to be hipp anyway. he shook his head calmly as if to say no, but thank you anyway, and then returned his gaze to Mishima's face.

“So what brings a legendary crime lord to a godforsaken city like this?”

the same could of been said for him as well. "Boredom i suppose. didn't really think of where to go. after Japan life just died. The best times were the ones back when we weren't known about." he smiled showing of his pearly white fangs. "If you know what i mean." he sighed and shrugged once more this time one that was more obvious to even a human. "I could ask the same for you. What brings you here. you know this is the center of the war right? I never really pictured you as a war lord." he smiled settle like and then pulled his hand out of his pocket. his hand glided across his chest to another pocket and pulled out the small pocket watch. he glanced at it and then looked back to Mishima as he replaced it in his pocket.

[Mishima Satoshi]

"Indeed, but when does fable become fact?"

Satoshi shrugged at Gim’s question as an arrogant smile formed on his face. Removing his cigarette with his right and left index fingers, he stood with his arms slightly outstretched. A trail of smoke followed his right hand as it moved.

“I suppose you are looking at it. When a legend of old is able to have an influence on ongoing present events, I suppose that the fable becomes fact. I trust you, if anyone, has managed to remain relevant in your centuries of life?” The eldest Mishima put the cigarette back upon his lips, inhaling once more.

The shore went dark for a brief period when a dark cloud temporarily engulfed the moon. The little bit of light that allowed anything to be visible came from the reflection of the distant stars on the ocean, which continued to gently lap at the coast of the North American continent.

When the moon returned, it continued to shine its light down on the two of them.

“Boredom? That is all?” Satoshi said, a bit puzzled, figuring one such as grim would be more ambitious. “ I suppose when one lives for as long as you have, it must be hard to occupy ones time. Especially since you have lived for several lifetimes. It is understandable to be a bit restless.”

[Grim Ai Albacore]

Grim looked at Satoshi, watching his arrogance engulf him. he never saw the point in being arrogant but in a way he was. he was confident that he could learn anything just by a quick glance into anyone's mind. but wasn't that consider something else? he arched and eyebrow and sighed.

he pulled his hands out of his pockets and folded one cross his chest and his other hand came up to come his hair. most would call this a little odd but it was normal for him. he took a deep, un-needed, breath and looked to the side, just in time to ketch the moon playing hide and seek with the clouds. his eyes closed for a moment and then opened to see Satoshi clearly, despite the fact that the moon was hidden. he smiled lightly as Satoshi continued to question his acts.

“Boredom? That is all?”

"Does there have to be more?"

“I suppose when one lives for as long as you have, it must be hard to occupy ones time. Especially since you have lived for several lifetimes. It is understandable to be a bit restless.”

restlessness had nothing to do with the reason he moved to San Francisco, truth be told, it had to do with a girl. But he would never truly tell that to just anyone. his red eyes quickly studied the immortal and then paused. he had only been alive for at least one hundred years and still he knew nothing of living. Grim shook his head lightly but not enough to really be noticed. "Young people." he whispered and then looked back to Satoshi. "When a person has lived as long as i have it's hard to find any enjoyment in anything. Being restless is a state of mind I have not found my self in since five hundred years ago. But enough about me, Why are you here?" grim hated to go too deep in to his life and perferd that people talked about them selves.

"I don't see why a great Mishima would leave Japan." lies. he knew. he knew most anything be for people even knew it them selves, years of mind reading finally paying off.

[Mishima Satoshi]

"Does there have to be more?"

Does their have to be more? Of course not. Especially for an immortal with limitless time to do with whatever they please. With infinite time and nothing to fear one could do whatever they wanted. Satoshi could understand the feeling, but moving to another continent on a whim seemed rather... well... pointless. Satoshi hated to waste time, figuring all time was time to get something useful done. When one stops working, one becomes useless, and in time a burden to those around them. This concept brought one person in particular to mind--his long since deceased younger brother, Mishima Lee.

It was a well known fact that Satoshi and Kyouji came from a rather large family, in fact Satoshi had ten other brothers and sisters, excluding Kyouji, who according to police reports were killed in the Mishima Manor Massacre that occurred in the early 1900s. One of these siblings was Lee, who was like Kyouji in many ways, considering that they both marched to the beats of their own drums and were both extremely lazy. Needless to say, father didn’t care much for Lee, and he was more or less disowned by the age of eleven. Through his brother Satoshi learned (in a roundabout way) the consequences of uselessness. Isolation, seclusion, and of course the eventual death by Yakuza. Sure the last one wasn’t exactly related, but...

Back to the task at hand. Two men, an Immortal and a Vampire under the light of a full moon in what seemed to be a relatively romantic scene. The lunar light shining down reflected off of the deep blue waters of the ocean as waves inched closes and closer to them, turning from blue to white as the met the sands. Talking about year long since passed.

Surely there was more reason for Grim Ai ALbacore to come here, though. From the tales Satoshi had heard as a child, Grim Ai was not one to act with so little reason. Perhaps he too was perplexed by all of the supernatural activity in the city--or maybe simple girl troubles. It was not unheard of for one who will live forever to outlive their lovers, such would be hard for the average person to overcome. Many forget that immortality is endless years of regretting past mistakes, perhaps Grim had some retribution to get.

Not that he cared, really, or that it was his problem at all.

"When a person has lived as long as i have it's hard to find any enjoyment in anything. Being restless is a state of mind I have not found my self in since five hundred years ago. But enough about me, Why are you here? I don't see why a great Mishima would leave Japan."

“Oh you know...” Satoshi began, taking in a deep drag of his Lucky Strike, “Simply business.” He said with a grin. In reality, the Western expansion of the Mishima Zaibatsu was the last thing on his mind. While international domination was always a dream of his father, Satoshi had bigger plans. The Zaibatsu was simply a cover for XIII Hitsugi, after all.

[Grim Ai Albacore]

For a Mishima business was anything. and everything was business. Grim looked at him with one eyebrow arched and the other lowered to give the appearance that one was higher, a simple flaw trick. he looked at him and sighed. "Business." he took a deep breath and looked to the side. she would be walking by soon. he pulled his small watch out once more and looked at it. three minutes.

Grim looked at Satoshi as he placed the watch back into his pocket. "Business is everything to a Mishima, if I remember." he started paused and then continued. "What type of business leads you here is the question I suppose. America is a waste land when it comes to anything and Americans are... well, American." he looked at him and then at the water. two minutes. his fingers uncurled them selves as they fell to his sides. Grim was better known for smart complex thinking and tasks as if he had sat for hours and thought up one move and how it was going to affect a person based on how he went about taking his thought.

he stared at the immortal till the last minute faded away. his head turned with too much speed for it to be nothing. slowly a small figured appeared on the horizon, unaware of the two by the waters edge. she walked calmly and gracefully seeking one thing. Grim hung his head and looked away from the girl. he could smell her. Her sweet vampiric sent filled the air around him and he could help but to show his one weakness. Jade. he took a deep breath and looked at Satoshi. "I'm sorry, I think it is time for me to part." Grim bowed respectfully and then continued. "I hope this is not our only meeting, it was a pleasure to meet you as well as to talk, perhaps next time we can skip the twenty questions."

Grim took one more look behind him at U.J. and then walked on past Satoshi. "Oh and I would be careful, not all vampires are as controlled as I am." he walked on not bothering to look back.

The End.
for now.

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