Masquerade

"Ugh...unn wa?" I rolled over and placed a pillow over my face, the sunlight pouring in from the blinds. After awhile I pushed the pillow up a little so I could see through squinted eyes the time on the digital. Seven forty five, friday morning and more importantly my day off. The legal executioner of vampires in the great state of California has a few days off you know.

My white sheets and black comforter were still on my bed and more importantly on top of me, a good sign that I didn't have one of my patented nightmares. I felt unusually calm this morning, maybe it was the fact that I didn't have to go to work and get yelled at by Bruce. I enjoy having days off. I curled my body up into a semi-tight ball as I placed the pillow over my head again, I was going to take full advantage of the warmth that I felt and the fact that I could finally sleep in.
I felt the heavy pull of sleep as I heard someone knock on my front door, the sound easily resonated throughout my apartment. Maybe if I just ignored them they would leave me alone? and maybe the easter bunny will give me a golden egg. The knocking didn't stop, it only got louder.

I groaned and got out of my bed, leaving the warm sheets to cool. It's bad enough I only get a few days off every month, but hell I swear if its a door to door salesman or one of those girlscouts there not going to like what I'm going to say. Vulgar language sometimes has its perks.

"I'm coming...I'm coming, quit knocking already..."

I rubbed my eyes and tried to straighten my chaotic hair with my right hand, I shrugged and openned the door. Who ever it was didn't stop knocking until I began to turn the door handle. I openned the door and was instantly greet with.

"You look like shit." Good morning to you too.

It was Kikujiro Oshira. An old friend of mine, though I was beginning to doubt about being friends. Bastard knew I had a day off and he had to come over and wake me up. I sighed and walked away from the door, I didn't have time to deal with his commentary. I scratched the side of my head.

"Yeah well I'd rather look like shit and be sleeping peacefully... but someone came over on my day off."

I heard the door close as I made my way over to the kitchen, more or less walking in a shuffle that resembled a newly raised zombie.

"Yeah well I couldn't lefriefriend sleep there entire morning away..."

He's a morning person, I'm also a morning person. Well thats if the alarm wakes me up. I turned to him as I held a black mug in my right hand, I almost wanted to hurl it at his face.

"Well maybe I wanted to sleep in... you ever think of that?"

I placed the tea kettel on the stove as I turned on the burner, twenty minutes from now I'd hear the welcomed whistle and be on my way to enjoying my tea fix. I'd just have to wait with Kikujiro and his oh so positive mood. Kill me now.

"Yeah well that part didn't enter my mind... and I was bored."

Bored? that was his best answer, though you couldn't tell by his general appearance that Kikujiro was a doctor in the field of forensic pathology. He was dressed in a white dress shirt which hung somewhat loosely on him, khaki shorts, ankle high white socks and a pair of black with white striped Adidas. He was about my height, maybe a little shorter. We pretty much looked the same, except for the ridge of his nose was a little broader. Besides that we looked alike, back in the day he and I were roommates while I studied for my minor in forensics and he for his major. In time we parted and still kept in touch with each other through an odd phone call here and there, but ever since he moved back to San Francisco from Fort Worth, Texas. I've had the opportunity to meet up with him more often.

"Yeah I'm sure... so why aren't you over at the forensic lab?"

"It's my day off..."

I raised my right eyebrow as I heard the whistle of the tea kettel, I turned off the burner and poured the hot water into my mug which already had the tea bag,sugar and milk added. I love tea, way better then coffee. I stirred the teaspoon around as I looked up at Kikujiro.

"Ah so it seems, so what kind of plans do you have for today? besides waking me up."

Maybe I should chuck the hot mug of tea at him for doing that, naw it would be a good waste of tea. I'll throw the empty mug at him later. Methodical thinking at its best.
He just shrugged and kept that 'I know something that you don't know' grin on his face.

"Well nothing really, just wanted to see what you were going to do today. Then again you were probably going to sleep the entire day."

I took a sip of tea and nodded. "You damn straight I was going to do that... you ruined my plans, damn you."

Maybe it was the tea or the fact that I was beginning to wake up, but I felt better and I even laughed a little. Kikujiro joined in as well. At least we could enjoy ourselves at my expense, yippee.

I went over to my couch and slowly sat down, not wanting to spill my tea all over the place. I placed it down upon the coffee table, I grabbed the remote and turned on the T.V, might as well as vegitate on my day off. Kikujiro sat near me as he leaned back, his eye's looking up at the ceiling. Probably following the ceiling fan as it slowly moved, loads of fun I do it all the time.
A few minutes passed as he broke the relative silence between us, and I was just getting into this infomercial about hair restoration.

"How goes that crime?"

Jeez couldn't we talk about something besides work on our day off?
"Pretty good I guess, I have a good clue that'll lead us to the culprit and it's a vampire. So I'll have to get one of those documents to make it a legal execution."

I think I heard Kikujiro gasp, in the manner of sarcasm. Its a natural talent."Did you just say vampire?"

"Yes I said vampire...whats the big deal?"

Kikujiro laughed as he shook his head, his eye's still locked upon the ceiling fan. Apparently the hair restoration infomercial wasn't doing it for him.

"You usually say suckhead or something like that."

I shrugged, "Yeah... then again I said I wouldn't..."

Crap I to to much and I bet he was going to ask. "You wouldn't what?"

I didn't have to see his face to know that he was grinning. That intrusive bastard. "I kinda promised that I wouldn't use suckhead anymore...thats all."

"To who?"

I sighed, I might as well as tell him or he'll stay here all day until I cave him. "Bianca happy?"

Kikujiro chuckled, I sipped my tea and changed the channel to some movie.

"Ahh thats so cute... and let me guess your dating too?"

I took another sip of tea and I guess I paused to long.

"You are aren't you? tell me..."

I swear my friends are more intrusive and annoying then a pack of fourteen year old girls. I should know, I get stuck with baby sitting duty whenever I go to one of my family parties.

"Yeah... now shut up"

I tried to concentrate on the movie, after awhile I recognized that it was a newer version of 'Night of the Living Dead', great...

"Oh come on tell me... the truth shall set you free."

I turned to him, "You only use that line when its on your side."

Kikujiro smiled, "Yeah I know... now tell me or I'll go find Bianca and have her tell me and you'll know how that'll end."

Yeah, Bianca will get angry that I'm not telling people that I'm in a relationship again and its with her or she'll devise some way to get back at me, either way it wouldn't be for the best in my situation I might as well as tell Kikujiro.

I took another sip of tea and I told him, well everything except my raging hormones and how I wanted Bianca in every way possible... uh yeah.
He smirked and shook his head with amusement.

"Oh that'll be interesting..."

I finished the last part of my tea and placed it on the coffee table. Now I was just stuck with Kikujiro and 'Night of the Living Dead'. Woo.

"Yeah your telling me."

"So she's coming over tonight?"

"Yeah..."

Kikujiro stood up as he stretched, it seemed I had furfilled his amusement quotent for today. Then again finding that your vampire slayer friend is going to date a vampire would amuse anyone wouldn't it?

"Good luck in that Jacob, well I might as well as head to the lab. Going to pick up a few things."

I picked up the black mug and smiled, "I thought you had a day off."

"Oh I do, I just gotta pick up a few files for tomorrow. I'm going to stay home and work from there."

I shook my head, "Lazy as

H

He shrugged as he headed to the door. "I guess I'll see you later, call me or something."

"Sure no problem, hey wait before you go. Could you do a name analysis in the vampire historic directory and see if the name Voran appears anywhere."

Kikujiro grinned, "I knew you were going to ask something like that... sure what the hell, I can do that. I'll call you and tell you what I've found."

"Thanks, well I'll see you then."

Kikujiro nodded, "Yeah I'll see you then, bye"

"Bye"

Kikujiro closed the door, I stood there for awhile before I headed to the kitchen. I placed the mug in the sink and went back to the living room where I turned off the T.V. Watching a movie about killer zombies is kind of redundant when you have to kill the renegade ones. The ones in the movies stop going after you when they've been hacked to bits, the ones in reality keep on coming. Even if you chop them into tiny pieces, those pieces will keep on coming.
I just love how my job adds to the realism of my nightmares.
I sniffed as I lifted up myt art arm, I sniffed again and contorted my face in slight disgust. It was time to take a shower.