The curtains blocked the stage from view. When a diminutive, redheaded young woman stepped through the curtains the stage was still hidden. The green-eyed carrot top was only four feet high, but her hair was arranged in a wild ponytail to add at least four inches more height. She was dressed in a somber Victorian dress complete with cameo brooch at her throat. She held a fan that she unfolded in front of her mouth to peer evilly at her audience. After a dramatic pause, she folded her fan with a snap and smiled a predatory grin.

"Ladies and gentlemen," her voice seemed strangely loud after the deafening silence. "The story that follows may scare you. It may even terrify you. We ask that pregnant women, those with heart problems and others with weak constitutions please excuse yourselves at this time. No one will think less of you, and we ask that the ladies in the audience please refrain from screaming during the narrative."

"What about the men?" came a call from the audience.

"What?" the redhead blinked in confusion.

"What about the men in the audience, Washu?" asked a tall Japanese man with broad shoulders, eyeglasses, and a pencil-thin mustache. "Are they allowed to scream if it gets too scary?"

"Geeze, Nobuyuki, grow a pair!" Washu snapped irritably. "Sheesh! Ya ought'a be ashamed!" She closed her eyes, cleared her throat, and unfolded her fan in front of her chest. Then she drew the fan before her mouth again and hissed evilly. "And now, on with the show…heh-heh-heh…"

Galaxy 1001D presents:

Bram Stoker's Kagato

Starring Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Harker

Ryoko Hakubi as Ryoko Westenra

Washu Hakubi as Doctor K. T. von Washu

Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Murray

Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Morris

Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Renfield

Kiyone Makibi as Doctor Kiyone Seward

Special Guest Star Kagato as Count Vladimir Kagato

Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer. Additional dialog by Mel Brooks © Castle Rock Studio. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way.

Based on "Dracula" created by Bram Stoker

And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima

Chapter One: Welcome to My Castle

Deep within the Transylvanian Alps, it was business as usual at the hoffbrau. Strangely enough, although the pub was in the most backward and remote region of Romania, the architecture, clothing and food all seemed to be German. It was as if this tiny stop by the side of the road was a suburb of Prague, the capital of Bohemia. So it was understandable that the foreign woman who entered the tavern seemed confused.

The lady was tall slender and blonde and her large expressive blue eyes made her seem even younger than her twenty-four years. Even in her native country of England it was considered unusual for an attractive young woman to travel alone, much less abroad, but the girl considered herself a modern product of the 1890's and unconfined by the traditions of earlier generations. Her skin was a dark bronze and that was rather unfortunate, for pale complexions were considered beautiful back home in Victorian London. Although her hair was secured to her hat by her nine-inch long hatpins in the Gibson style, three large curls snaked loose, one at her forehead and one before each ear. Her delicate ears seemed almost pointed, but since interest in fairies was making a comeback in Great Britain, the girl didn't mind and always wore her hair so her ears were visible. She was dressed as properly as a professional woman could be for travel, in a jacket with leg-o-mutton sleeves, her blouse buttoned up to the tie at her neck and a long skirt that nearly obscured the ankles of her boots. Hands clad in kidskin gloves clasped her suitcase before her, as if she was trying to protect her legs.

"Um, excuse me…" she asked with voice that conveyed sweetness and vulnerability. Strangely enough, there was not a trace of a British accent. "Am I at the right stop? Is this the village of Alacard, Transylvania?"

"Why yes it is, Little Missy," replied the innkeeper, a large hairy man with a large hairy mustache. "What brings you to our fair village?" Although the country was Romania, and his clothes were German, he spoke perfect American English. The lady did not seem to notice.

"Oh," she smiled and drew a white business card out of a tiny purse called a reticule. "My name is Mihoshi Renfield. I'm a solicitor, and I have an appointment with Count Kagato, who lives in a castle around here somewhere…"

Mihoshi's words died in her throat as the tavern crowd reacted with fear and loathing. She was nearly knocked down when several patrons rushed past her to exit the establishment. "Waah!" she cried as she spun around clutching her suitcase for dear life.

"Count Kagato!" the innkeeper exclaimed in dismay. "Are you mad? Why would you ever want to go to Castle Kagato?"

"Why, the count wants to move to England and…oh my, I just broke client-lawyer confidentiality!" Mihoshi put a gloved hand to her mouth.

"He wants to move away?" asked the innkeeper. "Why now, that's different!" He smiled genially. "I'd be happy to give you directions, pretty lady."

"Why thank you, that's very kind of you," the young woman smiled. "Where is it? The coachman refused to take me the rest of the way. He wouldn't even tell me where it was!"

"If you look outside, you will see a mountain with dark clouds belching lightning bolts," replied the innkeeper who tried to suppress a shudder. "Follow the path up the mountain. If the wolves don't get you, you can't miss it."

"Oh," Mihoshi blinked as she took in the part of the wolves. "Thank you very much. Well, I better get going before it gets dark. Goodbye!"

"Goodbye," waved the innkeeper, who then shook his head sadly and said, "The poor girl."

By the time the girl got to the castle, the sun was a red disk slipping below the horizon. Castle Kagato was an ominous forbidding edifice that crouched on the mountain like an angry lion. Twin guardhouses of turreted stone, broken by years of use and exposure, stood before her. Beyond, a forty-foot wide precipice, a chasm of dizzying depth that disappeared into the fog-shrouded distance below, gaped between the Transylvanian Alps and Castle Kagato. The lowered drawbridge of old, shorn-up wooden beams hung precariously between Mihoshi and the arched entrance to the courtyard. The chains of the drawbridge creaked in the wind, their rusty iron straining with the weight. From atop the high walls, stone gargoyles seemed to stare at the young lawyer from their hollow sockets and grin hideously. A rotting wooden portcullis green with growth, hung in the entry tunnel, was raised just high enough for Mihoshi to go under without ducking her head. Beyond, the main doors to Castle Kagato stood open. A rich warm light spilled from them into the courtyard. Torches fluttered sadly in sconces on both sides of the open doors.

"Oh my," Mihoshi uttered as she carried her suitcase into the main keep. "What a horrible place! No wonder he wants to move." She jumped as lightning illuminated the courtyard behind her.

She turned to see the rotten portcullis lower behind her to block off the exit, and heard an ominous creaking that could only be the drawbridge being raised. So far she had not seen any servants. The girl imagined an ingenious series of pulleys and levers that would control egress from the castle without having to expose the staff to the elements, and the elements appeared to be getting more hostile by the moment. She involuntarily leaped again as thunder shook the castle, and then turned when she heard music.

Twenty feet into the castle, a second set of doors swung open effortlessly as if to confirm her diagnosis of hidden catches and pulleys. Sad and majestic organ tones flowed out from the doors as if beckoning her forward. She tried to ignore the statues of horned and winged monstrosities that glared down at her, their eyes flickering in the torchlight.

She entered a great hall whose cracked and faded ceiling frescos displayed centuries of decay. Inside, the sounds of the growing storm outside seemed more subdued. To her left were two bronze doors that seemed sealed shut against the ages. Directly ahead, a wide staircase climbed high into the darkness. To her right, organ music floated in from vaulted hall lit by torches. Her eyes were drawn to the large double doors that were slightly ajar, allowing a steady bright light to escape through the crack. Swells of organ music could be heard behind the doors spilling their melody of power and defeat into the hall.

Shyly opening a door, the nervous lawyer entered a magnificent room, brilliantly lit by three massive crystal chandeliers. Pillars of stone gleamed against dull white marble walls, supporting the ceiling. In the center of the room, a long heavy table was covered with fine white damask cloth. The table was laden with delectable foods of every type; roasted beef basted in savory sauce, roots and herbs of wide variety, and sweet fruits and vegetables. A place was set at Mihoshi's side of the table with fine delicate china and silver.

At the far end of the room stood a massive organ. Its pipes blared out a thunderous melody whose tone blended greatness and despair. Seated before the keys, his back to the girl, was a caped figure pounding at the ivory keys in rapturous ecstasy. As Mihoshi stood mute in the doorway, the man suddenly stopped and a deep silence fell over the dining hall.

Mihoshi let out a frightened squeak as the figure rose and turned slowly to face her. The illumination of the chandeliers, almost blinding after the guttering torchlight, revealed his features in perfect clarity. The man was tall, his broad shoulders cloaked by an olive green cape. Under his billowing cape was a dark blue robe that was bisected by a thick purple stripe down the front. Only a thin three-pronged broach at his collarbone broke the stripe, although the purple stripe continued past up his high starched collar. His hair was a blue-gray and nearly matched the kidskin gloves he wore. Although clean-shaven, his sideburns were so long they drooped down to his shoulders like two ponytails. His bloodless face was deathly white. Dark, round-lensed pince-nez perched on the bridge of his nose, but apparently he did not need them to look over the table because his hideous eyes gazed over them at Mihoshi in an unblinking stare. The pupils of his yellow eyes appeared to be blood red, but the most disturbing element of them was the fact that they did not appear to be round, but seemed to be vertical slits like those of a cat…or a snake.

"Welcome to my castle, my dear," said a silky voice that conveyed both politeness and menace. "Enter freely, and of your own will."

"Oh," Mihoshi blinked as if the words released her from a spell. "Thank you. Are you Count Vladimir Kagato? I'm the solicitor you sent for from Yosho, Harker, and Renfield."

"Indeed?" The count raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I wasn't aware that they sent a woman overseas for this type of assignment."

"Oh, I'm Renfield," Mihoshi assured him. "Mihoshi Renfield. We thank you for your patronage, your lordship." She extended her hand, although he was still on the far side of the table, then self-consciously bowed in a kowtowing motion before him. "I'm sorry, where are my manners, my lord? The journey here must have rattled me."

"No need to be so formal," the count smiled mirthlessly. "You don't have to refer to me as 'my lord'. 'Master' will do."

"Oh um, y-yes…yes Master," Mihoshi nodded nervously. She didn't think he was joking. Kagato moved around the table to her side with preternatural speed, yet he did not seem to be hurrying at all. To Mihoshi's eyes, it was as if he was standing perfectly still, and gliding toward her as if he was less an inch off the floor or rolling on silent wheels.

"Please, Miss Renfield, you must be starving," he took her hand and led her to the table. "Help yourself," he said as he sat her down and pushed her chair in. "We can make small talk while you eat."

"Thank you," Mihoshi replied. "This all looks so good, but there is no place for you. Have you already eaten?"

"I shall dine…later," he smirked. "Right now, all I hunger for is some light conversation. It has been a long time since I entertained such delectable…company."

"Oh," Mihoshi blushed. "I don't want you to think that I'm a woman of loose morals. Just because I travel alone."

"Mihoshi," the count raised an eyebrow as he changed the subject, "that's an unusual name for an…Englishwoman."

"Oh, there's a funny story behind it," the girl smiled. "My father and all of his friends were in the navy, and they all brought home Japanese brides. They let their wives choose the names of their children, so now my friends and I have Japanese names!" She took a bite of her food.

"I see," Kagato nodded, "and is it usual for women to be solicitors in…England?"

Mihoshi blushed and choked on her food, hitting her collarbone with her fist until she could breath normally. "No, um, to be perfectly honest, I'm the first woman that I know of to have ever passed the bar. I guess that's one for the record books, huh?" She smiled at the count, but when he didn't reply she continued talking. "To be honest, Tenchi was supposed to take this trip, but he suffered food poisoning at the last minute, so I took his place. I hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all." The count's smile was warm, but his eyes were cold. "This assignment is just the experience you need to pave your way in a man's world. If you can handle the challenge of managing my affairs, we should have a long and profitable…relationship."

Mihoshi gulped at that word, and the way the count seemed to be leering hungrily at her. "A-are you sure you don't want anything?" she asked her host. "The wine is really good. Even if you're not hungry, you could have some of that."

"I never drink…wine, Miss Renfield," he answered smoothly.

Mihoshi gulped audibly. So he was trying to get her drunk! "So, um, i-is it just you who are moving into Carfax Abbey or will you be taking the family?" At that moment, she desperately prayed that he was married, or that some other family member would appear.

"Just me," he said a little too quickly, and his eyes darted around the room as if searching for a hidden predator. How odd, every person in Transylvania that Mihoshi had asked about Castle Kagato had done the same thing. That settled it. The count really needed to move away from this dreadful place to the sunny shores of England. The sooner, the better. "My family is very old, and the blood of many prominent figures flow in my veins. What family that I do have will be staying here...forever."

"Oh, is everything all right?" Mihoshi asked innocently.

"And just what do you mean by that?" Kagato's predatory eyes fixed on the helpless girl.

"Oh, uh…nothing," she quickly corrected herself. "It's just that while we've been talking you have been dramatically pausing before ending a…um…sentence."

Kagato tried his best at a disarming grin. "It's the high altitude. Up here in the castle on top of the peak the air is very…thin. When making long statements it's not unusual to have to pause for…breath."

"Oh," Mihoshi blinked. "Riight…I see what you mean! I'll bet I've been doing the same thing without even…realizing it!"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Kagato gave her a wry smile.

After dinner, the count showed her to her room, explaining that most of his servants had already departed for England but assuring her that her sleeping arrangements would be nothing less than royal.

The heavy red draperies that hid the bedroom window from view muffled the sounds of rain and thunder. Their tassels of golden fiber glinted in the light of three candelabras sitting atop small tables about the room. Tall white candles burned with a bright, steady light. A large bed, canopied by silken curtains sat with its headboard against the wall.

Huddled in the blankets, Mihoshi began to wish that she had blown the candles out before going to bed. The shadows that they upon the walls really played havoc with her imagination. For example, she imagined that three women in scandalously provocative bed wear had drifted through the wall like ghosts. One had fiery red hair and a bestial countenance on her face. Another had a wild blue-gray hair that was almost white and her crimson eyes never blinked. The last appeared to be a blonde ivory-skinned child, no older than little Sasami Morris back home, who was less than nine years old.

"Oh hello," Mihoshi said to the pale smiling intruders. "Are you guests too, or are you family?" The women didn't answer. One started to rub against a table seductively. The other began to lustfully stroke the bedpost. The child just stood next to the bed and smiled at Mihoshi. "Oh my," she exclaimed. "What are you doing to the furniture? I-I really don't think you should be doing that…" The two voluptuous women climbed into her bed, while the child gazed beatifically at Mihoshi, her face less than a foot away from the Englishwoman's. "Um…what's going on? Is this a yuri fic? We'll lose our 'T' rating, you know…" Her heart began to race as they stroked her body under the covers. "Hey! Excuse me…I-I'll have you know that's my knee you're straddling!" The two women began to gyrate on top of her. "Um…you really shouldn't be doing that…No, Stop!" So flustered was the girl at the erotic antics of her assailants, that she didn't notice the colorless little girl take her hand and lick her fingers. "You who! Um…ladies? I'm only interested in this sort of thing in Tenchi Universe, and even then only with Kiyone! Oh! Ah... No, no this is wrong! This is wrong! This is wrong, do you hear me, wrong! this is…oooh! Oh! I still think that Kiyone should be here…"

So aroused and distracted by the forbidden actions of her nocturnal visitors, Mihoshi didn't discern the sharp incisors and flashing teeth that appeared underneath the lips of the sensual trio. Each female had chosen a vein, whether on her wrist or her throat and were teasing her skin with their fangs.

Suddenly appearing from the darkness as if by magic was the towering form of Count Kagato. "Ramia, Nagi, Yugi! Away, you flawed creations," he snapped. "I have other plans for her."

The two curvaceous females slinked away from the stunned Englishwoman and disappeared into the shadows. The child, however, continued to suckle on Mihoshi's finger. Grunting in frustration, Kagato pulled the colorless child away and picked her up. "That's enough, Yugi," he stated. "She is part of my plan; she cannot be damaged, yet."

"I want some more," whispered Yugi eerily.

"You want some more what?" snapped Kagato.

"I want some more lines, for starters," growled the little girl. "In Tenchi in Tokyo, I was in every episode, whereas you were only in two in the original series and just three or four in Tenchi Universe! I should be the title character in this story, not you! I—"

Her tirade was halted abruptly when Kagato threw her out the window that had opened silently as if by magic. The window shut and reclasped itself, and the wind and thunder was again muffled as the red curtains shut to block out the flash of lighting. "The sooner I move out of here, the better. Three brides. What was I thinking?"

With the flair of a stage magician, Kagato snapped his fingers over Mihoshi's stunned and prostrate form. The blonde seemed to come out of a trance and shuddered and looked around quickly as if unsure of her location.

"Lord Kagato!" Mihoshi stammered, holding the blankets up against her chest as if she had forgotten that she was wearing a thick nightshirt. "What? What happened? Who were those women? What's going on?"

"Miss Renfield, you were having a nightmare," the count assured her.

"A nightmare?" Mihoshi repeated, "but it was so real, so vivid. Two voluptuous women; grinding, heaving. I don't know how to describe it..." she paused in thought. "Um...have you ever been to Paris?"

"Look deep into my eyes, Miss Renfield," the count suggested. "I can help you to…relax."

"Oh no," Mihoshi shook her head. "I don't think I will. My mother always said that nice girls don't do things like that." She put her hands on the sides of her face and glanced at her lap in embarrassment. "Oh my! I don't believe this! This is just like in those romances! I'm in my nightdress, alone in a castle being seduced by rich nobleman! This is all happening too fast…"

"Miss Renfield!" The count seized her chin and turned her head to face him. " Look deep into my eyes…deeper…deeper…You are getting sleepy…"

Mihoshi's blue eyes shut and the count could hear her snoring.

"Miss Renfield," the count blinked. "Wake up. I'm not done talking to you."

"What?" Mihoshi muttered as her eyes sleepily fluttered open. "Is it time for breakfast already?"

"You are getting sleepy…You are…" the count let his sentence die as the bronze-skinned blonde shut her eyes and started snoring again. She started to drool on his kid glove. "Mihoshi!" he shouted as he shook her by her chin. "Wake up!"

"Eeee!" the girl's eyes snapped open and she started to struggle to get away, but her chin was caught in his iron grip.

"You are under my control!" Kagato insisted. "I am the master and you are my slave! You will take me to England and you will be my hands and my eyes! Do you understand?"

"I will take your hands and eyes to England…" the girl murmured dully.

"Yes, and the rest of me, too," he nodded. "You have no will of your own." He let go of her chin and lowered his voice slightly. "I have utter control of you and your only loyalty is to me. In return, I shall give you…"

"Yes?" asked Mihoshi eagerly.

"The blood of flies and insects to slake your hunger," he replied, "and if you serve me well, you shall enjoy the vitae of nice plump rats!"

"Ew," shuddered the blonde. "Well, I guess a female solicitor just starting out can't be too choosey with her clients!"

Next: Ship of Horror