2002 (Side B): Blood Sabbath/Chapter 4: The Immortals Are in a Traveling Mood

Synopsis
To be rewritten.

In August 2002, Elmer, Sylvie, Nile, and Denkuro are at Yokohama Harbor, waiting to board the cruise shit Exit. Elmer is childishly gushing about the beauty of the sea, not put off by the comments of his fellow immortals or even by Nile squeezing him with all his might out of irritation. As Sylvie watches, Denkuro admires her, accidentally speaking out loud about her "enchanting beauty." The group had come to Japan with Maiza to find Denkuro, the last of the 1711 immortals to make contact with. Maiza returned to New York, while the rest remained in Japan. During this time, they received invitations to Exit via letters with Huey's name, asking to meet them on the seas. Elmer immediately decided to go; the others considered whether it was a trap, but also chose to take the trip. The sheer scale of the ship impresses Sylvie, but it doesn't ease her concerns. She asks Elmer if this could be a trap; he acknowledges it could be, given that Huey would even kill his own daughter to sate his curiosity. Nevertheless, Elmer was eager to get on the ship out of his desire to see Huey again. Sylvie thinks that she can't bring herself to hate Elmer, and ultimately trusts him, even though she finds his thought process utterly alien. Her thoughts lead to memories of Gretto. After his death, she didn't have a purpose in life, but she still wished to live, and she resolves to continue searching, for both their sakes.

Denkuro again looks wistfully at Sylvie, knowing that she is still devoted to Gretto for eternity. Nile asks if Denkuro is fine boarding a ship after spending years frozen in the Arctic Ocean; Denkuro says that it hasn't given him an aversion to the ocean. Nile admits to not being fond of ships, due to the Advena Avis. Asked if he regrets drinking the elixir, Nile says, "Immortal or not, I am alive. If I has time for regrets, I will spend it living as my nature desires."

In the building, there are few Japanese passengers. Many people look at Nile because of his appearance, but then move their stares to Sylvie. One such individual is Bride, who babbles excitedly about Sylvie's beauty. He says that she seems to be modeled after a succubus rather than an angel, due to the way she inspires lust in those who look at her. Next to him, Celice is almost catatonic, only responding "Yes" to everything he says. Bride tells her that she can ask him for anything she wants; since she will be killed in days, he owes her that much as her husband. He asks her if she agrees to this; when she mindlessly says yes, he kisses her. This awakens her enough to scream; a woman knocks her unconscious. Despite the volume of her scream, it didn't cause a ruckus, as most of the people surrounding her are SAMPLE members who smile at the sound. About two hundred in number, young and old, they had red and black clothes in their suitcases.

Nile is spontaneously approaches by Aging, who asks why he wears his mask. He responds that it is personal preference; he has reasons, but doesn't think it would be of use to tell a mortal about them. She laughs, apologizes for her curiosity, and leaves with a wave. Elmer and Nile have an exchange about his strange appearance which leads to Nile aiming a blow at Elmer's chest. Sylvie remarks on the contrast between Aging's muscles and feminine figure, and Elmer compares her to video game characters. Elmer is reminded of a fight that Nile recently lost, which Nile tells him not to talk about, punching Elmer to stop the discussion.

Aging laughs off Luchino's complaints about her recklessness in directly approaching someone she will have to fight later. Luchino tells her to address him as "Rookie" and behave more seriously. A ten year old boy approaches Luchino, having recognized him as a famous magician who will be performing on the ship. He asks for a magic trick; Luchino makes rubber balls appear in his hand. Luchino thinks of how his guilt over killing people is dissipated slightly by the happiness his performances bring. His father had offered several potential careers as a cover, but Luchino had chosen this on his own. He realizes he's running away from his problems, but thinks that he can't stop following his destiny. The boy he gave the rubber balls to returns to his family; his little sister asks him to share, which their mother gets him to do. The cheerful family of four continues onto the ship. Inside the boy's bag is a set of red and black clothing.

Cultural References

 * Chun-Li

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Elmer C. Albatross
 * Sylvie Lumiere
 * Nile
 * Denkurō Tōgō
 * Bride
 * Celice Artia
 * Aging
 * Luchino B. Campanella