Capu 4 CH4 Welcome back
Ruby had been feeling odd the last couple days. She didn't feel sick, and she could find no intrusive magic, but something wasn't right. Tsukune and the Harlot Squad were doing fine, there were no problems at the schools, and Hosoi was as loving a Master as ever. Still, she felt there was something that needed attention.
On an impulse, Ruby decided to check on their friends in the world across the spirit plane. Upon her asking him, Hosoi followed her into her magic room while she opened a portal, searching for the Maple Inn family. She found them in a place that looked nothing like their home. Around a small table in what looked like an apartment, Kouta, Lucy, Yuka, Nana, and Mayu sat looking at their empty bowls.
Hosoi looked at Ruby. She nodded.
"Please excuse the intrusion," Hosoi said though the portal.
Nana's head snapped up as she beamed a smile in his direction. "Papa!" she cried happily.
"And now he shows up," Lucy grumbled, flicking her eyes in his direction.
"May I come in?" Hosoi asked.
"Please do," Kouta said as Nana jumped up and cried, "Come in, Papa!"
Hosoi stepped through the portal. The instant he was visible, Nana dove into his arms. Seeing the state they were in, he asked, "What happened?"
Lucy ignored him, Yuka gazed at nothing with a sad face. Kouta spoke up.
"We're being hounded. After Ruby-san's help getting rid of that island facility, it was quiet for a while. We rented a boat to go out to the island to help the freed diclonius, only the coast guard wouldn't let us get near. ..."
"They were bombing the island," Lucy spat. "The rest of out kind never had a chance."
"It's Nana's fault we lost our home, Papa," Nana said, teary eyed. "Nana got to go to school with Mayu, but they saw my horns."
"It's NOT your fault, Nana," Kouta said sternly. Visibly angry, he explained, "They came again. Lucy kept them out with Nana's help, but we had to flee. And we've been running ever since. Why can't they just leave us alone?"
Hosoi knew this family had only one option. "Come back with me," he said firmly. "The Aono's are in their own home now, we have plenty of room. Nana and Mayu can also go to school without fear."
"Can we?" Nana asked hopefully as she cast Kouta a pleading look.
Yuka winced, but gave Kouta a nod.
"That bully is gone, I hope," Lucy said heavily.
"Apollo will no longer give us any trouble," Hosoi assured her.
Looking at Kouta, Lucy said, "We won't be hounded, and if anyone does try to hurt us, we'll have help."
Kouta nodded firmly. "We accept your invitation."
"Yipeee!" Nana cried as she bounced in place. "We're going to live over the rainbow with Papa!"
.
Ruby discovered the Kikumura's were in worse shape than they had let on. They had run out of money trying to avoid those hunting them, and had eaten their last good meal over a week ago. Living off rice and what Lucy could swipe, the rent was also overdue on their latest apartment and their pictures were posted everywhere with large rewards to entice people to turn them in. They had been at the end of their rope.
Tonight, they were heading over to the Aono's for dinner. Ruby sent Mariko over ahead of them to let them know of the extra company and how starved they were. In the mean time, Ruby gave them healthy snacks and sat down with Kouta and Yuka to get Mayu and Nana's educational requirements. Finding out Lucy also had no education, Ruby set up a special class for her.
Hosoi assigned rooms, Kouta, Yuka and Lucy each had their own rooms. Mayu and Nana shared a room next to Mariko, and were happy to do so. After the new arrivals settled in with the meager possessions they had left, they went off to the Aono manor for a good, hearty meal.
.
"Lucy, Kouta, Yuka, welcome!" Moka chimed. She hugged each in turn, getting a dark look from Yuka when she hugged Kouta. Yuka's next jealous moment was when the busty Kurumu hugged Kouta tight. In retaliation, she gave Tsukune a tight hug with a, "I am SOOO happy to see you again!" Unfortunately, her effort was wasted. Moka was focused on Lucy, and Kurumu was guiding Kouta towards the dinning room.
Looking around the grand hallway, Kouta asked, "This is your house?"
"Yes, isn't it great?" Kurumu said, all smiles. "Tsukune is a vampire Lord now, so we live here. You're living in our old rooms at Ruby's right?"
"Ahh, yeah," Kouta said, itching the back of his head. They had escaped their perusers, but he didn't feel very proud how they had done it.
"Well, whoever has my old room, it would be perfect for you, Lucy and Yuka to snuggle in together," Kurumu said with a wink.
"Huh?" Kouta asked.
Returning his surprised look, Kurumu said, "You're all together, right? Don't tell me you don't ..."
"Excuse me," Yuka said pointedly as she rushed up between Kouta and Kurumu. Grabbing Kouta's arm, she cast a fake smile at Kurumu. "Thank you for inviting us over."
Walking behind Kurumu, Mizore pointed to Yuka and said, "Green eyed yokai."
"Um," Ren agreed.
.
Walking into the large dinning room as she hugged Kouta's arm, Yuka was wondering if they had jumped from the frying pan right into the fire. This house was grand, but with the candle lit chandeliers, sconces on the wall, and high back chairs, Yuka thought she was walking straight into a Dracula movie. Even the servants were dressed in mostly black and white trimmed uniforms that resembled a French Maid's outfits, only with long skirts. The babies being attended by servants at the moment were in full carriages like the old days, and their high chairs at the table had ornate sculptures on the wooden uprights.
"We would eat up in the family dinning room, but there's so many of us. This table will at least fit us all in," Moka said happily to someone as Yuka took in the scenery.
Noting servants (all female) pushing in three stainless steel carts, Yuka saw Mizore, who held the hand of her boyfriend, direct the servants where to position the carts. She wasn't sure about that one. Mizore had purple hair similar to Nana, but no horns.
"No formality, just pick a seat," Kurumu said happily, and sat down on one side of Tsukune by a high chair.
Yuka just followed Kouta. When he seated her, she unhappily noted she was on the other side of Akemi's high chair. She shrunk back as the baby noticed her.
The food was served. Despite Yuka's misgivings, the aromas of the food made her stomach growl, and there was plenty of it. Sitting between Mariko and Mayu, Nana cheered as a full plate was set in front of her. When her own plate was set down, full of steaming hot food, Yuka thanked the servant profusely. She hadn't eaten this good in weeks!
.
Tsukune looked at the scene before him. Hosoi and Ruby has rescued this wonderful family that had helped them when they needed it. Moka was feeding Akemi some mashed-up food and talking to Lucy who sat across the table by Kurumu. Mariko and Mayu were chattering away with Yukari while Nana was praising the cooks for the tasty food. It looked like everyone was having a nice time. It made him feel good.
As Tsukune ate and watched the chatter, he thought about how the Kikumura's came to be here. In their world, yokai were not only shunned, but attacked and from what he'd learned, experimented on cruelly when the humans could capture a live one. Nana and Mariko had only survived because Hosoi was their father. Lucy survived only due to her power and temperament. He didn't need to be told that neither of Lucy's parents were alive. At this table were the only survivors of an entire race. He swore that would not happen here – to any race. This gathering drove home the importance of peace and acceptance of all. He was the one who had to make it happen, and he would not back down from his responsibility.
Moka paused in her conversation to scoop up a spoonful of food and turned to an empty high chair. "Akemi?" she asked, and began looking around.
Yuka's eyes shot open. She dropped her fork and let out a yelp as she slid back. Attached to her ankle was Akemi. In her frantic motion, Yuka fell out of her chair.
"Akemi!" Moka cried and got down to gently pry her loose.
"Ahhh," Yuka cried weakly as she gapped at the child sucking on her ankle.
"Ankle biter, he he," Ren chuckled as he pointed.
Horrified that Akemi was snacking on a guest, Tsukune rushed over and helped get Akemi back in her chair, then noted Yuka's ankle was leaking a trickle of blood.
"I am so sorry, please forgive us!" Tsukune told Yuka. Kneeling down, he held the injured ankle and licked it to clean and seal her wounds.
Yuka's face flushed crimson.
"We are very, very sorry," Tsukune said again as he helped a befuddled Yuka up and back into her chair.
Akemi turned to Yuka and waved an arm as she whined.
"Akemi, no," Moka scolded, and tried to get her to eat.
Yuka sat feeling numb. She'd been shocked when she felt her ankle being bitten. Why was it that Akemi loved biting her? What flustered her even more was when Tsukune had licked her ankle. His tongue had sent a shiver up her leg. Not an unpleasant one, either. It had felt perverted, almost as if was a sexual thing. She wondered briefly if Kouta would lick her ankle like that.
"Yuka, everything will be all right," Kouta assured her.
His voice was enough to break her out of the spell Tsukune's tongue had put her in. Frowning at him, she asked quietly, "Well, you're not lunch, are you?"
.
The next day, Yuka felt a little better when Moka took her and Kouta down to the city college to get registered to get back in school. Neither of them had access to their transcripts from their old college, but somehow, Ruby came up with them. Oddly, their classes they had to abandon due to fleeing showed up completed on the transcripts. In another impossible act, even though the lady at registrations had never heard of the Kamakura college, she still allowed them full credits so they could continue their studies. After the college visit, Moka and Yuka drug Kouta off for a shopping trip.
.
Kurumu took the bus to town today, having Mariko, Mayu and Nana with her. By now, all the girls were calling her 'Ku-mama', which gave Kurumu a pleasant feeling. She took them shopping for clothes, then took them on to her band practice.
It irritated Kurumu that the manager hadn't shown up. Knowing he had an event for them planned, she called up the hotel and made sure the arrangements were set . Next, on a whim, she called the radio stations, offering them a copy of the their songs. When she told them who she was, they were happy to accept copies of the songs to play on the air. While the girls sat and watched, The Flying Yokai recorded the songs they knew. Once the recordings were done and copied, Kurumu asked the band members to take the copies to the radio stations.
The band members left to go on their errands. Kurumu took the girls downstairs to the small cafe.
"You sing really good, Ku-mama," Nana said happily. "Nana wishes she could sing like that."
"Practice, sweetie, you will," Kurumu assured her.
Going down the stairs and into the back door of the dinning room, Kurumu stopped short. The dinning room was empty of customers. A rough looking man stood by the door that now had the 'closed' sign up. The owner was sitting by his wife as they hugged in fear, another man stood over them. Two more men stood behind him. All the men were shaven bald and sported tattoos that showed all along both arms.
"Don't you know what will happen if you don't pay us?" the man over the owner asked harshly.
"We don't have it!" the woman cried.
"Bullies," Mariko stated as she frowned at the men.
All eyes turned to see Kurumu and the girls standing just inside the door.
"Get out if you know what's good for you," the man growled.
Mariko's eyes turned red. "Can I kill him, Ku-mama?" she asked.
Kurumu laid a hand on her shoulder, "Just wait sweetie, let me deal with them." Casting them her best smile she looked at the men surrounding the couple. "Maybe I can help you?" she asked, casting her charm over them.
"Yeah, baby," one said as they grew the blank smiles indicating her charm was working. Focusing on the man by the door, Kurumu said, "Come over here, sweetie," as she cast her charm on him. From all the love and lust she received from Tsukune and Moka, she had plenty of power.
"All of you fine, strong men, come over here," Kurumu said, walking toward the center of the dinning room. Like puppy dogs eager to obey their master, they did as she asked.
"Tell me, who sent you?" she asked sweetly.
"The boss, Mr. R." the leader said, gazing lovingly at her.
Shifting into a sexy pose, Kurumu gave them her best smile. "Do you boys really want to please me?" she asked in a lusty voice.
"OH YEAH!" they chimed.
Frowning at them and putting on her best hurt look, she said, "You boss was very mean to me He wanted to hurt me badly. Would you strong men please give your money to me, then go show him how bad he was?"
"We'll beat his ass to a pulp!" one man announced as he handed Kurumu a wad of cash.
"He's friggin DEAD!" another announced and gave Kurmu a thick money clip of bills.
"I'm gonna break every bone in his body!" the third promised as he handed over a thick envelope.
"Please, teach him not to threaten me," Kurumu asked and cast her charm a third time.
"He'll never bother you again!" the leader promised. "Come on, boys!" he announced. They strode out with the look of murder in their eyes.
Kurumu went over and shifted the sign on the door to open. To the couple that sat gapping at her, she said, "They won't be back. Could we have some snacks please?" She then gave the huge wad of money to the man.
"I can't take this money," the man said weakly.
"Oh nonsense," Kurumu said. "I'm buying lunch for us. The rest is a tip for you. You do accept tips, don't you?"
"Those thugs will kill us!" the woman cried.
"No, they won't," Kurumu assured her. "If anyone comes here to bother you, just tell them if they bother you, they will have to deal with Lord Aono."
"That vampire up on Witch Hill?" the woman asked.
"The same. I'm his wife, Kurumu," Kurumu said with a bow.
"What do you want from us?" the man asked.
Kurumu shrugged. Turning to the girls, she asked, "What do you want to eat?"