Missing


Tsukune woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and energized. His spirits were high and he had a big smile plastered on his face. The smile of a man who was genuinely happy with his life. After successfully spending Moka's birthday with her and having one of the best days of his life so far, it was hard not to be happy.

He was humming as he made his way downstairs and energetically greeted his parents a good morning, much to their amusement. Both of them were sitting in the dining room, drinking tea. His father was reading the newspaper while his mother was simply relaxing and sipping at her hot, soothing drink.

"Good morning, dear," greeted back his mother. She pointed to the kitchen counter, "Your breakfast is there. Zap it in the microwave to heat it up a little."

"Thanks mom!" he grabbed the plate and proceeded to do just that, wolfing it down almost as quickly as it took to heat it up.

His mother let out a short laugh, "Slow down, Tsukune, what's the rush?"

Through mouthfuls of food, Tsukune replied, "Ummngryyy."

His father put down the paper and took a sip of his tea, his brown eyes shining with amusement. "He's a growing boy, Kasumi. Let him eat in peace."

Kasumi replied, "He can eat in peace with proper manners."

Tsukune was already finished, slurping up the last of his food. Sheepishly he said, "Sorry mom." At that Tetsuo chuckled and Kasumi could not help but smile at her growing boy.

Tetsuo asked, "So what will you be doing today, son?"

"Oh, I dunno yet dad. I figured I might drop by Moka's place and see if she wants to hang out again. Maybe I'll try and get Rocca and Saito to join us too," replied Tsukune, figuring it was about time his two childhood friends met up with Moka. It had been a while and he wanted them to be friends. He really hoped that they would get along together.

"Ah, so is that her name? Moka?" said Tetsuo with a smile, trying out the name for himself. "Hmmm... well I hope to meet this Moka sometime soon, son. Gotta make sure she's right an- oof!"

There was a slight commotion under the table as Kasumi kicked her husband in the shin, eliciting a short cry of pain.

Tetsuo grimaced, rubbing his leg. "That hurt!" He turned to his wife who gave him a look, clearing her throat for emphasis. He simply nodded back at her, getting what she meant and shutting up.

Tsukune was already washing his dishes by the time this happened, humming to himself the whole time and oblivious to the little commotion in the dining room. Once he was done, he made his way to the front door.

"Tell your friends I said hello, and that they're welcome to come by and have dinner with us!" Kasumi called after her son, who bade them goodbye and made his way out.

-xxxxxx-

It was nice and sunny out, the clouds few and far between. That meant it was a pretty hot day and he wondered if his friends might be interested to go to nearby Sanuke Park, which had a nice big lake that they could swim in. He was glad that he decided to wear shorts and a light shirt, else he might be overheated by the time he rounded up his friends.

He decided to drop by Saito's place first, since it was closer than Rocca's, and he texted Rocca to meet him there if he was free. He answered back a few seconds later and said he was on his way.

Rocca Higashi, because he was wealthy enough, lived rather far in a separate subdivision that had larger houses and more land per household than any other in the area. It was a gated community, with nice slightly wider streets and well-manicured landscaping. They even had a country club, though Rocca was only ever there when his parents forced him to accompany them, and it had been a while since that had ever happened. Since he was their only son, they did often let him have his way, even letting him go to the local public high school instead of enrolling at the prestigious private academy about forty minutes away. Rocca had visited before and he did not like it over at the academy where it was too rigid and somewhat stressful for him, opting instead for the freer and "more fun" public high school.

Saito Mori lived with his mother in a modest home close to a nearby dojo. When he wasn't helping his mother around the house or playing video games, he spent his time at the dojo honing his martial arts skills. His father had been a famous fighter once, one of the best in all of Japan, but he died at a young age due to health complications. Those health complications drained what wealth he was able to attain throughout his fighting career, though there was a good enough sum left to support the family he left behind, Saito's mother had to work part-time at the local market to ensure they could continue to live comfortably.

Like a hundred, if not a thousand, times before he reached the gate of Mori home and let himself in. He then rang the doorbell and waited by the front door. Knowing Saito, he was probably playing video games since the dojo was closed on Sundays.

Sure enough, Saito answered the door with a pleasantly surprised look on his face. "Tsukune! Good to see you, buddy. Come in, I was just playing the latest Tekken game. You play it before?"

Tsukune shook his head as he stepped through the doorway, gripping the orange-haired teen's hand as their shoulders bumped to finish the greeting. "Nope. Rocca's coming over by the way."

"Oh great! We can all play some Tekken then."

"Well, I was actually hoping we could go hang out with Moka today... maybe visit Sanuke Park?"

There was a moment's hesitation before Saito flashed a smile, "Uh, yeah. Sure. Why not? Sanuke Park is kinda far to walk though..."

"Rocca has a driver remember?"

"Oh, riiiight. Good call," Saito said as he led Tsukune up into his room. "Rich bastard," he added jokingly as he sat down in front of the decent-sized TV he had in his room, picking up a game controller and resuming his playing.

Tsukune asked, "Where's your mom?"

Somewhat distractedly, Saito replied, "Oh. Uh. She's over at, uh, my aunt's place downtown. I think she's helping them with their newborn. Right... I have a new cousin now!"

Tsukune laughed and looked around the room, the sounds of fighting filling the air thanks to the video game. Not much had changed over the many years that he had been visiting the Mori home. It was pretty messy with clothes, books, and other things scattered everywhere. His bed was not made and there was a slight smell of sweat that hung in the air, almost like a gym, but masked somewhat by an air freshener. The window was open, the drapes pulled, letting the strong sunshine stream in as a small fan propped up on the window sill spun and helped to create a draft.

Saito snapped him out of his observations, "Alright, I'm done with that level. Let's play!"

Tsukune grinned, taking a seat on the floor next to his good friend and grabbing the other controller. "OK!"

After a few rounds of losing miserably to Saito, much to his chagrin and the other's amusement, the doorbell rang and caused Saito to pause their latest round.

"Must be Rocca!" he cried as he jumped up and went to answer the door.

Sure enough, a few seconds later Saito and Rocca filed into the room.

"Hey Tsukune!" Rocca greeted, extending his hand out as Saito plopped down next to Tsukune and resumed their match.

Tsukune high-fived him as the boy walked around them and sat down on the edge of the bed, watching them play. Or rather, watching Saito beat Tsukune mercilessly.

"Wow, you really suck at this game," breathed Rocca, snickering.

Tsukune glared at him, offering him the controller. "Shut up! Why don't you play and see how you do?"

Rocca accepted the controller, and nodded. "Let me show you how it's done, Tsukune."

"I only just got this game a few days ago, but I think I'm a natural at it," Saito boasted as they went about picking their characters.

Sure enough, once the battle actually begun, Rocca proved to be far more skilled than Tsukune.

Saito grinned eagerly as the fight went on, "Finally, someone who can put up a challenge. Let's see who's the king of this game!"

In the end, Tsukune was the only one who had not won a single fight between the three of them, which he was a tad embarrassed about particularly because the other two teens made fun of him for it.

"Ugh, alright can we go now?" Tsukune asked, putting the controller down a little roughly in disgust after losing again, this time to Rocca.

"Fine, fine. I guess we've played enough for now," conceded Saito as he stood up and stretched.

Rocca gave them a confused look and asked, "Where are we going? What's up?"

Saito turned and jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at Tsukune as he explained, "Well, loser here wants to go get Moka and then spend time all together at Sanuke Park."

"Ah! Well, okay I guess that's cool..." said Rocca as he looked to Tsukune.

"Great! So let's go pick her up and then we can head over to the park."

Saito motioned towards the door, "After you, ladies."

Tsukune snorted and shoved him in the shoulder, Rocca following after him and giving Saito a shove as well, making the young Mori chuckle.

Realizing that dropping by unannounced would be rude, Tsukune texted ahead to Moka that he was coming, figuring that she must be awake already since she often woke up earlier than him on the weekends and it was getting to about lunch time already.

Rocca's driver was smoking a cigarette across the road when they walked out, a cigarette which he quickly threw down and stomped on before walking over and unlocking the car. He was shorter than Saito, but taller than either Tsukune or Rocca, and he was more built with wider shoulders and a broader chest than their tall friend. With blue eyes and dirty blonde hair to go along with his fair skin, it was easy for him to stick out even when he was not wearing a nice suit all the time.

A foreigner by the name of Ramsey, he used to be in the SAS, the British special forces unit. He did not like to talk much about his past, but whatever his skillset and his experience, it was enough for Rocca's parents to hire him out when they found out he was in Japan - and in need of a job.

"Where to, Rocca?" he asked as he opened the driver door and the teens piled into the luxury car, a BMW; there was more than enough space for the three of them in the back.

Rocca replied, "Tsukune here will direct us."

Tsukune gave the driver Moka's address and off they went. When they got to the block where Moka lived, Tsukune checked his phone and noted that she had yet to reply. He wondered why that was but thought nothing of it. Maybe she decided to sleep in since she did say she was extra tired the previous night. They stopped in front of Moka's home, Tsukune getting out of the car to get her.

Tsukune walked up to the gate, which was surprisingly unlatched and open, as if someone had just walked in and forgot to close it properly.

"That's odd..." Tsukune murmured his gaze drifting up towards the front door of the house as he grabbed the gate. The front door was wide open.

His insides tightened as he swung the gate open and hurriedly reached the front door, knocking loudly on it and poking his head through, calling out, "Moka? Moka? Are you in here?"

Only silence greeted him as he stepped further into the home, his heart rate increasing with each step. Looking around, there was no indication that anything bad had happened. Everything was in place and tidy. That for the moment calmed him down, though he still felt like something was amiss. There was a creaking upstairs like someone was walking around.

"Moka?" he called out again, his attention turned towards the stairs. "Moka is that you?"

He quickly ascended the steps and made his way to Moka's room. He froze at the doorway, unable to comprehend at first what he was seeing, or rather what he was not seeing. There was nothing there. Her room was completely bare.

"What the hell...?" he said, absolutely confused about what was going on. What had happened to Moka? Where did she go?

He ventured further into her room, looking all around several times, blinking hard and shaking his head in disbelief as if he was simply imagining things. The thought crossed his mind that maybe he was in a dream and he pinched himself to be sure, but nothing happened. Another pinch, and still nothing.

"I can assure you that you're not dreaming," said a sultry voice from the doorway.

He whirled around in surprise, taking a step back as his gaze landed on the dark-haired beauty before him. There was something oddly familiar about her. "W-Who are you?"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," she smiled, showing perfect white teeth. He noted that her canines seemed sharper and longer than usual. And her eyes. He had never seen anyone with red pupils before. They seemed to glow as they stared back at him and he could not help but be mesmerized a little by them. Almost as if they were calling to him.

She was leaning against the doorframe, her hands crossed over her chest and her hands tucked in the crook of her arms. Her curves were accentuated by the tight-fitting black collared shirt that was loosely buttoned and a gray skirt that was a little looser fit to allow better movement. Her knee-high combat boots looked shiny and pristine, the whole outfit giving off a strong and sexual vibe.

"I'll find out...? What? What's going on?"

She laughed, a light and alluring laugh that quickened his pulse. He was not sure why he was feeling like this. It seemed like his body was reacting on its own and nothing he could do could make him resist her charms. Not that he minded, or at least he didn't think he minded. He was not so sure anymore as he took a step closer to her, having a growing urge to be near her.

"Where's... where's Moka? Do you know...?" he managed to ask, taking another step forward.

She smirked, her eyes locked on to his. He was trying really hard to stop, but he felt powerless to control his own body as it moved on its own.

She finally responded to him, "Oh, why yes, Tsukune dear. I know where she is."

"Really? What happened? Where... where did she go?" he blurted out.

The black-haired girl ran a hand through her hair, playing with it. "Come a little closer and I'll tell you."

"Okay," he said without really meaning to as he tried to keep his distance. Something about all this simply felt wrong. Very wrong.

He was practically on top of her, each inhaling the other's scent because of their close proximity. She was slightly taller than him, her red eyes even more intense up close.

"Mmm..." she said as she breathed in deeply, "I can see why she likes you."

Tsukune said, "Huh..?" He had a confused look on his face.

Suddenly, voices from downstairs echoed throughout the house, causing both of them to turn and look down the hall towards the stairs.

"Tsukune! Hey Tsukune! You in here?" called out the familiar strong voice of Saito.

Rocca's voice followed, "Come on man! Stop making out and get down here already. We're tired of waiting."

"And Rocca's hungry. You know how he gets when he's hungry!" Saito added.

"Hey~!" Rocca said in protest, though he didn't say anything more after.

When Tsukune turned back, the dark-haired beauty was gone and he had full control of his body again. He shook his head, as if coming out of a daze, and then looked around the empty room. The woman was nowhere to be found and he wondered if he had simply imagined the whole thing.

Footsteps from the hallway indicated that his two friends had come up in search of him.

"He's probably making out with her right now. Why don't we just- uh, Ts-Tsukune?" Saito said as they passed in front of Moka's room and he spotted his friend in the middle of the empty space, looking lost.

Rocca peeked into the room as well, giving him a questioning glance. "What's going on, man?"

Tsukune shook his head and looked at them gravely. "I don't know, guys. I... she's just... she's gone."

Rocca and Saito shared a concerned look.

Gesturing around the room, Tsukune repeated, "She's gone."

-xxxxxx-

The three teens were outside on the sidewalk by the car, discussing what their options were. They had asked Ramsey to check the place out and tell them his thoughts on what had happened. Him being special forces and all, they figured he might be able to analyze the place better and come up with potential scenarios.

"I mean, should we call the police?" asked Rocca, his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the BMW.

Saito shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, it doesn't look to me like she was kidnapped or forced to leave. I mean, her stuff was all packed away."

"But why would she leave?" Tsukune questioned, his gaze directed at the ground as leaned against the wall that separated the small front yard of the house and the sidewalk.

No one had an answer to that question, especially since Saito and Rocca didn't even really know her.

"Is she still not answering her phone?" Saito asked.

Tsukune shook his head, though he flipped open his phone and checked anyway. Nothing. There was no response. He had called her more than a dozen times, each time the call would ring and then go into voicemail. His numerous text remained unanswered, and he was getting very worried. Maybe it was time to involve the police in the matter.

"Well boys," said Ramsey as he emerged from his inspection of the place, "There were no signs of forced entry. No signs of a scuffle anywhere or any signs of violence at all actually." All three teens were looking at him intently. "If I had to guess, I'd say she got up and left on her own will. Either that, or - and this is rather unlikely - she was kidnapped elsewhere and then her things meticulously collected by her kidnappers."

Rocca sent him a look that said 'why would you say that?' as he shot a worried glance over to Tsukune, who had visibly stiffened at the news.

"So you're... you're saying that it is possible she was kidnapped?"

Ramsey shrugged noncommittally. "Possible? Yes. Probable? Not very."

Tsukune had been careful not to mention anything about the black-haired woman who had been in there with him, lest he be thought to be crazy, but now he had a firmer belief that she was real. She had to be real. And he needed to find her again to know what happened to Moka. But how he was going to do that he had no idea.

It still hadn't really hit him yet that she was gone. That he could not simply go and meet up with her anymore to see her. A part of him wanted to believe that she was fine and something had simply come up that prompted her to leave so abruptly. That she would get in touch with him soon enough to let him know that she was okay and that they can see each other again soon. But another part of him was filled with dread that something terrible had happened, though he was less inclined to believe in that possible reality than the former.

"So..." Rocca broke the silence that had settled between them, "What now?"

It was Ramsey who suggested the next course of action. He looked at each of them seriously, "If I were you, I'd report to the police first and see what they can do. They'll most likely be able to contact Moka's family and inquire about her whereabouts. For all we know she simply moved back in with her family or went on a surprise trip with them; you did say it was her birthday right?" He looked at Tsukune, who nodded.

"Alright. Let's go then, kids. The sooner we find out the better," said Ramsey as he walked around the BMW, unlocking it.

-xxxxxx-

Akua watched from the shadows of a nearby tree, perched on one of its branches. No one really looked up into the trees, plus her outfit allowed her to blend into the dark shadowy areas of the tree better, so it was a good place to hide in broad daylight while also giving an excellent view of the scene below. She watched with amusement as they scurried about, her sensitive hearing picking up on their discussion.

She noted that Tsukune had not mentioned her at all to his friends. Smart. Though she was not sure if perhaps she overdid her charms so as to make him totally forget about the experience once she left and released him. No matter, she would find a better opportunity next time to get better acquainted with her little sister's human friend.

The memory of his scent washed over her again and she licked her lips absently. He smelled so delicious that it was difficult to control herself in the house. She wanted to feast on him right then and there, but she waited. She would be patient. Part of the thrill was in the chase after all.


Author's notes: Oh my!
The next chapter will be at least twice as long as this. Also please note this is AU, in case that wasn't clear. Thanks!