Disclaimer: I don't own Rosario + Vampire or Digimon 02
Author's note: After live's regularly scheduled program, we are back to commercial break again. Yay!
Gin makes his first official appearance. He's a character I really want to cut some slack in Light Pink Lover. Honestly I don't understand all the Gin hating in Tsukune/Moka break up story. At least in the manga, it's obvious he really cares about everyone in Newspaper Club and his careless attitude is just a try-hard act because he's traumatized by losing his friends against PSC.
To Jason: Once again I wish you have an account here on FFN so I can PM chat with you, because you make a lots of interesting observations in your review. I don't want to go into detail because I don't want to spoil anything major for everyone.
All I'm going to say is this story is definitely inspired more by 'Careful What You Wish For' than 'Get What You Wanted', but everyone really need to adjust their expectation if they expect a simple repeat of 'Careful...' with the exception of Yukari being Tsukune's waifu instead of Kurumu. I mean no disrespect to the author of 'Careful...', but I get a feeling we have very different design philosophy when it comes to story writing. This story being a romance/hurt/comfort rather than a straightforward tragedy and all.
I seriously respect 'Careful...' a lot as a tragedy story. I think it's the pinnacle of a tragic story set in Rosario Vampire franchise that can not be topped by anything. At least when it comes to character tragedy.
Yukari slides her bag onto one of her sofas. The university professor is about to prepare herself a warm bath when her telephone rings. She quickly runs to the phone, but her face contort with a frown when she sees who is calling.
Regardless, the Witch picks up her phone. "Hello uncle, how are you doing?"
"Very fine, very fine my little Yukari. How's your career coming alone?" The voice from other side sounds eager, but there's a plasticity to it. "Do you think they'll make you the principle, or get into the board of education?"
"I'm only 20, uncle." Yukari chuckles at her uncle's comment. Her face doesn't look amused despite this.
In fact, the Witch's face almost look deformed at this point. It is like someone stretched her skin unnaturally wide just to force a smile.
"Yes, yes of course. We are proud to raise a prodigy within our home, and you'll have a bright future ahead of you." Yukari's uncle continues to ramble, not able to see Yukari's sour looking face. "But you'll be a principle some day, right? Just don't forget about us when you make it big."
"Of course not uncle. I'm grateful for everything you and aunt did. By the way, I already send this month's money to you guys. You should get it in a couple of days."
"Ah, yes. Thank you very much, little Yukari. I'll talk to you next month." The man hangs up with a satisfied tone to his voice.
Yukari's frown deepens as she raises her arm above her head. The professor glares at the glass door to her balcony for a moment as if she want to pitch the phone right out. She takes a deep breath and lowers her arm, letting the phone slide right onto the couch beside her bag.
The Witch walks into her bedroom and drops face down into the mattress of her queen sized bed without a word. She stays still for a good five minutes before she starts making a growling sound.
The university professor reaches out her arms towards her pillow. She pulls two human shaped plushie dolls and presses them against her face. One looks like a boy with short black hair, the other a girl with long pinkish hair.
"Fuck, my, life." Yukari lets out a frustrated chant while rubbing her face against the dolls. "Isn't it right? Tsu-Tsu, Mo-Mo."
The Witch suddenly pushes herself up.
All the frustration and anger went from her face and replaced by a goofy looking grin.
"What am I doing? I have the real thing now." Yukari hops off her bed and strides into her washroom. She prepares a warm bath and dips herself into the tub while humming I don't want to set the world on fire.
Light Pink Lover
Chapter 13: Reason of happiness
Tsukune blinks his eyes once, twice, three times. He closes his eyelid and rubs his hand over just to make certain his eyes aren't playing a trick on him.
"Never seen a baker in your life, rat?" Ginei Morioka lets out an annoyed sneer. This action along is not noticeable. What is noticeable is the attire the werewolf is wearing: A white apron over a flour stained T-shirt and work pants, with a white chef hat on top of his short hair.
The salary man vampire vaguely remembers Yukari telling him about Ginei marrying a baker girl. The shock at the time is so great he ends up blowing a mouthful of beer right into Yukari's face.
It's almost preposterous to think the mad dog and pervert wolf of the newspaper will one day settle down. Becoming a baker of all things is the cherry on the icing.
"I'd never imagine rolling pin as your weapon of choice." Tsukune takes a quick look Gin's hand. He tries his hardest to resist the urge to laugh.
"Ha, ha! Laugh at me all you want, twerp. I can beat you senseless with this piece of wood-AHH~!" The werewolf's threat is interrupted when a scooter imbues itself into the back of his head. "What did you do that for, you crazy woman?!"
The culprit is a woman with dyed pink hair. The large bundle flutters in the wind like a bush as she puts both of her fists up to her waist. "If you have the time to threat someone, how about help me serve the customer!"
Yukari waves her hand at Gin while munching on her melon bread with bloated cheeks. She looks like a squirrel in Tsukune's eyes.
"Look at what you did to Little Lamb! Now I have to bring her to our mechanic again!" Gin takes a look at his moped and releases a pained howl at the scratches and dents.
"That piece of junk belonged to garbage dump long before you took it home!"
"Little Lamb is not a piece of junk! She can still carry me around!"
"You named your scooter?" Tsukune glances from the scooter to Gin and back. "And what's up with 'Little Lamb'?"
The werewolf flips his finger at Tsukune. "Says the idiot who almost married a bloodsucker."
Yukari giggles at Gin's comeback. "He got you there Spoony boy."
"Touche." Tsukune crosses his arms in front of his chest with an annoyed expression. Before anyone gets a chance to say anything else a sad wail begin to pour out of the little baker Gin and his wife own.
"See, even you daughter is upset daddy cares more about his scooter than his daughter." The woman rolls her eyes at Gin. She slaps the werewolf's head and begins to make 'Shoo' motion with her hand. "Go take care Horo, you lazy dog boy."
"I swear you two women will be the death of me." Gin enters the baker with an indignant grunt. Tsukune still manages to glimpse a smile of happiness on the lips of the mad dog.
"Hard to imagine Gin being a settled down type." The salary man vampire scratches his head.
"You have to give him more credit. He may be crispy on the outside, but wolf boy is all soft and tender inside." The woman chuckles as she extends her hand towards Tsukune. "Haven't introduced myself. Jun Morioka, I take care of the wolf boy and this store. Oh, and don't let my stupid younger brother give you any shit."
"Your, brother?" Tsukune tilts his head sideways in curiosity. The woman's face does seem familiar now that he takes a closer look, although he can't remember where.
"Yeah, my dope of a brother Daisuke. He married one of your high school sweethearts. I can't imagine how he got himself a snow maiden for a wife." Jun lets out a hearty laugh at that comment. Despite the cursing, it's obvious the woman cares about her younger brother. "Between you and me, I think that Mizore girl is too good for him. But it can't be helped. My brother needs a strong woman who can take care of him, and keep him in check."
"Silly Tsukune, we aren't at an anime convention, you don't need to make Ginyu Force poses." The witch covers her belly will trying to suppress her laughter. The shock that Jun and Daisuke happen to be siblings make Tsukune wildly swing his arms around.
"I'm, just happy Mizore find somebody." Tsukune takes a deep breath as he calms down. The salary man vampire wants to find something else to add, but he's interrupted by Gin. The werewolf exits his shop while gently rocking the baby girl in his arm.
The girl opens her eyes to look at Gin. She lets out a happy bubbly sound as her father tickles her.
"Ah, that's such a cute little girl." Yukari has a dreamy smile on her face as she walks in front of Gin. She extends on of her index finger in front of Horo. "Hi little one, want to pull aunt Yukari's finger?"
Horo begins to reach for Yukari's finger while she giggles. Gin, on the other hands, let out a disgusted grunt. "You are going to be a bad influence for Horo."
"Oh yeah. I'm a University professor at 20, so obviously a bad influence." Yukari blows her tongue at Gin.
"Do you also want to play with Horo, Aono-Kun?" Jun leads Tsukune in front of Gin with an inviting smile.
"That's a bad idea, woman."
"Oh, stop being an uptight father, you silly wolf boy. Aono-Kun is gentle, unlike YOU!" Jun pinches Gin on the waist. Gin rolls his eyes at his wife.
"Tsukune boy is a bloodsucker, and Horo is a-"
CHUMP
"-proud wolf."
Tsukune blinks his eyes once, twice, three times before his brain registers he's bitten. The salary man vampire begins a series of a high-pitched girly scream as he starts running in circles. Unfortunately for everyone, he pulls Horo right out of Gin's arm due to his inhumane strength. So the werewolf begins to chase after him, desperately fearing his daughter's wellbeing.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK~!"
"GET BACK HERE YOU RAT FACE DAUGHTER SNATCHER!"
Jun and Yukari look at the two men with blank expressions on their faces. They look at each other before let out an exhausted sigh together: "Man!"
"I'm never going to Gin's again." Tsukune Aono looks at his bandaged finger while the two of them ride the bullet train. A drop of tear still in his eyes.
"Oh, stop being a big baby, you spoony boy. You have been hurt worse." Yukari slaps Tsukune's side while scolding him like a mother.
"Yeah, but I never experienced something so painful." Tsukune unwrapped the bandage. To his dismay, the bloody wound still hasn't closed yet. He leans towards Yukari and whispers into her ear. "And my regeneration doesn't work."
The Witch looks thoughtful for a short moment as she whispers back to Tsukune's ear. "Some say werewolf can kill a vampire, guess it's true."
"It hurts, true or not. I'm not going through this shit again." Tsukune frowns his brow as he gets ready to wrap his fingers up.
"Oh, you crybaby. Let me make it better." Yukari suddenly closes her eyes. The Witch take Tsukune's wounded finger into her mouth. She begins to lick over his wound with her tongue.
The salary man vampire feels his head burning up to the boiling Aono has never been this close with a woman before. Not even Moka when they are officially a couple.
A geyser of steam escapes from each of his ears as he loses his higher brain function. He blissfully loses his consciousness as other men in the train begin to glare at him with envy.
The Witch leads a still half-conscious Tsukune out of Urayasu Station after a short period. A deep shade of red adorns the face of the salary man vampire. "That never happened to me before."
"Which part? The thirty minutes of crying about your hurt boo-boo, or completely lose your mind when I try to kiss it better?" Yukari turns back and laughs at Tsukune.
The salary man vampire looks away from Yukari with a sheepish smile on his face. "Both?"
"Better get used to it then. I'll take good care of you from now on."
The salary man blushes again at Yukari's emphasis on certain words. He looks around before calling out to Yukari. "You are going the wrong way."
"How so?" Yukari's head goes sideways like a curious looking owl.
"Disney Land is to the south." Tsukune points his wounded finger towards the amusement park in the distance.
Yukari seems to have a Eureka moment as she slaps the side of her head. She bends her back like a shrimp again due to how hard she laughs. "Oh, you thought we are going to Disney Land? Silly Tsukune, I just said we are going to Urayasu. Never said anything about Disney Land."
The salary man vampire realizes she's right. Yukari never mentioned the amusement park when they were planning this trip. He lets out a sigh as he stretches his Donald Duck T-shirt. "Great, NOW I feel like an idiot."
"Oh, don't look so disappointed you spooney boy. There's always next week if you want to go on a theme park date with me. Now, let's go to the place I want to go."
The Witch exclaims in a happy sing-song voice. She starts to stride forward in a merry rhythm while dragging Tsukune behind her. Not noticing the salary man vampire loses himself in his mind once more.
Am I disappointed? Does this mean I am excited about the idea of going on a date with Yukari?
Tsukune Aono racks his brain for the answer. To his disappointment, the salary man vampire realizes he won't know the answer.
Tsukune was surrounded by his friends back in Yokai Academy, but it feels more like a group of friends hanging out. He barely spends any alone time with a single one of them. Those study sessions he has with Moka back in the first year is probably the closest experience he has.
Granted, Kurumu used to flirt with him a lot. He discounts those incidents since he never sees Kurumu that way.
Tsukune also disregards the time he was living with Moka's family. Yes, he does live with Moka under the same roof, but he spends most of his time learning how to act like those snobby nosed aristocrats. When he has time to spend alone with Moka, the vampire princess acts cold, distant, and condescending.
The salary man vampire wonders what today will be like if he's with Moka.
Moka looks at the baby in Gin's arm with nothing but scorn. The silver haired vampire princess practically exploded like a volcano when Horo bites her finger.
"How dare you bite me, you dirty mongrel! Know your place!" Moka's red eyes shine with the intent to murder. She swings her leg forward sending Morioka family flying away.
"Team Rocket blasting off again~!" They scream comically before turning into glittering stars in the sky.
With that deed done, the vampire princess turns her glare towards Tsukune Aono. The salary man vampire raises his arm high above his head to show his surrender. "I'm not with them."
"How dare you disgrace me!" Tsukune joins Morioka family in Earth's orbit.
I have been lying to myself all this time. The real Moka never had feelings for me. The person who cares about me is outer Moka, and she's a fragment of Moka's mother.
Tsukune Aono's mind wanders to Yukari Sendou again. He feels the warmth and softness of the Witch's hand while picturing the smile she no doubt has on her face.
It's strange how happy he is by simply spending time with her. It's not like the Witch is a complete 180 when comparing to Moka: She makes fun of Tsukune, calling him bad names and laughs at his supposed idiocy. They also always go to the places she wants to go and does things she wants to do.
In spite of all that, Tsukune Aono realizes he is very happy when he's spending time with Yukari. Without a doubt, he is much happier than living with Moka. Maybe it's because Tsukune Aono always ends up enjoying the activities he does with the Witch, in the end. Or maybe it's because of how Yukari is always smiling warmly or laughing heartily, and her happiness is contagious.
In fact, Yukari kind of reminds Tsukune of a certain someone else even if she's wildly different.
He's not as happy as when he first come to Yokai Academy and spending time with the pink haired Moka. But that Moka is different from anyone else in the world, being Tsukune Aono's first love and all that.
Or should that be Akashiya Blooddriver?
Tsukune Aono files those thoughts away deep within his mind. The pink haired Moka is a memory that will never return to him no matter who she is.
"Here, you look parched. Drink this." The Witch breaks Tsukune's thought as he feels something cold thrust into his hand. The salary man vampire looks up to see a mocha ice cap and Yukari's winking face.
The Witch also has a cup of the same drink in her hand. Tsukune blushes at her impish smile as Yukari leads him down to a bench. The two of them drink their sweet ice drink in silence.
"I'm sorry." The salary man vampire breaks the silence after halfway through his coffee.
"What for?" Yukari Sendo kicks up both of her legs as she sits back. Tsukune raises his cup as the answer.
"I shouldn't be thinking of another woman when I'm spending time with you." The salary man vampire looks down at his feet. Granted, he's not thinking any perverted thoughts about Moka and Yukari isn't technically his girlfriend. It doesn't stop the Tsukune from feeling like shit like he breaches some unspoken law between Yukari and himself.
The Witch chuckles at Tsukune's response. "You are right, but I don't mind."
"Really? Why?" The salary man jerks his head up and looks Yukari right into her eyes. He wonders if Yukari is lying to comfort him, but he only sees the sincerity in her eyes.
"I'm in love with Moka too, remember?" Yukari leans her head back and gazes at the white cloud in the sky. A nostalgic smile adorns her face.
"She's really gone."
"I'm sorry." Tsukune looks at his feet once again. His mind wanders off to that fateful battle with Fairytale and Alucard.
It was the most frightful night of Tsukune's life. The first time he saw Moka as completely helpless, and the first time that he realized he could lose her forever. He was willing to sacrifice his life to save Moka, only to lose her for good in the end.
Well, the 'Moka' that cares about Tsukune Aono anyways.
And now he's burdened with the curse of being a vampire, destined to watch the world grow old around him, yet powerless to save the one he cares the most. It's almost funny how the whole event turns out if he isn't the dancing jester on the central stage.
"I failed her. She sacrificed herself because I was weak." Tsukune closes his eyes and buries his face in his enclosed hands. The salary man vampire opens his eyes as he feels something warm wraps around him, seeing Yukari giving him a tight embrace.
"Don't ever blame yourself for it. You were strong that night. You almost give up your life to bring back Moka. You give everything to fight against Alucard. I was the useless one." Yukari's eyes grow cloudy and distant. She says everything in a soft, sleeptalk like murmur instead of her usual energetic chirp.
"I was always so proud of my intelligence, thinking I'm better than everything because I get to jump grades. But when push comes to shove, I'm nothing. Neither my magic or my intelligence was any use. I can only cry and do nothing when I saw both of you got stabbed."
"You were young." Tsukune smiles at Yukari as he runs his left hand through her silky dark hair. He holds Yukari closer, trying to give her a bit comfort. "And you didn't do nothing. You helped bring me back."
"Young and stupid. We all are, aren't we?" Yukari giggles at Tsukune as she brushes her fingers against Tsukune's hand. "So stop blame yourself if you want to comfort me. It just makes you sounds like a hypocrite."
"Okay, I won't. Promise." Tsukune raises both his hands up. He stands up from the bench. "I had enough rest, let's go to that place you want to show me."
"Yeah, let's get going before the day darkens. Chop chop!" The Witch hops onto her feet from the bench. She jumps for a few steps forward before turning to look at Tsukune again. "Don't look down so much."
"Oh?" Tsukune smiles at the Witch, wondering what quirky remark she'll make this time.
"You'll never find hope below your feet." Yukari gives the salary man vampire a wink and a smile. She takes Tsukune's hand into her own while he looks dumbfounded for a second.