CH 35
Right after stepping through the portal into Yukari's magic room, and Yukari closing the portal, Tsukune said, "Moka, Kurumu, Yukari, we will say nothing about what happened in America. Not a word to anyone, is that clear?"
"They wanted to use us a guinea pigs, then kill us," Kurumu reminded him.
"And we showed them that wasn't going to happen," Tsukune replied. "Look, this is important. I don't want the actions a few screwed up people to damage yokai/ human relations. If it happens again, then we'll have no choice. Unless it happens again, we say nothing."
"Fine, then I'll write a song about it," Kurumu said in a huff.
Boring his eyes into hers, Tsukune said "NO, I forbid it! You will say nothing, you will DO nothing."
"Fine!" Kurumu spat.
"I will agree, as will Kurumu," Moka stated as she eyed Kurumu.
Yukari, you can't say anything about it either. To anyone, got it?" Tsukune said sternly.
Arms folded over her chest, Yukari gave a stiff nod. "Not a word to anyone," she agreed.
Tsukune eyed her warily. "Promise?" he asked.
"I said I wouldn't ... Yes, I promise!" Yukari said with a frown as she puffed out her chest, hoping Tsukune and Moka would notice she had grown breasts. They were only 'B' cups, but she sorely wanted to feel Tsukune and Moka's lips on them.
"SO, what do I say happened to my concert?" Kurumu asked in a false cheerful tone.
"And our honeymoon?" Moka added.
Tsukune raised his arms to the side then dropped them. "How about ... it was a scam?"
"And we can't say what that scam was?" Kurumu asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, just say, we refuse to talk about it."
"We deserve a real honeymoon," Moka said. "Without the people trying to kill us."
"OK, we will," Tsukune said sincerely.
"One at a time," Kurumu added.
Moka nodded. "One for me, one for outer," she stated.
"Whoa, hold on!" Kurumu cried. Glaring at Moka, she asked, "Why do you get two?"
"I deserve one, and so does my other," Moka said firmly
"Yes, one at a time," Tsukune agreed. "One for Inner, one for outer, one for Kurumu..."
"And one for me." Yukari added, prodding him on.
Tsukune almost said "and one for Yukari" in agreement, but stopped before he got the words out. Resetting his brain, he shook his head.
"Darn," Yukari grumbled. Seeing the other two women frown at her, she shrugged.
Not wanting a fight to start over Yukari trying to invite herself, Tsukune coughed and said, "Come on, we need to let people know we're back."
Yukari watched them go to tell others they were back. Instead of leaving her magic room, she shut the door and went over to her scrying bowl. Tsukune said she couldn't tell anyone what happened. He didn't say anything about HER not getting back at them.
"Now you scoundrels will see what happens to people who mess with MY Tsukune and Moka!" Yukari said with an evil grin.
.
Agent Moulden and the other two agents wanted to collect some kind of evidence to prove what happened, but there wasn't any. The recoding equipment was trashed, and although a new team of inspectors and forensic techs arrived to dust for fingerprints and other clues, they could find no proof of anything except there was some kind of explosion in that house, and three men were killed by a very powerful blunt object that they had no idea what it could be. All the men who swore undying loyalty to Aono Kurumu were tested for drugs and other substances – which also came up empty.
After spending the rest of the day at the site, then half the night with paperwork, Agent Moulden got some rest and returned to the directors' headquarters the next morning to give his very sketchy report. This time facing the director and his two top aides, Agent Moulden told them of the events and showed them his broken gun and cell phone. He then dropped his written report on the table.
The director cast Moulden a sour look and asked, "You found nothing we can use against them?"
Agent Moulden was about to answer, but got interrupted.
BONG
From nowhere, a two foot diameter brass pan fell and cracked the director on the head. The director was knocked out of his chair, the men beside him covered their heads and quickly moved to the sides, fearing a ceiling collapse.
The director cried out in pain, holding his head as everyone else looked up so see where the pan had come from. The ceiling above them was intact.
"What the hell was that?" one man asked. They looked on the floor, but couldn't find anything on the floor that could have fallen.
Getting up with the help of the table, the director scanned the ceiling. "What just happened?" he asked in a demand.
"I can't say for sure, sir, but I think someone does not like your attitude," Agent Moulden offered.
"What are you saying, Agent?" the director barked.
Moulden shrugged and said, "Lord Aono warned us not to bother them again. That may have been part of his message."
Becoming red face, the director said in a growl, "That is impossible!"
BONG
This time, three men saw the pan fall from nowhere to hit the director on the head. The pan bounced backward, and the director fell forward to bounce his head off the table before slumping to the floor unconscious. Again, when they looked, there was no pan on the floor.
Drawing their guns, the two aides pointed their weapons at the ceiling. One called security and a medic.
Moulden itched his ear and said, "I think it would be wise to give up on forcefully researching monsters."
"How can they be doing that?" one aide said, wide eyed.
"They are monsters, who knows?" Moulden replied.
The other aide said with a scowl, "We can't just ignore them. We have to capture one to.."
BONG
A pan fell, he looked up just in time for it to smack him on the forehead. He shot out of reflex, almost hitting the other aide as he fell unconscious.
"Jesus!" the remaining aide cried, and dropped down as he covered his head with both arms.
"I'd suggest you not say anything bad about monsters," Moulden told him.
"Uhh, yeah. Monsters are OK with me. Ummm, I would never do anything to hurt them," the aide said to the ceiling.
Moulden stayed until security came in and guarded the medics who checked the men's injuries, got them on stretchers, and out of the room.
.
The director woke up in the triage area of the base medical center. He was checked over and given an x-ray that showed a mild concussion. Insisting he was fine, he went out to the waiting area to find his second in command.
"Sir, I was told you got hit by a disappearing pan?" the man asked as he got up from his chair.
"It was a trick!' the director said firmly. "Somehow, Moulden was behind it. I don't know how he did it, but he DID! We need another plan to go after those monsters."
BONG
As his second in command watched, a brass pan dropped from nowhere and hit the director on the head. The director fell unconscious.
"Shit!" the man stated. Looking at the ceiling, he said, "No way..."
BONG
Medics rushed out to help the men who lay on the floor growing goose eggs on their heads.
.
Setting the table for dinner, Chris cast Nana a nervous smile and said, "Hey Nana, I talked to Mother Superior about ... us."
Nana looked up from arraigning the silverware. "About what?"
"Just ... how we feel about each other," Chris said, blushing.
Nana tipped her head to the side. "Did Nana do something wrong?" she asked innocently.
"No, no!" Chris said quickly. She paused then added, "Mother Superior said that we are ... just acting normal for ... people who love each other. And ..." drawing up all the nerve Chris had, she added, "And Mother Superior said we should ... be married before we , you know."
Nana frowned a bit, then broke into a bright smile. "You're talking about us getting married, right?"
It amazed Chris that Nana seemed to have no fear talking about anything. Chris nodded.
Wearing her bright smile, Nana asked, "So Chris and Nana can get married like Kouta and Lucy?"
"We have to be old enough," Chris said. "I'll be eighteen next year, so I'll be old enough. That is ... if you want to."
"OK!" Nana said happily. She then frowned and said, "Awww, darn, Nana isn't old enough."
Chris was elated that Nana wanted to get married. Aching to jump for joy, Chris asked, "So, when will you be old enough?"
Nana paused and put a finger to her lips. "Ummmm, in nine more years."
Chris' eyes went round. "What!"
Counting in the air, Nana said, "Yes, that's right. Nana is nine years old now."
"That's impossible!" Chris cried. Nana looked more like seventeen or eighteen. She looked fully grown, and Chris knew well that Nana was built like a young adult with full hips and breasts.
"Nana is a silpelit," Nana explained. "Papa told Nana that Nana ages twice as fast as everyone else. That's how Nana got so big, so fast."
"You're only nine years old?" Chris asked with a squeak. In her mind, Chris could see herself with a sign across her stating 'Baby rapper'. She was going to be damned to hell for this! At the same time, what Nana just told her wasn't possible.
Nana nodded. "That's why Papa wants Nana to have a good of a life as Nana can," Nana explained.
Unable to stand, Chris sat down, looking at nothing. "Oh my god," she whispered, thinking about doing THAT with a little girl. Then again, Nana wasn't little. As what Nana told her really settled in, Chris realized that if Nana was aging twice the speed of everyone else, she would also die at an early age. "Oh ... dear god," Chris croaked out, and clapped a hand to her mouth. Nana was so sweet, so innocent, and condemned to die young. Chris felt sick at the thought.
Seeing Chris turn pale, Nana ran around the table to kneel down by her. "Is Chris sick? What can Nana do?" she asked.
Chris did the only thing possible at the moment. Wrapping Nana in a tight hug, Chris cried miserably on Nana's shoulder at the injustice that pure, sweet Nana was saddled with.
.
Still red eyed from crying, Chris sat beside Nana, holding tight to her hand as they faced Ruby and Hosoi.
"I really don't know what can be done," Ruby said, also upset at the revelation of Nana's age. "Any spell to halt Nana aging will wear off, and she will return to her appropriate age," Ruby explained. "That would be instant death if she happened to live beyond what she's suppose to."
"The defect is in Nana's DNA," Hosoi explained wearing a sad face. "Mariko also has that defect in her DNA also. There is nothing that can be done about it."
"There HAS to be something someone can do!" Chris insisted. "I can't let Nana ... get old and die that fast!"
Pain crossed Hosoi's face. "If there is something ... I would be very happy. All the research I've done, I haven't come up with anything."
"Hey, Chris, it's OK," Nana said gently. "Nana is happy. Nana has good friends and a safe place to live. If things would have been different, then maybe we would not have met at all, and Nana is very happy to be here."
Nana's innocent statement nearly brought Chris to tears again. "No," Chris said hoarsely. "I... refuse to accept that! I will find a way!"
Nana petted Chris' head, eyeing her sadly. "Nana is sorry she got Chris upset," she said with a sniffle.
That did it. Chris couldn't hold back any more, and burst into tears again.
.
After eating nothing at dinner with Nana – that was suppose to have been a happy engagement dinner – Chris wandered back home in a daze. Nana had all but insisted Chris stay for the night, but every time Chris thought about Nana not living very long, Chris wanted to cry again.
Witchery could not cure Nana.
Science could not cure Nana.
If it had been anyone else, Chris would feel sad, but accept what was to be. Even if Nana was like other people, Chris could accept her fate. What Chris could not accept, was the fact that someone so loving and caring was stricken with this ... defect.
Stopping on the path halfway home, Chris balled her fists. Beginning to feel angry at the situation, Chris screamed at the sky. "It's NOT FAIR! WHY? Why Nana? Why not someone who's bad? Why Nana? Can you answer that, God? Is shortening the life of someone who deserves to live, part of your grand plan? Is it THAT important to cut her life short?"
Crying in rage now instead of sorrow, Chris belted out," If you need to take someone so young ... then TAKE ME! All this time, I have gone by your word. All this time I have honored and worshiped you, and this is what I get in return? If there is ANY divine justice, you will spare Nana from her fate! IF you have any compassion at all, YOU WILL TAKE ME, AND CURE NANA, AND YOU WILL DO IT NOW!" Chris wailed out as loud as she could.
Staring up at the sky as tears of rage ran down her face, Chris noticed a bright spot above her.
The lightning bolt flashed down to strike Chris square on the head.
In the thunder that followed the bright flash of light, Chris collapsed.