My Resolve

by Ravenhale1

This is the sixth installment of the AU recreation of Rosario Vampire told through Kurumu's POV. This story starts with the obon festival and carries through the first month of the second term (August 19th - September 22nd, 2005). This story includes second season's Chapters 1-9 & 17-22 and the Cursed Tengu Flute (though 18-22 happen first). Not strictly canon.

4. Heroic Rescue

"Are you sure we should be so far away from the hotel?"

Ms. Aimai snorted as she started across the street at a brisk pace towards a pachinko parlor. Traffic waited patiently for the light to change as their group followed along the white stripes which marked the pedestrian walkway. Their succubus escort stepped up onto the far curb first, slowing her pace as she veered to her right and continued to put more distance between her and the Seaside Hostel.

Kurumu sighed, supposing she was not going to get an answer. Squeezing Mizore's hand, she quickened her step to easily catch up with Moka whom was hindered by Yukari's short stride. Tora strolled casually ahead of them, holding her purple clutch against her bosom. Tsukune slowly walked with Rubi at the tail end of their group.

"I don't want to go to the beach."

Kurumu smiled apologetically as they reached the curb a couple steps behind Moka. The snow girl was unsurprisingly dressed in her usual long sleeved shirt which hung over the top of her school skirt. Striped stockings were pulled up over her knees as she shuffled along in her brown loafers.

"I was fine leaving you behind but they insisted on you coming."

"We couldn't leave her at the hotel by herself."

"She's not a child, Kurumu. And Mrs. Kawamoto would be at the hotel with her."

"It will be more fun with her around."

Yukari dubiously regarded the smiling vampire.

"She's going to pass out, Moka. That's not fun for anyone."

They had all been aware of Mizore's vulnerability to this summer heat, but even Tora had agreed it was best not splitting the group up more than necessary. None of them needed to be at the hotel since Mrs. Kawamoto was familiar with Ms. Okumura and could call Ms. Aimai when their second teacher arrived.

"How much further away is this?"

Kurumu shrugged as they passed by some apartment buildings on their left. Around eleven, Ms. Aimai had decided to take them out to lunch and the beach, having acquired a map with directions from Mrs. Kawamoto. While they had balked at the idea, Ms. Aimai had reminded them how charming the inn's breakfast had been, surmising the lunch would be of similar quality. That had won most of them over.

"I fail to see the purpose of walking this far for a beach. There was a beach at the inn."

Ms. Aimai turned about sharply at Yukari's protest. The succubus was wearing the illusion of Ms. Yoshino quite convincingly. She sported a dark green bikini with that tan jacket slung over her torso. Kurumu imagined the succubus had a matching bottom beneath her white slacks. Sandals graced her feet with each toenail painted blood red to match her fingernails.

"There are no men on that miserable excuse of a beach. Most of the enjoyment of wearing a swimsuit is having eager young men fall over themselves in silly efforts to convince me to part ways with it. I plan to enjoy my time here and would encourage you to do the same."

The succubus whirled about and resumed her march along this sidewalk flanked by a white steel fence. It was obvious that Ms. Aimai had shortened her stride to avoid getting too far ahead of the group. Giving Mizore's hand another squeeze, Kurumu tugged the lethargic snow girl along.

"Will you be okay in a swimsuit around Tsukune?"

Mizore's raspy question echoed her own concerns. Kurumu absently touched the collar of her fitted school blouse as her lavender purse dangled from her left elbow. Like Moka and Tora, Kurumu was wearing her swimsuit beneath her school uniform.

"I think I'm fine if he doesn't touch me."

"Hopefully Rubi shall keep him occupied."

Kurumu managed a smile at Yukari's sharp response. The witch had decided to wear that long sleeved blouse with the pronounced cuffs. Without the cape, the odd pattern of this blouse was more apparent, resembling a vest which zipped up in the front. It had two bulging pockets at the waist, one of which was due to the presence of her toy phone. Ginei had forgotten to take it.

Kurumu had roused almost as late as Moka this morning. After stumbling down the stairs to relieve her bladder in the bathroom, a lethargic Mrs. Kawamoto had greeted her from the front desk, informing her of breakfast in the diner.

Toast and fruit. That was what waited for her along with an unimpressed Yukari. The groaning innkeeper had apologized for the meager meal, promising a better lunch after she recovered from her hangover and Mrs. Wayama had a chance to stock their kitchen. Kurumu had begrudgingly taken a couple slices, nearly finishing her rations before Tsukune and Tora had come inside to inform them of the situation.

Tsukune had been out on the patio showing Tora some of the proper forms Miyamoto had taught him. Neither had a clue when Ms. Nekonome and the four boys had left, though Tora had shown her the note Ginei had left on the front desk for them.

"Mizore can also keep him company. Neither of them brought their swimsuits."

Tora turned slightly to glance back at them as they steadily approached a large intersection.

"Is Ms. Toujou's swimsuit that inappropriate?"

Kurumu smirked.

"We can have Rubi bathe with us tonight. You'll see what it looks like."

They crossed a side street which dipped down to the left between apartment buildings. Half of the sidewalk further up became a ramp with metal railing on both sides. It continued up before cutting across to the right and connecting to what looked like an elevated circle about the busy intersection. Kurumu had never seen a pedestrian walkway like that.

"Are we going up?"

Ms. Aimai shook her head, gesturing to the left.

"We're keeping left. It's not that much further away than where we were last night."

Ms. Aimai had been passed out in the bath with no comment over how she got there when they found her. And that had only happened because they had found Rubi alone in room 201, naked, snoring and reeking of alcohol. Tora had hoped bathing the girl would speed up Rubi's recovery without needing to resort to healing magic.

"When did you get back last night?"

"I assure you that it wasn't night."

As they kept left on the sidewalk to avoid the ramp, they passed by a restaurant. Kurumu sighed, her stomach quite content with the lunch they had enjoyed at Coco Curry House. It had been about a twenty minute walk from the inn but it had been so worth it.

"How much further?"

Kurumu smiled at Mizore's raspy complaint. She would guess they had been outside ten minutes at best, mildly surprised at how quickly the snow girl was wilting in this humidity. Mizore had fared better on the walk to the restaurant, but that had been before noon. It was probably a quarter after one by now.

"How are you holding up, Rubi?"

Kurumu glanced back at the pair trailing behind them. Tsukune had donned the school uniform but Rubi was decked in all black. The older witch had a black tube top wrapped about her bosom while a black, long sleeved jacket rested on her shoulders. The fabric of this jacket was like lace and fluttered down to her calves in different sections. Black slacks hugged her hips while a black belt with a silver buckle fished through the loops about her thin waist. Glossy black platform boots with silver buckles made the witch the same height as Tsukune.

"I'm fine?"

"I'm guessing Kurumu was worrying over how you feel about this crime against nature."

Kurumu smiled, actually having not thought that at all but fine with Yukari believing that.

"It's noisy."

Kurumu chuckled as they veered left between metal fences which flanked the sidewalk on both sides. A stairway came down on their right from the elevated walkway. The left side fence ended against a white building a short ways up. Even further up was a blue sign with the distance to Naha and Okinawa.

"We're almost where Mrs. Kawamoto took us last night. This street is lined with bars and restaurants."

"Are there any souvenir shops?"

"It's more common to do your souvenir shopping at the end of your trip, Ms. Kurono."

Kurumu smiled, aware that most souvenirs were edible.

"I was thinking to look for a yunomi for Okinawa."

"You'll have more luck finding that at a gift shop closer to the airport."

"It can't hurt to take a look if we stop by a shop."

"We can do that on the way back to the inn. No need to wander about before the beach."

Kurumu nodded, having no protest to that. They crossed a street which preceded a bridge over a placid river which emptied directly into the sea. Kurumu took in a deep breath, enjoying the breeze. Grinning, she squeezed Mizore's hand and pointed off to the left.

"It's the ocean."

Mizore lifted sapphire eyes as a drop of sweat rolled down her temple

"Yay."

Kurumu pouted at Mizore's lackluster response. In less than a minute they had to stop on the other side of the bridge to wait for the pedestrian light to bless their passage. Across the street on the ocean side was a two story building with a sign which indicated it was a pub.

"Hey Rubi. Was this your first time drinking?"

Rubi glanced away as the light changed in their favor.

"Humans create such wicked things."

"I wonder if the young lady remembers half the things she moaned about in the depths of her cups."

Kurumu smiled as they crossed the street steps behind their adult escort.

"Hopefully she didn't talk about being a witch."

"Bah. Your teacher was more a concern than Ms. Toujou. Silly wench let her tail out and I had to charm the kind patrons into thinking it was part of a costume."

Rubi frowned as they passed by the pub.

"I don't remember that."

"You were snoring on the table by that point. I think it was around one when I called the cab to take the three of you back to the inn."

"That's worrisome. It was only a little after seven when I found Senior's note. Was Ms. Nekonome in any shape to be driving?"

"She was still able to make complete sentences."

Tora sighed, shaking her head as they walked by another restaurant.

"I wish they would have taken some means of communication with them."

Across the street was a pair of three story buildings pressed close to each other with their first floors as offices for different services. On this side after the two story building was a parking lot. Some trees had been squeezed into patches of dirt and grass surrounded by concrete.

"So… when did you come back?"

"Is that important?"

Kurumu supposed not as they continued down this sidewalk. These buildings looked as neglected and abandoned as the ones back in Mononoke. After passing by the sixth or seventh of these rundown structures, Rubi sighed heavily.

"Why must humans use everything?"

"Because humans regard vacant space as inefficient. They believe everything is their possession."

"That's not true."

Yukari huffed as they passed by a liquor shop. A two story club was on the other side of the street next to a restaurant.

"I suppose there is some terrain that is too troublesome for the humans to claim."

They were approaching a light though on first glance there did not seem to be an intersecting road. They had almost reached the pedestrian walk to cross this wide street before Kurumu noticed the alleyway on the right side after the restaurant. She realized it cut through to this side after this rundown two story building because there was a break in the sidewalk.

"That last bar we went to last night is a couple blocks down there."

Ms. Aimai wagged a finger to the left as they reached the crosswalk. The succubus continued along this path, steadily passing by the rundown building. She stepped off the curb and crossed the alley. Only a few steps behind, Kurumu glanced down the alley confirming it was nothing but buildings pressed close together on either side for as far as she could see.

Kurumu took in a deep breath. Despite the urbanization, the strong scent of the ocean prevailed. Looking ahead, there were several trees planted on both sides of the street at the edge of the sidewalk. Some had supports to encourage an upright growth of the decorations. It seemed like every other building they passed on both sides of the street was either a pub or a restaurant. The only parking for most of these establishments was the curb lane on either side of the street.

Mizore whimpered, wiping her brow with the back of her free hand. Kurumu thought to switch sides with the snow girl, but with how the sun hung overhead there was not any shade provided by these buildings. None of them had canopies stretching over the sidewalk.

"Have you ever thought about getting a hat? It would give you some shade."

"My hair is too thick."

Kurumu smiled, passing by yet another restaurant with an upper level. It seemed like most of these places had an upper level which was probably an apartment for the owners of the establishment. She wondered if they had any karaoke places nearby since this seemed like a good place to have one.

They stepped down off the sidewalk to cross another alley. While it was also congested with many buildings, the first space was a small parking lot in front of another pub. In seconds, they got back up on the sidewalk and continued their march through the city.

"Maybe we'll find a shop which sells umbrellas."

"I wish it would rain."

They were closing in on a building with a bunch of bicycles arranged in the front of it. The signage indicated it was Ikehara Cycles. Kurumu had never seen so many bikes in one place. As they passed by the front, the signs indicated the shop even did rentals. Noting the many different colors, a red one caught Kurumu's attention.

"Whatever happened to your bike, Moka?"

"Huh?"

"It's not at your suite, and I didn't see it at the rack by the commissary."

She would have noticed if that had been the case, since not that many students owned bicycles, considering the longest walk to school was only a half hour for the first year girls in Baratoge.

"I think it's still parked at the racks by Baratoge."

Tsukune chuckled, shaking his head.

"I still need to write my cycling and badminton articles. Ginei was telling me last night how the rest of you are finished with your articles."

"The four of us are done drafting our articles. Ginei has not looked over any of them."

"He was sort of reviewing Mizore's draft."

"If you want to work on your articles, you can use my laptop."

Kurumu smiled at Moka's offer.

"I still need to put my articles on a thumb drive. I hope one of you have one of those."

Tora waved her hand dismissively as they walked by a large vacant lot. Kurumu wondered if this meant they had reached the end of the bar district as the buildings across the street were not restaurants.

"I have mine in my schoolbag. We should probably have Ginei check out our articles tonight. I don't know about the rest of you, but I would prefer not to spend one of my first days back to school in a computer lab, scrambling to finish something we could do now."

"Kids are so into technology these days. At your age, I wasn't even literate."

Yukari snorted. A parking lot flanked the three story building coming up next.

"That's not something to brag about."

"It wasn't that important to the woman whom ran the village I grew up in. And it's not like a succubus needs that sort of skill to get through life when she can convince others to handle it for her. It took Lord Kitakawa two years to realize I didn't know enough kanji to do his paperwork on my own."

Kurumu had a moment of concern with Ms. Aimai stating her race. Then she realized there was not that many people milling about the sidewalk. There were more cars rolling down the street than pedestrians. It was somewhat like how things had been in Kofu.

They passed by the building, Kurumu noting the clean, white buildings across the street. They were approaching another intersection with a light. After those buildings was a parking lot for a Family Mart which was a convenience store. There also was parking lot on their side with two large buildings. One of them was a restaurant while half of the other building claimed it was a twenty four hour Hotto Motto. Judging by the tomato design, she would guess it was a grocery store.

"How much further is the beach?"

"We're supposed to cut left at the next light after the Hotto Motto. That will take us to the park."

"Is that a grocery store?"

Tora laughed, shaking her head.

"They make boxed lunches, Kurumu. How do you not know this?"

"Why would my mother buy boxed lunches?"

Tora smiled softly as they neared the intersection. The crossing street was half the size of the one they walked along and the light was in their favor.

"Sorry. I suppose that is more of a junior high and up thing."

"We have several stores in Yamagata though I guess we didn't walk by any of them."

"Did you talk to the driver about stopping at your parents' house before heading back to Yokai?"

"I… forgot."

"That irresponsible man ran off the moment Ms. Nekonome rented the car. It's not Tsukune's fault."

Kurumu smiled at Yukari as Ms. Aimai stepped down off the curb to cross the street ahead of them.

"I wasn't saying it was. I was just thinking it might be nice to visit his parents again."

"That would be fun. They seemed like nice people."

"If I can go back, I would rather do it on my own."

Kurumu frowned as she crossed the street.

"Is there something wrong with us going with you?"

Tsukune sighed, hesitating to respond. They walked by this parking lot flanking a large, two story office building. Across the street was another bar and what might be a cosmetics shop.

"I don't know if it's a good idea for my parents to see you again, Kurumu. Not until we have this thing with your charm fixed."

"I've already said there is no reason for you to break up with her."

"But I need her blood to keep things from happening again."

"I am ready to fight for her when you are, Tsukune."

Tsukune sighed again, shaking his head at Moka's firm remark.

"There's no way I could beat you."

"Um… is he supposed to fight you as is or is he supposed to remove your seal first?"

Moka contemplated Kurumu's inquiry as they passed by a four story building. The next intersection with a light was only a couple buildings further ahead.

"She would prefer to fight him, but I'm willing to try it."

"That should make things easier for him."

"Are you saying I'm easy?"

Kurumu smirked.

"I think I could handle you."

"How about we have a match on the beach to prove you wrong?"

"There will be no fighting in the presence of others, girls. I don't mind drawing attention with our looks but we can't be doing anything stupid."

Tora chuckled at Ms. Aimai's warning, glancing back at Moka.

"I'm surprised you want to fight."

"I was thinking more like a game a tag. You know. Like what Ginei has been doing."

Tsukune laughed mirthlessly.

"Yea. A game."

"It's not like we could call Ginei's training fighting."

Tsukune frowned at Moka.

"What else would you call it?"

"Humiliating."

"Sexual harassment."

"Criminal behavior."

Kurumu grinned at their responses, imagining hers was the only one Tsukune could relate with. They came to a stop at the corner, waiting for the pedestrian light. The intersecting road was wider than the others they had crossed. Many trees were planted along the sidewalks which flanked its curbs in both directions. Catty-corner from them was a small, grassy park with a metal tower built up from an elevated stone dais with flower planted about the base. The top of the tower had green panels which had white clocks mounted to them.

"I feel like I haven't improved at all."

Tora snorted at Tsukune's dejected remark.

"I wouldn't fret over that. We haven't even been training for a week."

"He also works more with you than any of us."

"Because he has to. I'm way behind the rest of you."

"You're being too hard on yourself. I wouldn't say Mizore is doing any better than you."

Mizore looked up at Moka.

"Is that a challenge?"

"I don't mean to be disrespectful, but you have no endurance."

"It's too hot. And Mr. Morioka feeling me up doesn't help anything."

"This young lady should be figuring out how to use her powers. Unlike the rest of you, Ms. Shirayuki is not meant for physical combat."

Yukari huffed.

"I beg your pardon."

"Excluding the voodoo sisters. It's also not something you need to work on, Ms. Kurono."

Kurumu smirked as the light turned, prompting Ms. Aimai to lead the way across the street.

"Maybe so, but I'm handling the training better than Tora."

"I'm not used to any of this, Kurumu."

Kurumu shook her head as they turned left, starting down this narrow sidewalk lined with drain tiles. There were a lot of telephone poles on both sides of this road in this direction.

"And you think I am? It's not like I got into brawls during my junior high days. Flying was the only thing I did which resembled exercise."

"And you dare to think you can challenge me?"

Kurumu grinned at Moka's smug remark. This next building on their right had racks of clothes sitting out on the elevated brown tiles which preceded its glass entrance. More clothing racks were lined up in rows behind the mannequins which stood in the display case. The outfits hanging off these white dolls looked loose and comfortable for summer attire.

"I'll let you win if you buy clothes for Mizore."

"As if you could win."

Kurumu paused in line with the door. Releasing Mizore's hand, she gestured at the store.

"Come on. We can look around. Mizore needs a break."

Her sudden stop caused most of the group to do likewise. Tora frowned, shaking her head.

"Why would she need a break? It's not like we've been walking longer than it takes to get to school."

"The weather at Yokai is much cooler. We had to carry her around Yamagata."

Kurumu nodded in agreement with Tsukune.

"And Mizore needs real clothes. Not this… whatever it is she wears."

"Didn't realize my outfit was that offensive."

"It's repetitive. Nobody else wears the same thing over and over."

"Everybody does. It's called a school uniform."

Kurumu stuck her tongue out at Tora.

"I bought three school blouses during exam week. I don't need casual clothes."

"You do if this is your only alternative."

"What is the holdup here?"

Ms. Aimai frowned at them with her arms crossed about her chest.

"Kurumu is trying to convince my Moka to waste her money on Ms. Shirayuki's hideous fashion sense."

"No. I was wanting her to fix it."

"No objection to the hideous part?"

Kurumu pouted at Mizore, reaching over to fuss with the girl's thick hair which was matted with sweat.

"We can do the shopping on the way back to the inn. Now get moving. I was almost across the street before I realized you kids had stopped."

Kurumu sighed, offering her hand to Mizore once again. The nice thing about walking beside Mizore was that the snow girl naturally cooled the air about her. The subtle temperature difference was harder to notice in conditioned spaces but it was quite pleasant on a hot summer day.

They reached the street Ms. Aimai had crossed after passing the corner building next to the clothing boutique. Beyond this was a small parking lot and another two story building. Kurumu sighed as they steadily approached what looked to be a concrete arch spanning the street further down the way.

"Could you train me?"

Kurumu frowned at Mizore.

"In what?"

"I was asking Akashiya."

"Me? Why?"

"You looked most familiar with fighting."

"Well… I was raised in a competitive environment. We fought all the time with each other before I was sealed. And after the seal, I had to become real good at evading or Kokoa would hurt me."

"See? She talks like she is the same person."

Moka winced at Yukari's declaration.

"It's weird to say we're not."

"Yea, Yukari. This Moka was told she had to be Moka. She was never allowed to be herself."

They reached the end of this block. Across the street was a park with a bunch of trees surrounding a squat, wooden structure. Glancing both directions, Kurumu tugged Mizore along as they crossed the street a couple steps behind Moka.

"Do you know any martial arts?"

Moka grinned at Tsukune, shaking her head.

"No. We didn't bother learning any fighting techniques."

"But you looked so good training with Ginei."

Moka blushed with a smug smile.

"I doubt Ginei knows any fighting techniques either. It's all speed and power."

"Well… I'm thinking I should continue my training with Mr. Miyamoto or Mr. Kitajima. Both seem to know more about martial arts."

"I concur with Tsukune's assessment. In the least, both treat women with more respect than Senior."

"And I think you are all wasting your time. The magic I possess cannot be defeated by any amount of physical preparation one might muster. It would take months of training with your spiritual energy to even hope to diminish the damage I can unleash."

Mizore smirked in the momentary pause.

"You forgot your evil laugh."

Kurumu chuckled as they neared the concrete archway. Off to the left was a huge parking lot for a large complex. A sign indicated this structure was the Ishikawa Town Hall. Ms. Aimai veered off to the right, taking a paved walkway behind the trees.

"To be honest, I don't know how good it would be to learn martial arts."

"I think it could be fun."

Tora shook her head at Tsukune's enthusiasm.

"No. Even used defensively might be too much force against a human assailant."

"You have to admit you learned more this morning than we did all week."

"I don't disagree, Tsukune. But that doesn't mean I think this will be useful."

They walked further into the park. On their left was a huge field, beyond which was a collection of low buildings and a corner fence. There was an elevated platform with an arched, metal awning halfway down the field further up, probably serving as a stage. There were some people running along the dirt path which encircled the entire field.

"I'm sure Mr. Miyamoto and Mr. Kitajima have more discipline, but it is invaluable to learn evasion. It is always better to dodge a punch, than block one."

"But Ginei can push me over whenever he wants to. If I learn a proper stance-"

"You can't block some attacks, Tsukune. You should train more with Ginei."

Tsukune grimaced as they continued down this trail between the trees and the field.

"I would rather you train me."

Moka smiled nervously at Mizore.

"I don't know what you're expecting."

"Probably a teacher whom won't feel her up."

Kurumu smirked, guessing Tora was mostly right.

"Maybe so, but I'm nowhere near as fast as him."

"He barely touched you after the first session."

"I had to adapt to his speed. He is faster than Kokoa. That said, he's still holding back. If he was going all out, he wouldn't have the strength to train anyone else."

They came to the end of the trail. A skate park was off to the right as Ms. Aimai walked over to the left across the grassy field. The ocean lapped up against a small stretch of sand.

"That can't possibly be the beach."

Nobody replied as they followed Ms. Aimai down to the start of the sand. Upon hitting the edge of the grass, the succubus turned and continued down the shoreline. There were not that many people at this park, though there were a few couples having picnics in the grass.

"For some reason I thought there would be more sand."

Ms. Aimai turned about and shook her head.

"This is where the Ishikawa Public Beach should be. Sounds like I need to have a talk with an innkeeper about what I expect to find when I ask for directions to the nearest public beach."

Kurumu chuckled as she released Mizore to absently toy with the top buttons of her blouse. In the face of Ms. Aimai's disappointment, she was afraid to admit that she was relieved with the lack of a crowd. She had been mildly worried about a bunch of young men making her squirm with lecherous thoughts.

"I want to swim. Come with me, Yukari."

Yukari huffed, reaching into one of her bulging vest pockets to pull out a white tube.

"You can do as you please. I'm not going anywhere until after I rub this lotion all over my precious Moka's body so that the wicked sun does not ruin her perfect skin."

Moka laughed as they continued down the sandy shore. A row of short trees or bushes flanked their right side for the rest of the grassy stretch. Gray concrete steps awaited them in the distance.

"I'm not swimming, Yukari."

"This isn't for swimming Moka. Now take off your clothes so I can rub my fluids all over your body."

"Word choice, Ms. Sendou."

"And then Moka can rub her fluids all over my body. I can't wait any longer."

The young witch reached up to her collar and tugged down. Her blouse loudly unzipped, revealing her swimsuit which was not the same one she had worn to Tsukune's birthday party. This form fitting tank top with thin shoulder straps was layered with three tufts of fabric which alternated yellow to black to yellow again. The witch wore matching bottoms beneath her skirt which had two tufts of yellow to black hanging over yellow bikini briefs.

"You can wait till we reach those benches."

Kurumu chuckled as Ms. Aimai waved at them to keep moving along. They were nearing the end of the row of bushes. Off to the right was tiers of stone with stretches of grass growing over the top of each layer. Kurumu had no idea what the function of this was for, guessing maybe a temporary structure could be built at the base and these semicircular tiers could be seating for a crowd. As the tiers furthest from the center were the highest, the ground flanking the sandy shore was built up with a concrete wall. Stairs flanked by metal rails hugged the edge which Ms. Aimai ignored, continuing along the sandy shore.

Passing by the first concrete wall, Kurumu saw that the sand ended against some oddly shaped concrete tiles. Beyond these elevated steps were four small pavilions with picnic tables beneath them. Grinning, she tapped Mizore's shoulder.

"They have shade."

Mizore grunted a response as they trudged their way across the last stretch of sand. Each of these concrete tiles had two curves with a small recess between them. These rectangles were pushed against each other in a straight line flanking the sea. Another row was stacked on these tiles with the recess between the curves positioned on the seam of the tiles beneath it. There was at least eight of these rows leading up to a wide concrete curb in line with stairs up to the outdoor theater.

There was nobody here. She wondered if swimming was allowed since Mrs. Kawamoto had mentioned they could not swim on her private beach for legal reasons. She stepped over the concrete curb, noting the last stretch of textured concrete up to the pavilions had a steel grate drain. As none of the pavilions were in use, Ms. Aimai claimed the first one they came across.

"Well… this is disappointing. I'll make some calls and if you kids want to run off to go shopping… I don't give a shit. We may as well hang out here until I get a call from the inn saying that other teacher is here."

Ms. Aimai sat down heavily on the bench, pulling her phone out of the pocket of her tan jacket.

"Or until I find something better for us to do."

Kurumu chuckled, undoing the buttons of her blouse.

"I'm at least going to swim for a half hour. And I'm not doing it alone so Tora or Yukari has to join me."

Tora sighed heavily, reluctantly working on the buttons of her blouse.

"I suppose things could be worse. Can we use your sun lotion, Ms. Sendou?"

Yukari made a dismissive sound, holding the tube of lotion out to the sphinx.

"What's wrong?"

Tsukune had bowed stiffly, prompting Moka's question. He gave no signs of lifting his head.

"I'm sorry, Moka. I don't think I can do this."

"Do what?"

"Fighting you for Kurumu's blood. Training with Ginei to become stronger. I can't do any of this stuff."

"That's not true. You're improving."

"It doesn't seem that way. Even your mother thinks the only thing I'm good for is removing your seal."

"Mrs. Shuzen is harsh with everyone, Tsukune."

"Perhaps you would improve faster with Mr. Miyamoto."

"That isn't the issue, Tora. You can't discipline yourself into fighting. Tsukune needs to want to fight."

Tsukune flinched, still not lifting his head.

"I have no desire to resort to violence."

Ms. Aimai chuckled, crossing her legs as she leaned against the table.

"That's cute. So many humans have become these pacifistic weaklings whom think words can solve all their problems. If you could do that, Mrs. Shuzen wouldn't need someone like me to come in and smooth over the situation. Face it, kid. If you couldn't take her seal off, you wouldn't be here."

Kurumu scowled at the succubus.

"Tsukune is our friend. And this Moka is as important to us as the other one."

There was a long pause with only the sound of the sea and the distant sounds of traffic.

"Maybe we should go shopping."

"We could do that."

"I wasn't meaning everyone, Kurumu. Just myself, Ms. Shirayuki and Tsukune."

"But what about me?"

"You could practice putting lotion on the other girls."

Yukari stared at Moka.

"That's not something I need to practice."

"Please, Yukari. I need to talk to Tsukune and Ms. Shirayuki alone about training and my other self."

Panting, Mizore nodded.

"I'm fine with that."

"I'm sorry, Moka. I don't want to cause you more trouble."

"Please lift your head, Tsukune. We can talk about this on the way."

Reluctantly, Tsukune finally straightened back up. Moka favored him a smile, turning on her heel and gesturing for them to follow her up a paved path which connected to the road after a break in the stone wall behind the pavilions. Tsukune took in a deep breath and started after Moka. He managed two steps when Mizore grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"Can you walk slowly? There's not much shade."

Moka paused, allowing the pair to catch up to her at the vending machines. They walked down the road several paces before turning to the right near a parked car. Kurumu sighed as they slipped out of view.

"Hey. Mrs. Kawamoto. I have a question."

Ms. Aimai was leaning on the table with her phone pressed to her ear.

"Where is a real beach?"

---

"What is talking them so long?"

Kurumu shrugged at Yukari as she slung her blouse about her shoulders. Her swimsuit was dry enough that it did not immediately moisten the white fabric as she buttoned up the blouse over her bosom. She had no worries about her skirt getting wet from her bikini bottoms since the fabric would only press against it when sitting. Bending over, Kurumu tugged on her socks before slipping into her Mary Janes.

"I'm also worried. Neither of them answered their phones."

Tora sighed, setting aside her silver phone. The sphinx seized her school skirt from the table, shaking it out before bending over to step into it. While Tora lacked a curvy bosom, the girl had plenty of cushion on her shapely bottom. She tugged the skirt over the damp frills, fixing it up before grabbing her blouse.

"Did that dummy even bring his phone?"

Yukari huffed, crossing her arms as she turned her attention down the paved path leading back to the city. The witch was already dressed with no trace of her swimsuit beneath her white blouse despite its black layer. Kurumu was unsure if Yukari had dried herself with magic or if the fabric of that vest like blouse was simply thick enough for it to not be an issue.

Curious about the time, Kurumu pulled her phone out of her lavender bag. Pressing the side button to light up the screen, she confirmed it was three forty two. While she would not have been surprised for the trio to be gone for an hour, they were a little over two. Sighing, she stuffed her phone back in her bag next to her CD player.

As promised, Kurumu had thoroughly enjoyed her playful romp in the brisk waters. It had taken a couple minutes to get Yukari as enthusiastic with the activity. Tora had joined them after taking her braids out and prompted a game of tag which had lasted at least a quarter of an hour. After nearly an hour of laughing, wrestling, chasing and pushing breasts back where they belong, the exhausted girls had flopped onto the concrete tiles near the pavilion to dry off in the sun.

Some time ago while Kurumu had been sprawled on the concrete next to Tora, listening to the second Mr. Children album, Ms. Aimai had fielded a call from the inn, letting them know Ms. Okumura had arrived with her niece, Ms. Udetama. Deciding their fun was over, Ms. Aimai had taken Rubi with her to go look for the others.

"We should head over to the clothing store."

"I'll call Ms. Aimai. That store can't be more than five minutes away."

Kurumu nodded, having no idea if Tora was right about that. Her album had been in the middle of Tsuyogari, so that was only about twenty minutes which might not be enough time to get to the store and back. Finished buttoning up her blouse, Tora bent over to slip on her socks and black loafers.

"Call Rubi."

Kurumu smirked as Yukari held her toy phone against her ear.

"Does she have to say something to answer your call?"

"No. The moment I trigger the spell she should be able to hear me."

"Assuming she has it on her."

"She better have it on her after all the trouble I went through linking all those spells."

"Ms. Toujou might feel embarrassed talking into a sex toy."

"She can hold it in her fist. It's not like she has to show it."

Kurumu grinned as she gathered up all her things while Tora did the same.

"Can you hear her?"

Yukari sighed heavily, shaking her head.

"Whatever she's doing, it's not talking. We may as well go looking for them. End call."

Stuffing her toy phone in her right pocket, Yukari started off for the break in the stone wall behind the pavilions. The chest height wall ended shy of the rounded stone wall on her right. Not wanting to get left behind, Kurumu caught up to the witch before Yukari reached the soda machines.

"Oh! There they are."

Kurumu caught sight of the others at the end of a side street up ahead before Tora could finish her remark. Rubi was carrying Mizore while Tsukune was staggering against Ms. Aimai's side, using her for support. As Ms. Aimai called out to them with a wave, Kurumu noted Moka was not with them.

Holding her purse closer to her side, Kurumu jogged over to the group. Before she could think better, she grabbed Tsukune and pulled him from Ms. Aimai's side. The sudden feel of his hands on her made her forget her concerns. With a whimper, she wrapped her arms about him and tugged his face into her bosom, closing her eyes as she trembled with a sudden desire to be one with him.

"Hey! None of that."

A heavy hand slapped atop her head, giving her a rough shake. She pouted at the stern, soft yellow eyes of Ms. Aimai. She glanced to her right, noting the stacked stone structure. She loosened her grip on Tsukune whom gasped against her blouse. Kurumu noted the windows nestled within the stones. Spying the white, double door, she surmised this space was beneath the outdoor theater.

"What happened?"

"This one is useless and that one passed out from heatstroke."

Tsukune flinched under the assessment as Rubi knelt down, lying Mizore on the ground.

"I tried a healing spell but she didn't wake up."

Yukari huffed, rolling her eyes as she knelt down near Mizore's head.

"That's because you need to fix her temperature imbalance. Boosting her regeneration won't help."

"Oh? I'm sorry."

Yukari shook her head before she started making a series of quick hand gestures.

"Where's Moka?"

Kurumu stumbled back a step when Tsukune pushed her away for more space.

"We were jumped."

"Jumped? By whom?"

"From the sounds of it, these kiddos stumbled across that girl we're looking for."

"At least I think it was her. Ginei said she would resemble Ms. Genzouyaki."

Mizore gasped, sitting up sharply. The snow girl looked about with wide eyed confusion.

"What happened?"

"I have your things, Ms. Shirayuki."

Rubi handed a white bag with the logo of the boutique printed on the side over to Mizore. The snow girl absently pulled the bag to her chest as she frowned at them.

"How did I get here? What time is it?"

"Be quiet. I'm trying to understand how Tsukune lost the most important person in the world to me."

Tsukune grimaced.

"It's like I said. We were jumped."

"He's damn lucky we found him when we did. They had her in the back of an ambulance and were about to take him down to the station for questioning. It took several minutes to calm everyone down."

"What was I supposed to do? The thugs that jumped us had guns."

"What makes you think this involved Ms. Otonashi?"

"Right before it happened, this young girl ran deliberately into me. As Moka helped me up, the girl pulled out a sketchbook and started scrawling out a message. Moka asked her if she was Otonashi when this black van pulled up and a bunch of guys jumped out. They leveled guns on us and knocked me out."

"You didn't put up a fight?"

Tsukune regarded Yukari with wide eyes.

"They had guns, Yukari? What was I supposed to do?"

"You don't have any bullet wounds. There must have been something you could have done."

"I don't know. It all happened so fast."

Yukari sighed, shaking her head.

"And what was Ms. Shirayuki doing during all of this?"

"After shopping, Moka wanted to walk around more. But Mizore suddenly collapsed. After putting her on a bench, I was about to run off to a convenience store to fetch some ice when everything happened."

"If you're curious, these idiots were all the way out by the pier on the other side of the town hall. I saw the flashing lights of the ambulance and decided to investigate."

"I am grateful for the rescue, but we have to find Moka."

"Could we try calling her?"

Ms. Aimai snorted at Tora's suggestion, shaking the crimson tote in her left hand which Kurumu had failed to notice earlier.

"Fine. I can track her rosary."

Yukari huffed as she got back on her feet. She made a couple quick gestures, touching her earlobe. She paused for a moment, turning her head slightly to the left and pointing.

"She's this way."

"Thank goodness we have someone that can do something useful."

Kurumu frowned at Ms. Aimai as Yukari started down the street. Across the street on the left side was a parking lot with two apartment buildings behind it. While these buildings were about the same height, the pinkish one was only three floors while the beige one had four. As Rubi helped Mizore get to her feet, Kurumu fell in step behind Ms. Aimai with Tora on her heels.

Tsukune hurried up to Yukari's side as the witch crossed the street.

"I would like to rescue Moka."

"You're joking, right?"

"I have to do something."

"Did you suddenly overcome your fear of guns?"

"Can't you like cast a spell on my clothes to make me immune to bullets?"

Yukari laughed, shaking her head.

"I could give you a ward similar to the one I had on my cloak, but I can't promise you'd be bulletproof."

"That's better than nothing."

"Look, kid. I know you're bothered about being useless, but that wasn't permission to be suicidal. Unless these thugs turn out to be Lord Rokurou's men, there's no problem letting me handle it."

"But what if it is his men?"

"That just means I have to be more discreet in how I handle the situation."

"Let me do this. I want to-"

"-prove you have balls?"

Tsukune grimaced as they walked by the apartment building, nearing the next intersecting street.

"Kid. I know Mrs. President wants me to keep my interference to a minimum, but I had to charm over a dozen people to get you out of that last mess. My confidence in your ability to storm the castle and rescue the princess without getting both of you killed is not very high."

"Don't worry, Ms. Aimai. I can take care of this."

"And I can't have you throwing around magic recklessly. We have to make this rescue look as natural as possible, even if it is Lord Rokurou's men."

Crossing the street, they passed by two squat structures before Kurumu noticed a police cruiser parked in a lot off to the right behind a pristine white, two story building.

"Back me on this, Kurumu. I've been training a whole week on evasion and simple fighting. That's as natural as you can hope for."

Kurumu bit her lip, unsure if she wanted Tsukune to put himself in danger when the charm of a skilled succubus could solve this issue without any violence.

"He does have a point, Ms. Aimai. I don't know what you have in mind, but an actual fight would make more sense."

Ms. Aimai sighed as they approached the wide street ahead. Yukari wandered over to the steel post holding the traffic light, pressing the button on the yellow box. The sign for the white building on the right indicated it was the Ishikawa Police Box.

"What if we charm a police officer to tag along with us?"

Ms. Aimai laughed at Tora's suggestion.

"No way. I'm not dragging a helpless bystander into a fight against a squad of Fairy Tale agents."

"It's still in that direction. I'm thinking I should turn on the audio."

"Audio?"

"I equipped the tracker with a similar audio variable I used on Rubi's ribbon. If I enable it, I can hear what is going on around Moka, though she won't be able to hear us. These kidnappers might say something which would help us determine whom we are dealing with."

The pedestrian light changed, prompting them to cross the street. Yukari nodded to a man whom was briskly strolling along the sidewalk on the other side. The witch veered left.

"That would be nice but we should wait until we are on a less congested street to avoid anyone hearing things they shouldn't."

"Yea… it might be strange for anyone to hear voices suddenly coming from her."

Kurumu smiled as they passed by a parking lot. On the other side of the wide lot further to the right was a tall fence with netting between the posts. An athletic field was beyond that which was presently in use by a bunch of kids playing soccer. A two story building with many windows was on the other side of the field and was connected to another three story building which was longer and perpendicular to the soccer post. She guessed this was a school.

"I don't know how loud this will be so you will all have to listen up."

As they walked by a shop which boasted its bento services, Yukari traced a circle about her ear.

"-not human."

Kurumu shivered at the man's voice which sprung into existence from Yukari.

"Do you think she's like the other girl?"

"How should I know?"

"Of course she is. Didn't Futoshi hear the lady call her Otonashi?"

"I swear I did, Boss."

"That proves it. We have another angel in our hands, boys. The Gods smile upon us."

Kurumu grimaced, already hearing four different, distinct voices. She glanced at Tora whom offered a nervous smile as they continued along the sidewalk.

"I don't give a shit what Futoshi heard. This stuff doesn't work the same on everybody. Give it more time. She'll talk."

"Give her another hit, Doc. A second won't kill her."

"That will loosen her tongue. And other things too if you know what I mean."

Several gruff voices chuckled at the weasel's remark whom had spoken second. Futoshi's voice was mild and low but there had been a deeper, richer chuckle in that mix. There was at least five guys, maybe six.

"Half hour. Twenty tops. She's not going anywhere, Boss."

"Speak up, little lady. Is your singing voice as pure and angelic as Ms. Otonashi's?"

Kurumu frowned as they approached a street which veered off to the right.

"What are they talking about?"

"I don't know if these guys are Lord Rokurou's men. If they knew the truth about Ms. Otonashi, they would have turned her over to Lord Kamiya by now."

"What do you mean?"

"These are either idiots or just a bunch of humans. Possibly both."

"I think we can head this way."

Yukari gestured to the right, taking the narrow street flanked with white guardrails. The road cut through a grassy field with the school fence posts on the right. Further beyond the field on elevated terrain to the left were all sorts of buildings in the distance.

"Hit her again."

"Boss."

"I pay you good, Doc. If she drops on us, Touma can take care of it."

"Why me, Boss?"

"Because you've been eyeing her the whole time. Consider it a favor."

"Not much a favor if she's stiff."

More chuckles answered the smooth Touma's comment. There were definitely six men.

"Come on, girl. Talk to the man."

"We know you're not a mute like Ms. Otonashi pretends to be."

"You're making a mistake."

Kurumu felt a wave of relief upon hearing Moka's calm voice as they walked along this road which lacked a sidewalk. It curved to flank the school building where a corner ballfield fence stood.

"That's more like it. And what is your relationship to Ms. Otonashi?"

"This is the first time I've met her."

The Boss chuckled darkly.

"You can't fool me, dearie. She deliberately stopped to ask you for help and you said her name."

"She is a graduate from the school I attend. I am here on a trip with my school seniors whom wanted to visit her. I have seen a picture of her."

Kurumu perked up at Moka's declaration. She realized Otonashi must have recognized Moka's blouse and skirt and turned to them for help.

"So there are more angels like you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hit her again."

"She's talking."

"And I said, hit her again."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you to tell me what you are."

"I'm a high school student."

"A high school student whom took a hundred micrograms of Fentanyl without any visible side effects."

"It doesn't have the same impact on everyone. Give it time."

"And how many hits did you have to give Ms. Otonashi before she finally gave in to our directions?"

"More than enough to kill any man in this room."

"Exactly. Hit her again."

Kurumu had not realized they were walking on a slight incline. Glancing off to the right, they passed by some tennis courts behind the school building which were notably lower than the road. They were approaching what looked to be a residential district.

"I think we can rule out Fairy Tale at this point. I may have to handle this one, kid."

"But if they're just humans, wouldn't that be easier on Tsukune?"

"I'm going to have to go in and find out if they have any evidence about her true form. We have these messes from time to time when assholes like these thugs grab the wrong girl off the street."

Kurumu frowned as they walked into the residential district, passing by a two story daycare facility on their left. It was obvious with all the artwork, signs and playground in the enclosed courtyard.

"What do you mean?"

"The sex trade, young ladies. I see it all the time. Guys snatch a girl, pump her full of drugs and record her having sex. My guess is these shitheads pulled this crap on Ms. Otonashi and she lost her ability to restrain her true form."

"And they're planning to do this to Moka?"

Ms. Aimai shrugged at Tsukune's look of disbelief.

"Probably. I'm tempted to have the whole lot kill themselves, but that might draw too much attention."

"I have to save Moka."

"Cool your jets, boy. This isn't a game."

"If I can't do this, then I can't do anything."

"Could everyone be quiet? I can't hear what is going on."

Everyone silenced for Yukari as they continued their march up this incline flanked by residences. There was no sidewalk for this road which had drain tiles at each side. Concrete block partial walls often stood on the other side of these tiles between them and the residences. Trees and bushes peeked out over these barriers, often touching the structures.

"This will take about fifteen to twenty minutes to set in."

"If she shows no signs after ten, hit her again."

"Just because she knows Ms. Otonashi doesn't mean she has the same resistances."

"Have more faith in my intuition, Doc. In a couple more doses, she'll be as docile as a kitten."

"Or dead."

"How dangerous is this stuff they are giving her?"

Yukari snorted as they walked by some cars which had been parked in paved sections between these concrete block barricades. The first pair on the left were parked right up against a squat, white building. The small recess across the street with a pair of cars had lines drawn to designate the parking spaces. A small road cut off to the right at the edge of this tiny lot. The next residence on the left had a steel gate which could be rolled aside to give access to the small parking space beneath the beige house's window.

"It's Fentanyl, Kurumu. That was the drug Ms. Sasayaki said your opiate closely resembled."

"But Moka has been drinking Kurumu's blood."

"Kurumu said her opiate was contained in her saliva and other bodily secretions. I can't say how much of it resides in her blood, but I doubt any dosage in micrograms has a chance of harming my Moka."

"When was the last time she drank your blood?"

Kurumu blushed as they followed the curve of this road, passing by a couple more residences. Not far up was an intersection with a street which had a crosswalk. There was a yellowed building across that intersection which seemed like a huge estate or maybe it was an apartment complex.

"Not long ago. Last Thursday to calm me down."

"How much further do we got to go?"

Yukari shrugged as they reached the end of this road. Sidewalks flanked this new street. Yukari veered off to the left, walking up the hill alongside a concrete block wall which stepped up with the slope.

"I'm going to ask you one more time. What are you?"

"I think it would be in your best interests to let Ms. Otonashi and myself go."

Laughter answered Moka's calm response.

"That's cute, but there is no way I'm letting this angel go. She's far too valuable."

"More valuable than your lives?"

There was a heavy pause as they continued up this sidewalk which was flanked on the left by a waist high metal tube fence. The lot beyond had been flattened out much lower than their path. Across the street the verdant hillside had been shored up with rugged stones.

"Hit her again."

"It hasn't even been ten minutes."

"If she can toss threats like that, hit her again."

"This isn't a threat, Sir. My mother is the head of an organization which removes people like you from existence. Let us go, and I promise not to say anything about what you have done today."

"Hit her again."

"You have less than an hour before Yukari finds me."

Chuckles answered Moka's statement.

"False bravado, girlie. Nobody knows where you are."

"You can stick me with as many needles as you like. You don't have the time to see if it works."

"So you are an angel."

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"I know I have a gun aimed at your head so any threats you utter are ridiculous. I'm not scared of your mother or her organization. They will have to pay me to give you back."

"That's not how this will work. If any of you have families you want to remember you, it would be best that you leave this place now."

They walked by a pretty white building which had narrow, tall windows nestled in the curved upper level above a glass double door. A statue of a robed woman stood on a pedestal at the end of a shoulder height wall which enclosed the white stone patio which preceded the entryway. A shiny, steel cross was mounted on the building near the wooden gate.

"Catholic Church."

Kurumu frowned at Tora, whom gestured to the building.

"That's Mary. Not many Christian churches encourage building her statue. My father was a Lutheran, so we honor Mary and ask her to intercede for us, but we don't idolize her."

"Is this important right now?"

Tora shrugged at Yukari's huffed inquiry.

"It's a pretty church. I don't see that many of them."

"Boss. What if she's part of the Ninkyou?"

"She's bluffing. There aren't any groups in Okinawa with a female leader."

"I'm from Kumamoto."

"Than your mother should know not to mess in matters outside her turf."

"I'm here on a school trip, Sir. You grabbed me. How do you think this is going to play out?"

"I'm not handing over my angel. I have big plans to use that lovely voice of hers. We can make Shuei Industrial the number one group in Okinawa."

"That sounds good in theory, but she's not going to do it. If Ms. Otonashi was willing to do the stuff you want her to do, she would have taken us all out."

The boss chuckled at this new voice, upping the room count to seven.

"But Ms. Otonashi is a good girl. Isn't that right? You don't want to harm anyone. And if she does exactly what we say, we won't have to show Mrs. Kawamoto what she really is."

"She'll just run away again."

"But we know where she will go. You know this, Ms. Otonashi. Do you want Mrs. Kawamoto to see your pretty wings as Hoka brought you into your womanhood?"

"You will surrender any videos and pictures of Ms. Otonashi to me."

"You are in no position to make any demands."

"Can you imagine how much yen the defloration of an angel would sell for?"

"Fuck. Any proof of an angel would be worth her weight in gold."

"Why do they keep calling her an angel? Does Ms. Otonashi have wings?"

Ms. Aimai nodded as they passed by a three story building with external ramps which wrapped up and around the structure. Kurumu thought it could be an apartment building but it was not like any she had seen before. There were stairs from the last alcove which ended up on the rooftop which was hemmed in with white metal railing.

"How much further do you think we got to go?"

"The signal is strong but I can't give you an exact distance."

"What's defloration?"

Kurumu shrugged at Rubi, unfamiliar with the term. Tora also shrugged as Ms. Aimai sighed heavily.

"It's the loss of virginity, ladies. Some pricks get their jollies off thinking about virgin sex."

"If Yukari doesn't kill them, I have a feeling Senior and his friends will."

"I think the young lady might be due for another hit."

"I just gave her a third."

"I don't like the look in her eyes. I want it softer. Submissive."

"You are wasting your time."

"Take off your blouse."

"No."

"That was not a request, young lady. I'm thinking we might want to make ourselves another video."

"They are coming for me, Sir."

Yukari tapped her ear, shaking her head. She quickened her step up the incline and an intersection with a light came into view. Sensing her urgency, everyone hurried after the witch.

"What are they doing?"

"I can't see them, Tsukune. Right now they are arguing over giving more time for the drugs to work."

"You turned off the sound?"

"I turned down the volume."

The road had a dedicated left turn lane which swept over to join the perpendicular street, creating a grassy island up ahead. They followed the sidewalk along the curve which was flanked by a metal tube fence and a three story white apartment building standing on this corner. Yukari led the way across the short marked path across the turning lane onto the sidewalk on the grassy island.

"We have to cross both of these streets."

They were fortunate the light was in their favor to cross the intersecting street. The building on this other corner seemed more like a hotel with how close the doors were. An elevated walkway connected the second floor on the other side of this sidewalk. She supposed it could also be cheap housing. They turned right, following the curve of the pavement which was flanked by a white guardrail. There was a steep drop on the other side.

They came to a stop near the post of the traffic light, waiting for the pedestrian light. Across the street was a rounded building with a white railing about the top.

"Can you cast that protection spell on me?"

"Are you still hung up on the idea of going in there?"

"I'm not about to let them deflorinize Moka."

Yukari huffed, shaking her head.

"I don't hear her struggling so they aren't doing that yet."

"She'll probably kill them before she lets that happen."

Tsukune regarded Tora with wide eyes.

"Moka would never do that!"

"People don't always come to your rescue, Tsukune. Humans die when they push us too far."

"Could you cast the spell, Yukari?"

"I suppose I can let the kid charge in and do his thing if I'm promised he won't die. I'm pretty sure Mrs. President would bitch for weeks if her precious seal breaker bought the farm."

Yukari sighed dramatically as the light changed, prompting her to cross the street. She stomped her way to the other side, drifting slightly to the right to follow the sidewalk which flanked the pillar building. Gray tiles sloped up on two sides of this structure with a chain link fence standing on top of the slope.

"I'll cast the dumb spell when we find this place. It won't do you any good if you get shot in the head."

"Thanks, Yukari."

The witch huffed again as they walked alongside the sloped tiles. A metal, spiral staircase was behind the pillar, giving access to the top. Kurumu guessed this might be a water tower of sorts, since she had no clue what else it could be. The whole grounds were fenced off, including two smaller buildings.

"So… what exactly is the plan here?"

Ms. Aimai shrugged at Tora.

"I'm thinking half of us will have to watch the perimeter to make sure none of these gentlemen escape. That's going to be whomever feels like staying on the ground."

"Maybe you could put down your barrier."

"That would draw more attention than me using magic."

"Hey, snow girl. Are you conscious enough to watch an exit?"

Mizore leaned heavily against Rubi as they steadily brought up the rear of the group. Panting, Mizore held a thumb up. Rubi grinned, mimicking the gesture.

"I'll stay down with her."

"Do you know any stuns or disables if someone tries to get away?"

"I can restrain someone with vines or dirt."

"Just cast that sleep spell my father uses on you when you act up."

Rubi pouted as they came to a drive on the left. Yukari hurried across the drive and turned left to walk along the path flanking the zigzagged concrete tiled wall. The young witch gestured up at the four story apartment building erected on top of this slope on their right.

"The elevation of the signal suggests it's an upper floor of one of these nearby buildings."

Kurumu glanced up at the dingy white building which was diagonal to the drive. The long side had rows of rectangular balconies which appeared to be connected. The short side had the digit '4' printed in the top corner as well as a faded mural of a woman holding and umbrella and standing in a rice bowl. There was at least one more building up on the ledge and with a glance ahead she confirmed another four of these structures up ahead.

"So I'm thinking the kid goes in and does his thing. I use my charm and the girl throws up protection spells as needed to keep the kid alive. Everyone else can watch exits."

Kurumu frowned as the group followed the curve of the sidewalk up to the right instead of crossing the street. The side of building six had a man holding a fishing rod paired with a woman with a turtle. Passing a vending machine, Yukari led them around the curve of the street which cut back up on the other side of building four.

"I would like to come up with you guys."

"I don't mind if you do but you best be able to handle yourself."

"I think I'll stay on the ground with Ms. Toujou and Ms. Shirayuki."

Ms. Aimai nodded at Tora as they walked by the drive for the parking lots which flanked the front and back of building four. The short side of building four had an identical mural to the one on the other side. The succubus gestured across the street at building five, which had a large tree blocking its mural.

"So which of these charming buildings are we dropping in for a visit?"

"It's not one of the apartments. I think it's this office building at the end of the drive."

Kurumu nodded as they reached the summit of the drive. It emptied into a parking lot which clearly was not for the three story office building. A three to four meter stone wall flanked the edge of the lot upon which a row of trees and bushes grew. In the midst of that foliage was a chain link fence. Yukari walked up to the edge of the wall and sighed.

"Figures. Maybe we can go around."

"No need."

In a surprising display of agility, Ms. Aimai hopped up, planting one sandal on the wall before launching up to land on her other foot atop the wall. Her bosom jiggled as she turned slightly, gesturing for them to follow her. The succubus squeezed through the brush, audibly climbing over the fence.

"Witches don't have that physical capability."

"Here, I'll help you."

Kurumu moved over to Yukari's side, lowering her hands to her waist to create a foothold. Yukari favored her a dubious look as Kurumu rested her back against the wall.

"You better not be thinking about tossing me."

"It didn't cross my mind."

Tsukune chuckled as he made a timid attempt to scale the wall. Yukari grabbed Kurumu's arms, lifting a tiny foot up into Kurumu's hands. As she clambered up higher on Kurumu's torso, she reached over to touch the wall and precariously got up onto Kurumu's shoulders.

"You're too short."

Kurumu laughed, reaching up to feel for Yukari's feet.

"You're too short. Let me push your feet up."

"We won't be climbing up that with Ms. Shirayuki. Ms. Toujou and I shall take the long way around."

Kurumu nodded at Tora whom directed the other two off to the right. Tsukune made a more serious attempt, actually getting his foot high enough to make a grab for the top. He huffed out a breath as he hauled himself up out of Kurumu's view.

"I got Yukari for you."

"What is taking so long?"

Kurumu laughed again as Yukari's weight left her shoulders. Kurumu stepped away from the wall, looking up as Tsukune pulled Yukari up on her feet at the top of the ledge. Taking a deep breath, Kurumu backed up a couple steps thinking she would need some momentum. It still boggled her mind that Ms. Aimai had sprung up on the spot, considering she had never seen the woman do anything resembling physical activity before. Shaking her head, she pounced over to the wall, launching herself up.

She was lucky Tsukune had been quick to offer a hand. He caught her by the wrist, tugging her up the slope with ease. She was startled with the speed of his reflexes, yet thankful as she realized the moment her feet had left the ground that she would have been a couple hands shy of reaching the top. Her body shivered as his free hand touched her side to steady her. She wanted so much to hug him, whimpering when his hand left her waist.

"Hurry up."

Yukari was the first to slip through the branches. She started climbing up over the fence but yelped the moment Tsukune put his hand on her leg.

"What are you doing?!"

"I… was helping?"

Yukari huffed as she swung her leg over the top and hopped down on her feet on the other side. Shaking her head, she scowled at Tsukune.

"I don't need your hands beneath my skirt."

Tsukune stammered an apology as Kurumu chuckled, starting up the fence. She paused at the top, shivering with delight as Tsukune took interest in her bikini bottom. Resisting the urge to flirt, she sprung off the fence to land next to Yukari. She stumbled a moment, using the witch for support. In seconds, Tsukune joined them and they quickly hurried across this parking lot to catch up with their escort.

Ms. Aimai was standing near glass double doors which opened into a vestibule. There were rows of windows on either side of the entrance, many with privacy blinds.

"What happened to the other three?"

"Taking the long way around."

Ms. Aimai sighed heavily, shaking her head.

"I guess we will have to keep this contained with whom we have."

The woman stalked off, catching the attention of the motion sensor to part the doors for her. They filed into the small glass chamber which butted out from the rest of the main building. Passing through the next set of automatic doors, they stepped into a bland, two story lobby with beige walls and recessed can lights overhead. A vacant, black desk was built into the left corner of the room with a door and some potted plants behind the counter. Along the same wall was a trio of shiny, elevator doors and another wooden door with a sign indicating it was for the stairs.

"Which floor did you think it was?"

"I was thinking the third. It's off to the left."

Ms. Aimai nodded as she approached the front desk. A framed sign hung on the wall beside the door behind the desk. It had a list of names and suite numbers spelled out in white characters which were pushed into the creased, black backing.

"Oh. Shuei Industrial has an office here. That simplifies matters. Follow me."

Ms. Aimai angled away from the desk to push the square button beside the nearest elevator door, prompting it to light up and the door to open at the same time. She waved them over as she slipped inside the elevator, turning about to punch an inside button.

"Don't know if you kids noticed."

Ms. Aimai let her sentence hang as they entered the elevator. She tapped the round button for the third floor, prompting the doors to close.

"But that lobby had three security cameras. So unless there is some back entrance that is unmonitored, chances are the company watching over this place are well aware of what is going on here and are being paid to look the other way. We will need to make a stop to erase any evidence of our visit."

Tsukune let out a heavy breath as the elevator came to a stop. Kurumu managed to smile at Yukari as the doors slowly drew open.

"Any update on things with Moka?"

"They gave her another dose."

Ms. Aimai stepped into the door but put her hand out to block them from exiting.

"Before we go down this hall, you should put that protection spell on him. There's no camera here."

Yukari nodded, turning to Tsukune. She made a quick set of gestures with her hands. The hallways lights flickered for a moment when she patted Tsukune's shirt.

"Turn around."

Tsukune frowned, complying with the request. Yukari repeated the same gestures, causing the lights to flicker again, though this time it happened when she patted Tsukune's rump. He made a slight jump.

"What was that for?"

"Enchanting your trousers. I wasn't going to do the front."

Tsukune chuckled with flush cheeks as Yukari slipped by him beneath Ms. Aimai's arm to enter the hall.

"Let's get this over with."

Ms. Aimai strode purposely off to the left down this corridor which stretched the entire length of the building. Doors lined both sides of the passage, most having signs to identify the occupant and suite number. Kurumu spied a security camera at the far end of the hall aimed in their direction.

"It will be the last suite on the right."

"I'm on it."

Tsukune quickened his step, ensuring he would arrive at the destination first. He paused at the door, lifting up his foot and slamming it hard against the door. Kurumu heard wood splinter as Tsukune hopped back a step at the sound of angry men. By the time they could join Tsukune, the door had been yanked open and one burly gentlemen dressed in a black suit and tie stepped out.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?"

The burly man crossed his thick arms as he peered down at Tsukune. His short, dark locks were swept to one side. He stepped closer to Tsukune, towering over him by at least a full head.

"This little shit busted our door."

Another huge man similarly dressed stepped into the doorway, jostling the bronze knob. This brute wore a fedora over his dark hair as he glanced at them.

"My young friend has an issue with your company policies."

The first man turned on Ms. Aimai, cocking his head as he looked her over with narrow, dark eyes.

"And I have issue with punks breaking things."

"Would you fine gentlemen happen to know whom is in charge of the security of this facility?"

"We handle the security here."

"You do? Do you keep your security footage on site?"

"Why are you asking?"

"I saw nobody down at the front desk so I was curious if your security was being neglected. I work for a company which provides similar services."

The second huffed, regarding Ms. Aimai smugly.

"Is that right?"

"I think the two of you wouldn't mind coming downstairs with me. I'm assuming you have a security office where we can share trade secrets."

The first snorted.

"Look, Ma'am. I don't know who you are but we aren't here to discuss our business."

"Perhaps the two of you would like to pound me for more information."

Kurumu could feel the subtle difference in the two men. Both regarded Ms. Aimai with new interest.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to have these two show me something. I trust you can manage without me."

Kurumu grimaced.

"If we have to."

"Then I shall leave the rest to you. Hopefully these two, fine, excellent specimens of testosterone will know enough about Shuei Industrial that I won't need anyone else."

The second brute chuckled.

"It's a tempting offer, but we can't both leave."

"I don't need any help handling you."

"Do the two of you really want to fight over whom stands up here watching these three kids while the other gets to show me the ropes?"

"This kid busted our door."

"He'll pay for it later. Now come with me."

Ms. Aimai turned on her heel and sashayed down the hall towards the elevators. The first man was quick to follow. The second betrayed his envy, glancing over them.

"Don't do anything stupid."

The man wagged his finger at them as he tugged the door shut behind him. He inserted a silver key in the lock above the knob, twisting to turn the deadbolt. Pocketing his keys, he stomped down the hall.

"That was interesting. Nice kick, Tsukune."

Kurumu managed a nervous laugh as the trio slipped into the elevator.

"It… works in the movies."

Yukari snorted, placing her hand on the lock. There was a slight hum and the lights flickered. The witch twisted her wrist with an audible click. She lowered her hand to turn the knob, pushing open the door.

The room beyond was a small reception area with a desk and a couch. The couch was pushed up against the right wall while the desk took up the far left corner. An ash tray with smoking cigarettes rested on the black wooden surface with a folded newspaper placed nearby. The other corner had an open door for a small toilet room. The only other door was on the left wall, which had a corridor beyond.

There was an audible struggle, provoking Tsukune to hurry into the corridor. The hall went off to the right, but the sounds were coming from the other side of the door at the end of this short corridor. Tsukune paused in front of this door on the right, glancing back at them. Yukari smirked.

"Your mighty kick will work on an interior door."

Steeling himself, Tsukune lifted his foot up and kicked this door so hard it twisted and broke off the top hinge. There was a collective gasp as Tsukune stepped around the wreckage to enter the room.

"Tsukune!"

Kurumu poked her head around the door as Yukari slipped in behind her. Kurumu noticed there was a copier next to the wall not far from the broken door. Further down this wall after the sliding doors for closets was a large desk with a small bar lining the back wall.

The shades were drawn down the many windows which lined the exterior wall on the right. There were two armchairs and two couches. A low table rested between the two couches. One of the armchairs was further back near a television, occupied by a dark haired man with glasses whom was reading a paper. This slender gentlemen was dressed in a suit and tie much like the guys at the front door.

On the couch facing them was a portly man with greasy black hair and tan aviators. He wore a white suit jacket over a floral print dress shirt. A cigarette dangled from his thick lips encircled with a thick goatee. His arm was draped over a young woman whom wore a yellow dress with black dots and a black bow stitched above her slight bosom. A white lace collar rested about her shoulders. Her long white sleeves had similar lacy cuffs, ensuring that they were part of the same outfit.

There was another dark haired man with a goatee sitting in the other armchair. His black jacket was worn over a soft blue shirt tucked in black slacks. He set aside a white syringe onto the table.

The other four men in the room all hovered about the couch that had its back to the door. Three of these men had their hands on Moka whom regarded Tsukune's arrival with bright, turquoise eyes. The guy sitting on the arm of the couch furthest from them was bald and had a black jacket worn over a white shirt with a wide collar. He glanced at the other guy seated on the couch with Moka.

The young man shrugged, getting up. His dark locks were slicked up and his ears were pierced. He was wearing a black, long sleeved shirt with a golden swirl pattern down the sleeves. His hand rested on the rectangular hilt of a long blade at his side.

The closest guy whom had on a gray blazer over a black shirt had a scar across his forehead. His dark locks were styled in a crew cut. He chuckled at Tsukune, reaching into his jacket as he started to walk slowly towards him.

"You're the guy whom was with this hottie by the pier. Didn't you learn your lesson the last time?"

The men chuckled in the room. The last guy had a smooth shaven face and wore a short sleeved, silky black shirt tucked in khakis. He also had a blade in its scabbard secured to his belt.

"You must have a death wish."

The man pulled out a silver pistol, grinning as he pressed the gun to Tsukune's temple.

"You're shaking so much."

"Tsukune!"

The man was thrown violently across the room, smashing through the desk. Tsukune jerked his head up, glancing about wildly. Kurumu glanced at Yukari, noting the witch was making motions with her hand.

"What the fuck?!"

"You little shit!"

The young man vaulted over the couch as the other drew his blade.

"You're not walking away from this one!"

The young man drew his blade and charged in. He slashed at Tsukune whom immediately stepped back. A gash opened across Tsukune's forehead.

"Get him!"

The other man with a blade darted in. Tsukune twisted effortlessly to avoid the lunge and sidestepped the next strike from the young man. The short sleeved guy went for a second lunge but this time Tsukune answered with a whirling roundhouse that sent his assailant flying. The guy smashed into the wall, his blade tumbling to the floor as he crumpled atop the copier.

The young man stepped in close to Tsukune's back, slashing straight across his midsection. But Tsukune instantly ducked under the blade, twisting to spring up with an uppercut. The young man launched up into the ceiling, shattering the overhead light. The blade hit the floor a half second before the young man collapsed in a heap at Tsukune's feet.

"Shoot him!"

The bald man reached in his jacket as Tsukune sprung over to the couch. With a vicious right thrust, Tsukune lifted the bald man out of his dress shoes. The guy crashed into the windows as his pistol clattered against the floor.

The goatee man had pulled his gun and fired. Moka and Kurumu both cried out as Tsukune staggered back. Before the man could take a second shot, he gurgled with eyes wide. He looked down at Moka's fist upon his chest, releasing the syringe now embedded in him. He dropped his gun, pitching to the side.

"That's enough!"

The portly man had hauled the girl up on her feet and had his gun pressed to her head.

"Nobody make another fucking move or I blow her brains out!"

The other man in the room with the glasses was on his feet, though he had his hands up. Realizing the situation was changing to their favor, he reached into his jacket and pulled out his gun.

"Put the gun down, Sir."

Moka straightened up with her hands out in front of her. Tsukune remained by the couch, clutching his chest and grunting. Yukari was standing still in the back of the room with her fists clenched at her navel. If her eyes had been closed, Kurumu would swear the witch was meditating.

"Like hell I would do that!"

Kurumu risked a step into the room, her hand absently touching the blood stained copier. Judging by the way his limbs were contorted and the sizable dent in the wall, this guy with the short sleeves was most likely dead. None of these men were making a sound.

"Are you okay, Tsukune?"

Tsukune glanced at her, grimacing with a nod.

"Yea. Though my chest hurts."

"Shut up! I have the gun so you have to listen!"

"Do something, Kurumu."

Kurumu flinched at Yukari's prompting. The witch was right. She had to do something.

"Put the gun down, Sir."

The portly man sneered with a glance at her.

"That's not how this works, missy. Now unless you want this girl to die, you will all get down on your hands and knees and allow Kenji to tie you up."

"I'm not getting close to any of them, Boss. We should walk out of here."

Kurumu turned her attention on the man with the glasses.

"You need to convince your boss that he should put down his weapon."

Kurumu stared at the man, wanting him to do anything he could to help them. Without a verbal response, the man swung his gun away from Moka and fired. The portly boss staggered forward, twisting about sharply. With an inarticulate cry, the boss fired three shots to fell the man with glasses.

Moka snagged the boss's upper arm on the third shot. With a quick jab, the vampire smashed the man's forearm, causing him to drop his weapon. Releasing his upper arm, she swung her arm across his torso and pushed him roughly to force him off his feet. The portly man whimpered as he fell on his ass, clutching his broken limb to his chest.

Moka glared down at the man as the other girl threw her arms about Moka's torso. The girl made happy sounds of relief as the tension in the air finally relaxed. Kurumu hurried over to Tsukune's side whom was still clutching his chest. She timidly placed her hands on his shoulder.

"Are you bleeding?"

"No. But I think that cracked a rib or two. Thanks, Yukari."

Yukari let out a heavy breath.

"I did what I could."

The portly man whimpered, shaking his head.

"That little kid is Yukari?! What the hell are you?"

Moka gently caressed the back of the girl in her arms.

"I don't see a gun on you, Sir. That means you don't get to ask the questions anymore."

The man grimaced in pain, shaking his head.

"You're fucking kidding me. I saw him take a shot to the chest. You're not human. None of you are."

"I'm still human."

Tsukune took a deep breath as he draped an arm over Kurumu's shoulder. Shivering in joy, Kurumu pressed to his side and rested her head upon his shoulder.

"Don't everyone get too comfortable here. The police will show up soon if anyone reports the gunshots."

"Yes. But before we go, you must surrender everything you have on Ms. Otonashi. Do you understand?"

With a whimper, the boss acquiesced to Moka's demand.

---

"Could you not hang all over him?"

Kurumu pouted as Moka pushed her away from Tsukune's side. Their group was steadily walking down the road towards the hostel in the soft warmth of the evening.

"I wasn't even holding his hand."

"You're supposed to keep your distance from him because of your charm."

"If you'd let him drink my blood, then he would become immune to it."

"You better not give him your blood behind my back. I'll be able to tell."

"How would you notice if he drank her blood from a bottle?"

Moka pouted at Tora's offhand comment.

"I… I could tell if I drank his blood!"

Kurumu smirked at Moka.

"Which you can't do because it might cause his ghoul side to take over."

"Oh? Is that why Akashiya doesn't drink his blood anymore?"

Kurumu glanced back at Mizore whom was walking beside Tora.

"Yep. She can only get blood from me."

"I would give her my blood."

Yukari walked slowly behind Tora while holding Otonashi's hand. The young woman was not that much taller than Yukari and had her sketchbook tucked up under her left arm.

"Look at you. Holding hands."

Yukari pouted.

"I'll cry if I look this young when I'm eighteen. She doesn't look a day over twelve."

"Well… Ginei said she was one of the favorites of the loli appreciation club."

Tora sighed, shaking her head.

"I'm worried about how he will behave when he sees her."

"Why?"

"Because he has always spoken fondly of Lady Otonashi."

Kurumu pondered that as they walked by a gas station which was less than five minutes from the inn. Up ahead were all the multi storied apartments and hotels around their destination.

"But Ginei isn't some loli lover. He doesn't flirt with Yukari or Chouda."

"Lady Otonashi is not underage, Kurumu."

Kurumu shrugged, not knowing enough loli girls to defend Ginei's innocence here.

"Maybe he likes the fact that she doesn't talk back to him."

"I sincerely hope this isn't him being attracted to a girl because of her handicap. It still disgusts me that he joked about having protective instincts over Ms. Ohira."

Kurumu paused, not recalling that name in the list of Ginei's potential admirers.

"I don't remember-"

"The deaf girl. She's a senior okami on the track team."

Kurumu's eyes lit up as she recalled the Ohira cousins. The pair were not from a Niigata community. Due to Natsue's handicap, the entire senior squad had learned sign language.

"Oh! The albino girl. He was obviously joking about her."

"I suppose it could be harmless admiration for a senior."

Kurumu smiled at Tora's reluctance to accept the truth.

"Maybe she has an awesome ass?"

"I can't believe you would say such a thing!"

Kurumu shrugged at Tora's indignation.

"I've been around Ginei enough to know he doesn't have a steadfast fixation on boobs."

"He squeezed my ass much more than my tits during training."

"Mine too."

Moka blushed with her admission to sharing Mizore's plight.

"Well… I guess that's normal for a dog."

Kurumu smirked at Tora's flush comment.

"Would you like to bathe with us tonight, Ms. Otonashi?"

Otonashi glanced up with her soft smile. She nodded with a slight blush.

"She's so cute!"

Yukari pouted at Moka's squeal.

"I'm cute too."

Kurumu giggled as they veered right, following the private drive which serviced all these seaside hotels and establishments. She sighed, taking in a deep breath of the ocean breeze. It had been a long day.

Of the seven men whom had been holding Otonashi captive, two had survived. After taking a video of Otonashi's true form, they had stuffed the portly boss and his bald companion in the closet. It had not sunk in until around dinner that they had killed five men. Tsukune had taken the realization the hardest, barely touching his meal at the pub next to the Hotto Motto.

After meeting up with the trio waiting for them in the lobby, they had heard two gunshots from the office. A flush Ms. Aimai had emerged from the office with a gun and an overwhelming sexual scent, stating she had wiped all of the security footage from the past week and that they should take their discussion to a safer place. Promising to join up with them at the beach, Ms. Aimai had taken the elevator back upstairs to make things more believable for the police.

They had waited at the beach almost a whole hour before Ms. Aimai had arrived, stating everything was fine and offering to take them out to eat. During the meal, she explained how she had made a recorded confession from one of the men she had enjoyed in the office. It was a simple tale about how he would kill the others for what they had done to Ms. Maeda, a girl whom had died from an overdose last month. She had dropped the cassette off at the police box, playing the part of the anonymous friend whom would give the confession to the police if anything happened to him.

Sadly Ms. Aimai had not thought to check the closet while putting bullets in the five dead men sprawled about the office. This meant she had two survivors whom could challenge this farce, though Ms. Aimai figured any wild claims of monsters killing their associates would be ignored by the authorities.

Ms. Aimai had called the inn before entering the pub. She had apologized over not being able to make it for dinner since it had been around six thirty at that point. The others had returned and had obviously not found Otonashi. The succubus had elected not to share the good news about Otonashi's rescue.

Kurumu's eyes paused on the bag dangling from Mizore's elbow. The girl had been reluctant to show the outfits Moka had bought for her, but had yielded under Tsukune's encouragement. She had acquired three garments which were all made of this flimsy, sheer fabric. One was a long sleeved, pastel blue dress which cinched about the waist with a skirt that almost reached Mizore's knees. The other two were long sleeved blouses of different designs though similar fabric. The peach one had a crimped collar and cuffs, stretching over the contours of Mizore's body. The pink one looked more like a sweater with furry spheres stitched in the sheer portions between the crochet patterns.

"Kurumu?"

She looked up at Tora's frown.

"What?"

"I was asking if you thought Ms. Udetama should stay in our room or with the teachers."

"I don't think it matters. What do you think, Ms. Aimai?"

The succubus trailed in the back with Rubi. The woman waved a hand dismissively.

"I'm not that picky about whom I sleep with."

Kurumu smirked, hoping none would comment on that. The two bulky men whom executed each other under Ms. Aimai's influence had not been remotely attractive to Kurumu.

"There it is. You're almost home, Ms. Otonashi."

Kurumu smiled at Tsukune's comment, thankful to hear his voice. She glanced down the road, spying the parking lot and the inn beyond. Three more cars were parked in the lot, joining the white coupe which remained in the same space as before. That Mazda Miata belonged to Mrs. Kawamoto and she knew the black Hyundai Elantra was the sedan Ms. Nekonome had rented. There was a red sedan almost identical to the Elantra parked next to it. A dinged up white van was beside Mrs. Kawamoto's vehicle.

"I think everyone will be happy to see her."

An unfamiliar dark haired man stepped out from beneath the gazebo. He was wearing a white shirt and had a silver necklace dangling on his chest. The man made his way over to the back of the van, fishing in the pocket of his black jeans. Pulling out a key, he unlocked the back and lifted up the rear door.

"Who is that?"

Otonashi ran by them. Her sandals striking the pavement caught the man's attention. She came to a stop shy of him, turning the sketchbook in her hands and starting to write as the man regarded her with wide eyes. He shook his head in disbelief.

"What are you doing here?!"

Kurumu hurried with Moka and Tsukune towards Otonashi as the girl scrawled on her notebook.

"You've been gone for four days. Marin thinks you ran away."

Otonashi held up her message and the man shook his head.

"No. You can't. You should go somewhere else."

Kurumu came up beside Otonashi whom started to whimper. The message was two simple sentences. An apology with a promise to work hard. She looked at the man with disbelief.

"What do you mean?"

"Any other place would fire a girl whom disappears for a whole week without saying a word."

"That might be true, Sir, but the situation was beyond her control."

Moka nodded in agreement with Tora.

"Ms. Otonashi was being held captive by members of Shuei Industrial."

The man staggered back a step, bumping into the van.

"That's not possible."

Yukari huffed, crossing her arms as she strolled around Kurumu.

"I doubt Mrs. Kawamoto would fire someone whom was placed in her care."

"Yea. She was more worried that Otonashi had left her."

The man looked them over with confusion in his dark eyes.

"Whom are you people?"

The front door slid open and Ms. Nekonome popped out, dressed in a spaghetti string, pink tank top which bared her midriff. A matching, silken sleep pant whisked about her ankles as she stalked over to them with a wide grin.

"There you are!"

Otonashi brightened up, clutching her sketchbook to her chest.

"Are you with the group staying here? How do you people know San?"

Ms. Nekonome grinned at the man as she swept up the small girl into a hug.

"She was one of my favorite students and president of my Newspaper Club."

"Lady Otonashi took good care of me during my first year at Yokai."

Ginei strolled out of the inn. The werewolf had his dark bangs pushed back with a black bandana and had left three buttons of his long sleeved, burgundy dress shirt undone to bare his wolf pendant. He calmly walked over with his right hand stuffed in the pocket of his black slacks.

"So I hope you've been taking good care of her."

Otonashi flipped a page of her sketchbook and started scrawling another message.

"That's not the problem here, kid."

"Than what is the problem?"

Otonashi turned her sketchbook up and cocked her head with a pleasant smile. Kurumu grinned at the sweet greeting and the simple question over why his training involved squeezing girls inappropriately.

"I hate to break it to you, Otonashi, but Ginei has become a total pervert in your absence."

"Indeed. Senior plays with the hearts of many women."

"Hey! The training was necessary."

"He's felt me up each day this past week."

"It was hot and my hands were in search for a cooler environment."

Kurumu smirked.

"I'm warning you. If you let your guard down, this wolf will put his paws in your special places."

Otonashi pouted, scrawling down a quick inquiry about the veracity of these claims.

"I was hoping to improve their reflexes. It was the first idea that came to mind."

"The mind of a pervert."

"Is there a problem, Takahashi?"

Mrs. Kawamoto wandered out of the inn, leaning against the open door with a beer can in her hand. She was dressed in a loose, white blouse with thin black straps which failed to hide the straps of her cream bra. Her bosom threatened to spill out of the garment as black capris hugged her legs.

"Marin. It's San."

"I can see that."

Mrs. Kawamoto stalked over to Otonashi. She bent over slightly and placed a hand on Otonashi's head.

"Welcome home."

Otonashi was on the verge of tears as she nodded. She bowed her head, clutching the sketchbook to her chest. She made a soft sound as Mrs. Kawamoto fussed with her locks.

"What do you want to do, Marin?"

Mrs. Kawamoto glanced at Takahashi.

"About what?"

"The girl here says San was grabbed by Shuei Industrial."

"Why would they do that?"

"Just a small group of thugs running an illegal side operation. Snatching girls off the street."

The innkeeper looked at Ms. Aimai with concern.

"What did they do to her?"

"Don't know. She hasn't said anything and I'm not going to ask. We turned this over to the police."

Mrs. Kawamoto pulled Otonashi into an embrace, pressing her beer can to the small of Otonashi's back.

"Did they catch these criminals?"

"Who knows? We stumbled into Ms. Otonashi near the beach. She had an audio cassette given to her by one of her captors which I guess is some sort of confession he had made before helping her escape. We stopped by the police box but they were too busy dealing with something big. We left the cassette in their possession and went to dinner. I didn't want to explain over the phone that this was why we were so delayed. I felt Ms. Otonashi would appreciate a warm meal."

The way Ms. Aimai smoothly worked in her deception gave Kurumu chills.

"We serve warm meals here."

"Not from what I've experienced."

Mrs. Kawamoto pouted at the smirking succubus.

"Mie will make a warm breakfast for you tomorrow. Right, Takahashi?"

The guy tore his gaze away from Otonashi with a slight shake of his head.

"Uh… sure. Shouldn't… shouldn't we take San to the police."

"Don't be daft, Takahashi. You know this girl is too shy for police."

"Yea… but days, Marin. Days. A lot can happen to a girl missing that long."

Mrs. Kawamoto hugged Otonashi whom remained clinging to the older woman.

"She'll talk when she's ready."

"So how was your trip to Umishita?"

Ms. Nekonome snorted at Ms. Aimai's lighthearted inquiry.

"A waste of time. The office wasn't just abandoned. It was empty. There was no furniture. We stopped by the school to see if they could be of any help, but they didn't have any Fairy Tale documents not related directly to the school."

"Fairy Tale?"

Ms. Nekonome turned a thin smile upon Takahashi.

"It's the organization which sponsors the Happily Ever After program Ms. Otonashi is part of."

Takahashi shook his head with disbelief as Mrs. Kawamoto sighed.

"Where is this Umishita you've mentioned? I asked Mie about it, but she's never heard of it either."

"I've never heard of this Umishita either, but word on the street is that this Fairy Tale is bad news."

Ms. Aimai regarded Takahashi with interest.

"That's interesting. What would you know about Fairy Tale?"

The man shrugged with a haunted look in his eyes.

"Not much, Ma'am. But I do know some friends whom had some dealings with them. They're like some militant group, not much different than the yakuza."

Ms. Aimai snorted out a laugh, covering her mouth while shaking her head.

"That's rich. Fairy Tale no different than the yakuza."

"I'm just saying that's the word on the street."

"I guess that explains why you've never received funds for your ward, Mrs. Kawamoto. I'm so very sorry. It sounds like Lord Rokurou has decided playing crime boss is more fun than doing his job."

Mrs. Kawamoto sighed, releasing Otonashi.

"It's fine. Could you take those groceries inside with Takahashi, San? You'll be helping Mie in the kitchen tomorrow morning to make a wonderful breakfast for your friends."

Otonashi nodded, clutching her sketchbook and rubbing her eyes. She hopped over to Takahashi's side, stuffing her book into one of the bags before picking it up. Takahashi sighed, roughly pushing Otonashi aside to arrange the bags.

"Don't grab the heavy things. You'll just drop them again."

"I'll help."

Takahashi glanced up at Ginei. With a shrug, he set aside one of the paper bags.

"Suit yourself, kid."

"Me too."

Takahashi snorted at Tsukune's offer. Between the four of them, all of the bags were distributed with Otonashi only having to carry a loaf of bread. Takahashi led the boys around the back out of sight.

"That man is rude."

Mrs. Kawamoto sighed at Tora's assessment.

"He doesn't like dealing with San. He tells me all the time how she's only a liability to the inn."

"He's a jerk."

The innkeeper sighed again.

"Yea… but Jiro and his sister are like family to me. They came to our wedding."

"Oh? Is he related to your husband somehow?"

Mrs. Kawamoto laughed softly.

"I suppose. His sister broke my beloved's heart. And I was the lucky woman to put it back together."

"It's admirable that they both help you run this inn after his passing."

Mrs. Kawamoto laughed again, shaking her head. She retreated for the door.

"Oh, heavens no. Mie isn't Takahashi's sister. She's my husband's cousin and a good eight years older than the rest of us. Shina only stops by the inn on special occasions."

As everyone started to follow the innkeeper to the door, Kurumu tousled Yukari's locks.

"Nobody better forget that we are bathing with Otonashi tonight."