The Ones Who Bump Back:
Pathos.
Pt. 2.
Chapter Two: Know Your Place.
Ben Tennyson was not one who usually followed others. In his life he was typically the leader of whatever posse he found himself with, thanks to his power with the Omnitrix and his overall capability as a leader, a trait his grandfather told him he naturally possessed. But given his situation and how far out of his element he truly was, he obediently followed the path of Touka Kirishima as she lead the way to their destination. She hadn't exactly told them where they were going after leaving Anteiku, or even what their current objective was in their mission. All Ben saw was she was leading them towards a subway tunnel.
"Stop being a child, Touka," Annabeth berated her, clearly not having the same patience as Ben (which one would have figured would be the other way around) "and tell us where you intend to take us."
"We need a certain item," Touka replied, "and the only way to get it, is to find a vampire."
"A vampire?" Ben asked.
"Yes," Touka replied. "Most vampires are a good source of magical information. They're easily the most powerful race in the Dark Realm and can get us what we're looking for. We need a particular relic if we're going to understand how these victims have had their mana affected."
"But my cousin already scanned their mana," Ben replied, "and she couldn't find anything aside from... you know, how they're not normal."
"I understand," Touka replied. "Your cousin is one of the most powerful spellcasters on the planet. However, she knows jack squat about looking in the right places for stuff from the Dark Realm. She's never danced with the devil, if that's how the saying goes."
Despite his confidence in Gwen, Ben figured it was probably not the best to argue with somebody who actually lived in this Dark Realm, and instead merely take her word for it moving forward. "So you happen to know a vampire to ask?" he asked.
"I do," Touka replied. "Whether or not she's willing to work with us is another matter."
"Touka," Annabeth said, "are you talking about Moka?"
"Moka and Touka?" Ben asked, a smirk on his face. Even Danny, walking next to him, snickered.
"Yes, our names rhyme," Touka said, "good for you, you noticed. Not like you're one to talk."
"I know," Ben laughed. "Just funny being on the opposite end of that for once."
"Touka," Annabeth said, ignoring their immaturity, "have you and Moka actually talked recently? Like, at all since you split up?"
"Not really," Touka said.
"And you're going to ask her for help anyway?" Annabeth replied.
"What choice do I have?" Touka replied in annoyance. "You were all so adamant that I take part in this little crusade of yours, and this is the only way to move forward. She has what we need, and we have to get it. Besides, giving how much of a bleeding heart she is, she'll more than likely listen either way."
Annabeth sighed heavily. Ben and Danny looked to one another. "Do you know what this is about?" Ben asked. "Not really," Danny replied. "Never met a vampire before."
Danny himself had transformed back into his human form upon the group leaving Anteiku. His hair was now black, but still kept in its frontward spike. His outfit was now consisting of a white hoodie over a pair of plain blue jeans, with the legs tucked into a pair of red and white strapped boots.
"So be sure," Touka said, "to watch where you step boys. I wasn't joking before when I mentioned that vampires are the most powerful creatures of the Dark Realm. The amount of raw energy they possess is something to not only be feared, but respected."
She aimed her gaze back at the silent gents. "So remember once we meet her," she said, "know your place."
With those grim words hanging in the air for a moment, a subway car suddenly pulled up that Ben hadn't seemed to recognize. It looked old and decrepit, painted a pure jet black seemingly for emphasis. Touka gestured for them to get on, depositing four gold coins in the turnstile, before stepping through herself, Annabeth following right after. Ben and Danny just seemed to look confused.
"Uh…" Ben said. "That thing doesn't look regulation."
"That's because," Touka replied, "it's from the Dark Realm, Mr. Hero. This thing can take you to and from any major city you choose so long as you pay. It also helps if you get on before the train departs, because naturally, these things don't typically wait very long."
"You heard her!" Danny said, shoving Ben up ahead, having taken the hint! The two stepped onto the train, which pretty much left the moment they got on! The force of speed nearly threw both Ben and Danny from their feet, Annabeth helping keep them both upright by acting as a buffer, hanging on by the strap on the upper rail!
Ben looked out the window, only to find a dull, blood red glow outside! "Okay," he said. "So, basic teleportation. Got it."
"Magic," Touka replied.
"Whatever," Ben replied. "I'm coping right now. Still not used to the whole, you know, hidden world of monsters and stuff."
"You'll get used to it," Danny replied. He took a seat next to Touka, who looked somewhat uncomfortable about the prospects of sitting close to him.
Ben and Annabeth sat next to each other in the seat across from them, Ben's eyes appearing to be drifting around. Normally he would have just been looking at the world passing by outside, but because the only thing out there was pure red, he found he could not. His finger tapped impatiently on his knee, his attention span running amok as he desperately tried to find something to preoccupy himself.
Annabeth seemed to notice his uncomfortability. She could empathize a bit, but she still didn't deny how it was to see him of all people almost more panicked than Percy had been when he first found himself in the world of gods or monsters. She gave him a bit of a nudge to get his attention, tapping her shoulder against his, causing his forest green eyes to connect with her gray ones, latching him into place with a stare.
"Just relax," she said. "We'll be there before you know it."
"Relax?" Ben asked. "What makes you think I'm not relaxed?"
"You're jittering," Touka replied. "Even we can see."
Ben seemed offended. "It's nothing," he said, with a shake of his head. "I just didn't sleep well last night. In part, because a certain ghost woke me up in the wee hours of the morning."
Danny looked away. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said.
Ben smirked. "Just give me some time," he said. "I may be a bit out of it with all this monster stuff that I haven't gotten used to. As soon as I get the chance to kick some butt, you'll all see just what I can do when I'm in my element."
"Well it'll take awhile," Touka replied. "Because we're not going to be in your element once we get off this train. We'll be in hers."
Jake Long was starting to have a headache. This was not proving worthwhile whatsoever. He had chosen this particular mission because it had been brought to him by a powerful member of the Dark Realm, for a particular reason. And according to his grandfather's guidance, he did not simply turn down a request from a vampire.
But the particular mission they were on at the moment was not exactly proving successful. Reason why? Demons.
The mission that Jake and the vampire he was working with involved meeting with a trio of demons; Mammon, Asmodeus, and Pythius. The demons had asked for them to meet in a casino in Las Vegas and play a game of cards, then they might make an arrangement thereafter. Naturally, Jake and his partner had to accept. The only problem with that is that demons cheated.
For nearly half a dozen rounds Jake had been losing over and over against the demons. He didn't know how, but the demons had to have been cheating. Probably magic if Jake had to guess. The only thing that could be done moving forward was to play along as long as they could and think of a way to outsmart the monsters.
"In what plane of existence does four of a kind lose?" Jake said, rubbing his brow, after losing a sixth time. The lead demon, Pythius, dragged the stacks of bills and chips over towards him, indicating his victory.
The demons both did and did not look like stereotypical demons. They had the long horns on their foreheads, but their skin was a grayish olive color, not bright red. They wore no clothing, but they did have loin-cloths to at least cover some modesty, and their eyes glowed a deep red.
"Too-too bad, Akashiya!" Asmodeus, a smaller, more lanky demon laughed at Jake's vampire partner, whom the demons naturally assumed was the one calling the shots in this deal. "Your pet dragon isn't good enough!"
"Have you gained weight?" Mammon, a larger, deeper voiced demon asked. "It looks good on you!" he added, licking his lips wantingly.
Jake's vampiric companion, Moka Akashiya, yelped quietly at the demon, slipping further into her seat. Jake shot a look at her, aware that normally Moka appeared as a kind, innocent, and somewhat naive girl with long pink hair. Her Yokai Academy uniform had been set aside in favor of some casual attire that consisted of a pair of black waist shorts, long brown boots, a white button-up shirt, under a long pink trench-coat. But to those aware and kept in the loop, she wore a collar that held a rosary around her neck.
"Why not let your other half play a few hands, Moka?" he asked. "Might change my luck." Jake was referring to the fact that Moka had her personality split into two-halves, her more warm and welcoming side sharing a body with a cold, seductive, and violent side.
"Uh… I don't think that'd be a good idea," Moka said. "I'm only here to find a relic and go home."
"But you're here now," Jake said. "So why not help the Am-Drag actually win some rounds?"
"This was your idea," Moka replied. "I didn't want any part of this."
"You know," Jake said, "despite being in your nice side right now, that was really hurtful. Plus, yo brought the job to me, I was just following the path of least resistance!"
"But," Moka said sadly, "I never agreed to gamble!"
"Kids, kids, you're boring me!" Pythius said. "And I shouldn't be saying that when looking at a vampire and a dragon in the same room together! So let's play another hand!"
With telekinesis, he shuffled the deck and dealt out cards to everyone save for Moka, who was still not playing. Pythius saw that his hand was not the greatest, with 2 of diamonds, 4 of clubs, 7 of diamonds, 9 of hearts, and an ace of spades. He looked up and saw as Jake bet everything he had into the pile. Pythius looked back to his hand, and in a flash, changed it to a 10, jack, queen, and king of spades to go with his ace.
"Looks like my luck's still running high!" he laughed. "This game's as good as mine, dragon! And looking at the clock, I think our next group is due to arrive, so it looks like time to bust you out!" He put everything he had, which was everything that'd been won thus far, into the center pile!
"No cards for me," he said. "And it looks like you can't call my bet, salamander. By my rules, you lose!" he said, reaching for the stack in the center of the table. Moka, however, put her hand over the demon's, keeping him from taking the stack. "I raise," she said, a little more serious than her once meek manner from before.
"With what?" the demon asked. "Your soul? That fractured and broken soul of yours isn't worth two bits."
"Not two bits!" Asmodeus laughed.
"Not my soul," she said. "My blood. The blood of a Shinso Vampire should be worth something, shouldn't it?" she asked, batting her eyelashes for good measure. "And since a Shinso Vampire is more than powerful enough in its pure essence to take down any powerful demon lord..."
"Now with that in mind," Jake added smugly, " it looks like you're the one who's out, eh, Pythius?"
The three demons huddled together to discuss the bargain. "What do you say boys?" Pythius asked.
"I like the action," Mammon said. The three of them put their arms together, and began chanting demonic tongues. Finally, a scythe that appeared made out of bone appeared in front of them in a wave of fire!
"I call," Pythius said, holding out the scythe.
"Yo, what?" Jake asked. "A broken down scythe for the blood of a Shinso Vampire? Are you outta your flipping mind?"
"Aye," Pythius said. "This is a reaper's scythe! A weapon capable of stealing any creature's soul with one fell swipe! I'd say that's more than fair!"
Jake raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" he said. "I'd be a poor sport if we turned down that 'fair' wager." He laid down his hand, showing a 3 of diamonds, 7 of diamonds, 5 of clubs, 2 of hearts, and a 2 of clubs.
The demons laughed at how bad it was! "Boy was that pitiful!" Pythius said. "Now get a load of - what!?" He laid down his own hand, only to find it restored to normal.
Pythius aimed his eyes upward, and caught sight of Moka waving around a pentagram over her finger as she sat back casually in her chair, she and Jake sharing a laugh. "Hope they got an eye doctor in H-E-double hockey sticks," Jake laughed, taking the scythe off the table. "Cause' that hand just lost."
"You cheated!" Pythius roared, slamming a fist down that was strong enough to crack the table apart, scattering chips and bills everywhere, as Jake and Moka were knocked onto their rears, the scythe slipping from Jake's hands! "Technically both sides cheated!" Jake said. "We just cheated better!"
Pythius roared again, throwing a punch which Jake ducked! He kicked at Pythius's side, and punched him in the chin, but the demon picked him up by his collar and slashed at his chest, before tossing him into a wall!
Jake fell down, groaning comically, and looking at his shredded jacket! "Aw man!" he said. "This thing is my identity! You can't just take that from - yikes!" He hastily rolled away as Mammon tried to crush him like a maddened gorilla! Jake roundhouse kicked the demon in the face, whom merely roared in anger, the kick having no effect!
Jake backflipped away, kicking Mammon again in the process, doing a few more flips before hiding behind the bar counter! "Okay," Jake said, "time to heat things up!" Asmodeus ran at him from his left, before Jake vaulted over the bar counter!
"Dragon Up!"
In a burst of fire, Jake transformed into his pure dragon form, slashing at Mammon's eyes! The demon roared, as Jake further punched him in the gut, and tossed him at Asmodeus! Both demons crumpled to the ground, as Pythius ran at him next and breathed fire at him! Jake retaliated with his own jet of flames, which met each other in the air, but neither got the better of the other!
Jake poured on more and more heat from inside of him, eventually overtaking Pythius's fire and causing the demon to fly right into the glass window, cracking it and slowly crumpling! "Aw yeah!" Jake laughed happily. "You try to outfire the Am-Drag, and you get burnt, bud! That's right! That's right-aw!"
Mammon tackled into him, and Asmodeus added by slamming him in the head, Jake grabbed Mammon with his tail, around his neck, and tossed him into Asmodeus, getting the both of them off of him! Asmodeus got up first, and stabbed Jake's gut multiple times with claws! Jake's tough dragon hide withstood the hits, but it still hurt! Jake shot a stream of fire into Asmodeus's eyes, before slamming him in the head with a punch, and roundhouse kicking him away!
Mammon and Pythius tackled him simultaneously, crushing him into a wall, before Jake punched them both in the face, and swiped them away with his tail! "Uh… Moka?" Jake asked. "I don't suppose I can get some vampire help here?"
"Sorry Jake," Moka replied, hiding behind a pillar, "but that's probably not the best idea right now. I don't want another murderous monster on the loose."
Jake sighed in exasperation, as Mammon and Asmodeus charged at him! Jake flew over them, and breathed fire from above! The two demons were engulfed, dropping from the wall of flames! Pythius jumped over and grappled with Jake in midair, before Jake tossed him into a pillar!
Jake landed in front of Mammon and Asmodeus, delivering another roundhouse kick with slashed their heads off their necks with his claws! "Aw… gross," Jake said.
Pythius pushed himself back up, seeing his partners beaten. He looked over and saw Moka still cowering behind a pillar, next to where the reaper's scythe still sat. He grinned wickedly as he ran over to it, but Moka stood in his way!
"Oh please!" he laughed. "What do you think you're going to do to me, Akashiya!? You're hopeless! You're useless with that rosario around your neck!" He reared back a fist, and delivered a punch right for her head!
A mighty 'slam!' echoed in the room. Pythius looked on in surprise and silence, as Moka had grabbed the punch, not reacting whatsoever as the hit connected with her hand. She pushed the fist back, causing Pythius to groan and swear in pain, until finally she cracked his wrist. "Actually," she said. "That doesn't apply anymore. I've made peace with my inner self."
She grinned wickedly, as her true vampire essence flared in her body! A geyser of black and red energy surged throughout her form, her hair turning silver with but slivers of pink highlighting her tips, and her eyes glowed before settling upon a deep red in place of her gray! And her form overall became more voluptuous and beauteous to the eyes.
"Playing the cutesy side does wonders for letting your guard down, doesn't it?" she asked, her voice deeper and more adult, fitting with her more adult appearance.
"B-but… h-how…?" Pythius asked, unable to put up any sort of a fight as Moka gazed into his eyes in a way that drained every ounce of fight he had inside of him. "Your... rosary!"
"Oh this?" Moka asked, pulling on the rosary on her collar. She plucked it off with a 'click' and crunched it in her hand! "It's a fake."
"It's a long story, big boy. A story you won't be able to hear. And by the way, my name isn't 'Akashiya.' It's 'Shuzen.' As in the Shuzen bloodline."
She hissed like a wild animal as she dug her fangs deep into his neck, ripping out a chunk of his neck large enough to cause his head to topple off of his body! She dropped the body, and with a snap of her fingers, a vacuous, black hole ringed by fire appeared in the floor and sucked Pythius right into it! At the same time, Mammon and Asmodeus were dragged into it too!
"You're ass is grass Shuzen!" Mammon's head yelled. "And we're the lawnmowers!" Asmodeus yelled. Finally, the demons were dragged into the portal, which snapped shut in a burst of flames behind them.
Moka wiped her lips and walked over to the reaper scythe, picking it up and looking it over. As she did, Jake transformed back into his human form and walked over to her, holding his side. "And you only chose now to transform?" Jake asked.
Moka looked at him, before hiding the scythe behind her back with her hands clasped together in a bashful stance. "You were doing so well," she replied, giving an innocent grin. "I didn't want to upstage the 'Am-Drag' in the middle of a fight. Besides, it all ended out well for us, didn't it? We beat the demons, sent them back to Hell so they may continue their eternal torment and got the reaper's scythe. What's the problem?"
"I know, I know," Jake said. "You don't have to rub it in."
Jake hated to admit it, but stuff like this was regular for Moka. He had known Moka for a time, as she had made a number of meetings with Jake and his family growing up, seeking his aid as a dragon. Dragons were the "guardians" of the Dark Realm. They met the ranks of "S-Class" monsters, but were nearly extinct by this point due to being hunted and slain by groups like the Forever Knights and the Huntsclan. All because of some outer godlike entity that had nothing to do with natural dragons.
Regardless, the "alpha" dragons were still sought out for help on occasions by other monsters thanks to their ancient history and rich power. Vampires scarcely ever did so, since they basically succeeded where dragons fell since they had thrived as the dragons were going extinct. But as was clearly evidenced, Moka was different.
Overall, Jake and Moka had gotten a bit of a partnership going for them. A partnership that typically amounted to Moka using Jake as muscle for the majority of their cases, because of her previous inability to access her true vampire powers while wearing her rosary that had been given to her when she was an infant. But now that she could access her true form whenever she wanted, being in that form most of the time, she still let Jake do her work for her until she finally just got bored of sitting on the sidelines.
That was the main thing that Jake had learnt about Moka's true self growing up. She enjoyed playing around with him, taking shots or making fun at his expense, and overall just making Jake feel uncomfortable. She did like him, and he in turn did like her, but she merely enjoyed playing around with him more than he would prefer.
It was honestly a conundrum. Jake was used to seeing Moka as kind and warm most of the time, which she still was. Only now she also had this tomboyish edge that made Jake feel like he was now looking at a similar, but different person.
"Oh come now Jake," Moka said, skipping over to him and throwing her arms around his neck playfully, gazing into his eyes in a very flirtatious manner, giving into her true vampire side. "Since you did such a good job today, I'll treat you to your favorite meal back at my home. You can even lounge around in the living space and watch all those cartoons of yours."
"Yo, dawg!" Jake said, backing away, looking heavily insulted. "How many times do I gotta tell you! They are not cartoons! They are anime! Totally different!"
"Don't pretend like you don't like my suggestion," Moka said, analyzing her nails.
"Oh I do!" Jake said. "But please, be politically correct."
Moka released that laugh of hers that would positively cause any man (and some women) melt in delight. "As you wish," she said proceeding to walk over to his side and putting a hand to his shoulder. "But one more thing," she added. Jake was flummoxed for a moment, before Moka promptly bit down on his neck and drained a bit of his blood, groaning and shuddering in discomfort!
She released him after a moment, with a loud "pop!" being heard, and licked her lips in delight! Jake nearly fell from his feet, his eyes in spirals at the sensation of his blood being drained! "Ah, the blood of a dragon," Moka said lovingly, the pitch of her voice rising in delight. "As hot as the best curries!"
As Jake still tried to regain his bearings, Moka grabbed his wrist and tugged him along behind her. "Okay, okay," she said, "in all seriousness, now let's repay you for your work."
"Why do you gotta screw with me so much?" Jake asked. "Why don't you take my work seriously?"
"Hm?" Moka asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, how about this? You're such a good kid! You did so well today!"
"That hurts even more!" Jake said, crumpling in defeat. "We're both the same age!"
Moka merely continued to snicker proudly to herself, as she lead Jake back to her home. With a wave of her hand and a speck of her blood, the doorway to the casino turned into a spiral gateway that lead her straight back to her home, Jake stumbling in after. Standing on the other side, Moka sighed in delight at the sight of her beloved home, an appropriately large castle, not outright gothic, but an impressive sight to say the least. A large, proud structure that sat in the middle of a realm settled in perpetual twilight, that was inaccessible to any who did not have special permission.
Moka lead Jake inside, through the massive doors that separated the inside from the out, which automatically swung open with a low creaking sound, leading them straight to a deep entryway that stretched deeper into the heart of the castle, where the amphitheater sat like a standard throne room. The first thing that Moka had to ensure was that the scythe was put aside safely.
But upon entering, both Moka and Jake saw a sight that left them speechless. Inside, in the entrance hall, was the team consisting of Touka, Ben, Annabeth and Danny. "Sup?" Ben greeted, waving casually at them.
Jake was left baffled, looking at the group curiously. Some he recognized, Ben being the obvious one. But others like Annabeth, he did not. Moka was shocked herself, which showed on her face, before it hardened and she looked at them with harsh criticism.
"H-hey, Moka," Annabeth waved.
"Annabeth," Moka said. Her eyes were focused intensely on Touka, who was standing there calmly during the whole exchange.
"Hey Moka," Touka said as well.
"Hello Touka," Moka replied. Her face softened and she looked at Touka with a calm expression. "I take it you haven't met my friend here," she added, gesturing to Jake. "This is the dragon boy that I've brought up in the past: Jake Long."
"Y-yo, waddup?" Jake greeted, sensing the unease in the room.
"Hi Jake," Danny waved.
"You two know each other?" Ben asked.
"Yeah," Jake replied. "Had a mad run-in with a ghost dragon a while ago."
"Seems most people know each other in one way," Ben said to himself. "Even still, nice to meet you."
"And you're Ben Tennyson~" Moka said, intrigue deep in her tone, stepping before him, setting the reaper's scythe on a nearby dresser. "My, this is a surprise. I take it my associates let you in."
"Yeah," Ben replied casually. "Gotta say, this is basically everything I imagined a vampire's home would look like. In a good way."
"And my father was alright with having mortals saunter in?" Moka asked.
"Actually," Touka replied, "daddy Shuzen wasn't even here."
"Hm," Moka hummed thoughtfully. "Curious." She stepped over to Touka, and looked her right in the eye. "I know that you wouldn't have come here without a reason, Touka. Whatever you have going on with your friends here, (well, friends probably isn't the right word given who you are) is between you. But let me say, what happened between us is over and done with now. I accept your apology."
Everyone in Touka's group suddenly looked very uncomfortable. Touka herself did not visibly react aside from her gaze aiming downward. Moka noted this, as an eyebrow raised on her face.
"Uh… Hot Mocha?" Jake said, using a bad nickname he'd coined for her. "Something tells me that ain't why they're here."
"He's right," Touka said with a nod. "We came here because we need the Somnus Charm."
Moka's eyes widened, as her previous angered expression returned. "Un. Be. Liev. A. Ble," she said slowly. "After all the… everything you've… you have the gaul to come back here for one of my family's belongings. And without anything so much as an apology!"
"If it's any consolation," Touka replied, "I wouldn't have even come here at all if not for them!" she added, gesturing over her shoulder at her companions.
Moka's expression suddenly changed into one of pure fury upon hearing that! Everyone else shook in fear. "Oh," Danny said, "I think she just effed up."
Sure enough, the next instant, Touka was knocked into the air and flew backward toward the farthest wall at the end of the hall, slamming against it with a loud echo, and dropping to the ground with a grunt! Moka, who had frozen in her pose upon kicking Touka into the air, adjusted herself so she was standing normally and dusted off her coat. She walked calmly over toward the winded Touka, everyone else merely staring at her in surprise, not quite sure what they should do. Moka crouched down in front of Touka, who looked back up at her with her eyes in their natural ghoul appearance.
"Now you," Moka said quietly, "can go screw yourself. You honestly think you can just sashay into my castle as if nothing is wrong and take my things without so much as an apology for what you did last time?"
Touka released a growl, throwing a fist against the ground in anger! "That was not my fault!" she said angrily, eyes still black and red. "You know that wasn't on me!"
"Then whose fault was it?" Moka asked.
"Jeez," Ben said firmly, "is there any person Touka knows that she hasn't managed to turn against her in some way?"
"Honestly…" Danny replied, "no." Ben merely rolled his eyes. Relenting to his fate, he walked over towards the girls, finding himself in the role of moderator once again.
"Okay you two," he said, "that's quite enough. Now I have no clue what happened between you both, and I have only heard of the Dark Realm today, but like you said Moka, what happened in the past has to stay in the past, because quite frankly we don't have the time to continue arguing."
Moka raised a brow as she looked Ben over. "And what, pray tell," Moka said, "brings you to the Dark Realm in the first place, Ben Tennyson? You looked so cozy being the popular superhero that you were."
"Well," Ben replied, "there's been something going on back in… what, the 'Light Realm' or whatever? Basically, a good amount of people have had their mana infected by something and we need to figure out what caused it. This thing has reached the Ghost Zone too, according to what Danny has told me. And apparently, Touka thought that you had something we need in order to investigate. I can tell already that this is going to take a lot of convincing, but do you think you could give us this… Charm?"
Moka still looked thoughtful, merely staring into Ben's eyes. "You don't have to do it for her," Ben said, "but just do it for the people that need it."
"And what makes you think," Moka replied, finally breaking eye-contact with him and turning her head to the ground, eyes shut and a confident smile on her face, "that I care about humans whatsoever? What makes you think that I wouldn't take satisfaction in the number of people that are sick and dying because of what you described?"
Ben was taken aback. He was honestly stunned that she would take in such a manner. Or take such pride in it. But his face regained a sense of firmness as he continued looking at her and came up with an answer.
"Because," he said, "we're here in the first place." Moka perked up and looked at him as he continued. "Because I don't think Touka would take us here if she didn't know you would be willing to help us in this investigation. Because if she knew you were as mad at her as you turned out to be, you really wouldn't offer your help for her own sake, but for the sake of the people being affected."
"And if it turns out that you really don't care about the human lives at stake, you would no doubt do it for the Dark Realm. Because what's going on here has to do with the Dark Realm too. And I know that when my home is in danger, I won't hesitate to do anything in my power to make sure it is safe."
Moka looked utterly stunned by what Ben said. She could only blink and stare in awe. Even Touka and the other boys looked surprised. The only one that didn't look stunned silent was Annabeth, who had a smile on her face upon hearing what he said.
"Okay," Moka said, a smile on her face indicating her personality equalizing out. "Fair enough. I'll give you the Somnus Charm."
"Thank goodness," Touka said under her breath.
"But there is one condition," Moka replied smugly. "I have to come with you."
"Oh for the love of me!" Touka said, gripping her hair. "Why? Why do you want to even be near me anymore after all that?"
"Not you," Moka said, gesturing over to Ben. "Him."
"Me?" Ben replied.
"Yes," Moka said. "You got me interested Ben Tennyson. Now I want to see what else you have to offer."
"Hold up," Jake said, raising a hand. "If we're really doing this, can I come too? Because, I really want to see what happens next."
"It's okay with me," Moka shrugged.
"Same here," Ben added.
"I suppose he could be helpful," Annabeth added.
"Having the dragon on the scene could be fun," Danny said with a thumbs up.
"Brilliant," Touka growled. "As if we weren't running a risk of drawing attention to us as it is, now we have a dragon and a vampire to add to the mix."
She commenced brooding by leaning against the wall as Moka continued on to get the charm they needed, the only thing from this encounter that seemed to be working out in their favor as far as the ghoul was concerned. Annabeth looked at her with a reproachful gaze, before her expression softened looking closer to her. "Touka," she said, "your eyes."
"Huh?" Touka asked. She peeked at her reflection in a nearby display shield, and saw that her eyes were in fact still black and red. "Oh great," she said, rubbing her eyes and trying to relax herself. It was only now that she realized that her pulse was still racing, and her stomach was gnawing.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and promptly tensed up. She opened her eyes and saw Annabeth glaring at her with that fierce analysis that she would often pull with those damned gray eyes of hers. "You haven't been eating right, have you?" she asked firmly.
Touka broke eye-contact with her, that same stoic mien on full blast. "I have," she replied. "So you can quit suspecting me."
"Don't lie to me Touka," she said. "I can tell that you haven't been eating right. Why else would your eyes still be like that? Besides, knowing you, you can take a hit. Something like that shouldn't have phased you as much as it did, even if it was a kick from Moka."
"What're they talking about?" Ben asked.
"Remember what we said," Danny asked, "about ghouls having to eat human meat in order to live?"
"Yeah," Ben said, before realizing what he just said. "Wait, does that mean she hasn't-?"
"It's not as messy as it sounds," Danny replied. "Typically they don't get… fresh meat. But even still, not eating right can really mess up a ghoul."
"I can hear you assholes," Touka growled.
"Ignore them," Ananbeth said, "and pay attention to me for just two seconds."
"We don't have the time!" Touka said. "We just need to focus on the job. The sooner we get it done and figure out just what's happening, the sooner I can head back home."
Annabeth looked like she wanted to argue, but merely threw up her hands and turned to walk away, allowing Touka to lean back against the wall once more. The boys looked between the girls with nervous looks, Ben namely throwing Annabeth a sympathetic expression. He walked over to her and put a hand to her shoulder.
"You gonna be okay?" he asked. Annabeth looked at him, Ben almost feeling intimidated with the rate of power behind her eyes, but was able to stand his ground as he looked at her.
"I'll be fine," Annabeth replied. "It's just… have you ever had a friend, like, a really good friend, that you wished you could help in some way but they just shut you off at every turn and won't let you in, even if you know what you can do to help them?"
Ben looked at her firmly for a moment, before offering a shrug. "Something like that," he replied.
"And how did you handle it?" Annabeth asked.
"We nearly killed each other," Ben replied. Annabeth balked at Ben's response, before he continued. "But then," he said, "I saved him. Even if I thought he was too far gone."
Annabeth looked at him with a curious look now, silently asking what he meant. But, that was before Moka reentered the room. "I'm back," Moka said. "I trust you all have been playing nice?"
"Well," Jake replied, still looking at the exchange between Annabeth and Ben, before his gaze returned to the still sulking Touka, "depends on who you ask."
"I see," Moka said. "Well, I hope for those that are still having trouble adjusting," she said, throwing a glance Touka's way, "we get over it quickly. Whether we like it or not, we're a team now and we'll have to work together from here on out. So, let's get this show on the road, shall we kiddies?"
Ben felt a particular aura coming off of Moka as she turned and gestured for them to follow her. A wave of confidence and pride, as if she were suddenly the leader of the Magnificent Seven. It was a wave that sent a chill down his spine as he looked her in the eye. Those ruby red eyes that seemed to have unlimited control that ebbed its way into his head.
This was a vampire, plain and simple. The way that she looked at him with those eyes pulled up every record of vampires that Ben had heard of from movies or shows or comics that spoke of how they could hypnotize a person with just a look in the eyes. And to be frank, while Ben had stood up against megalomaniacs, monstrous aliens, or would-be conquerors, that one look from Moka was enough to honestly make Ben just the slightest bit… afraid.
A/N: And so we meet Moka Akashiya/Shuzen and Jake Long. These two are the other two characters that I knew to put in as soon as I conceived this story. In fact, Moka was one of the main characters I knew I wanted to put in with Ben, as the others just sort of fell into place.
In case some of you are confused about why Moka can access her true vampire powers on her own, this takes place after the second act of the story, during what is called the "After Story." In terms of canonicity, however, I'm taking it fairly loosely. In regards to certain plot elements or characters, it's, again, a loose interpretation (partly because I've yet to finish Rosario+Vampire). The most you need to know is that Moka is in her state where she has made peace with herself and both aspects of her identity are as one.
Jake is a more easy case, however. Like with Danny or Ben, he's after everything is said and done in his story.
In case you're wondering all the character's ages, pretty much all of them are around 17, with Ben being one year after Ultimate Alien's finale, Annabeth is 17 during/after the events of Heroes of Olympus, Touka is 17 at the start of Tokyo Ghoul, and the others are up in the air. I can't recall if/when we heard Moka's age, so I put her in the same range, while Danny and Jake are the only ones up in the air, considering they're said to be 16 around the end of their respective shows, despite Danny Phantom never making it apparent. So, you can say they're the youngest in the group, but I'm willing to put them about 17 as well.
So these are the six main characters that shall lead our story! If you're hoping to see more in the future, just let me know! I'm willing to include a few more here and there, namely a witch/wizard but I'm stuck on that one. So feel free to leave suggestions for other characters you'd like to join our heroes, feel free to let me know! And any other scenarios you'd like to see as well once "Pathos" is over, please let me know as well!
I hope you did enjoy this chapter, and thank you for reading!