A Quiet and Eventful Peace

So, it looks like I'm only just shy of seven years late on this update. I'd like to say I was actively working on this during all this time, and it is the truth that I came quite close to publishing another chapter about two years back, before... worldwide events, but I won't lie and pretend that I'd hit a roadblock. Frankly, for a time, writing as a whole had deserted me as a concept. Now that life settled down, that I've gained a good job and pay my own way through life, it feels good to revive old passions and literate fixations. I think my style has changed a bit since then but I can't be sure; anyhow, please, let me know what you think.

And please enjoy a revived story with what I hope will be a monthly release. No promises, though, I'm afraid.

But again, enjoy:

Tsukune sat contemplative of the crisscrossing scars that hugged his midriff snugly in their numbing embrace. Forever did they serve a clear reminder that the history he lived, not once but twice, had the somberly defining characteristic of being fraught with danger – and beset by all manner of challenges, both large and small when considered within the bounds of normal human relationships, that in no sane case should lead one to be gutted akin to a fish just to save a friend from meddling danger. He pondered on that notion and, having taken note of the serrated curves less benevolent monsters left upon his flesh in the last year, was wholly determined to preempt what he knew was an oncoming disaster for the sake of alleviating that most unlucky of auras that swirled about him in perpetuity – his chronic inability to enjoy a noneventful week, or let alone a day, while in the company of those he cherished. With the trouble from Fairy Tale still far on the horizon, Tsukune posited it should be fitting that he made strives to avoid catastrophic misunderstandings, and learn from his mistakes where he could, and act upon those revelations his unique position afforded him to give himself leeway to enjoy teenagerhood.

In short, Tsukune asserted he earned his rest; he was prepared to pursue and make real what he knew he deserved: a fancifully peaceful vacation. Truly a luxurious notion given his circumstances and proclivity for summoning threats by his mere presence; but it must be reiterated, that in his own estimation if not in truth, he had a right at those wonderous, quiet evenings spent seated cross-legged on the edge of a darkened garden, watching Sakura petals bloom and blow about in melodious tandem with the soft whimpers of an eastern wind, and all that with Moka and Kurumu side by side; with Mizore mayhap sat by a cool stream in a corner where few eyes would intentionally seek her out and where she might feet at ease; and with Yukari enchanting cauldrons and candles from her spot unseen, conducting them to sway in an airborne orchestra she commanded by her wand's crowning of a witch-maestro.

Naturally, this was far from the season for such things, but the point stood dauntless and undiminished by that reality: happy and quiet enjoyment were his just rewards, and he was prepared to fight for them. Take for instance that; despite his seemingly pensive appearance, shriveled and hunched over form, fist tucked under chin in apparent passivity; he was very much alert, very much aware of the sneakily tiptoeing approach that took place by the shower door beyond his sight. The lightened scraping from that edge of a well-manicured, if indeed sharp-nailed foot, presaged an extremely uncomfortable evening – a sleepless night that would see his friends escorted by force back to Yokai to negate fears of humans discovering them, and himself separated from that most reliable circle of support he'd come to rely on.

He wouldn't have it be this way. History had already been changed. The Headmaster, ruthlessly dogmatic about keeping the fated flow of events intact so that neither Alucard nor his frothing, formless parent-body could divine in advance that their enemies were aware of their machinations, impressed upon Tsukune that he would not tolerate dissent. In so doing, that wrinkled mutli-centenarian willfully allowed one of his ex-employees to run amok and tear down the Academy by way of mirror-bound pixie mayhem for a second loathsome time.

What enraged the boy most of all from this, and by extension sparked the rebellious course he was presently upon, was when the Headmaster, in flagrant disregard for his own previous edict, had seen fit to send Tsukune back several days ahead of schedule. Certainly, it helped the human-turned-vampire tremendously, and he dutifully obeyed without complaint because of that benefit, as he could get acclimated to his time back home before the familiar scene of the monstrous gang barged into his home unannounced and made a mess. Nevertheless, his opinion was immutable: this made the Headmaster a hypocrite of the highest order.

It may be true that the supplementary time Tsukune had been allotted granted him the requisite cushion to weather the blow his mother Kasumi would feel at having all four girls present themselves at the Aono home, but that did not diminish Tsukune's dislike of the faux priest. It did in fact reinforce it, polishing his commitment to prevent this night from degenerating into an all-out brawl that would inconvenience the neighbors into filing a complaint. It was for that reason he felt no qualms over lying in wait and changing what was to happen by doing what ought to be done – denying Kurumu the chance to see him naked.

Apprehension boiled and rose in concert with the surging steam. It made him tense up just as it made the insides of his clenched fists ripple from the pressure, but when he heard fingers latch to the handle oh-so delicately and pull and that the door did not budge…

He relaxed. Content, he celebrated. This was a victory. A stupendous victory.

Not today, Kurumu. He mentally called out in smug cheer, or so he did up until he heard the gut-wrenching sound of something swift piercing air with the sharp whistle knives made. He could guess that Kurumu had extended her talons and prepared to cut the lock. He had to destabilize her.

"Hey, who's out there? It's occupied!"

The claws receded. "Tsukune, it's me~e," the tone was deliberately alluring, tempting him to come to the door. "Open up? I wan~na talk…"

That was unquestionably bait. Years of experience had taught him that opening the door now would make things far worse than they would've been had he allowed her access in the first place. And contrary to what his younger self would've done on the first go-around, duped by a perfect blend of childlike naivety and meddling hormonal curiosity, he chose to take the high road and sidestep the risk altogether.

He stayed put right there on that plastic seat and would finish his shower in peace. This was not debatable, and he would have her know as much.

"Can this wait? I'm a little busy."

"Tsukune~"

There it was: the playful whine. She was frustrated but concealed it well. This signaled that, while plainly willing to attack him in a state of undress, she would not strike out against the hinges or the frame of the door. She remained entirely civil; hence, Tsukune was comforted she would not escalate if he refused her outright.

"I'll be out in a little bit, so just hold on."

There were a few other trifling attempts and another quick call, yet Tsukune had been correct in his assessment and a defeated succubus relented and slinked back to her room morosely, her spaded tail proverbially tucked between her legs, thwarted by basic home security. The bulwark held; he was secure on the home-front.

"That's one done," Tsukune tallied as he rose from the seat and peered into the empty basin. Had he filled it with water prior and allowed his attention to wander to the door, he had no doubt he would presently be frozen in a block of ice. As it stood, he felt shivering overtake him which told him she was near. Leaning over the top, he checked the window lock was engaged and had stayed so to avoid the second menace from sliding her way into the water.

The goosebumps grew more pronounced on his arms and in the crook of his neck. He was prey, and he could tell the hunter was eyeing him from some unseen vantage point. He scanned the area outside; in the distance of the dim streetlight, he saw her or parts of her rather: brilliant and glittering blue eyes peering out from the side of a lamppost at about one story off the ground in a feat of impossible physics for a human being. Towel still firmly wrapped around him, he gave her a wave to let her know he noticed and shook his head as a sign of no consent. Whether Mizore acquiesced to the message or just realized she would need a new plan of attack, the two points of freezing blue vanished beyond the post and, presumably, vanished off the street completely in that instant.

That made two. Yukari wouldn't incite anything provided the first two behaved and Moka was a non-issue. With that final weight off his shoulders, he waited for the trickling of the warm water to be drawn fully before disrobing and slipping into the bath with a sigh. It felt nice to be able to take a proper shower after so long spent in the dorms. Frankly, he never realized how much of a good thing a private bath was until he was forced to relinquish that small comfort at the Academy.

This was joy. This was bliss.

He tipped his head and stared happily at the ceiling.

And came face-to-face with Akua staring back at him from above with a beaming smile…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kasumi had been passing by when she heard her son shout, and then there was an ominous silence that accentuated her worry. No crash nor bump, just the scream.

"Tsukune?" She rapped at the door worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"It's nothing, mom! Uh, just got some cold water splashed is all. I'm okay!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Be careful, alright?"

With that admonishment, Kasumi's shadow beyond the pane moved off to the left and vanished into the hallway.

With her gone and none the wiser, Akua and Tsukune were left to stare back at each other. He had been muffled after the scream. The first thing the vampire did after descending from the ceiling was press her hand into his face to avoid any further sound. Akua was thus perched over him with each of her boots pressing against the edges of the basin. She cleared her throat lightly, and to Tsukune's dismay, his own voice coughed up out of her windpipes and echoed just as it had previously placated his mother. Her smile was ever persistent.

"Pretty good impression of you, don't you think? I've been practicing."

She had been merciful enough to revert to her original pitch and tonality before devolving into praising herself, thankfully. Tsukune was prepared to cast her off and thereby permit himself to escape her clutches, but a detailed inspection of her face made him abandon that plan in haste.

There was something glacial about her. The smile was there, as was the pleasant aura she usually harbored when in his company. Yet still, her eyes vocalized a polar opposite emotion – he knew that to be the look of a trained killer, the sad legacy of the Shuzen's presented in full view of a potential victim.

"How far did you go with them? Those friends of yours."

She was eyeing him for any signs of deceit. If he didn't stay honest or took too long, Akua might do something drastic. He shook his head emphatically. That had the merit to make her shoulders sink a little bit in relief, the murderous eyes had opened to a less dangerous degree. Rather than ominous, the situation had simmered down to uncomfortable.

"And Moka?"

Moka? He titled his head in confusion; wasn't she aware Moka was the least likely to not respect clearly defined boundaries? His incredulity vocalized itself on its own:

"What?"

"D-don't look at me like that! I mean, did you two do anything? If so, how long have you two been doing that sort of stuff. And… how was she?"

His wide eyes met her clearly composed stare and did not miss a slight blush creep about her face. The former human chided himself; for the briefest of moments, he had forgotten was she was like, fundamentally. Tsukune relaxed entirely into the bath as he thought about it, Akua did have glaring… peculiarities.

He shook his head again.

"Aiya, do you need an engraved invitation or something?"

Her hand withdrew and she paced about the bathroom with her arms crossed and making nary a sound. Conscious of his father's rambunctious voice managing to cover up most sounds elsewhere in the house, Tsukune still made sure to speak in a voice low enough that only Akua could hear.

"What kind of question is that? We're barely… This is not something we should be discussing at this point in our lives. We're just highschoolers!"

There was a mournful sigh, but no other apparent movement on her behalf. She had frozen in the center of the room with her back obstructing his view still, and all Tsukune could see was her coat heave as she breathed.

"That… is understandable. That's the only thing stopping you?"

Bewildered. He fumbled a little at how to respond.

"Ye… N-no! It's also about chemistry, you know? How do we even know we like each other like that yet? And… can we stop discussing it?"

His plea went unheard. She peered over at him, gaze full of a meaning and purpose Tsukune could easily guess at and began to dread. The destination to this conversation was a dangerous one and he wanted to be well away from it.

"So then," she ventured skittishly as she hopped to within inches of the bath, "once you hit that time and it's confirmed that you and someone else do like each other, there is nothing that will get in the way, riiiiiight?"

"Akua… This is intensely personal and not something I can answer without thinking about…"

"Answer. Me."

"S-sure?"

"Great!"

She turned her back to him again. He could tell she was fumbling with something but did not opt to say anything else while she fiddled with whatever she caught in her hands. By the time he tried to clear his throat to say something, she had stopped.

"Tsukune… do you like me?"

There it was; the frightful terminus to the conversation. What would he opt to do? Give an answer and cause a commotion? Dodge an answer and create the same commotion regardless? Could there be much of an alternative? And even if he did answer, how could he apply the right nuance when with Akua of all people, one so famous for her lack of discernable tact in these matters. Although that was an unfair assessment, she could be tactful, she merely had a very frightful way of looking at things on occasion, and that could not bode well for anyone that became involved. Better to remain reserved.

"Look, that's a really difficult question to answer and I don't think…"

He interrupted himself. Not because she had chimed in with some form of complaint or shrill yell as he would've expected her to. In fact, had it been Kurumu or Mizore, they would've interrupted him on the spot and began bickering and arguing, lamenting that this conversation was not a fair one and his answer was thus invalidated by lack of experience in these intimate matters. Anyone else he'd known would've piped up and said something, anything.

Not Akua, no. She did not speak a word. All she had done was hold herself so tightly that she gripped herself by her shoulders; her frame, accordingly, sank in on itself and a gentle bobbing of her head told Tsukune all he had to know. It tore at his own heart. Refusing to answer, he realized, did not risk endangering the neighborhood, but all the while it did tear at something far more precious in Tsukune's own eyes. He was reminded of a little girl who carried a weight too mighty for any single person, whether mortal or immortal, and who tasked herself with watching over an adoptive little sister all by her lonesome, and who was never given the chance to be a child herself, only an adult that had not yet reach such a stature in years. That little girl he did cherish, as for the woman she became, who tried vainly to comfort herself before his own eyes…

Where was the harm is speaking firmly from the heart once in a while?

"I like you."

The bobbing head stopped. Tear-filled eyes darted upward to squint at him. For his part, he answered by resting his arms on the side of the tub. She had been unsure what he said, he wouldn't let a misunderstanding linger.

"I like you, Akua."

At those words, taken as an invitation, those moist eyes were inches away from his own in the next moment, and something soft firmly pressed against his lips.

Ah…

His technically first kiss. There it was, surging from amidst a flurry of pale skin rushing into his field of view. He reciprocated. Soon, both vampires closed their eyes as sharpened fang rubbed against sharpened fang, sharing a moment neither had expected. Eventually, locked lips parted reluctantly as Akua peeled herself from Tsukune's side.

Tsukune stared, dumbfounded, and then having processed what he had allowed to happen and encouraged mere seconds ago, prepared a carefully worded response.

"Akua…"

"No," she spoke firmly. There were no tears, only a beatific smile born of serene inner peace, "you said you weren't ready. I can wait. I will wait. And when you're ready, say the word, but…" He only realized then that they had, at some point during their kiss, interlocked their hands as she squeezed into his own hold. "You will never leave, I won't let you. Not through space. Not through time. You are mine, right?"

What was he to do other than placidly nod his assent? She left very little room to argue, and frankly there was but one answer he could give.

Her smile shone all the brighter, and with the sudden flash of predatory hunger across those deep puffy red eyes he had been engrossed with, he suddenly recalled that all throughout this encounter, he had been stark naked and Akua most likely caught several eyefuls of his frame. In a vain attempt at modesty, he tried to hide himself, in whole or even in part, from that voracious gaze.

"Aiya. Now, now…" She tilted her head to the side, and Tsukune a similar chill to the one he first underwent when Mizore had been stalking outside his window. "A little late for that? And sure, we'll need to have you train a lot more to get into propershape but…"

It was only then that his overworked mind, first shackled by embarrassment, then abject remorse, followed by a second heaping helping of embarrassment, finally caught up and realized that all of the buttons on Akua's coat had been undone, and from the small glimpses underneath, he idly wondered if the vampire assassin had not come into this shower with a very different plan in mind when she hovered over him.

Her hands hooked onto the edges, and with a slight blush and hungry eyes, spoke her last words of the evening to him.

"Before I go, how about a little tit for tat?"

Several minutes later, when Tsukune absentmindedly shuffled through the house in fresh clothes, staring about dazedly as he directed his sluggish form to crawl in the general direction of his childhood room and bed, one would've been forgiven for calling out to him and asking what could've possibly frazzled him into such a state of listless wonderment.

His reply? If ever he had a witness to ask him that question and then hear such a reply, would've gone something like this.

"Freckles."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning, Tsukune sat sipping coffee quietly. His parents had left. The house was about to be vacated of many others, or so he surmised after hearing the doorbell chime a few minutes after Kasumi had gone shopping and an hour or so after his father had gone off to work, only to find Ruby and Nurari at the door.

The Bus Driver was the first to speak between two puffs and a long chuckle.

"Hey kid, heard you had a monster problem."

While Ruby went to wrangle up the gang that refused to leave the comfort of their beds without malicious application of force, as shown by the frequent bumps and crashes the Bus Driver and Tsukune overheard as they sat at the kitchen table, the two chatted leisurely as the grim work was being conducted.

"Kind of stupid of ya to think we wouldn't just call them back anyway," the Bus Driver finally let out in a drawl.

"I had to try it," Tsukune shrugged.

"Mmm-hmm. Sure, I understand you'd stick up for yer little buddies. It's what friends are for."

"I don't want them to go back."

"Yep, that's what friends are for. Yer a good friend."

"Can we at least talk about it?"

"Do you think we're negotiating? If the Headmaster calls them back, I'm not going to argue, you know that plain as day."

"The least you can do is give them a chance."

There was a lazy cloud of smoke that bellowed up in retort.

"Believe it or not, we're doing ya a favor. Mother-in-law is about to blow her top and she has you squarely in her sights. It's probably best if the bunch gets to stay a couple cities away from the action while you and… ahem… your new squeeze make nice with mommy dearest."

"Wait," he exclaimed as another thud resounded, ensuring that other people in the house were too preoccupied to listen to their conversation, "Gyokuro is here? And…you were spying on me?"

The Bus Driver dismissed the notion.

"I can't take the credit. A little birdie gave us the gossip after a beak scratch from yer local ex-Knoll enthusiast."

Ruby knew. A frightful situation to be in.

"Ah… What did she say?"

The glowing grin somehow become more menacing to look at as the Bus Driver clearly relished what he was about to say. "You want it verbatim? Something along the lines of "he likes older women and that sort of play?" Hate to tell ya but I've never seen her this happy and driven. Ya ain't gonna have much luck dropping that one."

"Driven…"

"Heh, pardon the pun. I've had work on the brain, lately."

Very well, Tsukune could deal with that outcropping of problems later.

"What do we do about Gyokuro?"

"Absolutely nothing," the Bus Driver answered curtly. "I've got strict orders not to get involved and the Headmaster himself… well, let's put it this way, the reason why he's been so dead set about you not altering the timeline any more than what already happened is because yer antics and Akasha's whole big gamble already put us all in some deep waters. Figure it like this, it's taken the Three Dark Lords the cumulative goodwill of multiple hundreds of years with entities deeply involved with the proper functioning of time to keep all of us from getting mauled to death every time we enter a new room. That's been smoothed over but we don't want anyone else learning about yer little field trip across this particular reality. If Gyokuro seeks you out, ya play good host, be nice, offer her tea, keep her from eviscerating ya next of kin and we call it mission accomplished. Got it?"

"But what if things don't go as planned? What if Alucard shows up?"

"Kid, I'm telling ya all this because I figure yer smart and grown up enough to handle this maturely: don't be a hero."

With that dire warning doled out, Tsukune noticed the lack of a perturbance down the halls, indicating that Ruby had successfully detained the quartet. Quite so, glancing over into the hallway that connected the kitchen he sat in with the main entrance, he spotted Ruby dragging an ever more frantic Kurumu by the collar who was desperate to latch her extended claws into anything solid that might slow her abduction. She failed to gain that kind of purchase on any of the furniture, and conscientious that planting her nails into the wall would be a terrible idea – did not dare to attempt it.

He first locked eyes with Kurumu who pleaded for him, and then up to Ruby who since stalled, and sensing his gaze on the back of her head, leered in his direction with a deep blush and far-too-frank smile that made him wonder for the briefest of moments if she wouldn't strip down then and there and cause a scene.

Whether it was Tsukune just imagining the worst of Ruby's personality, the fact that the Bus Driver was also present and since turned the bright orbs that serve as his eyes to her, or just that she overall remembered that she had a duty to fulfill, she swiftly vanished out the front door.

"On that cheery note, seems we're all done exorcising yer house. Next time, try not to invite dreams demons into yer home, heh."

The jest went unappreciated. Tsukune sipped at his cup in silence while the Bus Driver left; and of course, the demonic chauffeur had some parting wisdom to call out before exiting the abode.

"Since yer a sucker for the blood sucking type this time around, see if ya can't mellow her out some; flipping her allegiance would probably win us this whole damn war before the first shot gets fired. Food for thought."

Tsukune was left to sit alone and listen to that yellow bus drift down the street onto more sinister pastures, he then reclined in his seat looking up; judging from the pitter-patter of footsteps on the roof his preternatural hearing picked up, he wouldn't be alone for very long. After a long sigh borne from a deep restlessness, he called out lightly to the shadow looming above his home.

"Akua."

In the next instant, she had descended through matter to rest upon an unoccupied chair next to his. Ensnaring his arm in hers, he placidly allowed her to do so and continued to drink his coffee in silence with his free hand; so sat the vampire couple, tranquil and undisturbed for an utterly uneventful morning and early afternoon.