A/N: Busy busy busy at work, which killed my pace a little. Sorry for the delay.

Enjoy!


The storm broke overnight. Ikko woke to the rushing of waves instead of the drone of rain, the chatter of early morning beachgoers instead of the roar of wind, the smell of salt instead of the stench of damp.

He also woke with Gin's foot in his face, which rather dulled his enthusiasm for such delights. Wriggling out from the double bed, Ikko flopped onto the floor with an exhausted groan. He had barely slept, and the drunken arrival of the eldest of the men several hours after he'd turned in hadn't helped. Stumbling into the bathroom, he splashed his face, brushed his teeth, and pulled on the jeans he'd discarded the night before to sleep. Looking in the mirror proved a challenge with how his hair tangled in front of his face, so he shuffled around the snoring lads and located the hair tie Ruby had loaned him, bundling his hair up before leaving them to whatever kind of hangover monsters suffered.

The remains of the party were scattered about the lobby, and judging by the 'OPEN' sign facing into the building, hanging on a nail in the front door, Marin had decided to stay closed. Stifling a yawn, Ikko picked up a few of the plates, balanced some glasses on top of it, and made his way over to the kitchen.

"Morning!" Ruby called, her back turned as she returned plates to their cupboards. San saw him first, waving suds-soaked hands and scrambling to dry them.

"Morning, you two," Ikko set them down on the counter next to her, then located a dishcloth to help Ruby, "You didn't suffer as bad as the guys?"

"They were a bit much on the liquor, weren't they?" Ruby clicked her tongue. "Well, that's fine. They're excited."

"Do monsters get hangovers?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," she laughed. San covered her mouth, giggling silently, "Hangovers are universal, Ikko. Pray you don't have to deal with them any time soon."

"I'll stick to the soda."

"Smart plan. How come you're up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep," Ikko grumbled, "I'm not used to sharing a bedroom."

"No brothers or sisters fighting for space at home?"

"Only child," he confirmed, handing her a plate, "Parents wouldn't have time for another one."

San coughed. Ikko turned to see her holding up a pad with a hastily scratched, "Can you take the washing so I can talk?"

"Oh, sorry. I didn't think..."

He swapped with her. Before she claimed the cloth, she followed up with a question. "Are your parents busy?"

"Mm… yeah," Ikko stared deep into the sink, shifting the plates inside hither and thither, "I don't actually know how busy they are, honestly. But they're never home. Both pretty high up in their companies, takes them abroad a lot. Not a lot of time for child-rearing."

"That sounds tough," said Ruby, holding her hand out for another plate. Ikko quickly scrubbed one.

"I saw a lot of places, and I've never really wanted for anything," he replied, passing it to her, "Had it pretty easy, really. What about you guys?"

"Oh, uh…" A shared twinge of grief chilled Ikko's reverie, their connection drawing their eyes to each other. Ikko wished he hadn't asked when she closed her arms over her stomach. "None here. My parents died when I was pretty young."

"I'm sorry. And here I was, complaining about them just not being around."

"It's okay—you weren't to know."

"San…?" Ikko said, looking her way.

She shook her head, writing, "Marin took me in after I graduated. I owe her my life."

His spirit faltered, chastising himself for how little he knew of these people. Was such tragedy the norm?

"But we have each other," Ruby offered, "That's family enough for me."

At this, San brightened. The sadness his innocent question had cast dispersed, allowing them all to get back to their clean-up. San eventually moved on to collecting more dishes, and together they had the lobby cleared before the clock hit 07:00.

They moved on to shifting the tables back, Ruby directing. The scraping drew the attention of those elsewhere in the inn; specifically, Tsukune and Moka, who descended in their pyjamas, and Marin, who emerged from the back rooms looking haggard. Her mood lifted instantly when she saw the progress they made, and she reached out to ruffle the hair of San and Ikko as they carried a table back to its original spot. "Look at you kids. You'd think you lived here."

"Well, she does," Ikko offered, gesturing to San with a nod. Marin laughed.

"You want in? I can't pay much, but I won't say no to such a hard worker."

"Look at that—two jobs in two days," Tsukune grinned, "Talk about a good first impression."

"I think I should figure one out before I sign up for another," Ikko set the table down with a huff, "But at least now you can open up in time for your customers, right?"

"I like this one," Marin beamed, "He can stay."

Moka cleared her throat, crossing her arms. "As nice as that would be, since we're all awake, we should get started. Right, Tsukune?"

"Sure," Tsukune nodded, "Ikko, we're gonna head out. I'd like you to come with us."

Ikko eyed them both. Tsukune, he had no issue with, but Moka… "J-just us?"

"Everyone else has their own tasks to take care of," Moka explained, "But before you get started, there are some things we need to cover."

"We need to pick up some supplies for the inn, so we thought we'd kill two birds with one stone."

His smile was infectious. It radiated out, filling the room with warmth. "How about it, Ikko?"

"Sure," Ikko murmured, "Lemme get my shoes."


Whatever memory of the storm remained in the city's mind was gone by the time the three of them hit the streets. Vacationers and citizens alike poured out to enjoy the sun, filling the beaches and restaurants with light and life.

Ikko trailed behind Tsukune and Moka, half-listening as they confirmed their shopping list. He watched her, distracted.

No—he realised. It wasn't that Moka distracted him.

It was that he couldn't take his eyes off her. A corner of his mind fixated on her, forcing him to watch her every move. Every time he tried to look away, he was dragged back, forced to watch her silver hair shimmer and sway over her back and neck, exposed by her off-shoulder tank dress.

It was instinct, his muddled mind thought. An instinct he was used to.

"Okay, that's enough."

"Ack!" Ikko walked straight into them, bouncing off. "What? What's enough?"

Tsukune chuckled; Moka seemed less impressed. "We've been walking for a good while now. Surely, you've noticed?"

He arched an eyebrow, looking from one to the other. "Noticed? Wait—you're doing that on purpose?"

"So you were paying attention," Moka smiled the first full smile he'd seen her pull since arriving. It bared both her fangs, lethally sharp, but they weren't quite so intimidating now, "I'm glad Ruby's training isn't wasted on you."

She relaxed, and the world seemed to relax with her. A breath trapped for minutes in Ikko's chest finally released, causing him to exhale in forced relief. "What was that? Some kind of spell?"

"Nothing quite so complicated," Tsukune answered, patting him lightly on the shoulder, "It was her intent."

Ikko's brow pinched in thought. "Like a predator's intent?"

"Got it in one," Moka said, placing her hands on her hips, "I've been pushing it your way ever since last night, seeing how you'd deal with it. For a human, you're surprisingly resilient."

"We vampires excel at controlling our energies," Tsukune said, lowering his voice. Ikko noticed that the crowds drew closer now; had they sensed her intent, too, giving her a wide berth? "We're one of the few who can manipulate things like that. It gives us a perfect opportunity to start your training."

"Training what?" Ikko asked, "How does sensing that help beyond the obvious?"

"You'll need to do more than sense it," she instructed, "Ready, Tsukune?"

"Yeah— but carefully, Moka."

Ikko looked between them. Something told him he should brace.

In a flash, their weight was upon him. Murderous intent rolled off Tsukune and Moka both. His legs seized. His breath stopped. He could see it. His throat was already in their hands. His heart gushing crimson into their maws. There was nothing he could—

"And breathe," Tsukune hurried forward, catching Ikko as he stumbled, "Easy, now. Breathe, Ikko. In, out… there you go…"

"That—that was…" Ikko clutched at his chest, "Holy shit…"

"That was about normal for vampires," Moka announced, coming over to his side. She placed a hand lightly on his other shoulder, and smiled softly down at him, "Imagine what it's like for a monster under duress, or beset by rage."

"The first part of your training is going to be getting you used to that feeling," Tsukune continued, helping him stand straight, "We deal with more than a few monsters that have been through a lot. If you can't handle their more violent reactions, even the subconscious ones, it's going to be a real struggle for you to work effectively."

"Exposure therapy," Ikko groaned, sarcasm dripping, "Great. So, I just have to get used to it?"

"That's one way to do it," he replied, "But there's more effective methods to provide a more immediate defence. Ruby's shown you the basics of creating barriers, right?"

"Yeah…" he murmured, a memory of the headaches they caused surfacing.

"We'll use those as a base for the technique," Tsukune finished, looking around, "C'mon. Let's find somewhere a bit more private."

They carried on for a short while, coming to a stop outside a park left neglected by the promise of the beach. Moka stood watch for onlookers whilst Tsukune guided Ikko to a place just out of sight of the main thoroughfare. "This will do. Okay, ready?"

"Not in the slightest. I don't even know where to start."

He laughed. "Alright, well. What have you been protecting yourself against so far?"

"Ruby's feathers."

"Physical attacks, then. Let's see how you do with those."

Ikko prepared, reaching into his magical reserves. He pulled it taut like a stretch of cloth over his forearm, the skin underneath taking on a pale green shimmer.

"Ready?" Tsukune checked.

"When you are," said Ikko, taking a breath. Tsukune stepped forward, a wide haymaker coming in from the left. He stepped to the side, setting the angle of the shield to follow the momentum of the strike, causing it to glance off the barrier. His mind trembled, but nowhere near as badly as it did with Ruby's strikes. "Are you holding back?"

"Oh yeah." He grinned. "I'm not here to test the strength of your spell, Ikko. We're just getting started."

Two more easily read punches followed up. Ikko deflected those as well. As the fourth came out, Tsukune's weight shifted.

Ikko's lungs tripped over his next breath. Tsukune flashed forward, eyes screaming red, hand pointed like a blade towards his chest. He flinched—

And was rewarded with a flick to the forehead. As his spell dispersed, Ikko opened one eye to see Tsukune beaming. "That's the difference pouring one's intent into a strike makes. It's a human instinct to escape from that sensation, which isn't going to do your magic any favours."

"What do we do?"

"We need to extend the range of your spell, and create a barrier that the intent can't pass through. First things first; can you get that barrier to cover your entire body?"

Ikko gawped. "I've never tried."

"First time for everything."

"I mean you're not wrong, but that's a bit of a jump!"

"Just try it," Tsukune smiled, "Even halfway is going to be an improvement, right?"

Ikko huffed. He renewed his concentration, this time pulling the cloth up his arm, over his shoulder. He began to feel the shape of the spell straining as it reached his neck, his magic urging him to return it to its original shape. He blew his cheeks out, forcing it over his head. The spell rebelled, snapping back to his arm and stopping just shy of his shoulder. Ikko cursed. "No good."

"It's bigger than before, though," Tsukune observed, "We can work with it. I'm gonna throw a couple more punches, and then we're going to try stretching it again, like a muscle."

Uncertain, Ikko nodded. "Don't we need to go shopping?"

"We can always send Moka ahead to take care of it," he murmured, with a quick wink.

"I heard that!" she shouted from the street, "Do you want me to tag out, Tsukune?"

"N-no, we're fine over here!"


By mid-morning the beach thronged with vacationers. From the shade of the inn's decking, Mizore and Ruby watched. "I don't remember it being so busy last time I was here," she huffed, fanning herself.

"Amazing, what a storm will do for turnout," Ruby said, stretching her hand out to feel the sun. She'd donned a black dress of light fabric, with leafy patterns cut out to reveal the bikini underneath. "Lock people up with adverse weather and all of a sudden, every warm day is precious."

"Don't let me keep you," Mizore grumbled, in a decidedly less fancy blue coverup for her swimwear.

"Nonsense. If I go out there, I have to work," she replied, turning her back on the scene to concentrate on Mizore, "Let's leave that in Kurumu's capable hands for the morning."

"It's not her hands that're capable," she quipped, cracking a smile.

"It's good to have you back, Mizore," Ruby whispered, reaching out to touch her arm, "Truly. It must sound like I'm nagging at this point, but I really did miss you."

Mizore pouted. She leaned into the touch. "It's nice to be back, even if it is for work."

"I wouldn't worry about that too much," Ruby assured, "It's Ikko that'll be doing most of it, getting trained up and ready to help. We're just here to supervise, maybe help Marin if she needs it."

"What about the others?" she asked, "Kia and Etsuko? We can't just leave them idle."

Ruby looked around. She found what she searched for, and pointed at it with a spreading smile. "They're resourceful enough to make themselves useful. Look."

Mizore followed her finger, and at its end spied Kia hurrying up to San, tapping her on the shoulder. "You think she's figured it out?"

"Like calls to like," Ruby whispered, "No way they didn't catch on to each other, even if one of them is a monstrel."

"She's already pretty powerful," she noted, folding her arms, "Can you imagine what she'd be like with San teaching her?"

"Ginei better watch out," Ruby giggled.

"Speaking of the mutt," Mizore said, rounding on Ruby, "How do you keep that idiot at arm's length?"

"Ginei and I have a mutual respect," Ruby replied, flicking her hair, "It's as simple as that."

"You're not sleeping with him, are you?"

"Okay, it's simple, but if it was that simple, anyone could do it," Ruby joked, "You'll figure it out, I'm sure. Just give it some time."

"Eugh…"

"Don't want a certain someone getting jealous, hm?"

"Who would that be?" she snapped, looking away.

"Oh, I don't know," Ruby teased, singsong, "Perhaps the guy you timed your return to the party with, so that we wouldn't ask questions about what you were doing upstairs?"

"I thought we timed it very well, thank you very much."

"Oh, absolutely," Ruby assured, "Were it not for Ikko, I would have believed you."

"What about him?"

"He—" she froze, furrowing her brow, "He has this way about him, is all."

"Ruby…" Mizore darkened. "You've spent enough time poking at my secrets for me to know when you're hiding some of your own."

She didn't even fight. "I have an excellent reason for keeping it, I promise."

"Oh no," Mizore waggled her finger, "No you don't, not a chance! You don't hound me for months on end and then suddenly get to play coy!"

"Oooh! Who's playing coy?"

A mischievous melody interrupted Mizore, halfway towards advancing on Ruby. Kurumu smirked, poking coming around the corner, one arm hooked around the Kawamoto Inn advertisement sign she had been patrolling around the beach. She practically radiated heat, her time in the sun rolling from every pore exposed by a barely-there bikini.

"Whose turn is it?" Mizore asked, folding her arms. Maybe if she changed the subject fast enough, she could move this on.

"Yours," Kurumu replied, "I thought we'd get out there together, since it's been a—hey! I see what you did there!"

"Almost didn't."

"Rude! You've not seen me in months, and that's how you treat me!?"

Kurumu strode up to Mizore, her chest leading the vanguard in her charge, her sign just barely missing Mizore's head. She stopped uncomfortably close. "Whatever happened to the White and Black Duet, huh?"

Mizore leaned away, looking out to the blazing field of the beach. "It's my turn, is it?"

"Don't change the subject!"

"Well, since you two have so much catching up to do…"

"Ohhh no you don't," Mizore's hand snapped out, seizing Ruby by the wrist, "You're not getting out of this one, Ruby. For reference, she's the one playing coy."

Kurumu diverted the entirety of her attention towards Ruby, handing the sign over to Mizore. "Really? And what does momma Ruby have to be coy about, hmm?"

She dodged the pleading stare sent her way by shouldering the sign. Mizore discarded her coverup. If Ruby wouldn't spill to her, she could enjoy Kurumu's attention on the matter.


"Morioka," Etsuko called, frowning, "Uh… Morioka, sir?"

"Oh, you're talking to me?" Gin span on his heel, levelling a bright smile Etsuko's way. "Whatever can I do for you, Yanase?"

"Don't call him sir," Su sighed, "You'll only encourage him."

"How cruel, Sasahara. I'm your senior; you should at least afford me some respect."

"Not anymore," she grinned, "You're ex-Yokai, I'm ex-Newspaper Club. You're not my senior in anything."

"Morioka's my pops, anyway," he shrugged, deflecting. He jerked a thumb towards his chest. "Just call me Gin. All the ladies scream it eventually."

Etsuko blanched. "Morioka."

Su cackled. Gin huffed. "Yes, Yanase?"

"What are we supposed to be doing out here? I mean, I volunteered to help because I'm Newspaper Club, but this…"

She gestured to the bustling street on which she'd called for a break. "This hardly seems useful."

To her surprise, he regained his cheer. "Well, that's an excellent question if I ever heard one. You're familiar with vox populi, I hope? If Koko's been teaching y'all right, you should have."

"Sure. Interviews with members of the public, recording their opinions for use in an article," she answered, "But we haven't spoken to anyone yet. We haven't brought any recording equipment, either."

"Well, what we're doing is a little different, but the principle holds. We're doing what I like to call vox monstra."

She repeated the phrase back to him, furrowing her brow in thought. "Monstra… So we're looking for the opinions of monsters?"

"Maybe not their opinions," Gin's smirking continued, taking on a cunning curl, "But definitely their voices. Don't know who to help if we don't know who to listen to, y'follow?"

"It's a bit like scouting," Su filled in, "We try and find contacts in the community and understand what their needs are. We have a couple of bases of operations, but it never hurts to try and reach out to folks who don't know about us."

"I see!" Etsuko clapped her hands together, "That's surprisingly smart, Morioka."

"What do you mean, surprisingly…?" Gin bathed his sigh in melodrama, "Kids these days. No respect for their elders."

"Alright, alright. Now that we're all on the same page, shall we proceed?"

"Sure," Etsuko agreed, "I guess we just keep our senses tuned?"

"That, and we rely on a little bit of Satori magic to help out," Su held up her ungloved hands, "Speeds things up. Not by much, though."

They had scarcely begun to move when a woman rushed up to them, panting heavily. "E-excuse me! You-you there?"

They looked at each other. "Me?" said Gin, confused.

"What've you done to this poor woman?" Su accused.

"Nothin'! We've never met!"

"You're Ginei, right? Ginei Morioka?"

Gin dodged the unimpressed glare of the two girls at his back, acknowledging the frantic woman before them. "That's me…?"

"I…" the woman panted, "It's my son, I—I can't find him. I recognised you—your photo, on your website…"

Su and Etsuko snapped to attention. The air around Gin shifted; his eyes sharpened; his smile vanished. Gone was his goofiness, replaced with the airs of a leader. "Right, ma'am," he exhaled, "Let's start from the beginning…"