Chapter 11 – "I'm not going to give you up just like that!"
Akashiya Moka woke up slowly that same morning, having had poor sleep herself. She had been having her own nightmares, ones centered around Tsukune's death and Kurumu's enslavement at the hands of Kuyou and his wicked father, ones where she could do nothing to save them. But she, as well as her other self, was insistent that at least half of that terrible vision never come to pass. Thus, the 'Kurono Kurumu Defense Squad' was born!
...okay, maybe it needed a better name, but it was the thought that counts, right?
The Squad was made up of her (and also her other side), Mizore, Yukari, and Araiko. Aoshiro and Monokuro offered to help out as well, especially once Monokuro was fully healed up. Gin was also willing to help out, though getting him to agree was like pulling teeth (or so the human saying went). He was preoccupied with trying to get the club reinstated.
In any case, the four core members had spent the past few days training together, in the hopes of getting Mizore and Yukari up to the same combat level as her and Araiko. She had even been taking part in the training herself, despite her relative weakness compared to her other half. If she was ever in a scenario where she couldn't remove the rosary – or worse, a situation where it was damaged – she would need to be able to fight on her own.
Though she started to have an odd feeling regarding the rosary. Her other self was just that – a separate self. If the rosary was just supposed to seal her powers, then why did it construct an entirely separate personality... and which one of them was the construct?
Moka shivered at the thought as she lay in bed.
You worry too much, Akashiya Moka...
Moka glanced over to a mirror, where she could see her other self in the reflection.
"I can't help it... there's so much I don't know about myself... things I really think that I... that we should know. Don't you agree?"
Worrying over this... will do nothing to help Kurumu-chan. Besides... if we want answers, we know who to talk to.
"That's right."
The father and the sisters they hadn't seen since coming here. And the Chairman who had mistakenly referred to her by her father's last name.
Moka looked over at the clock. Ah, but she could try to get answers out of the Chairman later. She needed to get ready for morning exercises!
After getting dressed in workout attire, she stepped out the door... and nearly ran face-first into the last person she was expecting.
"...Kurono-san?"
"Moka-chan!"
Kurumu.
And she looked happy. She even gave Moka a great big hug.
...Just what happened last night?
The Kuruno Kurumu Defense Squad regularly met in the same spot where Kurumu and Moka had once been training Tsukune, and that was where Moka brought a surprise guest that morning – Kurono Kurumu herself.
"Well, look who's finally back on her feet!" said Araiko as a greeting, since Yukari and Mizore were too surprised to speak. "It's great to finally see you again!"
"Same to you, Araiko-chan! I hope you've been doing well?"
"Heh, of course! Takes more than a brawl to keep me down."
"K-Kurumu-chan?"
"...hm? Mizore-chan?"
"I... you..."
Kurumu giggled in a sweet ringing tone. "Yes, it's really me~!"
She then hugged Mizore tightly, and the yuki-onna slowly and gingerly reciprocated.
"...Kurumu-chan, sorry if this sounds odd, but... you seem... really... happy? Did something happen?" asked Yukari. "I tried to do a tarot reading for you this morning, and the cards were acting oddly... no matter how I shuffled them, the first card I drew was always The Lovers."
Kurumu giggled happily, her face slightly flushed.
"...so, is that a yes...?"
"Kurono-san, I think we'd all like to know what's going on," said Moka.
"Ah!"
Kurumu snapped out of it.
"Yes! Let me explain... I had an odd dream last night. Instead of my usual nightmares, I was visited by Tsukune-kun!"
Moka and Mizore looked surprise, while Yukari and Araiko were more skeptical.
"Oh? And what else happened?" asked Yukari.
"There was also a Shinigami, and I had to fight him off!"
"A Shinigami, huh? Well, you were in the pits, so that makes sense..." muttered Araiko.
"And after I did, Tsukune and I had a talk and... ummm..."
Kurumu hesitated, not sure how much she actually wanted to tell the rest of the group. But in the end... these were her friends, so we decided to trust them.
She took a deep breath and said the words.
"I confessed to him about how I wished I had died instead of him."
Mizore was at once by Kurumu's side, holding a hand in hers softly and firmly.
"Like Mizore-chan, he talked me out of it, and the Shinigami backed off."
"Huh? Shinigami are normally pretty relentless. They don't just give up like that," said Araiko. "What, was it sent by someone who wanted to hear that from you?"
Kurumu nodded.
"...Wait, really?"
"Yep! It brought the two of us over to a garden where an odd woman was sitting. She had horns and her skin was so pale... and she hid her face beneath a veil."
Yukari gasped. "That has to be the Death Goddess!"
"Seems so... she would be able to command one at will..." noted Araiko.
"Yes! She... what did she want? Why did she want to see the two of you?"
"She was willing to bring Tsukune-kun back to us."
This time, everyone gasped.
"But only if I did something for her. There's someone she claims should be dead but isn't. if I bring that person to her, she'll restore Tsukune-kun. But the only clue she gave me... is that this person has a rosary."
Moka's blood ran cold, all at once. She nearly fell over, but Kurumu and Yukari kept her standing.
"Moka-chan... I'm not sure that it's you," Kurumu said.
Moka shook her head. "It has to be me. I'm the only one you know with a rosary."
"Even so... there has to be more to it! I'm not going to give you up just like that!"
Yukari, Mizore, and Araiko nodded in agreement.
Moka sighed, and gave them a bittersweet smile. "I wish I could be as confident as you all are..."
"What's the deal with that rosary anyway?" asked Araiko. "Is it really that special? I know it seals your full power, but is that all? Perhaps it holds some secret."
"That's what I was wondering... it doesn't just seal my power; it seals another side of myself. She has her own personality and mannerisms... here, maybe I should show you."
Moka ripped off her rosary, and in a flash of light, she transformed into her other self.
"...huh, did you get taller?" asked Araiko.
"Hm? No, why do you ask, Araiko-chan?"
"Okay, I guess you're just standing up straighter now... either that or it's your aura making you seem bigger. Your voice is deeper and you're more muscular too... yeah, that is odd."
"However... I think my other self worries too much. Please... don't indulge her."
The silver-haired Moka then re-attached the rosary, and let the pink-haired Moka take over. Moka pouted at her rosary. "I am not worrying too much..."
The rest of the group chuckled at Moka's expense, and Moka pouted at them too.
"Anyway... I need to talk to my father about the rosary. Do you all want to be there when I call home?"
With unanimous agreement, they started heading back towards campus. The landline phones were all kept in a large room in a building near the center of campus. Naturally, the conversation on the way there was focused on Moka's family, a very curious group from the perspective of Moka's friends. A father, a step-mother, and three sisters, possessing incredible wealth as one unit, along with many servants.
"Come to think of it, Moka-chan, you never actually told us who your father was," said Kurumu.
Moka looked around suddenly.
Yukari gasped. "Is it a secret!? Ooh, I wanna know, I wanna know~!"
"...that would defeat the purpose of it being a secret."
"Come on, Mizore-chan! You know you want to know too!"
"..."
Instead of admitting it, Mizore bonked Yukari lightly on the head with an icy claw and told her to respect Moka's privacy. Yukari complained a bit, but did relent. However, Moka proceeded to draw them over to a patch of dead woods, far from where students were now starting to gather as the morning went on and classes loomed closer.
"...is your father a big deal or something?" asked a suddenly suspicious Araiko. "You don't have to tell us, you know."
"No, I... I think that you deserve to know. If it's really my rosary that she's after, then my whole family is going to end up getting involved. The Shuzen family takes care of their own, after all."
Kurumu, Mizore, and Yukari just looked confused, not sure what name meant.
Araiko, however...
"...The Shuzen family?"
...it looked like she got it.
Moka nodded.
"You're a member of the Shuzen family?"
Moka nodded again.
"...you don't seem the type, if I'm being honest," Araiko noted. "The other you is a good match for them though. She's much more bloodthirsty. I take it your father wants you to join them when you get older?"
"He's always emphasized that it's my choice. Though I'm sure my sisters Akua and Kahlua would like it though, hahaha~!"
Kurumu, Mizore, and Yukari were still confused.
Araiko, however...
"Y-your sisters are-!?"
...was now in a full-blown panic.
"T-then, your father is-!?"
"That's right. My father is Shuzen Issa."
"...Ah."
"Araiko-san?"
Araiko, upon hearing this news, promptly fainted.
"Araiko-san!"
The quartet of Moka, Kurumu, Yukari, and Mizore picked up Araiko and carried her over to the infirmary. They wanted to stick around, but Tsumugi the nurse made them leave and go to class. By the time they came around later in the day, Araiko was well and wide awake.
"Ehehe~. Sorry about that," Araiko said.
"It's okay... but why did you react like that?" asked Moka. "Is my father that big a deal?"
Araiko gave Moka a confused stare. "Moka... do you know what your father does for a living?"
Moka shook her head no.
Araiko sat up in bed. "Really?"
Moka shook her head no again.
"...Wow. Okay, you might want to take a seat for this one."
The other girls did so, piling in on a nearby bench.
Araiko took a deep breath. "Okay, so... the Shuzen family. They're a vampire clan and some of the world's most skilled assassins."
"Huh? Assassins? Father said they were bodyguards," countered Moka.
"I'm sure they do some of that too, but the killing is what they're famous for in the underworld. Shuzen Issa in particular is known for having a combat power almost on par with that of the three Dark Lords. He even managed to marry one of them, the world-renowned Akasha Bloodriver! Though no one's actually seen that particular wife of his in a long time, according to what I've been told. So, Moka-chan, do you only see your dad when you visit home?"
Moka nodded.
"And what happened to your mom?"
"She... died a long time ago."
"Oh! I'm sorry to bring up bad memories."
"It was so long ago that I don't actually remember it."
"I see..."
Araiko put a hand to her chin and started thinking. Putting the pieces together. Moka was the daughter of Shuzen Issa. Moka was probably also the daughter of the Dark Lord Akasha, one who had been missing for years, given what she reportedly looked like. And now the Death Goddess wants a rosary from Kurumu, knowing that Moka is the only one that Kurumu knows with a rosary. A rosary filled with holy magic that can seal immense vampiric power. If she put the pieces together...
Well, she needed confirmation first.
"What's your mom's name?" asked Araiko.
"...Father never told me. But... that name you mentioned..."
"Akasha Bloodriver?"
"Yes, her... could she be..."
"Your mother? Yes, that's what I think now."
"H-hold on a second!" exclaimed Yukari. "That would mean that Moka is the daughter of a Dark Lord! Not only that, but... if said Dark Lord has been missing since Moka was little, when Moka got her rosary, and the Death Goddess wants said rosary back... then... then could that mean..."
Moka stared down at her rosary, holding it tightly in her hands, eyes wide, on the verge of tears.
"...Mama?"
Kurumu stood up.
"No way!"
"...Kurono-san?"
"There's no way I'm going to sacrifice Moka-san or her mom! Not even for Tsukune-kun!"
A small part of her was enraged at her words, but she ignored it. This was how she felt.
She wasn't going to sacrifice her friend, not now and not ever!
"There has to be another way!"
But what if there wasn't?
No, she didn't want to think about that possibility. She had to have hope!
Moka nodded, slowly, wiping away the mist from her eyes. "I... need to call Father. Araiko-san, can you join us?"
"Of course!"
The inugami then leapt out of bed.
"Frankly, I'm hoping that I'm wrong, but I have a sinking feeling that I'm not... only one way to find out."
They then left for the phones.
"Boss! Boss! It's for you!"
"Hm?"
Shuzen Issa looked up from the book he was reading. An old romance from Eastern Europe, one that Akasha had liked to read. One of his subordinates – as far as he had any subordinates while under house arrest by his current and only wife Gyokuro – had approached him as he resided in the depths of the Shuzen Library. Kicked out of his old life, he needed new things to do, so reading each one of the millions of books in the estate had become one of them.
"Boss, it's your daughter, Moka-chan! She's calling from school! It sounds urgent!"
"Oh?"
He raised an eyebrow at that, but got up and let himself be led away. That girl normally would reach out to one of her sisters or to his subordinates well before she'd call him. She was still under the impression that he was 'busy with his work', according to Gyokuro, after all. What could she possibly be reaching out to him for?
He received his answer the moment he put the receiver to his ear and asked his daughter what the matter was.
"Father... tell me the truth! What happened to Mama!? Is she sealed in this rosary you gave me!?"
It was a good thing that subordinate hadn't left, as he caught Issa and kept him from falling over in shock. How... how did she figure it out!? No, he couldn't go along with it... could he? She'd find out for sure, and who knows what she would do. Best to play dumb for now, he thought.
He coughed loudly. "As I said, she died when you were little..."
"But when? And why can't I remember it?"
Because we sealed your memories away too. "Must we discuss this now? I would love to hear how you're doing at Youkai Academy, dear."
"Yes, we must, Father! Someone's after the rosary!"
Hm. Well, that wasn't good, but surely Mikogami should be able to handle any threats. "Who?"
"She's the Death Goddess!"
Issa couldn't speak.
"Father! Father, are you there!?"
This... how could it be? Have they been found out? If so...
"Moka, stay away from her. This is an order!"
"But..."
"No buts! Now go tell the Chairman! This is beyond even your ability. If she's telling the truth and you try to fight her, you will die. I'm not losing you too!"
He then slammed the phone down, hanging up, not hearing his daughter's response.
He fell over in his seat. The Death Goddess, huh? What a time for her to appear... if it's really her. But... this was also an opportunity if he played his cards right. Perhaps she could be convinced to take their side now, he needed to play his part in the current order.
He turned to his subordinate. "Go get Akua and Kahlua. Tell them it's urgent and involves Moka."
"Yes, sir!"
The other vampire disappeared, leaving Issa alone. He was too distressed to return to his novel, and so went for a walk in the estate's garden to clear his head. Hopefully there he would find a clue as to how to save his wife and his daughter, and make up for what he had allowed to happen on his watch.
"Father? Father!"
Moka pulled the receiver away, now only getting a dial tone.
"Father hung up on me..."
"That's mighty suspicious... muttered Araiko.
"Moka-san, what did he tell you?" asked Yukari.
"Father told me to stay away from the Death Goddess and to go talk to the Chairman."
Kurumu groaned. "Not that shady man again! There has to be someone else we can talk to!"
"Perhaps... we can go to the library?" asked Mizore.
Moka nodded. "That's a good idea."
The five of them departed for the library in hurry, and found Gakutorou wandering down a candle-lit hallway. When they did...
"AHHHH! A G-G-GHOST!"
...it was Yukari's turn to panic at the sight of him. She leapt up in fright and ended up in Moka's arms, who apologized for her friend's reaction, not that the ghost minded at the moment. He greeted them all warmly, just happy to see them again.
"How have you been, Shirayuki-san, Kurono-san~?" he asked, his attention focused. "I have heard many rumors, none of them pleasant~."
The succubus shook her head no. "It's been terrible, if I'm being honest... just when I think I can start to have hope again, I feel like a cruel trick is being played on me."
Gakutorou noticed that Mizore took one of Kurumu's hands in hers, but said nothing of it. A curious development... Instead, he merely asked Kurumu what she meant by that, at which point she explained her odd dream and Moka explained her recent call with her father. As the two of them went on, the ghostly librarian became more and more disturbed by this news. This... was something far beyond what he was expecting. It was certainly something that the Chairman was more fit to handle, but when he suggested giving that man a visit, they uniformly rejected that idea. They had some other experience with him that they didn't want to talk about that made them hesitant to be around him.
Curious and curiouser...
Gakutorou knew very well that Mikogami was quite the intimidating figure, but that he was also quite powerful and knowledgeable. He was surely the right person for the job. But if they wouldn't go to that man... then he would support them as best he could as the librarian.
"Perhaps there are some texts residing here that can assist you~. Please, follow me~."
He turned and led the group of five girls down the corridors of the library. Unfortunately, there was no way that he could grant them access to Mikogami's personal collection, despite that being the best place to look, as the Chairman kept his books elsewhere. But he reasoned that there still had to be something... he was not familiar with the holy rosary, and its power, but there must be at least one author among the great number here who was, right?
As the six of them stalked the hallways, illuminated by his ghostly flames, they searched and searched for said books... but none were present. To be sure, there were several texts that mentioned the holy rosary, and several others that discussed general methods of using artefacts to suppress the powers of youkai, but there were none that went into enough detail to confirm if Moka's mother had been sealed within her or if her having two personalities was related to the rosary. There were only vague notions of 'incredible power' requiring 'great mastery' to wield.
They had to retreat that night with no new leads.
Before splitting up to get some rest, they properly informed Kurumu of the KKDS (name still pending) and invited her to train with them, which the succubus gratefully accepted. As such, a new routine was born for them – train in the morning, class during the day, study in the evening (including homework since Gakutorou insisted that they keep up with their usual studies). And while the training was starting to show fruit, the research was continuing to go nowhere.
And while Kurumu continued to act as if all was well, Moka could tell that their lack of progress was affecting her. She loved Tsukune and she loved Moka, so she didn't want to lose either of them.
But what if she had no choice in the matter?
Things continued along these lines for the next several days, only interrupted by the events of one night, where Moka woke up in a dream that was no ordinary dream.
She arose from her bed in a dark room, not alone, after hearing the sound of distant weeping. The other Moka, the silver-haired "super vampire", was standing by the shut door, beneath which a faint fog was seeping into the room. She turned and gazed impassively at Moka with her red eyes.
"Do you feel that?" she asked.
Moka nodded. A menacing, lurking presence, coupled with haunting wails. Did something happen to Kurumu? The succubus is a creature that can live in dreams and nightmares and summon others into those realms. Is she in danger...?
Moka leapt out of bed, noting that she was in her pajamas and her other self was in her school uniform. Said other self kicked down the door before Moka could open it.
"...Was that necessary?" she asked.
"No... but I wanted to do it," was the reply.
The fog rolled into the room, and the two of them stepped into the hallway. The menacing presence only intensified as they wandered down the halls and the howling echoed around them. It only took what felt like a few minutes for it to get loud enough for them to be sure that Kurumu was the one making those sorrowful, ear-piercing screams. Those screams... she'd only heard them once before, back when Tsukune died and Kurumu had murdered Kuyou in return.
She shuddered in the empty halls.
"Nervous?" asked her other self.
She nodded. "I'm worried about Kurono-san... about what all of this is doing to her. And we're no closer to a solution... I know there has to be a way for us to get Aono-kun back, but I don't know what it could be... and the more I think about it... the more I wonder if... if I should..."
The other her stopped in front of her and pointed an accusing finger in her face.
"Pitiful Moka-chan... how can you give up on yourself when Kurumu-chan still believes?"
"B-but...!"
"No. We will find a way... I assure you."
She then turned around, facing a patch of thick fog where a single glowing red eye could be seen.
"And I assure you as well, Kurumu-chan...!"
"...Kurono-san?"
Sure enough, the succubus was the one who emerged from the fog. Her left eye was glowing a blood red; her right eye was the same purple as always. Tears were running down her face, and her left hand was now a glistening claw.
"Moka-chan... please... get out of here..."
"..."
Moka understood at once that her friend was indeed in danger... but it was entirely self-inflicted. Still, she wanted to help, and stood her ground. The other her stood by her, staying back while she walked towards Kurumu, who started slowly backing away. Moka noticed that Kurumu's clawed hand was twitching... and so did the succubus, who used her free hand to restrain it.
"Kurumu-chan. May I call you that?"
Kurumu nodded.
"Kurumu-chan. I... we are going to save Aono-kun. I promise you."
"...but...but if we do then... we'll lose you..."
The left half of Kurumu's face bared its teeth, and growled at the two Mokas.
"So what!? So what if I lose you!? I want Tsukune-kun back!"
Kurumu moved left foot forwards and right foot backwards.
"Stop getting in the way!"
"No! I won't do it! You can't make me!"
"I have no choice!"
"Yes, I do!"
"And what exactly would that be? Are you planning on fighting Death itself? Do you really think you can do that, as pitiful as you are? You couldn't save Tsukune-kun and you can't save yourself!"
"I... no... please...!"
Kurumu's right foot slipped as she tried to retreat further, which was all the opportunity her left half needed. She sprouted a wing from her back and lunged forward, claw at the ready to strike!
"You understand, right!?" she shouted at Moka.
Moka nodded. She knew what she had to do. When the attack came...
"MOKA-CHAN!"
...she didn't back down or retreat. She stayed still, and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
But no attack came. The claw came only millimeters from her face, before Kurumu's arm froze still. But it wasn't from one half stopping the other one. No, it was from that hand stopping short on its own accord, dreamlike foggy tendrils wrapping around her body and holding her in place.
"..."
The bared teeth retreated and Kurumu's face fully contorted into a pained expression.
She fell to the ground. Moka was there by her side to comfort her.
"Something has become quite clear to me..." said the other Moka, who had kept quiet on the sidelines. "If things are allowed to continue like this... the only result will be even more pain for our friends. We will have to confront the Death Goddess ourselves, and demand his return!"
"B-but... i-if you do that, y-you'll...!"
"Don't worry, Kurumu-chan, we're not going anywhere," said Moka. "I promise."
She brought Kumuru's hand to her rosary.
"We're not going to give up just yet. There must be a reason she wants this rosary, and the only way to find out is to talk to her ourselves."
"T-there's no way you can..."
"By ourselves, no... but if we work together, then we have a chance... or have you already given up, Kurumu-chan?"
"...no."
The other Moka smirked. "Sorry, do you mind speaking up?"
"I said no! I'm not gonna give up! I- we are going to save Tsukune-kun! We're all going to have lots of fun together at school! None of us are going to die!" she shouted through her tears, holding her friend tight.
"That's right... now then..."
"Let's wake up and get the others?" asked Moka.
Kurumu nodded, slowly let Moka go, and the world became covered over by fog.
Moka woke up in her bed, and found that she was somehow accompanied by a sleeping Kurumu. The succubus was holding her tight and the moon was brightly shining in the clear night sky.
Moka drew her friend in close and went back to sleep.
In the morning, Kurumu had to be dragged back to the realm of the living, and Moka had to accompany her out of the building to make sure that she went to training that morning. When the two of them arrived, they informed Mizore, Yukari, and Araiko of what had transpired that night. Mizore once went to Kurumu's side, while Yukari declared that she'd stand by Moka's side when they went to confront the Death Goddess.
Araiko, meanwhile, had no desire to interact with said being, but promised to go and make some calls of her own while they were doing that.
So, after the day's classes were complete, four girls went down to the infirmary to Tsukune's private wing. The infirmary was just as busy as ever due to all the fighting that had broken out across the school, if a bit less so now that Keito had also been released from the infirmary and rejoined the Enforcers. Kuyou's body had long since been removed, they learned, but Tsukune remained where he was and his body was the same as when they last saw it: physically restored, but still devoid of life.
The nurse and other staff left them in private, having other matters to attend to.
"...so, what do we do now?" asked Mizore.
Moka grabbed Kurumu's hand. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked while holding up her rosary. Kurumu nodded, and so Moka approached Tsukune, removed her rosary, and placed it on Tsukune's chest.
At first, nothing happened.
But then, after a few more moments, the rosary started to glow with a silver light, and the world around them grew dim, cast in shadows. A ghostly figure emerged above Tsukune's body.
"You have done what I have asked of you."
It was the Death Goddess, though only her head, arms, and upper torso were visible, and they were semi-transparent at that. Yukari shivered and drew close to the silver-haired Moka, while Kurumu backed up and leaned on Mizore.
"So then... the one you were after is in the rosary?" asked Moka.
"Indeed. I suppose you would like me to explain who she is?"
"No, I believe I know the answer... that woman... she's my mother, isn't she?"
The ghostly being nodded. The rest of the girls gasped, while Moka took a deep breath.
"Then... I suppose you realize... that I'm not simply going to hand her over."
The ghostly being seemed amused by the threat. "Oh? And you believe that you can stop me?"
Moka narrowed her eyes, and launched a fierce kick at the Death Goddess. But while the others stood and watched in shock, said goddess made no moves to defend herself, and the attack harmlessly passed through her. The super-vampire frowned. What was she supposed to do against a foe she had no way of attacking?
Kurumu then stepped forward. "P-please... there has to be another way!"
The Death Goddess shook her head. "There is not. A life for a life is the way."
"Then... take my life instead! I don't want to sacrifice the other Moka-san!" declared the succubus.
"Those terms... are not acceptable. You do not stand at the boundary between life and death the same way that Akasha Bloodriver is at this moment."
The Death Goddess then took the rosary in her hand, and its glowing turned from silver to black.
"Besides, I have no interest in your friend. I only want that Dark Lord's soul."
Her eyes started to glow behind the veil, and she drew out a new rosary from Moka's, one that was black with a pink inset gem. She handed it to a surprised silver-haired Moka, who put it on and switched places with her pink-haired self. A joyous Yukari hugged the vampire tight as she looked at herself, amazed that she had been handed this outcome so easily.
Kurumu wanted to be happy about this... but...
"...then, you're still going to take away Moka-chan's mother, aren't you?"
"Yes. Is that not satisfactory? You will have what you want soon enough."
"I..."
...she wanted to be happy that Tsukune-kun would be returning to them, but learning about Moka's lost mother, who would now be gone forever... it wasn't sitting right with her. Part of her was telling her to just keep silent and accept the trade, and another part was telling her to reject it entirely. She didn't know how to turn this into words though, and kept stumbling around the point.
Thankfully, for her...
"...if it's not too much trouble, may I see my mama and say goodbye to her?"
...Moka was having the same problem. Whatever connection she might have had with her mom was weak, to be sure. But it was still there, and she felt that as her daughter, she should give the woman a final farewell.
"...Are you certain?"
"Yes."
"...Very well."
Two things then happened at once. The original rosary began to emit a powerful silver light...
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!
...and Moka fell to the ground, screaming, clutching her head in pain. Despite the brightness, Yukari and Kurumu immediately rushed over to Moka's side, while Mizore went on guard, summoning ice claws to her hands. But no attack came as the light dissipated and the old rosary disintegrated in the Death Goddess's hands. However, a new sound could be heard in the room.
Faint breathing.
Kurumu slowly turned her head and saw the slow rise and fall of Tsukune's chest.
"Ah...! He's...he's...!"
"Please, allow him to rest until morning. Now then, about Akasha Bloodriver..."
It took all of Kurumu's will to listen and bring her attention to the Death Goddess, but she managed somehow.
The light from the disintegrated rosary was now consolidating into a human form, only about the size of one's head. Slowly, that person's features became apparent... she was the spitting image of the pink-haired Moka, or maybe it was the other way around. Her long pink hair was tied up in a black bow, and she was wearing a black suit with a frilly black jacket on top.
"Hmmm... mmm... mmm!?"
The person's eyes opened, and one was a calm green and the other was blood red.
"...Moka?"
"...yes, it's me, mama," said Moka with tears in her eyes.
"...oh. Oh dear. But if you're like that, and I'm like this, then..."
Akasha had a sudden realization, and then turned to face the Death Goddess, who was looking at her impassively. It is not clear how someone who is already dead pales further, but she did so and floated away, her face filled with panic.
"The time has come for you to go, Akasha Bloodriver."
"H-hold on! Now's a really bad time!"
"Irrelevant. You have had 200 years to make your plan work. Strangely, it has not, despite your ability. And now I have come to claim your soul."
"L-look, I know that! But we're close to a breakthrough! Please, let me stay a bit longer."
The girls looked at the two confused. Plan? This was part of a plan?
"...Mama, what's going on?" interjected Moka. "And what happened to my memories? Why... why is it that the last time I remember seeing you, you had been killed by my sister, Akua!?"
Akasha stared at her in shock, and then looked back at the Death Goddess. "What did you-!?"
"I undid what you did and her father did to her memories. Furthermore, you are only here because she still loves you and wanted to say goodbye to you. I suggest that you honor that and give her an explanation... unless, of course, you would rather have me do it instead?"
Akasha shuddered. "N-no... I can do it."
She sighed, and faced her daughter and her friends.
"Moka... I'm deeply sorry about what happened that day. The truth is... we were fighting because of the Undying Monster King, Alucard... or as I first knew him, my adopted father, Dracula."
For a moment there was silence. Then...
"My grandfather is...?"
"...Dracula. Moka-chan's grandfather is the Dracula."
...Moka and Yukari blurted out the first things on their mind, while Kurumu and Mizore stood back in confusion. They had no familiarity with the legendary figure, and so could only guess from Moka's and Yukari's stunned expressions that this was an even bigger deal than they had imagined. Both the Death Goddess and Akasha nodded at Yukari's non-question.
"...Ah."
"...Sendo-san?"
"...ahahaha...ha..."
Yukari swiveled on her feet and fell into Moka's outstretched arms, swooning from the shocking revelation.