Of Man, Of Monster
Dear readers, I would like to ask for a favor. My goal here in Fanfiction is to hone my ability to write and enrich my sometimes lacking vocabulary. As such, if there is any mistake, lacking in description, or odd phrasing, that you happen to come across in any of my stories, I beg you to immediately write me a review or PM me to inform me of the error. It is my hope that I will be able to improve my writing and bring you fine people more compelling stories as a result.
"The world seems full of good men, even if there are monsters in it."
― Bram Stoker, Dracula
"You have me at a disadvantage," came the amused reply. "You know my name, but I don't know the first thing about you, boy."
Tsukune did not turn around, preferring to keep his eyes fixated on a black blazer. He could feel Alucard's presence. It overwhelmed him, surrounded him and assailed his detections abilities on all sides. Were it not for the sound of the fallen volvoide's voice, Tsukune would never have known where his sworn enemy lurked.
Though he was in a perilous situation, Alucard's words were somewhat comforting. If Alucard did not know his true identity, it was highly likely he did not view him as a threat which, by extension, meant he would be less inclined to summarily execute him in the middle of a nearly empty shop.
"Nobody important," Tsukune calmly retorted as his fingers flipped through the coat hangers on the rack.
"Maybe not, but you're extremely well informed. That might be a problem." He spoke with the utmost tranquility. It almost sounded as if the idea of killing the newly transformed vampire was no more than an afterthought for the creature.
A bead of cold sweat ran down Tsukune's back. The host still laid dormant in the basement of the Shuzen mansion. As long as it existed, the clone that idly discussed the boy's demise was indestructible. He had to buy some time and stave off the confrontation until a more advantageous time.
"Killing me would be more trouble than it's worth." Tsukune tried to match his opponent's nonchalant tone.
"I suppose you're right." The ex-ghoul heard a click, the smell of tobacco followed thereafter. "Besides, since you know so much already. You'd know better than to do something foolish, correct?" Alucard did not wait for an answer before continuing his train of thought. "Anyway, let's brush that aside for now. I came here to thank you for saving the last of my kindred."
So he was here to see Akua, no doubt with the intent of turning her against Mankind. This must have been the moment in time where he used Jasmine's death as a pretext to induct Akua into Fairy Tale. Yet something was off, If memory served, Akua had clearly stated that the deal involved Moka being spared. This must have only been the first of several meetings between the two.
"I did what anyone else would've done."
"Don't diminish your role in her survival… or her friend's." The small moment of hesitation the Wallachian prince had before he mentioned Jasmine was quite telling of the importance he attached to the sliver haired vampire's existence. He almost sounded regretful that she did not perish. It was painfully obvious that his calculations involved her dying at the hands of the villagers.
Tsukune wondered how long Alucard had spent watching his granddaughter. Could it be that he had a hand in Jasmine's death the first time around? "You've done me a great service. And if you'll do me one last favor, I'll see to it that you're well rewarded for your work."
"I'm listening."
Playing the part of a greedy egotist did not sit well with the boy. However, it was the only way he envisioned himself being left breathing after this encounter.
"Make sure they arrive safely at their destination. Once you do, you'll meet a Mrs. Gyokuro Shuzen who'll have your payment. If she asks who sent you, you are not, and I must insist, not to mention my name. Tell her it was the Masked King who contracted you. Understand?"
Tipping off Gyokuro was the last thing Tsukune would have done. He did not need any verbal encouragement to guarantee he kept the leader of Fairy Tale in the dark. Akasha and Issa Shuzen, on the other hand…
"Completely."
"Excellent, you might have a bright future ahead of you, after all."
He felt a hand pat his shoulder. When the impression of said hand faded, the oppressive aura had vanished. Its master had gone and left one of its most dangerous, albeit unknown, future enemies alive.
With the unexpected meeting concluded, Tsukune went about purchasing the items he had sought out in the first place. The clerk barely paid any heed to the hooded person before him, scanning the articles of clothing that were brought to his register and keeping his eyes fixated on the screen in front of him.
His rather large frame, completed with a pimpled face and dirt ridden glasses, along with the grotesque overalls and snot leaking out of his nose, did little to complement the bored adolescent who boxed up Tsukune's new affects without the slightest bit of curtesy towards his vampiric customer.
He grabbed the bills the Yokai student left on his counter, stuffed them into the register, and could not even be bothered to count the sum to make sure it was all there. Certainly, someone found their job to be anything save enthusiastic.
The steps creaked under his feet. Going up and down the old stairs that led to the top of the building tended to be a relaxing moment for Tsukune. It was the first place where he could remove the uncomfortable lenses from his eyes and not fear being discovered. The complex had been abandoned for several years. Considered to be in too dilapidated a state to be livable, it was rare for humans to ever venture out here. Still, he could not help looking over his shoulder as he went up. He felt an eerie sensation tugging at his instincts.
He stopped, breathed in deeply, and sent about trying to locate the responsible individual. His aura went out in waves, a veritable sonar of energy, traveling through air and solid matter alike, waiting for the slightest resonance of power to respond and give away the enemy's presence.
Ping. He felt it, a monster was nearby, right above him. He looked up and resisted the urge to berate himself for not having anticipated this. He could see Akua's head and torso protruding from the ceiling. Of all the things to forget about a seasoned assassin, it had to be her ability to pass through solid objects.
Her cheeks went red as she realized her cover was blown. Embarrassed, her first reaction was to try a last minute retreat. Unfortunately, the hasty attempt broke her concentration and, rather than disappearing up into the ceiling, her entire body phased through the concrete and sent her falling onto the floor below. When she dusted herself off and got to her feet, she was face to face with the one she stalked, apparently unimpressed with her display of Tohofuhai's technique.
She was about to spout some half thought out explanation to justify her supernatural capacity to pass through matter when he raised his hand to stop her.
"You don't have to say anything," he reassured her.
"Really?" She questioned, "You're not even a little curious how I did that?"
"Tohofuhai's Dimensional Sword, right?"
"H- How did you know that!?" The look of shock on her childish face was priceless to the older vampire. Seldom had he had a chance to laugh in recent days, and he was thoroughly enjoying this opportunity.
"A friend tried to kill me with it once," he stated simply.
"Doesn't sound like much of a friend to me," she replied, somewhat curious as to what kind of psychotic company he kept as friends.
"Nah, she had her reasons," he dismissed with a wave of his hand. "And she was a little misguided at the time."
"You sure are a forgiving guy," she noted with a furrowed brow.
"You think so?" He joked, tentatively trying to play light of a situation that nearly left him, and all his friends, dead.
"Oh jeez, I've seen monks with worse tempers."
Her reproach was fueled by genuine concern. The way Tsukune carried himself was a sure sign that he endured his fair share of trying moments during his young life. Despite that, he still somehow retained a happy-go-lucky attitude about it. Akua reasoned that it was that same humorous nature that would be his undoing. The poor sap needed someone to keep an eye out for him if he was to last.
He smiled, laughed and rubbed his neck as he so often did. Far too lighthearted for his own good. Would he even survive without her to watch his back? It always amazed her how close Jasmine and Tsukune could be in character. Neither one truly comprehended how the world worked, both so blissfully unaware and innocent. She felt compelled to protect that spark of naivety with all of her might.
His upbeat attitude slowly darkened as the laughter died down. She could tell he was bothered by something.
"Wait. Why aren't you upstairs?" He inquired, suspicious of her motives for leaving the safe house.
"I couldn't sleep," she lied. He did not need to know what just happened, it would only upset him.
The boy sighed. "You met him, huh?"
"Who?" She unconvincingly tried to play dumb.
"You know who I mean."
For the first time since she met Tsukune Aono, she saw a heart wrenching change in his demeanor. The once jovial disposition turned somber and dark. His eyes, usually sparkling with life, turned tired and aged as the light in his eyes dimmed. The young face wrinkled itself in deep and depressing thoughts. This was the Tsukune Aono that lurked beneath the surface, this was the true form of an unfortunate soul that had known suffering.
"What did he tell you?" He continued without the least bit trace of anger in his voice, only tired resignation. "Humans are all bad? They should be exterminated?"
She did not speak, only nodded.
"Did you accept his offer?"
"I said I had to think about it," she mumbled defensively.
"You're considering it?"
"Of course I am! Those rotten, no good beasts would've killed given half a chance! Why do you keep giving them a free pass!?" She lashed out at the boy who still held on to the grocery bags.
Tsukune never disguised his great sympathy for Humanity. Whenever Akua or Jasmine questioned him, it always went back to his dream of cohabitation between monsters and humans. The young vampiress did her best not to openly argue with him over that point, but it seemed it was a topic they could no longer avoid.
She expected him to start yelling. To scold her for siding with a being hell-bent on wiping out all humans…
He never raised his voice.
He did not even show a hint of anger directed towards her.
All she did see was a sad smile cross his face as a mixture of tender and bitter memories flashed before his eyes. He concluded that hiding the truth was not any way to treat a friend.
He pointed towards the top of the stairs and calmly asked, "Do you want to have this conversation here?"
Realizing what he was alluding to, she moved towards the lower floors in earnest. Jasmine was still fast asleep, it would not be fair to force her into such an argument.
The two walked side by side through the darkened side streets of the city, careful to avoid being spotted by cameras or people. After finding a remote park that was closed for the night, they sat down on a bench by the side of the grand dirt path that crossed the verdant location and began to talk.
"I wasn't always like this," Tsukune confessed, pausing to think of how he should tell her.
"You weren't always this trusting?" She speculated, in vain.
"No- Well… Maybe, I'm not sure. I wasn't talking about my personality."
"You weren't always this powerful?" She attempted to deduce once more.
Akua reasoned that was common to all vampires. Each member of the species went through a time before maturity where the powers that laid dormant within them awoke. Before that, they may as well be considered weaklings. From a personal standpoint, she could not vouch for ever having felt that. Akua had been blessed with the good fortune of having her powers mature earlier than the norm, which was around the age of ten or eleven.
"I guess you could say that… Look, what I'm trying to say is I wasn't born a vampire."
She tried to comprehend. Not born a vampire? Was he breed in a laboratory? Preposterous, monsters could not be manufactured, they had to be born or…
Turned?
"What are you trying to say?"
Her kind was coming up with a very disturbing hypothesis, and she viewed it as so insulting she did not dare speak out loud for fear of offending the older monster. She saw him try to come up with a way to soften the blow, nevertheless; her heart sank as she heard him give voice to her worst fears.
"I was human."
Though her heart sank, her mind did not process the news. Rather, it dismissed as absurd, an impossible case that was incredibly droll. The involuntary laughter bubbled up out of her and erupted loudly, taking Tsukune aback by the unexpected response.
"It's a joke," she exclaimed as she dried a tear that streamed down her cheek, "it has to be!"
"Akua…" He whispered as he witnessed her delicate frame hunched over itself, her laughter died down as the tears flowed unhindered.
"No, I won't believe it… I can't," she murmured to herself.
The man that had been so kind to her, the one who saved her and cared for her, was a human? It was a lie, no human could as thoughtless as he was. No human could inspire the kind of love and respect the boy incited within her, it had to be a lie.
She felt his hand rest on her shoulder. Her eyes, blurred by the incessant downpour, gazed up and perceived his youthful face which conveyed two separate emotions: deepest regret and calm resolution.
The two crimson eyes locked with each other in intimate understanding, quashing away all sorrow in her heart. Whatever Tsukune might have been in the past, he was now a member of her own race. Proof enough in and of itself that he was too good remain a filthy brute of a human.
Not the conclusion the boy wished Akua would arrive to, but it would suffice for now. She disdained Humanity as a whole, yet; she could now admit to exceptional people being brought up from among their ranks. A small victory in winning her heart and mind over to the Cause; a victory regardless.
They went silent, contemplating the night sky as the distant moon slashed through the brazen lights of buildings. The smaller stars did not follow, too weak in their capacity to overwhelm human creations. The strongest of lights did still persevere, though, that was all that Akua cared about.
The held each other as close family did. Not related by blood, they felt in that moment as close as kin. Siblings not by birth, but by Fortune; capricious mistress of wanderers and the unlucky. It was a peaceful reprieve for the young assassin, a moment of timeless bliss. Finally, her thoughts cleared, the sobs in her throat died down, her eyes dried: she was happy.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The two returned to find Jasmine fast asleep, just as they left her. Akua sat down on her futon and examined her newest acquisitions, mentally noting the similarities between her new wears and what she so pitifully lost to the villagers. They were, for all intents and purposes, identical to the original pieces. The hat, dark as the night that surrounded them, was contrasted with a white bow that entangled the bowler with its silky fabric.
The coat was of the same style and contrast. White linings, buttons and bow set upon a black base. Akua's new prized item was made of three parts in total: the original jacket, added cloth that spanned the length between the collar and the bottom of the shoulders, and a large hood sown into the back of the neckline.
Tsukune entertained himself by sitting down on his usual chair and go about the same occupation he always did, watch the outside world and the changing dynamic of the ever-alert city. His mind went over today's events, nitpicked at every memorable moment, and studied how he could have been more prepared. He came to this singular conclusion: He was almost discovered by the enemy, he needed to maintain anonymity.
On their way back from the heart to heart in the park, an object caught his eye. An unassuming item, a frowning carnival mask, golden with few details other than a single white tear going down the side mask. It was an odd purchase, as was the dark coat he bought to disguise the rest of his features, he thought.
Despite that, as he watched the sirens of a passing police car, he felt justified in the bout of eccentric spending.