In Remembrance Of...

The wait is over. As promised, I will not go for more than a week before updating one of my stories.

Enjoy:

"Denn die Todten reiten Schnell. (For the dead travel fast.)"

― Bram Stoker, Dracula

The young Tsukune watched the curious group quite intently. It was the first time he had ever seen such colorful personages. His cousin Kyoko did qualify as strange, but not in the same manner these characters carried the slightly demeaning title. The girl with silver hair appeared to be of a nice sort, a kind face and sweet demeanor. The older girl with black was a little scary, something about her made him feel extremely uneasy. As for the masked man, he was not sure what to make of him. Tsukune tried to see if the stranger had the same eyes the others did, but the intimidating presence made sure not to lock eyes with him. There was something about the eldest of the small band of friends, a sensation of eerie familiarity that lingered as he approached. He wanted to see who was behind the mask, he needed to know. A sort of trance came over him, and his feet carried him closer. His older counterpart did not have time to react, a voice came up behind the boy who immediately snapped back to reality.

"Tsukki, why did you wander off like that? We were looking all over for you."

The masked vampire saw her. For the first time in what felt like years, he saw his cousin with his own eyes. He forgot all about who he pretended to be, the whole ordeal and his plan to foreworn Akasha of Alucard's schemes had gone out the window. All he wanted to do was call out to his beloved cousin and embrace her. The fatal words were about to cross his lips when his younger persona answered.

"I'm sorry, Kyo," the child meekly responded. Having regained all of his faculties and brushed off the sudden outpouring of curiosity, the young brown-haired human took a few steps before the overly protective cousin grabbed him and began to drag him outside.

She looked up and realized that Tsukune was not alone. "I'm sorry about my little cousin. Tsukune can be such a problem sometimes. I hope he didn't cause you any trouble."

"Not at all." Akua speedily spoke. The odds of meeting two people named who appeared to be exact replicas of each other were below the point of impossible. Tsukune's reaction to the boy confirmed that a great number of things were amiss.

'That's funny," Jasmine began, "because big brother also has-"

Jasmine suddenly felt a deep tingling that traveled up and down her spine. The combined aura of the two vampires, now squarely aimed at her screamed one very important imperative: Do not breathe a word about big brother Tsukune's identity! Sensing that certain doom would follow if she did not comply, she tried to rectify her choice of words.

"-also has a knack for wandering off," Jasmine laughed as the dark intent dissipated into the air. She truly did manage to dodge a metaphorical bullet.

'Is that so?" Kyoko asked with great interest. She took a step towards the masked man and observed him with fervor. "You're the big brother?" She questioned. It was obvious, the older Tsukune reasoned, however Kyo was known for being a bit dense at times.

The mysterious stranger nodded his head, much to Kyoko's displeasure. "You can't talk?" She asked with a hint of disappointment. The stranger shook his head no as he contemplated how closely he had come to accidentally destroying the charade he painstakingly tried to keep up. Meeting his family, here of all places, had thrown a wrench in his plans. The best he could do was hastily speed this along and get away from this ticking time bomb of a coincidence.

"Well, take it from me, mister," Kyoko scolded her masquerading cousin with a wag of her finger. "You have two little sisters who care very much for you. Don't scare 'em by disappearing like my little cousin, got that?"

Tsukune nodded again, fully aware that the duo was keen to observe every detail of this exchange. They were putting two and two together, he was sure of it.

"Good, and…Tsukki! Watch where you're going!"

Too late. The younger Tsukune had pulled himself out of his overzealous cousin's grasp and momentarily lost his balance. The ungraceful display sent him tumbling headfirst into Akua. The two locked eyes and a spark crossed her face. Akua knew the two Tsukune's were the same person.

The human child pushed back in surprise, trying to regain his balance. In lieu of that, he landed on the floor with a reddened face. He expected the raven-haired girl to be angry, to lose her temper, yet she never lost her composure.

The boy dusted himself off, bowed apologetically and ran off. Seeing her charge leaving, she went on after him without another thought for the vampires who watched the embarrassed reaction with amusement. The oldest vampire chuckled at the realization of how shy he used to be, a trait that vanished after a few months at Yokai.

"So, his name was Tsukune, huh?" Akua nonchalantly noted. The First Ancestor was about to speak when he saw her raise a hand to stop him. "You don't want to talk about it, I can see that," she continued, her eyes still fixated on the human who was off in the distance, "but there's just one thing I want to ask you: You're coming with us because there's someone you want to meet at the mansion, am I right?"

The boy was taken aback by her deduction. How could she tell? "Yes," he answered honestly.

"Okay," she smiled, "then let's not waste any more time." She then pointed to a car that had just parked in front of them. "Looks like our escort is here."

The trio entered the nondescript black limousine. The vehicle went down the street, turned the corner, and sped off in the mansion's direction.

In a matter of minutes, the car had left the city and cruised along the verdant farmlands and trees. Truly, when monsters set their minds to it, they hardly wasted any time. Unsurprisingly, a sense of dread overcame the boy as they neared their destination: This was, after all, the most dangerous location in all of Japan. The transport entered the property of some of the most fearsome vampires in existence, leading him into the lion's den.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sir, they have arrived."

"Very well."

Issa Shuzen quickly traversed the ballroom. Were all the preparations made? Had everything been set accordingly? He was about to meet his eldest daughter for the first time, nothing could go awry.

He had heard so much about his daughter. The fearsome Black Devil: the grandest assassin in all of continental China. He followed her exploits with great interest. Never faced with a contract she could not fulfill nor a target she could not eliminate, she made the underworld tremble in fear. He could not have been prouder of her.

He contacted her numerous times in the past, asking her to come home. Every time that happened, he was met with the same answer: Not yet. It was becoming frustrating. He kept tabs on her, provided when he could; but it was not the same as being able to watch over her personally, to protect her as he did his other three daughters.

He watched as vampire after vampire bowed their head as he passed. All of his guests were present, eager to see how the new Shuzen girl would fare. They wanted to see blood, they peered down as predators awaiting a proper meal. Beneath the smiles and the laughter, all that mattered among them was to see if the prime heiress was as powerful as the rumors let on.

Although children were generally spared such masqueraded trials. Every once in a while, there came a child with such a reputation that the adults could not help but be enticed by the idea of comparing the prodigy's strength to theirs. They posed no threat to her. He would have her fight Kahlua and the audience would be sated for the time being.

The vultures that called him their host were not what troubled him. Rather, he thought of the two that accompanied her. The young girl in his daughter's care, her name was Jasmine if he recalled correctly, was not born into the family. If Akua truly felt as strongly about her as he suspected, then he would adopt her. That should provide enough of a reward for keeping her daughter company all these years. As for the masked guardian she spoke so highly of, he might be a problem. There were no records of this vampire. Every inquiry into his background came up blank. Whoever this Japanese vampire was, he was not related to any of his guests. It was both very unusual and highly troubling. Who was he? What was his goal? To further complicate things, Akasha was growing increasingly worried over a strange phenomenon that cropped up a few days ago, right around the time he first heard of this masked monster. It could not have been the Masked King, all his sources agreed to say this was a different person altogether. So who was he?

The door to the courtyard opened, and he was met with the trio of vampire. He placed a hand over his heart and bowed, thus properly greeting his daughter and her escort. "So good of you to come."Akasha and the girls were walking behind them. "Welcome to the Shuzen household. I am Issa Shuzen."

The polite gesture was returned by his daughter in earnest. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person. Thank you for taking me in," she placed her right fist in the cup of her other hand as a sign of gratitude and lightly bowed.

The assembled congregation of vampires moved as one down the grandiose hall. Hundreds of eyes watched their every step, commenting and speaking their thoughts aloud. Many of these words were directed at Akua's arrival; comments made concerning either Tsukune or Jasmine were done sparingly.

Tsukune had done a fine job of concealing his identity. When they pulled up, and he was met with the young face he would come to love, he did not even so much as pause at the eerie reunion. He had ample time to prepare himself for this day. And so, he tried his best not to acknowledge little Moka's presence. He loathed himself for ignoring her, true, but he could not risk being exposed as of yet. He was somewhat successful in maintaining that indifferent façade, the mask had truly been invaluable so far; still, Akasha that was the true obstacle. He could feel her observing him. He stayed close behind Akua and Issa, the rest followed swiftly behind him. He did not see Akasha watching him, he felt it. The great and powerful Nosferatu, the one who sent him back in time in the first place.

"I understand I have you to thank for delivering my daughters here." Issa commented as the two male vampires split off from the rest of the group, leaving Akasha to conduct the tour for the new arrivals. "What is it that the Shuzen clan might offer you?"

"I'd like to stay here for a couple days before going my own way." Tsukune replied, hoping the small interaction would soon be forgotten, along with the particular timbre of his voice. Letting Akua know his true identity was a perilous situation already; allowing another to connect the dots between the mysterious vampire and the young human who was to attend the Academy would prove to be downright dangerous.

"Agreed," the patriarch of the family smiled, at ease now that he was able to assess the stranger's character, "we will speak of your reward some other time. Come now, they should be in the ballroom by now."

The crowd assembled together and the head of the fearsome, well acquainted with the subtleties of their collective expectations, concealed his friendly disposition. They expected a show, and as much as he may disapprove, the Shuzens had an image to uphold, not that he was overly concerned with what was to come next.

"I would like to get a good measure of your strength, if you don't mind,' he courteously addressed his eldest daughter. Jasmine had long since found refuge next in to Moka in Akasha's arms. His daughter responded kindly with a smirk and a nod, the festivities could proceed uninterrupted. "Your opponent will be Kahlua."

"Yes, father." Kahlua acknowledge as she revealed herself from amidst the assembly. The crowd stepped back, leaving the two combatants with enough room to duel with ease. The two circled each other with unabashed ferocity. Those in attendance not extensively knowledgeable of the clan that hosted them, waited with baited breathe, eager to see a bloodbath unfold. They stayed deathly quiet, and still, as the predatory opponents examined each other with the utmost interest. Every step, every glance, and every twitch of every muscle spoke volumes of the adversary they were about to face.

The signal resounded in the form of a clap, and the two competitors were off. It proceeded precisely as Tsukune remembered: the feints, dodges, kicks, punches, Akua's martial technique, Kahlua otherworldly resilience; it was exactly as he recalled It, down to the faintest detail. The second clap resounded, and the battling fiends, while in mid-flight, managed to halt in place and acquiesce to the draw. They saluted each other, then their father.

"Your strength is greater than I expected," he noted, content of the results. This was sure to silence the critics in the vampire community. A small show of force always seemed to intimidate them into keeping their peace.

"Thank you, father," Akua replied, nearly out of breath. The fight had taken more than she expected. However, she glad that it occurred. She was given the chance to see some of Kahlua's abilities. She was quite the fearsome fighter; she was honored to call her sister.

Noticing that the two began to bond, he thought it best to adjourn for today. He did not wish to deal with the congregation any longer. With a nod to Tsukune, signifying that he was welcome for as long as he wanted to stay, he whispered a few words to Akasha as he left. The First Ancestor accepted whatever request he voiced, and watched as her husband retreated to his study to rest. Akasha turned to the assembled crowd and began to mingle. She greeted and conversed with a smile; still, Tsukune could tell by the stiffness of her demeanor that she disliked this gathering as much as the patriarch did. Now was his chance; he stepped forward, passing through the growing number of vampires that barred his way. Many did a double take of the masked one, curious that they sensed such power coming from one so reserved. Alas, before he could reach the Nosferatu, a hand shot out of the assembly, and an all too familiar, and severely despised face came to forefront. With a grin, Gyokuro Shuzen dragged off the brown-haired boy long before Akasha even noticed he was near. Out in the deserted hallway adjacent to the crowded ballroom, the two were given a chance to converse. She was dressed in a green dress not unlike the one she wore, or would wear, during the battle atop the airborne Hanging Gardens. She exuded the same air of sickening superiority she always sported; she was so sure of her greatness, it only made the prospect of besting her a second time all the sweeter.

"Did he send you?" Gyokuro inquired with a hint of interest.

"Yes he did," the impassable figure responded dryly.

The cold reception was unexpected, but not completely unjustified. She imagined the Masked King ordered him to undertake this task without any willingness to take no for an answer. He lacked considerably when it came to being diplomatic, it was truly deplorable to have a leader that lacked that essential trait prerequisite to being charismatic. Then again, his shortcoming was why she was so prominent in the organization. He held the strings, but Gyokuro was the face in the spotlight; the caring leader that built Fairy Tale up from a petty band of ragtag monsters into a fully-capable, international, association of human-hating monsters. From nothing, she molded a powerful group in her own image; all right in front of Akasha's husband-stealing nose. It was simply too perfect.

"I'm sorry but could you say exactly who sent you?" she pleasantly asked. "It's just a formality, but I have to make sure we are on the same page," she lied.

It was an underhanded way of gathering some sorely wanted information. Perhaps the Masked King approached the mysterious vampire in his true form. If that were so, she had to know her boss' identity. Being kept in the dark left her with a sense of awful foreboding; if she could help it, she would learn every little detail possible before trying to make any ambitious move to take more power. Not to mention that a number of her plans might be undermined if the Masked King was as strong as he let on.

"The Masked King." Tsukune answered honestly, if a bit succinctly. He contemplated telling her the whole truth for a moment, curious to see how her face would be gripped by surprise and fear; but, the childish desire for a modicum of revenge subsided. In its place came Tsukune's calculative mind who judged tipping his hand to one of his arch-foes to a very poor move.

"Right. But did he give you a name?" Gyokuro half-heartedly tried one last attempt, all with the most charming of smiles.

"No."

She resisted the urge to scream. He knew, she could tell. He knew and he was careful to keep that secret safely tucked inside his mind. How infuriating. He was intelligent, smart enough to not say any more than he had to. With instincts like that, and a restrained aura that, when you came close, left you in awe, he had the potential to go very far; he had the capacity to be a very big player when all was said and done. Perhaps he could be a valuable ally after all.

"Too bad," she commented with a light shrug of her shoulders, her smile barely wavered. "Anyways, how can I compensate you for your act of valor?"

He stayed silent. If he gave her a price, he was certain she would pay it on the spot, leaving him without an alibi for lingering in the mansion after tonight. His lack of a reply did not go unnoticed. The Shuzen matriarch surmised he was simply hard to get; she found it odd that he would pick this time to be reserved about an answer. Unless, of course, he was aiming for a prize he knew to be excessive. To be so opportunistic… He might be just the catch she was looking for; a powerful tool she may yet wield to her benefit. All she had to do was reel him in and make sure to never let go; she could mold him to her heart's content after insuring he was under her tutelage.

"Let's see. Money? Prestige? Power?" She questioned, trying to discern if any of the bait she threw at him found their target. Not so much as a flinch. "How about all three?" She congratulated herself when he almost imperceptibly leaned forward in puzzlement. She knew she had him now. "You don't look that old," she noted. "Eighteen at the most, right? You know, my eldest is practically your age. Well, a few years younger, give or take," she let her honeyed words flow, confident in her ability to let the powerful young vampire's imagination soar at the possibilities. Who could refuse a golden offer; and laid out so prettily, no less.

'That won't be necessary," he promptly refused without a moment's hesitation. Alas, it did not deter her one bit.

"Nonsense, you did this family a great favor. Marrying into it is only just," she declared, hoping to pull the boy out of whatever false sense of modesty he was trying to put on. He was not going to wedge himself out of this; all that was required was a little push, "and, it will make you the envy of our brethren."

"No, I really don't think-" Tsukune tried to reply.

"It's done," she rudely interjected. She had him in the palm of her hand, there was no way she would let him go now. "Feel free to stay for as long as you want. Her name is Kahlua, by the way; I can tell you two will get along famously."

By the time he thought up a reply, Gyokuro had vanished into thin air; there was no doubt she made her way back to the party. He would have to clear up this misunderstanding some other time. For now, he had pressing business with the Dark Lord, and he was not about to let the opportunity to warn her slip through his fingers a second time this day.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Akasha felt an awful sensation every time Akua's guardian came close. It was a chill that overcame her, intermingled with a deep sense of loss and sorrow. She disliked the feeling, which tended to go away for the most part after getting enough between herself and the young boy. The chill went away, as did the sorrow; but the loss, the loss did not disappear quite so readily. She pushed it out of her mind as she went about entertaining the guests and watching the few children that were still in attendance. Moka and Akua had gone off somewhere together; a good chance for the two to bond as sisters. The newly-adopted Jasmine followed her around dutifully; already the new mother figure embraced her as her own.

"-and so I told him: "If you won't call off your pet, I'll have my people do it for you." The look on his face was simply priceless." One of the vampires that Akasha called guest, a British woman, recounted to the pleasure of most who listened to her story

"I'm sure." Akasha politely replied with her usual soft smile. Truth be told, she was barely paying attention, this endless gatherings bored her almost as much as they did Issa. She only attended them to preserve the family image, not that it needed that much attention to continue carrying such weight. Unfortunately, a minimum amount of involvement was necessary to keep people from forgetting not to cross the Shuzens.

"Oh my dear, you simply must come to my estate sometime soon. We would be honored to have you and the rest of the Shuzen clan come visit our home. Isn't that right, darling." She turned to another British vampire that stood nearby.

"Quite," he responded with a grin that threatened to split his face in half. "In fact, if I'm not mistaking, none of your daughters have been given away in marriage, correct? Maybe we could come to some arrangement on the matter?" The British gentleman mused.

Typical. Another group of vampires that practically threw themselves, and their children, at the greatest clan they could find. Vampires accounted for an extremely small percentage of the monster population, to the point that many monsters came to discount their existence as the stuff of legends; they were relegated to a sort of bogeyman status by the rest. The ceaseless attempts at steering their families into advantageous marriages did not help the birth rate by any stretch of the imagination, either.

"Excuse me. May I have a word with you?"

The sense of dread surged without warning, and Akasha did not even need to turn her head to know who was asking for a moment of her time.

"Of course," she obliged with a tilt of her head. "Pardon us for a moment."

The two were now free to speak privately. The surrounding crowd paid them no mind and Jasmine had since wandered off in search of Moka and Akua. Now that he was confronted with the same woman that had sent him back, Tsukune could not find the words. Every sound he wanted to make stayed stuck in his throat as the one whom he saw die right in front of stood with the softest of expressions. It was surreal, and he felt his legs would give way before he ever told her who he was and what was bound to happen.

"Is everything alright?"

She saw him begin to lose his footing; something was extremely wrong. Her hands came up to try and offer a reassuring touch on his shoulders. As soon as she made contact, the chill emanating from him stopped. In its place came a torrent of images and sounds. Millions upon millions of memories a dying Akasha bequeathed to a heartbroken Tsukune through a single, soft kiss. Her eyes widened in realization as every detail of the future came to her. All the good times, the trials, the gentle moments she spent in the company of her friends; it was overwhelming.

"Tsukune," she murmured.

The boy was shaken to his core. She remembered! She remembered everything. He was at a loss. How did this happen? Her finger came up to silence the boy before he could say a word. Having made sure he would not speak, she abruptly ran off, leaving Tsukune alone in a veritable sea of monsters; both figuratively and literally.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Issa Shuzen was quietly perusing his vast library. He was in the mood for some satire; maybe a French poet would help him unwind after a long day of watching dishonorable vampires trample each other for his attention. He heard the door open and a figure whose dress lightly brushed against the floor come forward.

"Is something the matter, Akasha?" he inquired, still observing his collection with the highest care.

"We need to talk," she announced with some urgency in her voice.

'What is it, love?" The Shuzen patriarch was starting to worry. He turned to see Akasha fidgeting where she stood.

"What I have to say cannot leave this room, okay?" She was deathly serious as stated her request.

"Naturally, but what troubles you?" He reassured as he sat down in a nearby chair. It was an extremely rare sight to see Akasha Bloodriver ever show such signs of fear; the only entity that could possibly inspire this level of urgency was supposed to be sound asleep. The more he thought of it, the more he, himself, grew worried at what she might tell him.

With that, Akasha went to close the door behind her. No one was to eavesdrop on this conversation for no living soul outside of that room could learn what she and Issa would plan later on. In the dead of night, when all others slept soundly, the two vampires continued to formulate and scheme based on Akasha's newly recovered, or rather acquired, memories.