Dinner that night was very quiet. Your mom seemed worried, but she wouldn't tell you what was wrong. You knew better than to pester her though. And despite being curious about what was on her mind, you still couldn't get that one thought out of yours.
'Was that annoying kid who took my pocky the one that got Toga to come check up on me?'
You grab plates and set them up on the table. It was just supposed to be you and your mom tonight, but sometimes Toga would drop by before sunset. He was always a very different person when he came over for dinner. He was calm, more relaxed. And he also had much more of a warmth to him than any other time you were around him. You were sure it was because he was trying to give your mom some stability; something to make your mom feel like everything was ok. It was just so odd, after so many years of seeing him so distant except for when he got mad that you weren't doing something right.
It was still nice to see this side of him, and you really hoped he'd drop by tonight too.
"So who stopped by to see you today?" your mother asks you while she brings the stew over to pour onto the bowls. You grab the pitcher of lemonade you made earlier and fill the cups up.
"Toga just came over to ask how you and I were doing. I actually thought you sent him over to be honest."
Your mom tilts her head to the side in slight confusion, but she nods in acceptance, then continues with what she was doing. You grab the bread from the oven you had put to toast earlier, and set a slice besides your mom's plate and yours. Then you each sit down, and wait for a few minutes. The sun is already starting to set, and it's clear that the long rays of warmth aren't going to last much longer.
You shrug and then reach your hands out towards your mom. She grabs them and quickly says grace. Then you each start eating. You soak your bread in the stew, letting it pull up all the juices that taste like meat and potatoes, carrots and rice. You always liked to enjoy the broth before you actually dig into the star of the dish, and tonight was no different. Your mom on the other hand always left the broth for the end because she liked to drink it when it was cooler.
It's after you both already finished eating and had started cleaning that you hear a knock on the door. You each look at each other quizzically before you head to the door to answer. You peak out the window before reaching the door to check who it is, but don't recognize the man with the long ash-blond hair in front of your door.
You open the door slowly, making sure to have something in arm's reach in case this person might be dangerous. You don't open the door all the way though; only enough for the top half of your body and one of your legs to be visible enough to talk to him.
"Yes?" you ask as you look the man up and down. He's not bad looking, but he looks sort of goofy. It's like you're looking at a man who thinks he's a little kid. You can tell he's embarrassed by the way he holds his hands and the tenseness of his shoulders, but his smile is charming. You take to it quickly, but still keep your guard up. Even the most innocent of looking children can be deadly if you aren't careful.
"Hi, hello. My name is Kaien Cross. I'm here on behalf of Toga Yagari. Is your mother available?"
You stare him down while you lean back enough to call your mother over. She comes, wiping her hands on the skirt of her red dress. The water she wipes away darkens the red, making it look like blood is soaking the edge of her hip and the front of her right thigh. You burn that image out of your head as best as you can while you open the door wider so your mom can talk to him comfortably.
"How can I help you?" she asks politely. He straightens his back and clears his throat before introducing himself again. "Toga was wondering if (Y.N.) can come help him at Cross academy tonight."
Your mother snaps her head towards you, her mouth open in a small 'o' shape. You recoil a bit from Mr. Cross, the hand holding the door squeezing so hard, your knuckle turns white.
Your brain yells "why?" but your mother's voice instead says, "What does he need her to do?"
Mr. Cross continues to keep a calm smile, seemingly unaware of your hesitation, and your mother's suspicion. Instead, he just tells her, "He tells me your daughter is quite skilled at self-defense, and he'd like for her to help some students learn to defend themselves." After a beat, he says, "He says she's the best student he's had in a number of years."
'Ha! That's a laugh. He's always going on and on about how I'm nowhere near as good as that kid, Zero.'
Your mom doesn't seem completely convinced, but after some hesitation, she says alright. Cross claps his hands happily, and responds, "Fantastic!"
He takes a step away from the door, leaning slightly as if to say let's go. However, before he can voice this, your mother says, "Wait. Take some dinner to Toga, (Y.N.). You know he never eats well until I force it done down his throat." Cross covers his mouth as he chuckles, clearly understanding your mother's dilemma. As she hurries off to the kitchen to pack a lunch sack for Toga, Cross perks up, his own small 'o' coming over his mouth as he remembers something.
"(Y.N.), have you planted the seed yet?"
He's all business as he whispers his question to you; that childish personality from earlier is now completely gone, and you see that you were right to be wary of his innocent facade. You cringe a little as it clicks what he's talking about. You hadn't had a chance to put it back; your father would be very disappointed in you had he been alive to hear about this...
"No, sir. I—" Before you can say anything else, he cuts you off and whispers for you to get it before your mother comes back. You had it placed underneath the bed, behind your light brown treasure chest you've had since you were 9. Your mother never went near those things because she respected your privacy, and knew how much the things you put in there meant to you. For this reason, you knew she wouldn't accidentally find the Seed there while she was cleaning. You grab your sweater as you hurry out to cover the box, and hope your mother won't think anything of the fact that you aren't currently wearing the sweater despite the current, light chill.
When you get back to the living room, you can hear your mother struggling, so you put the sweater-covered box down besides the man and hurry over to help her. She's very short, so there's some things she just can't reach from the higher shelves without your help.
You're surprised about the amount of food she managed to pack so quickly, and get quite jealous when you see your favorite side dish in the mix. You don't say anything though because, this is Toga after all. Your mom is just trying to take care of him since she can't distract herself by taking care of you anymore.
"Mama, what are you trying to get? Let me help you."
After a couple of minutes, everything is ready. When you go back out, you are relieved to see that the Seed is not overly visible, and that Cross is currently holding your sweater for you. To your mother, he must look like he's just being a gentleman. To your trained eye, you can see that he's holding the box within his coat, and using his hand and the sweater to cover it up.
"Ok, babe. I'll see you later, ok. Be safe, and take care of yourself," your mother says as she walks you to the door, guiding you since the amount of items in your hands was making it quite difficult to see ahead of you at the moment. Cross keeps the door open for you and guides you over to the coach in front of your home. You stop and stare at it in awe for a few minutes. So does your mother. Neither of you had seen something so luxurious before. It glints in the now shining moonlight. The iron wheels are huge and sturdy, while the door which is currently open reveals plush seating and velvet lining.
You hear your mother's quiet gasp as she quietly hisses out "Dear Lord..."
You glance nervously at each other, but laugh when she says, "You better not drop any food in there. It'll take us forever to pay off that cleaning bill!" Cross smiles reassuringly at her and says that a minor spill is no big deal. And that she's actually doing him a huge favor by letting him borrow you for a few hours. She walks with you until the door of the coach, obviously entranced by the smooth wood outside and soft velvet inside. You get an idea, and decide it's now or never.
"Mama, can you help me take these things in there? Just go inside and put them on the chair until I can climb in too, yeah?" She's shocked by your words, but only looks at Cross to see if he disapproves. Instead, he gestures her forward and says, "Go ahead. After all, ladies should always go first into a coach. It would be rude otherwise."
She smiles and gingerly climbs inside, sitting on the seat closest to the door and cautiously reaches forward to grab container after container. Every chance she gets, she runs her hands over the material, or touches the designs of the material on the walls of the carriage. You haven't seen her this entranced by something in so long, it's a wonderful sight. After she's done arranging the food, she steps out, and you go in to take her place. She quickly kisses your forehead before she jumps off the last step, and goes to the doorway.
You wave goodbye to each other, then the carriage begins to shamble forward. As it progresses, you watch your house get farther, then the trees get closer. You can tell he's going to go around the long bend of the forest's edge to avoid your mother seeing you enter it. The forest is especially dangerous this time after all...
For about 10 minutes, there's nothing but trees and very long shadows. At points, you can only see thanks to the bright lamp Mr. Cross carries with him in the coachman seat, but finally there is a clearing ahead that marks the Utsero tree for these night time occurrences.
When you finally reach the spot, Toga is leaning against the tree with two young teenagers: one boy of about 14, and a girl that looks about 15.
The boy sits cross-legged over the foot of the tree, but begins to bounce excitedly when he sees the carriage approaching. He is short, with a mop of messy maroon hair on his head, and a long scar on his forearm that is only visible since he has his sleeves rolled up. He has a warmth and excitement to him that is almost infectious.
The girl seems uninterested and chews on a piece of gum as she waits. She looks like a mini Toga with her arms crossed like his, and the way she holds herself.
"Woah," Cross calls out soothingly to the horses. You slow down, and gently stop right in front of the tree. The boy jumps up at that and excitedly exclaims, "Hi grandpa!" You're surprised as you get out but say nothing. You just look at him and notice for the first time the soft crow's feet along his eyes, and the ever so slight laugh lines. Sure, he's not the youngest looking man, but he doesn't look any older than 40. Did he have kids really young?
"Hi, Yoshi," he says with a very kind smile. He then looks at the girl and says, "Hello Kasumi." She nods coolly and replies, "Hey." His smile seems to fade for just a fraction of a second because of her chilly disposition, but then it comes back full force when he gets back to business,
"So, Toga, I have brought you (Y.N.). Care to tell her what you have planned." Toga walks forward and tells the kids to step forward.
"(Y.N.), this is Yoshi and Kasumi. They're Cross Academy's new Guardians. You're going to help me train them." You blanch at his words when you realize what he means.
"But they're just kids!" you exclaim in shock. Part of you wants to pull them to your bosom protectively, wanting to save them from the horrors of encountering or even having to fight a vampire; but a harsh look from Kasumi shuts you up, and a soft pat on your head from Mr. Cross helps you feel a little better. Mr. Cross walks over to Yoshi and ruffles his hair before speaking.
"Yes, they are just kids, but these kids have already encountered a lot in the past couple of years."
Kasumi cuts in to add, "We're vampires too, for your information." You stare at her coldly, analyzing her for the tall tale signs at this information. However, you see nothing, and part of you believes she's just saying this to get you to go away. But she isn't the slightest bit scary, nor dangerous looking. There'll be no need to dispatch of her tonight.
"Well, then I guess I do have to train you then," you reply with a fake sigh. Toga smirks, instantly seeing your playfulness after all these years, but Kasumi glares at you. Yoshi smiles kindly, but he seems content just being close to his grandpa.
"Are we starting now?" You ask as you head back to the coach to get the Seed. Yoshi happily exclaims, "Yup!" while his hand quickly reaches up to do a faux salute. You smile at his eagerness, then tell him to come over. You hand him the Seed and get the top two containers of food before you each head towards Toga.
"Here you go," you tell the black haired smoker when you reach his position. He looks mildly surprised when you hand it to him, but a momentary hint of excitement lights his eyes when he recognizes your mother's cooking.
You motion for Kasumi to come over, then tell them the history of the Utseru tree. You tell them of the battle that raged in this land, and the grand sacrifice that The Father had to do to help his clan defeat the rogue vampire nemesis.
"The red ribbon attached to the branches signifies his body, which was ripped apart and left to rot by the monsters. But it also marks the spot of reprieve for all hunters and defenders who know what to look for. Here is when the Utseru tree sprang into life by the blood of our clansmen, and helped end the war. For, with his sacrifice, many of the monsters came forward, all wanting to be the one to get the kill as this was the man who kept them in check."
You continue telling the duo of the amazing battle, how he singlehandedly defeated hundreds of the monstrous beasts with only a machete and his brute strength. Then you tell them of the secret footmen, hiding in the bushes and camouflaged among the trees. These people helped kill the stragglers, and those that were unwilling to try to get through the hoards.
"It was a long, fearsome battle. But through this, we came to finally put an end to the relentless killing that had been running amuck in these mountains."
You detailed every little image, every scene, and every word, just like your father had to you when he first told you the importance of the Utseru. It made you feel closer to him, being able to pass along your family stories and heritage with those younger than you. Though, it was saddening all the same because these weren't family. They weren't hunters. These weren't people who would deal with the pain you dealt with like when you lost your father. It's not that you want them to be in pain, but not having other hunters to be around, and being the only family who could protect those around you, it made life very lonesome. In part, you envied this spry little guy, and the kuudere young girl listening to you. They wouldn't be growing up with the responsibility of protecting those around you, nor being the one at fault if someone you cared for died. They just had to make sure no one was bothering a class they weren't supposed to be with, and that no humans found out about the vampires in the school.
'I wonder if he knows about the vampires...'
Wait, where did that thought come from?
The image of the mahogany haired mystery man begins playing on the edges of your thoughts, and it annoys you to no end. Yet, you continue, keeping your cool and imparting the importance of learning how to protect innocent, naive humans that lived surrounded by these monsters that didn't have reason nor any form of morals the way each of you do.
Yoshi seems a bit nervous after hearing all the information, but he chirps up as confidently as he can that he won't let you down. He looks between his grandfather and you as he says this, and your heart breaks just the tiniest bit. He's so young... He shouldn't feel like this is his responsibility...
The kuudere Kasumi in constrast just keeps quiet, and nods at his words. Finally adding, "same" after three pairs of eyes turn to her to see what she has to say. After a brief pause, you look around and wait for directions from Toga before continuing with what you need to show them right now. He doesn't say anything, so you assume he's letting you take the lead for now. In fact, it's actually because he's currently busy chewing on a bite of chocolate zucchini cake you made for your mom made a few nights ago.
"Alright, so I just told you how important the Utseru tree is. But now you must see what the Father tree protects." At those words, you turn to Yoshi, and ask him to hand you the box. You turn it so that the top will open towards you, and they will each see the very thing that saved your life not that long ago.
"This, my dears, is the seed," you say as dramatically as you can. You may be their teacher now, and maybe you should be a little bit more mature, but your father was just as dramatic, and it helped you feel like this job, this life, was something to be excited about. But as you look at their confused and annoyed faces, your slight excitement falters.
"(Y.N.), where is it?" Toga asks you as he comes closer to look at the box as well.
"W-what?" you stutter out, quickly turning the box towards you and seeing the ominously empty lining.
Your breathing quickens, and you fight hard to stop the oncoming panic that starts to swell within your chest. You had put the gun back in the case. You made sure it was clean, and polished, and that the chambers were each full with the bullets your father kept in the secret compartment of his desk. You were absolutely positive you put the gun back. There was no way it couldn't be there!
For a moment, you stare angrily at Mr. Kaien Cross, ready to spit out curses and accusations at him since he was the last one alone with the Seed, but your father's voice comes to your head.
"Why would he take the Seed?"
"Where is your evidence?"
"Did I raise you to throw the blame on others, or to solve problems and get things done?"
You take five deep breaths to calm down, then turn to your mentor. "Toga, I swear, I put it back. I don't know where it would be." You chew on your lip as you think, eyebrows scrunched together as you look down at the box deep in thought.
"Unless..."
You think of your mother, but know that she wouldn't have taken it. If she had found it, she would have confronted you about it right away, and tried to find out why you had a gun. Or if a monster had attacked again. And if she thought about the level E's, she would have been anguished and depressed again. She was too busy thinking about Akane and some other patients during dinner, so obviously she did find the gun. This wouldn't have been something she would wait to talk about, or could even forget about.
But what could have happened?
"You know what, it's ok. We'll find the Seed. It's got to be somewhere in your house," Cross says reassuringly. The warmth in his eyes is so soothing, you can't help but feel yourself slowly relaxing and agreeing with his words. "You're right… I'll find it there. I must've not locked the case when I put it under the bed, so it's probably there," you offer. He replies with an encouraging, "there you go!" then takes Toga off to the side and quietly whispers some things to him in private.
A smile is still on Yoshi's lips, but it is very much forced by this point, while Kasumi looks beyond bored and borderline annoyed at this point.
"So, tell me about yourselves. What are you good at?"
From there begins a long night of fighting basics and proper posture.
'Gosh, how did dad do this?!'