"Hello, my name is ****** and I am a necromancer." I said, hearing the traditional "hello" back from the group before continuing, "It happened, I finally had a relapse."

The speaker looked at me indifferently, he did really care either way but made a token effort and asked, "Why don't you tell us about it?"

"It wasn't anything big like a person or anything." I said, and started to confess the details, "I revived an old writing project of mine."

"Wait, are you talking about Rosario Cards?" one of the other members interrupted, with an eager to in his voice.

x-x

I was surprised by how many people replied to the last update so soon after of posting, good to know I was missed.

x-x

I do not own any of the franchises used in this story. The people and events and people in this story are completely fictional.

Red Tape

A few days had passed since Jaden had told Oyakata about the changes she experienced and she was making progress in adapting to her new body, Ruby played a role in that. The young witch had taken on a job as the headmaster's assistant to stay close to her former mentor and Jaden. And after noticing the carnivorous dryad starting to develop a case of cabin fever due to not having anything to do, the teenaged chief of the Y.I.A offered Oyakata a position as his assistant and after submitting proper paperwork, the former witch had takin to it quite well.

Putting the last of the day's paperwork away, Jaden left his office feeling a sense of accomplishment at the fact that for the first time since he had taken over Internal Affairs.

"Are you going home already? It's still light out." Grabrail commented as he brought Oyakata a cup of tea when he spotted Jaden. After a quick glance at the nearby clock the Cheshire Cat amended his statement, "It's still early afternoon."

Jaden smiled and nodded toward the plant-hybrid, conceding credit for his early departure to her, "Yep, and I owe it all to this lovely lady here."

"Thanks to her, all the paperwork that used build up as I was at class is being dealt as it comes in." Jaden elaborated, not noticing the darker shade of green spreading on the former witch's face, "Now, I have the time to actually research what happened to Tamao and her."

"You're researching my condition?" The new breed of dryad asked with a suspicious tone in her voice, she had heard about some other "research" that other umberlists had performed.

"Well naturally, I promised that I would help however I could." Jaden answered casually, "I am just comparing your scans to the data I found about more typical dryads right now, but I've been able to make some interesting conclusions about your condition."

With her concerns about what Jaden had planned to do abated for the time, Oyakata grew curious about what he had determined, "Such as?" she inquired.

Jaden smiled as he told her what he had learned so far, "Well, finding information on dryads was very hard because of their secretive and isolated culture, but I managed to found some books that did talk about them. And after brushing up on my basic knowledge of dryad culture and history, I set out to learn what I could about their biology."

"Frist thing I learned is that while all normal dryads are female and are capable of copulating with other species to experience the pleasure and emotional connection associated with sex, they reproduce completely asexually by drawing in the environment's naturally energy and combining it with their youki to impregnate themselves with a child. While this may seem like it would limit the population to children that are exact duplicates of their mothers, the differences between youki that occurs as the child develops and the natural energy used ensure that while they may be similar, no two dryads are exactly alike." Jaden disclosed, noticing the incredulous look that he was receiving from the two yokai that were listening, "Seriously, that was the first thing I learned about dyad lifecycles."

The skeptical looks persisting, Jaden rolled his eyes and continued, "Anyway, based on data I got from the scans we had taken when we brought you here. I have determined that this option of procreation is available to you, but unlike a dryad, you can reproduce sexually and you're fertile enough that without the use of contraceptives impregnation is granted, if you can find someone that you want to father a child with."

'Keywords in that sentence, "If you can find someone you want to father a child with".' the former witch repeated in her mind, focusing on the keywords someone, want, father, and child.

'He didn't use words like "mate", "could use", "sire", "spawn", or "offspring". He used words that describe a normal woman's ability to have a son or daughter, instead of words that describe an unknown creature." Oyakata appreciated that he could think off her as a woman with feelings and a will of her own and not just an interesting creature to study.

'Ruby was right to place her faith in him…' Oyakata thought as she remembered how easily her former apprentice was to tease about here obvious crush on the young umberlist. Not that she could blame her, he was kind, thoughtful, nurturing, willing to fight for what he believed in, and he easy on the eyes-

"Hey, are you okay?" Gabriel asked with a grin that almost bisected his face, shattering the plant hybrid's thoughts, "Your face is turning a darker shade of green."

"I'm fine." She said, waving away incorrigible cook as she started mentally chanting the mantra, 'I am not a shotta-con. I am not a shotta-con. I am not a shotta-con.'

Unware of her thoughts, Jaden continued to reveal what he had discovered about Oyakata's new state of being, "Reading further I found that while dryads are technically vertebrates their skeletons are a type of cartilage like a shark's. But based on your x-rays, while it has become much denser and changed to accommodate the other changes to your body, your skeleton is still made of the same fibrous collagen and crystallized calcium it was before. What that means is that given the increase in density, the overall tensile strength of your bones is much stronger than it was before."

"On top of that, you've also inherited the hanabake's steel strong skin and strength. In fact, we broke several syringe needs trying to draw a blood sample before we used a special one for used on immature demons." Jaden explained, before he smirked and said jokingly, "Given how durable you are now, a dryad who tried punching you would break her hand."

The idea of being so much stronger than a common dryad pleased the carnivore plant woman, causing unbidden thoughts to come to mind as images of her stand on a pile of unconscious foes she had defeated as she rushed to rescue Jaden. Who was staring up at her in awe as he clung onto her leg for protection, dressed only in a tattered pair of paints and the metal collar and cuffs that sealed his powers, while her tail sensually snaked around his body and the tip trialed down toward his-

"Hey, are you still with us?" Jaden asked, unknowingly bringing an end his assistant's fantasy.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My mind went elsewhere." Oyakata answered, shaking her head to clear it while she repeated her earlier mantra in her again, 'I am not a shotta-con. I am not a shotta-con. I am not a shotta-con.'

x-x

After instructing Oyakata have Sam give her a checkup, Jaden left to meet up with the newspaper club, Kneesocks and Scanty acting as his shadows as normal. What wasn't normal was the despondent looks on his friends' faces.

"Hey, are guy's alright?" Jaden asked, unable to comprehend what had happened to rend his clubmates so melancholy in the short time since he had seen them last.

"Some bitch called Keito started her own newspaper and has been edging us out." Tamao clarified, resentment towards the new competition giving her voice a venomous edge, "If they were just doing a better job than us I wouldn't be so angry. But they're using every dirty trick in the book to steal our reads from us."

"Wait, did you say that your competition was led by girl named Keito?" Scanty asked, the saying the name like it seemed to leave a bad taste in her mouth.

"Yeah, she's been doing everything she can to steal our readers from putting her stand closer to the school entrance then ours to wearing bikinis when she's handing them out." Tamao said, confirming what she had earlier.

"I am not surprised." Kneesocks said with a distasteful look in her eyes, "Keito is a member of the Public Safety Commission, a very vicious one. In fact, I am surprised that her brutish mind could come up with a plan so subtitle."

"Indeed Ms. Kneesocks, it was probably Kuyo who thought it up when he finally realized that he couldn't get what he wanted by acting like an immature brat like usual and sent his cheap puppet to spite the boss in whatever pity way he could think of." Scanty said, making her low opinion of both the PSC's chief and his subordinate known.

Kneesocks would have responded to her sister's comment, but the two demon sisters happened to glance towards their boss and saw the disapproving look on his face before he sighed, disappointed at his enforcers' behavior, "I am glad that you hold no lingering attachment to your former group. But, while they may be corrupt Kuyo and his subordinates are people and deserve the respect that's earned by becoming our opponents."

"Respect for becoming our opponents?" Scanty questioned, bewildered by the foreign concept, "How does standing against us earn any of our respect?"

Kneesocks nodded, supporting the other enforcer's statement, "Far be it for me to question you, boss. But, I must agree with my dear sister. Standing against us is a foolish notion that is the mark of equally foolish person. How does such an action earn any of our respect?"

"Several reasons." Jaden answered and started to explain, "Respecting your opponent helps you remember the reasons why they would attempt such a thing and prevents you from underestimating or overestimating any of their characteristics, which helps you understand how they may choose to act and take measures against other lines of attack. Like Kuyo's latest attempt now. He realized that he had been underestimating me by sending his subordinates after me directly, so he has now turned his attention to what he perceives as my method of swaying public opinion to undermine his authority."

Both sisters were silent at that, they hadn't thought about it like that. They had only considered how their opponent would attack and crushed any opposition they came across.

"But most importantly, it keeps us humble by giving us a yard stick to measure ourselves against." Jaden said, continuing to elaborate his point to the demon sisters, "Every one of us has our own limits that we must understand and evolve to surpass. For to overestimate your abilities is to invite danger and ruin, and to underestimate yourself is to reject your own potential for greatness. I have come to understand my own limits and I work constantly to improve myself past them so I can continue to be of aid to you to, Moka, Yukari, Mizore, Tamao, Kurumu, and even the powerful Fangs."

All the mentioned bushed where they stood, or hide with a camera in case of a certain yuki-onna, but the brightest blushes were sported on the faces the demon sisters. Never had anyone told them they would try to become more powerful their sake.

After glancing at each other and nodding in time, Kneesocks spoke up, alternating lines with her sister, "Thank you for explaining what you meant boss, but now it's time for us to go find Keito."

"And support you by acting as your enforcers." Scanty chimed in

"In the manner that you have shown us to use as agents of the internal affairs department." Kneesocks said before they both left the room, declaring in prefect harmony together, "We will make you proud of us boss!"

"Ah… should we go stop them?" Tamao asked, unsure if letting them deal with Keito alone was a smart move since she hadn't broken any rules by starting a second newspaper club.

But Jaden just stared at the door they had left through with look of pride at their resolve and intrigue for what they had planned and said, "No, let's see what they have planned."

x-x

(Themes in this section are TV-tropes "I know rule-fu" and "My rule-fu is stronger than yours")

After dropping by the office to confirm what they had suspected with Oyakata, the two sisters went to pay their former co-worker a visit at her stand.

Keito was very proud of herself for how well Kuyo's latest plan was going. It was major deviation from her normal method of operation, but the idea to form a second newspaper club to out compete that insolent upstarts was sheer brilliance. And the best part was that even if they failed to shut down the other club their newspaper would insure that their propaganda against Kuyo would be kept in check.

Fishing out the last bundle of newspapers from under the stand's counter, she rose to find the traitorous Hellion sisters smiling down on her, the younger of the two carrying a briefcase, as she sat down in her chair and the older of the two asked, "Business, going well?"

The smile was odd, Keito couldn't ever remember a time where they had smiled while they worked together in the Public Safety Commission. But, still they had always been obsessed with enforcing and adhering to the rules that prevented them from ever taking part in collecting protection fees, so they wouldn't try anything and they couldn't fault her starting a club without condemning their new boss.

Doing her best to keep her smile from being effected by her thoughts, she greeted the two with a polite nod and answered Scanty's question in as a social tone as possible. "Yes, we are Ms. Scanty and Kneesocks. In fact, after we sell this bundle we're completely sold out." The undercover agent said, unable to help putting special strain on their new moniker.

Nether of the two sisters reacted as Kneesocks, "We're glad that your paper is doing well, but unfortunately we're here to discuss the violations of club regulations you have committed."

'I don't believe it, they're actually playing that card.' Keito thought, brandishing the sword of her knowledge about the rules as she immediately lunched in to parry her opponents, "I'm aware that some may consider may opening a second newspaper club maybe in bad taste it is completely legal."

She was ready fallow by attacking how moral it was to disrupt an official club's activities when she found her parry completely missing its mark as Scanty rebuffed, "We know that forming a second club is permitted, it is only so long as said club in compliance with standard regulations."

Keito choose to defend her stance that her club did follow regulations, but Kneesocks went on the offensive before she had a chance, "And given your affiliation to the Public Safety Commission and negligence to submit the required paper for a PSC member to join a club, we required to approach you on the subject in person as opposed to sending a written notice."

Hearing that the newspaper that they had been supporting had ties to the Public Safety Commission the students that had been in line to buy a copy quickly left, not wanting to get to close to any enterprise connection to the mafia like group.

Seeing that she was losing ground fast, Keito tried to mount a defense so the club could remain active until she found a way to regain the readers she had just lost, "But the head of your department- "

"Has had the appropriate paperwork submitted to take part of his club activities. The problem here is that you have not." Scanty countered, tearing Keito's poorly constructed guard apart and then throwing her off balance when she said, "Plus, there have been many other infractions that this club has committed in the short time it has been established."

"Indeed, you don't have a faculty supervisor." Kneesocks said, completely disarming Keito's ability to mount and any form of defense as she continued her attack, "And your stand is too close to the campus's main gate."

"And you didn't attain a permit to distribute your paper to the via retail." Scanty said, landing the final blow against the PSC member.

"Given the nature and number of these offences, we are forced to shut this club down until further notice." Kneesocks said as she handed over an official notice ordering Keito to disband the club, driving a blade through her mentally prone foe.

Keito couldn't say anything, all she could do was stare at the paper in her hands as she realized, 'I… have been completely defeated.'

x-x

The two sisters stood before their boss as he reviewed their report.

"Well after reading over your report I have to say that I really am proud of how you handled this." Jaden said as he set the report down on the desk in front of him, "Your approach towards dealing the situation was subtle and actually coincided with the performance of your normal duties."

"Thank you, boss." The two demons said, graciously accepting the praise Jaden gave them.

Jaden would have said more but then the phone started ringing, motioning for the two wait while answered it, he picked up the receiver saying, "You have reached Jaden Yuki, current head of Yokai Academy's Internal Affairs, what is your reason for calling?"

"So, you had the two pet demons you stole from me take down Keito's newspaper through bureaucracy by burying her in the minor violation. You're much more cleaver than I thought."

"Oh, I can't take credit for that. They came up with that all on their own." Jaden said as he recognized the voice on the other end of the line.

Placing a hand over the phones speaker so he wouldn't hear, the umberlist turned to the two sisters, "It's mister angry narcist himself, there good chance this could take a while."

Taking the hint, the two left him to handle the aptly described Kuyo.

"Actually, I was just reviewing their report on the matter." Jaden said conversationally, causing the head of PSC to scoff derogatorily, "You have some talent, but you're just some pathetic monstrel and will come to know your true place at this academy before too much longer."

"I've heard that before." Jaden said with a confident smile as he remembered times other people tried to teach him the same thing before turning his attention back to his phone conversation, "I have no doubt that you intend to try you luck though. But whenever you think up some new scheme to do it, remember that I can hurt you where it really hurts."

"By attacking my feelings?" Kuyo mocked only for Jaden to chuckle amusedly.

"No, your funding." Jaden said before unceremoniously hanging up.

Next Time: Spider Webs