For those who don't know, Kasumi is Mrs. Aono's name in the anime; I'm going to start using it here, as I really don't feel like writing 'Mrs. Aono said, Mrs. Aono did,' over and over again.

CHAPTER 22

BACKSTORY

Kurumu looked on anxiously, mentally cursing herself for the slip of the tongue. But really, how was she supposed to know that Tsukune's family didn't know he was in the hospital? Moka had never told her! The busty princess frowned; that reasoning sounded hollow, even to her. And now, because of her screw-up, Moka had been put between a rock and a hard place.

Moka found it hard to hold Mrs. Aono's gaze, despite the vast difference in power and stature. The amount of force, love, and motherly protective instinct lurking behind Kasumi's pupils were enough to give Moka pause. Despite herself, Moka felt jealousy flare up inside of her. Would her own mother ever do something like this to protect her? Did the same emotion Moka saw in Mrs. Aono ever appear her mother? These questions and more clouded Moka's mind, but she did her best to shake them away. She didn't have time to worry about the loneliness that she felt day in and day out, or the coldness and isolation that was not only prominent in her own family but in the life of a royal as a whole, and-

Focus. Moka scolded. You need to find a way out of the situation. Moka cleared her throat, her perfectly composed face never faltering. Using the most mannerly and regal voice she could muster, Moka set about to give some sort of explanation that would put her in the clear. "I'm very sorry to have caused you distress, Mrs. Aono," Moka started. "I understand that you are upset, and I am terribly sorry that we didn't inform you of your son's injury and kidnapping, but you must understand that it was a matter of the kingdom's security that we kept this a secret from you." Kurumu was impressed; she would almost defiantly have never been able to come up with such a perfect deflection like Moka had. Pulling the "for the kingdom's security" card generally made most people think twice about scrutinizing or asking any more questions.

Apparently, Mrs. Aono was not most people. "What could possibly be so dangerous about telling us that Tsukune was hurt?" She challenged, undeterred. Moka narrowed her eyes.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, Mrs. Aono. It needs to remain a secret."

"Liar!" Kasumi accused, shoving her finger in Moka's unflinching face. "You expect us to believe that flimsy excuse when you can't even give us a viable reason? Why didn't you tell us? Now Tsukune is gone…" Kasumi crumbled to the ground, her anger dissipating and instead being replaced by sorrow. "Tsukune is gone…" she mumbled, her head falling into her hands and tears leaking through her fingers as the reality of the situation hit home. Her husband bent down to help her to her feet while Yukari watched on, and Moka felt something knawing at her heart. It didn't take long to decipher the feeling:

Guilt.

Moka bit her lip as the sudden desire to tell everything appeared and nearly overwhelmed her. Watching Mrs. Aono slowly shuffle out of the infirmary, Moka had a flashback to the day that she met the Aono family. They had taken her in and fed her and treated her like one of them. Granted she was the princess and they had an obligation to do it, but she got the sense that they would have done the same thing regardless. Plus, there was that not so small detail that she was in a relationship with their son…Moka ignored the voice that was saying this was going to be a bad idea and spoke up.

"Wait." The Aono's paused and turned around, already halfway through the door. "I'll tell you what happened to Tsukune."

XXXXXXX

Tsukune remained silent as he absorbed the new information Corma had just given to him. Despite himself, Tsukune found that he was growing ever more curious as to what had happened between the Akashiyas and the Stomoculas. "What happened?" Tsukune asked weakly. Corma's eyes lit up with eagerness, and he smirked, sending chills up Tsukune's spine. Corma reached out and grabbed an empty and blood-spattered chair. Pulling it over, he sat down and casually reclined, as if he were enjoying a relaxing book instead of talking to a tortured prisoner.

Corma cleared his throat before starting his story. "Our families, the Stomoculas and the Akashiyas, have known each other for many generations. Although no record of the partnership has ever been made, we have been compaions for quite some time. Everything was fine; good relations, peace treaties, the usual friendly kingdoms. Then, three genarations ago, something changed. The newest Akashiya heir was nothing like his predecesors; whereas they had no desire to obtain more power and land through a bloody war, this heir was a bloodthirsty monster more ghoul than vampire. He decided that the best way to get more land and power was to take out the one kingdom that posed a major threat: the neighboring kingdom of the Stomoculas. So, one night, the heir called the Stomocula king to dine with him." Corma paused in his story to take a breath, and Tsukune found himself wondering as to what exactly had happened; what sort of act did the former king commit to bring retribution down on his family three generations later? Corma took a breath, and Tsukune raptly opened his ears to hear the rest of the story. "The heir considered many possibilities to take out his self-proclaimed enemy, but decided that all but one would look too suspicious. So, when the two kings dined that evening, the heir slipped poison into his own meal."

"Why?" Tsukune interrupted unthinkingly. "That doesn't make any sense." There was a second of silence before Corma viciously smacked Tsukune across the face. Tsukune, still reeling from the earlier torture, cried out in pain as red spots danced before his vision.

"Don't interrupt me!" Corma commanded. He coughed, then continued talking as if nothing had happened. "King Stomocula, unaware of what was happening, became alarmed when his fellow king suddenly cried out in pain and collapsed. He helped his friend to the hospital wing of the castle, then stood by his side for days. And how do the Akashiyas repay him?" Corma clenched his jaw and his fist as he slowly filled with rage. "They accuse him of trying to poison the king! The fools! Of course, the Stomoculas denied it, but nobody listened; all anybody knew was that King Akashiya had been given poisoned food while King Stomocula's food was perfectly fine. No kingdom would trust them; they were deemed traitors to the good of the land, and it wasn't long before they were invaded, not by the Akashiyas, but by the other kingdoms that were afraid of invasion! My family was decimated, and the Akashiyas stepped in to pick up the shattered pieces of their kingdom! Ever since, the surviving members of my family have slowly planned and bided their time until their revenge could be completed. We had the perfect plan… but then YOU showed up and screwed everything up!" Corma leaned in and grabbed Tsukune's collar.

"I don't understand… what did I do? How did I screw it all up?" Tsukune asked, at a loss. He didn't get it; what had he done to interfere with them? He had just become a servant, for pete's sake! Corma said nothing, just shoved Tsukune backwards into the chair and rose from his own.

"It doesn't matter if you understand or not; all that matters is that you won't interfere any longer." Corma looked to the edge of the room, where Tsukune saw Hokuto standing silently, watching. "Do whatever you want with him." Corma spat as he left the room. "I'm finished with him." The slamming of the door echoed within the room, and Tsukune swore that a soul-chilling smile found it's way onto Hokuto's face as he slowly advanced on the helpless human.