A Beautiful Day
Tsukune contemplated throughout breakfast about what he was going to do today for Moka's birthday. He wished he had more time to think and plan, but he only found out that it was Moka's birthday today because she had told him earlier that week. Besides, he was pretty terrible at planning. He remembered her acting a little weird at the time, staying overly quiet as if something was on her mind. Then she had asked very meekly if he would be free to celebrate her birthday with her.
He of course said yes, surprised that her birthday was coming up so soon. And less than two weeks before my own birthday too! he thought. He would ask her by the end of the day if she, in turn, would spend his birthday with him.
"So dear? Did you decide on what you'll be doing today?" asked his mother with keen interest.
He did not respond right away, still thinking on that matter. The problem was of course that while he liked to think that he and Moka were close, and he believed they were, he hardly knew anything about her. He did not want to admit this out loud, to his mother no less, so he did not mention it. Eventually, he decided on some activities that he thought would be safe in terms of them being entertaining.
"Well, I was thinking maybe we can go to the arcade and play some games there. Maybe I can even win her something," he said, looking thoughtful as the idea came to mind. "Then we could go have some lunch and then maybe watch a movie... or we could also go to the park, get some ice cream, and walk around. It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day."
He looked outside. Clear blue skies could be seen through the windows. "Then we could finish with dinner somewhere. Haven't decided that part yet."
Kasumi Aono looked at her only son with interest. She could tell that he was not entirely sure of his plan, but at least he had some form of one. Having never met this girl before, Kasumi could not judge how well the events would turn out. She only hoped that this would be a good day for him. Her boy definitely had feelings for this girl, even though he did not know it yet. He'll figure it out in time... I hope, she added the last thought after a few seconds.
"Well, I hope that you two have fun then. Even though I would prefer it if you had absolutely concrete plans, time is a wasting! You should meet up with her already." She looked at the clock, noticing that it was getting closer to ten in the morning. "Let me know if you need anything and if you run into any trouble don't hesitate to call me, okay hun?" she told him with a smile.
-xxxxxx-
Moka was trying hard not to panic. Everything was going to be okay. She was worried about what was happening with the Elders, and particularly her father. It really had to be a serious matter if he was to miss greeting her in person on her birthday. Add to that the fact that her sister now seemed to have a particular interest in Tsukune and her birthday was not starting out as well as she liked.
"Try not to worry too much about that," her other self reassured her, "This is our special day after all. We can worry about that later."
Tsukune was supposed to come over after breakfast. Moka looked over at the clock and saw that it was nearing ten in the morning. She wondered when exactly Tsukune had breakfast as she realized she did not really know. Did he eat early or late? Was ten in the morning considered early or late for him? Particularly on a Saturday like today, she actually didn't really know how his mornings went. Maybe he slept in. It was a possibility since she most often saw him in the afternoons of the weekend, when they would hang out.
Ding-dong.
Moka glanced towards the front door and a smile grew on her face. Even from here she could smell his scent. Her steps were light as she went to the door, opening it to reveal the boy in question standing outside.
"Hi Moka. Happy birthday!" He exclaimed with a toothy grin.
Moka hugged him tightly, much to the boy's surprise. She tried very hard to resist the temptation to suck on his blood, her willpower strained as she broke the hug and took a few steps back. Her green eyes met with his brown ones.
"You ate already, right?" She asked him, worried that maybe he did not eat since she had not cooked anything.
He nodded. "Yeah, my mom cooked up some breakfast." He waved towards the street. "Should we go?"
Moka gave him a questioning look, wondering what he had planned. "Go where? I thought we'd just hang out here and go to the park later, maybe."
"But that's what we usually do when we hang out. Today is your birthday, Moka. We should do something different!"
She could not help but smile. "You're right. Okay then! Give me a few minutes, I need to change." She turned and ran up the stairs to her room, leaving Tsukune by the open front door.
Five minutes later and she was back outside, locking the door and pocketing the key. She tilted her head a little to the side, her pink hair shifting. "Shall we?"
Tsukune walked towards the gate and opened it, waving for her to go through. "Ladies first."
She giggled a little as she walked ahead. He was acting a little differently today, but she liked it. "So where are we going?"
"Oh, you'll see," he replied cryptically. "I've got a few activities planned for us today. My hope is that you'll have a great time."
She glanced at him, feeling a little heat on her cheeks and then she looked forward again.
They walked for a while, chatting about school and some trivial things like the weather. Eventually, they reached the downtown area of the city, and stopped right in front of a big arcade. In large block letters above the entrance was the name of the arcade, "Arcade Arena." Large glass windows allowed people walking down the sidewalk to look in, and both Tsukune and Moka saw that there were kids of varying ages inside. There were even a handful of adults who were playing some games too.
Moka's eyes lit up. "I haven't played in an arcade in a long time!" It was true. The last time she had played in an arcade was several years ago, when she was maybe eight or nine years old. Her father had deemed it unacceptable for a vampire to play such silly games, but he had softened a considerable deal since then. At least to her.
Tsukune grinned triumphantly and opened the door. "Well, the games won't play themselves. Come on!"
For the next two hours, both she and Tsukune played a variety of different games. From shooter games, where they shot at either terrorists or zombies, to fighting games like Street Fighter. They raced each other on a motorbike game as well as a race car game too. They then played some air hockey and shot some hoops, both of which Moka beat Tsukune at soundly much to his surprise.
Moka was thoroughly enjoying herself, and even Inner Moka seemed to feel rather pleased. While she usually enjoyed Tsukune's company, this was different. It had been a long time since she had this much fun. And with a human no less! Almost all humans she interacted with seemed to shun her and ridicule her for being different. She sometimes wondered what the point of hiding her true nature was, but having met Tsukune she could care less about other people.
She had found someone who liked her because she was her. Someone who appreciated her and who did not judge her by how she looked. Tsukune gave her hope as well as strength, and she was happy that she had met him.
As they were leaving the arcade, Tsukune spotted one of those claw games where a person could control a metal claw that dove into a pile of toys in the hopes of snagging one. He grinned and approached it, Moka following him with a curious expression. She realized what he was doing and could't help but blush. He was trying to get her something!
Moka watched him closely as his face tensed in concentration, the muscles around his eyes tightening. His tongue poked out to the side a little as he maneuvered the claw around. After a few seconds, he pressed the button that activated the claw and it plunged into the pile of stuffed animals. There was one stuffed cat doll barely in its grasp as the claw retracted up.
Tsukune grinned and was about to celebrate when on the way to the drop-off area the toy fell down. He instantly frowned, upset, and Moka wanted to say something but then he inserted another coin in an effort to try again. Again, he focused as he maneuvered the claw around with a surprisingly deft touch. Again, he pressed the button and the metal claw dropped down and clamped onto another doll. This one was a light brown bear with a green bow tie on it.
When the claw retracted, he felt nervous as it moved towards the drop area but then let out a huge sigh of relief as the bear made it. He grabbed it as it slid out and with a big smile of triumph on his face he turned and offered it to Moka, who was still blushing and a little flustered. She didn't understand why she was feeling this way, but she accepted the bear right away.
"Th-thanks Tsukune!" She managed to say as she clutched the bear close to her. It was so soft and squishy, she wanted to hug it to death.
Still smiling, Tsukune asked, "So what are you going to name that bear?"
"Umm.." She took some time to think about that. "How about Kune?" She asked, taking after his name though without the "Tsss" sounding part of it.
"That's a great name! Not that I'm biased or anything."
She giggled, hugging the bear.
"Wanna grab some ice cream and go to the park?"
Ice cream sounded like a good idea to her. "I'd like that."
They headed for the nearest ice cream shop that was also on the way to the closest park. Ten minutes later and they were both eating ice cream and walking towards the park, the sun shining brightly overhead. It was quite warm out and their ice cream was beginning to melt at a rapid pace so they found themselves eating more and talking less. Still, it was enjoyable simply to be in each other's company at that point, and they were both amused at the state of each other's ice cream.
The two had to wipe their mouths and chin as well as their fingers thoroughly with the napkins they brought with them from the ice cream shop as the melted ice cream had dripped all over. Thankfully their clothes were untouched by the dessert.
Once they were at the park, both Moka and Tsukune strolled around the lake that was in the middle. In truth, it was more of a pond than a lake, but the locals liked to call it a lake because it made it seem a lot nicer. Not that it wasn't nice, but calling it a lake was a bit deceiving.
"Hey Moka?" Tsukune looked at her as they walked a lap around the lake.
"Yes, Tsukune?"
"I was wondering... how old exactly are you anyway?"
"Oh, did I forget to mention that? Sorry!" She looked sheepish as she apologized.
"No, it's okay! I didn't know and I should've asked in the first place," he said, rubbing the back of his neck and laughing nervously.
"Well I'm now 16!"
Tsukune stopped abruptly in his tracks, causing Moka to stop and look back at him with a questioning glance. He looked shocked.
"Hold on. This is... This is your sixteenth birthday? As in, your sweet sixteen?" He seemed to be having trouble comprehending something about that.
She nodded slowly, her questioning glance turning into a worried one. "Yeaaah... Is there... Is there something wrong?" She began to wonder if she had made a social mistake of some kind.
Tsukune shook his head. "No, it's just... well, a sweet sixteen is supposed to be really special. You know? I mean, that's what they say anyway. Especially for girls! Although I guess that's more Western thinking than Japanese..." He trailed off, a look of disbelief still on his face.
Moka shrugged, not knowing and really not caring all that much about that. She was spending her birthday with her close friend, her only friend here, and that's what mattered to her.
"But today is special, and it has been special so far. I'm having a great time!" She told him honestly. She looked away from him, brushing aside some of her long pink hair and tucking it behind her right ear. A gentle breeze blew, her hair moving slightly in the direction of the breeze.
"In truth, this is the first birthday I've spent away from home. Away from my family." She paused as she thought about them. Her father. Her three sisters. This was her first year away and for a while she regretted her decision to leave and live among the humans. Her mother had lived among them before, and unlike the majority of the vampire race she found them to be more than simply food and slaves. Moka had wanted to see what she meant, to learn for herself what the humans and their world were like other than what she had learned from books.
What she found at first was a lot of conflict, pain, and aggression. She felt like an outcast, made worse by the fact that she really did not belong because she was truly different from the humans. The school that she now attended with Tsukune had been her third in the last year. She had transferred within the first few days at both of the schools before this one.
This was to be her last attempt before returning, defeated and likely in tears, to her father and her family. To where they said she belonged. When she found the same treatment here, she was sad and disappointed. She had never felt so alone and so self-conscious of her differences from those around her. She thought she would never understand what her mother had said. And then a young boy named Tsukune Aono finally showed her what her mother had been talking about.
There were humans out there who were not prejudiced and who did not attack and shun someone because they were different. He showed her that humans could be kind and gentle. They could be friendly and a whole lot of fun. Of course, all this was done under the illusion that Moka was simply human, even though she was not. In the back of her mind, when she had first started to befriend Tsukune, she had already begun to worry about the time when he found out her true nature...
"Moka? Moka? Earth to Moka!" Tsukune said, his hand waving in front of her eyes.
Moka blinked rapidly, shaking her head. She jumped a bit backwards, letting out an "eep!" as she realized Tsukune was right next to her.
"Sorry," he said quickly, "But you kinda spaced out there. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." She told him firmly, giving him a small smile.
"Good. I was a little worried there..." He scratched his head, "So... Moka. You said that this is the first time you've spent away from your home and your family?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well, if you don't mind me asking... why are you living away from them? And how in the world did your parents allow you to go out on your own when you weren't even sixteen yet until today? And you've never mentioned you're family before. In fact, I've never even seen your family." He realized that he had blurted that all out and covered his mouth with his left hand. His right arm raised up, palm facing Moka as he waved it in apology. "Sorry! I didn't..."
"It's okay, Tsukune. I guess I haven't really been very open about all this." She understood how he must be feeling. He knew so little about her and yet was supposedly her one true friend.
Moka bit her lip. "Well..." She tried to think of how best to explain it without revealing too much about her family. "My mother kinda gave me the idea... and, well my parents are very open and have a somewhat relaxed attitude towards parenting... plus I figured that the best way to truly learn about what life was like and what it was about was to actually go out there and experience life for myself, on my own." That was a half-truth. She did feel that way, but that was not the original reason why she had left.
"Oh, I think I understand..." Tsukune said, looking thoughtful as he processed this revelation of information from the pink-haired sixteen year old.
"My family is rather well off so it was also not too big of a deal financially. Since I'm a student, they pay for everything I need which is really great because I'm free to experience the world without worrying about money."
"Wow. Your family must be really rich," remarked Tsukune as he looked at her with raised eyebrows.
He had no idea how truly rich her family was. Moka figured her father could probably buy every property in Japan and it would barely make a dent in the family's fortune. After all, her father was over a thousand years old and thus the accumulation of wealth over that period was mind mindbogglingly astronomical.
"Well since you're telling me a little about your family, I do want to ask... Do you have siblings?" asked Tsukune.
"Yep! Three of them. I have two older sisters and a younger sister."
"Wow. Five women in one house? I'm sure your father has his hands full."
She laughed at that. "Not exactly. My father actually has a pretty good handle of things." Her father had well more than a good handle. He had complete control, though he didn't necessarily exercise it.
Tsukune's expression changed to one of being impressed. "Wow. I know my dad would probably go crazy in a house with five girls, unless the house was big enough of course." He added the last bit with a laugh.
She didn't bother to mention that she lived in a very ancient palatial mansion. "How about you, Tsukune? You've never mentioned any siblings either."
"That's because I don't have any."
"Oh." She said it like she was sorry for him.
He laughed lightly. "It's fine, really. I sometimes wish I did have a brother or sister, you know, to keep me company when I'm not with my friends or my parents. Although I do have a cousin who lives close by and who has acted pretty much like my big sister."
"Really?" Moka was suddenly interested to know who this person was. Hopefully she would be similar to Tsukune. Maybe she could gain another friend!
"Yeah. We grew up together, for the most part." He sighed. "She's kind of annoying though, and definitely a little too suspicious of everything. She thinks there's a conspiracy behind every action or a lie behind every word!"
Moka was amused by that. "She sounds like a lot of fun."
Tsukune shook his head. "Most of the time, at least for me, she isn't anything more than a bother. But she does have her moments." He seemed to think of one as he laughed quietly to himself after saying that.
"She definitely seems like a big sister to you then. My siblings are sometimes a pain to deal with too..." she trailed off, not wanting to say more.
Thankfully, Tsukune actually got the hint and didn't pursue that line of conversation.
Moka stopped by an empty wooden bench facing the lake and sat down, Tsukune took a seat next to her.
"So what's her name anyway?"
"Kyoko Aono. She's one year older than me."
"Kyoko..." Moka said the name, "I'd like to meet her."
Tsukune hesitated for a second. "Uh... sure. Okay."
Moka smiled. Hopefully she would be able to have her first human female friend. They sat there in silence for a while, each in their own thoughts. She closed her eyes, letting the breeze tickle her skin. The sun warmed her body nicely. All around her she could hear the rustling of the leaves and the chirping of the birds. It was such a beautiful day out.
-xxxxxx-
Elsewhere...
Issa Shuzen, current leader of the vampire race and nearing one thousand years old, was furious. He was furious because the other vampire Elders were forcing him to do something that he did not want to do. He could refuse, of course, but because of the number of Elders against him on this matter he would lose a lot of respect and influence. Even as the supreme leader of the vampires, he still answered to the other Elders.
They were from all over the world, the Elders. There were twelve of them, including Issa. All of them were younger than him, though one was relatively close in that he was only roughly a century younger. That Elder's name was Zatula, and he was the leader of the northern European vampire clans. He was also the instigator behind this plan to return his daughter to her rightful place: with her family in the vampire realm.
Zatula, ever since he and Issa had met, were always trying to one up each other and outmaneuver each other politically. When Issa married Akasha, however, Issa ultimately won the grand prize on that account. He gained some Shinso blood upon mating with Akasha once, already adding to his formidable power. He was not able to gain much blood, however, but it was enough to put him above all but other Shinso vampires, of which there were only two in the world until only recently.
Now there were three. His daughter, the child born from the one night of passion with his mate before she fought with Alucard and sealed herself within him to contain his essence. Moka Akashiya.
And now the Council of Elders was voting to demand her return to the vampire realm. Since Akasha was, in actuality, the true leader of the vampires that made Moka her heir. Moka was destined to become as powerful as her mother, who was extremely powerful and nearly on par with the original vampire and the most powerful of them all, Alucard. That destiny, according to the Elders, not to mention her position as a Princess and the next Vampire Queen, meant that she had to be in the vampire realm being brought up in a vampire environment with her vampire family.
Having her out in the human realm was too risky, as other creatures might seize this opportunity to strike at the vampire leadership. Others claimed that she was tainting herself by being with the human "filth" as he called them. Both views were, in Issa's mind, brought about by one man. The man sitting on the far side of the long table where the Council convened.
He had a shadow of a smile on his face, but for the most part remained fairly neutral with his expression. He was silent, however, whereas his colleagues were arguing among themselves. That alone was a dead giveaway that he was behind the strife in the Council. Issa of course could do nothing, at least directly, in response to that. He needed to address the concern of the Council while also planning on how best to counter this latest political move by his rival.
Issa didn't bother hiding the glare that he was giving Zatula. He eventually had enough of the noise and silenced the Elders with a powerful clap that created a sonic boom, causing the Elders to be taken aback a little as they looked to their leader. Even Zatula was surprised at the move.
In hindsight, Issa shouldn't have gotten their attention that way. He had let his irritation get the best of him, but he did not skip a beat and did not show any outward signs of regret at that action.
"Enough. I grow weary of this chatter. I have heard the Council's concerns and while my assurances that she will be fine have apparently fallen on deaf ears," he gazed around the room, stopping to look critically at Zatula who was looking away, "I will have her enroll at Yokai Academy soon." His voice was low and strong. The voice of a leader and of one who had seen it all.
He had to concede. He knew his daughter would not like it, but he had no choice. The majority of the Elders, for one reason or another, wanted Moka to be back within their watch and within the vampire realm. She would hopefully understand why he had to do this.
He noticed the grin that Zatula had, and it took every ounce of his control not to challenge the Elder to a duel right then and there. While Issa had no doubts he would emerge victorious, it would still be a tough fight and would probably destroy much of the surrounding area at the least. No, that would not be wise to do. Especially in front of the Council. There were other ways to get vengeance on him for this little stunt. Issa was very good at finding those ways.
-xxxxxx-
The sun was beginning to set by the time they headed for home. Tsukune and Moka had stayed at the park for a while, enjoying each other's company and the beautiful day. They went to a burger joint for lunch that Tsukune had said was very good, and Moka agreed with that description as she devoured her hamburger - though they did have to buy some tomato juice for her at a grocery store that was on the way.
Following lunch, they decided to watch a movie and for a while the two debated what movie they would watch. They settled for a comedy that looked okay and turned out to be hilarious as it had them both laughing hard. Next, Moka wanted to go shop for a little bit since she said her father gave her some extra funds as a present to buy herself something. That was the least enjoyable part of the day so far for Tsukune, who like most guys did not like shopping. Especially shopping with girls.
Tsukune noted that the entire time since the arcade, Moka held the bear he had won for her with a tight grip as if she were afraid she might lose it. He felt oddly happy about that. In fact, the whole time he had spent with Moka that day felt different than before. Perhaps it was because it was her birthday, but whatever the case he was enjoying himself more than usual in Moka's company that day, and even more so knowing that Moka was also having a great time.
They reached Moka's house, with Moka unlocking the gate and both she and Tsukune stopping at the front door.
Tsukune was expecting to have dinner with her to cap off her birthday and their day together, but as they walked through the gate and up to the front door he noticed a change in Moka's demeanor. Her smile had vanished and she seemed tense, maybe even a little worried. He was about to ask her what was the matter when she spoke first.
"Tsukune," she said sincerely as she turned to him with her bright green eyes. "Thank you so much for today and for making... as you mentioned earlier... my sweet sixteen special. I had so much fun."
He wasn't sure how to react. "Uh... yeah, no problem Moka! It was my pleasure. What are friends for, right?"
"What are friends for..." she echoed back in a whisper. She glanced at the door and then back at Tsukune. "Anyway, I'm really tired from today and I'd like it if I could go to bed early tonight. Is that okay?"
"Of course!" Tsukune replied immediately, though he felt a little sad that he would not be able to have dinner with her. "I understand completely. I'm feeling pretty tired myself." He smiled reassuringly at her to convince her that he was indeed okay with it.
"Thank you again, Tsukune. Today was wonderful... I'm so glad I met you and I'm happy that we're close friends. You have no idea how much this... how much this day has meant to me." She seemed to hesitate for a moment, before doing something that caught Tsukune completely off-guard.
Moka leaned in and quickly closed the gap between them, placing a chaste kiss on his lips for a second before pulling back. Her cheeks were bright red and she was looking away, surprised by her own actions.
"Goodnight, Tsukune!" She said quickly before unlocking the door and going inside. She shut the door, the audible clicks of the locks engaging barely registering in the young boy's brain.
For his part, Tsukune was stunned to silence. He could not believe it. Did she really just kiss him? He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that, but he knew that his stomach felt like it was doing the flips and his heart rate was elevated. He stood rooted to the spot in front of the door, still processing what had occurred. He slowly touched a hand up to his lips, where he still felt the lingering feeling of her own lips that moments ago pressed against his.
A full minute later, he was skipping out onto the street and headed for his own home. His steps were light and his mind was on cloud nine, all sad and disappointed thoughts of not eating dinner with Moka forgotten and discarded. He wasn't entirely sure what the kiss truly meant or why she suddenly seemed to be put off by something as they got back to her home. But those thoughts were cast aside for the time being as he relived in his mind that short moment between him and Moka. As he walked home, he slowly came to the realization that he wouldn't mind if that happened again.
Today had been a very beautiful day indeed.
-xxxxxx-
Moka leaned her back against the front door, her cheeks still flushed and her heart beating a little faster. Her lips still tingled from the contact. She could not believe she had done that, especially with him being so close. She knew that if he had seen that he would have killed Tsukune on the spot, but it had felt natural to her. Her body and her subconscious had wanted her to do it.
"Control yourself. He's waiting for us." The Inner Moka said sternly and with a hint of alarm in her voice.
"What is he even doing here?" Outer Moka thought back.
"Perhaps we should find out by asking him ourselves," came the quick reply.
Moka took a few breaths to calm herself and her emotions before walking out of the entryway down the small corridor and into the living area. There she found someone sitting on the couch dressed in the finest robes of nobility and class. It was none other than her father, Issa Shuzen.
He gave her an appraising look, his hands together with fingers steepled as he leaned back in the couch, relaxed and confident as he always was.
"Moka, my dear. We need to talk."
Author's notes: A storm is coming. You have been warned! Also, decided to remove the story title from succeeding chapters, bolding the chapter title in its place. I'm used to having the title with every chapter, but I think I'll change it up this time around and see how it looks.