She nodded. "Of course, very well Tsukune. Ask me whatever you want. It's time to tell you the harsh truths about my family."

"There are so many things I want to ask you," he said quietly. "To start with, is it true that your family in involved in crime?"

"Yes," she answered simply. "I do not know the details, but father has always sought to acquire wealth and power by any means."

"But I thought monsters weren't allowed to cause harm in the human world! Isn't that what they taught us at school?"

"That is indeed the law Tsukune, and most of the other races comply with it out of fear of imprisonment. But vampires do not recognize any authority other than the Elders of our race."

'Rules and laws don't apply to the likes of us Tsukune,' Ria had said. He had assumed she only meant the laws of humans. But apparently the monster laws didn't matter to her either. "Well what about these elders? Why don't they do something?"

"My father is one of the elders Tsukune," she said dryly. "Do you think he is going to censure himself?" She shook her head and looked at him with a slight bit of pity. "Tsukune when the elders gather to pass laws or make decisions their aim is always to protect the peace and security of our kind. If one of our kind were to go on a mass killing spree for example the elders would have that one killed. Not to protect innocent humans, but to protect the vampire race from exposure. They care nothing for the other races, so far as they are concerned their only value is in their service us. I know it is harsh but that is the reality of vampire society."

"Yeah, I've heard that before." 'They are all rats to us, all of the lower races are there to be used as we see fit. We feed on them we allow them to serve us and make us money and if they trouble us we get rid of them. They… are… nothing.' "So you all just do what you want and it's o.k. because human lives are worthless?"

"Please do not mix me in with this Tsukune," Moka told him. "My mother left when I was very young because some of the things my father did sickened. Not only the practices of the business but the way he treated us and the servants." Moka smiled fondly. "She was thought to be very strange because she did not treat the lower races with the same disdain that most vampires had. She actually preferred living in the midst of human society pretending to be one and blending in rather than living here in luxurious isolation. She actually treasured her human friends."

"Did she see them as equals?" He asked curiously.

"Of course not," Moka said dismissively. "But she liked them for what they were."

"Sort of the same way you might like your pets?"

She looked at him in surprise. "Where did that come from?"

"Do you remember when we first met? Or I should say when I first met the other you?"

"Of course, I remember what my other self does. The memories are often hazy as though from a dream, but those first memories of you are quite strong." Her cheeks darkened just a touch. "You made a powerful impression."

"I remember when I was facing Saizou," he said quietly. "I was hurt. You cried for me, or your other self did, and you told me that the only thing you wanted was a friend. That you didn't care if it was a monster or a human that you only wanted a friend. That… that meant a lot to me Moka-san. It made me feel special that you didn't care that I was human just so long as I wanted to be your friend."

"I remember," she said calmly. "I remember the words and the feelings my other self had."

"But your other self, the gentle Moka who said that, who though that way. She's not the real you right? You are the real Moka, right?"

Moka nodded her head steadily and eyed him carefully. "I am."

"If… if the other Moka weren't there, if it had just been you, could you have ever said those words? Could you have cared for me as a friend even though I was human? Could you have shed tears for me?"

She lifted a single eyebrow. "Why do you ask me that now?"

"Because after being with Ria I have a good idea of how vampires really see humans and it makes me sick! She sees us as rats! Is that how you used to see me Moka-san? Was I just vermin that you put with for the other Moka's sake?"

She planted her fists on her hips and gave him a thoroughly exasperated look. "Are you really such an idiot that you have to ask how I felt about you when you were human?"

"I just…"

"Quiet," she said sharply. "Since you need to ask I will tell you. At the beginning, at the very beginning, perhaps I did see you more as a pet than anything else. A cute little creature to keep my other self entertained and happy."

Hearing her admit to it he put his head down.

"But," she said. "That opinion changed. I saw you risk your like for me time and again. You put your soft body in danger for my sake. I saw your kindness and gentleness. I saw how you honestly cared about others. Saw how bravely you faced your fears and the way you would put on a brave front even when the fear smell was heavy on you. Little by little you won me over Tsukune."

She stepped forward and gently took his hands into hers. "Against Kuyou and all the other times I have fought for you. Do you think I would have done so if I saw you as a rat? I gave you my blood Tsukune. To a vampire nothing is more precious than their blood, it is everything. And I gave it you because I could not bear to lose you."

She moved closer to him and pressed his hands to her chest. "Now does that give you some idea of what you meant to me even when you were human?"

"I… thank you Moka-san, thank you for telling me that. But…" he hesitated. "Would you… would you ever have ever thought of me as an equal if I had stayed human. Would it ever have been possible for us to be together like this?"

"Why do you ask that? You are a vampire now, why does it matter?"

"I don't know, but it does. Could we have been together if I had stayed human?"

She looked down at the floor and answered softly. "No."

"I… see."

"Not because I couldn't have loved you," she said and squeezed his hands just a little. "You were already more precious to me than anything in the world. It would have been because it would have been too painful for me to be with you."

"Painful? Painful how?"

She looked back up with a sad and melancholy face. "I didn't want to have to watch you wither away and die before my eyes."

His eyes grew fearful. "What, what do you mean?"

"How long is a human lifespan Tsukune? Seventy years? Eighty? A hundred at the very most?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"My father is over a thousand years old Tsukune. He witnessed the Crusades and the Renaissance and lived through the Black Death. He has seen nations be born, ascend, decline, and perish. My sister Ria, how old do you think she is?"

"I don't know, twenty, twenty one?"

"She is two hundred and thirty."

"You're kidding!"

"No."

He looked at her closely. "Uhm, Moka how old are you?"

"Fifteen," she answered. "Vampires age like humans until we reach physical maturity and then the aging process slows down to a crawl. My father looks like a human man in his early forties and is still in his prime. We are immortal creatures Tsukune. If we are not killed we can live forever. I will still be a beautiful woman when a hundred human generations have come and gone."

She looked at him pleadingly. "Do you understand now why I could not have accepted you before? We would have had a short sweet summer together, but then I would have had to lose you. I would have had to stand by and watch as you slowly expired. And then I would have been a widow with nothing but memories of you. Is it so wrong for me to want a mate that can be with me for my life time? Is that so unfair?"

"I… I guess not Moka-san, I never really thought about it that way." Now he was thinking about it. "But does that mean Kurumu, Mizore, Yukari, Kyouko, and the other people we know…"

Moka nodded slowly. "We will outlive them all Tsukune. Unless something happens to us we will remain young and strong as they grow old before our eyes. All the people I care for who are not vampires, I am condemned to lose them all. That is why I could only accept you as my mate once you became a vampire. I want to grow old with you Tsukune, no matter how long that may take. When I say I want to be with you forever I mean just exactly that."

"I… I think I understand Moka-san."

"Good," she said and leaned against him, wrapping her arms around him. "Then stay with me Tsukune, forever."

He slowly put his arms around her as well. "Forever," he whispered.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ria waited for her father outside the castle alone. She hadn't mentioned the fact he was arriving to anyone.

Out of the tunnel came a black wooden carriage pulled by six black horses. She smiled at that. Father loved the old ways. Though he was willing to be more modern when the situation required. He took the limousine whenever he made one of his rare trips to the human world. But when he was meeting with the elders or traveling to one of the monster worlds or Azkarra he chose to travel by coach even though it was slower and less comfortable.

When the coach came to a halt the two servants who her in human form scrambled down to open the carriage door.

Ria went into a deep curtsy and lowered her face.

Out of the carriage stepped a man with dark black hair with a few grey strands. His eyes were red and his face had a severe turn to it, rugged more than handsome, with a large nose and chin. He wore a classic black suit with an old fashioned vest and even a cape. Around his neck was a gold rosario with a white diamond for a center piece. He looked every inch the aristocrat.

"Welcome home Lord Akashiya," she said in a tone as obedient as any servant's.

"Rise and embrace me daughter."

She stood and eagerly did so. She put her arms around her father and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. He barely touched her with his arms and then released her almost as quickly. This was as much affection as he would ever show her.

She let go and quickly stepped back, knowing he would be annoyed if she was too affectionate. She saw his eyes dart about the courtyard. "Where is Moka? I was hoping to see her."

Her hands clenched and her teeth ground down. Of course he asks about her before anything else. "Oh me, of my, I was hoping we might talk in private first father. You did ask me to give you my opinion on her lo-ver."

"Lover?" he raised an eyebrow. "In her letters she only described him as a friend."

"It seems they have grown closer," she said dryly.

Lord Akashiya eyed his oldest daughter. "You hate him."

"I do father, but that is not really important is it? After all I hate almost everyone."

"Except for me I hope."

"I could never hate you father."

He gave one of his slight smiles. He was never one for huge displays of joyous emotion. (Though he had no trouble showing his anger or displeasure.) "I am glad to hear that, you are my most valuable daughter."

But not your most beloved. "Shall we go inside to talk father?"

He nodded. "Yes, and you can tell me all about Moka's lover and whether or not he will live to become her mate."