Are We Going?
Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario Vampire or any part of its franchise. I would also like to thank lord of the land of fire for giving me permission to write this.
This is a sequel to The Unsealed Vampire story by lord of the land of fire and The Unsealed Vampire: Tsukune's Revenge by yours truly.
Time for another mostly Moka centered chapter.
Now that I am done wasting your time with author's notes, let us move on to the main attraction.
Enjoy:
This was no longer just annoying, this situation was becoming downright embarrassing. Fairy Tale was getting hit left and right by the HLF and the Miao feud with the Huang was at a standstill. The organization was hemorrhaging money and drastically losing support among various monster groups. The Shuzen branch had been disbanded because the patriarch of the clan ordered them to leave the organization which only left Kahlua and Akua in Fairy Tale's employ. And then came the most bothersome obstacle of them all: Everyone was turning to him for guidance but he couldn't risk so much as a public appearance for fear the Dark Lords might realize who he was.
Tsukune Aono was still on the loose with most of his powers. The various branch leader were observing his every move while plotting an eventual coup and he could do nothing to boost morale or, at least, prevent desertion. The Huang were prospering, Yokai Academy was growing in popularity and Gyokuro was still under Akasha's supervision.
It was all falling apart at the seams. Were he simply able to show himself to the world, he knew he could easily halt this tide of doom. Alas, that would spell the end of everything he worked for so far. However, as things stood, disaster was nearing and no mere covert measure initiated on his behalf could reverse this trend. This was precisely why he took every precaution and painstakingly avoided the spotlight for 200 years. Gyokuro, minus a few flaws here and there, had kept Fairy Tale in check. Unfortunately, she could no longer be used as an asset. As for the other branch leaders, he would be more than willing to give one of them power if he weren't convinced they would make the group implode by the end of the month.
The bigger danger was that the Dark Lords would be turning their sights on Fairy Tale once the HLF was taken care of. As much as he deplored the idea, those terrorist humans were the only thing standing between him and a most gruesome death. He possessed an infinitely small fraction of the power he use to hold, the Dark Lords were reunited and nearly at full strength, the only thing he had working for him was the misconception that he was dead.
Yet the Dark Lords weren't his main concern, having Tsukune Aono walking around with stolen powers was a much bigger problem. Granted, a ghoul could not hope to access the what was dormant in his blood but rumors were starting to circulate. Rumors that, if accurate, did not bode well at all. If he were to become a vampire just as the Dark lords were angling, he would most likely have to deal with a second First Ancestor chasing at his heels.
There was no doubt about it, he could not let his survival be known to his sworn enemies. In order to better protect his identity, he would need to vanish into the shadows once more. Now, the only questions that remained was how and who should take his place at the head of the organization. Gyokuro was out of the question despite being uniquely suited for the task. Unless...
Then it hit him... If Gyokuro was incapable of assuming direct command, he could trust she would still and seize power indirectly by putting someone she had complete faith in if the opportunity arose. Not quite what he did as the Masked King when he choose her but close enough. As for whom this proxy might be, well, it wasn't hard to figure out who the contender would be: Kahlua Shuzen.
Let's see: Kahlua Shuzen, head of Fairy Tale. He liked the sound of that. The executives were deathly afraid of her. Even though she was well known for taking orders from her mother and the rest of management, many of the grunts could testify to seeing her deal with targets and assignments with a surprising amount of cunning. That move would also force the Shuzen family into staying neutral instead of throwing it's full weight behind Akasha, vampire politics were a complicated matter on the best of days. Morale would soar with such a likable personality and beautiful face as the official leader of Fairy Tale.
Perfect, he knew who would be able to turn the tide. Still, how to create a sufficiently large power vacuum to tempt Gyokuro into making her move? That was easy, Miyabi Fujisaki would have to die alongside a sizable portion of his lieutenants, a full out battle would provide just the right amount of confusion for him to make sure his best men ended up KIA. But how should he go about this? Engaging in a full on attack against the Huang or Yokai would be sure to bring the Dark Lords into the conflict which would make all his efforts to disappear utterly worthless.
There always was the prospect of an assault on Lilith's Mountain, that would be sure to put the hurt on the HLF's operations if not shut them down completely. Unfortunately, the sheer amount of troops and funds required to conduct such an invasion and obtain positive results was way beyond Fairy Tale's current means. Trying such an endeavor would drive the organization to ruin regardless of whether or not they were to win the fight.
Thus, much to his discomfort, he had to wait some more. Again, his patience would have to last for a bit longer. Giving some competent agent the task of watching the HLF and the Dark Lords was now the only thing he could do. Who should he pick? There was no shortage of good spies to pick from, each of them uniquely qualified to accomplish this. That someone would have to be able to bl;end in until the time was right. Might as well be poetic and have Akua do the work. After all, he would be indirectly promoting her sister so it was the least she could do to unknowingly thank him.
Now to get someone to find her and transmit her newest orders. Last he heard, she was watching over a small stretch of land where she kept insisting a valuable asset to the cause was currently residing. He had an inkling as to whom this asset might be and he didn't like it but he simply didn't have the manpower to have the work of one of his agent's being double checked. Besides, it was probably good to have had a pair of eyes on that troublesome young ghoul anyhow.
As he sat and contemplated his options while enjoying the comfort his own office provided him with one hand supporting his bored expression. He came to the conclusion he should select Kiriya for the job of contacting Akua. After summoning him and letting him know what his newest job was, Alucard went about isolating himself from the world once more as his mind drifted to the thief who now held his powers.
Tsukune Aono had once been nothing special: Even though his background may have been impossible to trace, in no small part due to the Exorcist's overzealous efforts to conceal his prodigy's history from any who may inquire, his early activities while at Mikogami's institution were anything but secret. All they revealed was a barely average student who, even among his human peers, was exceptionally weak. That changed bit by bit as time went by and he came into contact and was forced to serve Akasha's daughter. It would only be natural that Akasha and her lineage would end up being the greatest thorn in his side.
As of now, if he ignored the Dark Lords altogether, he represented the greatest threat to his plans. As for the girl, her recent disappearance did not concern him one bit. Any power she may have been able to hold over him had surely been eradicated when his main body was drained. Apart from the boy, this newest generation was nothing to be worried of. Honestly, what threat could Moka Akashiya possibly pose to him now?
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Both Mokas laid exhausted on the grassy ground with their faces turned up towards the crystal blue sky. They were completely drained, emptied of all energy. And it was for that reason that they were also in such high spirits. After endless weeks of training day and night, they had finally reached their long sought after goal.
Akasha was slowly getting to her feet just as her multiple injuries healed themselves nearly instantaneously. Her wounds did nothing to dampen her mood. If anything, all they did was strengthen her joyous attitude. She was practically glowing, and with good reason: Her daughters had finally done it. With their combined power, they had been able to defeat her. Although it would take years of training for them to reach the Dark Lord's level separately, together they now matched her strength.
Bloodriver observed her daughters: Their wounds were healing at a slower rate than her own but they healed nonetheless at a rapid pace. They all stayed silent for a few minutes, basking in the recent accomplishment. Instead of getting up as she expected them to, they promptly fell asleep where they laid, she laughed softly after realizing this had been a more draining ordeal that she initially estimated. The elder Shuzen clan member took that as a sign her presence was no longer required and left to inform her husband of their daughters' most recent success.
As she exited the portal that led to Paradise, she was approached by her old friend and fellow Dark Lord. The Exorcist was grinning just as he always did, it was obvious he already knew what had just transpired. Akasha returned the smile as she nodded her head at the unspoken question the Chairman wished answered. If that were the case, the Headmaster reasoned, then the young Mokas were ready for the next phase of the plan.
"It would appear they prevailed right on time." His enigmatic words held no secrets for Issa Shuzen's second wife. She was quite aware of the deadline that had been set unbeknownst to her two daughters, it was because of said deadline that she felt compelled to push her children as hard as she did. Perhaps it was a bit harsh but not doing so would have left them out at a crucial moment in Tsukune's life and that was something their mother would never have accepted. "You must be quite proud of them, Akasha."
The leader of the three was still beaming with pride, an emotion she rarely expressed unlike what the rest of her kind usually did. To see her in such a happy disposition brought pleasant memories back to the old priest's mind. "Very proud, old friend." Her tone was as gentle as ever, her expression was one of absolute serenity. Truly, this was one of her finest moments in recent history.
Both Lords walked side by side for a ways, happily conversing about the future. Though some topics were less joyous then others: "Are you sure there is nothing else we could do. Maybe something a bit less reckless?" Her apprehension was normal considering what Mikogami had planned. He may have had an excellent track record with elaborate schemes but one could always doubt such ambitious projects.
"If we wish to bury the hatchet and fortify a greater unity between species, this is an important step towards making that dream a reality." He sounded so confident, so sure of what was to occur. His eyes glowed ever brighter as he envisioned his plans coming to fruition. The long awaited dream of Coexistence was no longer simply idle theory being discussed between powerful monsters but, in lieu of that, an actual goal. The last time he was this optimistic about a project was ninety-nine years ago when he first opened the doors of Yokai Academy at the beginning of the previous century.
"How do you know this will go well? There are so many ways for this to fail, and we don't have a back up plan this time." Her earlier happiness wavered as she imagined the carefully laid out plans crumble around them and imminent division split the monster community once again and threaten bloody conflict.
The Exorcist couldn't help but have his smile grow that much wider, ever the cautious woman he remembered. "I believe it will work out perfectly fine. I have complete faith in the boy. Don't you?" Akasha pouted in protest, Mikogami was teasing her again. He knew quite well that she believed in Tsukune, it was those he would be dealing with that she was afraid of. After all, in their opinion, they had cause to despise Tsukune more so than most.
"Hey, that's not fair, Tenmei. You know what I'm afraid of, and it isn't Tsukune's good will." Tenmei Mikogami let out a small laugh. Some things never changed, it always was fun and easy to make her very uncomfortable. In that respect, another key part of her personality had been imparted into Outer Moka. What a marvel... An artificial personality that became self aware and possessed a soul... Who said God didn't have a sense of humor?
"You are right. However, isn't that the reason why we are going there ourselves? To make sure it all goes off without a hitch?" Of course, there was no way the Chairman would miss this chance to watch over such a critical junction in his favorite guinea pig's life. She shuddered at the term, how could he be so cold and calculating when it came to the young ghoul?
'Yes." She admitted with a sigh. This still had the potential to go sideways at any time. She knew she wouldn't be able to relax before this whole ordeal came to an end, before Tsukune finally took the final step and rid himself of that other personality that plagued his existence day and night. Reaper was everything Tsukune could become if he ever lost faith in his mission, if he ever walked the same path Alucard once did.
It was at that moment she recalled something else that held quite a bit of importance. "By the way, is the bracelet Issa gave you ready for use yet?" The Holy Lock Tsukune was currently using was not designed for him and there was a chance it might break at any moment. Needless to say, the Lock was only a temporary solution until a proper seal could be made for him.
"Where do you suppose we are walking to?" It occurred to her that she had been walking with him without really paying attention to where she was going. As soon as she realized this, the answer came in the form of an archbishop waiting at the gates of the Academy. Said archbishop's expression was unreadable, in his right hand was clutched the object of Akasha's inquiries So it appeared they were coming to retrieve the seal.
"Good day, Archbishop. I hope you had an uneventful trip." The Church official nodded as he glanced over at his traveling companion, Ruby, who had accompanied on the long trip from Rome. He felt quite a lot of unease at being in her vicinity, what with the fact that she decided it would be a good idea to confess a few of her sins to the priest halfway through the voyage. To his credit, his grave expression gave away nothing of the uncomfortable sensations he felt at being near someone who once wished to carry out a human genocide along with her mentor and her, shall we say, peculiar fascination for all things sharp, blunt and capable of inflicting harm to herself. Oh yes, he knew all about that, but he never allowed that to destabilize him.
"Luckily, yes. I would hate to imagine how we would have fared if either the human extremists or those rebel monsters had caught wind of this." Indeed, if they somehow had found out that he was transporting something the Exorcist wanted imperatively, you could be sure they would not have hesitated to raid the expedition and destroy whatever it may be they were carrying. Regardless of how benign the bracelet looked, it would have been disposed of within seconds of its discovery.
The Headmaster continued to smile as he gazed at his most recent acquisition: A seal the Vatican had spent weeks working on in the utmost secrecy and specifically made for one Tsukune Aono. The glistening red gem that was encrusted at the center of the bracelet along with the silver coated exterior were meant to physically resemble Moka's seal. To Mikogami, it seemed appropriate to keep the resemblance striking between the two, or should I say three, sealing artifacts distributed among the teens. "Come now. That is why I tasked my assistant with bringing you here to safety. I would never permit harm to befall any member of the Order so long as I am capable of protecting."
What he said may have been true but neither men were ignorant of the subtleties of his choice, he especially picked Ruby because it was the more hilarious option for himself. She was a very capable bodyguard yet there was a number of other monsters in his employ he could have sent instead. However, what good could come of calling him out on that, better to simply let it go and get on with business.
Both Akasha and Ruby were unaware of the cause of the archbishop's sigh as handed over the seal to Mikogami and bid both him and Akasha farewell before turning around and marching towards the bus stop. Leave it to the Chairman to try and amuse himself one last time as his colleague departed. "Perhaps Ruby should tag along and make sure you are not targeted on the way back?"
The archbishop did not turn around to respond face to face, opting instead for the idea of raising a weary arm into the air to convey that that wouldn't be necessary. "Now that I have brought you the seal, there is no danger or peril I am confronted with in returning alone. Besides, I rather enjoy the peace and quiet. Good day, Mikogami."
To that, the Exorcist chuckled lightly and responded silently to the archbishop's words. "As you wish. Good day, Archbishop." After doing so, the three monsters headed to the Headmaster's office. It would be dangerous to have Ruby do her report outside of those walls and there was a chance the Mokas might come out of the portal located in his office at any moment.
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Akua did her best to hide her emotions when Kiriya finally tracked her down and handed her her newest orders. When he left, she began to smile her brightest smile as she entered the bustling megalopolis that was Hong Kong. She had left for Hong Kong on the double as soon as she recognized those two as being members of the Huang Family.
Crossing the sea had been child's play, what with all the fancy amphibious transports Fairy Tale invested into, it even gave her a little time to spare knowing how long it took to properly ward a plane. It wouldn't have mattered if Touhou Fuhai himself had been the one to do it, it was still a very long and difficult thing than to set up a barrier around a moving object.
As for explaining to Kiriya why she was already headed to her next objective when he found her? She fibbed a little and told him she was returning to her designated post at the Miao Family headquarters. Meager excuse but it got the job done seeing as how Kiriya couldn't be bothered to care about anything that didn't bring him an iota of entertainment, much less inquire about the validity of a pretext he found boring as all get out.
Technically, her assignment was to watch the Dark Lords and the HLF for anything out of the ordinary. And in a sense, she would be doing just that... sort of. It was clear that Tsukune would be holed up at the Huang compound for a little while for some reason or another she had not been capable of overhearing while spying on their meeting. As luck would have it, that happened to be Touhou Fuhai's residence. As for keeping tabs on the HLF, the Huang had a number of spies on the field. At that point, all she would have to do would be to take a few minutes to eavesdrop on them every so often and voila.
Really, what more could she ask for right now? Her current assignment matched her hobby so well it was almost scary. Now, if only she could keep an eye on her darling Moka at the same time, then everything would be simply perfect. Tsukune might be her love interest but that didn't mean she cared any less for her darling younger sister than she did during their childhood. She was killing two birds with one stone: She liked Tsukune and he wasn't nearly worthy enough to hold Moka's affections, it all worked out marvelously.
She had to snap back to reality, her daydreaming almost made her walk in front of a moving truck. Her whole cover would have been blown if several thousand witnesses saw her survive an oncoming eighteen wheeler unscathed. Therefore, fantasizing about Moka and Tsukune would have to wait until she found a safe location close to the compound.
Without a moment to spare or a second's hesitation, Akua made use of both her incredible agility and speed to navigate the crowd and discreetly climb one of the buildings. From then on, she could comfortably travel throughout the city by quickly running atop rooftops without fear of being spotted. As a bonus, it was slightly less polluted up in the air then on the streets. It was a wonder they hadn't killed themselves off by way of their own stupidity. But never fear, that's what she was here for. What a wonderful family bonding exercise that would be... as soon as she won Tsukune and Moka over to her way of thinking.
XXXXXXXXXX
Ura and Omote crossed the portal over into the Chairman's office at the same, they were greeted on the other side by the familiar sight of their mother, whom they had narrowly defeated hours ago through a combination of blind luck and daring tactics, standing next to the Exorcist. Their mother still beamed that wonderful and comforting smile. As for the Exorcist, his trademark creepy and calculating grin never left him these days and now was no exception.
Omote still basked in the accomplishment of having passed her mother's tests. Her Inner alter-ego, on the other hand, had long since allowed that sentiment of success to leave which left her clear-minded for what was to follow. As Ura scrutinized the Headmaster like her instincts told her she should, she noticed his grin grew ever so wider. That realization was a prelude to a mental and groan, why did she always have to be right about this sort of stuff?
"Congratulations, Miss Akshiya and Miss Akashiya." You could tell he was finding the split quite amusing. "It would seem you have accomplished your task right on time. Bravo." As he spoke, his yellow eyes glowed slightly brighter, he was dropping a hint an astute Ura could never overlook or even pretend to.
Omote was so oblivious to the Headmaster's hints that she pleasantly accepted the given praise by bowing and saying a few words. "Thank you very much, Headmaster. We are very happy that we made it." She then turned to her other persona in order to incite her to support her claim. 'Isn't that right, Inner-me?"
She was awkwardly met by a pair of intensely focused red eyes and an equally intense frown, her seriousness was not at all appreciated by Omote who all of a sudden felt very self-conscious. "Right on time, you say? Why would you be concerned about when we would finish training? Is there something we are supposed to do now that we have trained?"
Now it was Akasha's turn to feel embarrassed. She was hoping to keep it a surprise. How was it that she always knew exactly which questions to ask? Flashbacks to her daughter's rather intrusive questioning made her feel very uneasy. The Exorcist merely chuckled lightly before taking a seat in his chair and addressing the two twins once more. "I see your time in Paradise has done nothing to dull your intuition. That is a very good sign."
He paused a few seconds in order to gauge Ura's mood and then proceeded. "Lord Touhou Fuhai is preparing an expedition to end the HLF menace that would be spearheaded by Tsukune himself, I was under the assumption that you might wish to participate and aid him during this trying period. Was I wrong?" What he said was evidently an understatement, yet he delighted himself in playing dumb, how fitting.
Ura smirked as she crossed her arms and shrugged. Though she was definitely intrigued, she decided she would play it cool. There had to be more to it than simply attacking human terrorists if they wanted both Mokas to participate, time to find out what it was. "Tsukune is an extremely capable individual." Her tone betrayed a hint of pride, it was her blood that flowed through him after all. "I don't quite see why he can't handle this by himself."
The look of disbelief that crossed Omote's face at the words she had just heard was expected. Ura had already decided she was going to assist her soon to be blood mate but she would never permit herself to look weak. The only one who could bypass her pride was Tsukune himself and she was determined to keep it that way.
Ura felt herself shivering slightly as she felt Omote's piercing gaze on her. Apparently, her disbelief had given way to disapproval, a sure sign she caught on to her Inner self's intentions. It was quite natural for her to catch on so fast, who better than herself would know what she's thinking? In any case, she knew she was going to get scolded when present company left them alone.
"I would agree with you there if all he had to worry about were a couple of humans." The Mokas' curiosity was peaked. Something else than humans were at Lilith's Mountain? They were under the impression that the HLF was vehemently opposed to working with monsters of any kind. The Chairman wasted no time in providing visual aid by turning his attention to the wall to his left.
Immediately thereafter, a picture of a dragon materialized itself on said wall, it looked much more dangerous than the wyrms the two had easily dispatched while in Paradise. "Unlike the cross-breads you have faced in Paradise, these are full-blooded and sentient dragons. In his haste to clear the mountain of the Succubi and Incubi, Tsukune broke the seal restraining these ferocious beasts and set them loose ton the populace." His smile had vanished as he completed his sentence moments later. "It was a massacre."
Ura silently examined the picture: The greyish hide the dragon possessed was covered in cuts and scars which meant they were a more predatory kind of monsters. To any regular monster, they would pose a serious threat. "How many are there?" Ura, turned to her Outer counterpart who had just asked the question, she definitely was worried for the expedition and it showed.
"A little over a thousand of them must have survived the sealing ceremony. The beasts would hardly be an issue for an S-class monster such as a vampire like yourself or a werewolf. However, coupled with an insatiable lust for carnage and destruction, you can understand why the average monster would stand little to no chance against them. That was the reason they had to be sealed in the first place, having them free to roam the world was dangerous for humans in past times. Now that they had been sealed by other monsters, their animosity has turned chiefly to us."
Now she understood the haste: A single dragon could be dealt with ease. A thousand? Not so easily if they didn't have a few S-class monsters to keep them distracted. That must've been why the humans could afford to let everyone know where they were hiding. If someone tried to take them out, they would end up as dragon food.
Akasha had remained silent for the entirety of the conversation, she was reflecting upon the dragons' sealing. She did feel a bit sorry for those poor dragons, they had been ousted from their homes and forced into a underground set tunnels that served as their prison. Yet that didn't absolve them of the horrors they had committed before being sealed away under the mountain. There was a good deal of motivation for wanting them put somewhere where they wouldn't be able to harm humans, or the occasional monster, ever again.
"We will do it. Whatever it takes to help Tsukune, we will do it." The determination present in Omote's features accurately mirrored what Ura felt about this situation. There would be no way Tsukune was going to face off alone against such powerful creatures, not in his current state. The Exorcist nodded as the Shuzens took their leave, but not before they heard the Headmaster interact with his assistants as she appeared at the office's window.
"Have the selected students been notified of the plan?" His inquiry was suspect but Ura decided not to dwell on it. Too bad for if she had, she would have noticed the affirmative reply and the Exorcist sounding very pleased at the news. You could be sure that the Chairman was constantly plotting, Akasha fully knew what was being set in motion but preferred to not think about it. She had worried on it sufficiently as they went to retrieve the seal, now that it was set in motion, little good would come from doubting his actions.
As Ruby left to make preparations for the trip to Hong Kong, the Exorcist went back to thinking about future events. His glowing eyes darted back and forth from the dragon picture on his wall to the bracelet he held in his hands. A little more patience and Tsukune would be right where he wanted him to be.
He wasn't going to like it, that was a guarantee. However, he knew what was at stake here, he would play along as he was supposed. The prize was too big and the cost would be too high for him to refuse what would be offered. This time around, he didn't feel too bad about putting Tsukune into this uncomfortable scenario. He was providing the help he would require, much like one would provide medicine: It would taste bitter and it had the potential to make one regret ever ingesting it but a clean bill of health was more than a sufficient incentive. And that is precisely what he would get, a clean bill of health.