Here In My Arms

by Platinumsabr

(AU) What laid in wait past Anti-Thesis? A choice. What lay in wait past the choice? Consequences. A future...with who? Decisions, decisions, some not up to me, show me the truth, what I'm meant to be... (Rated M for adult content)

26. To Reveal A Vampire

Disclaimer: I don't own Rosario+Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Simple enough, ne? Just don't copy from this story and we're all good!

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V^^ To Reveal A Vampire ^^V

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Kokoa laid on her futon, snug under the covers as she pretended to sleep and wished for the real thing. Normally a room filled with so many people would be sweltering, especially in the summer heat, but Ruby had her windows open and Mizore kept things temperate without even trying, and unconscious at that. Against her protests, the girls had dragged Tsukune in with them, and he was currently in a place enviable to men and women alike. She herself had kept to her futon rather than Ruby's magically altered bed, where she heard naught but peaceful breathing indicative of sleep.

How they could sleep so easily escaped her. She had way too much to think about, things she'd rather not think about.

…Things she had never thought to think about before.

As she was just about to sigh deeply and roll over yet again in an attempt to get comfortable enough to join them in slumber, a small breeze wafted innocently through the room. Or rather, it would have been innocent had she not heard many of the bodies she was keeping track of mumble in response and shift in a way that suggested they had more room than they had had moments before. Her eyes snapped open when she heard the doorknob twist, and someone stepped out, not in.

She was tired, cranky, and her emotions had been through the metaphorical wringer more times in one twenty-four hour period than they ever had, which was saying something with how her life had gone. Curious, she sat up and looked to where the others were tangled together in a mess of limbs and skewed clothing, an amusing—and arousing, if she was being honest with herself—sight by anyone's standards. What she hadn't expected was to find the moron not among them. Most definitely beyond curious now, she threw off her blanket and edged ever so carefully out the door. She wasn't worried about anyone but her target seeing her, since she was still clothed in her silk pajama pants and a comfortable tank top perfect for the weather.

She spotted him without difficulty, sitting directly in her line of sight on the sturdiest branch of the nearest tree, staring up at the stars as his feet dangled below.

Honestly, the idiot…

Even with most of her growing power sealed, it only took a few jumps to land right next to him with nary a wobble despite her weariness. She noticed his honey-colored eyes slide over to regard her, eerily lit in the starlight, but other than that he didn't react to her presence at all. She would have commented had the shadows not highlighted the dark circles etched under those tired amber orbs, and the words died in her throat.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" she asked instead, hushed like the silent night around them, and he nodded.

"Too much on my mind," he replied with a wry smile. "I'm so tired I can't get to sleep, if that makes any sense."

She chortled. "You wouldn't be talking to me if it didn't."

"Touché."

A gentle wind rustled the leaves of their surroundings, filling the stillness that would have been uncomfortable had the two been awake enough to care that this was one of the rare times they were alone together for any length of time, something Kokoa usually avoided. This time, it had been her to actively seek him out. To be fair, she would have done the same to anyone that left a bed straight out of a fantasy, but that it had been the sole man of the group to have done it made it irresistible.

She had to point one thing out though.

"You look like crap."

He snorted. "I feel like crap too. Go figure." With a sigh, he pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to will his brain to cease its incessant prattling, but just like the other two million or so times he had attempted it, it didn't work. He turned on the branch so he could rest his back against the thick trunk it stemmed from, unmindful of the bark digging into his bared flesh. He was clad in only a pair of shorts, as while he was comfortable not wearing much else but underwear to bed with his lovers, it wasn't suitable with Yukari, Rei, and Kokoa there as well.

As for the redheaded vampiress, the new seating allowed him to get a good look at her under the moonlight, and he blinked in surprise as his sleep-deprived cranium spat out the first thing he thought. "You look really nice with your hair down."

Kokoa grabbed the sides of her head unwittingly and sure enough, she remembered that like every other time before bed, she had taken out her trademark pigtails to let the ginger locks flow unimpeded down her head. "T-Thanks…I don't do it often."

He had a pretty good idea why. The remnants of her regular style had given her hair just a bit of wave and revealed its true measure, which was easily long enough to reach her shoulders. Add just a bit more length, color it blonde, put in a tiara and darken her skin, and she was close to a dead ringer for Kahlua.

His hand moved before he could tell it not to, smoothly brushing some of the loose strands behind her ear.

When had she moved so close? To tell the truth, Kokoa didn't know, but she still felt her eyes flutter when his fingers brushed her sensitive skin. She jerked back as if stung when that registered. I'm tired, that's it! Too tired! That's all!

Tsukune, being Tsukune, interpreted it a completely different way. "Kokoa, you shouldn't be ashamed of how you look. Kahlua-san is…" he grimaced, "…Kahlua-san is a beautiful woman. She's crazy as all get-out, but she's a beautiful woman."

That earned a sincere giggle from the vampiress, and the small smile she gave him felt like it was the first one she had ever truly offered him. "She is…isn't she?"

And with those words, the thoughts she had been trying to keep away came rushing back.

His smile in return faltered when tears started glistening on her moonlit skin as she stared up at the summer's night sky, and it was only then it occurred to him that she had never cried, not once the entire day. Moka had cried; he had cried; nearly everyone save Rei had cried. But not her. She was bound to break, it just took her longer. And break she did.

"She's always scared me, you know? She could hurt me without even meaning to, and I was just so damn…weak." Had her voice been any softer not even his senses would have heard it, and he knew that even though he was sitting right next to her, she was no longer seeing him. The only thing flittering past her unfocused gaze was her memories. "She tried to take care of me, and did I allow her? No, I resented her for it. Onee-sama made me strong; she never coddled me or treated me like a kid, she fought me like she fought everyone else. But Kahlua-neesan…whenever she got back from missions, it'd always be worse. She'd act all carefree and childish, try to play with me and pamper me…but…I always wondered how much of that really was an act…and…and how much she wished it wasn't. She didn't want to fight! She was so much stronger than me, she had the strength I wanted, and she didn't want to fight! God, I HATED her for it!"

Even if he didn't know she was venting, Tsukune wouldn't have been able to say anything. He could only sit, transfixed, as grief slowly tainted the young woman's countenance.

She rubbed at her eyes angrily as she gritted her teeth to the empty landscape. "And Fairy Tale, Fairy Tale was just another goddamn investment! Mister big bad Dark Lord didn't care if they actually destroyed humanity or not, he was paid for his daughters' services from the beginning! Even if we didn't destroy them instead, he probably planned on doing it if they got close to succeeding anyway! And Kahlua-neesan…how many times was she forced to kill before we finally stopped them? How many tears was she forced to cry?"

Kokoa laughed bitterly. "I can't believe it took me so long to figure it out. I grew up knowing those tears, and I knew she cried them for the lives she would take with that awesome power I wanted so badly, yet why she acted like she did, why she tried to baby me, I could never figure that out. I was too scared to try and actually think about it. When you and...when you and Onee-sama got together, I started to understand it. When she cried after what happened to you even after beating her revenge out of Alexander that first time, I got closer. But today, today I knew. Kahlua-neesan didn't want me to get hurt, she was trying to protect me from what she had to do. She acts like a kid because no one ever treated her like one, and she wanted me to enjoy it while I could…"

What began as another laugh turned into coarse sobs, and since Tsukune didn't know what else to do, he gathered her into his lap and hugged her. She didn't pull away like he thought she would. Far from it.

"And today—! Dammit just look at what happened today! Did something like this happen to her too? She didn't have anyone to go to, no one to help her—! Mom probably encouraged it! Just look at how easily everything nearly went to shit for us! God only knows what she went through, and she still tried to protect me, just like Onee-sama!" She was weeping openly now, clasped to him frantically as she sniffled to quell her runny nose, to no avail. "All I could do then was help stop Fairy Tale so she…so she wouldn't have to kill again for a little while, and I…and I was less than useless today! Screw useless, I was…I was USED to cripple any chance we would have had without Rei!

"Dammit…dammit dammit…GOD! DAMMIT!" she screamed. "Years! Years I've spent idolizing that bastard, and he does this to me!" With motions jerky in rage, she used her shirt to dry her face and wipe her nose. It wasn't the most hygienic, but it wasn't like she had another option. "You know what, he deserves what we did to Fairy Tale; it's better in the Wong's hands anyway!" She curled into herself, drawing deeper into her fellow vampire's embrace as her sobs slowly quieted. "I lost one sister because of my own stupidity, I won't lose another."

Tsukune squeezed her reassuringly as his heart ached in sympathy for the growing redhead. He only hoped it gave him the right words. "…You weren't stupid, Kokoa, you were just too young to understand. I'm sure you didn't lose a sister either; she still loves you, and Moka, she told you that. She fought because she had no other choice, but you're still her sisters. I may be new to the whole vampire thing, but if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that."

Unwanted, a giggle burst from her mouth. "What happened to 'crazy as all get-out'?"

The small smile she had spawned on him became tinged with melancholy, and the sight struck her to her core. "If I had to get a little crazy to protect my family, I would."

Despite the downright hot summer weather, she shivered. "You just stay the way you are, alright, idiot?"

He stuck out his tongue at her. "Yes, Kokoa-sama."

The humor was just what she needed, and as she relaxed into his naked chest her position finally hit her. Worse yet, she found she just didn't care. It was nice. It was really, really nice.

When he realized she was looking at him, something in her eyes made him pause. "Kokoa…?"

She was breathing softly; long, heavy breaths as she pinned him in place. "This never happened."

Before he could ask what she meant, her mouth was over his.

His thoughts screeched to a grinding halt, crashed, burned, exploded, then blew away in the wind. Speaking, saying something, anything, was what he needed to do, he knew that. He needed to stop this, but the second his lips parted she reacted in a way he never could have expected. In point of fact, she reacted in a way she never could have expected either. It was supposed to be a simple peck, something that went far past her previous comfort zone around him to show how much she appreciated him listening to her. That wasn't what happened.

The lust that had spent months simmering beneath an ocean of denial boiled up like an undersea volcanic eruption, and she surged into him, deepening the kiss as best she knew how. It was clumsy, sloppy, and screamed of inexperience, but was it ever passionate. With his mind temporarily frozen, his traitorous body took over, and the sound she made when his tongue responded to her advances made his breath catch. She fell into him as his practiced motions easily dominated her awkward attempts and turned her insides to jelly, but her pride as a vampiress wouldn't let her completely submit as she strung her fingers into his chocolate hair and fought back with vigor.

More. She needed more.

Blame it on the mind-altering effects of sleep-deprivation, the raw emotion that had just been shared between the two vampires, or perhaps that displaying affection physically had become so casual when it was only their group together that none of them even blinked when a kiss was shared anymore—though only with a select few—but whichever it was, their kiss didn't stop, it only became more heated. When she started getting even more aggressive, grinding her pajama-clad womanhood into his awakening arousal, the shock made him wrench himself back like she was electrified, which also made him smash his head into the trunk behind him none too gently. He hissed in pain while Kokoa moaned in disappointment, but as they looked at each other while they recovered, he could see the color fade from her face as her sluggish brain comprehended just what it was she had done.

"Please tell me I just imagined that," she said fearfully.

He licked his lips nervously, still ripe with her taste, and shook his head once. "If you did, you have a pretty vivid imagination."

She gulped. "Oh…oh crap. I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean…I-I mean I wasn't supposed to… but damn, where'd you learn to do that thing with your tongue?"

"Mostly from Mizore," he answered automatically, before sputtering at the sudden turn of her sentence and his instant response. "W-What the hell, Kokoa?! What was…that?"

The red of her cheeks made her hair look pale by comparison. "I…have no idea. I know what it was supposed to be, but not what it turned into."

"And what was it supposed to be?" he asked with a strangled squeak. When all he got back was unintelligible mumbling, he narrowed his eyes. "Hmm?"

"…A thank you, idiot," came her quiet reply as her hair shielded her face from his view. "Just a quick peck, you know? I know you didn't have to listen to me, but you did, and you…hugged me," she went on, even quieter. "I thought I could just…and then…"

He sighed deeply and pulled her back into his body, his arms wrapped securely around her small frame. He was sure a regular Kokoa would have killed him for it, but she was far from her regular self, and in her place was a confused teen just the same as him. She was tired, she was stressed, and she clearly wasn't thinking straight. If she was, he doubted he would have been the one she confided in, nor would she even consider kissing him. So noticed, what she needed right then wasn't him freaking out on her, she needed someone to hold and comfort her, and he wasn't about to turn her away. That would only do more damage. Besides, like it or not she was one of his family, and he would protect her like any one of them, even if it had to be from herself.

Predictably, she stiffened, but only for a moment as she soon relaxed and positioned herself more comfortably against him. For all the time she had spent trying to get to the realm of Morpheus, never in her life had she felt so…safe. Warm. She had thought nothing could ever match the rare hugs she received from her sister, and in a way it didn't. Moka gave her something no one else could in her acknowledgement and sisterly affection, rare as it was, and that was something that could never be replicated. In another way, however, this catered to a part of her unreachable by her sister, unmatchable all the same. Almost against her will her eyelids started drooping, but now she wanted to stay awake, she wanted to feel it more.

"…Thanks…idiot," she murmured softly, and before he could respond she was fast asleep.

Another sigh escaped him as he looked up through the canopy of leaves, to the brilliant glittering of the stars above. "You could have just said that in the first place," he grumbled gently.

There was even less chance of him getting any sleep than there was before, but he supposed that was okay since he had helped someone else in the same position find it, so something good came from the whole thing at least. Of course, before he didn't have to worry about Moka killing him, but that was just Fate acting up again.

Resigned to a sleepless night when all he wanted was rest, Tsukune turned his attention back to the redhead using him as a mattress, blanket, and teddy bear. She was going to be every bit as beautiful as her sister given some time; he only hoped they could have a chance at reconciliation. It was unlikely with their current situation, but it was another goal he would add to his list. She deserved happiness as much as any other, and if he could help her in that he would.

Unconsciously, his hold firmed on her as he glared out into the blackness. He had been naïve, far too naïve to think their family would only use physical means to get to them. With their latest attempt temporarily averted, something was bound to happen. He only wished he knew what.

All he could do was wait and pray that what he had was enough when the time came.

And, if he was lucky, maybe get some sleep too.

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V^^^V

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It was half past four in the morning when Isabella Valentine's slumber was rudely interrupted by the phone on her nuptial bed's side-table. Her family owned more than one business that ranked high enough to warrant such an early morning call, but that didn't make her enjoy being awakened at those hours any more than normal. Nonetheless, it was a burden of leadership, and one she had to deal with. She only knew that because her husband's calls came on the phone on his side of the bed. The one saving grace was it was bound to be important, as only a small number of people had the number being called, and they all knew it had better be good or there would be blood, in both the metaphorical and literal sense.

Slapping out a hand to the receiver and trying to sound more awake then she felt, she said, "Yes?"

In the mutterings from the other end that followed, her husband rolled over, consigned to yet another late night call that would probably result in his wife rushing off for an important meeting that could have just as easily been done without her.

"WHAT?"

But then again, he had been wrong before.

Fabric rustled as Ivy moved to sit up properly, listening to the excuses being rambled by the caller. "I know it's hard to get straight information from the board, that's why we have you in that position! Are you tha—!"

She was cut off, which was rare for her when she got going, he would know.

"…What?"

That was said more quietly, he noted. Almost fearfully. He knew she was rubbing her forehead now, she always did during the more headache-inducing business calls.

"No, no, you did very well, thank you. If they blocked their own chairman it's to be expected that they didn't want anyone to know before it had already happened, I understand. Thank you again, I know it wasn't easy."

A quick farewell later and the phone was hung up, where she groaned softly and fell back into her pillows. Since he couldn't say he wasn't interested anymore, he shuffled up to rest against the headboard. "Who was that?" he asked through a yawn.

One eye opened to regard him sleepily. "Our informant for Youkai Academy's board of directors."

He tensed. If he put what parts of the conversation he had heard into that context, a very different picture was painted. "How the hell did they manage to block out Mikogami? The academy is his baby; even if it's run through legitimate channels, everyone knows if they go against the academy they go against Tenmei Mikogami."

She sighed. "And Issa Shuzen knows that. He argued conflict of interest, likely greased a few wheels along the way, and there you go, the board chairman was locked out. It's not surprising. Mikogami may not have opposed Fairy Tale directly, but his assistant was seen plenty of times with Moka Shu…Akashiya and her group. It's one of the worst kept secrets that in all probability he was critical in gathering information that she and the Wongs used to cripple the organization, and that's not including the matters of public record where she and her friends were involved in the Outcast Ayashi incidents that led into Fairy Tale. There's no denying they've had interactions beyond simple school matters, and that's all Shuzen needed. Dark Lord or not, as the one pushing for peace, bureaucracy took out the great Exorcist in this case."

Now he was the one that wanted to rub his forehead. "So it already went through?"

"Just as we thought," she confirmed with a small smirk. "Their accounts have been frozen, tuition pulled, and they were told yesterday." She frowned deeply. "If only we had been told earlier. I'd hate to think they would run into something without thinking, but including today they only have a day left before school starts. Moka-chan's been out on her own for years, she'd probably do anything to keep from going back. She and that club of hers may have spearheaded the efforts against Fairy Tale, but the Wongs had their fair share of muscle involved and dealt with the legal and illegal takeover part of things, so there must have been something she was paying them back for if they fell out of contact so quickly after everything was settled."

"Which would mean dealing with an evil they knew, but still an evil if they wanted money," her husband finished with a matching frown. "Not a decision to make lightly."

"Or when panicked and pushed into a corner. I hope they remembered that," she said as she worried the nail of her thumb between her teeth.

He chuckled with a shake of his head. "I doubt they would take that route until they had absolutely no other choice. Their pride would guarantee that. If we're only hearing about this now and he was under orders to tell us as soon as he knew anything, I'd imagine there's been no word out of the Academy?"

She rolled her eyes. "It was hard enough getting someone so close to the board and we did that years ago as a contingency. Mikogami is no fool; if anyone tried to get a spy near enough to be of any use they'd be picked out in an instant. The reason for the Outcast Ayashi was that they were students. They worked from a plan, but they didn't have access to the kind of information the academy would be working to protect. You said it yourself: Youkai Academy is his domain."

His hands rose in surrender as he gave a rumbling chortle. "I know, I know. Just curious." With a quick shake of his long black hair, he was serious again. "So are you still planning on going yourself?"

She hummed an affirmative. "I'll wake Vincent at six. He wanted to apologize to them personally and we need to get there as early as we can within reason. Alexander doesn't think he's ready to face them yet, so we'll see what happens there."

"Stubborn boy."

"Just like his father," Ivy accused playfully.

"Just like his mother," he shot back easily. "I took your name when we finalized our bond, after all."

"Oh, so you're admitting you married up in the world, Aleister?"

He laughed as he threw away the covers and flipped himself over her, and while her face was set in its usual stony expression of superiority, her bright blue eyes twinkled with mirth. "Let's see: you, or the name I didn't care much for anyway? One of the notorious Valentines, steeped with controversy, scandals, honor, and sometimes even…morals," he gasped theatrically, and one of her eyebrows twitched. "Let my family stew, I got the better deal."

When he leaned down to kiss her she happily returned the gesture. "And were they right?" she questioned breathlessly as his feather-light caresses began making their way down her neck.

"Of course they were right," he replied with a smug smirk she could feel in her skin as he tickled her sides. "I just described our children!"

Laughter was forced out of her as she tried to shift away from his dancing fingers, but he would have none of it and secured her in place so he could steal another kiss, one far deeper and lasted far longer. This was one of the few good things about the early morning phone calls. If it could be handled later or right then through simple dictation, going back to sleep seemed like such a waste if their mate had been awakened as well. It was also a great stress reliever.

Knowing what was coming later in the day, she knew she would need it.

They had time.

V^^^V

There were two things that could be blamed for Vincent's early waking that morning. The first was the inordinate amount of stress the wait for the hammer to fall was causing; the second was much simpler, but was made worse when combined with the first. A life in the military, especially where he had been, heightened certain instincts and demanded a certain lifestyle. Sleeping at any hour and getting up at any hour was one of them. It would have been easier had the sword of Damocles been over his head, but no, it was over another's, and because he had brought attention to them. He had been trying to make amends for that mistake, and they were in a much better position than they would have been otherwise, but it was still something he had to live with.

Evangeline didn't mind his odd schedule. Sometimes she even got up with him, but above all she was a woman who loved her sleep and punished anyone who dared wake her before she was ready. Lucky for him, this was one of the days she chose to wake with him. Eating breakfast was always more comfortable with another body close by, particularly hers. The servants worked in shifts so there was always some available for whatever needed to be done, and if that happened to be making breakfast at five thirty in the morning, it was making breakfast at five thirty in the morning. Subtle music was floating in the background, a welcome reprieve from the usual clatter of utensils broken only by the occasional attempts at dialogue, a hard task when neither was much of a conversationalist so early. The energy would better used later.

Alexander wasn't the only one training. When he wasn't being sent on various tasks of tedium by his mother, Vincent was sparring with Eva. Not that he had ever doubted her claims, but she was far more knowledgeable than she EVER let on, and she had been proving that every day since he had asked for her assistance. Even now he didn't understand how a woman like her had chosen someone like him, more so after what she told him the night they bound their blood, even if he had done everything he could think of to try and be worthy of her attention. With her new rosary in the form of a charm bracelet around her wrist, her eyes had turned a muted green and her hair sunshine yellow, but even without her power—or what she allowed others to see of her power—she still mopped the floor with him. He would never get to her level, but he could damn well try.

"Well well, this is a surprise," came Isabella's unique drawl as she sauntered into the dining room, her husband close behind. "Here I thought I would have to get you out of bed myself."

Vincent wasn't stupid, and those words set off a whole lot of alarms in his mind. "It's happening?"

"It happened," she corrected, and the only indication of the strain on her nonchalance was a slight tightness around her eyes. It was enough. "Yesterday."

He paled. "What are we still doing here then?! We need to leave!"

"At…just after six?" Eva countered calmly after a glance at the clock. "What teenager in their right mind is up this early during summer break?"

"I don't know, maybe ones that have just had their lives upended?" he retorted sarcastically, and she gave him a dry look as she dabbed at her lips with her napkin.

"All the more reason for them to sleep. Who knows when they got to bed after that? We aim for regular business hours, then even if they aren't awake we can speak to the headmaster."

"We?" Ivy queried, brow raised. "I wasn't aware you wanted to come along."

Isabella Valentine had lived over two centuries, seen things that would make hardened criminals cry for their mommies, but she still felt herself take an involuntary step back at the sudden ferocity in Evangeline's dark jade eyes. The exotic vampiress and her son had been together for years, and recently took that bond to the deepest level possible for a vampire, yet it was just dawning on her how little she knew about her son's blood-mate. Those eyes had seen things not even she could comprehend, and seemed to look right through her like she was a child in front of a disappointed parent.

"I would meet this boy that defeated my husband. It goes without saying that I'm coming along," she explained primly as she stood from her seat, sinuous grace in motion.

Her father-in-law had obviously seen the same thing his wife had, for his brow was furrowed. "It's fine, but…is something wrong, Evangeline?"

A small smirk played on her lips at the question. "Not at all, why do you ask?"

"You seem…different, than usual," he hesitantly settled on.

A flash of emotion too fast to catch flickered over her, then to their surprise Vincent was behind her with his arms around her waist, cradling his chin in the crook of her neck like the lover he was. Whatever she might have been feeling was redirected into a pleased hum as he placed a kiss directly over her pulse point, and the smoldering look she set on him served to distinctly amuse the parents, Ivy more than Aleister.

"And here's my proof he takes after you," she told her husband haughtily, to which he could only laugh and bow.

"So he inherited my taste for strong, independent women and likes to show them that? How terrible."

"I have to admit, I can think of worse things," Evangeline commented smartly, and earned a chuckle from Vincent and his father.

Isabella gave her own quiet laughter as she inclined her head to concede the point, but that didn't stop her from saying, "And strong, independent women tend to have baggage those men they attract help them with."

To her credit, the other woman didn't do anything that might have given her away, not even the slightest flinch or twitch. In its place an entertained glint had taken residence in her ageless gaze, and again Ivy felt like an apprentice in front of a master. It was infuriating, but beyond that it was actually quite frightening, for she had been sharing residence with this expert actress for nearly two decades and been none the wiser to this side of her. That was rendered inconsequential when Vincent chose to speak up, his fierce orange eyes dark and foreboding.

"And that baggage is for that man and that man alone, unless the woman decides otherwise. Isn't that right, Mother?"

Caught in her own life, she tittered softly and nodded. "Of course, how silly of me."

Her son trusted Evangeline with his life and loved her with his whole heart. If that meant nothing towards the vampiress' credibility, she might as well give up her son right then, and she had no intention of doing that.

The small smile filled with gratitude and admiration Eva was giving Vincent certainly lent credence to her decision.

She may have her secrets, but who doesn't? Ivy thought rhetorically. She certainly did.

"I for one hope this morning isn't a sign of things to come," Aleister joked, and it had the intended effect of bringing laughter back to the room.

But the words stayed in the back of their minds, and they would soon find out how right they were.

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V^^^V

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Kokoa awoke to find herself under the covers on her futon, not fully rested, but…at peace. It hadn't been the best dream she had ever had, but it was far from the worst. Usually whenever the idiot was in her dreams there was far less clothing involved and she woke up relaxed in a whole different way; last night her subconscious conjured up the warmth and security she had seen him share with the rest of his lovers. It was…nicer than she thought it would be. And they had kissed. They never kissed in her dreams, outside of the ones the annoying Nightwalker hijacked. They would ravage each other until their throats were sore and they couldn't move, but they never kissed. That was nicer than she thought it would be as well. Much nicer.

She was scratching her belly as she moved to sit up when she felt it. 'It' was a curious, crusty substance on her shirt that had no reason to be there. Slowly, numbly, she stretched out the material so she could get a better look, and she knew instantly what it was. Mucus. Mucus and tears.

It had really happened. It had ALL happened! He really had left the room in the middle of the night; she really had followed him; he really had listened to her cry out her fears and pour out her heart; he really had held her near and eased her worries…and she really had kissed him.

She buried her face in her hands and moaned pitifully.

Sure, he has to be a great kisser too!

How was she supposed to face her beloved sister after this? Would she understand? Would she kick her to kingdom come? Would she even let her live? Kokoa didn't know, but she did know she would soon find out.

It was almost eight o'clock, so she had slept for a little under five hours before her body woke her up. Judging by the lack of other people in the room, she wasn't the only one that had happened to—a side-effect of their early training program over the break. If they followed what they had been doing since the moron came back, they would be showering and getting ready to meet for breakfast right about now, so other than some fatigue she should be able to do the same and not miss anything. Not that she didn't want to just go back to bed, but it was better to bite the bullet sooner rather than later and save her the trouble of screwing up a well-maintained schedule.

She sighed heavily and made her way to her room for a much needed bath, but couldn't resist the urge to touch her lips along the way.

This was bad. This was very, very bad.

V^^^V

No, Kokoa was forced to correct herself when she met up with the others, this is even worse.

She had seen the dark rings on the idiot's face, but clearly there hadn't been enough light to do them justice. Out in the illumination of the day it was obvious that he hadn't gotten any sleep the night before. His skin, normally so healthy and tan was drooped and blackened with stress under his bloodshot eyes, and while most of theirs were in a similar state as a reminder of their crying, his had been offered no respite and that worsened the condition to the 'week without sleep' point. In other words, he looked like death warmed over.

It was absolutely mind-boggling to the redhead that he could look dead on his feet and yet he had still been exactly what she needed when her own sleep-deprived brain had decided to short-circuit her inhibitions. How was she supposed to get out of lust with the idiot when he kept making her feel so…

NO! No love here! NONE!

It didn't help that she was still mildly cranky when looking over the situation, but that was hard to hold on to when she kept involuntarily staring at his lips. They were so soft, forceful and confident, and there had been no shortage of skill there to back those up either. He had dominated her mouth like it had always been his, and done things with his tongue that made her thighs tremble just thinking about. Then she would remember who she was thinking about and promptly shake the fantasies from her head, but not before she earned a few odd looks from most of the group.

Inconspicuously creeping to his side as he lagged behind the rest of them in his obvious exhaustion, her cheeks warmed when he cast a sidelong glance at her. The indignation she had tried to work up at him fled without protest at the lack of condemnation she saw in his expression; if anything he looked at her even gentler than usual. Since her sister hadn't immediately pounced on her when she came into view, it was a fair bet to assume he hadn't mentioned anything to her yet, and that was more than she deserved after the way she treated him at most every opportunity.

"You still look like crap," she muttered quietly, and heard him snort a tired laugh.

"So I've been told."

"No seriously, did you even try to get to sleep?"

"Of course I did!" he snapped, then quickly pinched the bridge of his nose just like he had earlier as he fought off the pounding in his head. "I've tried, I have. I even got close too, during my bath this morning of all times, which was stupid of me. If I had fallen asleep I could have been in trouble, but still, the relaxation was a godsend. It helped, but…come on, you know what it's like!"

That she did, and she winced sympathetically. Not being able to sleep when sleep was all that was wanted was the most immensely frustrating thing there was, and it led to headaches, irritability, speech impediments, and a mass of other problems if held long enough. Dementia could begin sooner than the thirty-hour point, and death by lack of sleep was just as possible as death by starvation. All in all, lacking sleep both sucked, and was dangerous.

"How you holding up?" she asked, her tone soft as to not aggravate his headache, and so that no one else would hear.

He looked relieved at her caution, though admittedly he didn't know about the second reason she had for it. "Not bad, all things considered. Moka hasn't taken her usual breakfast yet, so that's helped. I'm not running on much right now, so I'm twitchy, I'm thirsty, and after what I did yesterday I'm aching in places so deep I probably couldn't do the smallest spell if I tried. Other than those, I'm pretty normal."

Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "And how, exactly, is any of that normal? You're messed up, you just admitted it! You should be in bed, not out here!"

"But I can't sleep!" he retorted in an equally harsh whisper. "If I can't sleep, I'd rather be doing something than constantly rolling over!"

She stopped, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and tugged him down to her level, inches away from her face. "Do you think you're doing anyone any favors by doing that? You moron, you're cannon fodder like you are now! With that rosary of yours, we need you in top form!"

He glared at her. "Don't you think I—"

A throat clearing caught their attention, and they simultaneously turned their heads to see the others had stopped too, and were giving them inquisitive looks coupled rather pointedly with tapping feet.

"Something you'd like to tell us?" Kurumu asked with a grin.

Upon realizing what she was talking about—their position—Kokoa practically threw him away from her, which had even Tsukune laughing.

"That's more like it. What were you two whispering about back here anyway?"

"Nothing important," Kokoa said dismissively, inwardly praying her flush wasn't as noticeable as it felt. "I was just telling this idiot he should be in bed, not out here."

At that Moka changed from amused to concerned as she walked up to Tsukune. She had noticed it of course, it was hard not to, but if her sister of all people—the eternal devil's advocate when it came to aforementioned male—was commenting on it, there had to be good reason. "She's right, Tsukune. You look like you're going to fall over any minute, are you sure you should be with us today?"

"I'm—I-I'm fine," he stammered through a yawn, and when only more worry was directed his way, he tried to smile disarmingly. "I'm fine, really. Let's go get some food, that'll help."

Rei held his gaze long enough to make him squirm, but eventually she nodded and they turned to continue walking down the road from the dorms to the school. Tsukune sighed in relief and made to follow, when the wind shifted.

His first footfall echoed hauntingly in the sudden, enveloping silence that fell over the academy.

The breeze died; the rustling of leaves stilled; any animals that called Youkai Academy home hid wherever they could, not a sound between them. The atmosphere gained a vibration, as if someone had grabbed the air itself and pulled it taut like a guitar string, allowing no noise but the deep-seated resonance that pounded in the ears of the school's occupants no matter where they were. The Newspaper Club spun around wildly in search of the cause, and like the land and animals around them, they too froze when they found it.

Tsukune and Rei were statues on the ground, not merely stiff, but absolutely rigid. The steel of Rei's irises had expanded to take up the whole of her eyes, split only by the draconian slits that had retaken their rightful place on the dragon. Her brow creased with rage, solidifying into crests of white scales that wrapped around to her cheekbones and down her neck, where her shirt became a casualty in the explosive release of great ashen wings. Its loss revealed the scales had overtaken more of her skin than first thought, cupping over her growing chest and down her abdomen like sensual armor until a tail fell to the dirt from beneath her loose skirt, shredding her bike shorts in the process. Razor sharp nails sprouted from feet covered like boots, just as talons begged for blood from her fingers. The hybridization of her human and reptilian forms was just as beautiful as it was deadly, but Moka couldn't look away from her blood-mate enough to notice.

His pupils were mere pinpricks in their golden-brown surroundings, his teeth barred and sharpening by the second. Long hair that had yet to be cut thickened, went jagged and feral as his breathing quickened. Like once before, veins pulsed up from under his flesh, thick and angry, and seeing it so close, they looked unsettlingly similar to…vines. Or tattoos. He shuddered once, just once, and long blades sprung from his fingertips as the vibration picked up in intensity and he spun to whatever it was he had noticed.

It almost looked like he hesitated then, but his quiet growl of, "Isabella…" was filled with a rage colder and more focused than anything they had ever felt from him.

This took place in heartbeats, and an instant later the reverberation was gone. Another sound replaced it. It was the crisp sting of a thunderclap, the roar of displaced air like a gathering tsunami, and it condensed into a moving wave that could be visibly seen crashing towards their location. With the speed it all took place, no one was prepared for the rush of wind as it bowled them over. No one but two. When they looked up, Tsukune and Rei were gone.

They weren't far though, and they soon saw what had gotten them so agitated.

There would be no mercy this time.

.

V^^^V

.

Evangeline walked alongside her husband and mother-in-law through the grounds of Youkai Academy, down from the dimensional tunnel to where they could see the school's proud towers. Two of the three were in a daze as they stared at the scenery around them, confusion and amazement warring on their faces, and Vincent cocked an eyebrow at their open stares.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. Sure he might have been confused when they chose to walk from the tunnel rather than drive, but at the time he hadn't thought much of it. Now the deeper they went the more entranced Eva became and the more his mother squinted at the flora, even going so far as to run the leaves through her fingers.

To Isabella's surprise, it was Eva that answered. "The Grand Barrier isn't just a barrier, it nearly qualifies as a dimensional anomaly. The school itself is almost literally cut off from the outside world. Since it's so large, atmospheric pressures can still create the occasional storm, but when it comes to any actual seasons the weather doesn't really change. Most of the vegetation died quickly once the barrier was put in place, but look at it now! Vincent, it's not just sunny, this is summer!"

He paused thoughtfully. "Hmm, so, does this mean the Grand Barrier is weakening?"

"No," Ivy replied distractedly, still looking over the amazingly healthy plant life as they walked by. "If that was happening there would be a lot more panic. Something different is going on here."

"Nature found its way back," Eva said softly, so softly neither would have been able to hear it had they been regular humans.

Vincent bit his tongue when his mother asked, "What?"

The blonde sighed languidly and barely resisted the urge to throw back her head and stretch her arms to the welcoming embrace around her. Whatever was at work here it was powerful, powerful and glorious.

"Magic," he explained as casually as he thought he could. "She means this is probably an effect of True Magic."

"A witch?" the blue-eyed vampiress stated in shock, before she turned contemplative. "Actually, now that you mention it, the headmaster's assistant is a half-blo—"

"Witch," Evangeline interrupted in a snap, then blinked at the vehemence in her own voice. That was the only sign of her slip before she was back to her regular sultry and mellow self. "You said it yourself, she's a witch."

Ivy looked at her long and hard for a moment, then nodded shortly. "Of course."

Their walk resumed in peace as they kept examining the landscape, and as a new breeze wafted by Eva muttered, "This doesn't feel like a witch's magic though. This is…what is this? What could do…?"

Her words trailed off when nature went chillingly quiet and the very air started vibrating around them.

"…What is that?"

As they looked around they saw the school was now in their view, and Vincent's eyes widened in horror.

"LOO—!"

Whatever he tried to yell was drowned out in the deafening howl made by the wall of wind as it washed over them, and when it died down neither Ivy or Vincent were where they should be. As Eva regained her bearings, finding them was her top priority, and it wasn't difficult. Vincent had been tackled brutally from where he had once stood, rolled end over end in a grapple he had no time to prepare for and was now trapped beneath a half-naked winged girl strategically covered in pasty scales, and Isabella…Isabella had her own problems.

Indeed, it was taking most of Isabella Valentine's considerable experience to keep from crying out in pain, because she had been literally pinned to a tree by a livid young man that looked like he had seen better days. The foot-long blades grown from his fingers had been pushed through her right shoulder with such force that the fingers themselves were knuckle-deep in her bone and sinew, effectively making her preferred sword arm useless. Since she had been in the process of raising her arms to protect herself from the wind, her left arm was in bad shape too, skewered above her head straight through both bones of her forearm with his other hand, though thankfully only the blades had penetrated there. Her head and legs were free, but in their position moving against him could only have bad results. She would begin bleeding significantly worse once the blockages were removed, and she would need a ready source of blood once he did that because she wasn't so optimistic as to hope he hadn't hit at least one artery. She had been caught completely by surprise, and she could have hit herself because she should have expected the hostility. She just hadn't expected it to be directed at her so early.

"Don't. Move," he hissed with so much malice even Evangeline shivered. "None of you move so much as a muscle or I swear I will end you right—here."

Ivy fought through the pain to keep staring unflinchingly into his burning bloodshot eyes, and pity welled inside her. She knew what the young man in front of her was going through. She knew why he was reacting like he was. Swallowing hard, she did her best to keep her voice steady. "Aono-san, correct? Tsukune Aono?"

"No, you don't get to talk," he growled. "This time I'm doing the talking."

Evangeline tried diplomacy given that she was the only one not being actively threatened. "Please, Aono-san, let us explain—!"

"SHUT! UP!" the former human snarled, though he never turned away from Ivy. "Alex came the first time, and I kept Moka from killing him! Alex came back with his brother, and again I let them live! Now Vincent comes back with his wife and his mother, the two women he knows are stronger than him, and so help me God I am NOT going to make the same mistake again if I have the choice!"

There was more pain in those words than in Ivy's whole body, and that was saying something. The mother in her wanted to take the boy into her arms and tell him everything would be alright, and had their visit gone anywhere near to plan it might have been possible. She could see the stress in and under his eyes; he had obviously gotten very little, if any, sleep, and they were still rimmed red with the remnants of shed tears. He was trembling, barely keeping himself from openly shaking, probably on a high of adrenaline that was doing nothing for the state of his body. As he was, there was hardly any uncertainty in her that he would follow through with his threat, but she had to try. That was the whole reason they had come to the academy! "Please, if you would just listen to—!"

"WHAT PART OF SHUT UP DIDN'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!" Tsukune screamed as he twisted the blades in her left arm, forcing her to grimace through a grunt of pain. "Do you know what we've been through because of you? DO YOU?! I let your kids live, I could have killed them at any time before they left, and then we get letters telling us Moka and Kokoa been pulled out of school! Then you show up the day after that happens? Do you think we're stupid?" He laughed, almost manically, like he was just as sad as he was angry, bordering between disappointment and insanity. "Kokoa said my kindness would come back to bite me. Guess she was right!"

Evangeline didn't like the way this had been going nor where it seemed to be heading. Vincent had been forcibly plunged into the young man's memories, so naturally Tsukune must have seen some of Vincent's too during the time he was doing that. In his mind then, he was dealing with a vampire he had barely defeated the first time, whom had also brought his powerful wife and very powerful mother. Of course, Vincent didn't know the things he did now back then, so it made sense that Isabella would be the first one Tsukune would go for.

This situation needed to be diffused, and fast. If she needed to be the diffuser, then so be it.

Moving her arms closer together without being noticed was child's play for someone like her, so a back-up plan was in place, but before she could do anything to actually help the situation, dagger-like nails were being held to her throat and a cold tip was pressed to her back, right over her heart. When her eyes followed the arm those deadly nails were coming from, it wasn't hard to see the young woman was a succubus, and definitely a Nightwalker. She was beautiful on a plane difficult to even classify, sexuality practically radiated from her, but perhaps most beautiful of all were her magnificent violet eyes, cold and flinty as she looked back. This woman would kill her at a moment's notice. A quick peek to the side showed her the other assailant, and that was a snow woman if ever Eva saw one. Creamy skin nearly snow white, frigid blue eyes; she was a stunning representation of her race. Something seemed…different about them, however. She knew what they were, she was sure of it, but some part of her deep inside didn't want to recognize that.

The sky darkened as thousands of black feathers flapped on hundreds of wings, and an enormous number of ravens landed on every branch they could, staring noiselessly, closing the showdown in. Two more women entered the circle; one tall and gorgeous, the other short and cute. A raven identical to the others sat on the shoulder of the older of the two, while winged tarot cards floated menacingly behind the younger. One wielded a book, the other a staff. Both emanated ill intent. They were witches, without doubt, and if she was reading the impossible amounts of energy they were sending off correctly, Vincent was lucky they hadn't gotten involved in his previous fight. They weren't just witches, they were virtually Arch-mages! Again, something she was sure she knew, and again, something part of her disagreed with.

Her blood turned to ice when she saw what was around the neck of the elder witch.

Then Moka Akashiya herself walked on to the scene, regal as ever even sealed, with her sister beside her. They lost some color when they saw who the black and white duet had under guard, and more when they saw exactly what Tsukune had done, but they didn't stop nor reprimand them. Instead, Kokoa moved to support Rei, her trusty bat already transformed into the most intimidating mace he could, while Moka carefully slid behind Tsukune and gently touched his shoulder. Eyes as hard as the emeralds they resembled scanned the damage he had inflicted, and when at last she turned her attention to the trapped vampiress, Ivy would have smiled if the gesture would have had anything but detrimental results. Moka Akashiya was to be respected, rosary or not.

"When I saw the Cerberus weapon Vincent used, I knew we were dealing with the Valentines," she said conversationally, spitefully keeping any suffix from the name she used. "He said he was the son of Isabella Valentine, but I didn't think we'd actually meet you. Even I had heard of your skill before I left, and I was a little kid. I would say it's nice to meet you, but I think you can understand why I won't under the circumstances."

Ivy huffed a small laugh as she nodded briskly, careful not to aggravate the young man glaring death at her. She had worked through worse pain before, but it was far from comfortable and breathing was becoming a laborious process. Despite that, she knew she could bear through it all day if she had to, provided he kept her wounds blocked enough that she continued to bleed slowly, like she was doing. Pain wasn't a new thing to her, and in all honesty she had been through worse before. The second he pulled those stopgaps from her however, she would find herself in trouble very quickly.

Moka knew that too, with Inner right beside her. "So, Isabella of Clan Valentine, twice has your family moved against mine, do you mean to make it thrice? At the first you could argue your son didn't know of my bond, but when I told him he didn't bat an eyelash. He kissed me, disregarded my claim, and tried to kill my blood-mate!" she hissed, growing progressively angrier with each passing word, and while Isabella had heard all of her son's transgressions straight from his mouth, she still winced at every mark against them. With a steadying breath taken to calm, the list continued. "Why that man allowed it I'll never know, but your son returned after I had shown him his place, this time with his older, stronger brother. Tsukune showed them mercy Ur…I never would have given them when they were defeated, mercy he didn't have to give! Strike two had two members of your family, and here at strike three we find ourselves with three of you, and the matriarch of her own branch no less!"

Her expression blanked dangerously as she strode as close to Isabella as she could get with the other woman's position, her emerald eyes dark with hate unfamiliar to the Outer version of Moka. "Yesterday all I hold dear was almost torn from me, and today in you come. Coincidence? I think in this case I'm going to have to agree with my blood-mate. So, Isabella of Clan Valentine," she spat as her lips spread threateningly to expose her lengthening fangs, "I want you to give me—one—good—reason—not to TEAR OFF YOUR HEAD WHERE YOU STAND!"

Everyone flinched at the sudden volume her voice had taken, but Eva noticed with some unease that the succubus and snow woman guarding her had sprouted small, grim, grins. Upon further examination, it was something shared by all of the group.

That was enough. This has gone on too long; I have to stop this before they do something they'll regret, thought Evangeline, the only one currently able to do anything should worst come to worst.

"Hold!" she bellowed piercingly, and such was the authority behind that command that everything stopped at once, sole focus now on the blonde vampiress. She stared back fearlessly. "If you had let us speak earlier you would have already had your reason. Step back, we mean you no harm."

"Lies!" called a snarl from the side, followed by a blast of heat. Eva saw it was the winged one holding her husband that had yelled it, with only her head turned enough to see who she was addressing. Eyes like a snake glared at her, not even reptilian in the vampiric sense, but wholly snakelike to the point where there was no white visible at all. Coupled with the glow behind her teeth, what Eva now saw was only a young teenager struck a terribly unnerving sight. "I refuse to stand down to the likes of you! 'Twas he whom humiliated me in front of my partner!" she shouted, indicating Vincent, whose arms she still had held solidly above his head as flames danced on her tongue. "'Twas he whom spoke venom in a tone of honey; gave no consideration to what he was attempting, what he threatened, what he was disrespecting! You wish to 'speak'? Where were these 'words' when two degenerates that bear your name assumed themselves to be above the tribulations of years? When a love forged unto iron in the fires of trial after trial was so callously cast aside by those unable to appreciate its worth? WHERE WERE THOSE 'WORDS' WHEN MY FAMILY RISKED FRACTURE FOR YOUR…IGNORANCE?! YOUR PRIDE?!"

They were like physical blows to the three Valentines, and their throats felt oddly tight as they tried to arrange a reply.

Tsukune didn't let them. "The truth hurts, doesn't it?" he said quietly. "Every fiber of my being is screaming for your blood, and honestly, I'm half tempted to give in. You know what though? I just don't care. You can try again—and again—and again—and I'll be there every—single—time, stopping you. I'll take your pride and I'll rip it into so many pieces you'll be wishing for death by the time you give up. You have no idea what we're capable of, so get out of my sight and go to hell, before I send you there myself."

That said, he tore his blades from the tree they were stuck in, mercilessly ripping them from Isabella at the same time, leaving her to try and keep pressure on her shoulder with her other injured appendage as she gasped for breath through the sudden pain. Kurumu and Mizore shared a look, then removed their weapons from their enemy's fatal points and gestured to the other vampiress, but they held themselves ready just in case. With Rei, she glared down at the sealed form of Vincent with enough fury to kill lesser men, and punched him once across the face before sinking her fist up to the wrist in the hard ground beside his head, just to show him he had gotten off lightly. She removed herself from on top of him and kicked him over to where the rest of his family was. If they tried anything, they were dead to her. It was only a matter of proving that to the rest of the world.

Vincent quickly tore a sleeve off his shirt to make a rough bandage tight enough to stem the bleeding on his mother's left arm, and removed the shirt entirely to drape it over her shoulder and press his hand to her back to aid in the pressure she was already applying to her front. At least he still had his undershirt. He had more than a passing knowledge of field first-aid, and they had come prepared if something went wrong, so there was a fully stocked medical kit, including refrigerated blood-bags in their car. It would be enough to get her home, where she could receive better service. He wanted to stay and talk more than anything, but what could he say to their accusations? They were all true, so true it did actually hurt, but when he looked at his wife, to his surprise he saw no hint of admitting defeat. She had a plan.

And she did. She should have realized it sooner, but the rants against them made it so very clear.

There were no words for what had been done. Actions spoke louder than words ever could.

Consequently, with hardly a pause she turned back to look at the infamous group they had come to see standing side by side, each one a support for the other, ready for anything. Anything but what she did.

Falling to one knee, she bowed at the waist, lowered her head and exposed her neck.

Moka and Kokoa gasped loudly, almost unable to believe what they were seeing even as Isabella and Vincent followed her lead after a few moments. Since the others could see how much whatever the visitors were doing was affecting their friends, the rest of the Newspaper Club was able to relax slightly, though that didn't stop their confusion over what was going on. From the way the two sisters were reacting, it was like they were seeing ghosts.

Moka shook herself free of the shock first, turning to Tsukune with her rosary stretched out to him in her hand, and though the adrenaline was wearing off and he was realizing just how far he had pushed himself, he quickly set the inner self of his blood-mate free. That was a task in and of itself with bladed fingers, but he managed. What Alexander had said about her earlier was proven to the other Valentines most efficiently when her incredible aura pulsed to enormous life in the atmosphere.

"You have five minutes," the unsealed vampire declared shortly as she crossed her arms under her generous bust.

Eva nodded courteously, then glanced over her shoulder to her mother-in-law and husband. "Vincent, take her back to the car. If she thinks she can stay after she's been patched up and has some more blood in her, come back. If not, go home. I'll be fine."

Knowing they were on limited time, neither said anything against it, but Ivy did stagger as quickly as she could to her son's mate and pressed her bloody hand into one of Eva's. "I give you permission to act on behalf of our Clan in my stead. You know what we have discussed; I trust your judgment." A flash came from their joined hands, and she hastily returned it to her shoulder before being led off by Vincent. She didn't think she would need to go all the way home, but she wasn't taking any chances. They were out of sight within the minute.

Good, Eva thought with relief. Not how I might have planned it, but it did give me a way to talk to them alone. First things first.

"I'd like to extend our deepest apologies for what happened. If you'll allow it later, I know Vincent would like to say it personally, but I don't know when the boya—Alexander will feel ready to stand before you. He was…troubled greatly after your last encounter."

The vision of beauty she knew had to be the Kurumu of Alex's recounting scoffed openly. "Yeah, Alex-chan's troubled alright. In the head," she mocked.

"You would know, wouldn't you, Nightwalker?" Evangeline countered with a raised brow, and allowed a small smirk to overtake her at their wide-eyed expressions. They were back on their guard now, she noted, suddenly unsure of the upper hand they had thought they had. Wise, she conceded inwardly. Pointless, but wise.

"H-How?" Kurumu stuttered, while Moka's eyes narrowed threateningly.

The blonde simply shrugged dismissively as she pointed at the blue-haired young woman. "Nightwalker," she repeated. Mizore was next. "Snow woman." Then Yukari and Ruby. "Witches." And Tsukune gulped when her gaze fell on Kokoa, Moka…then him. "…Vampires."

His transformation failed as the lightheadedness of her revelation combined with his overtaxed state, and the only thing that kept him from falling to all fours was his companions' quick reflexes.

"You idiot, I told you! You should be in bed!" the redhead among them snapped as her green eyes darted from him to the enemy vampiress standing across from them.

Tsukune grimaced as he pushed his shaking legs to support him again, and frowned slightly at the younger woman. "Not the time, Kokoa," he warned breathlessly. "Every little bit counts. If I had been in bed we wouldn't have gotten rid of Isabella so easily. You have no idea what Vincent's seen her do."

"Though as we said, it wasn't necessary," Eva cut in smoothly. "We're here to talk. Had we meant to fight though, yes, you would have taken out a big player."

Moka tried to edge surreptitiously into a better stance, and her lips curled in distaste when the fair-haired Valentine flickered her sight over to her with an amused smile. "But not the biggest, isn't that right?"

The ground disappeared in a sea of light that spread from the kneeling blonde's form, and though the Newspaper Club tried to do something to defend themselves, there was no time and no telling where or what was going to happen. In seconds, they all stood motionless, held at sword and knifepoint from nearly every angle by the variety of women inexplicably around them, all wearing maid's uniforms and armed with far more than just bladed weaponry.

"Be at ease, this was merely a demonstration." True to her word, the armaments were pulled away, but the significance had already been shown. Had she so desired, there would have been very little they could have done to save themselves. She hoped that finally got it through to them, if not… "Now, as you might know, more than one seal can be applied to a person at any given time, and their strength is often exponential, not cumulative," she intoned respectfully as her hand once more moved to the charm bracelet that held her rosary. With a flourish it was released and her power rushed into the air, turning yellow hair the lightest shade of platinum blonde and murky green eyes blood red. "When it comes to seals, anyone with the right knowledge and ability can use them, but only a select few can use magic—true magic—to aid it." There it was Yukari and Ruby to suck in a tight breath, and Eva's scarlet gaze bore into them as she said the incantation she hadn't spoken aloud in centuries.

The explosion of youki just about blinded them, and when it faded so too did the complexions of the club. No trace of color was left in what had once been merely silver-blonde hair. Her power was alive, fluxing and wrapped around her like a cloak of pure energy, and even though she was the one lowering herself before them, her entire presence seemed to have changed.

Tsukune, Rei, Ruby, and Yukari couldn't care less about that. They were struck dumb, listening to the solo radiating from the woman, a solo in a song they knew very, very well.

"My name is Evangeline Athanasia Katherine Valentine née McDowell, and I was born in Scotland in 1403, a witch."

Even Moka went white. They were dealing with a vampire Elder, over six hundred years old, and one that had been turned like Tsukune at that!

"I won't drag you through the whole history, but after I lost my parents when I was eight I was taken in by the lord of a nearby castle and made his ward. It turns out he was a vampire, which was why his land survived so well during the Hundred Years War, and he had developed a certain…curiosity…when it came to witches. You see, he knew about blood magic, like all vampires, but he had also delved into the other realms of magic, specifically why witches and wizards needed foci to use their magic. Therefore, it would be an interesting experiment then to see what would happen to one were they to be given a vampire's magic-rich blood, wouldn't it? Oh he experimented on other youkai, make no mistake, but the magic of witches was of particular interest to him.

"So I grew up, unknowingly being given the blood of my master at seemingly random times and in different doses, though naturally I never figured this out until later when I read his notes. The blackouts caused by his blood were what let him continue, and I was young and easily manipulated, so I didn't think to question him when he said he was looking into my 'problem.' I could be in pain for days after some of the later injections, but eventually it would go away as he took care of me, so I didn't doubt him. As skilled as my Vincent's silver tongue is, that man could tell you poison was fruit punch and you would accept it without a single reservation," she recalled with a bitter smirk. A deep, tired sigh came from her as she stood to her full height, and by wordless command the maids stepped to her side as one. "It all came to a head when one day I simply…woke up…and I was no longer just a witch. You can imagine what his shock must have been like when in my hysteria, what he had wanted to study ended up killing him."

No one could bring themselves to talk, though their mouths were moving with that intention. In his sleep-deprived state Tsukune was the only one lacking that condition, but his sunken eyes stared with impossible clarity at the woman who was looking right back at him. "You weren't always a vampire," he murmured, and cocked his head to the side like the novel idea hadn't even occurred to him until he voiced it.

She smiled politely and bobbed her head once, mindful of the multitude of things that were likely running through the young man's mind. "Just like you."

They all stiffened, and this time it was Ruby to take point while the hundreds of crows around them shuffled ominously to remind the potential threat that she wasn't just dealing with who she saw. "How do you know that?" she demanded tightly, her book held in a white-knuckled grip. "For that matter, how did you hide what you are? How did you seal yourself from fully awakening even after a rosary's release?"

"To answer your first question: the Nightwalker made a mistake," Evangeline replied primly, even as said Nightwalker scowled at the slight. "Well, not so much that she made a mistake, but that Aono-san over there did. He forced his own experiences, his memories, into the minds of my husband and his brother, and they didn't immediately go away after the fact. Vincent had nightmares for days afterward, but a couple days in we realized Alex wasn't suffering the same. While Vin's seemed to get more intense, his were receding."

"And why would that mean anything?" Yukari queried as the cards behind her fluxed in agitation. Despite coming prepared she had been unable to do anything when the vampiress across from her had summoned a veritable militia, but she doubted even guns would be able to match what her cards were currently capable of.

"I was a budding Aura Reader when I was turned," the other woman confessed, to the young mage's shock, "and it was a skill that was boosted drastically afterwards. With a connection to both Blood and Nature, I can see…very deeply." Both witches on the other side gulped softly, and perhaps inadvertently glimpsed over at the only man in the confrontation. Eva noticed it though. "Yes, with the right tutelage and practice I'm sure he could do the same. Of course, if I had had that ability back then I never would have gone with the man that would eventually change me, but if I didn't do that then I wouldn't have the ability. Ironic, no?"

Letting loose another soulful sigh, the ancient youkai ran her fingers through her startlingly silver hair. "At any rate, what happened was the boya had already found out your friend over there was a vampire, but for whatever reason you had the Nightwalker erase it, correct?"

"Yes," Moka snipped through grit teeth.

Eva chuckled. "Ah the impatience of youth. I'm getting to it, just wait. Now where was I? Ah yes: she did a good job, I'd go so far as to say a perfect job, but because of that he wasn't able to see the true extent of what was shared. Any clue to Aono-san's origin or species was expunged, and even if he hears it, he can't comprehend it. Where Vincent was able to feel the pain of water, Alex didn't even know the memory had been there to go through. And when we considered your friend's transformations and who was around him, I knew we were dealing with a vampire, and not just any vampire, but a Blood Sage. Vincent put the rest together, because it isn't often you get to feel the agony of every cell in your body slowly breaking apart…and the thirst that came later."

Tsukune shuddered at the memory as his face scrunched up in pain. In his mind's eye he could still see Mizore lying on the wet ground in an alcove of ice, her skin sallow and breathing all but nonexistent, and most importantly his fault; the only time the thirst ever got the better of him. As if she could see his thoughts, he flinched back when a cold hand touched his, but the frost maiden would have none of it and weaved their fingers together, even though his were still wet with Isabella's blood. Despite himself, a grateful smile thick with fatigue drew itself on his lips, and the glare he leveled on Evangeline was so dark even the expressionless maids around her twitched.

"If you know all of that, why are you here?" he barked. "Why go through all this?"

She resisted the urge to rub her temples. They had plenty of reason to be wary, she knew that, but it was becoming just a tad annoying. Sometimes it was hard for her to remember what it was like to be that young. "You spared my mate's life, and whatever it was you showed him gave him the courage to ask for my eternity," she explained obligingly, and grinned softly as she gave a loving rub to a familiar spot on her neck. Both Moka and Kokoa couldn't help but smile too in understanding. However much they might distrust the other vampiress, it was always occasion to celebrate among their kind. The vampiress in question then cocked a silver eyebrow curiously in his direction and continued, "I won't ask you what you showed him, but I have to thank you for it nonetheless. When he asked I knew I couldn't keep my secrets any longer, and though it was the most terrifying thing I've done in centuries, knowing he loved me despite and because of what I am was one of the greatest moments of my life.

"I owe you a debt of gratitude, Aono-san, both for sparing my blood-mate when you had every right to end his life, and for inspiring our newly founded bond. I take my debts seriously, and I owe you not just that one as a wife, but another as a Valentine. My clan dishonored itself by doubting your claim, and worse, fighting it, but while you could have killed two of our members and still demanded more, you spared them instead. As much as I love Vincent, he can make some stupid mistakes sometimes, and shows he still has much to learn. You didn't do yourself any favors by making us think you weren't a vampire, but I know why you did it now. I only have one question: did the adoptions happen before or after they came? I want to know just how deep our debt goes."

By that time Moka had dropped her irritated stance and looked more stunned than anything else, as had her half-sister. "After, I'm sad to admit," she retorted wryly, though no less shocked. "It was more of an unwritten rule before that, and something I shouldn't have allowed to go unchecked for so long as it was."

Evangeline imperceptibly let out the breath she had been holding. "I hope you don't mind if I'm glad for that. If the boya and my husband couldn't realize your bond was true on your word AND with adoption marks on your friends, I would have had to hurt them. Badly."

The reason was simple. Only the leader or leaders of a clan could adopt members, and Moka was far from being the leader of the clan she was born into. In order for the blood-magic to take hold, her claim would have to be true. She was part of a new clan, and bound by blood to her eternal mate.

As some members of the opposite group chuckled, probably thinking of the threat carried out, the turned witch put on a more formal air for what she was about to do. Pride meant little here; this was about humility, and showing it to those who deserved it. Once more, the vampiress took to a knee. "Nevertheless, that doesn't change what we do owe, and it's with that in mind that I feel no shame in offering you our aid in your endeavors. We came here today to beg forgiveness, and to display our sincerity we want to extend an official truce. We had hoped to give you an alliance, but the Valentine Clan as formed around Isabella Valentine has lost its favor with the Elders for the failure of Alexander's task, and he and his brother's idiocy in coming back even when not endorsed. We are by no means useless, however, and hope to redeem ourselves in your eyes in any way necessary."

Moka goggled. As did they all.

Kokoa especially. "B-B-B-B-B-But you're an Elder too, aren't you?! Why would you allow that? Forget that, why did you hide it in the first place?! Why are you…why…?" She couldn't even complete her sentence, though not for lack of trying.

The other woman grinned in nostalgia. "I only arrived here a scant ninety years ago, with naught but rumors of youkai developments to go from. It's only gotten hard to travel the world as a youkai in the last fifty years, with the rise of the internet and facial recognition, and even that can be ignored with enough money. I spent just as much time in the human world as I did in monster circles, though being told of the vampires here didn't take long.

"You have to remember I've secreted most aspects of what I am just to make sure no one could find out anything else if they decided to search. The only reason I told you is because…well, I've never had anyone who could understand where I've come from before. To…to know you weren't always a vampire," she said to Tsukune, almost eagerly, "Who knows, I would probably help you even if I wasn't already in your debt. I spent decades learning to live in a different world than what I was born into, I've created whole new branches of magic while I was trying to hide my song from the chorus of nature.

"Throughout my life the most important thing I've learned is that it's better to be constantly underestimated than to be considered dangerous. I keep color in my hair to throw people off to my true age and power, and with as many diplomas and degrees as I have, acting the part is only too easy. It's a balancing act; be powerful, but not powerful; be frightening, smart, and cunning, but not overly so. Keep your cards close to your chest and you'll rarely fail, but you seem to have that part down. In your case though, the overwhelming power might be good, since as a Blood Sage Aono-san wouldn't be questioned for his oddities. You're still young and inexperienced, no matter your pedigree or your knowledge, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain from us."

She was right and they knew it. This was a rare opportunity, but Moka couldn't stop from thinking one thing. "Your origin, was that a peace offering as well? You have no reason to trust us as you do your blood-mate. Why would you risk yourself like that?"

Eva just smirked as she pointed to Tsukune, whom was still surrounded by them protectively, and still staring right at her. "My first thought when I heard someone else had been turned was to slap the one who did it into a coma. I resented my sire for over a hundred years before I finally realized what a gift I had been given, but there's a difference between your mate and I, and I see it clearly whenever he looks at you. He wanted this. He has a support structure where I had none, and whatever he was before has no bearing on that." She paused for a moment, then offhandedly mentioned, "And besides, remember that whole 'created new branches of magic' thing? I wasn't joking. I could wipe this conversation from your mind and you'd never know. But again, that's simply another peace offering and no, I haven't done it. I'm putting myself at your mercy, and we're prepared to offer an Oath for your agreement."

The last of the tension left the two siblings with those final words, and they waved down the reignited anxiety in their friends. "You're able to give it?" When Evangeline nodded, Moka sighed. "You can return your seal, we've seen enough. If you've only just told your blood-mate, I'd guess you haven't told the rest of your clan. If they do come back you wouldn't want to be seen like this, right?"

With a mirthful giggle, the older woman gave a sarcastic bow before with a few muttered words, was back to her platinum-blonde appearance. "So you're willing to accept?"

"Hold that thought."

After all, a decision like this couldn't be made without the agreement of both clan leaders, and just that she would turn her back to the Valentine to talk with Tsukune was evidence to her level of confidence. "Well, Tsukune, what do you think?"

He sighed and rubbed his forehead to try and quash the ache behind his eyes. "What does this mean, exactly?" he asked, while always keeping the other vampire in his line of sight.

"A truce means just what it implies: peace between two clans under an accord. As the slighted party, we're the ones to set the terms of the agreement, and after everything is agreed on, the clans won't act against each other. An alliance goes a bit further, but right now I'm not willing to go that far…unless…?" She looked at him expectantly, and Tsukune felt a surge of pride rush through him, one that by the sparkle that had emerged in her dark crimson irises, she had felt too.

"No," he stated forcefully, "I agree with you; they have a lot more to prove before we go that far. A truce is good enough for now."

Ruby finally managed to make her voice work again. "Moka, we…they…she…what we could do!"

Though her sentence was stunted by disbelief, Moka understood what she was saying. Yukari's starry-eyed pleading was almost too much for even her. "Yes, a chance like this won't come again for a very long time, I'd imagine. We have Vincent to thank for this. The love they share has to be genuine, otherwise the Elder would have simply cast him off rather than admit to a debt. We'll see what we can get her to consent to."

The two witches visibly restrained themselves from acting like fools, though it was a close thing.

"We'll definitely need a confidentiality clause," Kokoa opined, which received mass nods.

"Might as well hammer out the details with her though," Tsukune said as he fought off a yawn, and sheepishly, the rest of the group shifted back to Evangeline. She was as remarkably composed as ever, but surprisingly the maids were nowhere to be seen. Even Tsukune blinked at that. He had taken his focus from her for a handful of seconds, and just like that she had sent them back from whence they came. A shudder hit him as he thought of all the other things she could have done. They really were extremely fortunate. Moka may be in top form, but he certainly wasn't.

A sigh escaped him. Kokoa may be on to something. I really am an idiot, he thought tiredly.

"So?" the deceptively powerful blonde inquired with one brow to the sky.

"We accept, on a few conditions."

"Naturally," Eva conceded.

"You cannot talk of us or whatever you may learn or have learned about us, unless we've agreed to it. That one is non-negotiable." The Valentine woman merely nodded. They had all expected that much. "You will not act against us in a way that causes harm or humiliation for the duration of this truce, and we will do the same." Again, something easily accepted. "We…have witches that would benefit from one of your experience, and…as a whole we are still young. We could use the guidance of one who's maneuvered so expertly through the ages. I can only rely on my memories from childhood for so long."

And it pained her to admit that, Eva could tell. "So you want to be able to call on me as a…tutor, of sorts?"

She had to give the girl credit; even though she was asking a vampire Elder to do what was essentially the role of a parent in any fledgling vampire's life, Moka didn't wince or shy away from the question in the slightest.

"As you may know, we're not exactly bursting at the seams with reliable sources in either regard," Moka hissed resentfully, before quieting to an almost subdued tone as she went on, "If…if I knew where my mother was, maybe it would be another story, but the fact remains."

Evangeline's look softened in sympathy. Yes, she remembered well what she would have done for a mentor the likes of an Elder when she had been clawing together a life for herself. Though their circumstances were different, they were in much the same position. "You realize this wouldn't be a short task, don't you?"

Again, Moka stood unaffected. "I know, but we can't not take advantage of this either. Think of it this way: the more you help us, the more we would be inclined to that alliance later."

Unexpectedly the other vampire laughed loudly, her grin bright and sardonically amused. "Ha! I think you'd do better than you think in the political arena, young one! We'll set it up; something tells me this will be the most fun I've had in years!"

Before the former Shuzen could continue, Yukari tugged at her hand and drew her attention. The first thing she noticed was how focused and contemplative the small witch was. This wasn't her usual bubbly, perverted self, this was the genius that had earned the title. "What about…more immediate reparations?" she mused thoughtfully, and at that moment Moka could have kissed her.

Like it or not, Eva had heard her too. "I'd assume you mean money, and it's funny you should say that since that was the other main reason for us coming here. As decent as your assumption was, why we're here the day after that problem arose is actually because we were keeping an ear to the ground, so to speak. This seemed like the natural course your father would take, but we couldn't really do anything until we knew for sure. Seeing as two of you have been cut off and you need to pay your tuition, it's a good thing we came when we did, ne?" She was justifiably astonished when the two in question shook their heads.

"We already cleared that up," Kurumu explained proudly, "and we even have a way to get a bit of money during the next couple'a months."

"But that doesn't change what will come after," Mizore added. "We'll have lives to live, university to go to…children to raise. Extra money of any kind would always be a good thing."

Evangeline just blinked in a daze. "How…?"

"Did we acquire the necessary funds?" Rei completed with a vicious smirk that twisted her more draconian features. "'Tis not for you to know. Leave it at that."

The Elder just stared in amazement, then finally chuckled ruefully. "Yes, I suppose it isn't. We agree, of course, but the details are better left until later, when you can talk to the clan heads."

"Well that should be simple, shouldn't it? Since it looks like one's coming over here right now," Ruby stated as she motioned past the ancient witch, where Isabella and Vincent were once more treading the path down to them. Ivy's right arm was in a sling, her shoulder and left forearm were bandaged tightly, and her blouse was still bloody, but otherwise she looked none the worse for wear. It was an act only possible thanks to her inhuman pain tolerance and her refusal to look weak in front of the other vampire clan, but the wounds were healing nicely nonetheless thanks to the fresh infusion of blood.

"Is it safe to say you're discussing the specifics by now?" the blue-eyed vampire asked plainly as she stopped by her daughter-in-law's side. After a quick summary, with the essential modifications for Eva's sake, Ivy just frowned. "Is there nothing more we can do for you? I had hoped we'd gotten across how sorry we are. This seems…paltry compared to the lives of my children."

Kokoa shrugged with a noncommittal humph. "That's 'cause there's nothing else we can ask for. We'll need to get into university on our own merit, and that means working hard here, so there's nothing you can do there; I'm sure you own your fair share of businesses, but talking about jobs would be better done later, if we're still in this truce; and frankly, we're not about to ask you to fight with us. That would pit you against the Shuzen Clan, and you're already out of favor with the Elders. This isn't an alliance, this is a truce, a surrender. Dig yourself too deep and you'd be no help to us anyway."

Isabella laughed quietly, ignoring the agony lancing up her side where the contractions irritated her hurt shoulder. "And the littlest Shuzen bares her fangs. You've been taught well," she praised warmly.

The redhead itched to tear off the cross around her neck. Isabella Valentine may not have been one of those that had degraded her, either with looks or words, but she wasn't about to let it start. Ivy was getting dangerously close to that territory. "Yes, I have," she growled, "and I think it's been made abundantly clear what good I am to my sire," she spat with the same hatred Evangeline displayed when she spoke about the one who turned her. "I'm not a Shuzen, I'm…I'm…" She floundered there, clearly trying to think of a suitable replacement, when Moka rescued her.

"Akashiya," her half-sister declared gently. "Kokoa Akashiya."

It was only the presence of the Valentines that kept the youngest vampiress in attendance from bursting into tears, and she gave a tremulous smile to her beloved sibling. "…Yeah. Kokoa Akashiya. I like the sound of that," she whispered.

Part of Isabella wept for the children forced to make such decisions so early in life, but another was proud of their resolve and strength in the face of those matters. "I see," the clan head responded softly. "So be it."

Biting into her left palm just enough to make a shallow cut, she outstretched her hand at an angle to keep the dribbling liquid spawning from it somewhat pooled. "On the blood that is our pride, I, Isabella of the Clan Valentine, with the support of Aleister Valentine né Crowley in his absence, do so swear all under our authority will uphold the terms of truce between the clans Valentine and Aono. We recognize our folly and accept our shame. Let us fight no more," she intoned solemnly.

Tsukune remembered the look Moka was giving him from the one in their cave weeks earlier. Without hesitation he bit into his hand while she did hers, and poured the precious substance into her cupped palm so she could finish the ritual, as only she knew how. Her expression was hard as she took hold of Isabella's offered hand and allowed their blood to mingle.

"On the blood that is our pride, we, Tsukune of the Clan Aono and Moka Aono née Shuzen, do so swear all under our authority will uphold the terms of truce between the clans Aono and Valentine. We recognize their shame and accept their surrender. Let us fight no more."

There was no marking, no visible implication of what had just transpired except a small flash of light, but both Kokoa and Moka smiled when it was done. The Valentines had ceased being a threat. If they tried anything against them, even remotely, without telling them the truce was over first, they risked being cast out by the vampire community as a whole and stripped of everything. Traitor would be too light a word to describe those who broke an Oath, and they were treated as such. The magic would enforce what they had sworn, and it made sure it was known if it was broken. An Oath of Blood was not something taken lightly.

"We will regain our honor; thank you for giving us this chance, Tsukune-san," Vincent said respectfully, and Tsukune's jaw set as he stiffly inclined his head; a curt, if cold acknowledgement before he wobbled unsteadily and the girls around him rushed to his aid. The older man's brows knit in suspicion. "When did you feed last? You have all the symptoms of anemia, and it's being worsened by an obvious lack of sleep. I know you must have been worried out of your mind, but how much sleep have you gotten lately?"

He blinked and looked over at Kurumu questioningly, and the succubus blanched when she figured out what he was asking. "Tsukune, that was the night before even last night! You didn't sleep at all yesterday?" she cried.

"Almost," he defended half-heartedly, though he couldn't meet her eyes. "I just…couldn't stop thinking. I've done it before, but usually then I was out hunting. I didn't want to bother you before you ate."

Mizore huffed in annoyance and spun him around to face her, where she promptly exposed the side of her neck. "Drink. Now," she commanded in her soft tone, and he whispered his thanks into her ear before plunging his fangs into her waiting flesh. She shuddered even though he thought he had lowered the threshold as to not gain the attention of their visitors, but he quickly lost himself in the taste and only pulled himself away with great reluctance. Luckily Kurumu had simply been biding her time, and soon the liquid sugar that he often compared her lifeblood to was flowing down his greedy throat. A gasp of satisfaction tore itself from his lips as he let her go, and Kurumu herself echoed that sentiment, to the curiosity of the Valentines.

Tsukune sighed happily as he felt his body gradually return to the closest he could get to normalcy at the moment, at least without a full night's sleep. The aches deep down inside were being soothed by the arrival of fresh sustenance, and though he still hurt, if anything he felt an even more profound exhaustion wash over him. He hadn't fed when he needed to the day before because of guilt, and during his insomnia he hadn't done the smart thing and gone to Paradise. Maybe it was just his body's way of telling him it was far past empty.

"Thank you," he murmured as he gave the illusionist a squeeze in their embrace.

"Always happy to help," she replied breathily, and they shared a much needed laugh.

Sadly, it was back to business when they broke apart, which they noticed quickly when they saw Isabella looking on with barely-concealed interest.

"That's…efficient," she observed idly.

Evangeline on the other hand, she just started giggling uproariously when her nose caught a very distinct scent, and she gave Moka a decidedly lecherous leer. "Well now, that must come in handy! I'm almost jealous!"

"You should be," came the muttered response in stereo from Yukari, Rei, and startlingly, Kokoa. Said female clapped her hands over her mouth like she was diseased when the whole of the Newspaper Club stared at her.

Then, Moka merely chuckled sensuously and said the same.

Tsukune groaned and tried to hide his blush. "As amusing as I am to all of you, it feels like I might be able to finally get to sleep, so I think I'll just go pass out now. Tomorrow I have to confront a school in a uniform they either hate or fear, and I'd like to do that at full strength."

"Do you require any assistance, Tsukki?" Rei asked in concern, and Tsukune would have answered had he not taken that moment to realize she had since returned to her fully human appearance. Which was missing its blouse.

He gave a longsuffering sigh and palmed his face. "Rei…shirt."

She glanced down. "Ah." After a second or two of making no effort to hide herself, she looked back to him with and cocked her head to the side. "I believe 'twas lost when this form was altered. You were there, were you not?"

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he settled for helplessly shaking his head and shucking his own shirt to hand to her. "Just put this on, I can't deal with this right now."

Meanwhile, a very strange sound was being forced from the Valentines as they took in the scar-riddled expanse of muscle that had been revealed to them, and Vincent was grimacing as he put a hand over his chest. The phantom pain may be gone, but the memories weren't, and now he knew they weren't just emotional reminders for the younger man, they were physical as well. "You sure went through a lot for them, didn't you?"

"And I would do it all again," Tsukune replied without hesitation. "It was all worth it. At the same time, I won't let anyone try to throw away all the work we've put into this. Which reminds me…"

Striding up to Isabella, his boyish smile with a hint of…something underneath caught her unprepared, but that made her even less prepared for him to grab hold of her injured shoulder in a vice-like grip that nearly sent her to her knees, and when her opposite arm moved to dislodge him, he grabbed her bandaged forearm similarly. She cried out as he increased the pressure, digging into wounds that had barely begun to heal, but unable to reach her rosary she was no match for the strength he was putting on display. That was when she knew what that 'something' was beneath his smile. It was the threat of violence.

"I just want you to know, I don't forgive you. I'll tolerate you if for no other reason than you seem honest in your regret, but if you ever come after us again, if you're in any way responsible for the pain, or—God help you—death of any member of my family at any point in the future, your life is forfeit. I will kill you, and that is a promise. I will kill anyone I find in connection to it, and if that so happens to involve every member of your clan, every member of your clan will die. I'm not the oldest vampire around, or the smartest, or probably even the most powerful, but I will make it happen. Do we understand each other?" She nodded as best she could while trying not to vomit from the intense torment rattling her body under his hold, and he smiled wider. "Good."

Just like that the pain vanished, and she was left gasping for air as he walked away, only to gasp again, this time in surprise as she groped at her bandages in shock at the total lack of pain she felt. Other gasps caught her attention, and though her vision was swimming she managed to look ahead, where she could see blood oozing down the young man's skin, and from injuries she was intimately familiar with at that, since they had once been on her. He was shivering, and his fists were tightly clenched, but no sound besides his now harsh breathing came from him. Before her eyes she witnessed the gaping wound he had put all the way through her shoulder, now on him, slowly seal shut. In the span of seconds a flicker of white inside told of bone meshing, muscle grew and thickened over it, and finally fresh skin had replaced what had been lost. A quick peek at his left arm showed only blood on what was otherwise unmarked skin, and she gulped. Vampires healed quickly, but there were only a few that healed that quickly. Superficial wounds yes, but bone, muscle, nerve, and flesh? Even vampires could take a little while to heal those, and it often took a blood binge and a lengthy amount of sleep if they wanted it done as fast as possible.

Beyond that, the only question on her mind was, "Why did you…?"

Tsukune managed to get his panting under control, and he was silently glad he had had to give his shirt to Rei so he didn't ruin it with all the blood now running down his bared skin. "I'm not above admitting when I make a mistake," he croaked hoarsely as he tried to wet his suddenly dry throat. "You're on thin ice, but I made an assumption, I hurt you for it, and I was wrong." And now he was even more tired than he had been before, which was good, in a way.

Not surprisingly, the smell of his blood was a siren call to Moka, whom was eyeing his red stained limb with open hunger. That coerced a grin from him and he merely lifted the appendage in front of her, where he shuddered when her tongue brushed a path clean.

"As perfect as ever," she moaned as she licked her lips, which did things to Tsukune's body he really didn't have the energy for, sadly.

"Would you mind if I skipped out for today, Moka? I don't think I'd be able to add anything to this how I am, and you know more about this kind of thing than I do anyway."

She smiled. "You're better to everyone well-rested, lover. I think we can survive the day without you. Tomorrow school starts up, so you should get all that you can."

"Of course, if you had simply told one of us, we could have helped you. Succubae may not be able to help themselves get to sleep, but I could have easily charmed you into it," Kurumu interjected with a pout, and he laughed guiltily as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Honestly? I just didn't think of it," he confessed. "Plus, I didn't want to wake you up. Yes, I know Kokoa, I'm stupid. To pay for my stupidity, I'm going to go take another bath and miss out on the last day of summer vacation with my family by sleeping 'till tomorrow morning. How do you think I feel about that?"

Cut off, the redhead blushed and looked away.

"Go already, we'll be fine." And when she leaned forward for a goodbye kiss she whispered, "I love you."

And knowing that made even missing the day seem not that bad. "Love you too," came his gentle reply, one that was repeated to the others before he finally took his leave, heading in the direction of the men's dormitory.

Evangeline just stared after him. "You know, I think our first lesson is going to have to be on the importance of platitudes between immortals," she said at last, and Moka buried her face in her hands, though her amusement was clear by the shaking of her shoulders.

Tsukune didn't know the first thing about the Oaths that had been exchanged or the truth of the arrangements put in place, through no fault of his own, and he had come right out and said what every vampire meant but none spoke aloud at the end of such a conflict. They were a species that loved war and fighting, and while they contented themselves with fighting each other the odd time for fun nowadays, the chance of real violence breaking out with the right trigger was still very possible. Immortal they may be, but innumerable they were not, thus they tried to keep conflict between themselves as low as possible. That didn't mean getting off scot clean, but it was better than driving themselves to a battle of extinction.

Ruby put it best when she responded with, "I think he would have said that even if he did know of them."

Beside her, Yukari nodded sagely. "We've been through a lot, and Tsukune's taken everything as best as he could; better than most people ever could especially when you think of what he was. It's only been recently he's started believing in himself enough to talk back, and now I wouldn't be surprised if he told the Snow Priestess herself to shove it where the sun don't shine if she tried to pull what she did last year ever again," the pint-sized witch proclaimed emphatically, drawing laughs from the Newspaper Club and stunned silence from the Valentines.

Though the snow people were in a decline they were fighting hard to get out of, as a whole they had once been a formidable opponent. With a leader that could honestly see the future, they held their ground strong during the warring eras, and earned a fearsome reputation that had fallen to the wayside as time passed. Vampires looked down on every race besides themselves, but the older of them still remembered the truth in the tales and could admit a certain amount of respect for the ferocity and fight hidden in the icy youkai. Of course, that was then and times change, but the Snow Priestess wasn't one to be trifled with, regardless of era.

It took all of Isabella's considerable experience to keep her face blank. "Not that she would, considering who your friend's with now, hm?"

Moka just smirked. "Finally noticed that, did you?"

Vincent was only glad his natural aloofness kept him mostly composed on the outside, for inside he was feeling rather ill. When they said family, they meant family, and now he knew without a doubt why his brother's memory had been altered. He suddenly felt very glad for the truce in place. "Did you see…?" he murmured to his wife, and though the lack of her traditional darkly amused expression was proof enough, she gave a tiny nod of her head.

Rei chuckled deeply at the near silent byplay she easily picked up. "To know the enormity of thine errs makes the pursuit of alliance all the sweeter, would you not agree?"

"And I'll tell you there's only one thing keeping me from trying for that title too," Moka purred as her previously passive aura flamed into an existence so heavy the air screamed and the cross laying on the ground rattled furiously.

And as he was walking down the dorm's path, Tsukune paused when his rosary started shaking.

Cold sweat trickled down Ivy's temple as the power coalesced around her, demanding her submission, her deference, and while her throat bobbed for oxygen past the constriction the instinctual fear being brought to the fore made happen, she wondered just how a vampire so young could be so terrifyingly overwhelming. The sheer strength of her aura when inactive made her think it was near full output at all times, but no, that most definitely wasn't the case. Moka just wasn't making any effort to reinforce it.

"I see your notoriety is with good reason," Evangeline deadpanned, seemingly unaffected—at least to Ivy's wide eyes—and like a switch was thrown the suffocating presence disappeared and Moka's smirk had widened.

"I'm not afraid to show people their place, you mean. I look forward to our lessons, Sensei."

That was a dismissal if ever they'd heard one, and after exchanging contact information, Eva simply saluted mockingly with a muttered, "Brats," as she and her family bowed one last time and made to leave.

"Oh, and just so you know, what Tsukune said about us goes double for him," Kurumu called out as they walked away. "What he'll do to you if something happens to us is nothing compared to what we'll do to you if something happens to him, got it?" she sang cheerily as she waved, and in some unknowable way that was more intimidating than the darkest glare or deepest growl.

Perhaps it was the identical look of promised death shared by every single one of them at the declaration.

Though unsettling, the Valentines didn't give it much thought. They didn't need to; they had every intention of following through with their promise. They had accomplished what they had set out to do; they were on the track of redemption and that was what mattered. Issa and Akuha were right to wait when they heard of Moka's potential blood-mate, like many vampires would have. In their relative youth and inexperience, Vincent and Alexander hadn't. Vincent had trusted his brother's word on incomplete information, and lacked the skill to recognize what was going on when he went to Akuha. They had walked into a no-win situation where they faced threatening a blood-bond on the one hand, and twice failing the task assigned Alexander on the other, without approval at that. They knew which they would try to right first however, and they were on the right road now.

It was Eva that chose to state the obvious. "A Blood Sage being Tested, two of the Shuzen sisters, a Nightwalker, a snow woman of significant strength if I were to make any guesses, two Arch-mages, and a young girl that's like nothing I've ever seen before…" And reeks of nature so strongly I don't know what the hell she could be with a transformation like that.

It was crazy how so many different races could come together into one family, and crazier still how they were all reaching strengths rarely seen even in the youkai world.

"…We're dealing with a clan like no other," she finished softly.

"But why would Moka-san not want the Test of Judgment when Tsukune-san already has it? If they're not opposed to it, why?" Vincent muttered in confusion.

His wife had no answer for hm. "I'll have to ask when I come back next time. We still have much to discuss."

"Today we overstayed our welcome the second after we arrived," Ivy said neutrally. "They hate us, but they're willing to work with us because it won't cost them anything. They'll have to tell us more if they really want us to help, but for now it's better to quit while we're ahead."

"Of course," Evangeline retorted plainly as her husband hummed thoughtfully.

There were still too many mysteries, too many things that needed to be known before they came back to haunt them with their mere existence.

One of which was the impossible display of force put on by the second youngest of Issa Shuzen.

Their lives just got a whole lot more interesting.

V^^^V

Meanwhile, the Newspaper club breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief when the Valentines were gone.

Of all the things to happen, that had been the last one any of them was expecting.

Then Kurumu noticed something.

"…Hey, where's Mizore?"

V^^^V

In a bath made for two, cold hands gently washed her lover's body, and when they were done, Tsukune found the rest he wanted at last with his head in the lap of an angel of ice.

As Mizore tenderly stroked his dark chocolate hair, her arctic eyes traveled between his sleeping face and the black vines wrapped around her left hand's ring finger.

Where else would she be?

V^^^V

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Author's Notes: Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or just want to talk, send me a line. I wouldn't object to you filling in that review box either.

'Til next time!

Sabr