Driving down a street in a human town a bus was moving along at a casual pace. Inside the vehicle the driver had a calm grin on his face, a cigar in one hand, and two glowing eyes which were watching the road ahead of him as he hummed a leisurely tune to himself. A few HDA SUV patrols passed by on the road, with few people being seen around the streets as most of the residents had been keeping inside of their homes during this frightening time. The bus driver chuckled then glanced into the rearview mirror at his passengers.
"Almost there, though for the record we probably shouldn't be here, I hope you all know what you're doing," he said before taking a puff from his cigar.
"Just keep the speed within the posted limits and get us there as quickly as possible," Tsurara said while looking out the window, her clear aurora eyes watching the passing buildings with a worried expression on her face.
"This is the only lead we have to finding out what's happened with our children," Mizore's father said while sitting next to his wife.
"Remind me again why we're taking the bus?" Ageha asked while sitting across from them and looking out the window with a dull expression.
"Well we certainly weren't going to walk the distance in broad daylight," Yukari's father said from behind her, with his wife nodding in agreement as she sat next to him. Ageha turned to glance at them with a raised eyebrow.
"I could have gotten us a limo instead, much better driving accommodations than a school bus. Even calling a cab would have been more dignified than having to ride in this thing," she pointed out.
"You're welcome to disembark and call a cab if you wish, we won't stop you," Tsurara said, glancing to the succubus with a slight amount of annoyance. Ageha looked to her with a scoff.
"At least I could get off the bus without cause for alarm, all of you are wearing what could easily be assumed to be monster apparel still," she said, noticing that the snow people were still wearing their kimonos and winter garbs while Yukari's mother was wearing her hat and cape. Ageha glanced around at them then shook her head.
"Seriously, we're in a human town, why didn't you all dress accordingly?" she questioned.
"There's nothing outlandish about our appearance," Tsurara argued.
"She's wearing a witch's hat and a cape!" Ageha said pointing to Yukari's mother, the woman smiling weakly and shrugging in response. Ageha shook her head then looked over Tsurara with an amused smile.
"And you're still dressed like a winter snow fairy, I mean really Tsurara, surely you have other kimonos in your wardrobe," she said before laughing a bit. Tsurara held back her scowl as she crossed her arms and forced a calm expression.
"I do have other dresses at home, however I like to be comfortable when traveling, not to mention that at least I look dignified in this while you, as always, look like a whore off the street," she replied coolly. Ageha twitched a bit at that then glared at the snow woman.
"How dare you group me in with those inexperienced and trashy sluts that claim they know how to satisfy a man, I'll have you know that I've slept with greater and more powerful men than you ever will!" she yelled out.
"And that defends you against my statement of you being a whore how?" Tsurara replied with a raised eyebrow. Ageha growled loudly at her while Mizore's father glanced between them nervously, seeing as how he was literally right between them. Yukari's father shook his head then looked ahead to the driver.
"How much longer before we arrive?" he asked.
"Just a few more blocks," the driver replied while still looking ahead. Ageha looked to him then down with frustration, seeming to be holding back tears.
"They'd better know something about what happened to my Kurumu," she said while gripping the seat in front of her. The other parents looked at her with concern as she shut her eyes and trembled a bit.
"I can't lose her again," she said softly.
"Our kids have done the impossible again and again, I'm sure they're alright," Yukari's father said reassuringly.
"They fought against Fairy Tale, they put a stop to Alucard, our children don't go down easily," Mizore's father added. Ageha glanced to him with a teary-eyed glare.
"And what about bullets? I'm sure they go down easily to that, and I watched my daughter on the news being arrested at gunpoint by the HDA and scheduled for execution a day ago, I have no idea if she's still alive or not!" she yelled out. The parents looked at her worriedly as she crossed her arms and looked out the window with frustration.
"My daughter could have been killed, I may never see her again, and on top of all that I'm stuck riding in a low-class school bus in the human world with a driver who smells like an ashtray!" she yelled out.
"I do have feelings you know," the driver said with a grin.
Tsurara looked at Ageha with sympathy then down with closed eyes.
"Have faith, that's all we can do," she said softly, with the parents looking to her in response. She looked out the window with a distant gaze while holding her husband's hand.
"Our children are fighters, have faith that they've survived this," she said softly.
The bus drove down the street and pulled in front of a human residence. As the vehicle came to a stop the driver glanced back to the parents in his mirror.
"Alright, we're here. I'll just wait here in broad daylight for you to come back, not like I have anywhere else to be anyway," he said with a chuckle. The parents quickly disembarked the bus and walked up to the front door of the human home. Ageha rang the doorbell then straightened out her dress before she paused for a moment then turned to the others with a curious eye.
"Um, what's her name anyway?" she asked. The parents looked to her and shrugged.
"I don't believe it's been mentioned yet nor come up in conversation," Tsurara said with a shrug.
"How have we gone this long without even learning her name? That's just absurd," Ageha said shaking her head. The parents then looked to seeing Mrs. Aono opening the door a crack to peek out at them.
"Yes? What do you want?" the woman asked.
"Are you Mrs. Aono by chance?" Tsurara asked kindly.
"Are you with the HDA too? I already told you people I don't know anything about what's happening lately, alright? Just leave me alone," Mrs. Aono said before closing the door. Ageha sighed with annoyance then pounded on the door.
"Hey, we're not with the HDA!" she shouted out. After a moment Mrs. Aono opened the door a crack again.
"You're not?" she asked.
"Do we look like we're with the HDA?" Ageha asked dryly as she gestured towards the other parents. Mrs. Aono looked around at them carefully then slowly opened the door.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"My name is Ageha Kurono, my daughter is Kurumu Kurono, a friend of your son," Ageha said. Mrs. Aono looked at her with wonder then to the others.
"My name is Tsurara Shirayuki and this is my husband Akio, we are Mizore Shirayuki's parents," Tsurara said gently.
"My name is Tamanori Sendo, and this is my wife Fujiko, we are Yukari Sendo's parents, our daughters attend Yokai Academy with your son," Yukari's father said while gesturing to his wife, the woman nodding with a worried smile. Mrs. Aono looked around at them with wonder.
"You're their parents? Oh my, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"Please, may we come in? We mustn't be seen out here right now," Tsurara said looking around worriedly. Mrs. Aono jumped a bit then motioned them in.
"Yes, of course, come in quickly," she said, with the parents all heading inside and closing the door. They went into the living room where Tsukune's father was watching the news with a worried expression. The man looked back then jumped with surprise at seeing everybody walking into the room.
"What's going on, who are they?" he asked.
"They're parents of Kurumu, Mizore, and Yukari, friends of our son from Yokai Academy," Mrs. Aono said looking around at the elder monsters.
"What? They're monsters too?" Mr. Aono asked.
"This wasn't enough of a clue? Seriously?" Ageha questioned while gesturing to Fujiko, the elder witch smiling weakly and waving politely. Mr. Aono looked around at them with wonder then smiled a bit while rubbing the back of his head.
"Ah, sorry, I suppose that wasn't polite to say that. My name is Koji Aono, and you've already met my wife Kasumi. It's a pleasure to meet all of you, our son has told us a lot about your daughters," he said politely.
"Please, do any of you know what's happened with my Tsukune? We haven't heard from him in days, and with everything that's been happening we're worried sick about him," Kasumi asked desperately.
"We don't know what's going on with our children either, that's why we came here, we were hoping you would have heard something from your son," Ageha said shaking her head.
"No, I haven't heard from him at all during all of this, and I tried calling the number to reach Yokai Academy and it never goes through," Kasumi said with growing concern.
"I'm afraid the gateways to the monster world have been closed after the incident, Yokai Academy is cut off from the human world entirely right now," Tsurara said with remorse.
"Yes, we couldn't venture to the school ourselves, and since we saw our kids being arrested on the news we know they're in this world with us. We didn't see Tsukune on the news report though, we had hoped he was still free in this world and perhaps had contacted you," Tamanori said with a shrug.
"You mean no more monsters can get into our world now?" Koji asked.
"No, the barriers have been closed off, the monster realm is sealed from the human world until the dark lords choose to lower the barriers again," Akio said shaking his head.
"But… is Tsukune here in our world or is he trapped in the monster world? Where's my baby?" Kasumi cried out before she broke down into tears.
"I'm sorry, but we don't know, we only know that our children were arrested by the HDA," Tsurara said with regret.
"This isn't happening; my Kurumu could be dead right now. What if she was killed the night she was arrested?" Ageha exclaimed while grabbing her hair.
"Calm down Ageha, I told you we need to have faith that our children are still alive, we can't give up hope on that," Tsurara said to her.
"Calm down? How can I calm down? How can you be calm? Your daughter could be dead as well, aren't you at all scared about that?" Ageha shouted out at her. Tsurara showed a glimmer of frustration before looking down with concern.
"We saw Mizore and Moka on the news yesterday, they weren't executed when the HDA said they were going to be, and the soldiers didn't shoot them in the street then either. If they're still alive then surely the others must be as well," Koji reasoned.
"I hope Yukari is ok, she wasn't with Moka or Mizore yesterday on the news report," Tamanori said looking to his wife with concern, the elder witch looking down while holding onto her husband's hand with tears forming in her eyes.
"Neither was Kurumu, oh I'd give anything to know if she's at least alright," Ageha said looking down with sorrow.
"Have there been any new developments with this with your news reports?" Akio asked looking to the TV. Kasumi and Koji walked over and sat on the couch while looking at the TV with worried eyes.
"I'm afraid not, so far the HDA has been quiet as to what's going on, every news station is only reporting that they're waiting for an official response from the HDA about what will happen next," Koji said with remorse.
"Oh my Tsukune, where are you?" Kasumi said before she broke down into tears.
"So much for our only lead to finding our daughters, now what do we do?" Ageha asked looking to the others.
"There's nothing we can do, we have nowhere else to turn, all we can do is wait until we hear from them again," Tsurara said looking down with concern.
"I can't bear to wait any longer! Tsukune, what happened to you?" Kasumi cried out before sobbing into her hands. Fujiko looked at the woman with worried eyes then out the window, noticing something that caught her attention.
"This is ridiculous, I'm going to go find an HDA soldier and demand that he tell me what happened to my little Kurumu or so help me I'll carve him up into little pieces!" Ageha yelled out with anger. Fujiko pointed to the window while looking towards the parents, opening her mouth to speak before being interrupted by Tsurara.
"Don't be a fool Ageha, if you make yourself known to the HDA you could wind up dead on the spot," Tsurara argued. Fujiko pointed at the window repeatedly with a worried expression as she tried to speak again, this time being interrupted by Ageha.
"I'm not going to sit around and do nothing while my daughter is being treated like a common criminal! I want some answers right now about what they're doing with my little girl!" Ageha shouted back at the snow woman. Fujiko quietly whimpered while pointing to the window with both hands, showing a nervous expression while the others watched Ageha and Tsurara going back and forth with their argument.
"Your daughter is likely still alive as is mine, we just have to wait until they make themselves known to us. We can't do anything rash that might make this situation worse," Tsurara said firmly.
"Worse? Worse? My Kurumu could be dead right now; she could have been shot by lousy human bastards and thrown into an early grave in her young beautiful life!" Ageha shouted back. Kasumi started to raise her hand to speak before Koji grabbed it and held it down while shaking his head.
"I believe she's well within her rights to say that about us right now," Koji said simply. Ageha glanced to him then looked away with a grunt.
"I mean no disrespect to you or your family, but your kind has overreacted to this whole monster attack completely, you can't say they haven't when clearly they have. I mean honestly, the notion of declaring war on us like that, the nerve of you humans," she scoffed.
"Ageha, stop, you know as well as we all do that something else isn't right here. The dark lords wanted peace with mankind, it's what we've always dreamed of having, it doesn't make sense that monsters would blatantly attack humans like this," Tsurara reasoned.
"She's right, something's wrong with this picture, and our children might know just what is going on," Akio agreed with. Tamanori nodded then looked to his wife who was frantically pointing towards the window while she had yet to get a word in edgewise so far.
"Dear? What is it?" he asked. The group looked to Fujiko as she took her husband and spun him to face the window while pointing towards it. The others looked out to seeing HDA trucks and SUVs parked outside in the street while a few helicopters started to fly overhead. A few armed soldiers were walking about in the street while others were surrounding the bus and examining it carefully.
"Shit, it's the fuzz!" Ageha yelled out.
"The HDA is here, we need to get out of here right now," Akio said looking around quickly. Before anybody could move the doorbell rang, with everybody halting in place before Kasumi slowly got up and started walking across the living room.
"What are you doing? Don't answer that!" Ageha snapped. The door was heard opening followed by footsteps entering the home, with the parents watching as HDA soldiers walked into the front foyer and stood at attention while a few headed into the living room. The monster parents tensed up while Kasumi quickly hurried back to her husband who stood up and looked around at the soldiers with discontent.
"What is the meaning of this? You can't barge in here like that, this is private property!" he yelled out. The soldiers remained silent while looking around at the parents, keeping their rifles holstered behind them. Koji glared at them then walked up towards the men.
"We told you people before we wanted to be left alone, we don't know where our son is and we don't know what's going on with the recent attacks. Take your men and get out of my home at once!" he yelled out.
From the doorway footsteps were heard, with the parents looking to seeing another figure walking into the living room. It was an older woman, wearing sleek black boots, white leggings, a blue and black striped miniskirt, a black sleeveless combat vest which outlined her bust size and was zipped up the middle, a blue shirt which had short sleeves, dull black shoulder guards, black fingerless gloves, and a dark leather strap on her back that held a shiny long sword at a slight angle. Her long pink hair flowed down behind her while her emerald eyes glanced from one parent to another.
"Excuse me, would any of you by chance be the parents of a Tsukune Aono?" the woman asked. The group looked to Koji and Kasumi as the two stared at the woman carefully.
"Yes, that's us," Koji said as he backed up, with his wife then clinging to his back while peeking out from behind his shoulder.
"What do you want from us?" she asked. She then looked at the newcomer curiously and stepped out from behind her husband.
"Wait, I remember seeing you, you were the woman with that sword, the one who was with Moka yesterday during the monster attack," she said with wonder.
"Yes, Moka is my daughter. My name is Akasha Bloodriver, a pleasure to meet you," Akasha said with a slight bow.
"You're Moka's mother?" Ageha asked. Akasha glanced to her and nodded.
"Yes, and you are?" she asked.
"Ageha Kurono, my daughter Kurumu is friends with Moka, is she alright?" Ageha asked.
"Our daughter Mizore was with you in the city yesterday, please tell us she's ok," Tsurara pleaded worriedly.
"And our daughter Yukari, she's part of their circle and was arrested by the HDA the day of the attack, is she ok?" Tamanori asked as his wife looked at Akasha with worried eyes.
"Moka, is she ok? Where is she?" Kasumi asked.
"She's fine Mrs. Aono, she and all her friends are alright," Akasha reassured as she looked around at the parents.
"Kurumu's alive? She's ok?" Ageha said with a smile forming.
"Oh thank god they're safe," Tsurara said with a sigh of relief. Tamanori and Fujiko hugged each other out of joy hearing that their daughter was still alive and well. Koji held Kasumi as the woman breathed out in relief that Moka was ok, the two then looking to Akasha with concern again.
"And my son, Tsukune? Is he alright as well? Where are they?" Kasumi asked. Akasha looked to her with a slight smile and nodded.
"Moka is currently on her way to find her friends and pick them up. As for your son, he is not with them right now, but I've been informed that he is alive," she explained. Kasumi looked down with worried eyes and nodded while her husband held her.
"He's ok dear, he's ok," Koji reassured.
"Oh Tsukune, my baby," Kasumi said softly.
"What do you mean Moka is on her way to pick her friends up?" Tsurara asked. Akasha looked to the parents with a slight smirk.
"She went to find her friends while I volunteered to find you all. How very fortunate you're here together like this, that will save me a lot of time tracking you all down," she said with a small laugh at the end.
"To find us? For what?" Ageha asked cautiously.
"To bring you in with us," Akasha replied.
"Bring us in? You're arresting all of us?" Ageha asked looking to the soldiers with surprise. Akasha laughed and looked at her amusedly.
"No no, far from it. The HDA is not here to arrest any of you," she said assuredly. The men behind her stood at attention, the parents looking at the soldiers with wonder then to Akasha as she smiled calmly at them.
"They're here to protect you."
Kyouko was walking down a hallway inside a villa, holding a cellphone to her ear while she had a small smile on her face. She gently brushed the hair around her other ear while walking through the hall, passing by unique paintings and decorations that were adorning the walls.
"I'm sorry mom, I can't say where I'm at right now," she said softly.
Rason and Kurumu were seen on a balcony overlooking the central courtyard of the villa, the angel holding his girlfriend from behind while she leaned back in his embrace and had a calm expression on her face. She turned her head back to him and gave the boy a gentle kiss, the two cherishing their time together while workers and guards of Fang Fang were busy cleaning up the damaged parts of the building and courtyard still. The two looked into each other's eyes with loving smiles before looking ahead at hearing something in the distance.
"I know, I'm fine, really. I'm with Tsukune's friends. …yes, they're monsters, just like Falla, Apoch, and Astreal. Most of them went to school with Tsukune," Kyouko said looking around at the paintings and sculptures she passed by with a casual eye.
Apoch and Render were once again posing in the lounge in front of Complica, the young chronofly continuing her drawing with insane amounts of detail while Falla was watching her with a loving smile. The elder chronofly held her sister gently, with Complica nuzzling back against her while working on her art, the young girl feeling a sense of warmth by being with her sister again. Falla smiled gently at her then looked with a bit of surprise at seeing Complica drawing Apoch in a very skimpy set of battle armor while Render was shirtless with all his muscles being seen. Falla glanced to Render and Apoch as they were posed together then to her sister with wonder at seeing how the young girl wasn't shy at all about drawing such things.
"I'm glad to hear you're doing ok, I've been worried about you. …I'm sorry, I wanted to call you before, but you wouldn't believe how busy we've been with everything. It's pretty crazy being around monsters like this," Kyouko said with a weak smile and shrug.
Yukari and Ahakon were inside the library, sitting in a part that hadn't been burned by the firestorm the other day, both reading through large textbooks while Ran was sitting at their table and reading a book with a small blush on her face. Yukari glanced to her then looked at the siren curiously as Ran was fidgeting a bit while reading a book about astronomy. After a moment Yukari reached over and pulled the book down, revealing a shōjo manga book in Ran's hands, the siren jumping a bit then smiling nervously at her as Yukari and Ahakon gave her weak smiles in return.
"Yeah, I know, I was scared during the attack at the school too. I got caught in a monster fight and-… mom, calm down; I'm ok now, really. My friends helped me get through it, and I even helped them too. …I mean I killed a monster myself, with a baseball bat no less. …no I'm not making this up, I really did!" Kyouko whined as she looked down with a pout.
Astreal and Leon were walking through a display room inside the building, the decorative hall having glass cases with ancient and medieval weaponry on one side and more modern weapons and gadgets on the other. Leon glanced around at the shields and javelins that were setup then looked to Astreal, the witch gently tracing her hand over the glass above an elegant bow and set of stylized arrows. She smiled softly then looked to Leon, the boy giving her a curious smile as she turned her eyes back to the long range weapon that she had been thinking about lately.
"Fine, whatever, don't believe me. Anyway, we had a free moment now so I wanted to call and make sure you were doing ok. …what? The HDA were in our town? …helicopters huh? I hope they weren't bothering auntie, oh, how is she doing, have you heard from her? I tried calling her just now but nobody answered, is she ok? …the HDA were questioning her yesterday? I'm not surprised, they probably tried to blame her for some of what's been happening, those lousy bastards," Kyouko said with discontent.
Gin was standing in the infirmary next to Sun's bed, watching as the siren remained silent, as usual, and motionless in her catatonic state. He gently held her hand with a worried expression on his face, with Kokoa watching him from the doorway while leaning against the frame. She sighed quietly and looked to Kou, the bat looking to her with concern as the vampire felt guilty for what she had done to Sun. After a moment she walked over next to Gin and gently held her hand over theirs, looking at the siren with remorseful eyes as Gin glanced to her with a faint smile.
"I don't know what's going to happen now with the HDA, Moka went to go talk to them with her mother yesterday, now we're just waiting to hear what the verdict is. …yeah, she was the one you saw on the news, she's Tsukune's girlfriend, and a vampire too. …no, she's never bitten me nor taken any of my blood. …Tsukune's? I think she drains him dry on a daily basis according to Kurumu, but I guess he's just got a thing for that, I'm not going to judge, you know?" Kyouko said with a shrug and simple smile.
Arial was sitting in the dining hall listening to her music, having her eyes closed as she enjoyed the melodies from her player while at one of the tables set around the pond centerpiece. From behind her Mizore was looking at the angel with a dull stare while holding a bowl of chocolate ice cream, the snow maiden hesitating before Felucia nudged her forward with a hopeful smile. Mizore rolled her eyes then walked over to the angel with a forced smile, sitting down next to her and setting the bowl of ice cream on the girl's table. Arial looked to it with wonder then to Mizore, the snow maiden smiling politely and telling her that the treat was made just for her. Mizore then looked at Arial curiously as the angel had a disturbed expression on her face, with Felucia jumping then frantically pointing to her mouth while telling Mizore she still had her lollipop in her mouth. Mizore glanced down to the candy then to Arial with a nervous smile before the snow angel geared back with a giant frozen hammer, smashing it into Mizore's head and slamming her into the ground with a crash. Arial swatted away the bowl of ice cream then stormed off while Felucia face palmed, all while Mizore twitched a bit as she lay face first down on the floor with a lump on her head.
"Don't worry about me mom, I'm perfectly safe with them. I trust them with my life, they're good monsters. …don't believe what the HDA and news is reporting, this isn't a monster attack. I mean, it is, but it's not from the monster world. It's complicated. …no mom, I don't have my pocket knife with me, not like it would do any good if I got into a fight with a monster. …yes, I did kill one with a baseball bat, I'm not lying to you! …ok, so maybe it was wounded and I just finished it off, I still helped!" Kyouko shouted out with annoyance.
Razico held Ruby gently as she was pressed back against a wall in a hallway, the witch gazing into her boyfriend's eyes deeply as the man gently held her hands with his. She closed her eyes and sighed softly as the warlock slowly brought them back behind her, forming black chain links around them and binding her hands in place. Ruby looked at Razico with a timid smile as the man slowly traced his hands around her waist, forming a long chain that held her hands behind her as he moved his hands up and formed the links between her breasts to the back of her neck, tying them around into a collar before he held the end of the chain with a suave smile on his face. The witch blushed as she was bound by the chains, and then smiled coyly as she slowly lowered down onto her knees while gazing up at him. Razico held the chain leash taught while resting another hand on the witch's cheek, the woman nuzzling against it before licking her lips with a hungry eye. The two blinked then looked over to see Fang Fang staring at them with wide eyes, all of them freezing in place before Ruby and Razico smiled nervously and laughed a bit. Fang Fang glanced around then quickly walked away with a blush, leaving the witch and warlock alone in the hall with embarrassed expressions. Ruby looked to Razico with a weak smile then stood up, the two then heading off to a more private area, with Ruby following her boyfriend as he led her by her chain leash.
"I promise mom, I'm going to be fine. …no, I'm not coming home yet, I'm not going to leave my friends alone during this, I'm going to help them however I-… I know it's dangerous, but I don't care! Dammit, I've always been the damsel in distress while they came to my rescue, not this time. Those bastards that started this whole mess at my school roped me into this fight, and I'm not going to run away like a scared human. …I'm not coming home now mom, I'm sorry, but I'm going to do whatever I can to help. I'm a part of this, just like they all are. …I know I'm human, so what? You know monsters are afraid of humans too? Yeah, because of what we can do and what we have in the world, so dammit I'm going to live up to that and fight back with my friends, end of story! …what do you mean I'm grounded? You can't ground me; I'm not even home now!" Kyouko cried out.
Inside a changing room Luna was being held by Gabriel, the two having their damp pants on still while not wearing shirts as those were wet from falling in the pond earlier. Luna had followed Gabriel into the men's changing room, refusing to leave his side, and was holding her hands to his chest again as she was held by the angel. She had started to help him undress out of his wet clothes along with her own, and then got carried away by the sensation of the bond they shared before she started kissing him again. The feeling was so exciting to her, so comforting, so wonderful that she didn't want to stop feeling it. Of course Gabriel wasn't complaining, after all he was holding a half-naked Luna as she was kissing him with closed eyes, the two feeling their newfound connection coursing through their bodies as they held onto one another. He never imagined he would be destined to be with Luna, however the white wings he had once again were even more evidence that he truly was her angel. Still, he felt a bit of shame, feeling as though he hadn't really earned the right to be her angel, rather it seemed to be given to him just like that. As he held his new Destined One, feeling her hands sliding around to the back of his neck while her breasts pressed against his chest, he wanted a chance to really earn the right to be her angel, to give her the knight in shining armor she always dreamed of having.
"Listen to me mom, I'm not going to argue about this, I'm staying with my friends, I'm going to fight along with them however I can. Tsukune wouldn't walk away from them if he was here, and neither will I. …no, I don't think I'm as strong as Tsukune is, I know he punched Alucard into oblivion, but I don't care. Monsters have been picking fights with me again and again, and now they're hurting my friends too. Human or not, I'm fighting back this time. …I know what I'm doing mom, please trust me. …I love you too, I promise I'll come home after this is all over with, everything will be ok. I'll call again if anything else happens, and don't worry about me, I can handle this," Kyouko said assuredly. She smiled softy then closed her phone, putting it back in her pocket as she looked up with a sigh.
"Oh yeah, I can handle this, no problem," she said softly to herself. She lightly slapped her cheeks a few times then showed a determined expression.
"Yeah, I can handle this just fine, no problem," she said assuredly to herself.
From nearby Rason and Kurumu ran by in haste.
"Hey, the HDA is coming! They're here! They're here!" Kurumu called out as the two ran through the building. Kyouko watched them go, gulped, and then showed a nervous smile.
"Yeah, no sweat, I can handle this," she said with less confidence. She looked around quickly then raced off down the halls as well.
"Falla? Hey, Falla!" she called out urgently.
Outside guards and workers were watching with caution as several HDA helicopters were flying towards the front entrance. The thumping of the rotors grew louder as armed guards raced to the higher walls and front entrance that was still wide open since the gate was gone.
"It's the HDA, everybody stay on guard!" a guard called out as he readied his rifle. Workers around the area cleared out quickly while the guards readied their weapons and tensed up.
From the front entrance to the main building Fang Fang ran out along with his group of monsters, wayward souls, and one human, the large group gathering before the building as they saw the seven HDA choppers flying closer before landing down outside the villa's walls. Gabriel and Luna were again dressed in dry clothing, with the chronofly holding onto the boy's back for comfort and safety as she kept a close eye on the visitors.
"It's them, what do we do now?" Gin asked.
"So are they here peacefully or not peacefully?" Rason asked.
"I think we're about to find out," Gabriel said as he watched the choppers kicking up dust around them in a hazy cloud.
A guard ran over to the group while watching the choppers carefully.
"Master Fang Fang, seven HDA helicopters have landed in front of the compound, the surrounding forces haven't moved from their positions yet. What are your orders?" the man asked looking to the yasha.
"Don't fire unless fired upon first, we don't know if they're here peacefully or not," Fang Fang ordered. The guard nodded then held a hand to his earpiece as the group watched the front gate carefully.
"What if Moka and Akasha weren't able to persuade the HDA to listen to them?" Ran asked nervously.
"Then we'll be in for one hell of a fight to get out of here," Render said glancing around.
"We're surrounded by the HDA and outgunned, if talks didn't go well this might be our last stand," Leon mentioned, with Apoch and Astreal remaining on guard while watching the helicopters carefully. Fang Fang looked around at the group then back to the choppers.
"All of you remain here, I'll go see what they want," he said before running ahead. The group watched him run towards the front gate as the guard kept his hand held to his earpiece. The yasha came up to the front entrance where several of his guards were standing in a line with their guns held down at the ready. In front of them Fang Fang saw the seven helicopters parked outside, the rotors spinning still with dust kicking up around the vehicles. From the sides of the choppers a few armed soldiers quickly hopped out, remaining on guard and keeping their weapons holstered.
"Master Fang Fang, what are your orders?" a guard asked next to the yasha.
"Wait and see what fate has chosen to bring us," Fang Fang said carefully.
From one of the helicopters a figure hopped down onto the grass. She had sleek black shoes and long white socks on, wearing a blue and black striped miniskirt, a black sleeveless combat vest which outlined her bust size and was zipped up the middle, a blue shirt underneath that had short sleeves, black fingerless gloves, and a rosary that dangled over her vest near her neck. Her long pink hair flowed freely behind her in the wind while her emerald eyes glanced around the area carefully. She then ran toward the front gate along with two HDA soldiers at her sides, her skirt fluttering and showing her white panties in the process.
"Moka?" Fang Fang said with surprise as the vampire ran up to him and smiled as the soldiers looked around the area carefully still.
"Hey, I'm back," Moka said with a cheery smile.
"I can see that, it's good to see you again, but what's with the armed escort? Isn't this a bit much for a trip back here?" Fang Fang asked looking to the HDA choppers.
"It's ok; they're on our side now. They came with me to pick everybody up," Moka explained.
"What? Our side? To pick everybody up?" Fang Fang asked puzzled.
"I'll explain everything once we get in the air, but right now we need to gather the others and get going," Moka said looking back to the vehicles.
"I don't understand, get going to where? What is happening here?" Fang Fang asked. Moka looked back to him with a stern expression.
"We're regrouping with the HDA, they're going to be helping us with the upcoming war," she explained. Fang Fang nodded then looked to the soldiers at her side. She glanced to them then to him with a nod.
"It's ok, they're with me, your men can stand down," she assured. Fang Fang glanced to the soldiers then looked to his guards.
"Tell the others to stand down, do not fire on the HDA," he ordered.
"Sir," one said before radioing it in on his earpiece. Fang Fang looked back to Moka and eyed her over with a smirk.
"So, that's a rather charming uniform, are you in charge of this little excursion?" he asked. Moka walked up to him with a coy smile, the yasha showing a nervous expression as she leaned closer to him.
"Yes, and we're leaving now, that's an order," she said with a twitch of her eyebrow. Fang Fang laughed a bit and nodded then waved her towards the main building.
"Very well then, I'm sure the others will be glad to see you again, and I do believe we have a few surprises for you as well," he mused. Moka looked at him curiously before the yasha ran off towards the main building, the vampire and her two escorts then following after. They made their way across the courtyard towards the others, who were all watching with wonder at seeing Moka coming back with two HDA soldiers with her.
"Moka?" Kurumu asked.
"You're back. What's with the soldiers?" Yukari asked pointing to the men. Moka ran up to them and smiled at the witch.
"What, a lady can't have an escort in these dangerous times?" she mused with a shrug. The group looked at the soldiers as the men glanced around at the monsters with a careful eye, both seeming to be a bit leery about being near so many monsters like this. Moka smirked then stared with shock at seeing Luna standing near Gabriel.
"Luna?" she cried out. Luna smiled and stepped forward as Moka stared at her with amazement.
"Hello Moka, it's good to see you again," Luna said kindly. Moka struggled to form words as she stared at the girl then ran forward and hugged the chronofly tightly.
"You're ok! You're ok again! Oh thank god, you're alright! How did you get back here? What happened to you?" she cried out as tears of joy started to form in her eyes. Luna held her friend as the group glanced from the HDA soldiers to the two girls.
"I'm alright, I promise. It's a long story, just know that I'm ok now," Luna reassured. Moka leaned back and smiled at her with relief then noticed Falla and Kyouko standing with the group.
"Falla? Kyouko? But… how did you get here? I thought you were stuck at Yokai Academy in the monster world," Moka said with disbelief.
"Yeah, we were, then we… sorta came over here. So… how are you doing?" Kyouko said with a weak smile and shrug.
"Long story as well," Falla said with a shrug.
"Many things happened while you were away Moka. Many, many, many things," Ruby said. Moka looked around at the group then to Luna with wonder.
"I don't believe this, you're all here, you're all ok," she said with a growing smile. Luna showed a worried expression and shook her head.
"Well, not all of us, and we're not all ok," she said looking to Kokoa. Moka turned to her sister as the redhead showed a remorseful frown.
"Big sis, I'm sorry, I screwed up big," she said sadly.
"What do you mean Kokoa? What happened?" Moka asked.
A few minutes later the large group had gathered in the infirmary, with Moka staring at Sun with horror as Kokoa explained what had happened between them that morning. The two HDA soldiers remained at the doorway while watching the group curiously, all while everybody was looking at the catatonic siren as Kokoa finished her story.
"Kokoa… how could you?" Moka said holding a hand over her mouth.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit her so hard, I didn't want this," Kokoa pleaded while shaking her head.
"You could have fooled me earlier," Felucia commented, with Kokoa looking down and holding her hands to her face. Moka shook her head then looked to Kokoa with frustration.
"I can't believe you did this, and at a time like this no less, we can't be dealing with this crap now Kokoa! This is the last thing I needed to come back here to find!" she yelled out. Kokoa flinched and backed up nervously.
"I'm sorry, really I am," she whimpered. Moka looked to Sun with concern, seeing the siren lying on the bed completely motionless, then to Gin.
"I'm sorry Gin," she said softly.
"I am too, but it wasn't all Kokoa's fault, I'm partly to blame. I should have stopped Sun's advances sooner, I should have gotten the point across to her more clearly, this is my fault too," Gin said looking to the siren with remorse. Moka breathed out then looked to Sun with concern.
"So what can we do for her now?" she asked.
"Dark and Ceal left this morning to go to Ceal's home, he might have a spell to heal her fractured mind and bring her back to us," Falla explained. Moka looked to her puzzled.
"What? Dark and Ceal left?" she asked before looking to the two soldiers standing by the doorway. They glanced to each other then back to Moka while shaking their heads.
"We were not aware anyone had left these grounds," one of them said cautiously. Moka looked back to Falla questionably as she smiled nervously and nodded.
"Yeah… that's because Dark… cloaked them, they snuck past the HDA blockade," she reasoned.
"They snuck past them?" Moka asked.
"Hey, they had to, we needed to go get that spell, and we had no idea if they would be willing to listen to us or shoot us," Falla reasoned while holding her hands up defensively. Moka held in her shout of frustration and looked to Sun then back to Falla.
"We're supposed to be on our best behavior now, you were supposed to wait here until I got back, and you're sneaking around them to go into the city? Dammit, why didn't you just tell the HDA what was going on, they could have contacted me at their base," she demanded.
"How were we supposed to know they would be friendly with us, they tried to kill us the other day," Ahakon said looking to the soldiers with discontent. Moka shook her head then looked to Sun again.
"When are they getting back? How far is Ceal's home from here?" she asked.
"It's not too far, he said maybe a few hours," Falla answered.
"We can't wait a few hours, we need to be back at the base soon," Moka said looking to the clock on the wall.
"What do you mean?" Kurumu asked.
"We're leaving Kurumu, we're being relocated to the HDA HQ outside the city to deal with this incoming threat together," Moka said looking to her.
"We are? Then, does this mean…" Ruby asked carefully as she looked to the two HDA soldiers. Moka nodded and glanced to her.
"For now, peace is a possibility again, and the HDA is on our side, however we need to do our part to ensure that it lasts. The first order of business is for us to move to the HDA facility for both protection and to organize our own plan of action against the dark king. The director is expecting to see all of you there, as welcome guests," she explained. The group smiled a bit at that as Moka examined Sun carefully.
"Really? You convinced them that we're not evil monsters after all?" Ahakon asked hopefully.
"I convinced them to give us a chance Ahakon, like I said peace is a possibility, it's not reality yet. I'll explain everything back at the base, but right now we need to get going and meet up with the others when they arrive," Moka said while looking down in thought.
"Others?" Mizore asked. Moka glanced to her and smirked.
"Our families are being brought in under guard by the HDA as well. My mother has gone to retrieve all of your parents and bring them in with her, as well as Tsukune's," she explained.
"What?" Mizore, Kurumu, and Yukari said with surprise. Moka nodded and looked to Kokoa who was staring at her with wonder.
"There's somebody who is eager to meet you again Kokoa," Moka said gently.
"Akasha? She's really… she's…" Kokoa said softly. Moka nodded then glanced to Sun.
"Yes, she's here, and I don't believe she'll be too happy to hear what you've done. Start working on your apology now Kokoa, you'll need it," she said before looking to her sister with a shrug. Kokoa jumped a bit then looked down nervously, fearful of what her long lost mother would say about her recent behavior.
"The HDA is on our side now?" Razico asked with wonder.
"For now, yes," Moka answered.
"Your mother is going to find our parents and bring them in as well?" Kurumu asked.
"Correct, they'll be kept as welcome guests and under protective watch by the HDA," Moka replied, and then glanced to Kyouko.
"Kyouko, I can have the HDA drop you off at your home, you don't need to be involved in this," she offered. Kyouko shook her head with a stern expression.
"No way Moka, this fight is personal and I'm not leaving until the bastard that's behind it is dead. I'm staying with you guys through this," she said firmly.
"Kyouko, this isn't a fight you should get involved with," Moka said shaking her head.
"I already am involved with it, and I'm not quitting," Kyouko said crossing her arms. Moka looked at her for a moment then glanced to Falla with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, I'll keep an eye on her," Falla said with a weak smile and shrug, with Kyouko looking to her with a slight smile. Moka nodded then looked to Kyouko with a shrug.
"Alright, if that's what you want. Should I have my mother pick up your family as well? They can be brought in for protection if you like," she asked.
"No, my parents don't need to be dealing with any of this, and they've been left out of this conflict up until now. Please, just leave them be in peace, I think being surrounded by monsters and soldiers might make them freak out even more," Kyouko said shaking her head. Moka nodded then looked to the soldiers.
"Get her on a stretcher, we're taking Sun with us as well," she ordered as she pointed to a few folded stretchers over by the side of the room. The men nodded and ran to get one while the group looked to Moka puzzled.
"What? We can't move her, and we can't leave until Ceal and Dark get back, they might have the only way to save her," Arial said shaking her head. Moka looked to her and smiled a bit.
"She's coming with us just as you are for protection. As for Dark and Ceal, we'll just have to pick them up before they get here and bring them to the base with us," she reasoned. Arial looked at her curiously then to the soldiers as they rushed over with a stretcher, the men laying it down then carefully lifting Sun up and onto it.
"Be careful with her. Please hurry and get her to one of the choppers right away," Moka said, with the men then lifting Sun up and rushing her out of the room. Gin and Kokoa took off after her while Moka turned to Fang Fang with a small smile.
"You don't have to come with us if you don't want Fang Fang, this isn't your fight to deal with," she said kindly. Fang Fang shook his head with a bold smile.
"Sorry, but I do believe this fight is mine to deal with, and as I've told your friends before, I'm going to fight with you on this until the very end. Besides, you need all the help you can get, no need to turn away a willing participant such as myself," he said confidently. Moka nodded and looked down with a serious expression.
"I'm not going to lie, we do need all the help we can get," she said. She looked around at the group then motioned for the door.
"Alright, follow me, we're leaving," Moka said before running out of the room, with the group quickly following after her. Everybody ran through the building and out into the courtyard towards their rides, with surrounding guards and workers watching as the HDA choppers started to spin up their engines for takeoff. Fang Fang stopped near one of his guards and waved to him with a casual smile.
"I'll be joining my new friends for a little trip, I'll be in contact with any developments," he informed.
"Master Fang Fang, you're going with the HDA? They arrested you, tried to kill you even," the guard said shaking his head.
"They made a mistake, however we need their help in order to overcome what is heading our way. You leave the HDA to me, while I'm gone I want this place fixed up and looking perfect upon my return," Fang Fang said looking back to the villa. The guard hesitated for a moment then nodded with a salute.
"Yes sir," he said professionally.
"Don't worry about me, I'm with friends who know how to fight, I'll be just dandy," Fang Fang assured with a smile before taking off after the others. The guard watched him go then glanced back to the main building.
"His father's going to kill me for allowing this, I know it, I'm just not sure which ceremonial blade he'll use to behead me with," he said dryly.
Moka led the group toward the helicopters, watching as Sun was being lifted into one along with Gin and Kokoa who were watching over the siren.
"Everybody board a ride and strap in," Moka called out as they came out of the front gate, and then looked to Falla.
"Do you know where Ceal lives?" she asked.
"Yeah, I've been to his place before," Falla said with a nod. Moka looked at her for a moment then raised an eyebrow, with Falla then shaking her hands in front of her.
"Nothing dirty happened; we just stopped by for a change of clothes for him. I mean I did see him half naked, but that's just because he was getting undressed," she pleaded. Moka just stared at her as did the others. Falla looked around at them then whined loudly.
"I'm telling you nothing happened!" she cried out. Moka smirked then waved the others towards some choppers before pointing Falla towards another.
"You're riding with me, we'll go find Dark and Ceal and pick them up," she explained.
"Can I come with you?" Complica asked hopefully.
"Of course you can Complica, you and Luna can ride with me," Moka said looking to her then to Luna. Luna glanced to see Gabriel heading towards the other choppers still with the group then smiled at Moka and shook her head.
"Thank you Moka, but I think I'll ride with my Destined One," she said before she took off after Gabriel. Moka's mouth opened slightly as she had a surprised look on her face before she turned to Falla, the chronofly shrugging with a smile.
"Her and Gabriel, who knew?" Falla said simply. Moka looked back to seeing Luna running up to Gabriel and taking hold of his hand, the two then getting into a ride along with Rason and Kurumu.
"Gabriel? Her… Destined One?" Moka asked looking back to Falla.
"Let's talk about it later, you can ask her all about it when we meet up with them again," Falla reasoned. Moka nodded slowly then shook off the shock of hearing something like that before leading her and Complica over to another helicopter. They got into the back passenger seats before the doors slid closed, with two HDA soldiers sitting with them while the two pilots started up the engines. Moka put on a headset and glanced to the pilot.
"We're taking a detour, we have to pick up two of our friends and something of life and death importance," she called up. The pilot nodded and started the craft up, the helicopters then taking off into the air above the compound. Six of them flew off over the forest while the last one took off in a different direction.
Inside the helicopter Complica was looking out the window with wonder, holding her hands to the glass while she was buckled into her seat.
"Wow we're so high up look at this how is this thing flying like this that's so cool is it using magic or is flapping its wings really really fast where are its wings what's keeping this up in the air I thought humans didn't have magic this is so weird how's it doing this?" she said before taking a few deep breaths. Falla smiled amusedly at her sister as she sat next to her then looked to seeing Moka watching her with a worried expression.
"What's wrong?" Falla asked.
"How did you and Kyouko get here, and where's Rin, why wasn't she with you?" Moka asked. Falla showed a worried expression to that and looked down.
"We'll explain everything when we meet up with the others, we have a big story to tell," she said softly. Moka looked at her with concern then to Complica, the young angel watching the passing sights of the hills and human buildings below with eyes of wonder.
"Something went wrong, didn't it?" Moka asked looking back to Falla. The chronofly nodded and looked out the window with remorse.
"Very wrong," she said softly.
Inside another HDA helicopter Gin and Kokoa were looking down at Sun who was lying on a stretcher, strapped to the floor of the chopper as their ride was flying through the air over the forest.
"What's wrong with her?" a soldier asked while sitting next to Gin.
"There was an accident this morning, she suffered a serious injury to the head. She's practically brain-dead now," Gin said shaking his head.
"Brain-dead?" the man asked glancing to him.
"Yes, our friends are on their way to hopefully find a cure for her," Gin said while watching the silent siren. The soldiers looked to each other then to the monsters.
"Being brain-dead isn't an illness that can be cured, it's a fatal condition. If your friend is really so far gone then I'm sorry to say she's not coming back," one of them said solemnly. Gin leaned back and looked out the window with a distant gaze while Kokoa glanced up to him.
"There is still a chance, believe it or not. Your human medicine may not be able to save her, and even our healers can't undo the damage, but our friends are on their way to find a unique spell, one that can hopefully restore her mind and bring her back to us," he explained.
"You have a way to cure a brain-dead patient?" a soldier asked with a raised eyebrow.
"We hope so," Kokoa said softly as she looked down to Sun with worried eyes.
"But that's impossible," a soldier said shaking his head. Gin glanced to him then down to Sun.
"For her sake, I hope it's not," he said, with the soldiers then looking to the girl who remained motionless on her stretcher.
Riding in another helicopter Render and Leon were looking out the window as they followed the others towards the HDA HQ. Apoch and Astreal were sitting across from them, the witches also looking out the windows as all four were buckled in for the ride.
"Didn't imagine we would be riding in one of these things today," Leon said.
"Especially with an armed escort," Render commented as he glanced to two soldiers who were sitting in back with them, the men keeping their rifles holstered at their feet while watching the monsters carefully.
"What's wrong buddy? Do we scare you?" Render asked playfully. The soldier next to him merely shook his head while watching the boy with a careful eye. Render paused for a moment then lurched towards him with both hands, the man tensing up before Render started laughing.
"Relax bud, I'm a friendly monster, I'm not going to eat you or anything," the boy said with a smirk. The witch sisters smiled amusedly at the soldiers then looked to their boyfriends.
"Render, be nice, don't scare the humans," Leon said mockingly while showing an amused smile as well.
"Oh c'mon, they sure scared us to death when they were trying to kill us and our girlfriends the other day," Render quipped while crossing his arms, watching the man next to him with a sharp eye.
"We were only following our orders, just as we are now," the man replied while watching the boy carefully.
"Orders to shoot and kill kids, yeah, you must feel so proud for carrying those out," Render said back with a sneer. The man gripped his rifle tightly as he glared at the boy.
"My daughter was killed in that monster attack at the school," he said sternly. The witches and mages looked to him curiously as he drummed his fingers on his rifle's barrel.
"Whether the monsters responsible for it were kids or not was not a concern for me," the man said bitterly. Render looked to Leon then to the man with sympathy.
"Sorry bud, I didn't know," he said gently.
"Our boyfriends here struck down the monsters responsible for your loss," Apoch mentioned, with the soldiers looking to her as she and her sister were showing them empathy as well.
"If anything, you should be thanking them, they saved our lives as well as many others that day," Astreal said softly. The men looked back to Render and Leon as they were watching the scenery out the window.
"No thanks are necessary, those monsters picked the wrong school to pick a fight in," Render said with a cool gaze.
"When we find the one who sent them there, he too will pay for his crimes," Leon said in agreement. The soldiers glanced to each other then to the boys, both wondering if these two did indeed put a stop to the school attack. Apoch and Astreal smiled at their boyfriends, glad to have the two with them during this conflict.
The two girls then shivered a bit, feeling a cold chill running across their backs. They turned to see nothing there as they were seated against the back end of the chopper, both then looking to each other as they felt the chilling sensation seeming to roll down their necks briefly before vanishing.
"Apoch?" Render asked, the two girls then looking to seeing their boyfriends watching them.
"You two ok?" Leon asked. The sisters smiled and nodded quickly.
"Yes, we're fine," they said together, both still feeling a little uneasy about what they felt. They weren't sure why, but both of them started to get a very bad feeling in their chest about something, although they couldn't figure out what. The sisters glanced to each other then looked out the window, both trying to put the feeling out of their minds.
As they did nobody noticed two faint shadows slinking around the girls to their seatbelts, the shadows seeming to form ghostly skeletal hands that held onto the straps tightly before fading from view.