Tekeshi chocked his sun resistance up to the human heritage on his father's side. Granted when he did burn California gave its condolences. Still, being able to take a nap on a roof while he thought was something his mother's side couldn't do, and he was still a teenager, so he had to milk the rebellion phase for as much as he could. Not that becoming a biker thug wasn't rebellious enough.
"You know Master, you could talk to her directly about it. She might know more than you think she does," Jakkasu interrupted him in his sleep.
"She was asleep in the memory, or at the very least in a state of hypnosis. She wouldn't have any knowledge of it. I don't quite understand where I need to look for the answers. If her father has lost all of his memories of where he came from, then that is a dead end. Her mother would be useless, and I would have to put way too much effort into not killing her. What is the point of being a genius if you cant use all of that brainpower for something useful."
"You seem troubled Tekeshi. Whats wrong," If Akasha lacked physical form, she at least made up for it by being a good understanding grandmother.
Sitting up he looked over, "Just after Mom left 'Suki's memories another one started. The weird thing is it was like a recording of her father leaving a message. If it wasn't for how well it was articulated I would have assumed it was a weird dream. He went through explaining why he was saying these things and then dropped the bomb. Whatever had been sealed in a sacred blade for hundreds of years that his brother released could have major consequences. Then something about it being the will of Amaterasu that 'Suki was born to him and that he had a chance to escape. His mother apparently told him to go to her when she was almost asleep and recite this. She wouldn't consciously remember but it would be retained. I honestly find it weird that anyone could have that kind of foresight. Regardless I am not quite sure what to do with the information, and Mr. Gold Inlay over here had to wake me up while I was trying to come up with a plan."
Akasha took a thoughtful look on her face, "Hmm. I am not sure what to think of all this either. The Will of God isn't foreign to me. When I was a child in Wallachia, I was Catholic. Most people were, yokai and human alike. Granted the yokai members of the congregations worked very hard to hide what they were, but they did believe. After Alucard and I fled, I started to lose much of my belief and became rather jaded with the idea of religion. However I have always believed that there was some other... I don't want to say force or entity that guides events, but it is rather hard to describe it any other way."
"Hm, I'm Diest. God exists, however he gave us free will and then walked away. Well, putting in the simplest terms anyways. More he stepped back to let us chart our own courses, and he acts when all else would lead to total ruin. Still I don't see him just guiding that level of... well I don't even describe it. A chain of events, a cataclysm. I am just not real sure how to describe it. That being said I haven't exactly told dad I left being Shinto in the past. Really don't want to broach the topic if I can at all avoid it. I will do the whole thing to make him happy, but I found my path elsewhere."
"True, he isn't quite the same boy I remember from all those years ago. He still loves you though, and I think he won't throw too much of a fit. But getting back to the topic at hand, have you considered trying at the source?"
Tekeshi shook his head, "From what I was able to gather the curse affected their memories as much as their bodies."
"So her father came from a line of priests or yokai hunters. They tended to have such strong wills and abilities to resist curses. Are you sure he truly would have forgotten that easy. I wouldn't give up until I tried the source of the river to understand the drought," and with that she was gone.
"Try the source of the river to understand the drought. Just what the hell... oh. Always make sure a dam isn't running the river dry before you call it a drought. Hmm, so maybe some proverbial dynamite to get the info running is what I need."
Transportation magics were always best done to or from a magic circle etched in stone, rather than just drawn on a surface. It created a much stronger anchor to make sure you didn't end up somewhere other then where you wanted. The trick was you only needed one magic circle. Though limits still did exist. Complex machinery was always at risk due to the multitude of parts that made them up. It wasn't unheard of for a yokai in human guise to be left stuck in that form for the rest of their lives if they went through like that. But there were also oddities, such as, unsurprisingly, vampires. There was so much in the way of hatred for them because the Fount of Power changed how magic reacted with them.
While Moka and Kokoa had been raise with such emphasis on the martial, they couldn't perform any kind of magic themselves. Akua could use only magic in the form of the dimensional sword technique. Kahlua was able to use the Fount of Power to modify her body into a living blade. Despite being born human Tsukune had studied hard and was almost an equal of Touhou Fuhai when it came to seals, and the dimensional sword technique, even going as far as to create modifications to it. Tekeshi however had been taught actual magic, and was quite good at it.
His specialty was magic circles themselves. Due to the Fount of Power he could create one so intricate that regardless of what usually made them work the best, they would out perform that. He was strong enough to create them without, but then they were rather average, comparable to what most witches or warlocks were able to create. So he tended to work with what his heritage provided. Which led him to be able to create a temporary circle as strong as the one in his father's workshop.
It made it easy enough to covertly send himself to the city that her parents had taken residence in. Even placing himself within the building. The one thing he couldn't stand was that they were in California, specifically San Francisco. It wasn't a real shock that they were there, Utsuki's father was a software engineer, so Silicon Valley was an obvious place for him to find a job. Given how most young software engineers were going to companies like Google, social media groups, and others that had yet to kick away the failed ideas of wokeness and were teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, it made sense than any company that was serious about actually doing business would snatch up a Japanese software engineer given the cultural importance placed upon ones work.
Still, Tekeshi could not stand the urban centers of California. Los Angeles had become little more than slums and gang warfare, and was now America's number 1 most dangerous city. After a conservative victory in the mayoral race for Chicago, and an actual hard on crime District Attorney Chicago only saw three percent of the violence it had seen at its peak. Tekeshi was a sixteen year old from Japan who had lived in a relatively safe city in Arizona and didn't particularly care about politics, but he could have told anyone that would be the result. Even after eight years he had never understood the insanity of these so called progressives, who only ever made progress in ruining things, and indoctrination of completely ludicrous ideals.
Not to mention that he could not understand living packed in like a can of anchovies. The apartment building that Utsuki's parents were residing in was on the newer side, probably built in the 2020s, and was about twenty five stories high. Over twenty thousand people lived in it. He had noticed that the apartment they were in was only big enough for a kitchenette, bathroom, living area, and a bedroom. It was literally a square with a couple of divisions. Maybe around four hundred square feet at the biggest. He didn't even want to the think of what the rent was.
Somehow though, nobody paid attention to the weirdo with the giant sword. Well, Jakkasu was actually disguised as a crutch, so that was probably part of it. Still, the other residents avoided even looking at him, which he found disturbing, but it suited his purposes well enough. In fact Utsuki's father didn't even notice when he walked right past him seemingly worn out from work. Her mother had left to go somewhere an hour earlier, so this was the best chance that he could see having.
Waiting until he could see him halfway in the door before he made his move, he hadn't expected the clothesline across the ribs, or that the short, fat, weak looking man wouldn't even move from the impact.
"While standing out is a good way to hide from people from this kami forsaken city, for those others of us, we notice," Utsuki's father held a much different tone in his voice than he had just a couple of days earlier.
"That actually hurt a little. Oof. Well, maybe I might have been wrong."
"I could tell that you and your father were not human, but I don't quite know what you are. I doubt that you are ogres or kinshin. You keep your human guises too well, and are too reasonable. Not Tengu either, though your temper and speed to violence gives that impression. I would say you are a demon of some sort. Which leads me to wonder just why you care about my daughter so much. So, I have to wonder what I need to do to either kill you or bind you so that I have less to worry about."
Managing to get to his feet Tekeshi could only say under his breath,"Try the source of the river to understand the drought, all that got me was wet," and then more audibly, "Vampires, we are vampires. You come from a branch family a of clan known as the Shira, that doesn't seem to show up in public documents. You and your wife were touched by a cursed chokuto, which lead you to the states that you are in know, though I am starting to think you are faking it for the sake of your wife."
The man looked at him somewhat confused, "How the utter hell do know all of that? That was fourteen years ago, my wife's memory of the events are gone, and mine aren't great. If you are a vampire, then you must have some connection to what my brother released."
"What your brother released? I don't understand that, but I have seen her memories. Including the one with the message you left. I am hoping that breaking the curse that is on you might help 'Suki in some way. It might at least give her a loving family again. Goddamn, you hit like a truck, and you look like that. Do they make you wear a weighted jacket where you are working?"
The older man had to sit down at that, "Break the curse. I doubt that is even possible. That blade was used to kill a kiyohime a thousand years ago. It is a curse of lost love, and stolen happiness."
"'A' kiyohime. I thought that Kiyohime was simply one woman whose love was rejected by a monk. I know the full story, well as far as it has been passed down, but I didn't know there was more than one."
"My family was the only surviving branch family of a dead clan. The Shira clan were secretive advisors to the Emperor, the Shironomi family were merchants and information gathers that worked to finance the others. The Shirayama, not to be confused with Shiroyama, they were gone long before the 1800s, were samurai. The Shirayoshi were shinobi and handled issues for the other families. The Shiraishi family were outcasts from the others, charged with dealing with yokai, problem or not. The samurai died out from battle, the merchants were bankrupt, and the shinobi disappeared. The Shira clan was mostly executed upon the rise of the shoguns. Only us outcasts, who were not high enough to breed outside of our family survived. And I abandoned them, and if Masahiko had not broken that seal, then Utsuki would have been taken to them within a few months."
"Look my father is an expert in seals and magic circles, and two of my aunts are exceptionally powerful witches. Most likely the story over a thousand years became corrupted, and something else was killed by it. Whatever that was, they will be able to break it. I just need to know where to find it."
"That's easy, in my storage locker six blocks over," the man said dryly.
"Wait, what? In your, storage locker? Do you mean to tell me that you went back there after all that? How are you even smart enough to use a computer if you are that stupid? Are you sure you are blood related to 'Suki?"
Utsuki's father took a breath, "I knew that it was a risk, but I had to take care of my families bodies. Even if they were the ones that did this to me, they were family. I couldn't find most of them, and I buried the ones that I could. When I was leaving, the blade drew me in, and I took it without wanting too. I had it encased in a concrete statue, that I had covered in porcelain and aged. I managed to convince my wife that it was from the Kamakura period, and moderately valuable. Tamiko is the love of my life, but even before the curse was placed on us, she wasn't the brightest out there. She wasn't stupid mind you, but she didn't do much thinking for herself."
"Sounds like one of my aunts. She mostly got by from her bra size until she met the father of my cousin. Now she is really successful, Harumi isn't much different, but I wish her and 'Suki would just get along better."
"As much as you have been talking about her, I have a feeling that you are more than just a friend to her. I must tell you, just because I look like this doesn't mean that my body is actually degraded. And I have many more years with a sword than you do."
""Suki is my best friend. It isn't anymore than that, I think. I don't know. It's hard to tell lately, and so many people are asking me what's going on with her. She is beautiful, but she is also smart, seeing her smile makes my day, and at least before the incident with Deeseedra, she was very happy. I think my Mom is trying to push things in that way, I mean she utterly adores "Suki. As does pretty much everyone else in the family that has met her."
When he noticed the man hadn't responded he looked over to see him crying lightly, "Aono-san, you do not know how much hearing that relieves me. Tamiko and Utsuki are the two most precious things in my life. You will never understand how much it hurt to abandon her like I did, but it seemed like the best option at the time. To hear that she has been happy to any degree just... it... it makes me so relieved and happy. I don't even know how long it has been since I have been happy about anything," when he looked up Tekeshi noticed something.
"Hey, not to change the subject or anything, but your face wasn't that smooth five minutes ago. Was it?"
"What do you mean. I gave up fighting acne years ago, I kep...," brushing a hand against his smooth cheek he was shocked.
Grabbing his phone out he just stared at the reflection in the screen. His face was unblemished. Honestly even Tekeshi had to admit that if he dropped a few his face would be almost model grade. And it got the younger man to thinking about the wording that had been used.
"Your uncle passed the sentence and said that your wouldn't know any happiness "with" her, but I think that he meant you wouldn't know any happines "at all". You and your wife have not been happy since, and by extension neither has 'Suki. So by being happ...," the door busted open before he finished.
"Mamoru, look. My skin isn't greasy. Neither is my hair. I haven't washed my hair completely in years because of it. I don't know what just happened but I was brushing my hair back earlier... Why are you looking at me like a piece of meat? You haven't looked at me like that in years, are you... Whoa, I have not...," and Tekeshi did not wait around for her to notice his presence.
Heading out of the building and into an alleyway he had to stop and catch his breath, " For the love of. I have heard of wording being really important, but this is just, god. I would have thought that a curse would be robust enough that it wouldn't be that easy to break. I mean, I am kind of happy for them, and I also don't think she is going to be walking for a week."
Tekeshi heard Jakkasu in the back of his mind, "I wouldn't be surprised if he bangs her like a set of drums all night long. And if she starts looking like she did in those memories, I think a week wouldn't even let the feeling back in her legs."
"Nobody asked your opinion, despite it probably being right. However he said something very important, and I am concerned about what it could mean. When I told him I was a vampire, he said something about being connected to what his brother released. Vampires are not that common in Japanese folklore, however we were known to move around a lot, and we have definitely been in japan for at least three hundred years. I know that my grandfather established the House of Shuzen at least two hundred years ago."
"Well it couldn't have been him then, otherwise you wouldn't have been born a vampire, or have the 'make every girl cream her panties' face."
"Jakkasu, I swear that if you ever say that again, I am dropping you in a vat of battery acid."
Giving the amount on his mind he automatically transported himself to the circle in his father's workshop. The ease made it an obvious choice, however he wasn't expecting the reception. One made up of four angry vampires, and two angry witches.
The only adult male in the room was the first to speak up, "You do not even understand just how pissed off all of us are right now."
Then the mother, "Where the hell did you go off to? Unless you have forgotten we were just attacked a couple of days ago. Do you know how worried we have been?"
Eldest vampire aunt, "We were worried that you had been kidnapped, and for the most part I wouldn't have worried, except you just happened to lop the arms off of someone that wants to utterly destroy your father."
"I have had half of the house guards out looking for you. And the other half preparing for a rescue mission. Do you know how close to a breakdown I was," youngest vampire aunt.
Eldest witch aunt, "You know that there is a spell on you that keeps you from being watched and located by magical means. I was about to have a stroke trying to figure out a way around it, and you just come sweeping up in here through a transportation spell like it is nothing."
"Do you have anything to say, Tekeshi," the last and youngest witch aunt.
"I have a cell phone with an international calling plan. Other circumstances, I would have said something, and possibly should have said something to one of you. Honestly though, why could you have not just made a phone call. Everyone of you has my number," he said, leaving the room in an awkward silence.
It continued for quite a while for the simple fact: none of them had thought of such a simple thing as giving him a phone call. It actually made them look bad in this case, because it was the normal place to start when you were looking for your sixteen year old child since the middle of the 2000s. And just to rub it in Tekeshi sent a group text to all of them, revealing one of them that never admitted to it had Rick Astley as their ringtone.
A/N: I had thought there would be a whole swordfight in this chapter. I'm kind of disappointed, but the chapter works. Of course leave it to Akasha to give some advice that sounds like it is out of the dark ages. Mainly because she was alive during the end of the dark ages. Leave some reviews with some meat to them. It helps me kind of steer the story when I know what I am doing right, and what I am doing wrong.