"Have I had a chance to tell you my theory on Shinso blood, Tsukune," Issa asked after Kahlua had retired from the room.
"I don't believe you have, nor was I aware you had one," the younger man replied.
"Around the time you became more powerful than me, I began wondering; why did you not just become so much more powerful when the blood awakened? As I thought on it, I noticed that the power would increase in a linear pattern for a while, then you would be involved in a battle and lose a large amount of blood. After these instances, your power grew exponentially, as your body replaced that lost blood. I then came to a conclusion, what if the blood itself doesn't provide power? What if, as more and more of it is produced in your body, displacing your natural born blood, it acts more as an amplifier?"
"That is an interesting theory, though limited. Have you had any further reason to think it true?"
"Tekeshi."
"Tekeshi? I don't understand."
Issa stood and stretched his muscles, "Tekeshi should have been dead with the amount of blood he was loosing from the lesions he suffered from as infant. I had both of you inject him with blood to prevent either from loosing too much, more from over injecting out of fear of it not being enough rather than anything else. Both of you did end up doing more than you should have, I would say that between you two, you probably provided around seventy percent of the blood in his body at that time. He didn't immediately become as powerful as one or both of you. Correct?"
"That is true, he didn't show that he was extremely powerful until after he was five, in fact I would say that it took that long for him to actually recover from the illness."
"Then one day you three are attacked, and suddenly his power awakens, and turns much weaker yokai to dust. Due to her bloodlines, Moka is already quite powerful, though sealed away as she was she never made use of it. Due to the influences upon your body; becoming a ghoul, the human modification ritual, becoming a full vampire, and then awakening as a shinso you are also extremely powerful. I would say that those factors are the reason you are more powerful than Moka is. Tekeshi was always going to be powerful. There isn't any discussion of that needed. Were it not for the sheer display and violence of his awakening he might not have needed to be sealed as he is. What have you also noticed as he has taken serious injury that has resulted in major blood loss?"
Tsukune thought on the question for several minutes, "He has become more powerful. That still doesn't explain everything though."
"The second part, is Kahlua. I would say that when Fujisaki revived her, she received about thirty percent of the blood a being could lose before their vitals collapse, and she received it postmortem. Granted she had not reached brain death, but she was still dead. She, as far as we know, has not taken any major injuries that cause blood loss. She still has shinso blood now, but she does not show to have the full on power of a shinso."
"This is true, and she was extremely powerful, but I still don't understand where you are going with this."
"I posit, that if Kahlua awakened as a shinso, she would exceed yours, and Moka's power, by a major margin. I also believe that if Tekeshi could be safely unsealed, then he would exceed even that. He might be unmatchable in power, unless he was to have a child with another extremely powerful yokai, and passed a large amount of shinso blood to that child. At that point it would greatly exceed him in power. Pure vampires without shinso blood where both parents are very powerful see a similar progression, but not as extreme, and don't have the jumps caused by injury."
"So you believe that the higher the blood concentration of the shinso blood, the more the power is amplified? That does actually seem to make sense when it is completely laid out. What I don't understand then, is why is the shinso blood not passed on in childbirth," Tsukune said after consideration.
"That I don't understand. It seems likely that the shinso blood isn't affecting genetics. In fact it almost seems like the cells don't divide unless blood is lost, and it is trying to fill that space to make sure that the body the cells reside in does not die. Akasha was considerably more powerful than you or Moka are. Many times her body was reduced to next to nothing. I would believe that at some point, the ratio of shinso blood she held was near one hundred percent. Without such, I don't believe she would have had near as much power as she did, but she would have still been near my level of power, if not exceeding it. Were I to hold that much Shinso blood, I quite possibly would be in a similar situation to Tekeshi, and have to fear my body burning away from the sheer power I would have. I also have an, unlikely, theory about why that is."
"Why?"
"I don't believe that Shinso himself, was a true vampire. I might never be able to prove such, but it would explain the lack of passing on to children, why it doesn't self replicate and displace the hosts natural blood, and why you won't become a shinso by drinking another's blood. And this next part may sound even more outlandish, I don't believe that Shinso is dead. I almost believe that if he died, then the shinso blood would lose its power," Issa ended his lecture there.
Tsukune continued to consider his father in law's theory as he left the pocket dimension they conducted most of their meetings in. He had been led to believe that Alucard and Shinso were actually one in the same, but upon thinking of it, it didn't make that much sense for them to have been the same. He wasn't exactly sure how old the vampire race was, but he had found records going back over two thousand years. It was possibly they were even older than that, and from what he had learned afterwards, Alucard was only around 1300 years old at the time of their battle.
He was considering whether he should try to take a leave of absence in order to do some more research on the subject. The idea that there could be any chance of them losing their power, however unlikely, worried him. Were it not for the fact that it gave him leverage against others that didn't share his desire for peace between humans and yokai, he wouldn't have been that concerned. Honestly there was only the smallest bit of doubt nagging at him, but even the smallest chance, was still a chance.
"Uncle Tsukune, we have an issue," he hadn't expected Asusa, or for that matter Tekeshi frozen up to his shoulders in a block of ice, in front of his office.
"Uh, Asusa, I hope you remember that ice is your thing. I think, and I hit things, I don't do ice sculpting," he told the girl.
"Ha ha, Chichi, she wants me to tell you about something that happened that I don't really want to tell you about, because I don't think it is all that important," Tekeshi wasn't that impressed with his situation.
"Onii-san was stabbed with a silver knife a little earlier. Aunt Yukari said he is ok, but that isn't a normal event here. They were after him specifically, 'Suki got fed up with his attitude about it and went to find that Madonna woman, but I am worried they will try again," Asusa said with a hint of annoyance.
"I think I already know who, and I wouldn't worry. He would risk revealing who he is, and that he failed, and his pride wouldn't allow it. Uh, was it really necessary to freeze him like that."
"Thank you Dad. Somebody at least sees some sense."
Asusa shrugged, "He can't run away."
"While I will admit this is true, I am also surprised he can breathe. I would really appreciate it if you would let him out of the ice," out of everyone, Asusa was most likely to listen to Tsukune when he told her to do something.
"Fine, but please tell me something is going to be done. What if they decide to come after one of us. Unlike you vampires, all of us girls don't heal as easy."
"As much as I hate to admit, she may have a point there Dad. It would be best if you handle it, given how much the School Board wants a rope around my neck," Tekeshi said as the ice transpirated around him.
Tsukune grimaced, "This is going to be a pain politically, but I don't have much a choice in the matter. I will see that it is taken care of, in the mean time, all of you be careful. Let your sister, Harumi, and Machiko know what is going on, and try to avoid being alone if you don't have to be. Tekeshi, I want you two to find Miss Shiraishi and stay with here until the end of the day. He won't come after you again I can guarantee."
"There isn't anyway I could just borrow a shotgun from the school security, and just be done with the whole thing is there?"
"That would be too easy, and then I would have to explain why I turned you loose with a shotgun. There is no real way to win in this situation. Be careful you two, I don't want to have to go to war over this."
"Continue breathing deeply. Let nothing remain in your mind, seek nothing but a void," Tomoe instructed the young girl.
Given that there had not been a proper language teacher in multiple years, Tsukune had put Madonna right to work. In lieu of herself, she had placed the onna-musha in charge of Utsuki and Dibea's meditation teaching. While Anne was just as disciplined, Utsuki could barely understand a word she said. Tomoe was also much calmer in most cases, so she was the obvious choice.
"Now Utsuki-chan what is your favorite thing to help you relax," the woman asked.
"Music. I like listening to music," she replied.
"Do you have any favorites that do more than any other?"
"Fleetwood Mac's Rhiannon."
"I'm sorry. I, well, obviously have to declare ignorance of them. I want you to bring the melody of the song into the void with you. Make it the only thing you are aware of. Try to breathe in time with the beat."
Utsuki had listened to the song so much that it wasn't difficult. She managed to sync her breathing up almost perfectly. In the process she almost felt like she didn't even exist in reality anymore, the void became everything, and the only thing.
"Lovely Mistress? What are you doing here?"
Utsuki opened her eyes to see Deesseedra floating in the void with a bewildered look on her face, "Gozen-san was doing my meditation training. I don't know how I got, where is here?"
"The easiest way to explain it, is that this my domain within your aura. Aura may not be the best word, but it is the easiest to use for what it is. As you occupy space, there is a state of energy, one that is constantly shifting. That constant shift creates a sort of pocket dimension. For someone like Delicious Bloodsucker, it isn't all that strong because he is firmly in one dimension. You on the other hand, are bound to me. I am part of you, and that flux state, is much stronger because I am not of this dimension. Due to that stronger flux, that pocket dimension is much larger, and I can reside in it, and because I am still a physical object you can perceive me while I am here."
"You ate a physicist didn't you?"
"Worst headache ever. I have warned every other demon I encountered afterwards not to do it. Still, I guess that part of the whole meditation thing they were going on about was to come here. I don't know why though, you can speak to me without being here."
A noise woke Utsuki from here trance, "Utsuki-chan, that was a little deeper than you should be going. What did you see?"
"I was talking with Deesseedra. I apparently intruded into where she disappears to when she isn't physically here."
"Oh, wow. That is incredible. Only the most powerful of our sisters can accomplish such. I must admit that I am not among them, nor is Anne to my knowledge. Sister Agrea is, two or three others, and Mother Madonna herself. You never cease to amaze a body, Utsuki-chan," Tomoe said with a look of surprise on her face.
"Is it really that big of a deal? So, how is power measured for us?"
"That is an interesting question. The easiest way to say how powerful you are, relates to your physical strength. Obviously your natural strength will have a large impact on this, but being bound to a demon lets you, I am not quite sure how to explain this. I don't want to say borrow, but access seems like too simple of a term," she started chewing on a thumbnail as she thought.
A smooth cold voice sounded from a tree branch above them, "Steal, would be an easy way to say for the unwilling. Call upon is a friendlier way to say it for all of the ways."
"Thank you Yltoun, that is a good way to say it. You can call upon Deesseedra's physical strength as your own. From what I understand, though I am not sure how they determine it, Deesseedra is quite incredible powerful by demon standards."
A dark haired man wearing a kimono and hakama dropped to the ground, "Deeddeors is what we call a planares. She is much more connected to this dimension, but at the same time, she can exist in others. According to Rouseals, she doesn't make use of this power of hers, but it places her among a dangerous level of demon. I can't use time as a reference, but there are many that have consumed other demons in order to fuel this power. A human's life force could also power it, and with the interesting circumstances concerning your contract with her, that power may be feeding back into you. Think like a pump that is moving water from a bucket, to a bucket at a higher elevation, and that bucket running over and refilling the first one."
Tomoe cocked her head at the explanation, "Yltoun, you know that I don't understand highly technical explanations, however I don't think this one could have been explained any other way so I will let it go, but from now on, tell me if they will be technical, or you will be punsihed."
"Of course, Mistress of Tachi, I forgot my place. I will retire now, and consider my transgression," with that he faded from view.
"Gozen-san, was that really necessary," Utsuki asked, somewhat taken aback.
"He knows that I do not like him to do that, and he has been told in the past. As it does not happen often I give him some leeway. I will not, however, permit frequent disobedience."
"It just seemed like a cruel way to treat someone that is bound to your soul. He was just trying to help explain what was going on."
Tomoe looked the girl in the eye, "My relationship with Yltoun is mine to decide how it will be conducted. Do not forget that he is my slave, and I have every right to treat him as I deign to treat him. I believe that that is enough of this session for today," and with that she started to leave.
"Tomoe, I believe that you should give greater though to Miss 'Suki's words," Madonna said as she approached them.
"Great Mother. As I said, He is mine to..." Madonna cut her off.
"You and Yltoun do not work well in sync with each other. While you are quite strong naturally, I have told you that if you will learn to meet him halfway, you will exceed what you can do now. I observed a little before I approached, and I agree with her words," Madonna said calmly.
"I did not bind Yltoun, to play nice. He is what made me into a weapon. I was already adept at making use of his power before I ever joined you..."
"And you tried to challenge me, and I defeated you with no effort. I would almost guess that should she understand how to truly use her power, you would not be able to stand to Miss 'Suki. You are an impressive swordswoman, but in understanding what Yltoun is to you, you are like a child."
Tomoe let her head drop slightly, "Why must I consider the feelings, of a beast as foul as demon. I only let him touch me when the feelings are at their worst, so I don't have to face them, and the shame of him touching me more than necessary. I know what they are, and what he has, can, and will do if I let him."
Madonna took Tomoe by the chin firmly and looked her in the eye, "I don't think you truly do."
The Japanese woman broke free and walked away quickly. It was easy to tell that she felt somewhat attacked and denigrated for how she treated the demon bound to her, but Utsuki couldn't find any faults with Madonna's words.
"Miss 'Suki. I wish that I could be more forceful to her, but I was much the same at the beginning of my time with Rougar. If I heard correctly, you were able to enter in to your aura. I am quite amazed, you exceed expectations quite easily, though I am concerned at what it might mean in training you, and how difficult that could become."
Utsuki looked at Dibea still silently meditating, "I don't quite understand just how powerful I am supposed to be, but why is it more difficult to teach someone who is more powerful than another?"
Madonna sat on a stump that was at the edge of the clearing, "The reactions one has mainly. Dibea, she, bless her she is such a sweet girl, she is among the weakest of our order. That said, she doesn't have as much of an effect from her partner's personality on her. Would you say that you have changed since you and Deesseedra have been joined?"
"A lot of people have commented that I seem to be becoming more confident. I also care less about peoples opinion of me."
"Both of those are the same, but I would say in the short time I have known you, you have also become a little more assertive. The first I met you, I would not have expected you to challenge Tomoe on how she treats Yltoun. While she is powerful, she rejects him, so it limits the effect on her. Anne, and Mrega, were so much alike when they became bound that it didn't have much to effect, though Anne still orders her around, and isn't quite as open as she could be."
"What about Dibea's partner," Utsuki asked glancing at the girl again, who seemed oblivious that she could have stopped meditating already.
"I don't actually know their name, or whether they are male or female. It's interesting, but I feel that when the time comes that they can work together, and the demon is comfortable showing themselves they will. Now, since Tomoe took care of the meditation lesson for today, lets work on your English skills."
Alfonse Periet Morturo was very proud. His father was a major vampire lord, so why shouldn't he. He was powerful enough that he could be sent to this backwater school to show them how real monsters acted. None of that meant anything at that moment. Not as he was being held in nothing but his underwear, kneeling in front of a chair holding the headmaster of the school.
"Mister Morturo, I believe I told you not to pick a battle with my family again. Did I not," Tsukune asked as he swirled a glass of blood.
"Do you understand who I am. You are declaring war on one of the strongest vampire families in Europe. Harm one hair on my head, and this school will burn," the teenager yelled, trying to seem more confident than he really felt.
"Ah, so you don't think that stabbing my son in the stomach with a silver knife, with the handle bound in a way that is specific to your families armorers, is not an act of war against my family. Why would you think that I would consider it anything other? Now were it just my son that I felt I may need to worry about, I would just let your father deal with your failure. However in a bid to appease me, he has given me your life. I tend to be a very compassionate man, I don't care for executions. In this case it is different, because one of the girls that must have ran past you to help him was my daughter, and when she pointed out she may be at risk, I changed my mind on how to handle this."
Tsukune stood and walked over to a table. On it sat the knife that had been used to harm his son. Morturo's eyes got big as he saw it, and he suddenly felt a cold wave go from where his knees were in contact with the floor, to just below his throat.
"I want you to meet the mother of my daughter, and on your other side is the mother of my son. Their names are not important right now. You won't have time to remember them. I do want you to remember this should you be reborn. You do not mess with the House of Shuzen," Tsukune quickly crossed the room and cut the boy's throat smoothly and without a show emotion on his face.
"Tsukune, I will deal with the body. It is easy to lose one in the mountains, especially when they are frozen and won't decay," Mizore said as she looked at the body coldly.
Moka spoke next, "I will make sure that the knife gets returned to its proper owner, bloodstains intact. It is a shame that such a message is needed in the first place."
"It is, and, this brings up some questions about if we just dealt with Deesseedra's summoner."
"You think the Morturo family is responsible," Moka asked as she watched the snow woman somehow make the ice block the corpse was in seemingly float from the room.
"They have made no secret in their support for Fairy Tale in the past, so it seems likely."