Strangely enough, the integration of the Mongrels into the student body hadn't been as difficult as one would have thought. Unlike with Utsuki, no secret had been made of what they were, but it was well known that they were very well connected with the headmaster, and you did not want to anger him if you knew what was good for you. Not too mention that while they were technically violent criminals in Phoenix, Arizona, they were still fairly regular high school students otherwise.
So they weren't afraid for their lives at the moment as they ate lunch, they were just confused. As were the members of the Harlot Squad Mark II. The source of their confusion came from the fact that Tekeshi and Utsuki weren't all over each other. They were honestly acting like this was any other day before the epic confession and massacre of a few days ago. They were just sitting there eating their lunches, while returning uncomfortable stares across the table.
"Ok everyone, what is it," Utsuki finally got tired of the awkwardness.
It took a second for Asusa to be elected to speak for them, "Aren't you two, like, utterly and madly in love with each other?"
Tekeshi slowly nodded, "Yes, and that makes us worthy of being stared at like zoo animals?"
"So why aren't you feeding each other, and going all mushy," she replied.
"Is that what we are supposed to do? I don't actually like people getting their hands close to my face. I mean, Tekeshi-kun always guides the back of my head when he kisses me. Or comes up under my chin," Utsuki said.
"I'm six foot even and over two hundred pounds, I'm not a baby, I can feed myself alright. This isn't a cheap chick flic or romance novel. We are figuring it out as we go along, now if you are all just going to sit there letting your food get cold, I'm going to engage in grand theft soba," Tekeshi put in his word on it.
Heavy shook his head, "Boss, the entire time since, you haven't been lovey dovey at all. I mean, you act like it is just a normal day with you two being single. At least lean against each other for god's sake."
"Mhmm, this stuff is pretty good. Why would we do that, proper posture while eating is important, otherwise you might choke on your food," Tekeshi retorted.
"Oh for the love of, at least act like you are going to grab her tits or something. You two are so damn boring for a couple. You are a hardened killer, why are you acting like you are a perfect gentleman," Machiko threw her hands in the air.
Utsuki made a face, "I really rather he wouldn't in public. PDAs are just, rude. Why should everyone around us be forced to watch that? Besides, he would get my shirt dirty."
Dehlia just fell out over the table, "Och fur th' loue o' god, whit hae we dane tae be saddled wi' thae twa?"
"Look, that kind of thing just isn't us. Ok, get over it. We aren't about to put on a public softcore porn show to prove we are together. Why can't you all be more like Deess over here," the vampire motioned to the demon who was busy working her food over.
"Leave me out of this, I ain't getting laid from the relationship, I don't care," she said as she examined a piece of pork before she ate it.
"I give up. I give up. Tek-man, you are a badass. You have a nickname that strikes fear into the hearts of men three times your age. Boring isn't you, at least have her sit on your lap, make yourself look like a king," Akoni spoke up.
"That could get awkward in public. Also we aren't, quite, to that point," Utsuki's face started getting red.
Tekeshi put his chopsticks down, "We aren't screwing. We have only been together as a couple for a matter of days. If we get to the point we want to do that kind of thing, we will. Regardless it isn't a single one of you people's business. The only other person affected is Deess, and that is only because she is a part of 'Suki."
Harumi then intoned, "You are high schoolers. You aren't supposed to care about what other people think of you. For the love of, how are you not having sex with him, Dyke? Look at him, I am like his little sister and I want to rip his clothes off him. Most of us do, and you finally have the full right to and you don't. Do you know how insulting that is to the rest of us?"
"Be insulted then," Utsuki replied to her as she examined a strange looking piece of ginger.
"You, are, so. Oh, please. I. Utsuki, have you at least considered it," Asusa asked.
"I'm not ready for that kind of thing yet. Tekeshi knows that, and he respects it. I know that most yokai seem to have much more hormonal activity than humans do, and to that effect, I was human until about three months ago. Look, we will let you know when it happens, I will send Tekeshi running around the grounds with my panties held up in the air," Utsuki was tired of the conversation.
Everyone looked at her. That was out of character for her, even the Mongrels could tell that. Even Deesseedra just sat there looking at her with noodles halfway to her mouth.
"Lovely Mistress, I, can't believe that came out of your mouth. If it was me, yes, but you? If it wasn't for the fact we share halves of a soul, I would think you had been abducted and replaced," the demon said as the food fell back in her bowl.
"'Suki, I don't care how hilarious that would be, I am not doing it. I am not doing it. But yes, we are going at our pace. All of you know that I don't really care for the whole horny teenage guy thing like you three. I have some self control, and I will exercise it. Why is this even a big deal for any of you, we aren't here for your entertainment," Tekeshi's voice began to take on a decidedly harsh, and evil tone.
"Tekeshi, we just, we could see how head over heels you two were. People like that are usually all over each other for a long time after before they start cooling off. We just, aren't getting why you aren't fitting what most people would think," Chun-hee started an innocence act, trying to goad something.
"I'm not buying it. Also how would you know, you haven't ever had a relationship. Look all of you, we aren't your entertainment. Shit, lunch is over now. Thank you, I wanted to finish my food, you ruined that. Come on 'Suki, we have to get to history class," the two of them left the others sitting there.
"Was all that really necessary? I was having a good day, now I am going to have to deal with her pissy mood. Do you know what it is like to have someone else's mood bleeding into your own? It isn't fun. Why do all of you care? I mean, it doesn't affect you in any real way. Of course some of you want to jump his bones whether he wanted it or not, but get over it," Deessedra stared the irritants down.
"We, just want the best for them," Black said, a little intimidated by the odd horned woman.
"Then leave them alone. I get little flashes from him due to the whole Heartsworn thing he has going on. It isn't as strong as I do from from Lovely Mistress, but I can tell, they aren't breaking up any time soon. Cold Friend, you are the closest to both of them, you know it as well as I do. So leave them... oh for the love of. Now someone is jumping them and getting their ass handed to them. Didn't even give Delicious Bloodsucker a chance to blindfold her. This is going to be awkward for a while."
"Tsukune, you have something on your mind. Beyond what you are telling me about my daughter's injury. Please tell me about it," Issa may have been able to read minds with statements like that.
"I'm sorry. I have a thousand things on my mind. What was I saying, oh yeah. Apparently, Tekeshi's birth had left her unable to easily conceive. She hadn't said anything to me, and apparently didn't know until just this last summer break. Miss Cauley, Tekeshi's ex-girlfriend, apparently did her a very big favor by trying to cut her in half with a twelve gauge. What concerns me, is that we weren't aware that highly purified silver could be enough to affect even a Shinso. Yukari is pretty sure that had it been a single bullet, it wouldn't have have had the effect like it did. She thinks that the reaction she had was due to the exposed surface area the multiple pellets provided," Tsukune replied.
"It is, more than disturbing that they have figured out a way to combat you and Moka so effectively. I wonder how they would have come to the idea of using silver buckshot. The upper leadership is well aware that you two are not simple vampires, and are for all intents and purposes unable to defeat them by yourselves simply by the fact you can only be in one place at a time. Even I don't know that much about Shinsos, and four members of my family, are or were such. It is times like this that I wish Mikogami was still around. He was the true force of my rise to power, I mainly hit things, very hard," the older man sat back in his chair as he thought.
Tsukune nodded, "I wish he were still around, as well. He was always ten steps ahead of everyone, and I doubt half of what I have dealt with would have occurred with him around."
Issa chuckled, "You give him way more credit than he would take, and only slightly more than he deserved. He was a true tactical genius, and he was capable of great feats of military brilliance, but he was still prone to being defeated at times if he let his temper get away from him. How are you doing being separated from her?"
"I'm having trouble sleeping, I'm constantly nervous and worried about her, and I am constantly turning around to ask her something and she isn't there. I am damned mess. The last time that she wasn't constantly by my side, or at least within a mile of me, was before we sent Tekeshi to live with Yukari. I don't know what to do, she, without her, I, I don't feel like myself."
"I was much the same when Akasha sealed Alucard in Moka's childhood. I truly loved Gyokuro, she meant so much to me, and I still mourn her death, and I hate myself for driving her to the acts that caused it. Akasha, I didn't truly understand what I was doing when I helped free her from Alucard's body. When I first saw her, I didn't think much of her. She was this tiny woman who wouldn't stop smiling. She always had a pleasant word for anyone she met, even if she didn't like them. She was the most wonderful thing, and I don't even know when I fell in love with her," Issa smiled sadly as he thought back on the past.
Tsukune stood and walked over to a board on the wall. It had a series of pictures, hand written notes, and printouts. This board was a map of all the movements, operations, and the leadership of the various units they knew comprised Fairy Tale. One paper was on the side of the board that dealt with high command, and simply said "Benefactor?" on it. The only information they now had on him was that he was strange, and gave out snacks to members. The first, could be of interest. The second, was more a reference to the first than anything else. Something bit at the back of Tsukune's mind as he considered the sudden improvement in Fairy Tale's tactics.
"You told them," he said to the paper.
His father-in-law joined him, "You think that this mysterious benefactor is someone that knows something about what you are. That would insinuate that they are someone that you know personally."
"Or that they are a Shinso themselves. It isn't impossible that there could be some that are unknown. That is not a comforting thought though. They would have to be considerable older then me and Moka, which means they could possibly be much, much stronger."
"That is a possibility, not a likely one, but it is possible. I would hate to have to come to blows with another Shinso, especially considering how things went down with Alucard. Kahlua has said that she was always shuffled off somewhere else when he showed up, so she doesn't know anything about him, except that he is obscenely wealthy. This is troubling if it is the case. They would know how to stop one of their own better than we do, and if they have some goal that they are using Fairy Tale to achieve, that you run counter to, then they would have the reason to reveal such information," Issa stared at the paper as well.
"He is the biggest question I have. How they manage to keep him out of sight, and all information about him so tightly controlled, I don't understand. All that I know is that he showed up fourteen years ago, and that is first rumors that we got. It makes me want to tear my hair out. Without Kahlua in place, we have a giant hole in our information network. I take it you haven't had any luck getting agents in place to close it," Tsukune looked over at him.
"Nothing. They are beyond paranoid at that level. I don't have any plans to continue to infiltrate their top tiers, the loss of life isn't worth it. Tsukune, for right now, enjoy this time, and let me worry about dealing with all of this. I agree with the witch, you do need a break. Ever since the attacks against our family during the summer break, you have been killing yourself trying to keep up with all of this. You need some actual rest," Issa put his hand on the younger man's shoulder.
"I will try. It is good seeing Kyoko again. I just, don't know how she has such misfortune always stalking her. At least she didn't get raped, and thankfully didn't rape the Lama. I'm turning into my son. I do need a break," Tsukune tipped his head back and put his hands over his eyes.
"Get some rest. All of this will still be here in a few weeks."
Moka stretched in the hot spring as she enjoyed the soak. As much as she would have liked to have been with Tsukune, this was not a bad vacation. She wasn't aware of how stressed she had been with everything going on, and was relishing the chance to get rid of it.
"Hey Moka, do my boobs look a little lopsided," Mizore asked next to her.
Moka opened an eye to look, "A little bit. Does it feel like it is swollen, like you slept on it wrong?"
"A little bit. I didn't really notice it until just now. God, now I am noticing I am starting to get a little soft in the middle," the snow woman pinched her side dissatisfied.
"I wouldn't worry about it. You still look great. How is the thing with that other teacher you have been seeing," the vampire asked as she closed her eye again.
"Oh, Ginji, it's going ok. He knows what I am, so there isn't anything awkward there. I just, I don't know if I want to continue on with him," Mizore replied.
"Is he horrible to you, if he is, he won't be," Moka's eyes opened with a dark glint.
"He is wonderful. He is great with the twins, he actually was a little disappointed that they weren't going to be attending the high school here. He can cook, he can sing almost as great as Tekeshi can, and he knows how to please a woman in every way. The problem is, he wants a kid, and...," she trailed off.
Moka put her arms around her friend, "I know. I know. You have it worse than I do. I wish there was something that we could do for you, but I don't think there is anyway to fight nature on this subject."
"We are all almost forty now. I just, had to lose that sooner than all of you. All Yuki-onna know that it is coming. We only have a few years, and I am not dissatisfied that Yusa and Asusa are the only children that I am going to have. I just, know how much it would mean to him. Honestly though, while he has all these good qualities, I think he has stronger feelings for me than I have for him," she returned the hug.
"You are still hung up on Tsukune aren't you," surprisingly Moka didn't have any hostility in her voice with the question.
"How couldn't I be? He is the father of the girls, and he is Tsukune. I have never known any man who is even the slightest bit like him. Ginji would have run under the same conditions that he stood and faced. Almost any human man I have ever met would have. Also Tuskune, is better, even when he wasn't fully interested," Mizore told her.
"He is good. I don't have anything that I can argue with you on that point. I really did enjoy our, fun. I thought about trying to convince him that we should do it again, but I don't think he would go for it now. He isn't like my father was. He wouldn't go in for having a mistress either. At least, I don't think that even I could convince him," the words coming from Moka surprised the woman.
Mizore took a second to understand what she had heard, "Moka, I would never ask that of you. You won, you got him. None of us will ever try to take him from you. We wouldn't want to do that to you. Besides the fact you would murder us painfully, you two deserve to be happy. I'll find someone, it's just going to take time."
"You deserve to be happy too. And, ever since I learned that I might not have another child, and you offered to tell the girls, I started to think about it. Maybe, they do deserve to know, and the whole family should be together. Especially since we know that Kurumu wouldn't suffer due to it. Plus, like I said, I enjoyed, our fun," she giggled as she mentioned that part again.
"Who are you, and what have you done with my highly possessive, and jealous friend," Mizore deadpanned.
Moka looked her in the eye, "I, had to face mortality."