The silence in the tent was deafening.
Tsukune had not said anything to the words that his family had laid out. It wasn't difficult to agree with the evidence, and it fit in with what his father in law had theorized. It also put their chances of coming out of this battle on top, in such jeopardy that he almost wondered how they could come out on top.
"Dad, you can come back to life at any time you would like," Tekeshi said after almost an hour of silence.
Tsukune sat up and looked at his family, "This, could be a disaster if true. I don't know how powerful he could be, possibly beyond even me. Maybe even me and your mother combined. Moka, I don't have the greatest knowledge of who Shinso was supposed to be, or any stories about him. Do you know anything?"
"I," Moka started, "don't know that much. The most of what I know is that he was supposed to be the first vampire. He lead an embattled people against an overwhelming army of orcs. Until now, it wasn't even known where he came from. I never even heard of him being connected with this part of the world, most vampire scholars were convinced that he was from somewhere in the Carpathian mountains, most likely Wallachia."
"Hmm. Wasn't Grandma from Wallachia," Tekeshi asked when that was mentioned.
"She was. There were more vampires in Wallachia than anywhere else in the world at one point. We have mentioned Alucard at one point, he was originally known As Count Vlad Dracul Tepes. Most commonly called Dracula. He was one of the first to try to..."
"Bring peace between the human and yokai denizens of his vovoide. This much Grandma has told me. What I don't understand is how Shinso would be involved, unless he settled in Wallachia after Vampiris was destroyed," the younger vampire theorized.
"That would make sense. As you said, we only found so many bodies. Elderly, and the fanged women who stayed behind to delay their end. Tsukune, I wonder, if, but that wouldn't make sense. There has to be a mixing of blood directly for a person to become a shinso. Yet, I don't know if there is a direct connection between Alucard, and Shinso. I wasn't old enough to ask Mother, and I didn't even know about Alucard at the time. During the time I was sealed, I had no knowledge of any of what had occurred. Oh how I wish Father were here," Moka felt a little defeated with her lack of knowledge.
"It's ok Moka, anything is more than we had before. What all did you find, beside the message and the skeletons," Tsukune asked.
"The ancient weapons. They looked liked they possibly dated to just after the Roman Republic, the rise of the Roman Empire. I never really studied that period that much, I tended to study later periods, and different weapons," Tekeshi replied.
"Yes, you and your hammer fetish. Anything else?"
The son gave a dead stare before he answered, "Nothing more of much note. Mundane artifacts like pottery shards, clothing scraps made of leather, and storage containers. There weren't any weapons that appeared to belong to the vampires."
"You said that there were certain bone markers that told you these were ancestors of vampires. What are they," Tsukune asked.
"Thicker bones at the shoulder, wrist, knee, and hip. The mandible is sat slightly further back than the typical human, and the rami are taller, to allow for a greater range of movement to provide a wider opening of the mouth to allow us to latch onto the throat of a victim easier. If you notice me and Mom have larger eyes than you do. The ocular orbits are larger as well to accommodate the larger eyes. If you want a full rundown you might want to ask Aunt Yukari, she would be able to explain everything better, I mostly know what could give an advantage in a fight," Tekeshi replied.
"I wonder why it was women who stayed behind though," Tsukune went to the next thought.
"The patriarch leads the house, the matriarch defends it. Typically, if there was some kind of conflict, Father would leave with the men, and Mother and Gyokoru would organize the women in case there was an attack at the least defended. Traditionally, the women were expected to also care for those who were infirm, or unable to care for themselves, such as children," Moka said.
"Ok, but what was that they called themselves in the message? The Sisters of the Grave? What does that mean exactly?"
Moka sighed, "The Sisters of the Grave, is the rearguard of the house. The ones who stay behind so that everyone else, will survive. It is considered a badge of great honor, but it is certain death. I didn't know that the concept was that old though. It's, humbling."
Tekeshi suddenly interjected, "Ok, Dad I know this interesting, but we have gotten way off topic. We need to figure out what the Hell our next move needs to be."
"Kodomo, part of beating your enemy, is understanding your enemy. This was a part of his history, part of what shaped him through time. We know so little about him, that if we can understand what happened to his home, then we might be able to have an iota of a chance against him. I..." a voice from the shadows interrupted Tsukune.
"I think, the time for me to step from the shadows has come," Issa Shuzen said from a chair behind Moka and Tekeshi.
Moka turned around slowly. She couldn't believe the voice, one that she had wanted to hear for almost fifteen years. There he was, older seeming than she remembered, but it was definitely him. She suddenly wished that she was dressed in anything other than sweaty and dirty body armor to meet him again.
"Daddy, is it, you," she approached slowly, not truly believing it.
Issa stood, and embraced his daughter, "It's me, Moka. You don't know how good it is to see you after so long. I know that I will need to explain why I left, but right now, we have a much more important purpose to see to."
"Right, you're right. I, just, I missed you so much. I, don't know, what I, I...," tears started to run down her cheeks.
"Tsukune, I heard only a little. Give me a quick rundown," the elder vampire looked from his daughter to his son in law.
"Tekeshi and Moka found Vampiris, which appears to be the birthplace of vampires. Due to a message they found to Shinso, Tekeshi put together some pieces, and believes that Shinso may be in league with Fairy Tale," he replied.
Issa nodded, "The Benefactor. It makes sense. It doesn't bode well, and may explain why we could never find anything concrete on him. It may also explain the quirks that the girl described. The wording of the message. This, is not a good thing," he said as he suddenly realized that Tekeshi was standing off to one side, looking him directly in the eye.
"So, you are my grandfather. The asshole who just decided to disappear out of nowhere, without any kind of warning," the teen said.
Moka was the first to realize the danger, and knew that the act was going to happen whether they tried to stop it or not. She ducked and hit the ground as one of the most beautiful right angle right hook punches collided with her father's face, making him stumble several steps back.
"That, is for giving my mother a reason to cry," the words that came through Tekeshi's clenched teeth seeped with venom.
"TEKESHI. JUST WHAT THE HEL...," Issa raised a hand to stop Tsukune as he started yelling.
"That, was an act that took a lot of courage. To just make me move from a single blow. You are definitely of my blood, and I commend you for the love you have for your mother, to face me like that," the elder vampire gave Tekeshi a warm smile and placed his hand on his shoulder, "That was the single greatest introduction to a member of my family, that I have ever received."
Tsukune gave Moka a questioning glance, and she simply said, "Two powerful male vampires meeting for the first time. This is actually a rather, tame, introduction compared to many I saw in my childhood."
"Every time I think I have something figured out, I find out how little I know. Gifu, let's, get back to what we are here to deal with. Also, please don't hit him back, we will be here all day, and nothing will get done," Tsukune just didn't know how to deal with some of the parts of being a vampire still.
"Yes, we will continue this in private. Shinso, was considered to be the single strongest vampire to ever live. If stories are to be believed, you and Moka would be simple children compared to him. While I doubted that he had ever died, given my theories on how the Shinso blood works, I would not have expected that he was actually active in the world. He would be three to four thousand, maybe even close to five thousand years old. The knowledge and ability that he would possess outside how powerful he is, would most likely outclass even Mikogami at his prime," Issa turned to Tsukune, stroking his beard as he continued to think.
"That is what I was thinking about. I am nothing compared to Mikogami tactically. I am largely relying on my commanders knowing what to do, and understanding the overall strategy and goal. He most likely could command an army... Hmm. When did we say that the Benefactor first appeared," Tsukune suddenly realized something.
"I would say, fifteen years ago, not long after I went under. Why?"
"Tekeshi, how long ago was it, when Utsuki's parents were cursed, and that sword released," he turned to his son.
Tekeshi's anger hadn't subsided yet, but he answered, "Around the same length of time. Repeating his question, why?"
"When was Shinso believed to have disappeared?"
Moka looked at her husband questioningly, "I think the last time anyone mentioned him, was a rumor that he was encountered in China, sometime around four hundred years ago..."
"Which is about the length of time that 'Suki's dad claimed that sword had been sealed. It is way too much of a coincidence. Yet, I, too much of what has happened in the last year would seem like coincidence. It would explain him being in China, and then nothing else being said about him for four hundred years. God, it seems like some kind of grand, epic, that is being written for a captive audience," Tekeshi threw his hands up in exasperation.
Tsukune sat back as he put the pieces together in his mind. If he was so powerful, he couldn't have been sealed like that, unless he allowed it. If he was that old, he may have become tired, and didn't see a reason to fight back. Four hundred years, would allow him to have been there when Madonna claimed that her lover's fortress to have been assaulted. Going further back, there was a gap that he couldn't rectify though. How did the Romans fit in.
"How does the Roman Empire fit into things?"
Tekeshi calmed down as he sat down, "Do you know much about the claimed founding?"
Tsukune shook his head, "I really never cared enough to learn anything about it."
"Ok. The claim is that Rome was founded by two brothers, twins, that were lost in the wilderness, or were abandoned. The exact correct version is highly debated for that part. The were adopted by a she wolf, a wolf bitch, or according to some yokai scholars of Roman history, most possible too, a female werewolf. They were at some point adopted by a shepherd, and I think the most accepted version is they were the grandsons of a displaced king, and born of a virgin mother, and somehow became involved in a dispute. Remus, one of the brothers, was captured by the man who displaced their grandfather. Their uncle maybe, I have seen a few different versions. Romulus saved his brother, and restored their grandfather's throne. They returned to where they had lived, and wanted to build a city. Apparently there was some kind of prophetic thing, and Romulus killed his brother, and named the city after himself," Tekeshi relayed the story as best as he could.
Issa nodded, "You think that you may have a different theory now?"
The younger man looked over annoyed, "If what I gathered is true, Romulus and Remus may have been from Vampiris, or at the least from this valley. Most likely, given what Jakkasu said, and the message saying the descendants of the wolves, they were most likely werewolves themselves. It could also explain why there seems to be a natural, reluctance, between the two races to get along. You are just so ready to listen to what I have to say, and you don't know a damn thing about me?"
Issa took a deep breath, "You are a very talented musician. Other than your rock music and guitar playing, you have a wonderful hand with the violin. You also are talented on the piano, and enjoy playing selections from Tchaikovsky, and Bach. You typically keep a devil may care attitude in the presence of others, but when you are sure you are alone, you let the walls down, and expose your doubt. You love motorcycles, and muscle cars, something you seemed to have inherited from your father. You have a love of watching ballet, wishing that you could have the ability to bring such beautiful ideas into the world, and feeling that your violent nature prevents that. Just because you never saw me, does not mean that I was not watching."
This surprised not only Tekeshi, but Moka and Tsukune as well. In all the time that Issa had acted as his spy master, he had never said anything about having watched over Tekeshi. He knew things that Tsukune had never known about his son. He would have never expected that his son would have liked ballet, but he understood what reasons were presented. Tsukune didn't know what to think.
"Daddy, you mean, you have always been watching over him," Moka asked.
"I have. Tekeshi, you are my only grandchild. Even with so many things demanding my attention, I could never truly abandon my family. I knew of the activities that you were involved with, and even helped guide you at times. I many times, redirected, attention of authorities both human and yokai to protect you. I, have changed over my long life. I used to be much sterner, and I took my family for granted. I know now, that I cannot do that, and now, is not a time for me to remain hidden, when all others will be fighting. Moka, I am at your disposal," Issa stood tall, and bowed to his daughter, sincere in all his manner.
"No, I, with you here I have no business in command. You should take over. I can't even hope to be as competent as you," Moka didn't feel doubt often, but she doubted herself compared to her father.
"My dear Moka, I believe in you. I have no doubt that you shall lead your forces with the utmost dedication, and ferocity. I know what role Tsukune has set out for your force, and I believe that it is the right decision. There is none that can compare to a vampire, when someone must turn the tide," he embraced his daughter again as he gave her his words of encouragement.
"Thank you, Daddy," she replied as she relaxed into the hug.
"Now then, we need to plan for the worst case. Then we need to win this battle, and end this war. It has gone on, for far too long."