Akasha yawned as she woke up for the day, or however long she decided to be awake. She really didn't have that much to do being stuck in bed, so she could go back to sleep whenever she wanted. She kinda wanted something to do, but it would come eventually.

Rolling her shoulders something felt, heavy. She opened her eyes and looked down. She noticed that the front of her pajama top wasn't lying flat anymore. She blinked a few times before she looked down the neck. She had boobs again. They weren't full, or the proper size yet, but it was definitely a step in the right direction.

She let the fabric go, and looked over to the little rolling table that was across her lap. On it sat a heavy steel thermos like dispenser full of blood with a little thing at the back to keep it moving so it didn't coagulate. She briefly missed the days ages ago when vampires were more free to drink straight from the source, but this was probably better for harmony.

Yawning again she picked up a cup from the table and filled it. As the life giving fluid trickled down her throat she felt even better. Not as good as having been able to kiss Issa again, but it made her feel better. It still didn't seem fully real, none of it did. Just three nights ago, she was little more than a ghost.

Akasha looked over at the bed that her roommate was supposed to be in, but it was empty. She already knew that the woman couldn't walk yet, and she didn't have anything against the company.

"Good morning Ma'am. How are you feeling today? Are we able to speak yet," a nurse asked as she entered the room with a chart in her hands.

"Hello, I... thin... get... there," some of the words were complete, so boobs, and speech, that was something to celebrate.

"Well, that isn't bad for two days, this can't be right. You were brought back into existence? I need to go check with the doctor real quick," the nurse made to leave.

Akasha pointed over at the empty bed and shrugged.

"Oh, she started therapy this morning. Hopefully she takes well to it. Something about her bothers me, but she hasn't been overly rude. I will be back as soon as I can to check your vitals," the woman walked out of the room.

She didn't have much else to do, so she just kept drinking. She knew that every drop was going to help get her back into shape. It wasn't necessarily the greatest blood though. It must have come from a blood bank, just whatever they had the most of. Better quality would help more, but anything was better than nothing at the moment. It still left a pretty bad taste behind.

The nurse came back eventually and took her vitals, and then helped her change into a new set of pajamas. Looking in the dispenser made her turn a little green, but she took it, returning about ten minutes later with one that was full. When Akasha pointed to the hat that was sitting on a chair next to her the woman looked at it with confusion, but handed it to the vampire, and giggled at the smile that Akasha gave when she put it on her head.

"Well, I guess that is one way to deal with the hair situation. I think I can see tiny bits of stubble, so hopefully it won't be too long until you need a brush. Here is a bell in case you need anything. I will be back around to check on you in a couple of hours," the woman smiled as she left.

Yes the hat was horribly ugly, but Tekeshi had given it to her. She was going to wear it as long as it was in a state to be worn. She was also going to find someone that could make it last for as long as it possibly could.

She drank the blood that was in the dispenser as she tried to think of something to do. She really didn't have anything. She could wear her hat, and that was literally all she could do. It was boring, and she was really considering just going back to sleep. She just wasn't tired enough to go back to sleep.

She really didn't know how she was going to deal with the boredom, until she heard the door open. She glanced over, expecting that it was probably Akui returning from the therapy she was starting, buy became flustered when she saw the person in the door. She didn't know what to do in this situation.

"I... I don't know whether to call you Moka, or Akasha. I guess, you are actually Akasha," Tsukune stepped in and closed the door.

Akasha's heart raced. She had not even considered speaking to Tsukune face to face. Especially since she couldn't really speak yet.

"It's, weird, seeing you. That face, I was so used to it belonging to her, I just, I'm sorry,' he turned his head away from her.

Well, her voice wasn't going to get any better if she didn't start trying to use it, "Under...stand."

"You don't have to force yourself. Tekeshi explained that your body is essentially completely new, like a newborn's. You take all the time you need to, I don't even know how to explain it. This is just incredible," the look of wonder on Tsukune's face was so sincere, Akasha didn't know how to handle it.

She wasn't going to lie and say that she didn't have a little bit of a crush on him. She had been very close to him for almost two years, how could she not. It was a little embarrassing, and what kind of mother would she be if she made a move on her son in law. Oh, well, that stuff did exist, and she wasn't going to admit that she had ever watched it, well with Issa and Gyokuro, not by herself.

"Akasha, thank you," the younger vampire said after a few minutes of silence.

"For...what?"

Tsukune looked up at her, and straight into her eyes, "For looking after Tekeshi. I don't understand how all of that worked, and I don't care. Thank you for being his conscience, and leading him down the best path that you could, while he was gone."

Akasha smiled, hiding it with a drink of blood. She wished that she could speak well enough to tell her son in law that she had very little to really do with it. Tekeshi was an incredible person, and that was due to Tsukune, and the people he had surrounded himself with. The people who helped mold the young child, into a sturdy, powerful, but understanding warrior.

Maybe it was right that she would no longer be there watching over his shoulder. She had been there when he needed someone to actually care about him after he had committed slaughters, had killed without mercy, and looked upon the death and destruction as warranted. Been there for the aftermath when he began questioning whether what he was doing was really the right thing. She had been there not as a conscience, but as a point of relief, at his worst. Now that he had come home, he had someone that was much better for that, two in fact.

She took another drink, "You... Moka... Yukari... Kurumu... Mizore... Ginei... Sun... Fang-fang. All... other children. Mongrels. Responsible. Not me."

"I don't understand what you mean. We weren't there. You were," Tsukune looked confused at her words.

She reached over and tapped on his chest, "Always... in heart. Those we love. What... they mean... and impart. Always there," hey, she was making more sense.

Tsukune looked down at where she had tapped, "You're right. I have to thank you for something else though."

"What... is that," she asked.

He looked up and smiled, "You gave me, the most wonderful woman, that I could have ever dreamt of. She has given me the most incredible son, and is going to give me another child. I could never live without her now, and I could not imagine ever wanting to. It's, hard, not to look at you, and not have those same feelings, but I know that you already have someone like that for yourself. I have to be thankful for him as well. I will, let you get some more rest. I will also see if I can get some blood that might be a little more nutritious than what they are probably giving you. I will come see you again as soon as I can."

As she watched him leave, she couldn't help but feel tears well up in her eyes. If she could have remained as she was with Moka, being a shield for her from the world, she wouldn't have had any complaints. Tsukune was a wonderful man, and she could hear the conviction in his voice as he thanked her. This was a welcome into the world, that she wasn't sure she had truly earned.

"Akasha," she started from her thoughts as she heard Issa's voice.

She looked over to the door, and her heart rushed again. This wasn't the same little crush she had for her son in law. This was love, and was the kind that left her breathless every time she saw this man's face. To feel it again, after she been forced into sleep, and a half existence, was so intoxicating.

"I guess, Tsukune came to see you since I just passed him in the hallway. I know, the past, and hope that I don't have to challenge him regarding your favor," the serious look on his face would have fooled most other people.

Akasha, just stuck out her tongue at him.

The smile that appeared on Issa's face, was one that very few would ever see, "That, is the woman, that I fell in love with. I am glad that you are truly yourself. I'm sorry that I ran out so suddenly last night. I, wasn't sure if I was going to be able to control my more base urges if I stayed. I know that you aren't in a condition for such, and causing you any pain, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Are you, able to speak any?"

"Not... much, or long. Getting... better," managed to get out.

"Any word from your mouth, is the truest music that I could ever hear. I cannot wait until your voice can weave wonderful symphonies once again," he crossed the room and knelt by her bed.

Few people would ever know that Tekeshi had inherited his grandfather's way with women, over his father's. Not even his parents would ever know. That was fine by Akasha, she really wasn't in the mood for any more company in their bed when that time came again.

Tekeshi had decided that he needed some separation from the mass of life that was the student body. Thankfully he wasn't technically enrolled, so he wasn't required to be in any classes. He wandered out into the woods, and found a specific clearing, and took a nap.

He wasn't really sure at how long he was asleep, but when he started to wake up, he noticed that he felt like something was pressing on his shoulder. He opened an eye and saw Utsuki asleep on his shoulder. There wasn't a single thing in existence that was going to make him disturb her.

This was his ideal life now.

He looked up to the clouds, just watching them go by. Something in the back of his mind reminded him, those clouds weren't actually real. This was just a pocket dimension, most of the places yokai lived were. That might change though, because of Shinso.

He looked back down to Utsuki, and then closed his eyes. He hadn't thought about, but, maybe Shinso hadn't been as mad as he presented himself as. Or, part of him wasn't. Jakkasu had been surprised by how put together he seemed at first, but maybe he had put himself together. Maybe he had just put on an act.

"I, missed you," the voice made him open his eyes to a gentle golden light.

"Jakkasu," he asked.

The golden figure nodded, "I wanted a chance to talk to you privately, and I thought just speaking up inside your head might be a little jarring with what may have occurred while you were gone."

"Yeah, I would have recognized you, but yeah. How, have you been holding up," he did his best to keep his voice down.

"She isn't going to wake up right now. With you here, I have more power available to me, and I can influence the world more. Thankfully, she really needs the sleep. She does her best not to show it, and she ordered Karasu not to say anything to anyone, but she puts too much energy into the role she took on," the goddess said, kneeling down to stroke the girl's hair.

"So you put her under some sort of sleeping spell? Jakkasu, that is horribly invasive, and violating. Take it off her," Tekeshi felt anger spike in him.

"Nothing as crude as magic. No, all I did, was tell her body to rest. This seemed like it would be the best time. I feel that using you as a futon feels much better to her, than a regular bed. I often, found much comfort at night sleeping against Shinso's father. It was weird how people took names. He called himself Oak Leaf. He was sturdy like that, tall, and powerful. Much like you. You may not appreciate it, but someone like you, makes a woman feel, right. Even being a god, I don't understand it. Maybe even the gods aren't meant to understand everything," she smiled as she looked up to Tekeshi.

Tekeshi looked at Utsuki's face, and noticed how peaceful she looked. This was why he hadn't dared to come back before. If he had seen her face, looked into her eyes, he would have never been able to leave again.

"My grandfather said she is doing a good job. I'm proud of her, but I wish she hadn't taken it on. I don't know if she has awakened as a shinso yet. Things like that are a little hazy to me now. It is going to be hard for me to just watch her put herself in danger," he leaned over to kiss her forehead, and smiled when she gave a contented sigh.

"She reminds me of you, with less of her getting her ass kicked six ways to Sunday when she wins," the goddess chuckled.

Tekeshi looked at her with a dead look, "Ha ha. Ok, so I had a rough start of things. In my defense, I didn't fight anything stronger than a human for the better part of ten years. I wish I knew I would never have to fight anyone again. I'm tired of it."

Jakkasu nodded at his words, "I'm glad to hear that. I was afraid that you may have fallen to the same madness that Shinso did."

"Have you considered that, he may have been completely sane then? That maybe, he knew exactly what he was doing?"

"I think the time that we could have found out, has passed eight months ago. It doesn't matter though, we just have to hope that things stay calm, and people learn to live together. He gave a chance, whether he planned to or not. She should be waking up soon. I, I'm glad you came back," and with that she was gone.

Tekeshi let his mind wander. There were so many things that he really had to consider, and he found himself overwhelmed by everything that assaulted his mind.

"You're awake," a small sleepy voice said in his ear.

"Yeah, and so are you. How do you feel," he said as he kissed her.

When he drew back she had a dreamy smile, "I guess I haven't been sleeping as well as I thought while you were gone. This was really delightful. I could stay like this forever."

"I can't wait for the day we can decide that is what we want to do," he said leaning his head against hers.

"At least we get to spend your birthday together again this year."

A/N: I know that there was interest in how I was going to handle Akasha, especially when there became a chance for her to live again. I am warning everyone now, Issa may get weird, and he may show why he is a real lady's man. I really want to hear everyone's thoughts. Also, I don't know how many of you use Ao3 as well, but I have most of my more recent, and all my in progress stories cross posted there.