Roanapur Nights

A Rosario+Vampire and Black Lagoon Crossover

Chapter 17

Cassandra watched her young student as she easily accessed her powers. There was little doubt in her mind that young Roxanne would become a powerful vampire in her own right. She was gifted, held a true understanding of what it meant to live among mortals, and seemed to be enthusiastic when it came to learning about the things she could do. Her desire had been to make sure that she could protect her friend, and it had evolved further. She now sought to conquer the fear of the darkness itself.

"Very good," she praised her little student, "You've done well. In truth you have learned all of the basics of your power, and now we will move onto the more advanced parts."

Roxanne smiled at her, "Thank you," she said, her sweet voice practically ringing, "Ummm, auntie Cassandra, will you be staying here?"

The title was one she wore with pride. She was an aunt to her brother's daughter. The little one looked up to her as both her teacher and her aunt. She had quickly warmed up to the idea of being able to lightly spoil Roxanne, but to do so well within the confines that would produce a respectable vampire. Sweets were allowed, as were light night visits to the butcher she was introduced to. She found that the pig's blood that was sold was indeed full bodied. Adding a slight amount of sugar to it had enhanced the flavor for Roxanne.

She had practically purred the moment she had drained her first quart. Mr. Yin had sold the blood with a knowing nod. It was likely that he already understood, and it was even more likely that he dealt with their kind already. If that was the case then she felt even more assured that having him as a trusted butcher was a smart idea. She looked at her niece who was obviously expecting an answer.

"I am going to attempt to remain here," she said softly, "I believe that it would be in mother's best interest to have one of us here, and I would enjoy being nearby."

Roxanne smiled and hugged her. The action filled her heart with warmth. She enjoyed the feeling, and she enjoyed holding the small child against her. She was a sweet child, a gentle soul, and she would become a fine vampire when she was older. Besides, she knew that Roxanne's mother was also training her. It as with weapons, with handguns, but she found no fault in the trainnig.

To have reserve methods of protection only made sense. She seemed content until she felt something. It was a presence she hadn't felt since when her mother first met her brother. She wondered what she was doing here, and why she had come. As she questioned what was happening, and why a pink haired woman neared the building. She was driven here by a limo. She stood at the doors and studied the building itself.

Moving forward she pressed the intercom button. For a moment there was nothing, and then a faint buzz echoed. She watched as the door opened, and just behind the door was a girl that obviously was more than she appeared. The green haired girl seemed to study her for a moment.

"You have an appointment?"

She nodded, "I'm Moka Ano… Moka Akashiya," she said after a moment, "I was invited by Ling Ling."

The woman studied her, and then moved toward the intercom system. She watched as she pushed a button, and for a moment there was nothing. She waited, wondering if this possibly could be a mistake. Ruby and Yukari had both warned her that it wouldn't be what she was hoping for. They had both explained that the worst likely was what would be coming, but she had to hope, desperately hope, that it would work out.

"Yes?" Ling Ling's voice asked through the intercom, "Is there something I should be aware of?"

The tanned green haired girl breathed in, "Ma'am, there's a Moka Akashiya here. She said that you invited her."

There was a faint laugh on the other end of the line, "I did," she replied, "I shall be down shortly."

The woman gestured toward a collection of comfortable looking sitting chairs in the lobby, "Please, have a seat."

Moka moved, surprised at the change in attitude, but then she reminded herself of exactly what it was that Ling Ling was part of. She was part of a criminal organization, and one that was reported to be fairly powerful. She took her seat and waited for a few moments until she heard the door open. She saw Ling Ling dressed in a flowing red dress. It was far more lovely than her burial clothes, and she gestured to Moka.

"Ah, Moka, I am surprised that you decided to come," she said as she turned and began to hop back the way she came, "If I was to be honest I would have thought that you would simply wait for Tsukune to return to Japan."

Moka swallowed her nerves as she followed her, "I, I had hoped that Tsukune wanted me to come. That maybe he wanted me to be nearby."

There was a pause in Ling Ling's movements, "Oh?" she asked before she started moving again, "Did you believe that he needed something from you?"

Moka looked at the way she was moving, and it was more fluid than it had been before. She wasn't moving as stiffly. Instead it was almost as if she was closer to being alive, "I had hoped that he wanted to give me a chance to make up for what happened."

Ling Ling nodded, and she continued to move up the stairs until they came to a normal looking door. To her surprise Moka stepped through to find plush carpet lining the hall. She saw expensive paintings adorning the walls, and she saw that the very doors all looked to be made of solid wood. It spoke of wealth and taste. She was led to a door which opened to reveal a spacious apartment.

"I'm afraid that Tsukune was not involved with your invitation," Ling Ling said, "That said, yes, you will have your chances to make up for what you did."

Ling Ling turned toward her, and Moka saw her smile, but she noticed that it didn't look like it normally did. What was there looked like a practiced smile given to clients. Ling Ling studied her for a moment, "I will make no attempt of hiding the fact that I detest what you did," she said, her voice not changing pitch, "You held the heart of one that I cherish, and you callously broke it. An associate of mine has used a phrase that I feel is appropriate here. You broke his heart by sleeping with someone that wasn't worth the dog shit on his boots."

Moka felt herself deflate a little, "but if you believe that you can undo what you've done, and you believe that you can restore him, then I will not stop you," she said, "But, if you leave his protection you will leave mine as well. I offer protection to you because of him. I have no other reason to do so, and Moka, this place, this city, is not a place you want to leave the protection given."

The warning was so easily given, and it was something that Moka understood. Her actions had effectively burned the bridges between many of those she considered friends. Tsukune, the one she hurt the most, was the only one that was willing to help her. His kind nature was enough to allow her to live in relative peace. She'd come this way to try and fix things with him, and now that she was here the task seemed so immense she wasn't sure where to begin.

"Where is he?" she asked, her voice almost hopeful, "I, I think that I should apologize."

Ling Ling studied her for a moment, "He is in a suite in a floor very much above this one, and so is Kurumu, Mizore, and Tsurara," she said as she looked up above her, "I will be there shortly. I will inform him that you are here, I will tell him the number and floor of your suite, and if he chooses he may come and see you."

She looked at Moka, "You will not come to visit him," she said, her voice becoming harder, "Above this floor is members of the Huang Family. It is the very members that have either earned their right to be here, or have become part of the Huang family through marriage. You are neither."

She looked at Moka for several seconds, "You are a guest, and as such this is the highest floor a mere guest is allowed to access."

She turned and began to hop toward the stairwell, "Attempting to go any further is ill advised."

Moka looked at her, "But, how do I make this right?"

Ling Ling stopped, "Moka, did you believe that pretty words, and placative heart would be enough to make it right?" she asked as she turned back toward her, "Did you think that the mere words of I'm sorry, it was a mistake, or I didn't mean it would suddenly erase all that happened?"

Her words were like daggers in Moka's heart. She backed up as Ling Ling glared at her, "Did you not mean to bring another into your marriage bed because you believed that your pride was worth more than your love?"

Her hand went to her mouth, "Or perhaps it was a mistake because you thought that in your calculations that Tsukune would simply accept that his bride would bed another to get her way, hmmm?"

Moka felt her knees buckling, "Please, please stop," she asked softly, "Please, I just want to apologize."

Ling Ling moved toward her, her movements still more fluid, but there was a slight stiffness that remained, "What do you want to apologize for Moka?" she pressed as she neared her, "I am not Ruby, I am not Yukurai, nor am I Kurumu, Mizore, or Tsurara. I did not have all of the wonderful adventures with you all. I fell in love with Tsukune, I pursued him, and I presented myself to him. I am loyal to him, and I will protect him."

The magical energy was pouring off of Ling Ling as she spoke, her hair beginning to raise around her as she looked at Moka, "When I heard what you had done the only reason I did not come to hunt both you and Gin down was because of Tsukune. I knew, absolutely knew, that despite everything he would want you spared."

She studied her for several moments, her hands clenched into fists, "Do you know why I invited you Moka?"

Moka sunk to the ground, her legs no longer able to support herself, "Please, please, I just need to see him, I need to apologize."

Ling Ling studied her, "Moka, I invited you to give him a chance to heal," she said, her voice calm, "I want my Tsukune to heal, I want him to understand that the person he was, the one that believed that his wife would never stray, is gone. I want him to know that there are those here he can trust, but that he has to accept that who he once was simply doesn't exist anymore."

She studied her for a few more moments, "Moka, you are here to help him heal. Apologize if you can, explain what you believe you need to explain, but know that you killed the man you loved."

She turned from her, "The moment Gin entered the bedroom with you, the moment the door closed, in that moment you drove a stake through his heart. You destroyed the Tsukune you loved, and not even my magic could restore him."

She moved toward the stairwell, "And if I can not restore him, I can help the new Tsukune heal."

Moka sat on the ground, her eyes on the floor in front of her. There it was. Simple, laid out before her. Yukari had been right, and so had Ruby. They had told her that this wouldn't be what she thought it was. They had both said that it wouldn't end like she believed it would. Tears began to well in her eyes as she screwed them shut. She struck the floor in front of her, and instead of a soft sob a broken wail escaped her lips.

It was the sound of suffering, the sound of the damned themselves, and it echoed through the hall. She had been so foolish. Not for coming. No, she needed to come. Ling Ling was right that Tsukune needed to heal, but she had been so foolish to betray him. If he would accept her back she would do everything she could to regain his trust. She would never leave his sight, she would accept his rules, she would live with humans, she would raise their children with humans.

She wailed in pain, in suffering, in misery, and unknown to her it was being watched. Someone connected to her watched through a camera. She watched as Moka broke down, and she watched the misery unfold. It was delicious, so wonderfully delicious, and so tempting to simply run and admire it in person. Still, she couldn't. She couldn't enjoy this appetizer. No, she wanted the full course. She wanted Moka to leave Tsukune's protection, and then she would enjoy the entire buffet of suffering she had in store for her.

As Ria watched Moka dive deep into despair Revy was looking at a situation that was surprising to say the least. She knew Chang as someone that was above most of the normal shit that hit the streets. He was a cool, calm, and collective individual when it came to running his business. She'd never seen him look as if everything had just gone to hell in a handbasket. Instead she saw him acting that way the moment he got to the Miao Family building.

She wouldn't have been there, but Fang Fang had asked her and Rock to help oversee some of their negotiations that were happening that day. She had happened to look up to see Chang come into the building, escorted by their front door girl, and his expression wasn't the same aloof look he normally wore. This time he looked rattled. The clothes he was wearing had likely came from Yoshi's Depato. The open air clothing market was the best place for some of the mid level folks in Roanapur to get decent enough clothes.

She'd bought Rock a few shirts from there. He'd worn them, thanked her, and she had noticed that the quality was okay. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough. She watched as Chang made his way toward the doors and stopped when he saw Fang Fang sitting there across from Xia Miao. She could see him sweating bullets, and she understood what was happening now. The plan that her Rocky Baby had set into motion was happening.

Chang's entire world was likely starting to fall apart, and he'd come to the Miao family for help. He wasn't going to the Huang family because he'd already shit the bed there. She watched with an amused smirk as he began to attempt to converse with the two other leaders of their respective criminal syndicates.

"Mr. Chang," Xia said as he looked at him, "Let me take a moment to see if I can accurately grasp this situation. You have come to us to hire my betrothed as a bodyguard."

He stood and Revy could feel the air around them turn cold. The way he stood spoke of power and authority. It was the kind of feeling that she'd gotten used to while working for the Huang family. It was an atmosphere that Fang Fang could produce depending on the situation. For the most part he was a pretty chill employer, but she'd seen what happened when he got pissed. Most often it didn't end well for the one that caused the problem.

"Y..yes," Chang said, his voice sounding shaken, "I need to hire her quickly. There's been a situation, and unfortunately none in my organization are capable of dealing with it."

"Mr. Chang, long time no see," Shenhua said as she stepped out, "Funny, you want to rehire me."

She looked at him, "I remember you telling me that I no good, only use knives, not good for business, remember?"

He swallowed, "It was an issue because your desire for close combat tended to cause more damage than our organization was prepared to deal with, but I need those skills now."

Revy watched as Chinglish looked toward Xia, "What you say?"

Xia Miao studied him, "Hmmm, well, the income wouldn't be undesired, but it isn't necessary," he said as he looked at Chang, "In truth, we've gotten quite a bit of business from various remote agencies. Most of which are wanting to ensure that we have certain untraceable weapons shipped to them."

He looked at Chang, "So, why should I honor your request?" he asked as he pointed to a seat, "I was under the impression that Thai Branch of the Hong Kong Triads weren't the sort to seek outside assistance. Especially since those that would be your superiors are exceptionally paranoid about the other families."

She watched as Chang began to look around, "I'm being watched," he admitted after a moment, "There's an assassin, one that is actually from my superiors, and I need to ensure that I have the time to do what is necessary."

There was quiet for a moment before Xia laughed, "Playing your hand early, aren't you?"

He looked toward Fang Fang and nodded, "My cousin here had some theories about recent events. Someone had attacked one of their personnel, and more to the point they had done so in such a way that she would have easily been captured and taken to a slave market," he said as he stood, "And then there was a small situation at the Rip Off Church. Normally, that wouldn't concern me, but since I've been doing more business with them it raised my own suspicions. Could you possibly shine some light on either of these situations?"

Revy smiled and leaned back. This was it. This was the moment where Chang finally fucked himself. She had been waiting for this ever since he tried to screw with Rock. The proud member of the Thai Branch of the Hong Kong Triads looked down in defeat, "I cannot say much on either," he replied, his voice sounding desperate, "I can only say that neither will be an issue beyond this point."

She watched as Fang Fang stood and touched Xia's shoulder. The head of the Miao family nodded and stepped back, "Mr. Chang," Fang Fang said as he stood there, "It gives me no small amount of satisfaction to say the following. I am afraid that neither the Huang or Miao families will be able to assist you."

His head shot up, and Revy could see the surprise on his face, "You can't mean that!"

Fang Fang studied him for a moment, "Of course I can," he replied, "While there is no conclusive evidence of your involvement there is no evidence to prove that you weren't involved. In addition it's obvious that you've been scrambling for some time. As I understand it there are various other syndicates that owe you favors. Perhaps you would do well to seek them out, but I'm afraid that this is all of the time that we have for you today."