Tekeshi took a deep breath.
"You're worrying too much. You know how they are, way better than I do. It's going to be fine," Utsuki smiled as she squeezed his hand trying to reassure him.
He looked down at her, "I don't with this one. I just ran away, without telling them I was going to war like this. For all I know, they are going to look at me as a traitor."
They continued to walk down the hallway. Utsuki really loved him, but she had to admit that he really seemed way more confident than he actually was. At least when it came to dealing with people, instead of beating the hell out of them.
"You've said they are like a second family to you, and they haven't said a single word against you. Everyone has been waiting for you to be ready to come back, they didn't want to force it. Just trust me, or you won't get under my skirt for the next year," she already knew that she wouldn't be able to follow through with that.
"Mom has already been grooming you to control the marriage, hasn't she?"
"Bleh," she stuck her tongue out at him.
Tekeshi smiled as he bent down to kiss her. She just melted. She knew there was supposed to be something she did in this situation, but Moka's instructions were a little beyond her ability to call to mind. They were not going to be getting very much sleep when they were at the manor for the summer.
Eventually he pulled back, though way too soon for her, "Ok, there isn't any point to putting this off any longer. Unless you want to put it off."
"Uhhhhhh, oh, yeah, uh, yes let's, uh... Damn you kissing me like that. What were we doing again? Oh, yeah, Mongrels. Let's, let's go," they started walking again.
"I guess we just found out who is going to be wearing the pants in the relationship," Tekeshi snickered.
Utsuki just looked up at him with a wry smile, "You are assuming we are going to be wearing clothes anyway, and aren't going to be busy doing other things."
Her hand slipped out of his as she exaggeratedly swayed her hips as she walked, "God damn, I was not expecting that. I guess that means laundry will be cheap. Man, I love that woman."
Thankfully it didn't take him very long to catch up to her, given he had twice the stride length she did. He wrapped his arm around her, and let out the biggest grin as she burrowed into his side. This was, perfect.
Soon they came to the door to the music room. Tekeshi looked at the sliding door, half afraid of what was going to meet him when he opened it. He really couldn't put it off though, he had to do it. He reached out, and pushed the door to the side.
"We drink your blood when the midnight sky is red
We drink your blood and we call the sanguine saints
We drink your blood when the midnight sky is red
We drink your blood and we open your veeeeiiiins."
Tekeshi was thrown offguard by the sudden heavy metal chorus about vampires, as Heavy stood up in the center of the room, "Tekeshi Aono, you are charged with leaving in the night, and leaving many to worry. You are charged with being a dumbass, an asshole, and any other ass that we can think of. You are charged with making ladies cry because you left. Step forward and give your plea."
Utsuki slipped from underneath his arm, and went to stand next to Karasu, and did he know that girl? He felt like he should. He was going to find out anyways.
He squared his shoulders and stepped forward, "I am guilty of all charges."
Looks were exchanged between the group infront of him, most likely not expecting that, "Uh, ok. How do you justify your actions," Heavy looked confused at how to proceed.
"I kicked a lot of ass, shot a lot of assholes, and I forgot to take any names. I also went to Australia, so just try to find a punishment to suit the crimes," Tekeshi stood his ground.
Akoni shook his head, "Ok, we can't top that. Insane British lite is hard to top."
Heavy nodded, "In light of this information we have no choice but to sentence you, to being the Boss. To return to your rightful place keeping us from doing anything stupid enough to get us killed. Plus pancakes every Sunday morning. Blueberry ones," the Russian giant's voice boomed out.
"Heavy ye dafty. Pancakes ilka Sunday, whin did we gree oan that," Dehlia jumped up and smacked him on the back of the head, her down travel revealing the lack of a certain garment.
Utsuki looked at her incredulous, "Dehlia, I've told you, underwear isn't optional with the uniform. What is wrong with you? Also, I don't want you flashing my boyfriend, that's my job."
"Hehehehahahahhahahahhahha," Tekeshi couldn't help but bust out laughing at the scene.
Suddenly, the last eight months didn't matter. He was back where he belonged, with his people, and the unique brand of chaos that they brought to the table. There was no better place to be.
Black nodded, "Well, at least he's still normal. So, word is that you told Death to kiss your ass, and your Grandma's. How the Hell?"
"Ok, in order. No pancakes Heavy, I can't cook enough to satisfy you. Your mother hates trying. Dehlia, I'm with 'Suki on that. Black, I couldn't even start to explain in a way that you would understand, because I'm not sure that I completely understand. I missed all of you. Now, you," he pointed at the odd girl out, "I think I know you, but who are you?"
"What the hell you jackass? You met me two months ago. You lived out every kid's GTA fantasy. Then you kicked me out at a gas station with a phone number. You also protected me from a dickwad pedophile at the diner," she softened her words at the end.
With everything that was jumbled up in his head, his recall had gone bad. He still remembered everything, he just couldn't bring it to mind as easy anymore. Still, protected her at the diner.
"Nalin. You are Nalin. Ok, now the question is how you got tied up with these miscreants and criminals," he was a little confused on that.
Suddenly a pair of gigantic boobs were pressed into his back, as a set of arms wrapped around his stomach, "I introduced them. You don't know how happy I am you're back. Please don't leave us again."
He looked over his shoulder at a mass of bluish hair. Gently unwrapping the arms, he turned around and knelt down to hug the owner.
"Harumi, I, can't promise that. I don't plan to right now," he let her go and stood to address everyone in the room, "I honestly don't know what my plans are right now. I didn't even know I was going to be back this soon. I did a lot, that I don't know how all you would be able to handle if I could even find a way to tell you. Right now though, I'm not going anywhere. I have something I have to do before I could even think of leaving again."
"Boss, we know you were worried about what we going to have felt with you leaving like you did. If we would really understand. None of us Mongrels were there when, you know. We saw everything like most people did. We, saw your... we saw when he cut your throat, and what happened to Yusa. None of us would have stopped you, or interfered. We all love you too much to do that. Mongrels isn't just our name. We were all outcasts, a thrown together group of a bunch of kids who just liked music, but you made us more. Without you, the Mongrels don't exist, so if you need the time to be alone with your thoughts, and genocide a terrorist organization, we will give you that," Heavy clapped a hand on Tekeshi's shoulder, which the, only to Heavy, smaller man copied with a little difficulty.
"Thank you."
Machiko broke away from the group and came up to him, "Tekeshi, Mom told me you saw her. That Dad said you still had a home there. You don't know how hard it was having you leave me behind before, please never do this to me again," and for the first time that any of them had ever seen, she hugged someone without molesting them.
Tekeshi looked around at everyone. The friends that were waiting for him. The new friend? Family. The two women he loved. Where did he have to go?
He walked down the path to the mausoleum. The dark itself almost seemed afraid of him at that moment. The heartstone dug into his palm, the weight of what he was about to do weighing on him heavily.
Tekeshi shivered as the thought crossed his mind, that he might have to let his sister die, to save her. There wasn't anyway to ease his mind on that thought. So much was pounding at his resolve, worrying him about failure. Worrying about losing her forever.
Even now he could still see her limp body flying through the air from Shinso's kick. Her sheltering him as his throat healed. The terror of it almost overwhelmed him even now. So long after it had happened.
He turned to reply to his grandmother, and then realized that nothing had been said. It was going to be a big adjustment not having her show up when he was so conflicted. It was for the best though, she deserved to be alive, for everything she had done for him.
The trees seemed to blur in the corners of his vision, almost as if his measured stride was a full out sprint. He reached up to find tears in his eyes. It seemed like he cried a lot more now, than he ever had. He had always been somewhat emotionally stunted, maybe this was all of that releasing itself now.
When he reached the small structure, he hesitated a little. Was he really willing to risk the stone not being able to bring her back from death? Would he be able to trap her soul fast enough to allow it to work?
He walked inside, hoping that he would be able to make a decision once he saw her. The smell of wildflowers filled the air from the perpetual candles that provided soft illumination of the interior. What he hadn't expected was to see his Aunt Mizore sitting on the former plinth that Utsuki had occupied.
"Tekeshi, I didn't expect you to come here tonight. I'm happy to see you," she said when she noticed him.
"It's good to see you too," he joined her on the plinth.
"How have you been, over the last few months," she didn't know what to say to him now that he was here.
She hadn't really even seen him in the aftermath of the battle. He had avoided her, almost as if he was guilty for the state that Yusa was in. She hadn't seen the actual event, she was under anesthetic in a hospital tent being treated for injuries she had taken.
"Sometimes better than others. I'm not proud of what I was doing, but I hope that it had some positives come from it. I kept hoping that I would suddenly have something come to me that would let me help Yusa, and I think, something finally did. I just, now that I am here, I don't know if the risk is worth it," he looked over at Mizore.
The older woman looked to ice bound form of her daughter, "Tekeshi, I can't tell you yes or no on whether you try. With how you are speaking, I have the feeling that you don't even fully understand the risks."
Tekeshi grimaced and looked at the stone in his hand, "I would have to let her die."
Fear colder than any ice froze Mizore's blood. Was that really a risk that she could even consider letting him take? She had heard about him bringing Akasha back from the dead, but this was her little girl they were talking about here. She didn't know how she would take it if she lost her. She would almost rather her stay encased in her tomb of ice, than take that chance.
"Tekeshi is there any other way that you could try?"
He stood up and went to place a hand on the ice crystal, "I don't know. I just...," and he went silent.
Mizore looked at him, "Tekeshi?"
"You know, I am a straight fool who can't see the forest for the trees. I have had a better answer the whole time, and if I had never left, I might have realized it sooner. She won't have to die," he strode out of the structure without another word.
Mizore stood and looked after him as he left. It was, good to see that he hadn't changed too much from when he was a child. Even as smart as he was, you wouldn't necessarily know it with how often he missed things in front of him. She just wished that she knew what he had realized in that moment.
"Simona, I really don't like this. This doesn't feel good. I'm way too far off the ground, and it's moving," Candace was having a slight meltdown.
Simona just looked at her, and then out the window to the taxi way. They were barely moving. Was this really the same woman who had just been talking about cutting throats and disembowelment a few hours ago? Had she sinned? Was this a punishment for something?
"My Lady, we are only a meter and a half off the ground," she said to the terrified vampire.
"Is this really the only way to get to this, what did you call the place again?"
"Japan. Yes. Otherwise we have to more than a week traveling by train, and bus across Europe and Asia. Then we would have to see about a boat out of, most likely Vladivostok, if there are any that would be going to Japan. Then however long it would take to," she took her phone out and double checked where they were heading, "get to Tokyo from where we made port."
"Why must my husband be in such a far off place? He said he would come wake me up when he got tired of roaming. I wish I had gone with him, at least I wouldn't have to sit in this, I don't even know what to call this."
Simona took yet another deep breath. Evet since she had woken up, the vampiress had been making the girl's life Hell. She was very nice and polite, but according to her, the last Pope she could name, was Innocent III. She spent all of her time asking questions that Simona didn't have any idea how to answer, because to her everything was obvious.
Candace was also used to the life of a noblewoman from hundreds of years earlier. She didn't know how to do anything. She didn't even know how to use a zipper. She expected to actually have someone dress her. Simona had literally had to go so far as to put the woman's underwear on for her, after having to take her to get clothes and underwear since she was smaller than any of the other women at the fortress, and bigger than the female children.
She had to get closer to parts of the woman that she really didn't want to. She also had to help her bathe. The smell of the herbs she demanded be put in the water so she could use it made Simona sick to her stomach. She even had to scrub the woman. If it wasn't for the fact that she was the Lady of the Fortress, she would have refused. Of course she had been made Candace's personal servant since she was the only one that could hear her.
She wanted to go home, and spend the rest of her life in bed.