Tekeshi was finding it boring to not be in class now. There was still some stuff that had to be finalized before he could start attending again, but in the meantime he was given free reign of the campus. Of course, how would you stop the single most powerful being known to be alive?
Well, in Tekeshi's case, just tell him not to do something politely. It wasn't really all that hard.
So given the free reign, he was now occupying the music room. Specifically stretched out on one of the couches passed out. Sleep seemed like as good a use of time as anything else, given that he didn't have anything else to do.
He had already seen his grandmother, and said a couple of words to Akui. He had gone on a thirty mile run, which was just him running around the outside perimeter of the campus seeing if he could actually tire himself out, and the answer was no. He had even gone on a tour of the Great Pyramids, and enjoyed a very good pizza at a restaurant just across from them.
He was entirely bored at this point. It was only lunchtime, and he wasn't even able to see Utsuki due to her having to deal with a naked picture ring. Why was that even a thing? He was sure that wasn't something that came up last year when he was actually attending school.
He wasn't even able to train with Tomoe if she was up for it, because she was currently trying to locate the ever missing Anne Bonny, who really didn't like being the new leader of the Witches of War. He couldn't really blame her either. While it wasn't exactly the same, he also didn't want to be the existential cornerstone of vampiric existence.
He wasn't even able to spend time with Yusa, because she was having to undergo intensive therapy and tutoring to get her ready to take the placement test to get enrolled. That was almost as disappointing as not being able to spend time with Utsuki.
Tekeshi, wasn't used to being alone. Even during those eight months he had his grandmother there, even if she wasn't corporeal. There had always been someone. He didn't know how to be alone.
He started to stir a little as he felt like someone was watching him. Even knowing he was essentially invincible, he still was subject to his instincts. His hand crept up to his pistol, which wasn't there now. He rolled his eyes behind their lids as he let one open to observe the area looking for the person watching him.
His eye scanned back and forth until he finally noticed them, "Dibea, why are you stalking me?"
A quiet yip followed by a light thump was heard as she pulled back around the corner of the door. Tekeshi wasn't sure what the girl was doing, or that she even remembered how developed his senses were as a vampire, that had only gotten better as a demigod.
"Dibea, seriously? I know it's you. There are literally only two black people on this campus right now, and Akoni doesn't have boobs. I think. I just realized I can't one hundred percent guarantee that," he said as he sat up.
He could hear her fidget for a second before she answered, "Uh, I don't know, what I should say."
"Hi would be a good start. I haven't seen you since before the battle. How have you been? Also, come in here. I don't like talking to people through a wall," he said kindly.
"I'm sorry."
Tekeshi sighed, "I know you have a crush on me, but don't be nervous. You're not going to get anywhere romantically, but I would like to think that you are a friend. 'Suki likes you, so I have nothing against you. I still haven't apologized for saying you had a dick, have I?"
Dibea finally stood up and walked into the room, "That, was very rude. Your language skills, not very good."
"Have you listened to your English lately? I am sorry for that though. It wasn't my greatest moment. I completely misidentified the language, and I wasn't thinking of anything but trying to get out of that situation. Also, I was trying not to stare at the fact you had everything on display at that moment. My neck hurt for a week after we got to my parent's place," he patted the couch next to him.
"You are, very popular, among the women of the fortress, including the demons. I should, apologize for my lack of modesty. It was not my people's custom before I joined with Madonna, however I just, became used to it. Did you at least like what you saw," the girl gave a shy smile.
Tekeshi shook his head, "Yeah, I am not answering that one. I have no clue exactly where my girlfriends are, and I do not want to cause any conflict with anyone. Where are you originally from?"
"I am from an area that was known as the Southern Nigerian Protectorate, at least that is what many of the older people in my village called it. I think it had already become known as Nigeria before I was born. Uh, what was the year? Er, it was, very long time ago," she said.
"I apologize about what I said about your English. It isn't actually all that bad. Agrea mentioned you came to them about ten years before the Second World War?"
"Oh, yes. I don't know what white people find so intriguing in bashing each others heads in over land they don't truly own. All belongs to the world, and the spirits which give it life. They are very good at it though." was her reply.
"Uh, yeah, about that, I think it is really people who consider themselves part of a highly developed civilization. Some of my own ancestors on my father's side fought in that war, and the ones before it. The yokai side didn't involve themselves in human conflict. They had enough yokai conflict to deal with. That's weird though, Akoni was born in Nigeria, he doesn't know exactly where though. But, back on topic, I think in a way war, isn't what people consider it to be. It tends to pop up when nations have an excess of male population. I think it is meant to clean up less desirable, or successful, bloodlines that would not make a positive impact on human development," Tekeshi said, not considering who he was talking to.
""I understood, very little. Your friend like me, is from the same place as me? Yet, he isn't from the same place," Dibea looked at Tekeshi like he had two heads.
"Sorry. Akoni was born there, but he was an infant when he moved to the States. He really doesn't remember that much. His family were mostly there illegally, though at some point his mother decided to try to do things right, and was able to find someone to help her go through the process to become a citizen. He hasn't ever even known anything about his dad. So, I actually have a question," he made to switch the subject.
"What is it?"
"You aren't much like the other women that belong to your order. Most of them are forceful and deadly seeming. You aren't. You are rather, timid, for the most part. I don't think I have even seen you yell at someone, or be rude since you stuck a spear in my face. How did you ever come to be partnered up with a demon," he asked.
Dibea was silent for several minutes, "My mother was sold."
"Sold? How? The British outlawed slavery almost a hundred years before World War II. You were born between both world wars, so it would have been illegal," the statement confused him with his knowledge of history.
"I only learned of such since I had joined the order. Though the elders would have said it was a, bridal price. When times would become hard, times such as, a famine. I think famine, is correct word. A lack of food," she looked at Tekeshi for confirmation.
"Yeah, that would be a famine."
Dibea nodded, "The elders would choose a woman that they thought didn't contribute much to the tribe. They would sell them to the plantation owners. It would not matter to them, about who they chose. Thus, they chose a woman who had two children, one who had grown and died, and the other approaching the age where she could not marry."
"Age she couldn't marry? How old did women generally marry in your tribe?"
"Around the time we started bleeding," was the response to the question.
Tekeshi wanted to say something, but then his brain caught up, "I forgot that was a common thing throughout the world. I'm not going to be one of those braindead assholes who wastes their time judging the past by the morals of today. Uh, sorry, go on."
"My father died before I was born. I had a, brother. He was much older than me. He had served with the British West African Forces. He went away when I was very young. He did not return. For a time we received, a small pension, but it stopped coming very quickly. Times began to become hard, not enough men to work on the farms. They, chose my mother, despite her age.
They came for her, and she tried to reason with them. She said that, there would be no man, that would, want a woman of her age, that had borne, two children. That she was used up. They said, that it would not matter. The man that they were, betrothing, her to, was in his, ninetieth year. He was known to many of us. He was not a good man, and he had a white woman he was married to. That did not matter either, there wasn't a marriage that would occur. We just knew that the women rarely returned to the tribe, and those that did, did not have good things, to tell us.
When they forced her to go, I ran. I ran far from the village. I didn't want to become the next victim of the elders. I would have, rather died, and joined the ancestors, than be sold like some animal."
Tekeshi stopped her there for a second, "Wait, what do you mean by join the ancestors?"
"The ones who have passed before, and watch down upon us, when the sun no longer gives it's light," she said.
Tekeshi had to think for a second. He wasn't as much as an anthropologist as his mother would have given him credit for, so it took him a few moments to understand. Her tribe must have engaged in ancestor worship, and saw the stars as the spirits of their ancestors.
"Your tribe worshiped the stars? I don't, really understand."
Dibea nodded, "Those who were good, and did their best to, help others. They were given a space, among those who watch over us, from the place beyond the clouds. They join Mother Moon, and guide us when she must wane. They give us comfort when we fell lost, and look upon them."
"That's, amazing. What about the other way?"
"They, are bound to the world. They may not join the ancestors, and will be forgotten. They will wander, cursed to commit mischief and bring pain. They slowly lose themselves as time goes, until they are simply gone, with nothing left to say they ever lived," the girl explained.
Tekeshi nodded, "A fate that I can't see anyone wanting to have befall them. I have a feeling that was what the elders had waiting for them."
"Maybe so, and maybe they were in the right to do as they did? I care very little for what was right, and what was wrong, in their decision now. I just know, that I wished to no longer, live in a world, if I no longer had my mother."
Tekeshi took a breath before his next question, "How did you become, a Witch of War, in all of this?"
Dibea nodded, but didn't speak for a while, "I had run out into the wilds. Into the grasses, hoping that some predator, would give me a quick and, painless death. I found a fallen tree, and I rested against it, and I cried. I just, cried.
I don't know how long, but the sun had retreated, and Mother Moon was full. I finally calmed down, and was just, waiting, for my fate. Nothing came. I heard no beasts. I heard no men. I could not understand the silence that surrounded me, it seemed, unnatural.
Then a shadow came. It came when I was at the darkest point. It held out a knife, and a wrist. I didn't understand what it meant, until I just did. I cut the wrist, not understanding how I could cut shadow, and took a deep drink of its blood. It hurt so much, but then, I felt the power.
It was, euphoric. I felt, like I was no longer just a small girl, but instead a lioness. I began to walk, and felt no fatigue. I just walked, toward the plantation. I don't know how long, it took me to make, it there. When I arrived, so did death. I spared none of the British. None.
I can remember, the sounds of bone, powdering beneath their flesh. The sight of crimson, lakes, forming from a thousand wounds, upon their bodies. Even children folding, as I passed. I didn't care though. They were not like me, so they were, my enemy. I even found the plantation owner. I watched his body boil, tear itself apart. I enjoyed it.
I went through the house, watching all whose skin, was not black, die. I found it, wonderful. Then, I found my mother. I was so happy to find her. She was tied up, and they had beaten and whipped her. She had long wounds on her back, treated only to avoid infection. She was alive though.
That, was, until she saw me. She looked up at me, and, she smiled, at first. She was looking on the, face of her, only family. Then she saw the darkness. I saw the fear enter her, eyes. Her heart, stopped. I couldn't, do anything, to help her. She, died, in front of me.
Then, I was at the fortress."
"Wow, I'm... I'm not going to try to give empty platitudes. I can understand how hard that must have been, and I hate you had to go through it," Tekeshi took the girl in a hug.
"Thank you. I have not seen, the demon, my partner, again. I don't care, to. I fear them, and what, they bring up in me. I fear becoming the monster. Letting blood flow, and flesh rend," Dibea wasn't aware of the smile that grew upon her face.
"I understand. I spent eight months, in the same mind-space. I killed, and very rarely let anyone go. Once you start, it seems impossible to stop. You enjoy it too much. You want to do it. Then you just get tired of it," he pulled back and stood to walk to a window, "The most important thing, is if you can stop. Thankfully, I could. I hope I can stay away from it. Trust me, keep that fear, and let it make you strong against it. Strong enough that you don't become that person again."
"You speak with much wisdom. I had to learn that the hard way, over a time much longer than, you have lived. I, thank you,"Dibea closed her eyes as she spoke.
"For what?"
"For giving me a chance to talk about it. At the, fortress, it is, discouraged to talk about, trauma. All of us, have experienced some. None of us want to, be reminded. Yet, telling it to someone, who is willing, to, listen, and offer comfort, feels good," she hid her face as she finished speaking.
"That's what friends do. They care, even if they don't seem like it, they care. They will stay by you, when you really need it the most. God, it's still three hours until classes end. Want to go hit up the arcade for something to eat?"
"Well, I can't find any other reason to keep you, and the estate you told us to contact has settled up on the bill. Well, I will go down and get them to start the discharge paperwork. It shouldn't be more than an hour before you are able to leave. If you need anything, just contact the nurse," the female doctor said as she stood and walked out of the room.
Simona took a deep breath. She was happy she knew English, enough to be able to do business anyways, but she would have rather not needed it. She wasn't even completely sure what had happened. It just felt like her head was about to suddenly explode, and then she was spending three days in the hospital in Korea.
"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to almost destroy your mind. Please forgive my indiscretion,", Candace said into her head from the chair she was sitting in near the foot of the hospital bed.
"Don't think anything of it My Lady. I honestly have no clue what happened. At least my head doesn't hurt anymore," the girl said, hoping that she could hide the sarcasm well enough.
Candace shook her head, "No. I put so much of my mental energy into your mind, that I could have left you a husk. Please forgive me."
"It's really ok My Lady. Oh God, how are we supposed to get to Tokyo now?"
"Oh, the, pilot, is waiting at the, airport? Many of these new words are difficult for me to truly understand. He was landing for fuel, when the lady that was taking care of us told him that you collapsed. This has been a very nice place though," the ancient vampire said with a smile.
Simona suddenly realized that for two days that Candace had been without anyone that could speak for her, or translate. How bad had things gotten? Had anyone been drained in a shadowy corner because nobody could ask them for blood packs for her.
"Have you been ok for the last couple of days," she was prepared for the worst.
"It was quite nice. They recognized that I was a vampire quite quickly, and made sure that I had plenty of very nice containers of blood, and very nice things to eat. I might like to stay here for a while after I am reunited with my husband. He liked rather unique and exotic foods. Honestly, he always just really liked food. I swear that he never went anywhere that he didn't have a snack to offer someone. I also had several nice young men offer to give me, what was that again, gynecological exams. I had to turn them down though, I didn't want to leave you alone, and they weren't willing to use the bed next to you. I would have like to know what a gynecological exam was," Candace explained happily.
Simona went white as a ghost. How was she supposed to tell her what those men were actually after. It might send her on a total warpath that left who knows how many people dead in her path. She had to do it though, that way nobody was able to take advantage of her like that down the road.
"My Lady, they weren't trying to do any kind of medical exam. They were trying to have sex with you."
Candace's exam went wide, and a look of shock covered her face, "Why didn't they just say so? I haven't been plowed in centuries. I could use a good round. Oh God help me, it's probably full of sand and cobwebs up there."