Disclaimer: I don't own Rosario + Vampire or Digimon Adventure 02
Author's note: Sorry for the lack of update for over three months. While I did plan this arc long ahead of time I didn't really figure out what to put into the chapter itself (not helped by the fact I never been to Disneyland or Tokyo myself). Hopefully I managed to get the more important things right anyways.
To I Lost My Name: I don't think I understand what you meant to say, aside from you picked up the eastern eggs I have in my story. Hopefully you had an enjoyable time with my story when you are gracious enough to leave me some reviews.
Jun Moreika shakes a baby toy in front of Horo. The baby werewolf lets out a series of amused gurgle while making half measured grabs at the toy. The housewife looks out of their family van. She only sees the endless spawn of forest beside the snaking mountain highway. "Why does your teacher lives like a hermit? What happened to societal need?"
"Master Okami wants to live closer to his family. Their graveyard anyways." Gin's voice is devoid of his usual mirth or punkish edge. The werewolf looks solemn for the moment as the family van travels the narrow mountain road. "An entire tribe of warriors swept away by a hydroelectric dam built by a greedy human. It's our kind's greatest shame, but for Master Okami, he lost his family."
"Sorry I brought it up." Jun looks down at their daughter. Horo's big eyes stare at her back with vibrant curiosity.
"No, I'm sorry we always spend our wedding anniversary like this." Gin pulls their van to a stop at the side of the road. The werewolf scratches his hair uncomfortably for a second before pulling a small box out of his pocket. "I know this doesn't make up all the anniversaries we spend in this blasted forest. But I want you to have this."
Jun takes the little box into her hand and opens it. She finds a necklace with a moonstone pendant inside.
Gin bangs his head on the steering wheel while letting out a frustrated growl. "Damnit. I don't do this sappy shit. The moonstone is the emblem of our wolves, so I thought it's fitting to give this to you... You can toss it away if you don't like it. I know you don't like girly stuff like jewelry."
"I love it, you silly old mutt." Jun fasten Gin's gift around her neck. She grinds her fist on Gin's face playfully. "I have something for you too. Well, you and your Sensei. Remember that big box on the back seat? Open it!"
Gin looks back at the paper box. He shrugs and brings the box to his lap. The werewolf shreds the box and takes the decoration in one hand. "A candlestick."
"A ceremonial candlestick." Jun grins while pointing her finger at each branch. "The middle is for the ones passed away. The left is for the ones left behind. And the right is for the memories you share together."
Gin simply stares at the metal decoration in his hand before meeting Jun in her eyes. He pulls his wife closer and gives her a deep kiss. "It's perfect. I love you, woman."
Jun laughs as she rests her head on Gin's shoulder. Horo giggles at the faces her parents are making.
Light Pink Lover
Chapter 29: Pick up your old charm
Tsukune Aono draws in a long breath. He let his eyes wander to the bustling crowd around him: Parents laugh with their children as they take in the sights together, holding each other's hand. Young couples whisper with each other, barely taking notice of the world around them.
"Papa, so high~!" The excited cry of a young boy draws his attention. The voice belongs to a family of three passing from his left.
The boy is maybe four or five years old. He shakes front and back as he on the father's shoulder across the neck. The mother looks rather unremarkable, wearing plain clothes and very light make up. The father is of average height, not as tall as his son implies.
Altogether, the family of three looks like your average Japanese family. Tsukune let his eye linger on the family for a few seconds longer. He turns to look for Yukari, only to realize she is also looking at the same family.
Tsukune moves his hand towards Yukari's shoulder. He retracts and looks at his hand before touching her. The vampire bites the inside of his mouth as he squeezes his fist tight.
Someone big rams into the vampire with the power of a raging bull. It nearly knocks Tsukune off his feet since he's not paying attention. "Drop out! You have to help me!"
"Shouldn't you enjoy some quality time with your girlfriend?" Tsukune turns towards Saizo with an annoyed frown.
The orc quickly looks back at his girlfriend. Wakaba is currently standing on the other side of the street, busy looking at the park's map. Saizo turns to Tsukune once again. His eyes wide open, breath ragged. "I don't know HOW!"
"What do you mean, you don't know how?" Tsukune pinches the bridge of his nose. He squeezes his eyes shut while shaking his head. "You two been together for how long?"
"I talk monster stuff to Wakaba. She finds them funny. I don't know what to do on these human dates!" The orc shakes Tsukune violently. The rapid motion with his mint scented toothpaste makes the vampire feel like passing out.
"Take it easy, Saizo. We are here to help." Yukari walks to Saizo before he has a panic attack. She hands Saizo a bottle of water while nudges her knuckle against the orc's temple. The Witch gives both boys a knowing wink. "We'll be your wingman. But the old lover boy can't do anything if you knock him out."
Tsukune opens his mouth. He doesn't have any more experience then Saizo when it comes to smooth talking with girls, despite his adventure in Yokai Academy. The vampire eventually settles with a begrudging "What she said."
"What's everyone talking about?" Wakaba jogs to the three with a spring in her steps. She closes her hands behind her back as she leans sideways to look at Saizo.
"Oh not much. The boys are just catching up on old times." Yukari shrugs at the human girl.
"Oh, right! Saizo met Aono-Kun back in high school!" Wakaba stands straight as she pats her head. "It must be interesting. A school for supernatural beings."
"We learn how to act like a human, so it's not that interesting." Tsukune raises one eyebrow at Saizo. He wonders how much the orc told Wakaba about Yokai Academy. Then again, the vampire doesn't know how the orc spend his school life after Moka sends him to the hospital wing. "The club activity was good though."
"Speak for yourself. I was the sacrifice." Saizo rolls his eyes at Tsukune's comment.
"Right, you were in film research club. And you were the stuntman." Tsukune turns to look at Saizo blush at Wakaba's comment. The vampire admits he didn't see this coming.
"Let's not talk so much about my high school, Wakaba." Saizo scratches the back of his ear as he looks all over. "We are in Disney land."
"Sorry. I'm just curious about your high school. I told you all about my time working on the school newspaper and study sessions for exams. You must be bored to tears." Wakaba sticks her tongue out as she smiles at Saizo.
"I like hearing them. It's not eating or be eaten, like Yokai Academy."
"You are just saying it." Wakaba nudges at Saizo while pouting. She takes the map out again. "Where do you guys want to go first?"
"Don't know. First time." Saizo shrugs his massive shoulders. His strained smile makes Tsukune think the orc rather not be at the magical kingdom at all. All the happy faces and pixy dust must be allergic to his three hundred pounds of muscles.
"Same. I'll go wherever you guys go." Tsukune nods his head alongside Saizo.
"Where do you want to go first, Wakaba-Chan?" Yukari cocks her head at Wakaba.
"Oh, I was thinking we start on the west side and work ourselves clockwise... Hey! It's Mikey! I want to take a photo!" The human girl starts running her finger on the map till she notices the actor who plays Mikey Mouse. She runs towards the mascot while laughing. "Come on, guys!"
"So, that's your girlfriend. Not exactly an S class monster to fit your stature." Tsukune gives Saizo a blank look. The Orc turns away while scratching his ear once again. "What happened to let's kill all the man and rape all the woman? Mr. Bigshot monster?"
"When will you drop it, Dropout? I told you I graduated." Saizo gives Tsukune a quick glance before growling with annoyance.
"When you stop calling me a Dropout." Tsukune rolls his eyes at the Orc while they stroll to the Mikey mascot.
"Guys, I want to have a picture taken with Sai-Chan and Mikey." The human girl takes her camera off her neck and hands it toward Tsukune. "Help us?"
"Sai-Chan? Seriously?" Tsukune can't help but chuckles at Saizo's indignation as he reaches for the camera.
"Oh, SHO- be quiet, drop out." Saizo is about to blurt out some profanity till he gives a quick look at his girlfriend. The Orc settles for a push on Tsukune's should. Unfortunately for the vampire, he ends up tip to the side and plows into Yukari.
The two of them freezes for a brief second before they jump apart. Tsukune looks back to see Wakaba cocks her head sideways and glance at them curiously. "I'll take the camera now. Go make a pose, Sai-Chan."
Tsukune feels like a puppet once again. He mindlessly goes through the motion of different theme park rides with the others. It reminds him of the night he meets Yukari again after ten years. Only this time he is just along for the ride like Yukari.
A loud rumble from Saizo's stomach breaks Tsukune out of his musing. The vampire snorts at the orc. "If you eat a ham sandwich, is it cannibalism? Hey, I bet that's where all the lards come from."
Saizo's face turns red while shaking his fist at Tsukune. "Oh, stuff it Dropout. We don't all have juice boxes everywhere we go."
"For your information, the only time I drunk blood was that time we went to Sai's beach house. And they made me drunk blood without my consent." Tsukune's face darkens. He enters into a glaring contest with Saizo before Wakaba's happy shouting interrupt them.
"Hey, hey! Guys! Let's go ride Splash Mountain before we go to lunch!" The homey girl points her finger at the mountain with waterway attraction. They can practically see the stars twinkling in her eyes.
"Splash Mountain, huh..." Tsukune scratches his head. There will be a lot of water splashing on his face if the name is a good indication. He doubts a dark aura for water protection falls into safety regulation of the ride. Oh, well. He'll have to tough it out.
Yukari drags him to the side before he can follow Wakaba and Saizo. She takes a bottle of lotion out of her purse and begins to rub it on Tsukune's face and arms. "Here you go, some vampire water screen will get you off the ride good as new."
"Thanks, Yukari. I don't know how I managed without you." Tsukune's body tenses up once again. He can do nothing but allow Yukari to rub all over his face and arm.
The Witch looks up at the vampire and gives a faint smile. She gently taps his cheek with her hand. "You didn't. Let's not keep them waiting."
Tsukune Aono lets Yukari leads him once again. His mind begins to wander to Moka once again. It makes him feel guilty to think about his ex when he's with Yukari, especially when there's yet so much making up to do. But he can't help to wonder how things would play out if he goes to a theme park with the heiress of Shuzen family like a regular human couple.
Well, for one thing, she would wear the biggest scowl on her face even if he somehow manages to drag her along. Going to a human amusement park is most definitely one of the things on the list of: Below the stature of a great clan heiress.
A big wave of water splash on his face while he is in his musing. Getting water in the face while riding a carved out log-shaped boat isn't something Moka do for fun, probably.
"I should talk to Yukari." Tsukune thinks to himself while Wakaba guides them back towards the World Bazaar for their lunch. He still doesn't know what to say admittedly, but even he realizes the two of them can't keep ignoring the elephant in the room.
"Is everyone alright?" Wakaba's question draws the vampire out of his inner thought.
"We are great! Why do you ask, Wakaba?" Saizo immediately bolts to the side of his girlfriend. It's funny to see the former school bully made of three hundred pounds of muscle bending over for an average sized human girl. Then again, it explains why Wakaba calls him Sai-Chan if he acts like an overgrown Ewok than an orc all the time.
"It looks like I'm the only one having fun. Maybe we can do something else everyone enjoys?" The human girl looks through the faces of Tsukune and Yukari with an unsure pout.
"Ha, don't worry about it Wakaba-Chan. We are having a good time." Tsukune opens his mouth to say something, Yukari stops him with a gentle elbow to his ribs. She winks at the human girl. "We like things quiet. Our lives are too loud and fast."
"Oh. That's true! The magical Kingdom is not so magical to you guys. You have real magic!" Wakaba pokes her tongue out at the realization. She scoots closer to Yukari and holds their hands together, "What's it like?"
"Not too much different. You bump into egos more often. Oh, right! They throw fireballs at you, not insult." Yukari shrugs her shoulder while she giggles at Wakaba's antic. "So, how did a human OL working in Customer Service meet a monster mechanic?"
Wakaba blushes at the question as she sits back into the bench. "I crashed my bike. So I took it to Sai-Chan's workshop. Papa taught me never throw things you can fix. Nobody bothered to take a look, Sai-Chan fixed my bike after his shift. And we got to know each other."
Tsukune gives Saizo another sideways glance. It's still hard to imagine him being a good Samaritan. Saizo bears his gritted teeth and grunts. The vampire decides to ignore him and focus on the bottle of tomato juice. "This double date is pointless if you don't even make a move."
"I know. But I don't know about dating human." Saizo slumps into the bench next to Tsukune. "How did you do it? Back in Yokai Academy."
Tsukune tries to think back a decade. His brain draws up blank. It still confuses him with what the girls see in him to this day. "Just being yourself, I guess. You got this far."
"Yeah, sure. Trying to beat you to a pulp worked so well." Saizo rolls his eyes. Both men think back to their first few days back in Yokai Academy. Tsukune tosses his empty juice box into a garbage can across the street.
"Don't they have a parade tonight? And some fireworks? Should be pretty romantic, if you don't count all the people. Tell her how you feel. Maybe try to get a kiss?"
Saizo gives Tsukune a long and quiet look before patting the vampire on the shoulder. "You are alright, Dropout."
Tsukune shoves Saizo's hand off with an annoyed grumble. The girls walk to them before he has more time to feel sorry for himself. "Let's go get some food. Saizo's not the only one starving!"
"Food's good for him." Tsukune pushes Saizo forward to his girlfriend. "Take him off my hand, would you? He's getting restless."
"Oh, is the big huggy teddy bear jealous I'm hogging his girlfriend?" Yukari laughs with a fake high-pitch accent.
Saizo blushes and shakes his fist at Yukari. "I'll you back for this, Sendo!"
"You won't hit a girl with glasses, will you?" Yukari takes her teacher glasses and plops it onto her nose.
Wakaba chuckles at the exchange. She slides her arm around Saizo's and guides the disgruntled Orc towards the food court. Tsukune stands up from the bench and walks to Yukari. "Let's follow them."
"What are you waiting for?" Yukari looks up at him. She extends her hand out. "Go on. Don't keep me hanging."
Not after ten years.
Tsukune bits the inside of his mouth, but he firmly grasps Yukari's hand. "What were you two chatting?"
"Oh, you know." Yukari looks up and gives Tsukune a coy smile. "Girl stuff."
"That's cheating." Tsukune laughs at Yukari's not answer.
"Well, what were you two talking about, Mr. not cheating?"
"Saizo wants to know how to date a human. I told him to tell how he truly feels in tonight's parade and firework."
"Not a bad suggestion... but he can use a gift. Girls like a thoughtful gift." Yukari looks thoughtful for a second before looking up at Tsukune once again. "Keep Wakaba busy. I'll help Saizo pick something."
"Shouldn't you distract her? What am I going to say?"
"Do you know what gift to pick?" Yukari looks back at Tsukune. The vampire shakes his head. "You'll be fine. Just turn on your Aono charm."
Yukari runs to Saizo's side and pulls the dumbfounded orc away, leaving Tsukune look after their dust. "Oh, where is Sai-Chan, and Yukari?"
"Yukari saw something. She asked Saizo for help. They told us to go buy lunch and save them seats." Tsukune scratches his head trying to distract Wakaba without giving anything away. "So, what does Saizo say about me?"
"You used to be wimpy, but you became a badass in the second year." Saizo's girlfriend either didn't notice the blatant attempt at diversion or didn't mind. Tsukune raises his eyebrow at the idea of Saizo praising him. Wakaba looks sideways as if trying to remember an old conversation. "Oh! He also got you together with your ex-girlfriend."
"That is a... simplified version." The vampire scratches his hair once again. What Saizo said is technically true if one does enough mental gymnastics. Like completely ignore the fact Saizo was trying to kill him.
"I guess things didn't work out in the end, huh? Hope you work it out with Yukari. She's very nice."
"You know people used to marry their social class? There's actual wisdom." Tsukune shrugs his shoulder while letting out a long breath. "Moka wants me to be someone I'm not. I can't do it. That's the end of that."
Wabaka throws herself at Tsukune and gives him a tight hug, completely surprises the vampire. He chuckles at the homey looking girl. "Why did you do that? Saizo will get jealous?"
Saizo's girlfriend smiles at him. "You can use a hug. Don't worry about Sai-Chan. He looks gangster, but he's a big softy inside."
The formally human vampire thinks back to his first class in Yokai Academy. Not to mention how he treated Moka like his possession. "Let's agree to disagree."
Wakaba rolls her eyes upwards. But the girl looks thoughtful rather than snide as she rubs her chin. "I guess it's hard to believe if you only know him from high school. Sai-Chan told me he was a bad boy back then. But he grew up now. He reminds me of my middle school home teacher. Tough on the outside, but fluffy on the inside. Seriously, who brings a bamboo sword to the class now? Who made Ph'ed teacher teach us math? He made us do push-ups to prepare for the MATH exams. You'd not expect him to carry old ladies across the street."
"No way. You were in Gekko-Sensei's class too?"
"Ah! Guess you are my Senpai! Others tell me I do a mean impersonation of Gekko-Sensei." Wakaba laughs at the coincident she is in the same class as Tsukune. She suddenly narrows her eyes and starts to speak in a fake hoarse tone. "Student? You no good lots aren't students! You are WORMS!"
"That's him. That's HIM!" Tsukune covers his mouth to stop himself from burst out laughter. "We should go get food now."
"You are right." Wakaba begins to hop her way towards the food court. She wildly flings her arm at an actress on the other side. "Oh, hey! That's Cinderella! Did she wear a diamond neckless in the movie?"
"It'd be easier if I know what Wakaba-Chan likes," Yukari mumbles to herself as she looks through merchandises in the gift shop. She looks up to search for Saizo. The Witch finds he's staring at the food court. "This is a team effort!"
"Give me a break! My girlfriend is with the harem king of Yokai!" Saizo hisses back through gritted teeth.
"Oh~. Are you afraid to lose your girl, little piggy? It would be a funny payback for what you did to Tsukune, you know?"
Saizo blushes while looking away in shame to his credit. "Can we get over the stupids things I did in high school? I know Wakaba isn't a vampire princess, but she's my princess."
"Aww~! Aren't you cute." Yukari hugs herself while making a cooing sound. She stands straight and gives Saizo a serious look. "You don't need to worry about Tsukune. His charm only works on monster girls, like me."
"Let's agree to disagree." Saizo looks at Yukari blankly for a whole minute before he moves into the merchandise aisles with Yukari. "What happened with you and Dropout? You aren't clingy to him anymore. Something bad happened that night after he took you home?"
"Was it that obvious? And here I thought nobody would notice." Yukari suddenly seems to grow an intense interest at the toys on the bottom shelf. "Guess I'm not a very good actor if YOU notice."
"He can't be that bad in bed. Maybe Gin can give him some pointers. Not like I care about Dropout, but I don't want him to steal Wakaba."
"What?! We didn't sleep together. Okay, we did, but not in that way!" Yukari jumps on her feet like a startled bunny for a moment. She looks back down at the line of plushies from Winnie the Pooh. "Look, you worry about your princess Wakaba. Let grown-ups worry about grown-up stuff."
"I'm five years older than you." Saizo glares at Yukari sideways.
"No need to reminds me you are a man baby." Saizo scoff at Yukari's mischevious grin.
"You are fine if you still got your cheek."
"Damn straight. Hey, how about this for Wakaba? Looks just like you." Yukari picks up a piglet plushie and shakes it in front of Saizo's face. The orc gives her another annoyed glare.
"For your information, Wakaba says I look like a teddy bear."
"Okay, Winnie the Pooh it is." Yukari picks up the teddy bear. A voice catches their attention before they can make their way to the cashier.
"Are you looking for a gift? How about a book? Books are the food for your soul." An actress who looks like Belle from Beauty and Beast picks up a picture book from an aisle.
Yukari's ires dilate. She immediately slides a tarot card out of her sleeve. "The WORLD!"
The gift shop promptly explodes right after.