CHAPTER 197

For something that has been alive for over a thousand years, especially when its birth was a culmination of negative emotions spread around by living beings, there was little the Nogitsune hadn't seen or felt, so to speak. And with a thousand ways to draw out whatever range of emotion it wanted from its victims, it had to admit that dealing with a vampire was a very annoying endeavor. Especially, and most especially, a Bloodborn.

… At least it wasn't a Nosferatu, otherwise it would have cut the game short at that very moment.

It had to be extra careful in laying low whenever it was in the boy's presence because of how infuriating the vampire's bloodsense could be.

Did no one really have any idea of just how close the blood was to the soul?

And it wasn't as if the boy himself was mediocre. There was a limit to how much power it could channel in a weak vessel and also conversely how much energy it would need to expend to possess a strong body.

… Except none of this would matter if it could get a sufficient enough negative energy from the vampire. Ooh~! Now that would be scintillating.

But it knew his type, how obsessed they were with 'their blood', and that was what it would go for.

The thought was so amorous that it barely contained its excitement when it pictured what Tristan's face would look like when it drank from his oh so precious blood.

Even with how Tristan's nature was very lethal to it, a Nogitsune was nothing if not daring.

...

Over at Kira's house, Tristan was having a conversation with Kira's mother, Noshiko, much to Kira's consternation. Like you would think a normal(or abnormal, whatever goes) teenager would visit your house to hang out with you and not to have hours long conversation with your mother.

Kira's face was a sight to behold, which amused her father, Ken, who was the only one that actually paid attention to Kira's frustration.

Because of the bombing in the school, the school was closed down for a few days – weeks. It was so serious that it brought the FBI down to Beacon Hills.

"So in the event that we catch it, how can you kill it without your sword? Can you seal it again?"

"I can sacrifice my tail for a stronger and safer seal but it still isn't an efficient way. It'll–"

"— It'll just be history repeating itself, I know." Tristan sighed. Noshiko said she had buried the broken sword with her lover and while Tristan was of the mind to dig it back up from wherever it was stashed and funs a way to fix it, he couldn't say that to Noshiko as that would be desecrating the grave of a dead loved one.

Also for some inexplicable reason, he was more at ease with speaking with Noshiko than almost anyone he knew, save for a few special people. For comparison he was a lot more formal and polite with Ken than he was with Noshiko, which should have been the other way around. It might be because she was that old or maybe because she told him of the history of vampires, for whatever reason it was, Noshiko was easily his closest acquaintance in the Yukimura family.

He was thinking of leaving when he caught the history teacher covertly trying to get his attention.

'Hmm?'

He looked at where Ken was nudging his eyes at and saw an exasperated Kira who was silently listening to what he was discussing with her mother.

He quickly understood what Ken was trying to say with his eyes and tried refusing by shaking his head but Ken was practically pleading with his eyes.

'Be more understanding they said. Be more human they said. And yet no one bothered to explain the cost of being human.'

It was rare times like these that he regrets not being with Allison and Boyd, the sociable ones.

"Um, Kira…" She whipped her head so fast around that it left Tristan unsure of what to say next.

'Now what does a normal conversation begin with?..... At this point I'm ashamed of myself.'

"Hey, Tristan, um did you call me?" Kira's eyes darted everywhere and landed on Tristan with an hopeful gleam.

"Rather than stay cooped in all day, you can call Lydia, Malia or Allison, or even Boyd, to hang out y'know." He said, throwing what he could identify as another bundle of teenage hyperactivity on his friends.

"Or better yet, just call either Boyd or Allison to be on the safer side. They are more easy to get with." He corrected himself after realizing the first two names he mentioned – Malia for being Malia, and Lydia because the last thing he needed was a second Lydia around him.

Kira's hopefully gleaming eyes dimmed a little upon hearing what he said. She was hoping he'd invite her himself as that was a better way to get to know his friends instead of him basically telling her to do it herself.

Tristan groaned as he saw Ken wince on his words and felt how Kira's excitement slowly petered out.

".. And if you feel like it, you can show me what you can do? I never met a Kitsune before so–"

"Yes!" Kira shouted and blushed in embarrassment as she caught herself. "I mean sure. If you're up for it. We can do it at–"

"My place. It's a lot more covered and away from any snooping neighbor."

"Really!? Of course, I mean, yes. Let me go change!" She exclaimed excitedly and bolted to her room.

{Tristan>: Come take the fox girl off my hands}

He quickly sent a text to Boyd and Allison before Kira came back, enthusiastically trying to get a conversation out of him the entire time he drove her home.

"Show me what you can do." Tristan said after they got home and went a bit deeper into the woods at the back of his house.

"Right." She nodded and took a calming breath, causing a golden-orange glow to come over her. "How is it?"

"Well, it's a fox." Tristan said while looking at Kira with his vampire eyes. There might have been a humorous undertone with the way he said it since it made Kira chuckle. "You brought a bokken with you."

She nodded and held up the wooden sword she brought along with her. "It helps me channel my abilities more easily. My mom said it's my crutch until I can get a spiritual weapon."

Tristan shrugged and opened his palms and a stream of blood flowed out and formed a katana which he threw at Kira.

"That should be leagues better than that thing. It's sharper and way more durable than the average steel."

"Thanks?" Kira looked at the sword a little weirdly. One, it made feel more invigorated, as if her powers were flowing more smoothly than when she held the bokken, and second, it was made of blood.

There were a lot of things wrong with her current image but she couldn't make any point with it.

With her growing excitement, she rushed at Tristan and did a front flip, bringing her sword down with more force but Tristan blocked it with the back of his hand that was covered with a blood glove.

"Whoa, how did I just do that?"

"You tell me."

She disengaged from him and twirled her sword around with style and grace, a hint of high mastery showing in her movements.

She stepped closer to Tristan with a side slash which she paused midway and changed it to an upper slash once Tristan made to block, almost grinning when she thought she got him, except that Tristan shifted to the side looking unperturbed by her feint.

She tried all she could, forms and skill she hadn't shown when sparring her mother, but she could so much as nick him or even force a more serious effort out of him.

"Why… Do… You… Keep… Dodging!? Arghh!"

When she got frustrated enough, her eyes lit up and cackled with electricity. Moving with the flow of her sky-high instincts, she slashed her sword that was now crackling with lightning in a cross motion.

"Well I'll be damned." Tristan was forced to use his super speed to dodge the lightning. His instincts screamed danger and he obeyed, not sure whether it was because of the lightning or because of the cross shape it was fired in. All he knew was that it would hurt really bad if it hit him.

"You… you dodged." Kira remarked in huffs.

"Of course. Unlike you, and maybe other supernaturals with lightning affinities, no one else is resistant to lightning. It is the natural antithesis to everything – the biggest nuke in nature's arsenal." He pointed at the sword she was holding, or at least what remained of it.

The once pristine blood sword was now half its size and had lost its solid form as it melted away in continuous drops.

Kira looked at the sword and then at Tristan and grinned. She might not be anywhere strong as he was but hearing him say she had something he was cautious of was a very placating consolation.

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