"The Demon wha-" Axel questioned.
"Demon King. Or at least that's what he calls himself." (Y/N) summarized while Jules was busy writing a report on his tablet.
"So those creepy ass markings and pendants we've been seeing are really just some demon claiming his territory?!"
"Yea..." The countryside, outskirts, and the city... It's impossible for one demon to defend all of that so that must be where the followers come in.
"And we have to deal with that?!" To say Axel was in disbelief by all of this is an understatement.
"No, not right now. It's better if we get as much information as we can about him before coming up with a plan. Just by how Vam and Tuca described him, it may not be so easy..." But then there's the followers they'll have to deal with too. If they behaved like a cult, the followers will do anything to protect the leader.
Jules finished writing his report and sent it off to as many other Zones as he could, especially those in their area. The more people are aware of this, the better.
He leaned back in the chair he was sitting in by a desk inside one of the carriers and sighed deeply. "How could we have missed a demon like this for three years?"
"How could a demon like this even exist?!" Axel exclaimed. "Since when do demons follow? It sounds impossible!"
(Y/N) shrugged. "It is possible as long as they're all loyal to one another." Tuca's family, Edith's group. Demons can work together as long as they have trust in one another. "But with Zankoku, it sounds forced. Vam told us how he recruits demons but he must have some way of locking them in. Most demons don't always go down without a fight."
Axel groaned loudly. "This trip just got 100x worst and it's only the first one..."
"We need to figure out where the demon is so no one runs into it soon. It's better if we access before executing." Jules turned to his wife. "Can you see if those two know of any locations we need to watch out for? They're our only source of information we have right now."
(Y/N) nodded. She was going to question them further about Zankoku anyways. They must know more about him since Tuca considers him his uncle despite being scared of him.
"I'm gonna go pray that we won't have to deal with this thing for our first trip." Axel huffed as he turned to leave.
"Since when do you pray?" Jules raised an eyebrow.
"Since now! I feel like I have to after hearing all of that." With that, he marched off the carrier and out of sight. Probably to go find the stash of alcohol he and the other Capturers are hiding from their Chief.
Jules rolled his eyes. "Can he not be dramatic for one moment...?"
"I'm kinda with him though." (Y/N) muttered. "This is a lot for just our first trip. We haven't even made it halfway through the route yet and we already have some massive demon to look out for."
"If we do come across it, capturing it is off the table. Sounds too dangerous to study or even be around. We'll have to eradicate it on the spot."
(Y/N) agreed. It's better if the Demon King was killed rather than alive and experimented on. She hopes other Zones in the area are thinking the same and not planning on leaving him alive for experiments. It'll be more dangerous than it's worth.
After a quick kiss to her husband, (Y/N) grabbed her helmet and left the carrier to go find Vam and Tuca. They said they've been traveling since the family left, they must know of areas to avoid or possibly where Zankoku is residing. The more information the better.
Once she entered the school through the front doors, (Y/N) could see that the entryway looked much cleaner than before. There was less trash and debris surrounding the doors and even down towards the cafeteria looked more clear. Some people must be planning on camping inside to avoid the cold snowy air outside. They are gonna be here for a few days after all.
Walking in the direction she believed Vam and Tuca's room was, she took the time to look at all the old decorations at her own pace. It became clear that this used to be an elementary school. Many of the posters and art that still hung onto the walls were geared towards children and even the classrooms mostly held smaller desks and chairs. She peeked into one classroom and noticed toys scattered around the place and furniture you would find at a preschool.
Lil B will be starting preschool soon...
And here comes her worry...
Was Lil B doing ok? Was she sad that her and Jules weren't back yet? Was she beginning to think her parents were gone forever? (Y/N) desperately wished there was a way she could call Nora and check on her daughter. She's not used to being separated from her for this long and even though she fully trusts her sister, she can't help but be anxious. Especially when she's above ground.
She needed to get away from the preschool room. It wasn't easing her mind any better.
As she turned to leave, she bumped into something and jumped back. When she looked back up, she met green snake-like eyes that stared at her with no emotion. "Are you alright, Ms. (L/N)?"
Tuca was in his true form now and finally wearing clothes that fit him. He has gotten a bit taller since the last time she's seen him but not much else has changed appearance wise since then. His dark brown hair was shaggier than before and it looked like a hint of dark circles were appearing under his snake eyes. Before, he used to look like a teen but now he appears as a young adult. He must've gotten a bit older after these six years.
"Oh, Tuca!" She calmed her nerves that were beginning to shoot up and nodded. "Yea- I'm fine."
"What did you see?" Tuca moved towards the preschool room and looked in as she removed her helmet. Something inside seemed to worry her.
"Oh uh I was just- I guess I just... miss my daughter." (Y/N) sighed.
"You have a daughter?" Tuca didn't sound surprised but she guessed it was because he doesn't experience emotions in this form.
"Right I never told you. Yea, me and my husband have a child together. She's only three." (Y/N) observed his face and didn't see much change. If he was still in his child form, this information would surely shock him.
Tuca looked to the floor with his hands behind his back, like he was thinking. "Does that mean I have a sister? I have a lot of sisters but not a human one."
When he didn't get a response, he looked back up and saw how teary eyed the woman got. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No..." she whimpered. He still considers her as his mother. This isn't helping her get over her motherly anxiety. "I hope you'll get the chance to meet her one day. You can be her big brother." When a tear fell down her face, Tuca felt scared and instantly pulled her into a hug. She accepted it and allowed her tears to soak into his old hoodie. She didn't cry too hard, just some small sobs.
Tuca thought back to when Vam told him to not make mothers distressed. Either they get very angry, very nervous, or very sad over their kids and this must be what she was talking about. "I didn't mean to make you distressed. I'm sorry."
"It's ok." (Y/N) muffled into his shoulder as she sniffed.
If this is what motherhood was gonna be like she wished she can leave the anxiety aspect of it out.
After calming down and wiping her tears, Tuca began leading her back to him and Vam's room after (Y/N) said she wanted to ask them some questions. They were a bit further away from where her team was taking up camp but only two halls away. She hoped sleeping near two demons didn't make anyone anxious, even though Tuca and Vam were confirmed safe. Some are still coming to terms with the idea of having demons as friends and not foes.
When they reached another hall, a commotion could be heard that caught their attentions.
"AHT AHT AHT don't go in there!" (Y/N) spotted Vam yelling at two Capturers who were close to her and Tuca's room. One had their hand on the door knob while the other looked surprised by the sudden demon. Vam made a movement with her hands that slid the two to the other side of the halls, making them stumble on their feet when they stopped. "What the-"
Vam zipped to the door and stared with her four arms crossed at the two. "This room is off limits! Go find somewhere else to dig through."
"Our job is to search the entire building to make sure nothing dangerous is around. Including that room!" A Capturer shot back.
Vam tsked. "Oh please if there was something dangerous in there, you would know. What? Are humans scared of desks? Chalkboards?"
It was obvious that Vam's mocking angered the two Capturers. "That's it-"
(Y/N) quickly ran over before a fight started. "Hey! It's fine. Me and Jules went inside earlier. The room's good."
"No, if they wanna tussle they can~." Vam spoke as she checked her nails on one of her arms.
"Vam stop!" (Y/N) quickly whispered. She didn't want any fights breaking out. Especially not over a single room. "The room's fine. You two can move along."
The two Capturers huffed and listened to the Head Keeper, proceeding to leave to finish their inspection. Vam watched them leave with narrowed eyes and pursed lips. Humans were so annoying. "How long are your people gonna be here anyway? They're already getting on my nerves."
"Just a few days." (Y/N) sighed. "Then we'll be packing up to leave again."
"You're leaving?" Tuca muttered.
(Y/N) sadly nodded. "We have to keep up with time. After the area is clear, we'll have to move on."
She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "This won't be the last time we see each other. We have several more trips after this until we have fully reclaimed everything. We'll see each other again."
The demon felt a little relieved by this. He didn't want to go several more years without seeing her again.
"Anyways, I wanted to ask you guys more about Zankoku."
Vam groaned and pushed the classroom door open with her behind and went inside with Tuca following. "What about him?"
(Y/N) went inside as well and closed the door behind her. "Is there any places him or his followers are most active in? Or anywhere he could be residing? We're trying to determine if it would be best to avoid him during this trip. Knowing where him and his followers are more active in would be helpful."
Tuca leaned against a teacher's desk as he thought. Vam climbed up onto the desk and hugged him from behind, laying her head against his shoulder. "The factories. His scouts use them to meet up. As far where Zankoku resides, we're not sure."
"His scouts?" (Y/N) asked.
Tuca shrugged. "They're the ones who keep tabs on the area for uncle Zankoku. If something happens, they report back to him. Most likely he already knows about what you guys are doing."
This Demon King was sounding way more organized by the second. "Do you know who the scouts are? Are they any trouble?"
"Ehhhh yea." Vam nodded. "I mean I wouldn't worry about confronting them since their only jobs are to observe and report. But my guess is that Zankoku only chooses his strongest demons to be scouts since they act as individual leaders too."
"So there's a possibility we're being watched?" (Y/N) nervously asked.
"Most likely yea." Vam said as she twirled Tuca's green hair in her fingers boredly. "Me and Green only ever had to deal with one scout. Chick was tough but we eventually got the upper hand with her. It's why we know so much about how Zankoku operates before we killed her. But even then she wouldn't spill everything to us."
"That's all we really know. I hope it's helpful for you." Tuca muttered to which (Y/N) gratefully nodded. "It is, thank you."
She took in a deep breath from the fact that there's a possibility she and her team are being watched. She couldn't help but think back to the unknown demon back at the university. It didn't make an attempt to attack her but once she became aware of its presence it ran away. Could that have been a scout? Her nerves were starting to grow again.
"Question."
"Hm?" (Y/N) looked up to see Vam watching her... or more like observing her. She leaned back from Tuca to sit down on the desk while he turned so he can see her.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, Tuca but don't her eyes look... different? More yellow?"
(Y/N) watched Tuca then turn to her to look at her eyes. He then squinted like he had just now noticed. "What happened to your eyes, Ms. (L/N)?"
"Oh uh- It's a long story." She nervously replied.
"We have time." Vam sat crossed legged with two of her arms propping up her head while Tuca sat down on the desk next to her with his arms resting in his lap. They looked like two kids ready for storytime.
(Y/N) deadpanned. "Fine."
She told them everything that had happened after she left them six years ago. She did avoid saying anything about Ki and Akai and just focused on I9. She still wasn't comfortable speaking about the two yet. When she got to the theatre and I9's death, Tuca felt relief. Glad that Mr. Khan's murderer was dealt with for good. But what still bugged him were (Y/N)'s kidnappers. He asked about them and noticed how uncomfortable (Y/N) had gotten.
"They're dead too. They were there when the theatre blew up."
"You killed all three of them?!" Vam gasped. "That's awesome!"
"Yea..." (Y/N) mumbled.
"Me and Tuca tried looking for you awhile after you left. It really bothered him that you were out there with them and Tuca wanted to make sure you were safe." Vam squeezed his arm in a comforting way. Tuca never spoke up, just wishing he could've seen her kidnappers go down with the theatre but it felt good knowing that they were gone too. (Y/N) smiled at this, grateful that he still tried to protect her after she left.
"Well... I was able to stop the possession but I still ended up with some after effects. I9 was able to read memories so now I can too. It's probably the only thing I can do from I9." (Y/N) kept staring down at her hands and nervously fiddling with them. Vam and Tuca took notice of this but never said anything. But her ability seemed to intrigue them. "You can read memories?"
"Yea-"
"CAN YOU READ MINES?!" Vam shot a hand up excitedly while (Y/N) looked at her surprised. "Why?"
"Pleaseeeeeeee?" She begged while Tuca watched curiously.
The Head Keeper gave in and stared directly into Vam's eyes. The two watched as her eyes began to glow yellow and her settling into a trance-like state. She didn't move besides her breathing.
(Y/N) didn't want to look too deep into Vam's memory, not wanting to see anything personal from her. But she did ended up finding a childhood memory from her. It was of Vam, way smaller than now and childlike, playing with Tuca as a child too. This was probably the first time (Y/N) has seen him actually be a child and not pretending. They weren't at the school but in the streets as they chased each other while following a tall J'iraiya who walked the streets ahead of them. (Y/N) tapped out of her mind and blinked her eyes, meeting the curious gazes of the two older versions of the kids.
"I saw you two playing in a street. You guys were kids and you were with J'iraiya." (Y/N) recalled while rubbing her eye.
Vam gasped while Tuca tilted his head. "J'iraiya used to take us out to train as kids but he only kept us in the town! Remember Tuca?"
He simply nodded.
"Ah those were the days~." Vam reminisced.
"So you guys grew up together." (Y/N) asked to which they both nodded.
"We're the same age. 120?" Tuca looked to Vam for confirmation and she kissed his cheek and nodded. "Now the group can stop treating us like we're still kids."
"But we had a hard time getting father to let us leave. I think he still sees us as kids." Tuca muttered.
"J'iraiya needs to learn to let us go. I know he cares but we made it this far without the group, right? We're old enough to take care of ourselves."
"You're right..." Tuca muttered. He still missed his family.
Vam hugged his arm and placed a kiss on his lips. She knows how much he misses the group and she did too. But they needed to experience the world on their own for a bit. "Next time we see them, we'll rub it in their faces! They can't say we're kids after all these years without them."
(Y/N) found their relationship adorable and got ready to leave. She managed to learn more about Zankoku from them and wanted to go tell Jules right away. Especially about the scouts.
Since it was getting late, she gave Tuca and Vam hugs and bid them a goodnight, feeling tired herself. But as she made her way back to the carriers, she couldn't help but feel nervous about being watched. She kept looking over her shoulders and listening out for strange noises. She couldn't tell if she was being paranoid or actually sensing something.
This made it harder for Dog to watch her. She knows about the scouts and is gonna tell the others too. This won't make it easier for him to obtain information. He decided to get some distance away from the school but close enough to still observe the outside.
He needed to see how the humans will react to being watched before going back in.
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Author's note
So I wanted to quickly explain Tuca and Vam's relationship since I remember seeing a few comments of some people taking it the wrong way before those comments disappeared for some reason. I just can't seem to find them again.
They are a couple but their relationship changes depending on what form Tuca takes. Vam treats Tuca as her boyfriend whenever he's in his true form which is how he is for most of the time they're together.
But when he's using his child form to trick others, Vam will only treat him as to how he is. A child. She's more protective when he's in this state and refuses to be how she is with his true form to his child form because she finds it weird lol. I was gonna make a part in the story where Vam addresses this to (Y/N) but I decided to scrap it out.
So I hope this helps anybody who might have taken their relationship the wrong way.