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estinoseChapter 12. A lot of explanation, and quite a bit of speculation from rumors. This whole story's probably AU now. As usual, warnings for episode 28 spoilers, and slash with possible sexual matters (it is Nago/Wataru, after all).
"Over twenty years ago," Shima-san said, looking at the three of them in turn, "Kurenai Otoya met the Fangire Maya. They fell in love, and got married. And then Maya announced that she was pregnant."
Megumi listened avidly to what Shima-san was saying. She couldn't imagine having a Fangire among the ranks of the Wondrous Blue Sky Assocation; it must have been quite a shock to Shima-san.
"Maya was also one of the Checkmate Four," Shima said. "Even stripped of her powers when she married Otoya, she was from a bloodline of Checkmate Four members. Her ancestors, generations upon generations, were all powerful Fangire. Anybody from a bloodline such as that can inherit being one of the Checkmate Four. She didn't know if Wataru had enough power to be one of the Checkmate Four, but she did think that he would inherit some abilities from her bloodline anyway. Being able to hold Kiva seems to be one of them - one that Wataru's inherited."
"So, I could potentially be...." Wataru let his thought trail off.
"A member of the Checkmate Four," Shima-san said. Nago-kun moved his chair closer to Wataru-kun's. "Not likely, but you have the potential. Maya wanted to raise you as one; I thought it best that you grow up as a human, not a Fangire, so I made her promise not to tell you." Shima-san folded his hands. "I forgot to tell her not to raise you like a royal Fangire, and she broke off contact with us after... everything that happened."
"But I wasn't raised royal at all," Wataru insisted. "She didn't encourage me to make friends, true, but I...."
"Maya told me a lot about how she was raised," Shima-san said, "And you act in some ways very much like a royal Fangire."
Megumi looked at her friend. Wataru-kun seemed still stunned by things, for which she certainly forgave him. She doubted that Wataru-kun knew what he was before Nago-kun had announced it to the world. "Wouldn't he act more... royal?" she asked. "Wataru-kun's so shy, and so not dominant."
"My mother had a very forceful personality," Wataru-kun mumbled. "She also thought I was above the rest of the world, so I didn't get to be around people much."
"What if Wataru is a member of the Checkmate Four?" Nago-kun asked sharply.
"I don't want to be," Wataru-kun said softly. He looked pleadingly at her and Shima-san.
"I understand from Maya that royalty don't get much of a choice in the matter," Shima-san said.
"I'm not going to be a member of the Checkmate Four," Wataru-kun said. It was amazing, Megumi thought, on how resolute he could be sometimes. At that moment, it was as if he was daring the Fangire to come in and carry him off.
"What powers have you shown?" Nago-kun asked.
Wataru shook his head. "I don't think any," he said. "Well, there is the call of the Bloody Rose, and I did find Megumi-san once by listening for her music in my head...."
Shima-san shook his head. "You have an incredible heritage, Wataru," he said. "One we don't know much on how it'll affect you."
"All the more reason to make sure you stay firmly on the side of humanity," Nago-kun added grimly. "And make sure that you don't pass on your bloodline to a new generation."
"Oh, is that why you don't want me sleeping with any female Fangire, Nago-san?" Wataru-kun asked, as if realizing something.
"Female *anything*," Nago-kun told him, crossing his arms. "One generation is enough. This is why I gave you *rules*, Wataru. Rules that will keep humanity safe."
"But Nago-san," Wataru-kun said, "I need to be able to talk to Shizuka-chan. And Megumi-san."
"He has a point," Shima-san said. "Besides, Wataru's powers - well, at least the Kiva powers - are emotion-based. Make him resent you, Nago-kun, and you'll end up with the nightmare we had last time."
"I'll make sure that doesn't happen," Nago-kun said, hauling Wataru out of his chair. "We'll find some new rules that will work."
Megumi watched the two leave. "This is heading for disaster," she said to Shima-san.
"I have to agree," Shima-san said. "But the only way those two are going to learn that is if they experience it themselves."
"And in the meantime? What will it mean if Wataru becomes part of the Checkmate Four?" Megumi asked. "How dangerous is he?"
"Well, the good news is that a lot of the problems we had with Kiva were that Otoya did not have Fangire ancestry; Wataru not only has that ancestry, but royal ancestry to boot. So he shouldn't have the Kiva armor go out of control like Otoya did. But emotion still ties into that power, so you and Nago-kun are going to have to be very careful on how you treat Wataru. I don't want him rejecting his humanity and embracing his Fangire heritage when he's the best chance we have to end the Fangire threat."
"Do you think he can?" Megumi asked, looking over at Shima-san.
Shima-san gave her a small shrug. "As I said, he's the best we've got. We can only hope."
Megumi planned to do far more than cope.
"Over twenty years ago," Shima-san said, looking at the three of them in turn, "Kurenai Otoya met the Fangire Maya. They fell in love, and got married. And then Maya announced that she was pregnant."
Megumi listened avidly to what Shima-san was saying. She couldn't imagine having a Fangire among the ranks of the Wondrous Blue Sky Assocation; it must have been quite a shock to Shima-san.
"Maya was also one of the Checkmate Four," Shima said. "Even stripped of her powers when she married Otoya, she was from a bloodline of Checkmate Four members. Her ancestors, generations upon generations, were all powerful Fangire. Anybody from a bloodline such as that can inherit being one of the Checkmate Four. She didn't know if Wataru had enough power to be one of the Checkmate Four, but she did think that he would inherit some abilities from her bloodline anyway. Being able to hold Kiva seems to be one of them - one that Wataru's inherited."
"So, I could potentially be...." Wataru let his thought trail off.
"A member of the Checkmate Four," Shima-san said. Nago-kun moved his chair closer to Wataru-kun's. "Not likely, but you have the potential. Maya wanted to raise you as one; I thought it best that you grow up as a human, not a Fangire, so I made her promise not to tell you." Shima-san folded his hands. "I forgot to tell her not to raise you like a royal Fangire, and she broke off contact with us after... everything that happened."
"But I wasn't raised royal at all," Wataru insisted. "She didn't encourage me to make friends, true, but I...."
"Maya told me a lot about how she was raised," Shima-san said, "And you act in some ways very much like a royal Fangire."
Megumi looked at her friend. Wataru-kun seemed still stunned by things, for which she certainly forgave him. She doubted that Wataru-kun knew what he was before Nago-kun had announced it to the world. "Wouldn't he act more... royal?" she asked. "Wataru-kun's so shy, and so not dominant."
"My mother had a very forceful personality," Wataru-kun mumbled. "She also thought I was above the rest of the world, so I didn't get to be around people much."
"What if Wataru is a member of the Checkmate Four?" Nago-kun asked sharply.
"I don't want to be," Wataru-kun said softly. He looked pleadingly at her and Shima-san.
"I understand from Maya that royalty don't get much of a choice in the matter," Shima-san said.
"I'm not going to be a member of the Checkmate Four," Wataru-kun said. It was amazing, Megumi thought, on how resolute he could be sometimes. At that moment, it was as if he was daring the Fangire to come in and carry him off.
"What powers have you shown?" Nago-kun asked.
Wataru shook his head. "I don't think any," he said. "Well, there is the call of the Bloody Rose, and I did find Megumi-san once by listening for her music in my head...."
Shima-san shook his head. "You have an incredible heritage, Wataru," he said. "One we don't know much on how it'll affect you."
"All the more reason to make sure you stay firmly on the side of humanity," Nago-kun added grimly. "And make sure that you don't pass on your bloodline to a new generation."
"Oh, is that why you don't want me sleeping with any female Fangire, Nago-san?" Wataru-kun asked, as if realizing something.
"Female *anything*," Nago-kun told him, crossing his arms. "One generation is enough. This is why I gave you *rules*, Wataru. Rules that will keep humanity safe."
"But Nago-san," Wataru-kun said, "I need to be able to talk to Shizuka-chan. And Megumi-san."
"He has a point," Shima-san said. "Besides, Wataru's powers - well, at least the Kiva powers - are emotion-based. Make him resent you, Nago-kun, and you'll end up with the nightmare we had last time."
"I'll make sure that doesn't happen," Nago-kun said, hauling Wataru out of his chair. "We'll find some new rules that will work."
Megumi watched the two leave. "This is heading for disaster," she said to Shima-san.
"I have to agree," Shima-san said. "But the only way those two are going to learn that is if they experience it themselves."
"And in the meantime? What will it mean if Wataru becomes part of the Checkmate Four?" Megumi asked. "How dangerous is he?"
"Well, the good news is that a lot of the problems we had with Kiva were that Otoya did not have Fangire ancestry; Wataru not only has that ancestry, but royal ancestry to boot. So he shouldn't have the Kiva armor go out of control like Otoya did. But emotion still ties into that power, so you and Nago-kun are going to have to be very careful on how you treat Wataru. I don't want him rejecting his humanity and embracing his Fangire heritage when he's the best chance we have to end the Fangire threat."
"Do you think he can?" Megumi asked, looking over at Shima-san.
Shima-san gave her a small shrug. "As I said, he's the best we've got. We can only hope."
Megumi planned to do far more than cope.
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