The Bet

Ch 24 The End

Moka had always known brutality. It was her way of life, especially in the household of Akashia. Violence, punishment, torture...it was as common as gossip. The more abhorrent the better. But this...this was other worldly for her Tsukune. He didn't do this. He was as foreign to being this relentlessly cruel as she was to be meek. Inner Moka still couldn't grasp it, even as she saw it, felt it, taste it and smell it in the very illusion that was Kurumu's near evisceration by Tsukune's bludgeoning. She felt the meaty impacts of his fists just punch through Kurumu with a butcher's mallet deep resonance. Her blood wasn't so much spilling from open wounds but from her ears, her lips, her nose, and fingernails. Contusions and swelling muscle fibers and tendons were already becoming visible under her soft skin.

Then it happened.

His fist hit her in the gut so hard, she doubled over and vomited bile and saliva. Grasping her belly to protect what was inside was a weak gesture at best. Tsukune took her arm and twisted it, snapping the bones and flick it away to hit her again and again and again...

"I won't let you have his child or anyone else's, Moka. I'm glad I get to do this now as I should have done that night!"

He hit her again, hammering his fist into Kurumu's small middle with a force so hard it cracked the tiles on the floor.

Then it flowed, down between her legs. Blood. So much blood.

Moka could smell it...no, not an it, but a...her.

It was a girl.

Tsukune just killed Kurumu's and his daughter while thinking of taking Moka's ability to have children through Kurumu.

"Stop this." Moka cried, turning to the image of an emotionless Kurumu, staring on at the image that she had replayed hundreds of times in her head. Kurumu just gestured with her finger to keep watching.

Tsukune stood over Kurumu's body, still probably seeing Moka in her place. "It's done." Scooping Kurumu broken body up in his arms, blood and meat falling down Kurumu's legs, he placed her in the bed next to where they were. Everything faded, colors swirled, mist and vapor with lights dimmed back into reality, their reality.

"I tricked him when he woke up. I placed an illusion on everything, even his sense of smell. He didn't remember anything. It was just a dream to him. I called my mom right after and she helped me. It was too late. I wanted to name her Kurumi. She wouldn't be able to keep the boys off of her so she deserved to have the best name other than my own. Silly, isn't it?"

Moka couldn't level her eyes to Kurumu's.

"We never did get to talk after that night. He went back to you. You must have said all the right things, done everything needed to be forgiven. It's not hard with him. He did love you more than any of us. It didn't mean I loved him less, just that he loved you more. I know my place." Kurumu turned her violet eyes to Inner Moka's, seeing a building guilt grow in them. "I just hope you realize yours."

Moka looked away, turning towards Shade and Tsukune in their visions psyche battle. "I'm...sorry, Kurumu."

Kurumu wiped at her eyes, nodding.

"I-" Moka began, but Tsukune's gasping breath silenced her.

Sweat glazed his skin and a wild wide eyed shock painted his face. "No...I...I didn't..."

Shade's mix matched eyes fluttered opened, trying to gather her bearings all the while placing her hand on Tsukune's chest. "I think I told you so just doesn't do it justice, does it?"

Moka grabbed Kurumu under her arm, pulling her forcefully towards Tsukune, demanding her beloved to see Kurumu diminutive figure without fault.

"Kurumu?" He flinched, seeing the real her here, uninjured, just as he had seen her at the wedding and not in the nightmare he had just experienced himself all but decimating her and their baby to death. "Oh, god, Kurumu...why didn't you-"

Kurumu threw herself at him, pulling him close and quivering, reliving the remarkable horror that was that night. "Shhh...don't say anything, Tsukune. Please, don't say a word. Just, be here, okay?"

Shade and Moka watched as the lingering reality of what was still reverberate in Tsukune's mind and Kurumu's soft sobs.

Moka pointed a long finger at Shade, receiving an unflinching glare in return. "I don't like your methods, but I understand your need to inflict punishment. It was cruel...and unforgiving, yet, I will. For Kurumu's sake. Now go. My husband and our friend need to talk...and heal."

Shade began to say something but the sound of a car's tires crunching over gravel drew their attention. A black limo, long and luxurious with headlights flashing in to the near dark announced an arrival they were all to familiar with.

Inner Moka sighed, loud and long. Hands on her hips, she waited impatiently for the window to lower and Ria's dark eyed gaze peer at her and everyone else.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"What do you want, Ria?" Moka's asked impatienty.

"Manners, Moka. Remember your place." Ria shift closer to the window, her red lips spread in a wide grin. "Or...should I..." She unlocked the door and opened it, stretching one lengthy leg out and touching the ground one heel at a time. "...remind you?"

Moka shook her head, her long silver hair rippling. "Not tonight, Ria. If anything," Moka tilted her head, nodding her head low towards her eldest sister. "thank you. Thank you for bringing Kurumu."

Ria's lips turned to smile, but then a frown pinched when she noticed Shade's triumphant smirk. "You can't be serious."

"What?" Moka flicked her eyes between Shade and Ria, seeing untold messages playing between their postures.

"Just a little wager her and I had, didn't we Ria dear?" Shade arched her back, stretching an ache that had developed through her tumbling about with Moka and Tsukune. "Now, how about we make good on that, shall we?" She nudged herself past Ria into the limo, whispering just lough enough for Moka to hear, "Beauty before beast."

Ria sniffed loudly in indignation. Stopping herself in mid breath, she sniffed again, this time coming close to Shade in an almost intimate inhale, even going as far as almost touching her nose to Shade's crotch. "You have not won. You and Tsukune were not together as per the bet. You lose, bitch."

Shade grinned, pointing her finger towards Tsukune, "Our bet was for him to be mine, as in have him do anything I say, including sex but not excluding anything else. Watch this." Shade poked her head out of the door. "Oh Destined One, dear."

Tsukune lifted his head from Kurumu's shoulder, unwilling to let her go. Looking through her blue-green locks, Kurumu turned as well to see her auntie.

"Make Mumu-chan happy, will you?" She began to duck her head in, but popped it back out again. "Oh, yeah, and give her a baby. Name it something breath taking like Shade Goddess of Man or the like. It has to be brilliant and amazing, like me." She turned to Ria, flicking her finger under her chin playfully. "Don't you agree?"

Ria's smooth pale face twisted to retort when Tsukune answered.

"As you wish, Shade." He turned to Kurumu and kissed her long and deep. Kurumu melted with the passion that she had hoped for so long would happen and it was. Moka turned to Ria, holding the door open for her sister to leave.

"Your purpose here is done, sister. While I thank you, we have a lot to talk about that doesn't require either of you. Now, if you'll excuse us." Moka pointedly looked at Shade. "You, I will tolerate if only for Kurumu's sake."

Shade fanned her hands disarmingly. "Fair enough."

"I have one more thing to tell you, but...it's personal. I don't want Ria to hear."

"Secrets are like treasure, only so many are allowed to have the ke-"

Moka's right cross snapped Shade's head back so hard blood leaked out of her nose and a audible crack sounded. Shade's hand went to her face, her fingers oozing blood and fragments of teeth.

"Sthe bhrook mah gnoseth!" Shade gurgled in disbelief, tweaking the very tender but very crooked nose that had once been pert and cute.

Ria's head tilted back with a hearty laugh.

"Now, you're forgiven. Touch me again and not even Kurumu or Tsukune will save you. Know your place." Inner Moka slamming the door, she receiving Ria's approving nod. Calling out to the driver to take them home, Ria gave Shade a hankie from her purse.

Shade, growling and snuffling in rage, decided to lay her head on Ria's lap.

Ria flicked her off of her and onto the limo's floor. "The dress is an original."

"Tha Bedt!"

Narrowing her eyes, Ria rolled them and lowered her head. "What a weak mistress you are going to be. By the way, your time starts," Ria looked at her watch. "...now."

Plopping herself back on Ria's lap, Ria decided to play along, just pushed her fingers through Shade's hair and holding the handkerchief to Shade's nose, she kept her eyes forward, thinking of ways to be worst possible slave ever.

"This ought to be fun."

"Whath?" Shade rolled her nose under Ria's tender touch.

"I said, 'how about making this a little more interesting?'

"How?" Shade peeked her blue eye from under the hankie.

"Another bet?"

Shade winked at her despite the swelling and darkening of her eyes. "Abtholuthly...buth thonighth thour mah bithch."

"Yes," Ria lifted Shade's hand to her lips. "I am."

Shade's monster healing was already kicking in. It should take a day or so for her nose to reset and regrow the fractured front central incisors. This should be fun.

Dear Readers,

I have no excuse for why this story has taken so long to finish. Honestly, I had lost my mojo, my love for writing and then life just kept getting in the way over and over again. I tried to write something new to keep things going and interesting, but it never just came to me. I spent endless hours staring at he screen just being unable to formulate anything, even the will to punch keys to start something to edit for the sake of just ending this story among others. Well, tonight, I'm glad I finally have done something that has been WAAAAAAAAY overdue. I'm not going to ask for forgiveness because it isn't fair to have been holding this story back for as long as it has, but I am going to apologize.

I'm sorry.

Your Mistress.