Prologue: Metamorphosis

I'm tired of this. Tired of getting swept along at the back of the Tsukune fan club. I don't even like him like that. Hell, I barely like him at all. He stole my sister from me, and has the audacity to keep her locked up!

Moka has made it clear that she would rather be sealed with him than unsealed with me, so I don't know why the hell I bother. I just want my sister back. Is that so bad? And now I have this creepy, wrestling-obsessed upperclassman following me around and a horde of even creepier me-obsessed upperclassman following me around too! I just want some piece and quiet.

I contemplated this as I pulled on a thin, pink cotton shirt and slipped out of my skirt. I slid into my bed and pulled out my hair ribbons, then closed my eyes, determined to get a good night's rest before the shit storm fiasco that was sure to be tomorrow.

It'll start when either Mizore or Kurumu makes a pass at Tsukune, I thought tiredly, Then Yukari or whoever didn't try to jump him will intervene, which will undoubtedly lead to a huge fight and massive property damage; Then Moka will arrive and Tsukune will unseal her so she can beat the tar out of all of them, etcetera, etcetera.

I rolled over and snuggled deeper into my bed. I need my own friends, The thought drifted lazily through my mind and I chuckled sleepily. Preferably ones that aren't stupid. Then I sat up.

"Of course!" I cried, startling Kou and making him fall from where he was perched on my dresser. "I'll gather my own group of friends!" With that goal in mind, I fell into a deep, restful sleep.

I sat up and stretched with a long yawn, then swung my legs out of bed and headed to the bathroom. I scratched an itch on my thigh and contemplated my hair.

"I think it's time you reinvented yourself, Kokoa." I muttered to my reflection. I trotted back into my room and slid the duffel bag of cosmetic products that Kahlua had sent me for my birthday from under behind my futon. I unzipped it and peered inside.

"Hmmm. Maybe a touch of eyeliner?" I mused, hefting the tube in my hand before shrugging and putting it on the floor next to me. I extracted a tube of strawberry lip gloss and almost put it back, but then I paused.

"Eh, why the heck not?" I put it next to the eyeliner and took my jar of red hair dye out. I stared at it for a while, and then tossed it over my shoulder. I dug through the collection of jars and bottles until I found what I was looking for.

I pulled the black hair dye out and gathered the gloss and eyeliner before sliding the bag back into its place and stepping back into the bathroom.

By the time I emerged, I knew I'd be late, but I didn't really care, I was enjoying myself. I'd carefully washed out the red dye and applied the black before putting on the lip gloss and eyeliner. Fuck the uniform. I thought giddily as I rummaged around in my clothes, selecting a black skirt and red tank top that I layered with a black sweater.

I stood in front of the mirror and admired myself.

"Damn." I said, turning this way and that, hardly able to believe my metamorphosis from obsessed little sister into the slightly less obsessed girl I was seeing in the mirror now. She looked cool, confident, and dare I say. . .cute.

I slipped my shoes on and snatched a bag of blood out of the cooler I kept in the mini kitchen.

Then I was out the door and headed to class.

I was halfway to the school when I realized I'd left my hair ribbons behind.

"Crap." I growled, but I kept going. Kurano-sensei is gonna be pissed. I thought briefly, not really all that worried. I tipped the blood bag up and slurped some messily while I walked. I licked my lips and chuckled to myself. Strawberry flavored blood, now there's an idea I can get behind. I stopped, picking up a strange noise that seemed to be getting closer. It sounded like footsteps. Footsteps and—

WHAM! Something collided with my shoulder and sent my breakfast flying. That something turned out to be a person, a person now sprawled on the ground before me. I watched in horror as my breakfast leaked onto the ground, where the ground soaked it up greedily. The girl twitched and looked up at me.

"Owie." Her bright blue eyes widened and she looked away blushing. "I-I'm so sorry." She tried to stand and squeaked in pain, surprised when her leg wouldn't hold her weight. A tantalizingly rich metallic smell wafted into my nose and I felt my mouth flood with saliva. I looked down and saw that she was holding her knee and whimpering.

I crouched next to her and moved her hands away. The smell strengthened and I bit back a smile. Her knee had a cut that was small but was leaking a surprising amount of blood. I looked into her face and she flinched. Her boobs were average, she looked a bit flaky, and she didn't look like she had an abundance of confidence, but her long blonde hair was tied in a ponytail over her shoulder by a black ribbon.

"You ruined my breakfast." I said, inspecting the small gash on her knee.

"I-I'm s-sorry." I glanced at her.

"You said that already. What's your name?" She flinched as I prodded the skin around the cut.

"M-my name?" I rolled my eyes.

"No, your age." She looked confused.

"Then why didn't you say—" I held up my hand.

"Name. Naaaaaaaaaaaame." She flushed and something flashed behind her eyes.

"I'm not stupid. My name is Yui Hasaka. I'm a first year." I nodded.

"Kokoa Shuzen. Second year." Her eyes widened and I knew she recognized my name. I cupped the back of her knee and lifted it toward my mouth. The anger in her eyes faded, replaced by panic and embarrassment. She blushed a delicate pink.

"W-wait! K-Kokoa-sempai! What are you doing?!" I smirked.

"You owe me breakfast." I lapped gently at the blood on her knee and she made a little mewling sound in the back of her throat. I pulled away when it was gone, giving her knee a final lick. "Plus my saliva closes cuts and wounds." She blushed harder.

"Oh. Y-you could have w-warned me!" I licked my lips and froze. No way. I thought. I've hit the fucking jackpot. Her blood was salty, but with an underlying sweetness and a subtle hint of. . .Strawberry.

Hoo, that was cathartic. Since I've been writing a lot lately, I thought it only natural to write this as an ode to one of my favoritest characters in the world. I simply love Kokoa's character so much. Her character design is adorable and the pure tsundere-ness she oozes from every pore makes my inner (and also my outer) fangirl squeal. *Sigh* 2D girls are so much more reliable than human beings (=_= Yes, I am aware that I'm a fucking weirdo).