I Was a Teenage Monster School Immigrant – Rosario + Vampire: The Redux of the Slightly Different Retelling

Created by Brandon Cash and Colossal Fighter GX


Disclaimer: All the characters seen here belong to their respective owners. Rosario + Vampire belongs to Akihisa Ikeda. Original characters created by their respective owners.


Author's Note: Remember when I said I was gonna try my hand at redoing this story after the backlash I received? Yeah, that's what I'm going to do. I understand that I'm not the best writer around, but then again, you guys should have heeded my warning in the first place (provided I had even made one). Besides, I've seen worse literature (remember My Inner Life? Shredded Moose? Sonichu?), and while my works are far from being quality, they're far from being abysmal.

This time, I'm back with Colossal Fighter GX, who is, admittedly, one of the better writers on the site, and is going to help me write this story. Hopefully, with his help, this story should become more bearable. This time, I hope you enjoy the story as opposed to the original version of it.


CHAPTER 1: Welcome to Youkai Academy

Part I: The Arrival


A young man stands in his bedroom. It just so happens that today is his sixteenth birthda...

Wait a minute. That's not our story for today... Forgive me. I've narrated many stories before, but that one is the one I'm most focused on right now. Or rather, the one I've had to answer to the most often.

Anyways, you might wonder who I am. Well, who I am is not important. I'm just the narrator of many different stories that have been created throughout time...and that unfortunately doesn't dis-include the incredibly shitty ones.

Today's story will be told a bit differently than what it usually has been told. It once involved a young man who went to a school amongst monsters who met a few cute girls along the way...all of them monsters, obviously. This story will be told...much the same way. However, a few things will have changed. Someone else will be joining him in their educational endeavors.

...Oh, stay right there, the story isn't going to be a tremendously tedious slog through school work, and I promise you, one of the main characters will not take over the spotlight...at least we'd better hope not, lest people grab the torches and pitchforks. I digress, however; opinions are free to come and go.

Well, I suppose I'd better get on with this before the whole lot of you get bored, if you haven't already.


-AREA UNKNOWN-

-April 1st, 2012, 7:48 AM-

It was the first of the month, and today seemed like any other typical first day of school. There was the waking up. There was the preparations. There was the dressing. There was the quick breakfast. And of course, there was the waiting for the bus.

That was basically how Tsukune Aono's day began in his ridiculously average life. He had slightly spiky brown hair with brown eyes to match, but aside from that, there wasn't anything all that notable about him. His life also didn't seem to be anything noteworthy either; he had no job, he had no interests, he had nothing. Basically, think of any regular harem genre hero. You've basically described Tsukune and any derivatives with a single thought.

Also to note: Tsukune had taken several high school entry exams, hoping to succeed. He failed every. Single. One. ...Yeah. I'm certainly aware of how unforgiving high school expectations in Japan are, but when you're someone like Tsukune, failure will be pretty common.

But through a freak turn of events, Tsukune was now on the bus to a high school, and he should have been happy... He was more freaked out than anything, though.

"Man...this is weird... Here I am, thinking about how I'm going to find any more schools that'll take me in, and literally the next day, there's one that just so happens to be able to take me in." Tsukune thought. "I can't believe my parents forced me into this mess... I know they want me to be happy, but do they not realize that I've never heard of this place before now?" he continued.

The bus driver spoke up. He was a weird looking guy; except for his ominous glowing eyes under his cap and the cigar, he looked like a fairly high class human. "So, you've decided to come to Youkai Academy, eh? I won't lie to you, you've got guts for coming here." he mused, his voice gravelly and sinister. "Tsukune Aono's your name...average grades in school, no hobbies or interests at all, and you've probably failed every one of your entrance exams thus far. I'd think you'd better touch up on your skills quickly if you wanna survive," he continued.

"Wh-what? Survive? And...how exactly did you know my name?" Tsukune responded. He looked nervous...get used to seeing that a lot.

"Looks can be deceiving, boy. Because where we're going...Youkai Academy is a veeeeeeeery terrifying school!" the Bus Driver cackled. Tsukune sunk into his seat, unsure of what he had gotten himself into.

"Now I'm wishing I could have gotten through to them when I had the chance..." he muttered.. Tsukune's family were good folks and generally meant well for their son, but one of the big problems with them seemed to be that they were a little dense, particularly his cousin Kyouko, which ended up getting him enlisted into this school in the first place...


Last Night

-Aono Residence, Japan-

-March 31, 2012, 9:08 PM-

It had been a long night for Mr. Aono. He had been through a long day at work, and due to an unknown incident at the bus depot, he was very late returning home. However, he came home not entirely empty-handed, it seemed...

"Hey, everyone! I'm back!" Mr. Aono announced.

Mrs. Aono was in the kitchen, and Tsukune was in his room. They both heard the patriarch's voice and ran to greet their late leader.

"Dad! You're back from work!" Tsukune said, running at his father.

"Heh-hey! Good to see you, Ol' Dropout! How's things coming along?" Mr. Aono said. Tsukune looked a little miffed at being called 'Ol' Dropout'. Because he's been failing all of the entrance exams thus far, the nickname was becoming something of a sore spot for him.

"Good to see you too, Dad." Tsukune spoke flatly. "Well...we can't really find any other schools that'll take me in...that and I failed yet another entrance exam." Tsukune continued.

"Again? Ah well, that shouldn't matter, because I have something that will solve that problem!" Mr. Aono said, excitedly pulling out a pamphlet. "Behold! The end to your dropout problem, son!"

It looked innocent enough; a typical school flier meant to showcase what you were in for. However, the name seemed pretty shady... Youkai Private Academy. Monster Private Academy.

"Youkai Private Academy... I don't really think I've ever heard of it before. Apparently, you can just fill this thing out and you'll be on your way! How cool is that?" Mr. Aono said.

Tsukune wasn't sold on the idea though. "But where did you find this thing at?"

"Strangest thing... I was at the bus stop, and there was this creepy looking guy shuffling past me...looked like a monk." Mr. Aono's voice dropped to a foreboding tone. "He was speaking in some sort of language that I don't understand, and as he came past me, a piece of paper fluttered down from his robe. I tried to tell him he dropped something, but by the time I looked up from the paper, he had vanished. And then the bus pulled up. That's about the extent of how I came across this." Mr. Aono finished. "But, on the upside, you get to go to school again! How about it, son?" Mr. Aono piped up.

Flabbergasted, Tsukune attempted to protest. "WHAT?! You don't even know about this school! You even said it yourself! Are you even sure that the school's safe!?" Tsukune shouted to his parents. Unfortunately for him, his words fell on deaf ears; they were so caught up in the moment.

"Oh, my boy is finally going to go to school again...high school, no less!" Mrs. Aono cheerfully quipped.

"I know, right! Boy, God works in mysterious ways sometimes..." Mr. Aono concurred.

"You guys aren't even listening to me, are you..." Tsukune said. He almost cried a little bit, figuring he was doomed.


Present Day

-AREA UNKNOWN-

-April 1st, 2012, 7:51 AM-

"You know, I can feel your fear, boy," the bus driver said. "You practically exude it. Are you sure you're not having second thoughts at the moment?"

Tsukune jumped at the bus driver's words. "Uh...well, I don't know. This all seems rather surreal."

"You'll probably manage. No guarantees that you will however," the bus driver said, still smiling.

Tsukune looked a little pale. He wasn't sure if the driver was just messing with him or was actually out to scare the pants off of him, but one thing was for certain, things didn't seem right.

"By the way, there was another passenger due to come on the bus, but it looks like he missed the call. Would you happen to know anything about him?" the bus driver inquired.

"...No, I wouldn't. I wasn't even aware anybody else was going," Tsukune answered.

The bus driver mulled over the revelation for a moment.

"Oh well. He's missing out on a certainly interesting year at the academy," the bus driver smirked.

The bus passed into the tunnel, engulfing in darkness. For a few minutes, everything was silent, even the driver and Tsukune. Eventually, light returned to the area round them as the bus slowed to a stop outside the tunnel.

"Alright, kid. This is the drop off," the bus driver said, opening the doors. "Enjoy your stay."

Tsukune slowly walked off the bus and couldn't believe his eyes. The landscape looked utterly barren and lifeless, as if something had wiped out all manner of plant life. The trees bore no greenery on them, instead adorned with murders of crows eying up Tsukune hungrily. Crags of rocks held skulls upon them for all who dare enter to see. The water appeared to be blood red, as if gallons upon gallons of the stuff was dumped into the ocean, and it went on for as far as the eye could see.

Far off in the distance, past a creepy looking forest, lay a gigantic building that seemed to resemble a haunted mansion. A flash of lighting went off to accentuate the foreboding feel of the place.

"Seriously though. Watch yourself out here. I'm not kidding when I say Youkai Academy's a scary place to be," the bus driver said, closing the doors and driving off.

Tsukune was already pretty nervous to begin with, but the whole 'death world' theme he was presented with shot his nerves straight up to 'absolutely terrified'.

"Freaky...seriously, this place is freaking me out!" Tsukune said, clearly unnerved by the sudden change of scenery. "Maybe it wasn't a good idea to come here in the first place...but the bus left without me..." he continued. "But if I don't get to the school soon, I-"

Tsukune's thoughts were cut short by a shrill cry of "COMING THROUGH!", and the sound of a high speed bike barreling his way towards him. Unfortunately for him, he reacted too late to do anything about it and got nailed by it with surprising force, sending both him and its rider toppling to the ground.

"Ugh...ow...what in the world just hit me...?" Tsukune said, still somewhat punch-drunk from the impact. One of his hands reached for something to keep him steady, and ended up touching something soft and fleshy.

"Huh...?"

Tsukune's dizzied vision cleared up...and he saw just what he was touching: a leg. Specifically, a girl's leg. The girl had pink hair and a slender, but somewhat curvy body. Tsukune was almost too stunned to react at first before he freaked out and backed up hurriedly.

"AH! I-I-I'm sorry! It's not what it...looks like!" Tsukune said, freaking the hell out.

The girl's eyes were still closed, but she was still aware of everything. "Ah...I'm sorry...my anemia made me dizzy again...and I crashed... Are you okay?" the girl said, beginning to open her eyes to Tsukune. When she did, she revealed beautiful emerald green irises, which confirmed Tsukune's beliefs:

"She's...she's gorgeous...! Absolutely gorgeous!" he thought. Make no bones about it, the girl was definitely a knockout. And...well, it wouldn't be a romantic harem comedy without the universal nosebleed, so Tsukune ended up having a slight gusher upon gazing at her. "If it means going to school with this girl...then it can't all be that bad...right?"

"Oh, blood! Let me help you with that..." the girl said, pulling out a hankerchief. As she leaned in closer, she seemed to stop short, her eyes getting a dreamy look to them.

"I...I...I'm sorry...but that scent... I lose all control whenever I smell that scent," the girl said, leaning in a lot more closer than Tsukune probably would have been comfortable with.

"Wh-what are you-?!" Tsukune said, frozen with panic.

"I'm sorry...but...I'm a vampire," the girl said. She then opened her mouth and bit into Tsukune's neck, drawing blood from him. Despite the bite being relatively painless, the reaction was pretty predictable.

"V-VAMPIRE?!" Tsukune shouted. As soon as the girl finished drawing blood, Tsukune jumped up and started to panic again, big time.

"AAAAAAAAAH OH GOD MY BLOOD! MY BLOOD JUST GOT SUCKED OUT AND IT'S STILL COMING OUT AND I THINK I'M GONNA DIE FROM IT!" Tsukune screamed, flailing about in a panic with blood still gushing out the bite marks.

"S-Sorry...I couldn't control myself... My name is Moka Akashiya, and although I look like this, I'm really a vampire," the girl known as Moka said, introducing herself.

Again, Tsukune could not calm his nerves and still freaked. "VAMPIRE?! ARE YOU FOR REAL?! LIKE THE VAMPIRES THAT HATE GARLIC, CROSSES, SILVER AND STAKES?!" he shouted.

Moka blushed and looked away. "Yes. Thank you for letting me suck your blood. It tasted really, really good~" Moka said, unable to hide her delight.

Tsukune wasn't quite sure if she was completely off of her rocker or if she was being completely dead serious. Something was definitely not normal here.

"Oh, um...I was wondering..." Moka began. "Do you...hate vampires?"

"What?!" Tsukune said in surprise. She just brought the question up out of nowhere! Why was she even asking it? Tsukune had to think fast. "N-No! I don't hate vampires! I personally think they're pretty unique!"

Moka smiled in response. "That's wonderful! If it would be okay with you, do you think we could be friends?" she said.

Tsukune couldn't help but get lost in an overload of moe. "Whoa...definitely a cutie!" he thought to himself. He got so caught up into it that he stopped thinking for a moment. "Oh, almost forgot to tell you my name... My name's Tsukune Aono. I'm pleased to meet you, Moka."

"And I'm glad to have met you too, Tsukune! Hey, maybe later on after the opening ceremony, we can talk some more?" Moka said, quite elated.

"Sure!" Tsukune said, just as elated himself. "I can't believe my good luck! Barely into the first day of school, and already I have a friend! And a very pretty one at that! This school year won't be so bad after all!" he thought to himself.

Unfortunately for Tsukune, he had no idea how wrong he was. He was just about to find out just how deep in shit he was for the first time in his life. But, for now, let's stop talking about him for the moment.

I did say there was somebody else in this story, didn't I? Well, now we are about to meet him. Let's go on ahead and skip back a little bit and see why exactly he was absent from the bus ride earlier, shall we?


A Few Minutes Earlier...

-The Other Guy-

-Apartment Complex District, Japan-

-April 1st, 2012, 7:58 AM-

Ah, here we are. Our second protagonist's journey has...not yet started. Why?

Because he's still asleep, that's why. Yes, our other leading man has yet to actually wake up.

*yawn*

There we go. Now...ahem...

This would be Brandon Cash. Very much like our leading man Tsukune, he is quite average. Unlike Tsukune, however, he has gotten some pretty good grades in English, Social Studies, and some others. He didn't perform well in Science, Physics, or Math and had gotten into some trouble a couple of times before in school. He had his problems, like sometimes not being able to control his anger, but he was still generally pleasant to be around once you got to know him. Otherwise he was pretty silent and often didn't converse with anyone around him. Little did he know, that could possibly change over the course of the next few months.

Tossing and turning in his apartment, Brandon was just waking up, albeit rather slowly. He lifted his face from off of his pillow and was met with sunlight streaming through the window.

"Ah...morning already? Geez...shouldn't have stayed up so late..." Brandon said drowsily, waking up from his deep slumber.

He got up from his bed and stretched a little bit, trying to shake some of the sleep from his eyes. Still somewhat sleepy, he made his way downstairs to get some breakfast that he brought along from America. Pouring himself some cereal and milk, grabbing some fruit and making some toast, he continued his morning routine while still attempting to wake up.

Finishing up, Brandon sat down with his food and begun eating, beginning to come around.

"Well...today's the day. The first day at this new school..." Brandon said, stifling a yawn. "Been a while since I've been kicked out of my school back home...and then I find that weird pamphlet and everything," Brandon continued to himself, taking a drink of his milk.

"At least I have somethings that'll remind me of them while I'm away. I just hope they're okay without me." Taking another sip, Brandon got a glance up at the clock. It was reading 8:07 AM; thirty-seven minutes after the bus was supposed to come and pick him up. Brandon's eyes went wide with shock and he spit his drink across the room.

"Oh crap! I'm extremely late! I overslept! I gotta get moving and fast!"

Brandon started quickly eating his breakfast, but left some of it uneaten in his race to get out the door. He ran up to his bedroom to get his uniform on quickly, but had to undo it and redo it when he ended up getting it wrong a couple of times. After finally getting his uniform on correctly, he knew one component was missing: the tie.

Problem was, Brandon did not know how to tie a tie. He'd just have to get either the landlord or one of the tenants to do the job, because he didn't have time right now. He started to shove his belongings into his suitcase and stuffed his backpack full of school supplies, then raced downstairs, only stopping to get his shoes on and stick the last piece of toast in his mouth before bolting out of his apartment and rushing downstairs to the front desk. The landlord, Mrs. Hachiko, was down there, thank goodness, and she looked a little bit surprised at Brandon's sudden entrance.

"Brandon! Well, aren't we in quite the hurry! What's gotten you so antsy?" the landlord said.

Brandon took the toast from his mouth and spoke almost breathlessly. "Mrs. Hachiko! Thank goodness you're still here! Look, I'm late for my first day of school, and I need you to tie my tie before I go!"

"Okay, okay, calm down, Brandon. It's not the end of the world, and trying to act like Sonic is not going to help you. Or your respiratory system for that matter," Mrs. Hachiko said. "I'll get your tie tied for you, just don't run and drag me along with you, okay?" she continued, trying to calm Brandon down.

Brandon listened to her, but he was still anxious to get out the door, practically running in place as she tied the tie up. Once she finished, Brandon almost shot right out the door, but stopping just before the door to tell her 'thank you', then stuck the toast back in his mouth, wiped his butter-covered hand on a nearby patron (who shouted at him in annoyance), apologized to the guy through the toast, then finally sped out the door, suitcase in hand.

Mrs. Hachiko shook her head and sighed. "And there he goes running out the door anyway. You try to give teens sound advice and they soundly ignore you instead. I just hope he'll be okay," Mrs. Hachiko said with a slight smile.

She paused for a moment, in thought. "Hmm...maybe I should have asked him if he was finished with that toast."


-Taichibana Boulevard, Japan-

-April 1st, 2012, 8:19 AM-

Japan is a lot like New York. The reason I say that is because there's well over six million Japanese civilians living on those awfully small islands, so you can probably imagine how Brandon felt having to bob and weave in-between dozens upon dozens of them walking through the streets. It must have been a pretty busy day for so early in the morning, but then again, Brandon couldn't argue. He always had to be busy during school mornings, particularly if he had a lot of work to do from the day before.

All throughout most of the city, Brandon was ducking and dodging crowds of people and flurries of feet, looking for a bus stop. But he wasn't looking for any regular bus stop, he was looking for the one in the more rural part of town, the bus stop on Slump Road specifically.

On his way down Raikujo Street, Brandon ended up encountering a massive construction zone, and there didn't seem to be any obvious way around it. But the fastest way to the bus stop was through the construction zone, and Brandon didn't have time to think it over. Against common sense, Brandon jumped the barrier and ran through scaffolding, I-beams and other dangerous equipment being used by construction workers. The other workers tried to catch Brandon, but by the time they caught up, Brandon had managed to reach the other end relatively unharmed. After that shortcut, Brandon caught his breath and took a breather for a few minutes before getting back up and continuing his mad rush.

Part way through the financial district, Brandon could feel his legs burning and felt like his heart was going to explode, so he stumbled over to a bus stop and waited for a bus to arrive, wasting more precious time. Thankfully, the bus didn't take long and Brandon took a ride down further toward his destination.

Unfortunately, more obstructions blocked the path. Now a huge traffic jam was clogging the roads ahead up and the bus slowed to a halt. Brandon, with toast still hanging around his clamped mouth, once again took matters into his own hands by opening the bus' emergency door and jumping onto the hood of the car in front of the door. It was risky, but Brandon started to jump to the hoods of cars, even walking across the roofs at times to get across. A few of the drivers got annoyed, even angered at Brandon's antics and called the police, thinking him to be some kind of trouble maker.

A few minutes of car-hopping later, the police arrived and tried to get after Brandon. At first, they didn't have too much luck, but it didn't take them long to catch Brandon and put an end to his car-jumping fiasco. Brandon tried to break free, but then he remembered that he was dealing with police here.

"Brandon Cash-san, you are in direct violation of several safety regulations and may face charges for public disturbance and vehicle vandalism. Do you have anything to say in your defense?" one of the police officers said.

Brandon knew he was in trouble, but he was hoping that if the police were in the mood to listen, he figured explaining himself was a good choice.

"I'm sorry, officers, but I'm late for school, and I've been trying like crazy to get to this bus stop here on my brochure," Brandon said, bringing out the brochure, then continuing. "If you would please help me get to my destination, I would be very grateful," he concluded.

The police officers mulled over it for a moment or two, then put two and two together and realized he was not doing anything wrong per se.

"Pal, you really need to be more careful. All you had to do was ask for help," the tall police officer said.

"And we'll help you, but we can only offer so much help right now. We're doing our jobs," said the short police officer.

"Would you, please? I really don't want to be any later than I already am," Brandon said, still clearly nervous.

"Okay, if you want a clear shot at getting to the Slump Road Bus Stop, you'll need to cut through a couple of alleyways just ahead, then make a right on Daimakura Drive. After that, go straight up until you reach Yoshimitsu Lane, then go left on the second road you come across. If you reach the Fujisaki Enterprises building, that means you've gone too far. From there, it should be a straight shot to the bus stop," the tall cop said, relaying the instructions and writing them down for him.

"Thank you so much, Officer..."

"Dan. Call me Dan," the tall officer said.

"And you can call me Joe, pal," the short officer said.

"Thank you both. Again, I'm sorry that I was probably causing trouble, but...education calls," Brandon said. "But I won't forget what you've done for me, guys! You're lifesavers, you know that? Anyways, I'm off! See you two later!" Brandon called out as he ran towards the alleys.

"Did you hear that, Joe!? We're...sniff...lifesavers!" Dan said, trying to hold back tears.

"D-Don't cry, man! This is small beans compared to the time we saved the city from all of those robots!" Joe said, trying to calm him down.

"I-I know, Joe... It's just that...the kid is trying to get to school and...I feel like we did a good thing today," Dan said, still blubbering a bit.

"Yeah...good feels good, don't it? We'd better get going ourselves!" Joe said as they started to patrol again. "There's been reports of some mutant sushi attacking a nearby restaurant, so let's go and serve some freshly cut justice!" Joe said again.

"Right behind you, buddy!" Dan said, eagerly following Joe to their next crime scene.


-On the way out of the urban area of the city, Japan-

-April 1st, 2012, 8:54 AM-

Encountering several other oddities along the way such as sentient bakery golems battling giant viruses, giant robots fighting a giant radioactive dinosaur, and a psychotic schoolgirl who chased Brandon for the better half of a couple of city blocks before finally losing him, Brandon's trip to Yoshimitsu Lane had been a lot more eventful than he really would have liked, bur through the most dangerous parts of his journey so far, he was undeterred.

Brandon caught a peek at his watch and was scared aghast by the time. It was almost nine in the morning; first period was almost over by now, and second period was about to begin. And the bus was not coming back to make any return trips, so it was on a first come, first serve basis.

Brandon groaned in exasperation. "I almost have half a mind to turn around and go back to the apartment by this point..." he said, clearly exhausted and annoyed.

He slumped against the bench, tired and sore from all of the running he was doing. He took a few moments and pondered on the situation.

"Okay, so I've been through a lot so far, and while this city is crazy, I've managed to make it just fine. Heck, I outran a bunch of construction workers." Brandon said, his voice growing louder and more determined. "I jumped cars! I dodged viruses, kaiju, and psychopathic schoolgirls! If I can do that, I can still get to school! But...how?"

Brandon scanned the area to find something to help him get to school quicker, but there didn't seem to be anything around to assist him. He saw a bike stand nearby the bench and saw a lone bike within its grasp. Looks like somebody had left it there while off somewhere nearby.

Brandon figured that he could still ride it to school...but he paused for a moment, wrestling with the moral ramifications of stealing something for his own benefit, until finally...

"Ugh... I have no other choice... It's either walk the rest of the way there or steal the bike. And I need to get there fast, so..." Brandon said.

Before he took it, Brandon pulled out a piece of paper, a pencil and a clipboard and wrote in big bold letters "I.O.U One Bicycle". He then took out some tape and stuck it to the paper before sticking it to the bike stand before taking the bike itself. Working the pedals as quickly as he could, Brandon sped away on the bike towards his destination.

A few moments later, the owner of the bike, a large kid wearing an orange shirt with a white stripe across it and jeans walked alongside his considerably smaller and shorter aqua-shirted lackey.

"Ah, that food hit the spot, eh Suneo?" the large kid said.

"No doubt, Gian! You really outdone the other folks in that eating contest!" Suneo said.

"Yeah, though I think I might have done much better at cooking or singing, you know?" Gian said.

"Eeeh...yeah...sure," Suneo said, not really confident in Gian's abilities.

"Hey, wanna go and see if Nobita's around for some 'fun' again?" Gian said, with an evil grin.

"Well, I would...if your bike wasn't gone," Suneo said. Indeed, someone had stolen Gian's bike.

"WHO THE HECK STOLE MY BIKE, HUH?!" Gian bellowed in anger.

"Beats me, big guy," Suneo said, relatively calm.

"If Nobita is trying to get back at me, I swear to God..."

"You kidding? Nobita wouldn't have the guts to do that. I bet you 5000 yen he wouldn't," Suneo said, flaunting his riches as usual. "But this I.O.U may have something to do with it," he continued, plucking the piece of paper from the stand where Gian's bike was. Gian read the note, and became rather angry.

"Whichever punk around town decided to steal my bike is going to be in a world of PAIN, my friend," Gian growled.

Suneo looked a little concerned. "Geez, Gian. You should look at myself...I mean yourself in a mirror. Your head's practically become Mount Vesuvius," Suneo said, but Gian wasn't listening. He stormed off without his short friend.

"...Man, and I thought I had a 'short' temper," Suneo said, making a funny. He followed after Gian, but from a distance so as to not be in the range of his anger when he exploded.


-Sakura Road, Rural Japan-

-April 1st, 2012, 9:03 AM-

The rest of Brandon's marathon had been pretty unmolested once he got the bike. Nothing else Japan-grade crazy came his way as he made good time down the road, only hitting a couple of holes and large pebbles on the way.

"Phew...glad that's all over... I don't ever remember Japan being quite that crazy," Brandon said. "But still, looks like smooth sailing ahead," Brandon concluded.

Indeed, Brandon slowed his pace down, certain he could just relax at school and try not to worry too much now. He could always make up for the classes he missed tomorrow anyway. After all, school wasn't going to be over the first day, so he still had a chance.

The rest of the ride passed by in peace. The only time Brandon stopped was at the very end of his trip.

Standing in front of where he stopped was a massive tunnel. There was absolutely no light within it as far as they eye can see, and it just seemed to go on on forever into the darkness.

Brandon gulped. As old as he was, darkness was still a long-time phobia of his that just never quite went away, and he was scared to go in.

"...Why. Why did it have to be darkness?" Brandon said, clearly not enjoying this new obstacle. But, if he wanted to go to the school, he'd have to trudge through it like a soldier and tough it out. Of course, he could just always turn back and avoid this course of action entirely, thus rendering this whole storyline moot and keepin' it traditional.

To his detriment, however, he would need to grin and bear it if he had any hope of getting to the school at all.

"Okay..." Brandon said, breathing in through his nose, and out through his mouth. "...I can do this...I think... I hope."

Brandon got off of his bike and started wheeling it towards the darkness hesitantly. It wasn't long before he started to walk into it and the light began to disappear behind him. In response, Brandon closed his eyes tightly and did not dare to open them.

The walk was dreadfully long and arduous to get through. Brandon was trying not to open his eyes, but it was too tempting to do. He was breathing heavily and trying not to panic, but he kept a death grip on the bike's handlebars, so much so that his knuckles were turning white. All the while, Brandon was hoping that the walk would end soon. That or just not run into any walls with his eyes closed.

After several excruciating minutes of walking through darkness, there was finally a light at the end of the tunnel. Brandon slowly opened his eyes to the source and started becoming more and more relieved, picking up the pace of his walk until he was practically running and finally broke to the other side of the tunnel.

Home free at last. Or so he thought.

When he crossed through the tunnel, the light was rather blinding for a moment before he regained his vision. However, upon gazing over the landscape, he had almost wished he had just went back through town. The ocean was practically made of blood, the place was built on lifeless craggy cliffs, the trees were barren, and the black feathered fauna was eying him up something fierce. And the mansion he saw in the distance...

"...Uh, on second thought, I think I'll take my chances with the tunnel again," Brandon said, doing an about face and marching back towards the tunnel. However, when he attempted to walk through it again, he appeared to crash into a wall, as if this was some kind of Road Runner prank.

"...what the hell?"

Brandon tried to walk again, but he suffered the same problem. He could not get back through the tunnel entrance. He tried pushing, kicking, punching, even football tackling it. But alas, all of Brandon's attempts to get through this sudden invisible wall were for nil.

"Okay, what is this? I was able to come through that dark tunnel just fine several minutes ago. Now all of a sudden this invisible wall pops up and prevents me from simply turning around and exiting, like this is some...sort of...game..."

He stopped short, the realization starting to dawn on him. This was going to be a school you'd stay in year-round. Anybody who wanted to exit wasn't going to be able to until the year was over, and this place seemed to spell 'bad mojo' all over it now that he was seeing it.

He had signed up for it, and now here he was. Out here, overlooking a cliff with the red-tinged sea, with no obvious exit in sight. Except for the obvious exit in plain sight, but that was a whole different ball game now.

But he was here by himself. Alone. And from the looks of things, there was a massive forest up ahead that somehow managed to look more menacing than the tunnel. The only consolidation this time was that he'd at least have a source of light to help him through it, but even then he still didn't know what to expect.

He sighed; this was certainly not what he was expecting. With nothing but the clothes on his back and his belongings where they should be, Brandon trudged forward into the depths of the forest, hoping he wasn't too late or was hoping that somebody would find him wandering about and help him along.

Somehow he doubted that either outcome was likely.


END OF PART I


Next time: Chapter 1, Part II – This is Your School.

Stay tuned...

AUTHOR'S POST-CHAPTER NOTE: So, that's the first part of the first chapter into the new version of the previous fic, and hopefully it turned out to not be as dreadful as the previous version. Feel free to tell me what you think in the reviews and I look forward to writing more.

By the way, did you get all the references in Brandon's run throughout Japan?