Elf + Vampire
On what should have been a joyous and wonderful event, Moka's coming of age ceremony, things went horribly wrong. The castle of Lord Shuzen and half the demon was thrown into peril when an army of savage vampires and werewolves attacked. Now, Tsukune, Moka and the others set out to save the demon realm, and possibly the human world as well.
x.x.x
Tsukune approached the front gates to Yokai Academy to begin his second semester of his final year. As he reached the front gate, he stopped and stared deeply at the school he had become so fond of. While he stood there, the wind blew gently against his face as his mind began to wander to when he first arrived at Yokai Academy. Thoughts of his years at Yokai filled his mind, Tsukune smiled to himself, the one thing that stuck out of his thoughts most was Moka. Although, all the girls were important to him, it was because of Moka that he decided to stay here. Without Moka, who knows what direction Tsukune's life would be going at the moment.
I can't believe this is my last year here. It feels like just yesterday Moka ran into me on her bike, I was plunged into a school full of monsters and forced to fight for my life every other day. But now, everything's calm after Moka gave me her blood, and also repairing the barrier of the demon world. I just don't know what's gonna happ- Tsukune's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the voice of a lovely girl call out to him.
"Tsukune!" Before Tsukune could react, Moka had attached herself to his neck. Tsukune stood paralyzed momentarily, at least until Moka was done tasting his blood.
"H-Hello Moka… Is there any way possible I can, at least, receive a hug before you feast upon my neck?" He sighed lightly, gently rubbing the area of his neck that Moka had just bitten.
"Oh, I'm sorry Tsukune! You know I can't help myself around you!" Moka blushed slightly from embarrassment as she wrapped her arms tightly around Tsukune and planted a soft kiss over the bite mark on his neck. He blushed furiously, suddenly the ground between his feet became very interesting.
"How dare you kiss MY Tsukune on the neck!?" Kurumu jumped between the two, planting her chest directly onto Tsukune's face.
"Oh Tsukune, how I missed you!" Kurumu continued to smother Tsukune as she spoke. Tsukune began flailing his arms in an attempt to free himself from Kurumu's death grip.
"Good… Morning… Kurumu…" Tsukune gasped between breaths until he finally free. "Where's Yukari?" As soon as the question left his, Yukari came bouncing through the front gates.
"Here I am, Tsukune!" Yukari basically tackled Tsukune to the ground, but this was the routine he had come to know and love Yokai Academy, and he knew he would miss it dearly once it came time to graduate.
"Good morning, Tsukune." Mizore came out from her usual bush, holding the same ice cold, emotionless expression she always wore.
"Good morning, Mizore." As Tsukune replied to her greeting, he stared at her as a single question formed in his mind, "Mizore, why do you always have a lollipop in your mouth?"
"Well, to put it simply, my love. I'm preparing my mouth for our wedding night." Mizore gave Tsukune a small grin as his face turned seven different shades of red.
"We really should be getting to class. We're going to be late!" Moka was already walking towards the school. Tsukune only smiled and started forward after her. They continued to talk about their breaks as they strolled through the hallways of the academy. The academy was relatively active for being the first day back. Various groups of students lined the hallways; they would stare at Moka and the other girls, then turn to each other and murmur incoherent phrases. It was something that had begun at the beginning od the year, when freshmen arrived. They were deemed the most popular group in school, although most of the boys were never too fond of Tsukune.
Tsukune sighed inwardly, This is gonna be the one thing I won't miss! Everyday, I receive scolding looks from every guy here for being friends with these girls, if only they knew that these ladies had once tried to kill me. They finally reached homeroom, and Nekenome greeted them with the same cheerful "Good morning" she always did. They all smiled and returned her greeting with a bow, then took their seats.
Some time had passed and Tsukune found himself day dreaming. He saw a woman chained to a wall in what looked like a dungeon, her purple hair was matted to her face by sweat and small amounts of blood. Suddenly, the woman stopped and looked directly at Tsukune. She spoke, but Tsukune could not understand the language. He was jolted from his vision as a searing sensation of pain ran through his entire body. He clenched his hands into fists to keep from yelling out in pain. His entire body started to tremble, sweat began to drench his hair as the pain subsided, Moka tapped him on the shoulder.
"Tsukune, are you okay?" Moka had noticed the sweat in Tsukune's hair and how his body trembled slightly. She swore she could also sense a sliver of fear in his aura.
"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, Moka." Tsukune excused himself from class and ran out to the front of the school to get fresh air. His heart was pounding rapidly, his hands trembled, and his knees became weak. Tsukune fell onto the front steps of the school, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. His breaths were short and ragged, his sweat was cold and his body was numb. He reached into his coat to pull out a pack of cigarettes, which he kept for when he had nervous breakdowns.
"Tsukune, are you sure you're okay?" Moka asked. She slowly walked over and sat beside him. She noticed his trembling hands and sweat, but Tsukune refused to look at her.
"Yes Moka." Tsukune muttered his reply then stuck a cigarette in his mouth, shooting Moka a half-hearted grin. He struck a match, holding it against the cigarette and took a small drag from it.
"Tsukune! I didn't know you smoked! That's bad for you!" She reached to take the cigarette from his mouth but he quickly moved it out of reach.
"Yeah, well being in a school full of monsters isn't exactly great for my well being either." He chuckled to himself on that one, "Besides, I don't smoke that often. So, it's nothing to worry about, I promise." He smiled at her, then took another drag from the cigarette. "Moka, may I ask you something?"
"Of course you can, Tsukune! Ask whatever you want!" Tsukune watched his cigarette burn as he took another drag, but he remained quiet. Moka felt as if hours were passing by and Tsukune wouldn't even say a word. She kept darting her eyes between him and her hands. The slightest breeze could be heard, until after several minutes Tsukune finally broke the silence.
"What's going to happen to us after graduation?" Moka stared at him with soft eyes; she could sense the hurt in his voice. Tsukune, what's going on with you? She reached over and squeezed his hand.
"Well, that's not something I can answer easily, but I can tell you this. I promise no matter what happens, I'll always be at your side!" She squeezed his hand again and gave him a huge smile. "But, let's just worry about right now, yes? Come on, let's go back to class!" Moka kissed his cheek, then jumped up with a grin, "Come on, Tsukune!" She tugged on his hand until he stood up.
"Alright, alright. I'm coming." Tsukune was still blushing from Moka's kiss, but his cheek was tingling and he loved it. For a brief moment, Tsukune felt the courage to hold Moka's hand but that feeling quickly left once they stepped inside the school.
x.x.x
Lord Shuzen walked down the steps leading to the catacombs of his castle; it had been centuries since he last set foot in this area of the castle. The sound of water droplets hitting the stone walkway could be heard over Shuzen's footsteps. The smell of dust and sulpher attacked his nose, but he waved it off. Wretched smell. Reminds me of why I never come down here myself.
With Moka's birthday coming up soon, it was time to pass on one of the family heirlooms. The heirlooms were located in a vault made of solid gold. It stood twenty feet tall, ten feet wide, and a mere 3 feet in depth. Shuzen turned the vault's valve handle and pulled open the vault. Within its walls were three items; a red sleeveless dress. The sides of the were cut out from the ribs to the waist, and the length of the dress was to the knee. It was cut into a deep V-neck but was covered with a thin, see-through lace. The dress was nearly 4000 years old, yet it looked as if it were brand new. It gave whoever wore it the ability to freeze time. The spell was only momentary, but with practice the user could extend the time the spell remained active.
The next item was Shuzen's legendary sword, Morzan. Shuzen, himself, had spent long days forging it into a magnificent blade. The blade was nearly four feet in length and was forged in the shape of a flame. The color of the blade was a dark crimson hue. Shortly after it's creation, Shuzen had slain the legendary Dragon Marfuir. One of enchantments on Morzan grants it the ability to absorb the power and knowledge of whatever it slays and sends those qualities to the chosen wielder.
The final item was a vial of blood from the world's eldest and most powerful vampire, though where the vial came from was still unknown. The only information Shuzen had about the vial was that it could transform thousands of beings, humans and monsters alike, into significantly powerful and savage vampires with a single drop. The vial didn't seem like a suitable choice to give to his daughter though.
With Moka always in her rosario form, it'd be pointless to give her the sword, and she's already powerful enough in her true form. He reached forward and pulled the dress from the vault as one of his servants walked down the passageway towards him. "Neela, see to it that this dress is elegantly wrapped and delivered to Moka at the academy, along with my letter." Shuzen handed her the dress, shut the vault and waved her away. I suppose I should begin with the preparations for the ceremony and banquet. With that thought, he strode out of catacombs and towards the throne room, to begin the long day of giving orders.
x.x.x
"Okay, the Newspaper Club meeting is now in session!" Moka declared giggly. Gin sat in a corner with his camera, rocking his chair back and forth with a toothy grin plastered across his face. "We need to discuss some new material! We need something interesting for this issue, our last few prints have been rather dull. They were nothing eye-catching. We need to change that guys!"
"But Moka, nothing interesting has really happened at school for months. The last interesting thing to happen was summer break, and that was only interesting because it was summer break." Yukari replied, holding her finger to her mouth as she spoke, and twirling her wand around with her other hand.
"We could always do student interviews about graduation and also do a piece on the Cultural Festival and graduation since they're right around the corner." Tsukune said it with a slight trace of disappointment in his voice, but the only one to notice was Moka.
"Yeah! That sounds like a great idea!" Kurumu exclaimed, bouncing like a small child, particularly in Tsukune's direction.
Tsukune dropped his head slightly; I don't want to lose all the friends I've made here, even if most of them DID try to kill me. But, what if when I leave this place I never see any of them again? Ruby, Kurumu,Yukari, Mizore, and Moka? I couldn't live with that. Tsukune's thoughts were interrupted when Nekenome entered the class room.
"Moka, I have a package for you. It doesn't say who it's from and the lady who delivered it wouldn't give me any information. Meow." She stared down at the package before handing it over to Moka. Moka examined the red package, then noticed that a letter was attached to it.
"Moka, who's it from?" Yukari asked, standing over Moka's shoulder trying to get a better look at this mysterious red package.
"It doesn't say. Maybe the letter will tell me." As Moka began to open the letter, she stopped and looked behind her to see everyone huddled around her. "Do you mind!?" Everyone scattered away, whistling nonchalantly. Moka opened the letter and began to read it: Moka, I request your presence at the castle. Once you read this, prepare to return here for two weeks. It's time for your ceremony. Feel free to bring along anyone you'd like. Your transportation will arrive three hours after school lets out. I look forward to seeing you, my daughter.
Moka finished reading the letter, and slipped it back into the envelope. She turned her attention towards the package. Silence fell over the room as Moka lifted the top of the box. A gasp of astonishment came from everybody's lips as Moka lifted the dress from the box. Moka stood up and lifted the dress to her body, turning to Tsukune, she asked, "How does it look Tsukune?"
"It'll be gorgeous on you, Moka." Tsukune gave her a smile and she blushed furiously.
"Oh, Tsukune."
"Oh, Moka."
"Don't start with that crap." Kurumu pushed her way between Tsukune and Moka, staring at Moka's dress. "So, who have you been blowing to have this bought for you?"
"It's from my father." Moka shot Kurumu a death glare as she placed the dress back in the box.
"So what does the letter say, Moka?" Tsukune was staring at her curiously. He knew Moka's father wasn't the type to just send his daughters random letters.
"He wants me to go back to the castle today after school. It's rather important."
"Oh, how long will that be?"
"Two weeks…" Moka stared at Tsukune softly, "But, he did say I could take whoever I want with me." She smiled at everyone, waiting for their replies.
"Do you mind telling us what the occasion is before we decide to accompany you to Lord Shuzen's castle for two weeks?" Mizore was staring out of the window, with a rare sign of a smile on her face, "It's going to snow."
"Well, I'd rather not say but I promise you guys will have fun! Please just go with me!" Moka gleamed at all of them but then paused, "Did you call my father Lord Shuzen?"
"Yes, I didml. He is one of the Elders and had also helped my people through countless struggles. Therefore, the snow people address him as Lord Shuzen."
"I'll go." Tsukune's reply was said so softly, if everyone had been human, nobody would have heard him. Everyone turned to look at him, their faces had shock written all over them, including Moka's. "What? Why are you guys staring at me like that? Was I not invited?"
"Tsukune, do you not remember last time you met him?" Yukari interjected with worry laced in her voice.
"Yes, I do. What's your point?"
"Lord Shuzen detests humans, Tsukune. That's what you are." Mizore stated matter-of-factly. Tsukune averted himself from everyone's gaze then walked towards the door. Everyone watched him sadly but said nothing.
"You're right. It would be stupid of me to want to go with all of you to the castle. So, you guys go have fun and I'll see you when you get back. See you later." With that said, Tsukune left the room, leaving the others in silence. Moka stood up quickly, hoping to catch Tsukune before he got too far. She swung open the door to see Tsukune quicken his pace as he rounded a corner. Moka quickly broke into a sprint, calling out to him, wishing he'd slow down so she could talk to him.
"Tsukune! Please wait!" She tried to run faster but Tsukune managed to make it down the stairs with haste. He quickly ducked behind a wall to avoid being seen by Moka as she ran out of the building. "Tsukune! Where are you? Please come talk to me!" Moka's voice cracked as tears formed on the corners of her eyes.
Tsukune's heart dropped when the sound of Moka crying reached his ears; he mentally cursed himself for making her cry, but the others were right. There's no reason why he set foot in the Shuzen Castle unless he was prepared to die. I'll just return to the human world for two weeks I suppose. It'll be good for me to see my mom anyway. Once Moka returned inside, Tsukune made a dash for his dorm, hoping to make it there without being seen.
Moka made her way back to the newspaper room, but she stopped just outside when she heard bickering among the girls. "You didn't have to remind him that he only human, Mizore! There were nicer ways to explain to him why it was a bad idea to go to Shuzen Castle!" Pure anger resonated off Kurumu's voice. Never had Moka heard Kurumu so furious. She sounded just about ready to rip Mizore in half.
"Listen here succubus! I didn't mean for it to come out that harsh, but someone needed to get the point across! Nobody but me is willing to do that! It's for Tsukune's safety!" Mizore stormed out of the room and straight into Moka. "Oh Moka…" Mizore dropped her head as she spoke, "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt or offend Tsukune, I just…" Moka cut her off before she could finish and gave her smile.
"It's okay, Mizore. I understand your reasoning for your response. I'd still be happy if you, Kurumu, Yukari, and Ruby accompanied me to my dorm right now." She spoke a little louder and peered over Mizore's shoulder to look at the other girls.
"We'd love to, Moka. Lead the way." They left the room and started their walk to the dorms to prepare for their two week stay at Shuzen Castle.
x.x.x
First off, I just want to thank everyone for taking the time to read this. So, thank you thank you thank you. I've just recently gotten back into writing so sorry if this is a bit rough on the eyes. It probably doesn't help that I'm re-writing segments of this story as I go along. I will try to update this story at least once a week, but I'm working on 3 other stories as well, so I can't guarantee anything. Again, thank you, and please feel free to leave any remarks or comments about how you feel, or if there's anything that can be improved. Any and all feedback is welcome!