This is basically the same as Volume 3 Chapter 10 of the 1st manga series so bear with me here. Sorry if I butchered my French in the previous chapter. If there's anything please send a review as usual.
Sixteen year old Tsukune Aono fell to his knees after Kuyou, in his final and most powerful incarnation had thoroughly beaten and incinerated his friends. He numbly swayed from side to side as he saw them all scattered and prostrate about the basement.
"No," the human boy croaked as he took in the sight.
Moka Akashiya, Kurumu Kurono, Yukari Sendo and Ginei Morioka faded in and out of consciousness, their clothes singed and sporting a variety of injuries including burns, blisters and gashes. All were members of the Newspaper Club whose activities had drawn the unkind attention of the corrupt and self-deluded head of the Public Safety Commission at the Youkai Academy. Kuyou, of the Youko species and an S-Class monster, one of the most powerful in the school, gloated as he stood in the middle of the ruined room. Deep cracks and craters split the concrete floor and walls, exposing electrical wiring and water pipes. Almost every inch of wall was blackened black while gray ashes lay where boxes, furniture and miscellaneous items once stood.
"Your comrades really are marvellous aren't they?" sneered Kuyou, crossing his arms over his chest.
His final and most powerful form consisted of a humanoid torso and head with a vaguely vulpine lower body. To top it off he was entirely wreathed in flame along with nine flaming tails.
"Isn't it great they came and tried to save you Tsukune-kun," he added contemptuously to the boy who stared at Moka as she tried to get up. "Time to put an end to this quixotic lot."
Kuyou raised a hand towards the vampire girl, tongues of flame gathered about his palm as he began to generate a fireball. "You will bear witness to their last moments before it's your turn."
The prospect of seeing his closest friend roast to death spurred Tsukune to jump up and shout, "Wait!"
Kuyou narrowed his eyes at him before clenching his fist and halting. "Yes?" he asked with mock politeness.
Tsukune gasped as he approached the Youko, staggering against the creature's body heat before stopping at a safe distance and blurting out, "Listen… We've lost! We'll apologise for everything. Let me take full responsibility for the club and all their members. I'll confess my humanity and subject myself to whatever sanction you see fit to impose upon me!"
He dropped to his knees again and clutched his painfully bruised arm. "So please. I implore you for forgiveness. If not then at least spare my friends."
At such proximity to Kuyou, Tsukune was panting and sweating hard from the heat. Coughing, he went on, "They're all very important to me, monster or human."
Moka and Kurumu watched him plead on behalf of their lives, the former whispering, "Tsu- Tsukune…"
Kuyou regarded him intensely for a moment before replying, "That's strangely admirable for a human." He smiled thinly and placed his clenched fist over his heart. "Very well then. Your friends' lives will be spared in consideration of your courage."
The human let out his breath and then smiled in relief.
This was momentary as Kuyou unexpectedly said, "Not!"
"What?" Tsukune reeled back in shock as the monster unclenched his fist and continued to charge up his fireball.
"Would I really say such things? Friends huh? This superficial human concept of friendship sickens me!"
The charging reached its peak and the monster took aim with his arm at Moka who was still helpless on the ground. "Fool! Watch as your friend burns until her bones melt!"
Tsukune lost control of his body for an instant as he dived in front of the fireball heading for Moka. She could only stare in shock as the boy took the full brunt of the blast, shielding her from the worst so only a hot blast of air and dazzling light washed over her.
Unperturbed, Kuyou said in a darkly amused tone, "Hey hey. Wouldn't be fun if you were cremated first now? Wouldn't it?"
Moka jumped to her feet, crying out, "Tsukune!" She reached out for the boy who completely smothered in flames.
Observing at a safe distance through the basement window, Hitomi Ishigami, the Medusa and former art teacher frowned in puzzlement as she witness the action inside.
"Aono-san put himself in the fireball's path. The only chance for a human to survive when subjected to full thickness burns is to excise all burnt tissue. Even so, he's unlikely to live," she coldly concluded.
As he and Moka drew closer, Tsukune reached out and snatched the rosary connected by a chain to a choker around the vampire's neck. She stared as the boy collapsed onto the ground, his body and clothes badly burnt.
"Tsukune?" There was no reply from him. "Tsukune! No!"
The moment the rosary was removed an aura of red light and energy began to emit from her body, blinding everyone in the room.
Kurumu struggled to her feet and cried out, "Moka! What's going on? What happened to Tsukune?"
Meanwhile, Kuyou and Hitomi observed as Moka's alternative personality manifested as Inner Moka, along with all of her lethal vampiric traits. The round pupils of her eyes shrunk to vertical slits, her irises glowed crimson red and her pink hair paled dramatically. Once the light had dissipated, there stood Inner Moka, eyes ablaze and holding Tsukune's unconscious form in her arms.
Kurumu rushed over, her heart pounding as she examined the boy and cried out, "Moka! Tsukune isn't breathing."
Meanwhile, Kuyou said, "So this is a vampire. Imbued with the power of Nosferatu and also known as the Immortal Ones. They are classified as peerless super monsters. I've heard the rumours and stories but I was never convinced until I see one with my own eyes."
He paused before getting back into a combat stance and calling, "Not that it really matters against the likes of me, vampire or not!"
His eyes met with Moka's but she ignored him as she shifted Tsukune's limp form so he stood upright with her supporting him. "Stand clear Kurono-san," she warned the succubus girl who assumed her own combat stance, ready to defend her friends.
Inner Moka looked down at Tsukune and whispered, "Forgive me." Then she bit down into his neck.
Distressed, Kurumu shouted, "Moka! What on earth are you doing? You're endangering his life even more!"
Hitomi and Yukari, who'd regained consciousness, watched in confusion as this occurred, thinking the same thing. Moka was done after a few seconds, her fangs dripped with blood as she released Tsukune and laid him gently on the ground.
"Kurono-san, watch over Tsukune," she instructed to Kurumu as she brushed past her and faced Kuyou who was watching in confusion along with everyone else. "Don't worry. I gave him some of my blood instead."
At that moment, Yukari understood. "Oh, I see how it is. Vampires who are known as Immortals have blood with potent healing powers so it should heal Tsukune-san."
"So it'll save him?" asked Kurumu hopefully, grabbing his wrist and desperately feeling for a pulse.
Moka answered as she approached Kuyou, "Unfortunately I don't know. There are three problems which can arise."
She rushed forward and unleashed her trademark high kick against the Youko monster while saying, "First the success rate is low."
Kuyou staggered back from the impact while Inner Moka continued, "Steel yourself in the event that Tsukune doesn't make it."
Lividly gritting his teeth, Kuyou muttered, "I'll rip your heart out and crush it with my bare hands."
Immediately, Moka laid into him with a blinding series of kicks and feints, forcing him to dodge, parry and block faster than he'd ever had to in his life. However, Moka was committing even more effort than she had in previous fights. Her strikes whenever they landed just didn't have the same knockdown power as usual.
This wasn't lost on Kurumu who remarked in concern, "This isn't right. Moka-san doesn't appear to have her usual overwhelming power."
Tsukune at that moment twitched in her arms, murmuring something.
Yukari leaned in and examined his face before saying, "It looks like he's in REM."
"What's that?" asked Kurumu.
"The Rapid Eye Movement stage of sleep which is the deepest. It's when dreams occur and memories can be recalled."
"At the very first stage these machines are programmed to synthesise polymerase in cell nuclei in order to churn out proteins for the repair of damaged cells," said one of the men.
At his age, Tsukune could only make out a vague, white clad blur at the end of his crib. The other leaned on the side, also looking down at him. At this distance, he could make out the man's brown eyes and the hint of red under his surgical cap.
"Risk of cancer?" he asked with concern.
His superior scoffed, "Negligible, what do you take me for? I programmed the nanites myself."
The red head rolled his eyes, making sure the other man couldn't see. Tsukune didn't recognise the expression but giggled instead.
"I hope for both your sakes this works," he muttered before straightening up and standing back. "You may begin doctor."
The moment Tsukune's failing heart managed to circulate all the vampire blood through his entire body, nourishing all his cells, something else stirred inside him.
Kuyou found his opening and gave a vicious counterstrike with the heel of his palm which knocked Inner Moka across the room. Chuckling, he said, "You're kidding me vampire. Is that all you've got? Appears you're not as effective against the likes of me."
Moka landed safely in a defensive stance. "No, this is the second complication. By infusing so much vampire blood in Tsukune I have inevitably weakened myself."
The Youko then charged forward, coming in with a devastating flamed laced punch which Moka blocked with a raise of her knee. However Kuyou spun around and lashed out with a kick which knocked her into the opposite wall.
Kurumu, watching her friend and rival go down, gasped, "She's weakened herself to help Tsukune to the point that she cannot overcome Kuyou. If she can't then all of this is for nothing."
Kuyou walked over to Moka where she was on all fours before announcing,"In my opinion, your association with that human has weakened you. I will burn you to cleanse you of this stupidity."
"No! Moka!" Kurumu and Yukari shouted, not realising that Tsukune had slipped out from their arms.
"Hazy Rolling Flame!" Kuyou bellowed, pointing his arm at Moka.
For a moment everyone was dazzled in the room as the light from the blast of radiant energy filled the entire basement. The Youko was first to notice the silhouette standing in front of him.
"What?" He blinked and saw to his amazement who was it that blocked his attack once again. "Aono Tsukune!"
Everyone else saw this as the light dissipated.
"This isn't right. You should have died by now. At the very least you were scorched to the 2nd degree to almost your entire body," snarled the monster. "Just what the hell are you?"
Once the flames stopped licking at Tsukune there were gaping wounds exposed. No sooner had this occurred than they began to seal themselves. However the manner in which it occurred was inconsistent. Sometimes fresh blood saturated the wound before coagulating and revealing fully healed flesh. The other times, the tissue surrounding the injury just regrew.
Kurumu and Yukari with tears in their eyes thought the same thing. With Moka's vampiric blood, Tuskune has gained her powers. This was proven as they watched Tsukune's pupils narrow to slits, his irises redden and his brown hair pale in the same manner as Outer Moka's transition to Inner Moka.
"Oh I see how this is. You weren't actually a human," concluded Kuyou apoplectically, "Not after all you've been through. From the very beginning you were a monster. Damn… Ishigami tricked me!"
It was then that Moka took her chance and grabbed the Youko from behind, pinning his arms to his sides and ignoring his bodily flames as they scorched her.
"Last, I cannot be sure how Tsukune will react to the transfusion."
A terrifying aura swirled about the once human boy as he advanced upon the struggling pair.
"Tsukune! Take him out now!" Inner Moka commanded, tightening her grip and feeling a few ribs break in the monster. "I can't hold him forever."
"No! If I hadn't let my guard down I'd still have a chance! Do you think you can actually defeat a Youko like me?"
Tsukune broke into a run as he charged forward, taking back his fist for a right hook. He'd heard everything said by Kuyou but ignored it. All that was left to do was to pummel that creature which had threatened the lives of his friends. At the very last moment, Moka let go of Kuyou and jumped back to a safe distance. As quickly as he could, the Youko brought up his arms to block the strike but it was useless in the end.
"Sorting rotors embedded in the sarcoplasmic reticulum increases the concentration of calcium cations. The net effect in combination with ionic polymeric gel myofibrils, amplifies muscle speed and strength," the doctor said to the red haired man as they wheeled the crib into the lift.
Tsukune felt the vampire blood flowing freely in his blood vessels. He felt very light as he covered the last few metres in a blur. There was something else which didn't feel like it was vampiric or his natural strength at all. Not that it really mattered when he directed his strike into one of Kuyou's blocking arms. He felt bone snap in two beneath his knuckles before he followed it up with one applied directly to the cheek. There was a nasty crunch as the Youko spun and flew, hollering in pain before he crashed into the wall, erupting into a fiery explosion.
"Tsukune!" Yukari and Kurumu cried out, rushing forward to catch him as his hair and eyes reverted back to their natural brown and his pupils dilated before he sunk into unconsciousness.
As Moka helped Ginei to his feet she commented, "He expended all the energy provided in my blood. When he wakes up he should be his usual self. In the meantime let's get him to the infirmary."
Kurumu hugged Tsukune tightly, saying, "Isn't that great Tsukune! You're going to be alright!"
Meanwhile a water pipe burst, showering the fireball which was Kuyou and extinguishing the flames with a loud hiss. The monster lay there, back in his human form and sporting injuries which covered his entire body.
As Inner Moka passed she said, "I don't think you'll object to Aono-san remaining a student at this school now? Do you?"
Outside, Hitomi stood, watching unseen as Tsukune was borne out of the building in Moka's arms.
"Akashiya Moka, I'll accept this loss today but we'll play again Newspaper Club," she said softly before turning on her heel and leaving.
On the other side of the world a typed and confidential report found its way onto the desk in one of the myriad government offices in Washington DC. The signal it detailed was intercepted from Misawa AFB but an exact location couldn't be pinpointed. The public servant behind the desk perused the contents until the sunrise. Once he was done, he booted up his computer. It took half an hour to guarantee a secure environment before two codenames appeared: Adam and Andrea. He was still getting used to using his codename, Alphonse. The previous Alphonse perished as a random victim in a terrorist attack. While this was happening, he brought up a confidential report on an old case which was bequeathed to him from his predecessor. Once he was done with the comparing the old case and the latest findings he outlined a summary to the others. As usual it was mostly him and Adam who did most of the talking, the latter being the ever reliable devil's advocate. Andrea's lack of input at first unnerved him but he got used to it over time. Whenever she had something to say, it always revealed a great deal of insight and analysis into the situation.
By the time the debating was done it was lunchtime and Alphonse was impatient to adjourn, having skipped breakfast entirely. To his and Adam's surprise it was Andrea's solution which had them both in agreement.
Andrea: Rotate Romeo Cell out of Japan and send in Special Agent Madison with an official cover. Make sure he knows everything.