A/N - Okay, here is chapter 2 of Guardians of Yokai Academy. I wasn't really sure what to work on this time, but I had the urge to work on this story, sooo...here it is!
One thing I felt you all should know is that I'm choosing to follow the manga, rather than the anime, of Rosario + Vampire. So as such, things will be a tad...darker, I suppose would be a good term to use.
Also, I didn't really plan out a lot for this story, just who would end up with who and what will happen to Tsukune and yada yada. As such, things happened in this chapter in a way I didn't expect them to while writing the story. I was pleasantly surprised at how this chapter turned out, so I hope you all like it as well!
Finally, you should note that I increased Yukari's age in this story to 15 years old. If you want to figure out what she looks like, look up a picture of her teenage form in the anime. Big breasts, beautiful, the works. She was actually pretty sexy.
And without further adieu, here is chapter 2 of Guardians of Yokai Academy! Enjoy!
Chapter 2 - Yuki-onna
Naruto scratched at his hair and grumbled incoherently as he struggled to understand what Miss Ririko was teaching the class. He knew going into this mission that he'd have to study and do homework and all that crap, but even still...he sucked at math. The other subjects came to him easily enough, but math? Nope!
"Mr. Uzumaki, would you care to try and solve this equation?" the teacher asked in an attempt to focus his attention on the class.
Naruto looked at the equation on the blackboard and frowned in thought. x + 27 (47) = y - x. Ugh, this is so damn confusing! He thought to himself. "Umm...hmm...can I try to solve it on a piece of paper first? It'll help me think."
Ririko sighed and nodded her head. "Just make it quick Mr. Uzumaki."
"Thanks Miss Ririko!" he exclaimed before sitting back down and jotting down the equation on a piece of paper. Let's see here… Take that, multiply it like so...umm...oh! Okay, that shouuuld be it…
After a while, Naruto stood back up and said, "2x + 1269 = y? Wait...do I need to solve for x and y?" he questioned.
Ririko sighed and pointed with a riding crop, of all things, towards the x = 72 just under the equation. "Using this number as the value of x, what do you get for y, Uzumaki?"
"Okay...let's see here…" Jotting down on his paper again, he did the math and then looked back at Ririko. "Umm...1402? Is that right?"
"Ooh, so close. It's actually 1413 = y. You were on the right track, but your math was just slightly off this time. You're learning though, which is good." the teacher said with a kind smile on her face. "However, I would like it if you would come see me after school is over for some private tutoring. Your test scores are abysmal and I'm concerned about you. I don't want anyone to fail my class."
Naruto sighed and nodded his head somewhat reluctantly. "As you wish Miss Ririko. Thanks for offering to help me."
"Anytime Uzumaki-kun. Now, open your books to page 131. Your homework for next time is to complete problems #4 - #17." she said before her eyes drifted to Naruto. I'm looking forward to our tutoring session Uzumaki-kun. You'll never fail another test so long as I'm helping you.
After class
As Naruto and Gaara were leaving the classroom, they heard Ririko Kagome call out to Naruto. Telling his friend that he'd wait for him, Gaara left the classroom so Ririko could talk to Naruto.
Walking over to Ririko, Naruto asked, "What's up Miss Ririko? Did I do something wrong?"
Ririko shook her head and offered him a warm smile. "No, I just wanted to remind you that you should come see me after school. I'll be waiting for you here, alright? And please Uzumaki-kun, call me Ririko-chan when we're not in class."
"Only if you call me Naruto. But are you sure? Wouldn't it be bad for a student to be so chummy with their teacher?"
Miss Ririko giggled and shook her head. "Nonsense Naruto-kun. I'd like for us to be friends. After all, I care for you just like I care for all of my students." Reaching up, she placed her hand on his cheek and stroked his whisker marks gently. "I promise I'll teach you everything I know about math. I guarantee you're going to love being tutored by me."
The seventeen year-old blonde blushed and nodded his head slowly. "Um, yeah...alright. I'm just gonna go now. Thanks again Ririko-chan!" he exclaimed before dashing out of the room.
Once outside of the classroom, Naruto was surprised to see Yukari standing there with Gaara. The fifteen year-old witch smiled when she saw Naruto. Stepping up to him, she looked into his eyes and said, "I know you've been struggling with math and a few other subjects, Naruto-kun. Since you and Gaara are a part of the Newspaper Club, and my friends, I wanted to say that I'd be glad to tutor you if you wanted? I know Miss Ririko offered to tutor you, but…"
Naruto smiled at Yukari and nodded. "I'd be glad to study with you if you're willing to teach me. Thanks Yukari-chan."
"It's no problem at all Naruto-kun. Feel free to come visit me in my room anytime you need some help. Or I can visit your room if you'd prefer?"
The blonde continued to smile at her as he said, "Either/or works just fine for me. If studying with Ririko-chan doesn't work out, I'll gladly have you teach me math instead. And I'll definitely be sure to come to you if I need some help with my other subjects. Actually, now that I think on it, I do need some help with my science class, and with history...then again, that's to be expected considering Gaara and I come from a different part of the world than you're all from. I'd say more about it, but it's kinda hush-hush and I could get in some serious trouble for revealing anything. Sorry about that Yukari-chan."
Yukari smiled at her friend and shook her head. "It's fine Naruto-kun. We all have our secrets and our burdens, so I'm not going to pry. Just know that I'm here for you, okay? If you ever just need a friend to talk to, I'd be glad to be that person for you."
Gaara found himself smirking at this little conversation they were having. "If you two are done flirting, we need to get to our next class." he teased before walking off.
Yukari and Naruto both blushed as they looked at one another. "I don't know what he's talking about. We weren't flirting." Naruto said in a confused tone of voice.
The teenage witch giggled and shook her head. "I agree. Besides, Moka-chan and Tsukune-kun are the ones for me! It's going to be a forbidden love affair! It'll be so great!" she exclaimed giddily.
Naruto sweatdropped and slowly nodded his head. "If you say so. Regardless of what anyone might think, I do find you plenty attractive. But that doesn't mean I'd do anything. Besides, I know who your heart is set on, so why would I ever try to come between that? You and I are friends, and that's all that matters. Right Yukari-chan?"
The young witch nodded and lightly punched him in the arm. "Right! And thank you. I'm glad you, at least, find me attractive. Sometimes I wonder if Tsukune-kun will ever look at me that way. I'd like to think I'm attractive enough, but…"
The teenage Kyuubi wrapped his arms around Yukari and hugged her close. "It's okay. Trust me, he'll come around someday. I hope. And even if he doesn't, you'll always have me around to cheer you up, I promise."
Yukari blushed as she returned his hug and buried her face in his chest. "Thank you Naruto-kun." she mumbled against his chest. "You mean it?"
"Of course I mean it. I just promised you, didn't I? And Naruto Uzumaki always keeps his promises. So you're stuck with me Yukari-chan. You'd better believe it!"
Giggling, Yukari pushed herself away from him until he was at arm's length. "You're very sweet Naruto-kun. But Gaara-kun's right, we really need to get moving before we end up running late." Smirking at him, she got closer and leaned up, kissing him on the cheek. "There's your thanks." she said before she began skipping off, humming a tune to herself.
The whiskered blonde blushed and cupped his cheek with his hand. She really is gorgeous. Too bad she's interested in Tsukune. He thought with a shrug before he followed after her towards their next class.
After School
Naruto bid goodbye to his new friends in the Newspaper Club, as well as Gaara, and set off for Ririko's classroom. Upon arriving, he saw Miss Ririko waiting for him with a small, seductive grin on her face. Blushing a bit, he walked up to her and said, "I'm ready Ririko-chan."
Ririko patted him on the shoulder and said, "Follow me. We're going to need a more private setting for what I have in mind." she said somewhat suggestively before she began leading him out of the room.
As he followed after her, Naruto couldn't help but frown. Something doesn't feel right about this. I just can't put my finger on it though.
After a short while of walking, Ririko led him into a darkened room before shutting and locking the door. "We won't be disturbed in here Naruto-kun. Go ahead and take a seat while I get more comfortable."
Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto did as she instructed and sat in the chair in the center of the room. Glancing around, he was a little concerned when he didn't see a table or any kind of math-related things in the room. When Ririko reappeared moments later in a rather kinky getup that looked like something out of a BDSM magazine, he blushed deeply. "Um, Ririko-chan? What's with the getup? Are you really sure this is a study session and not some kinky fantasy of yours?"
Ririko giggled as she straddled him and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Oh Naruto-kun, I love that witty sense of humor you have. I promise I'll be gentle with you." she said before she leaned in and pressed her lips against his in a passionate kiss.
Blushing deeply, Naruto wasn't sure what to do at first. After a brief moment, however, he reached up a hand to cup her cheek and began returning her kiss. When she pulled back moments later and got off of him, he was left stunned. "Wow." he muttered.
"Indeed. Now, I hope you're ready Naruto-kun." she said before transforming into her monster form. Tail waving behind her, she offered him a seductive smirk. "I'm about to teach you all you need to know about math. Just sit still for your lovely Ririko-chan." she said as she lashed her tail forward in an attempt to ensnare his head so she could pump him full of all the information he could ever need for her class.
Naruto flipped backwards, away from her tail and narrowed his eyes at her. "Y'know, after that kiss, I was really hoping you just wanted to seduce me. You've got me all hot and bothered now. But now I see you really just wanted to harm me."
Ririko shook her head and sighed. "All I want to do is give you the information you need to pass my class. Why are you fighting this Naruto-kun?"
"Umm, sorry to say this, but your methods seem a little too extreme for my taste. I think I'd rather study with Yukari-chan." he said awkwardly. "But...if you promise to stop trying to do whatever it is you're trying to do, I'll forgive you for this...awkward experience. I'd really rather not have to hurt you Ririko-chan."
Ririko pouted at him and folded her arms under her bust, pushing her breasts up a bit and drawing his attention there for just the briefest of moments. Smirking at him, she said, "I only want to help you Naruto-kun. I don't want to have to fail you. My method is the quickest way to obtain all the information you could ever need. Would you really rather throw this chance away so you can study with Sendo-chan?"
Naruto nodded slowly. "I'd prefer that to this, Ririko-chan. Unless you'd rather stop this and take the time to actually teach me? Rather than just give me all the information at once, you can actually tutor me so I can do better in your class. I promise I'm not incapable of learning. I really want to do well in your class Ririko-chan, but not like this."
The beautiful math teacher frowned at this before she slowly retook her human form. Releasing a heavy sigh, she looked into Naruto's eyes and smiled kindly at him. "As you wish, Naruto-kun. I'll teach you properly. I don't want you failing my class because I was a neglectful teacher. But...do you think you could do me one favor?"
The blonde smiled at her as he walked up to her and took one of her hands in his. "Anything Ririko-chan. What's the favor?"
Looking deep into Naruto's eyes, she seemed to be searching for something before she eventually sighed. Smiling at him, she asked, "What kind of monster are you? You smell divine. I can't help but want to be near you."
Blushing, Naruto scratched at the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. "If you promise not to tell anyone, I'll tell you. After all, we aren't supposed to reveal our monster forms for any reason. But I trust you Ririko-chan."
Ririko smiled at Naruto and claimed his lips in another kiss before she stepped back and folded her arms across her chest again. "I promise I won't tell anyone what you are. Now tell me!"
Chuckling a bit, Naruto revealed his monster form to her. The rabbit-like ears, the nine bushy tails, and the slit eyes revealed to her exactly what he was. "A Kyuubi?! You mean you're an S-class monster?!"
Nodding once, Naruto hid his features again and smiled kindly at her. "Believe it or not, I used to be a Human. I had the previous Kyuubi sealed inside of me on the night of my birth. After a fierce battle against Gaara, however, we were both transformed. I'm the new Kyuubi. It's up to him if he wants to tell you what he is. I won't tell you what he's become. But yes, I'm a Kyuubi, an S-class monster."
"That would explain why you smell so divine. I've never smelled such a delectable scent before." she said. "It's so hard to resist you Naruto-kun. Right now, all I can think about is smothering you with love. I'll gladly tutor you the right way Naruto-kun, so long as you do me another favor…"
Quirking a brow, Naruto stared hard into her eyes. "What's the favor?"
Stepping up to Naruto, she pressed herself against him and claimed his lips with hers in another passionate kiss. When they separated this time, she smirked at him. "Keep our relationship a secret. I don't want anyone finding out that we're...romantically involved." she said before kissing him again.
Blushing badly, Naruto returned her kiss and gently ran his fingers through her hair. "I can do that. But are you absolutely sure about this? I mean...I'm your student and you're my teacher. Isn't this, you know, wrong?"
"Do I look like I care? I can barely control myself around you Naru-kun. Even now I'm trying to resist jumping your bones and giving you the time of your life. But I don't want to rush things, so I'm trying to keep myself under control." Ririko explained. She had a deep blush on her face and was panting as she tried to resist her baser instincts.
"If it helps any, I'm very attracted to you too Ririko-chan. If you wanted to do that, I don't think I'd put up any resistance. It helps that for the month I've been here, you've been as kind to me as you have been. You've been very understanding and supportive, and...it helps make things easier for me here. I'm surrounded by so many people I don't know and I'm away from the few friends I had back home. Sure, I'm making new friends now, but I'm still trying to adjust to everything here. So...thank you."
Ririko smiled kindly at him and kissed him again. "And thank you for being such an understanding sweetheart, Naruto-kun. And for not being disgusted by my monster form. Aaand for forgiving me the way you did. I truly appreciate all of those things."
"Believe it or not, I thought you were equally as beautiful in your monster form as you are in your human form. I'd be happy being with you either way." Naruto admitted with a shrug.
Blushing badly, Ririko buried her head in his chest to try and hide her red face. "How can you say such sweet things to me? Don't you realize what you're doing to me Naru-kun?"
Naruto chuckled a bit as he hugged her close. "I'm just being honest Ririko-chan. Now, what do you say we get to work? I need a lot of help, and you're the perfect person to help me sweetheart." he suggested, hoping to take their minds off of the potential 'good time' they could have together if they so chose.
Nodding quickly, Ririko stepped back and offered him a warm smile. "Yes, let's get to work. Just take a seat over there and we can get started. Do you have your math textbook on you?"
"Yep, got it right here." he said, pulling the book out of his pack. "Thanks again Ririko-chan."
Yukari's Room
Yukari hummed to herself as she cooked herself some dinner. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she wondered how Naruto was doing in his lessons with Ririko. When she heard a knock on her door, she turned off the stove and moved the pot she was using off of the hot burner. Going to the door, she opened it and saw Naruto standing there, rubbing the back of his head a little awkwardly. "Hi Naruto-kun! Come on in, I'm making dinner right now. Would you like some?"
"That sounds wonderful. Thanks Yukari-chan." Naruto replied as he stepped inside of her dorm room. Looking around for a bit, he couldn't help but smile. "You've got a nice place here. It's cozy. Mine seems kind of dull in comparison." he said jokingly.
Yukari giggled as she returned to the kitchen and resumed working on dinner. "I'm sure your room is just fine Naruto-kun. In fact, next time I'm coming to your room to tutor you. Now take a seat and wait for dinner to be served. It will only be a moment longer."
Naruto smiled at the witch and said, "Thanks Yukari-chan. For everything you've been doing for Gaara and me since we got here. I truly appreciate it."
"It's no problem Naruto-kun!" she replied as she brought out two plates full of food and set them down on the table.
As they said their thanks for the meal, Naruto dug in and moaned in delight. "This is delicious Yukari-chan! You're even a genius at cooking, aren't you? I wish I was half as amazing as you are."
Yukari lowered her head to hide her blush. "I'm not the amazing one Naruto-kun. But...thank you."
Naruto frowned at her and said, "I don't know why you don't think you're amazing. You're a great person Yukari-chan, and you are amazing. But, let me guess…" the blonde sighed at this point before he continued. "You are selling yourself short because you think Moka-chan and Tsukune are the great ones, aren't you? I admit, Moka-chan is pretty impressive, and she is beautiful, but I happen to think you're a better person than they are. I also think you're one of the most gorgeous girls I've ever seen. So please, don't sell yourself short."
The fifteen year-old witch smiled at him with tears in her eyes. "Thank you Naruto-kun. You're really very sweet, you know that? I just...I wish they'd see me the way you do. I wish Tsukune-kun would acknowledge my feelings for him, and I wish Moka-chan would consider dating me as well. But they only have eyes for each other. It's weird though. Tsukune-kun seems to only have eyes for the pink-haired Moka-chan. But I think that the other Moka, the one that appears when the rosary is removed, is probably the real Moka-chan. Then again, I can't be sure about anything like that. I also get the feeling that the other Moka has feelings for Tsukune-kun as well. But...he won't acknowledge them. It's always about the pink-haired Moka-chan."
"That would certainly explain why I see such sadness in Kurumu-chan's eyes sometimes. She's desperately in love with him, but it's like he doesn't even see her. Right?" Naruto questioned, a deep frown on his face.
Yukari nodded slowly. "I enjoy my little arguments with her. She's not a bad person, but we tend to be at each other's throats more often than not. It's...fun though. I don't hate her, and I'm sure she doesn't hate me. I just wish she'd stop chasing after Tsukune-kun. He's mine and Moka-chan's!"
"Well...I know you just said you and Kurumu have a little rivalry going, and that you enjoy your arguments with her...but still, I'd really like it if you two could become true friends with one another. You two might find that you both have quite a few similarities." Naruto said with a smile on his face.
"If you say so. I don't see how we're similar at all, aside from our love for Tsukune-kun." Yukari said.
Naruto shrugged his shoulders and said, "I've only known all of you for a month, but I can see that you're both kind, caring individuals. I genuinely think that the two of you are beautiful, inside and out. But really, I'm not the best person to ask how you two are similar in other ways. Like I said, I have only known you girls for a month. That's not really enough time to truly get to know someone, is it?"
Yukari smiled at him before shaking her head. "I don't think so either. But it's easy to see that you and Gaara are good people. And I can't help but wonder what kind of monsters you two are. You sure you can't show me?"
Naruto smirked at her. "I could, but I need you to promise not to tell anyone what I am. I'd like to keep it a secret."
The fifteen year-old witch smiled brightly at him and nodded a few times. "I promise! I won't break my promise to you either. So pleaaase show me."
The blonde Kyuubi chuckled and nodded his head. "Sure Yukari-chan." Dispelling the illusion he had up, he revealed his true appearance to her. "Sooo...what do you think?"
"You're a Kyuubi?! That's an S-class monster!" she exclaimed in wonder. "Though I have to ask, what's with the bunny ears?"
Naruto chuckled and put his illusion back up. "Believe it or not, Yukari-chan, but I used to be a Human. I had a Kyuubi sealed inside of me on the night of my birth. After an intense battle with Gaara, I was transformed into this. I became the new Kyuubi." he explained. "Remember your promise, don't tell anyone about this. I don't want people to treat me any differently just because I'm a powerful monster."
The teenage witch smiled at him and nodded her head in understanding. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. Thank you for trusting me with your secret. And I promise that I won't treat you any differently. You're my friend and I think you're a great person. That's all there is to it."
Nodding in thanks, Naruto finished his plate of food and patted his stomach. "I needed that. Thanks for the food, Yukari-chan."
Finishing her plate off as well, she said, "You're welcome Naruto-kun. Just let me take care of the dishes and we can get started on your homework. Okay?"
"Of course. Just take your time Yukari-chan. There's no rush."
After finishing up with the dishes, Yukari returned to Naruto's side and sat down next to him. "Show me what you've been having trouble with Naruto-kun. I'll do my best to help you understand enough to do it."
Pulling out everything he was having difficulties with, which surprisingly wasn't very much, he smiled at her. "I'll do my best not to let you down Yukari-chan. Thanks again for agreeing to help me."
"No problem Naruto-kun. Now, let's get started, shall we?"
Two Weeks Later
Naruto chuckled as he listened to Moka ramble on about an unusual experience she had. "How did you end up in a situation like that? That's unbelievable!" he exclaimed before chuckling some more.
"Hey! It's not funny." she said with a cute pout on her face. "This is the second time it's happened since I came to this school. Still, as awkward as it was, it surprisingly wasn't all that bad."
The pink-haired girl sighed and shook her head. "At least I'm happy here. Unlike human schools, I can be myself here and enjoy everything. I have friends here and they mean the world to me. I hated my time at human schools. I'm still not all that fond of Humans." she admitted with a guilty expression on her face.
"Hey, that's alright. Nothing wrong with disliking Human schools or the people you've encountered in them. To be honest, I'm not all that fond of Humans myself. The people back in my village, the one I live in? They've been nothing but cruel to me since I was a young child. I was alway called the 'demon child' and was never treated like an actual person. At least here, I can be myself without having to worry about people treating me differently. I have friends here in you and your friends in the Newspaper Club. Though...I have to admit, being stalked by a few of the girls here is a new experience for me. I'm not used to that kind of attention. Nobody was ever interested in me romantically back where I come from. Now though? I dunno how to feel about it."
The kind Vampire looked into his eyes and frowned. "So it was even worse for you than it was for me? I'm so sorry." she said sadly. "That must have been terrible for you." It was then that something he said registered in her brain. "Wait, you're being stalked by girls? Need us to deal with them for you?"
Naruto chuckled a bit and shook his head. "Nah, they're harmless enough. At least for now. Not sure what they'll be like later though. But yeah, girls genuinely seem interested in me here and it's a completely different experience than what I'm used to. Back home, the one girl I liked always hit me for the simplest of things. I'd try and talk to her and she hit me. I walked near her, she hit me. I say something as simple as 'Hello.' and she'd hit me. It didn't matter what I did, she was always like that. No idea why I liked her so much, now that I think about it. She's...dead now though. I never wanted her to die, but...it happened. I'm over her, no worries there, but still…"
Moka frowned as she gently took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sure that must have been hard on you Naruto-kun. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. Are you sure no other girls might have been interested in you back home? Surely there was someone that cared for you like that?"
Naruto shook his head. "Not that I know of. I figured this girl named Hinata might have liked me, but she started going out with Shino, so...yeaaah. I dunno. There might have been someone, but I didn't know of her if there was one. But here? Here it's kind of nice to receive that kind of attention. A bit creepy sometimes, but it's nice."
The pink-haired girl giggled and gave his hand another squeeze. "I'm sure it can be. And I'm sorry that you didn't receive positive attention like that back in your village. I'm glad you're here now. You're one of us and you deserve to be happy."
Naruto smiled at her, but when he went to reply, they heard Tsukune's voice from behind them. "Moka-chan...what's going on here? Why are you holding his hand like that?"
Moka released Naruto's hand and turned around to look at the object of her affections. "It's okay Tsukune-kun. I was just trying to be supportive. Naruto-kun's had it rough, just like the rest of us."
The blonde smiled at Tsukune and said, "It's not what you think buddy. We were just talking and, well...she was just being supportive. I was telling her about my past. It...wasn't the easiest thing to deal with. Know what I mean?"
Tsukune frowned, but nodded his head. "I see. Well, it's time for class. We should probably get going." he said as he took Moka's hand and hurried off with her.
Naruto frowned as he watched them leave. Great. That's just what I need. Tsukune's getting jealous of how close I'm getting with Moka-chan. We're really just friends, but I don't think he realizes that… he thought before releasing a heavy sigh. "Perfect." he muttered.
"Having troubles?" he heard somebody ask. Turning around, he saw Gaara standing there with the older of the two witches, Ruby. "What's on your mind Naruto?"
Naruto sighed and shook his head. "We've got a problem with Tsukune."
Ruby frowned and asked him, "What kind of a problem? Nothing too bad, I hope."
The blue-eyed ninja replied with, "Tsukune's getting jealous of how close I've been getting with Moka-chan. He's feeling rather possessive of her, it would seem, and when he saw Moka-chan holding my hand, trying to be supportive of me, he got really jealous. This will make it harder to protect him for sure…"
Gaara and Ruby both frowned at this. "Our mission is to keep him and his friends safe from harm." Gaara said. "If he lets his jealousy cloud his judgment and he attempts to lash out at us…"
Ruby sighed and shook her head. "Tsukune-kun will just make it that much harder to keep him and the others safe. I've been asked to look after them as well while attending classes here. If he tries to chase you off somehow...what are we going to do?"
Naruto sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. I guess we'll just have to be cautious at that point and watch over him from afar or something. We'd still be in the Newspaper Club, of course, and we have all of the same classes, so we can watch over him then without a problem. But otherwise? I dunno."
Ruby nodded in understanding. "I see. And what about Moka? Will you still be as close to her as you are now?"
The blue-eyed blonde frowned at this and shook his head. "I'd have to limit my contact with her, unfortunately. She's a dear friend and I'm happy to have her around. But…"
Gaara sighed. "But as long as you're around her, you run the risk of Tsukune's jealousy spiking. At that point, anything can happen."
"Yes. I want to stay friends with her though. She's very sweet and understanding. I can really relate with her too. So...I'd hate to lose a friend over something as simple as Tsukune's jealousy."
Ruby sighed and shook her head. "Best not to think on it for now. Let's get to class."
"Right." Naruto said. "Hopefully nothing will happen and things will be normal from now on. I've got a gut feeling that it'll just get worse though…"
After School - Newspaper Club
Naruto and Gaara were listening closely as Tsukune talked with his friends. He was talking about an encounter he had with some girl earlier called Mizore Shirayuki. Apparently she was just a tad obsessed with him and, from what the two of them could tell, she was stalking him as well. After all, they could easily sense the girl just outside the room, watching through the windows.
"This could be a problem." Gaara said to his best friend. "If she's this obsessed with him, there's no telling what she'll do to be with him. It's a dangerous situation he's in."
Naruto sighed and shook his head. "How does he end up in these kinds of situations? He's like a magnet for trouble."
Gaara chuckled a bit as he began writing his new article for the paper. "It's hard to believe, but he's even worse than you are when it comes to getting into trouble. I've heard about some of your missions. A simple C-rank mission could turn into an A or even an S-rank mission at the drop of a hat when you're involved. At least with this mission, we knew what we were walking into. I just didn't expect that the person we were hired to protect was an even worse trouble magnet than you are."
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up Gaara." Naruto complained. Then he shot a quick glance towards Tsukune before he turned to Gaara and leaned in close. "Have you sensed it? Tsukune's no regular Human, he's something more. The headmaster didn't tell us about whatever's happened to change Tsukune. Something's not right…" he whispered to his friend.
"I know. I've sensed it too. My best guess is that, during his time here, he's been turned into a monster himself. If I'm correct, that rosary he wears must seal his other form, whatever it might be. I'd say that we confront the headmaster about this, but there's no telling how he'd react to our suspicions. So for now, let's just watch over him and hope nothing happens that will set him off." Gaara suggested.
Nodding his head in agreement, Naruto leaned back again and began to work on his own article for the paper. "Right now our main concern should be this Mizore girl. She's the problem this time, and we need to keep our target safe."
"Agreed." Gaara said simply as he continued writing his article.
"What're you two talking about over here?" they heard Kurumu ask. "Anything special we should know about?"
Naruto chuckled a bit and smiled up at her. "We were just talking about how beautiful you are." he teased.
The blue-haired succubus blushed prettily at that and huffed as she turned away. "Well of course. I am the most beautiful girl in this school, after all."
The blonde chuckled a bit more and nodded his head in agreement with her. "That you are. But the others don't seem to agree with us. They're all obsessed with Moka-chan instead. Especially Tsukune. I bet that has to be frustrating for you."
Kurumu sighed and sat down in a chair, pulling it up close to them. "It is. When I first got here, do you know what I did?"
The two seventeen year-old boys shook their heads in the negative. "Nope, nobody's told us a thing about that. Why? Did you do something bad or something?" Naruto questioned curiously.
Nodding her head slowly, the blue-haired succubus explained, "My goal was to entrance all the boys and make them fall all over me. I was desperately seeking my destined one, and to do that, I needed to find the one guy that could resist my charms. But...Moka made that impossible. The guys were already entranced by her beauty and her personality that my plan didn't exactly work that well."
Sighing softly, the beautiful girl shook her head before saying, "I was so jealous of Moka. I still am, actually, but for a different reason now. I used my charm magic on Tsukune-kun and he fell victim as well, believe it or not. But when I tried to kiss him, he resisted my charm magic and stopped me. So I decided that he was my destined one, especially after he protected me from the other Moka. But now? Now I can't keep his attention on me at all. He's so obsessed with Moka that nothing I do to get his attention works on him. It's almost like he doesn't see me at all sometimes."
Gaara frowned at this before looking to his friend. Nodding at each other, he watched as Naruto placed a hand gently on her shoulder. The redhead chose this moment to speak up. "You said your charm magic worked on him at first before he snapped out of it. If your destined one is supposed to be able to resist your charm magic, shouldn't he be someone that can resist it completely? Besides…"
Naruto nodded along with what his best buddy was saying. "I can see how much you're hurting inside, Kurumu-chan. Every time Tsukune ignores you for Moka-chan, it hurts you deeply, whether anyone else realizes it or not. If you truly think he's your destined one, then I'll root for you, okay? But maybe, just maybe...someone else will turn out to be your destined one? As your friend, I just want you to be happy. You're a beautiful person, inside and out, and you deserve the best. I'm not trying to be mean or badmouth Tsukune here, but...well, if he can't see that you're the one he belongs with, then it's his loss. I'm sorry if anything we just said upsets you, but it's just our own opinions of the situation. We both care about you and want you to be happy, with or without Tsukune."
"Thank you both. But Tsukune-kun is my destined one. I truly believe that with all my heart. I just...I wish he loved me. The only person on his mind though is Moka." she said with a sigh. "So what were you two really discussing? Because I doubt you were really talking about my beauty."
Naruto chuckled and nodded his head. "Nobody said we weren't talking about your beauty, but you're right. We were discussing something else." he said with a kind smile on his face. "We're just concerned for Tsukune. This stalker of his might be a problem and there's no telling what she's capable of. Well, we were talking about that and how much of a trouble magnet Tsukune is. I thought I was bad when it came to getting into troublesome situations, but he tops me for sure."
"Tell me about it. Tsukune-kun's always getting into trouble, and sometimes it's hard to keep him safe. Kuyo was the worst of the problems we've faced concerning Tsukune-kun. He...he tried to kill Tsukune-kun. He nearly succeeded too. But...I don't want to talk about that. Not right now at least." Kurumu said. "Instead, why don't you tell me about these troublesome situations you've found yourself in before, Naruto-kun?"
The blonde frowned and shook his head before giving her a sad smile. "I'd really like to Kurumu-chan, but it's top secret stuff. I can't just reveal everything about myself to just anyone. I trust you, I really do, but…"
Kurumu pouted at him and said, "Do I have to use my charm magic to get you to tell me? I'm really curious now!"
Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "You're cute, Kurumu-chan. But I honestly can't tell you. I'm really sorry. It's just that I could get into some really serious trouble if I told anyone about everything I've been up to before coming here."
"I see. Well that just makes me even more curious." she said. After a moment of deliberation, she attempted to use her charm magic on him. "Tell me. I really want to know."
The Kyuubi shook his head no. "Nope. I felt that by the way. You just tried to use your charm magic on me, didn't you? That's cute. Nice attempt, but nope, not gonna happen."
Gaara chuckled and shook his head. "Looks like your charm won't work. Sorry Kurumu."
Kurumu's eyes went wide before she quickly turned and walked away. No way. He's immune to my charm magic?! Even Tsukune fell for it at first! What does this mean?!
Naruto looked into Gaara's eyes and frowned. "What do you think all that was about?"
The redhead just smirked at him. "I do believe you've just given her something to think about Naruto. Now, let's get back to work. We need to have these articles finished before we leave."
"Right." Naruto said before losing himself in thought. I really hope she'll be okay…
The Next Day
"What do you mean she hurt Kotsubo-sensei?" Naruto asked as he looked at Moka with a shocked expression on his face. "Why would she do something like that? I highly doubt she just attacked him without a reason."
Moka shook her head. "I don't know why she did it. All I know is that he's in the infirmary recovering from the attack. He claims she just assaulted him out of the blue, but…"
Gaara shook his head. "Despite the fact that she's a little…'off', shall we say, I don't think she's the type of person who is needlessly violent. If I had to fathom a guess, I'd say he did something he shouldn't have. My best guess would be sexual harassment or something of the sort."
Naruto nodded his head in agreement. "I agree. I've never liked Kotsubo-sensei. I always get a bad feeling whenever I'm around him. I wouldn't put him above trying something like that with Mizore."
The pink-haired vampire looked at the two of them in shock. "You really think he's the type of person to try something like that? But he seems so nice!"
The blonde shook his head. "He might seem that way, but trust us when we say that there's something fishy about him. Have you never seen the way that he looks at you girls? They're the eyes of a predator."
Moka frowned as she heard this. "If that's true...then he might have tried something with Mizore, right? She was just defending herself. Then...why would she run and hide?"
Gaara sighed and shook his head. "Because she harmed a teacher. Who would you believe if you didn't know what kind of person Kotsubo-sensei is? The teacher that was the victim of the attack, or his assailant? She knew nobody would believe her, so she ran. I fear that she might be in danger soon…"
Naruto nodded in agreement. "Moka-chan, get the others and come find us when you have them. Gaara and I will go in search of Mizore-chan. Hurry." he said before he and Gaara rushed off to begin their search for the purple-haired girl.
As she watched them leave, Moka couldn't help but frown. Be careful…
Cliff
Gaara frowned as he spotted Mizore standing near a cliff's edge some distance from the academy. Coming to a decision, he approached her and held his hands in the air. "Mizore, my name is Gaara. Then again, you probably already knew that. I promise you that I mean you no harm. I just wanted to find you and make sure you were okay. I want to hear your side of the story about what happened with Kotsubo-sensei. He tried to do something to you, didn't he?"
Mizore stared hard into Gaara's eyes. "I...wasn't expecting you, Gaara. I...was actually hoping it would be Tsukune-kun that came for me." Sighing softly, the Yuki-onna nodded her head slowly. "Kotsubo and I…" Wrapping her arms around herself, she shook her head rapidly for a moment. "I don't want to talk about it."
The redhead walked up to her and pulled her into a gentle hug. "It's okay Mizore. I won't judge you, nor will I let him hurt you. But I need you to open up to me. Tell me what happened and I can help you. I promise."
As Mizore looked into Gaara's eyes, she could just feel the warmth they held. Blushing a bit, she was about to say something when she heard Tsukune shouting her name. Freeing herself from Gaara's embrace, she looked at Tsukune with a smile. "You really did come for me. I hoped you would."
Gaara sighed as he watched Mizore smile at Tsukune. She's only going to be hurt by him. But...there's really nothing I can do to help her. I have to admit I'm kind of envious. She's probably the most beautiful girl I've ever seen…
Tsukune frowned as he shouted at her. "Why did you attack Kotsubo-sensei? Did something happen?"
Before she could respond, she heard Kotsubo's voice from behind her. Turning around, she looked the gym teacher in the eyes with a scowl on her face. "I'll tell you why. She and I used to be an item, but she didn't like how I acted. Then she learned about you, Tsukune Aono, and became absolutely obsessed. However, I'm not about to give her up so soon. Besides, I need to pay her back for attacking me like that."
Mizore shouted at him, "Leave me alone! I refuse to let you touch me again! I want nothing to do with you!"
"I'm not giving you up so easily, Mizore-chan." Kotsubo declared as he took on his monster form.
Looking at him, Gaara frowned. A Kraken, huh? Interesting. He thought silently as he stepped in front of Mizore, shielding her from the Kraken's gaze. "I'm sorry Kotsubo-sensei, but I'm afraid you won't be laying a single tentacle on her. Should you try, I will crush you."
Naruto chuckled as he appeared next to his friend. "He's not kidding, he really will crush you Kotsubo. I'd recommend giving up and telling everyone the truth, or you're probably gonna die."
Kotsubo scoffed at that and said, "I'm not scared of you two. Besides, I'm a teacher. If you try to harm me, you'll just land yourselves in trouble."
"You're wrong there. You see, there are witnesses here that can tell everyone just what kind of monster you really are. And no, I don't mean monster as in what your real form is. Trust me, you're better off surrendering to us now. Otherwise...well, I don't think Gaara's going to be too nice to you." Naruto explained.
Scowling at the two of them, Kotsubo sent one of his tentacles to attack the Ichibi, but sand shot up from the ground and caught him by the tentacle. Without a word, Gaara raised his hand and summoned forth a wall of sand and sent it surging forward towards the Kraken.
Before Kotsubo could escape, he was swallowed up by the sand and lifted into the air. "You will not hurt Mizore-chan again." Gaara said as he clenched his fist. All anyone could hear from the ball of sand was screams as Kotsubo's body was crushed. Throwing down his hand, he returned his sand to the earth and glared at Kotsubo's mangled body. He was still alive, just barely, but he wouldn't be able to continue his job as a teacher, considering how badly mangled his body was.
Tsukune frowned and asked, "Wasn't that a little much?"
Naruto turned to face Tsukune and shook his head as he saw how terrified Tsukune was of them. "There's no reason to fear us Tsukune. We'll protect you and your friends, so long as you let us. And no, that was Gaara being 'gentle'. Kotsubo won't be able to harass any girls here again." Turning to his friend, Naruto patted Gaara on the shoulder and smiled at him. "I'll drag Kotsubo's sorry ass to the headmaster and see what he wants to do about the jerkwad. You check on Mizore-chan."
As his friend approached Kotsubo and threw his mangled body over his shoulder, Gaara turned to Mizore with a small smile on his face. "Mizore-chan...are you okay?"
Mizore looked at him in wonder before slowly nodding her head. "T-thank you Gaara-kun." she said simply.
As the rest of the Newspaper Club arrived, minus Ginei Morioka, Tsukune looked at them for a moment before looking back at Gaara. "I still think what you did was excessive. He didn't need to be mangled like that. If you're that strong, you should have been able to beat him without destroying him like that!"
Moka frowned at Tsukune and said, "Tsukune-kun, he was just protecting Mizore. We saw the whole thing. We shouldn't be upset with him. Gaara-kun didn't kill him."
Yukari nodded along. "Yeah! Kotsubo will live and he'll probably even recover from this eventually. There's no reason to be upset."
Tsukune frowned and shook his head. "How can you just accept that level of violence? It doesn't seem right to me…"
The pink-haired vampire shook her head sadly. "Because we've all seen what real monsters can do. You're still getting used to all the monsters Tsukune-kun, but trust me, other monsters wouldn't be as kind."
"I see…" Tsukune said unsurely. "If...you say so. Then again...Kuyo was worse. He genuinely tried to kill us…"
Gaara sighed and shook his head. "Like I told you before Tsukune, if you'll allow us to protect you, everything will be fine. That invitation extends to your friends in the Newspaper Club as well. So long as Naruto and I are here, you all will be perfectly safe from harm. And...more importantly...I wanted to protect Mizore-chan's smile."
The purple-haired Yuki-onna blushed at this and looked away from Gaara shyly. "T-thank you. But...why me?"
The redhead blushed and looked away from her before mumbling out, "Because you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen…"
The blue-eyed girl stepped closer to him and said, "I couldn't hear you. What did you say Gaara-kun?"
Looking into Mizore's eyes, Gaara's blush deepened as he said, "I...said you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."
Blushing deeply, the Yuki-onna looked down as she fiddled with her hands. "T-thank you." she said quietly. "You're very sweet, aren't you Gaara-kun?"
Shaking his head, Gaara smiled kindly at her. "I've never been called that before. I'm just...well, I'm honest. I'm really no good at expressing my emotions. But I do, honestly, think you're beautiful. If things don't work out with Tsukune…"
Mizore interrupted him and shook her head. "You know my heart belongs to Tsukune-kun. But...if, for some reason, things don't work out...I wouldn't mind giving you and me a try."
Gaara nodded slowly before he turned and walked away without a word. He's just going to hurt her…
The Yuki-onna frowned sadly as she watched Gaara walk away. He seemed so sad… she thought to herself before she shrugged it off and turned to Tsukune. "Thanks for coming for me Tsukune-kun."
Infirmary
"You got off easy Kotsubo. If he was the old Gaara, he would have simply killed you. I just hope you learn from this experience and become a better person. If not? Well, you will be killed next time." Naruto said as he looked down at the gym teacher.
"Do you really think he'll listen to you Naruto-kun?" Ririko asked as she stepped into the infirmary. "Because I kind of doubt it. Kotsubo's always been a lech."
Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Hell if I know. Not like it matters either way. He won't be harassing anyone for quite a while." he said before he stepped up to Ririko and smiled at her. "Now, what do you say to me treating you to some barbeque?" he suggested with a grin.
"That sounds delightful Naruto-kun. Let's go." she said before taking his hand and walking off with him. Oh Naruto-kun, I hope you're ready to take the next step soon. I'm tired of taking things slowly…
Gaara
Gaara sighed as he stood before the headmaster with Ruby watching the two of them from her position in the room. "I'm sorry if I went too far, Headmaster. I just...I got angry when he threatened Mizore-chan."
The headmaster simply smiled and shook his head. "You were doing your job as a guardian of this academy. There is nothing to apologize for. As for your feelings regarding Miss Shirayuki, have you talked with her yet?"
The redhead sighed and shook his head. "She's in love with Tsukune as well. My feelings wouldn't get through to her now."
"Hmm, I see. And what of Naruto? I do believe he's entered a relationship with Miss Ririko Kagome. And yet he seems interested in young Yukari-chan as well. How will things work in that regard?" the headmaster wondered.
Gaara smiled at the headmaster and decided to explain. "Naruto is the last of his clan and the son of one of Konoha's greatest heroes. He's been placed in something called the CRA, or Clan Restoration Act. But...unfortunately, no girls were ever interested in him back where we're from."
The headmaster's brow quirked upwards underneath his hood. "Oh? And what is this Clan Restoration Act, exactly? Would you care to explain it to me?"
The redhead nodded and proceeded to explain in detail. "The Clan Restoration Act, or CRA for short, is used when a clan is in danger of being wiped out. Or when they wish to breed someone special so that person has many children that could one day be as great as that person is, or was. What the CRA entails is, if you're a man, you will take on multiple wives and bear children with them. If you're a woman...you're used as breeding stock, essentially, to have as many children as you can until you have produced a number of children to your village's liking. It's...rarely used on females though, unless absolutely necessary to prevent a clan from being wiped out. Anyways, Naruto has been instructed to marry at least one girl before his 19th birthday. They want him to be with at least four women, but they'd prefer he marry more than that. After all, Naruto is powerful, he's the last of his clan in Konoha, and he's the son of the Yondaime Hokage. Put all of these things together and he makes for the perfect specimen for the CRA."
"And they don't mind the fact that he's a Kyuubi?" the headmaster questioned curiously.
Gaara shook his head in the negative. "Not at all. In fact, that only makes them want him to produce heirs more than ever. His children are bound to be powerful and the greedy bastards in Konoha want to have them under their command."
"Hmm, I see." the headmaster said. "And what of you Gaara-kun? Has the CRA been implemented on you as well?"
Gaara sweatdropped, but nodded his head. "Because I'm the new Ichibi and because I've inherited my father's talent with golden sand and...other reasons, I've been placed in the CRA as well. I'm supposed to take three or more wives according to the council of Suna. They're also trying to groom me for the position of Kazekage, but I doubt the people would accept me as their new Kage. I'm a monster, after all."
"You'd be surprised, Gaara-kun. But thank you for telling me all of this. Sadly for you and Naruto-kun, it would seem the girls that you're interested in are obsessed with Tsukune-kun. You have my sincerest apologies." Tenmei said.
"It's no problem Headmaster. It's...to be expected. I'm afraid it's going to be worse on Naruto. He's more emotional than I am, and it's bound to hurt him that the girls he likes only like Tsukune. But I can promise you that he isn't the jealous sort. He won't act out in an aggressive way. In fact, he's more likely to seclude himself than anything." Gaara explained.
"A shame, then. But at least he has Ririko. That should help, shouldn't it?"
Gaara frowned and shrugged his shoulders. "It should, but I'm not sure how well that will help him. He does seem rather fond of Kurumu and Yukari, after all. I think what will make it worse on him is the fact that Tsukune's hurting those two without realizing he is. Tsukune only has eyes for Moka, after all. It may cause Naruto to resent Tsukune. He'd still protect him, but he wouldn't like him."
"I see. Such a shame. I had hoped you two would have befriended him. But…"
"We would...but the problem is Tsukune, Headmaster. He's making it hard for Naruto to befriend him. He seems mostly alright with me, but Naruto has grown close with Moka and Tsukune's jealousy has spiked because of that. I'm worried that Tsukune might lash out sooner or later. Speaking of which, there's something about him you haven't told us, isn't there Headmaster? If you want us to protect him, then we need to know everything."
Tenmei Mikogami sighed and shook his head. "I'd rather not tell the story twice. Ruby, go and fetch Naruto-kun. It's time that he and Gaara know the truth about Tsukune and what really happened with Kuyo."
A/N - And that's the chapter! Hopefully you all enjoyed it. I know I had fun writing this chapter!
As you can see, Naruto has entered a relationship with Ririko Kagome, the math teacher/Lamia. At the same time, he's shown interest in Yukari as well. Meanwhile, Gaara's interested in Mizore Shirayuki. How will things work out there?
Also, as I mentioned before, Yukari's age has been upped to 15 years-old. Just a reminder.
I can't really think of anything else to say, sooo...hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you're looking forward to whatever I work on next!
