Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to R+V.
Chapter 2
Tsukune Aono sat quietly on the periphery of the student council room. Letting a yawn escape his lips, he tried to keep himself focused on the early morning meeting. After spending the entire afternoon and evening with Kokoa, he had been forced to endure a bombardment of questions from his Yuki-Onna friend. Adding those two events together, he didn't find himself in bed until well past midnight.
Yawning again, Tsukune could see the head of the council, Kazuki Sakata, stifling a chuckle. If there could only be one thing that the two students could agree on, it would be the fact that mornings sucked. Having both grown up in nocturnal cultures, the two teens struggled to acclimate to the chairman's desire to have morning meetings of the student council.
"Sakata-san, are you even paying attention?" a feminine voice hissed from in front of Tsukune.
"Leave him alone Moka," Tsukune said exasperatedly.
Kokoa's older sister and his classmate; Moka was one of his more tenuous friendships. Though the two grew up together, he had found that she had slowly become insufferable after her mother's disappearance. Granted, despite all of that, she refused to allow him to refer to her with any honorifics. A request he knew would come back to bite him eventually.
"Tsukune-kun, you know as well as I do that these meetings are important. All the new students need a good leader and if Sakata-san would pay more attention…"
Moka's thoughts trailed off as she began to rant in hushed tones. Kazuki just gave Tsukune an appreciative smile, before returning his attention to the meeting.
"And, with the rising numbers of students each year, we need to take more precautions to keep the riff-raff away from the nobility," Kuyou's authoritative voice boomed through the room.
Shifting his attention to the Yoko, Tsukune found himself glowering. Early in his first year, the head of the School Defense Force had decided it would be for everyone's benefit to eliminate him. If it wasn't for the timely intervention of Nobushige Muto, one of the lower ranked members of the SDF, the two of them could've ended up killing one another. At least, that's what Tsukune hoped would have happened.
"Kuyou-san, you need to sit back down. Your opinions are valid, but standing like that while speaking… It makes them seem far more radical than they are," Kazuki said, trying to placate the other yokai.
With a grumble, Kuyou returned to his seat, allowing Kazuki to begin the next portion of the meeting.
"Alright, now that we've heard Kuyou-san's opinion on the matter, I'd like to invite Akashiya-san, our vice president, to present her solutions."
Moka shifted her papers, before turning her scarlet gaze onto each and every member of the room. Tsukune was thankful to be standing behind both her and Kazuki at this time. If he wasn't, he could almost guarantee what he would see in the vampiress' eyes. Shuddering at the thought, he decided to just remain as a shadow against the wall and hope that the meeting ended sooner, rather than later.
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The incessant tapping of a pencil against her desk was the only thing soothing Kokoa at this point in the day. She was determined to focus on her schoolwork, but with the prospect of meeting with her beloved Onee-sama hanging over her, the girl could barely keep herself on topic.
"Shuzen-san is this lesson boring you?" her homeroom teacher, Ririko Kagome, asked.
Snapping back to attention, Kokoa sheepishly grinned. She knew that her teacher's wouldn't be too hard on her. After all, it was only the second day at the school. However, it would be a bad idea to gain such a negative reputation so early in her High School career.
"Sensei, the lesson is not boring. I will make sure that I pay full attention to everything you say," Kokoa recited gracefully.
She knew that it would be vital to stay on her teacher's good sides. If anything, it would allow her to stay away from the infamous detentions that the school was known for.
"Good, I wouldn't want to have to put you through my special tutoring," her teacher said with a sultry grin.
Shivering, Kokoa hoped that her teacher wasn't insinuating what she thought she was. Pushing that thought from her mind, she refocused on the lesson, not willing to see what could come from her teacher's special tutoring. Passing by the rest of the half-day in this manner, the young vampiress almost yelped in joy when the bell rang.
Free from her classroom duties, she had to forcibly stroll through the doorway out into the halls. Despite everything that was screaming at her to get out, she was still an aristocrat and she had to act like one. It was a difficult lifestyle to live, but the perks were too much for her to pass up. Grinning absentmindedly, she didn't notice the petite girl walking towards her.
"Excuse me, are you Kokoa Shuzen?" the girl asked sweetly, drawing Kokoa's attention to the other girl.
Cyan hair, deep purple eyes and a bust line that caused Kokoa to bristle in jealousy were what she noticed. Forgetting about the question that had been posed to her, the vampiress shifted her attention down to her own chest, comparing the sizes in a melancholy fashion.
"Excuse me, are you Kokoa Shuzen?" the girl asked again, her sweet tone disappearing.
"Uh, yes, that's me."
Kokoa's answer was pathetic and she knew it. However, her mind had been preoccupied only moments before, so she hoped the sleight wouldn't be noticed.
"Well then, I'd like to invite you to join me at lunch," the girl said, her sweet tone returning.
Shocked by the invite, Kokoa readily accepted. She didn't have many friends growing up. Living in such a secluded part of the country, she really only interacted with Tsukune and her sisters. So, the prospect of making a new friend at school was far more appealing than she would ever openly admit to.
"Of course, I'd be honored to…" she replied.
"Kurumu, Kurumu Kurono," the other girl answered, a calming smile upon her face.
"Where will we be eating then?" Kokoa asked, thankful for her insinuated question being answered.
"Just follow me please," Kurumu beckoned for Kokoa to follow.
Falling in step behind the other girl, the vampiress could barely contain her excitement at having set down the path of making a new friend.
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Stretching his arms as he walked out of the meeting room, Tsukune found it hard to not relish in the bright sunlight that now washed over his body. Being cooped up in that room since six in the morning, he was pleased to finally be done with the pre-semester meetings. Free of the responsibilities that they entailed, he started down the hallway to go and find himself some food.
Though they served breakfast for all members of the council, his position as a guard had left him without a chance to grab something to snack on. Even Kazuki, who usually provided him with something during one of the intermissions, was unable to spare any food this morning. Because of that, Tsukune was extremely hungry.
"You're late," a feminine voice stated from behind Tsukune.
"Nice to see you too Mizore," he replied, not missing a beat as he headed to the cafeteria.
"I thought you said that the meeting would be done at noon. You're forty-five minutes late."
The indignation in her voice was common. Mizore didn't have very many friends, and those that she did have were in very tentative friendships with her. Only Tsukune would spend time with her without issue. She was charming and fun to be around. Something that Tsukune appreciated after his first four disastrous months at the school. Because of that, whenever he couldn't make their meetings on time, she would attempt to startle him in some way. It was a minor form of revenge that allowed her a sense of self satisfaction.
"The meeting went longer. Kuyou decided that he wanted to wreak havoc and challenge every idea that Moka, Kazuki or Ayase pitched."
A small humming from Mizore alerted Tsukune to the fact that this topic was no longer relevant.
"While that may be true, there's something that I've needed to tell you," she said once he was done speaking.
"And what is that?" Tsukune inquired.
"Kurono-san's with your lady," she said, her deadpan voice resonating within Tsukune.
Panicking, Tsukune picked up his speed, his hunger forgotten as he raced out of the council building. Entering the streets of the academy grounds, he started to run towards the main building. He couldn't allow those two to be alone together.
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Kokoa was enjoying her lunch with Kurumu. The girl was pleasant company, though she attracted far too much attention from the other boys.
'It must be her boobs,' Kokoa thought sorrowfully.
That was the only issue she was currently experiencing. Compared to this girl, Kokoa didn't really offer anything of worth. She was small (in every aspect) and not very curvy. Unlike each of her older sisters, she hadn't really grown much larger since she hit puberty.
"Kokoa-chan, are you alright?" Kurumu asked, drawing Kokoa out of her thoughts.
"Just a little overwhelmed," she answered honestly.
Kurumu seemed to catch the meaning as she smiled sweetly at the girl.
"This body can be just as much a curse you know," she said. "It can attract all the wrong attention. Or, it can just not attract the attention that I want."
As she said that, Kokoa heard footsteps swiftly approaching her from behind.
"Kurono-san, what are you doing?" Tsukune's voice boomed behind her.
Turning to look at her knight, Kokoa could see his chocolate eyes blazing. It confused her, what issue could he have with Kurumu? Pushing that aside, she felt his hand fall onto her shoulder, squeezing lightly. Relishing the contact, she nearly forgot about what she had just seen.
"I'm just having a pleasant lunch with Kokoa-chan here. Is there something wrong with that Aono?" Kurumu inquired in return.
If Kokoa had been watching Tsukune, she would have seen him flush in embarrassment for a moment (a rare sight nowadays), before recovering his hard edge.
"No, there's not," Tsukune conceded reluctantly. "However, I want you to know that if anything happens to her, you won't like the end results."
"Don't be such a worry wart Aono. I'm not going to hurt her. Just be a friend," Kurumu said sweetly.
Kokoa felt herself flush at that statement. She had wished that Kurumu would be her friend, but was too nervous to ask. This confirmation made her feel all warm inside. To have made a friend on her second day at school was something special, especially to her.
"I'll be watching you Kurono-san, remember that," Tsukune bit out before releasing Kokoa's shoulder.
"And I'll be watching you," Kurumu said in a wistful voice, barely a whisper.
Kokoa heard it though, and it spawned her sift look between the girl and her knight. Tsukune still remained in a stern posture, his eyes cold as they watched Kurumu. The girl, however, held a longing in her purple eyes. As if she was watching something that she wanted, but couldn't get.
Confused by this, the young vampiress pushed it to the back of her mind. Right now it wasn't worth it, instead, she needed to defend her friend. Standing up, she stared straight at Tsukune, a glare appearing on her features.
"Now listen to me, you leave Kurumu-san alone. She's my friend and if I find out that you're harassing her, I will invoke the seal," she threatened.
Tsukune looked as if he had been struck when she said that. She knew that it was crossing a line, but she needed him to know how serious she was. The seal was a last resort tool that her mother had forced her father to place on Tsukune. It was the only thing that allowed him to stay within the family.
Her father had promised Tsukune never to invoke it, but she had not been able to give the same promise. At the time she was furious. The idea of taking control of him for even the briefest of moments infuriated her. However, at this moment, she was glad that she hadn't given the promise. Now, he knew that the threat was real. He was to leave her friend alone, or else he'd suffer the consequences.
Backing away from her, Tsukune bowed rigidly before leaving. A flash of violet followed behind him, leaving Kokoa in confusion. However, she had achieved her purpose. Turning around, she found a grateful Kurumu still in her seat.
"Thank you Kokoa-chan, you don't know how much that truly means to me," she said with a tearful grin.
Kokoa smiled back at her friend.
"It was nothing. I'm not about to let my new friend be threatened. Not even by Tsukune-kun."
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Mizore braced herself for the storm of emotions that Tsukune would have. Being told off by Kokoa over Kurumu must have stung him deeply. She'd never seen him recoil like he did when she spoke back. Sitting patiently on the wall separating the male and female dormitories, she watched him blow off steam.
Whenever something really threw Tsukune off, he would head back to the yard of the dormitories and practice. What he would practice would depend on the day, but usually he would be using one of his numerous Bo Staffs. Going through the formations, it would allow him to process whatever he was feeling.
Mizore enjoyed watching him. Though he never stripped down, beyond the removal of his shoes, socks and whatever jacket he was wearing. He was still a very appealing and attractive sight. As he finished his most recent set of formations, he stopped to catch his breath.
Deciding that she needed to get him talking, Mizore slinked off of the wall and landed softly in the yard. Moving quietly up to him, she grabbed his shoulder and turned him to her.
"Speak," she commanded.
It was rare for her to be forceful, but this situation was one where she determined it necessary. If she left Tsukune to just ruminate on what happened, he would enter another depression. She didn't know if she could handle another one from him.
"I…" he began. "I just don't know what happened there. What has Kurono done to my lady to get her to side with her?"
Mizore remained silent as he began to spill his feelings. The one thing that she wanted to know, though, never got broached. What was this 'seal' that had been mentioned. Was Tsukune bound under something? Was it dangerous for him? She desperately wanted this information.
"And then there's the seal. How could she… I thought she would never invoke it."
As Tsukune continued speaking, Mizore finally realized that she was getting somewhere. He was now delving into the topic of the seal. Listening intently, her interest soon built into a cold rage. She couldn't believe that this was hanging over him. The fact that Kokoa threatened him with it was unforgiveable. She was going to make that girl's life hell, in the worst way possible, the way that Tsukune couldn't prevent.
Once he finished his ranting, Tsukune gave her a relieved smile. "Thanks for listening. You don't know how much I value you Mizore-chan."
Those words solidified all of her plans; Mizore was going to do everything possible to torment Kokoa for her threat. Tsukune deserved better than that being thrown at him.
End Chapter 2
A/N: And here is chapter 2 of Masquerade. Some answers and a lot more questions. I'm pleased to see the positive response to this fic so far and hope that it continues as this story progresses. I've got big plans for this fic, and some of those plans are beginning here in this chapter. As things progress, you'll get answers, but whether they lead to good things for the characters or not, well, that would be telling. Anyways, leave a review if you feel like it. Until next time,
Nanashi Wanderer
P.S. I've got a very serious question… Would anyone like me to write a Tsukune x Ruby fic? I've had ideas for some (none that would come to fruition until after Masquerade), but haven't been one hundred percent sure about doing them. If you review, please let me know what you think on that topic.
