Author Notes : Lot of people actually voted for this fanfiction to keep going, a bit surprised me but it's a pleasure nonetheless. I know I should deliver chapters faster and promise I will. (Hell, I may post the next chapter tonight or tomorrow, wonder if some people will review by then...)
(I still wonder if using vampiress for a female vampire is a correct word in English, anyone know ?)
Last scans chapters a bit confused me for some reasons, otherwise I had most past of this chapter written before but it has been severely rewritten and is indeed a lot better than on my paper bloc-note.
Also imports from Wordpad are horrible... took me a good hour to fix all the spaces and placement mess.
And I protest again stupid fanfiction writer (the program) that remove - * and underlining at many places. How can we make best quality with this... I can't even make clear cut of paragraphs anymore -_-
Do you think I should keep the -X- or do as the earlier chapters ?
Well, on with the story with some actions, more clues and little comedy.
Last chapter's words :
It was too late to run away now for he recognized the cause of his mistake, a cause resumed in one word that sounded like a deadly requiem on his mind...
tic-tac-tic-tac
...with the clock's sounds as a metronome.
tic-tac-tic-tac
One word that was : Love.
Second Hour : Battling before the velvet moon
The clock was old, a broken one threw away in the trash. A wooden one with a pendulum. The six years old boy approached as fascinated.
It wasn't magical or anything.
Just an useless clock that would never work again no matter how one would try to repair it.
bum-bum-bum-bum
And yet, the boy couldn't detach his eyes from its form.
bum-bum-bum-tic
He felt it in himself, something measuring time, a time slowly reducing. A time that reduced faster when he wanted to be faster, to be stronger. A time that he could mesurate even before knowing how to count.
bum-bum-bum-tac
And the clock reflected it as broken as it was. The child approachedit and watched it intensely, graving the old device image into his mind and eyes.
bum-tic-bum-tac
The 'time' was still going on, towardan inescapable reduction. A reduction he never truly realized.
bum-bum...-tic-tac...
He remembered the sound of this clock, his mind associating the broken clock, the sound and the time element metled together.
tic-tac-tic-tac
His consciousness finally grasped the time always going boy steeped back, a few step back away from the wooden clock. Far too late now.He ran away without turning back and yet, yet the image, the sound of the clock was firmly burned in him.
tic-tac-tic-tac
Toward an inescapable fate.
tic-tac-tic-tac...
tic-tac-tic-tac
The fifteen years old human swore under his blanket. The first morning to woke up here and he did so later than ever. He, of course, didn't needed a watch to know it was twenty to six in the morning, ten minutes later than usual.
Getting up he sadly noticed that his body was still sore from the last day, and its treatment...
Still as soon as he willed his body to move faster and ignore the tiredness, the pain retreated. He wondered if it was a side-effect from his familiar status. Walking into the kitchen he continued to ponder on the subject just to keep his mind busy. Vampires, he discovered the hard way, were not peaceful beings. Maybe the retreat of pain was a sort of way to ignore pain, allowing them to fight with less burden on their nerves. Maybe it was higher regenerative abilities that cured it. Maybe both.
As he was ready to attack his breakfast, a noise coming from the other side of a certain door startled him and made a sudden burst of fear overcome him. He had prepared only one breakfast.
In other words he had forgotten to prepare one for the short tempered vampire. A cold chill ran over his spin as he wasn't really found of her beating, even justified. Quickly he began to change the place the prepared breakfast was. He whined as the door's handle turned, he wouldn't have enough time to move everything.
Two choices : spending some time to fix the error, or passing the time getting a few kicks in bad spots.
tic-tac-tic-tac
Both choices had same result anyway, just one was less painful.
tic-tac-tic...-t...a...c...
he would regret it later... probably.
tic-tac-tic-tac
"Good morning Moka-sama." he greeted her from the kitchen, his voice barely showing fear.
tic-tac-tic-tac
The vampire nodded and glanced at the kitchen while heading for the table. For one moment the pact had acted oddly, the signal of her familiar came multiple times during a couple of second. He had suddenly been a very little further too, something she wouldn't have noticed if the many signals hadn't come all with a very little time interval between them.
Was she failing her first contract with a familiar ? The proud vampire dismissed the absurd idea as fast as it came, she could ask her father the next time he saw her... that hopefully wouldn't be soon. Pushing away the idea she attacked her breakfast, reminding herself to scold her familiar for not presenting her chair to her.
-X-
They headed for the school. Tsukune noticed once again how easily students and even teachers cleared the vampire's path and avoided touching her. The exception with the last day where he had ignored was that he himself got a few glares this time, glares that weren't peaceful ones. As sure as he could feel it himself, they surely too could feel the youki coming from his body, a youki that was way too familiar with the vampire's own youki to be a coincidence.
Well what would happen would happen, not point pondering on it. Like the Clock.
tic-tac-tic-tac
sometime he wished it would just shut up.
-X-
Entering the classroom he felt a sudden burst in the power he received, then leaving him as fast as it came.
Slightly perturbed he caught the silver haired vampire glaring at the students, making most look down on their table. One only exception from a sort of well built troublemaker that one would call a delinquent.
The sudden surge of power had been the vampiress's way of saying : 'Mine ! Don't touch or...'
At least Tsukune assumed it was what the scene meant.
He felt it well, how much she was making him the slave her. His beliefs learned in the human world literally trembled to make him protest against his habit of putting freedom before slavery. Trembled but only trembled.
No matter how low it putted his dignity, he was the servant here and no more. It was also clear that if he contested her authority, he wouldn't survive insulting his 'master'.
He wasn't really that smart, it was more learned from experience and from the impressive youki the vampiress sent around. A few years ago he hadn't hold his tongue and he had paid the price. Humans or vampire were the same in a sense.
They took their seat and Tsukune readied himself for another mad day of work, as everyday at school were for him. He had to work hard after all.
tic-tac-tic-tac
Because that damn Clock just wouldn't stay silent.
tic-tac-tic-tac
-X-
Nope, that wasn't a love letter. After the school Tsukune read again the letter he had found earlier in his drawer. Likely it had been dropped on lunch time while he was eating with Moka on the roof.
"I'll be waiting for you alone at the roof after school."
The even slightest possibility of it being a love letter was destroyed by the horrible handwriting, the point of the '!' was enormous as if the writer broke his pen by pressing on it. It was obliviously male and not a calm one.
tic-tac-tic-tac
He continued walking to the roof, getting lost twice in doing so. Moka was with him the others times and he never bothered taking direction when he had a guide, not a wise thing perhaps. The vampire was gone settling things in her dossier, nothing surprising all considered as she was the only monster not in human form in the school.
She was beautiful in her vampire form though, he wondered how she would look in human form. A tall and dignified lady with black hairs perhaps ? Which color silver hairs and red eyes could take ?
Well he probably would never know it so he just putted the thought aside.
Back on current situation, he could guess whatever he was going to see on the roof would be trouble. Troubles were always troubles when they came in form of a letter. He observed it on his old schools. And when you try to escape the problems that come like this, they would come again and over until they had whatever they wanted. Escaping those were a possibility but it always ended in him paying an higher price when he ran away than when he faced the problem.
He truly hated those disturbances...
That's why he used what he considered to be the option all should use, end it, whatever 'it' was, and as peacefully as possible.
Violence was a pointless thing that lead only to lose things, never to gain any. That had been his motto for years and would be to the rest of his life, or so he swore himself.
Surely one of the reason he acted the part of a servant around Moka was because of that philosophy, he had much more to gain by accepting peacefully the vampire's dominance than fighting to get out of it.
He opened the door to the roof.
tic-tac-tic-tac
A large blond student stripped from his unbalanced position as he heard the door open. Losing balance he made a turn above the roof barriers. Tsukune observed the scene while the student waved frenetically his arm in the air in attempt to regain his footage.
Their meeting would have been cut short if the student, that Tsukune recognized as the delinquent in his class, hadn't caught the barrier with one hand and managed to avoid a four floors fall.
"See ! My skills are incredible !" Tsukune stared impassible, for him that sentence was more a desperate of regaining some dignity than anything else. Humans and monsters were both as crazy as the other side, or more likely he just attracted all the crazy people to him.
Of course 'crazy' wasn't a compliment.
"Hey, don't ignore me little s..s...h...sh..."
"Scheherazade ?" proposed the human boy.
"SHIT !" he shouted as if saying the word was a long trial or some kind of long awaited dream.
"I suppose you aren't speaking about toilet." said Tsukune without a trace of mischief.
The tall delinquent glared at him with all the intimidation he could manage. Tsukune sighed, he did get what the big student meant but he still didn't heard why he had been asked to come here. "May I ask why did you called me here ?" Despite his calm voice, Tsukune did realize things weren't likely to end peacefully.
The student pointed a finger toward him and shouted. "I, Komiya Saizou defy you !"
Tsukune couldn't help but bury his face in his hand, why were people always after him ? If there was an afterlife he would make sure to fill one or two thousand complain about it.
"Don't think of escaping me. I'll take you on right there !" No of course he wouldn't escape, you would just barge in the classroom and cause an unwanted ruckus.
And eventually make his human nature obvious to everyone.
"Can you tell me the reason you wish to defy me ?" Tsukune asked, making sure to avoid disdain and to put a large amount of curiosity in his voice.
Saizou looked at him with something that Tsukune could describe as either amazement or disdain for his lack of instant comprehension. "For Akashiya of course."
Ah... That was a possiblity that Tsukune hadn't considered.
"Why do you speak to me then ?"
"Because that's how it must be done ! I'll take down the second then I'll fight her and become the leader of this school !"
Ah... That too was a possibility Tsukune hadn't considered. But still, to imagine that student taking Moka down... Saizou had to be either very strong, very confident in his abilities, or totally underestimating Moka's. The two later propositions were the most logical in Tsukune opinion.
tic-tac-tic-tac
"En guarde Aoko !"
The delinquent moved, running toward Tsukune as he transformed. Large greenish arms while his face distorted itself, showing a gigantic tongue. His big feet broke the roof ground as he advanced.
Tsukune surprised by the sudden transformation had just the time to dodge the giant fist coming down on him. The roof was smashed by the brutal strength of the monster.
'An ogre ?' Wondered Tsukune while steeping back. He ducked to avoid the second attack then rolled to get out of the giant range.
Not that wasn't an ogre, from his color it must be an orc. Having to heard gamers speak about their virtual universe paid off this time, the proof that even Okatu were useful ito one own survival.
tic-tac-tic-tac
Resonating him seemed not the best course of action, doing it with humans had already its risks. Doing it with monster could be life-threatening.
tic-tac-tic-ta...c
Tsukune punched the orc stomach, only managing to hurt his hand in the process. Tsukune cursed inwardly, the monster skin was too thought. He grimaced, beating that one would hurt. However if he ran away, Saizou would come after him again and make him spend his power even more.
tic-tac-tic-tac
This was something to avoid if possible.
Having his leg caught his a gigantic was also something to avoid, unfortunately that thought came too late.
The giant made an expression that was probably a grin. Then Tsukune was send flying over the roof and fell rudely on the ground. He groaned in pain, unable to decide which of is leg or his back pained him the most.
tic-tac-tic-tac
His human strength clearly wasn't enough. Couldn't the familiar power help him there ? Considering he hadn't broke his back nor his leg it was likely to them to work.
Now how did he use them for offence ? There was nothing in legend about how vampire gathered their strength.
"Rahhhhh !" Tsukune reflexion was delayed until the more pressing was resolved.
BOUM !
Since when did orcs use rugby tackle ? Well they did use them, as Saizou had threw his full body over the place Tsukune was.
The human cursed, more time having been used to dodge what would have been certain death. Then-
tic-tac-tic-t...a...c...
-Saizou head moved oddly and the giant staggered as his head had been hit four times by fast punchs. Tsukune cursed again, this quadruple punch attack could broke tiles in human world. Tiles for Heaven sake, were monster at such a different level ?
tic-tac-tic-tac
He stepped back out of the orc range once again.
"Is that all you have ?"
Tsukune got a bit perplexed, the monster's voice had disappointment more than disdain. But perhaps he should pay more attention to the young girl standing by the roof entry who was tapping impatiently with her feet. Clearly, she wouldn't help him.
Actually the fact was a good one, that must mean he must have a way to take that giant down. He searched the link between them, if he could 'feel' her location through their link, then the power should follow the same way.
That or he would be screwed. Saizou had visibly enough and showered as much as his slow attacks allowed Tsukune from his punches. Missing Tsukune but effectively causing heavy damages to the ground.
Finally he found it, that damn power that kept avoiding him.
He pulled on it, as much as he imagined pulling a power. His body received the dark energy named youki.
It frankly felt weird, alien, and disagreable.
The power ran over his body without control and kept changing his strenght.
Then he had just to control it.
Slam !
Avoiding another heavy punch Tsukune focused solely on the dark power, sending it equally in his whole body.
It was easier that he thought, the mechanism of control was basically the same.
Tsukune moved, fast. He punched the giant and this time, the dark power reinforced his attack.
Bam !
Saizou groaned and fell back on the ground.
Not for long as he rolled and got back up.
tic-tac-tic-tac
Tsukune feelings were contradictory, on one bright side he did strike back correctly. On the other the dark power was tiring to maintain. It wasn't about the quantity, he could use the maximum amount of the minimum without difficulty.
The problem was keeping the power running, on the opposite of his own power that used short burst for a high price, youki had a long duration for a low price.
Same way to use it but different objective.
His long habit to use his power for a time as short as possible was disadvantaging him at the moment.
Tsukune jumped, the youki helping to jump higher than normal. High enough to kick the head from the side. Saizou grimaced as his face was distorbed by the impact.
Tsukune took an heavy breath, if he didn't finish this time, he would be too tired to continue. No choice then...
tic-tac-tic-tac
He moved his foot on Saizou shoulder and turned his body mid-air as best as he could. Then he made a spin himself using his arms on the ground to move and kick Saizou in his left hip.
The opponents both groaned in pain, Saizou because of the hit and Tsukune because his spine wasn't familiar with spinning attacks.
But he had to finish the fight, just one more attack and it would end.
tic-tac-ti...c-...t...i...c...
Tsukune charged as soon as his feet touched the ground, propulsing his whole body to deliver a punch reinforced by youki and with its cinetic force increased by Tsukune's power.
And then it went all wrong.
tic-t.a.c-t..i..c-t...a...c...
Tsukune eyed widened while the world slowed around him, slowed, slowed, slowed.
t.i.c-t..a..c-t...i...c-t...a...c...
Except inside him. The two powers were conflicting each other, or working together too well depending on the perspective. Regardless of what was happening with the powers, he was using way too much power for his own good.
And for Saizou's good.
It took barely four second in his time for Tsukune to achieve his attack from his unbalanced position to when the fist entered in contact with the orc. That one hit, the orc took it far less better than the others.
tic-tac-tic-t...a...c...
Tsukune forcefully stopped the two powers just when the attack was delivered, effectively weakening it.
Yet the attack was done and once the world was back at normal, he barely caught the look of complete surprise on Saizou face before the orc suddenly flew away as hit by a hundred tonnes tank. He traversed the whole roof, destroyed the water container and fell with it from the four floor.
BOUM ! Splash !
Sounds of a high impact and water splashing were heard.
Then the whole scene became silent.
tic-tac-tic-tac
Tsukune grabbed his chest, grabbing his shirt into his hand. He felt horrible, totally horrible. It wasn't pain, it was nausea. He wanted to vomit yet couldn't. His mind and body revolting for different reasons.
The human didn't fell into merciful darkness. He saw and heard perfectly his master approach, the surprise the vampire had felt when Tsukune moved and striked had been very clear through the link.
Now he couldn't define at all her mood. Her expression was unreadable, Tsukune thought he saw some questions and others things in her eyes.
"Get up."
The order got him out of his trance, the nausea retreated a bit. He vaguely realized the vampiric power he received was weaker than before at the moment.
"We are going home."
He nodded, his ability to speak mometarily disabled by shock. The silver haired vampire glanced at him one last time before walking to the roof's door, a slightly staggering familiar following behind..
A familiar with twenty-five days now gone to oblivion.
tic-tac-tic-tac
Despite the fact he had used his power with less intensity than in the bath.
tic-tac-tic-tac
Remaining Time : 643 days
