Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario Vampire.

A mask of gold hides all deformities

Thomas Dekker

A Witch's Sabbath

A cool breeze traveled through the grounds of the academy, causing the spines of several students to shiver. A large group of students gathered around a poster board. It was the end of the week and as promised by the homeroom teachers the rankings for the semester's quarterly exam were up.

"Aww crap! I'm 156."

"That's nothing...I'm 202."

"Ha! I ranked 74!"

Everybody scrambled over each other trying to find their names. Some came to regret this while others were happier that they did. The left side of the board was breathing easier or celebrating in their own small way while the right side was either sighing or weeping. Smack dab in the middle of this was Tsukune himself.

'Damn you suck.'

Tsukune let out a monstrous yawn that racked his whole body.

'Maybe if I got some sleep I would've gotten a better grade.'

'Yeah and maybe if you had a pair you wouldn't be such a whiny bitch.'

He decided against arguing with it as he fought against the urge to yawn once more. Out of 256 freshmen students he had ranked 128th, right in the middle. While it technically wasn't failing it definitely wasn't a grade to be proud of. A group of people rushed past him as they made way to the front of the poster board. Tsukune already knew where they were going. Moka had ranked 13th near the very top of the charts. Many of the male student body and some of the female students praised her for her accomplishments.

'She's absolutely perfect.'

'Really? I can't see from all the way back here.'

Once again he fought back an urge to yawn as he decided against fighting it once more. Nearly a month and a half of near sleep was beginning to take it's toll on him. His body was ragged, normal everyday activities required more energy than usual causing more strain on his body. He also noticed that his mind was wandering more frequently. Though he would never admit it he was starting to fear sleep.

Every night it was the same thing; a pitch black dream, the smell of corpses, and the hollow laugh. It began to speak to him once.

'Forget that girl. She's way smarter than you are and it's never good for one person in a relationship to be that much smarter than the other. She won't respect you.'

'She does too respect me.'

'Than she's broken goods.'

It's words hung in the air with great heaviness. Moka had told him about her life in Jr. High and how she never had a friend. She had told him that she never had a friend because they didn't believe she was a vampire but in all honesty he believed that it was because she was intimidating. Moka had looks, talent, brains and a great personality. That could be more intimidating for a man than any kind of brute force. However she believed it was because they wanted to ostracize her. A great weight on his shoulders made itself present and he didn't like it. The mask was always saying things, whispering dark thoughts to him. As much as he wished it was lying, it hasn't yet. He just wanted to sleep, so much so that he could feel a pair of soft pillows wrap around his neck and head. He could feel himself being lulled into a deep sense of sleep when...

"Congratulations on passing Tsukune-kun!"

The voice belong to Kurumu who knocked him out from this sense of on coming sleep into the land of the conscious. He finally noticed that what he thought was a psychological weight was her and the soft pillows were HER soft pillows. As she clung onto his body he could feel waves of burning hate emanating from the crowd of male students standing behind him. He had too admit that he liked that she was so affectionate but he wished that she wasn't so openly affectionate.

"Your so smart Tsukune-kun, I ranked 134th."

He heard a dark chuckle echo through his head.

'Ohh Your so smart teehee! This girl is more your speed. She clearly has low standards when it comes to men, dumber than you if that was even possible and still manages to be out of your league. She's perfect for you.'

'Just because Kurumu-san isn't book smart does not mean she is dumb! Do not insult my friends!'

'Fine I'll lay off the insults on your so called 'friends'. Don't get your panties in a bunch.'

He felt Kurumu jump off his back. She stood in front of him tracing patterns on his chest.

"Maybe we could have a study group together?"

He could sense her true intentions from a mile away. The hate from the group behind him intensified greatly. She began to close the gap between them slowly. He could see her lips quiver slightly as the sun's light bounced off her red lips. Just as she was about to close in Moka popped in between them.

"That's a great idea Kurumu-san!"

Kurumu jumped back holding her hands behind their back while looking up in the sky and Tsukune whistled an innocent tune.

(Poster board-Back)

The group of students had decided that they have had enough of watching Tsukune and went back to find their rankings. All but three boys left. The tallest was nearly six feet tall and had a lanky build about him. His thick glasses were covered by greasy, black locks of hair. The boy next to him was the complete opposite; Short, overweight, had tan hair in a crew-cut but had perfect vision. The final boy however looked as though he didn't belong. He had fair features about him like that of a farm boy's along with a matching set of blue eyes and wavy brown hair. They watched with envious eyes as Moka and Kurumu were chatting with Tsukune. Finally the short one could not take it any longer and spoke out in anger.

"Bah! Look at that jerk acting like he owns the place..."

He fell to his knees and began sobbed openly.

"Why? Why would my sweet Kurumu-chan fall for him?"

Trying to comfort him, the tall one knelt down beside him and patted him on the back.

"There there Gouzaburou-san...it'll..it'll be..."

He too fell to his knees sobbing uncontrollably. Those who were passing them by watched with pity and decided to distance themselves from them. The only person who stood by them was the fair-haired one. He stood confidently in front of them with a smirk on his face.

"Gouzaburou, Kubisaku-san relax. We no longer have to worry about Aono anymore."

They both grabbed onto his leg like a couple of loyal hounds, staring at their master with admiration in their eyes.

"Tell us Kasashara-san!"

Once more he had a confident smirk on him and pointed at Tsukune.

"We're going to take him down a peg. We are going to ruin him socially and mentally. After we're done with him nobody will fear him anymore and neither Moka or Kurumu-san wouldn't want to be caught dead with him."

Both boys jumped to his side with fists raised up. For several minutes they held themselves up on high but soon came down from that collaborative high. The tall one turned to their fearless leader to ask a discerning question.

"How? We can't compete with him physically. He'll most likely rip us apart."

Kasashara's features faltered slightly but quickly regained his composure.

"Don't worry about that. While it's true that up close we would most likely lose but from afar..."

(Poster board-Front)

Both Moka and Kurumu were making plans about the study group. Kurumu was trying to decide on what kind of bake goods she should bring while Moka was trying to find out what subject they would be tested on next. Tsukune stood idly by as they both got into an argument on which was more important. He noticed that they would get into arguments about almost everything. The only thing they did agree on was that the study group would meet in his dorm room.

"Don't I have a say in-"

'Duck'

Instinctively he pulled his head down too feel something whiz by. He looked up to try and find what and who threw something at him.

"OW!"

Whatever it was that was thrown had finally found a target but not it's intended one. It had hit the head of an extremely large and mean looking student. Tsukune noticed that he had a red armband on his left arm. These bands were given to class representatives as a symbol of their authority. By his side were two other students trying to see if he was alright. In front of him was a small child who seemed to be laughing at him. Hearing the child laughing must have angered him because to Tsukune it seemed like he was getting ready to lash out at her.

"Somebody should do something huh Moka-san...Moka-san?"

After no response he saw that Moka was no longer beside him. Turning in circles he could no longer see her. He was starting to wonder if she had somehow disappeared when he could hear more noise coming from the scene ahead.

"Please stop!"

Moka had inserted herself between the gang and the cackling child, effectively stopping them. Throughout the crowd murmurs of Moka's bravery could be heard along with a few cheap shots at Tsukune's expense. She stared them down intensely while showing no intention on moving.

"I do not condone the use of violence towards girls. Please leave."

The class representative stood there with an angry glare and looked like he was about to hit her. He was about to lift back his hand when he could feel the gaze of 253 pairs of eyes on him. Deciding against whatever it was he was thinking of doing. Instead he spat at the ground and pointed to the girl.

"This isn't over Yukari."

They soon melded into the crowd, no longer able to be seen. After a while the crowd returned back to the poster board. Tsukune and Kurumu ran up to Moka and the child who was sticking her tongue out. The girl in question couldn't have been more than eleven years old. She had the normal school uniform on along with a few accoutrements. A black cape along with a witch's hat and held a pink wand in her hands. Moka placed her hand on the girls shoulder and looked into her eyes.

"Are you Ok? Did they hurt you?"

The girl had stars in her eyes as she fumbled with her wand trying to place it back behind her cape.

"Oh Moka-san! I'm fine thanks all to you!"

Moka was a little taken back.

"H-How..do you know my name?"

The girl had a creepy smile on her face.

"I know a lot about you Moka-san; favorite foods, color, study habits. I've watched from afar waiting for the right moment to say..."

The girl launched herself at Moka's midriff, grabbing tightly.

"I LOVE YOU!"

Tsukune and Kurumu watched with raised eyebrows as the girl tightened her grip on Moka. Tsukune bent over and extended his hand out to the girl.

"Well it's seems we've made a new friend. Hi my name's-"

"I know who you are-Desu!"

Tsukune withdrew his hand when this child snapped at him. She looked at him with disdain and clearly tightened her grip around Moka's waist.

"Your Aono Tsukune. You have no hobbies, average intelligence and an excessively violent streak about you. Just like a human."

Moka gasped as this girl continued to insult Tsukune who was just shocked by this. Here was this girl who didn't even know him yet she was spouting out statistics about him. She had on a smug expression as she continued to insult him.

"You being with my Moka-san is like the moon and a snapping turtle, you just don't mix."

Tsukune eyebrows rose in disbelief.

"Your Moka-san? She doesn't belong to anyone and it's not very nice calling her a snapping turtle."

"Baka! You're the turtle and she's the moon!"

He mouthed out 'oh' as if he just understood what she had just said.

'Don't beat yourself up I made that mistake too. You are as pasty as the moon.'

The girl whipped out her wand and poked him in the stomach. She still managed to hang onto Moka with one arm while raising her wand to it his nose and locked eyes with him.

"I will not let the likes of you taint the purity of my Moka-san. I, Sendou Yukari declare war on you-Desu!"

At this point the girl, Yukari, was starting to annoy him. She was acting like a brat treating him like a creep and talking about Moka like she was some sort of possession. It drove him to the point that he actually snapped back at her.

"Now listen! You can't treat Moka-san or me like this! What gives you the right that to do this to either of us?"

Yukari gave him a sly smile like that of someone who had several aces their sleeve.

"I can do whatever I want because I'm smarter than you."

She pulled Moka away from them with a confident stride. Moka looked back at them with confused and worried expression on her face. Tsukune watched them leave with a mounting anger rising up inside him. His fist tightened to the point of his knuckles cracked and bared his teeth.

"She thinks she could do this because she's smarter than me?"

He felt Kurumu tugging on his shoulder trying to get his attention.

"I can't believe she believes that she can treat people like that, it's just not right!"

"Tsukune-kun."

"She maybe smarter than me but there is no way she could possibly be that much smarter!"

"Tsukune!"

Kurumu had finally managed to get his attention. He turned to her to see that she was pointing at the poster board. At the very top Tsukune saw a single name that stood out for him. Sendou Yukari: 1st out of 256.

(Hallway)

Tsukune was currently on the search for Moka but was having absolutely no luck. Every time he came close to finding her Yukari would whisk her away once more. It was a game of cat and mouse and he was getting tired of it. Kurumu was following him but he could tell that she really didn't have her heart set on finding Moka like he did. In fact a few times she had gone the opposite way just to get a bit more time with him.

"Tsukune-kun look! she down there."

Tsukune held a skeptic look.

"Is she really?

She had shameful blush on her face while pointing down an empty hallway.

"S-She could be..."

He flung his arms in the air, letting out an aggravated groan. He was getting irritated real fast and was trying all that he could to hide it. He was never like this before. Usually he was a easy-going kinda guy who might sometimes be known to enter into a panic but rarely did he become angry over something like this. He was changing and didn't like it. Kurumu backed up a little wondering whether he was angry at her.

"Gomen Tsukune-kun...please don't be angry with me."

He looked up into her eyes showing his exhaustion for the first time since he had arrived.

"I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at the situation."

He started walking away from her ready to resume his search for Moka. What he said was true but that to him was no excuse for what he did to Kurumu. She thought he was angry at her when he wasn't...he had no right to snap at her. He was about to turn a corner when he could swear that he heard Moka's voice whispering in his ear.

(Hallway-Corner)

Crouched down on all fours were the three boys from before. They watched the whole scene unfold before them. They were awaiting for him to turn the corner. They had managed to tie an extremely thin piece of steel string on a wooden pillar across from them. After the rock incident they had decided to go with something a bit more tricky.

"Tell me what are we doing again Kasashara-san?"

"Easy my friends, we're here to trip our foe Aono in front of everybody."

Gouzaburou stared at Kasashara with disappointment.

"Trip him? Doesn't that seem a little..weak? I don't think that would do anything."

Kasashara chuckled lightly as if he had said something childish.

"If there is no one around to witness this than yes but these halls will be filled with students and nothing is more embarrassing than tripping over your own two feet!"

The sound of footsteps could be heard coming down the halls. Quickly they regained their composure and pulled on the string. The footsteps became louder and louder in which they pulled harder on the string. Finally a 'TWANG' was heard and the string vibrated slightly as the victim fell to the ground hard. All three of the boys jumped out and yelled 'AHA'.

(Hallway)

Tsukune had noticed both Moka and Yukari were standing at the opposite end of the hallway. He and Kurumu ran after them not even stopping when the sound of slaps rang out and a girl screaming the word 'Bakas'. They managed to catch up with Moka before Yukari had time to notice them.

"Moka-san!"

Moka smiled happily when Tsukune finally managed to reach her. Yukari's eyes widened when she finally noticed that he was there. She attempted to steer Moka away from him but Kurumu blocked her way, waggling her finger like a mother scolding a naughty child. Yukari swiveled her head around trying to find a way out. Moka attempted to make her way to him but Yukari held her back. She hung onto her possessively as she watched the both of them, in her mind swarm in on Moka. As he came in closer she whipped out her wand and brandished it about.

"Stop right there Aono-san! Don't come any closer."

She tried to stab him with her wand but he uncharacteristically swiped at it. This surprised everyone but Yukari. She grinned as if she had just won something coveted by many.

"See I knew you were nothing but a violent thug. Now I finally have an excuse to teach you a lesson."

Speaking in a language that he had never heard of, she once again began brandishing her wand but with a bit more precision. This went on for a few seconds than stopped as abruptly as she began. They stood there for a few moments waiting for something to happen. Tsukune was about to open his mouth when a loud clanging of metal against stone was heard. In the corner of his eye he saw a utility locker jumping up and down all on it's own. The door burst open suddenly revealing a maelstrom of cleaning supplies and implements shoot themselves across the room.

Tsukune quickly put up his guard, hiding his face from the various mops, brooms, buckets and dust pans. The jabs of the wooden handles was felt all over his back and stomach. The metal buckets were whacking themselves across the back of his head while the dust pans slammed against the top. No matter how hard he was hit he didn't make a single noise. All at once they stopped their beating on his body. He kept his arms up for a moment than decided that she must have been done. He peeked through his fingers to see a spray nozzle. A burning sensation ran through his eye as disinfectant was spritzed all over it. For a second he dropped his guard only too witness a broom handle swing itself across his face. An explosion of wooden splinters flew through the air showering all for of them with the woody projectiles. Ironically they all flinched except for Tsukune himself. To be honest he was so preoccupied with the pain in his eye that if it wasn't for the sound of the handle snapping he never would've known.

"Tsukune-kun!"

Kurumu immediately left her post to help Tsukune up. She lifted him up by his arm while he rubbed his eye with a fury. His face was covered with splinters. Moka tried to get away from Yukari but she still had a tight grip on her. Cackling victoriously Yukari watched them shuffle away to seek medical attention for Tsukune.

(Infirmary)

Tsukune was propped up on one of the beds in the nurses office. She had let him in this time. The two swim club members were transferred to the medical building due to the fact that they had to take medication for migraines. Kurumu held a pair of tweezers carefully picking out the splinters from his face. Honestly she was impressed by his tolerance for pain, he must have been tougher than he let off. Tsukune had a damp washcloth his eye trying to flush out the disinfectant. It was strange having watched that broom crack itself on him and yet feel nothing. Already bruises were forming from the jabs and the whacks from all those metal buckets and pans but nothing from the handle. Right now as Kurumu picked the splinters from him he didn't feel a thing.

"Oh Tsukune-kun, you Ok?"

Kurumu finally finished removed all wooden splinters. She caressed his cheek in a loving manner. He was happy that he could at least feel the warmth of her hand. Her hand traveled down to his chest pushing him down onto the mattress. His eyes widened as she put his head on the pillow. Kurumu was bold but never this bold.

"K-K-Kurumu-san? What are you-"

She placed her finger over his lips, effectively quieting him. She calmly reached down to pull a blanket over him. He felt her hands as she attempted to tuck the blanket underneath him in an almost motherly fashion.

"Kurumu-san? Why are you doing this?"

Petting his hair affectionately she replied.

"Tsukune-kun I know you must be tired...I remembered how you looked before, you haven't been sleeping have you?"

He wanted too deny it but was betrayed by his own body when a yawn erupted forth from his mouth. Kurumu 'Hm-Hm'ed knowingly and decided to take action. She leaped onto the bed, straddling him like she did once before. Her eyes connected with his, staring deeply into them. Tsukune's eyelids started drooping. He tried fighting but it was no use. His eyelids fell as if they were made of lead and immediately hit a deep rem sleep. Just like all the times before when he fell asleep the dream started up once again.

Darkness overwhelmed him once more. The screams of people filled his ears along with the rank odor of burning bodies. He wanted to wake up but his body wouldn't let him. It knew he needed the sleep and now that he was getting some it wouldn't let him wake. Among the screaming he heard the faint sound of drums in the background. This was new to him, never had the dream gone this far. The sound of drums soon overpowered the sound of screams. They drummed in some strange jungle beat that droned on and on. Soon they were followed by an ominous chant.

"Ia! Ia! Cthulhu fthagn! Lo! Lo! Shub-nighurath! Gorgo, Mormo!"

It must have been dozens of people chanting this over and over in unison. For the first time he tried moving but to his disappointment nothing happened. The drums began beat louder and louder while the chanting became frantic. His breathing turned erratic as he tried to move in the darkness. He stopped when he heard footsteps on stone. Whomever the footsteps belong to they were standing in front of him. Tsukune waited for whoever it was to make their move. The person knocked on what he could only assume was stone. Soon the sound of grinding filled the apparently tiny area that Tsukune was occupying. Light penetrated the dark corner he was tucked into. The bombardment of light nearly blinded him. He wanted to raise his hands up to protect his eyes but his body still wouldn't listen. The dark silhouette of a man stepped foreword, blocking the light from further damaging his eyes. He couldn't see his face but the way he stood told him that he must have been older. The only thing he could see clearly was his tall, white hair. The man reached out with a gnarled hand and spoke in an aged, raspy voice.

"At last!"

Tsukune bolted from the bed covered in a cold sweat. His chest puffed in and out as he gulped down fresh air after awaking from that nightmare. The new details were burned into mind as if by a firebrand. It felt real, always felt real but this was different. These no longer felt like dreams but rather memories, from some distant past before his time. Deciding that he needed a glass of water he was about to get out of the bed when he could feel someone's arm tighten around his waist. He looked down to see Kurumu laying down next to him, sleeping peacefully. Her face was calm and at peace with the world. For some unknown reason he looked under the covers to check to see if his belt or pants were tampered with but everything seem to check out. He turned back to Kurumu watching her smiling which honestly made him smile.

He continued to watch her sleep when something hard smacked itself to the side of his head. His body was so forcefully thrown onto the bed that Kurumu actually bounced off and fell hard onto the floor. She rapidly rebounded after being unceremoniously knocked out of her heavenly dreamland. She saw Tsukune laying on the bed, dazed. Quickly she jumped onto the bed and tried to shake him awake. Incredibly his hand reached up and grabbed her breast with an near iron-like grip. Kurumu yelped with surprise as he continued to fondle her in his near-comatose state.

"Tsu-Tsukune...please."

Her voice was weak with lust as his hand continued to massage her ample chest through her sweater. It came to the point where she started to grind herself against his body. Unfortunately for her this action was enough to bring Tsukune out of his unconscious state of mind. The first thing he saw was his own hand on her chest and immediately jumped out bed. Kurumu pouted as he left her while he stared at his hand who was massaging the air. The door was open, revealing Moka on the other side who happened to see the entire episode.

"Tsukune! What's wrong with you?"

"I don't know! My hand's moving on it's own an-OOF"

His hand was knuckle deep in his own stomach. After the gut-buster it rocketed up to connect with his chin. The force was so great that it actually propelled him upwards a few inches. Moka had managed to catch him before he fell to the ground. Once more his fist flew through the air towards his face. Instinctively he caught his own fist before it made contact. Both girls watched as he struggled around the room against himself. A mischievous cackle resounded through the small office which caught the girl's attention. Sitting in the windowsill was Yukari, swinging her legs and playing with a straw doll. She was bending it's arm repeatedly in a similar manner as Tsukune's own arm. Kurumu was the first to speak.

"That's a voodoo doll!"

Yukari stopped playing with the doll only to stick her tongue out at her.

"It's not a voodoo doll, boobs for brains, it's Warawara-kun! Completely different-Desu."

Yukari continued to play with the doll causing Tsukune to fight with his own self. Kurumu charged at her with the intent to snatch the doll away. Yukari, in a panic, tossed the doll. Just like Warawara-kun, Tsukune himself flew across the room and slammed into the wall. Yukari snickered as she watched him try to lift himself off the ground. She squealed with delight as he fell back down but stopped at once when she witnessed Moka helping him back up. When he finally got up on his own two feet he gave Yukari a scathing glare which she reciprocated with an evil stare. This was the last straw. Moka and Kurumu held him back as he tried to get at her. Noting that he wouldn't able to get her, he decided on pointing at her.

"STOP IT! THIS ISN'T FUNNY YOU BRAT!"

Moka let go a that point in shock.

"Tsukune!"

He turned to her with rage still in his eyes.

"You can't keep defending her Moka-san! She's a pest and if you don't stop it you'll end up alone again."

Moka looked down to the ground, unable to answer however Yukari decided to speak for her.

"Good! She's better off without you. I believe that it's better to be alone than to have such lowly friends."

She stuck her tongue out at them and jumped from the windowsill. Tsukune's gaze lingered at the windowsill for a moment. He turned around to see Moka with her arms crossed across her chest, giving him a disappointed glance.

"I hope you're proud of yourself, Tsukune."

The sad, disapproving tone reminded him of his mother whenever he did something wrong. Arms still crossed she walked out of the room. Mouth agape he just stared at the door, he just couldn't win! He stood there in disbelief at the events that just unfurled. He was so engrossed in his own bafflement that he didn't even realize that Kurumu was talking.

"Huh?"

She turned at him with raised eyebrows.

"Hm?..Oh I was just saying no wonder they're known as the 'Hated race'."

"Who? Moka-san?"

She shook her head.

"No that Sendou Yukari. Witches are known as the 'Hated race' to some monsters."

Confusion was evident on his face. Why would monsters hate one of their own? A few seemed to dislike Moka because she was a vampire but that was different. They disliked her for her eloquence and power. This Yukari may have been annoying but to say that he hated her was a little extreme. She was only eleven. Kurumu placed on her chin, looking up as if she was trying to remember something.

"If I'm not mistaken humans used to hunt them. Something called 'The Salem trails' or something similar."

'I remember that, burning at the stake, lynching, crushing, stoning, loins rendered, drowning, limbs torn from the sockets of the living-OOH! The pear of anguish!...good times man."

"Yeah, most monsters think that witches are freaks of nature and shouldn't even be considered monsters. If you think about it she's probably been alone her entire life."

Tsukune listened to what she had said and took it to heart. Here Yukari was hated by both humans and monsters...the only thing he had going for him were monsters hating him. It was no wonder she thought that it was better to be alone. Moka understood that so naturally she was sympathetic with her. Slumping his shoulders he resigned to the fact that today he couldn't win. Tsukune quickly left the room, running after Moka.

(Hallway-2nd level)

Standing near the edge was Kasashara, Gouzaburou and Kubisaku were over looking the lower level of the hallway. On the railing was a bucket filled with a deep, crimson liquid that smelled suspiciously like blood. The bucket gleamed innocently in both the artificial and natural light but the three boys smiled darkly. Gouzaburou turned to his leader showing a dark, sadistic side of him that very few have ever witnessed.

"This is brilliant! How did you think this up?"

Kasashara turned to his portly friend showing that he too had a sadistic side.

"I saw it in a movie once. Boy, do those humans think of the best things. See once that Aono rat walks underneath us we drop the bucket on him and nobody will be afraid of him anymore! Then we swoop in and pick up the pieces."

He rubbed his hands together evilly and watched the halls more closely. Each one of them giggled and waited for Tsukune. After a few seconds Kubisaku stopped with his evil daydreams when an unfortunate thought entered his head.

"Wait...this movie that you saw, was it an older movie about this girl who went to a prom?"

Kasashara smiled enthusiastically.

"Yeah it was! You saw it too?"

"Uh-huh...didn't she kill every at the end?"

Kasashara's face was utterly expressionless.

"Shut up."

All of them stood there motionless, hiding in wait. Finally the object of their desire came bolting down the hallway. They all waited for the right moment and in unison they pushed the bucket off the rail. Watching with glee as the bucket traveled downward, coming closer and closer to it's intended target. The blood emptied out of the bucket and blanketed outwards covering up most of the hallway. All three did everything in their power to not squeal in delight. All watched as he ran underneath the 'hemo-blanket' so to say, ensuring that escape was impossible. Each one of them smiled wide readying themselves for what was about to happen.

Tsukune passed underneath it completely clean and turned a corner none the wiser. Everyone of the boys watched in disbelief only to snap out of it when the sound of the metal bucket dropped onto the marble floor. Blood covered the entire hallway and splattered on all of the walls. Kasashara let out a long heavy sigh.

"Come on...lets clean it up before anyone else sees this mess."

Each one of the boys reached for the nearest broom closet and pulled out their own mop for the huge clean up job they had to perform. They traversed their way down the stairs talking quietly amongst their selves. Gouzaburou and Kubisaku apologized profusely to their friend saying that they had no idea about how their calculations could have been off by that much. They reached the bottom of the stairs to see what kind of job they had ahead of them.

"Kasashara-san?

"Yeah?"

"Wheres...Where did it all go?"

(Outside)

Yukari was running from the windowsill she had jumped from. That jerk Aono had said some pretty horrible things to her. It got to her. Ever since she got to this academy everybody has looked down on her for either her age or race. The only person that didn't do that was Moka. She was perfect in all aspects and the only person between them was Tsukune and after what she saw...Moka wasn't willing to choose her over him. She was so wrapped in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice the group of people in front of her until it was to late.

"OW! Watched were your going baka-Desu!"

She had fell to the ground, rubbing her forehead. She looked up to see the same group of students from this morning. The class representative gave her a small evil grin.

"That's not very nice Yukari-chan, after all it was you who bumped into us."

He bent over, coming closer to her. She backed up only to bump up against something or rather someones. The two others had managed to block off her escape route. She turned back to see the class representative staring her down. His eyes had become slitted and his teeth were sharpened immensly. A thin, forked tongue flicked itself across her cheek causing her skin to erupt with goosebumps.

"I think it's time somebody taught you to respect your elders."

The two behind her grabbed her shoulders, pushing her violently forward. They continued pushing and dragging her through the woods outside of the school grounds. The fog began to grow thicker as the went further into the woods. After awhile it seemed that they had reached their destination and threw her against a tree. She drew out her wand in a panic and began to chant. Just as she was about to finish a large scaly maw chomped down on her wand, effectively snapping it in half. Unable to comprehend what had just happened she looked up to see the groups true forms. All three of them were the same kind of monster: Lizardmen. Each one look like a cross between a bi-pedal iguana with crocodile smiles. The one on the left turned to the class representative.

"What should we do with her?"

The representative smiled wildly, exposing more teeth that made her comfortably with.

"Let's kill her. The fogs so thick that no one will see and were so deep in that nobody will here her scream."

Yukari tried to escape but the two subordinates blocked her path once more. The representative strutted up to her and grabbed her arm roughly. Her eyes welled with terror as she watched him extend his jaw open. Yukari couldn't help but think...she was going to die alone.

"STOP!"

Just as the voice demanded everybody stopped. All of them tried searching for the source but the fog was still too thick. Still searching the first person to find whoever it was that spoke was Yukari. In the mist a figure appeared, walking towards them as if on a mission. Her eyes sparkled ecstatically when she realized that it was Moka who came out from the mist.

"Aww damn it! Why can't you just let us be?"

She made her way towards Yukari, ignoring the others completely, showing compassion in her eyes. Yukari tried to warn Moka but was interrupted by her.

"I understand Yukari-chan, you've been alone your entire life with no one to talk too."

The group of lizard men stared at each other with matching quizzical expressions, wondering what the hell she was talking about. Yukari was also wondering about what she was doing but for other reasons. Moka continued to ignore them and make her way to Yukari.

"I've been alone most of my life too until I met Tsukune and Kurumu-san. They really are nice people if you give them the chance."

She had tears in her eyes at this point but what really drove her home was what Moka told her next.

"I could never leave you alone and neither would any of my friends."

Yukari couldn't take it anymore and nearly broke down with joy. However the group of Lizards didn't seem to share their sentiments. The class representative smashed Yukari back against the tree again while the others stood in Moka's way, effectively stopping her. The leader's jaws opened wide once more and lunged at Yukari. She shut her eyes tightly and screamed as loud as her lungs would let her. She cringed as she heard him coming after her. The sound of snapping jaws and the clashing teeth filled the air and the feeling of something warm splashed across her face. She had expected all of this but what she didn't anticipate was the lack of pain. She opened her eyes to see somebody standing in front of her.

"Tsukune-san!"

She smiled as he stood in front of her. After awhile she noticed that something wasn't quite right. He didn't say a word. His eyes were staring into space and his face was paling fast. Suddenly he fell to the ground hard and Yukari found the root cause of his erratic behavior. One side of his body was not only caked with blood but was missing an arm. From the elbow down his arm was gone. She covered her mouth in horror when she something that tasted like copper filled her mouth. She tore her hands away from her body to see that they were stained red. The sounds of flesh rendering was heard as she watched the group fight over his arm, gnawing on it like a group of starved jackles. Tsukune crawled pathetically to a tree, leaving a trail of blood along the ground. He reached the base of the tree and shivered uncontrollably. Moka managed to get passed the lizardmen who were still occupying themselves with Tsukune's arm. She sat next to him unable to do anything except stare in terror. Yukari watched as Moka petted him and Tsukune reaching out to her.

"Ts-Tsukune...don't do this...to me!"

With his only hand he grabbed her rosary around her neck and pulled it off. A ray of purple light filled the area and Moka began her transformation once again.. This sudden surge of demonic energy caught the attention of everybody except Tsukune who was clutching her rosary close to his chest. Moka opened her eyes revealing their crimson color to all. She looked down to see her school uniform wet with blood and Tsukune who started to convulse. Yukari ran to them and tried to hold onto him. Moka stood up and glared at the group of lizardmen with disdain.

"You did this?"

Two out of the three members charged themselves at her but was easily batted away with a few simple kicks. The class representative started to back off after witnessing this power. Moka walked towards him calmly but her intentions were obvious. He tried to get away but was immediately stopped when her foot connected with his kneecap causing a loud crunching noise to be heard. He fell down hard. From his point of view she stood tall, towering over him.

"Please! It wasn't me!"

She glared at him with disgust. Raising her hand to her mouth she pointed to her lips.

"You have a little something stuck in your teeth."

Quickly he brought his clawed hand to his mouth an pulled out what appeared to be a piece of a school uniform. He looked up to smile sheepishly but stopped when he saw that her leg was raised straight up. Before he had chance to say anything she delivered a powerful ax-kick that landed in between his eyes, nearly cracking his skull open. As soon as she finished him she quickly made her way to Tsukune who was not only convulsing but who appeared to have stopped breathing. She immediately scooped him up in her arms and ran towards the school. Yukari was doing her best to keep up with them as she watched Moka's eyes which were fixated on Tsukune, holding him close to her body.

(Medical building)

Though Tsukune seemed to be unconscious he was able to see glimpses of the aftermath. Moka carrying him in her arms to the nurses office, Kurumu and the nurse demanding to know what had happened, them rushing him through the halls on a gurney, students trying to see what had happened to him and finally them hooking him up to machines that were pumping drugs into his body. His entire body was numb from all the drugs traveling through his system. Though all feeling was gone he could still hear everything that was going on.

"Moka how did this happen?"

"Gomen Kurumu-san...I didn't want this to happen."

Apparently Moka had turned back to normal. He could hear someone crying near him. Kurumu seemed angry at whoever it was that was crying.

"Tsukune-san! Forgive me...I was wrong about you...I love you..."

Well Yukari seemed to have apologized so that was good. In all honesty if he could talk he would accept it. He heard the girls making their way to his side and take their seats. He could hear noises from the area around him. He heard a mechanical beeping of a heart monitor and the bustling of people. From what he could tell he was in an hospital. He laid in that bed for who knows how long, listening to the outside world. After a while everything seemed to calm down and nobody spoke. Slowly but surely he could feel his body returning to normal. At this point he attempted to open his eyes. At first his vision was blurry but came back quickly. The room was dark, the only light came from the glow of the machines he was hooked up to. He could see all three of the girls were sitting next to him. All three of them were sound asleep and by the looks of it have been for several hours. He tried to move his arm but soon saw that it was no longer there.

"...ow."

His voice was weak and barely audible. It was obvious that he was under some powerful sedatives.

'Ow? You have your arm snapped off and say 'Ow'? I'm impressed. I've seen greater men cry over lesser wounds.'

His mind was so muddled that he couldn't even come up with a remark. His head lolled over to watch the girls sleep. Moka and Kurumu had their heads on each others shoulders and in the middle was Yukari, sleeping peacefully.

'Noble of you to forgive her when she didn't deserve it. I believe you deserve a reward for that.'

The sound of the door creaking open caught his attention. He tried to move his head but found it to be extremely difficult. The sound of something slithering across the floor, not unlike that of a snake wasn't lost on him. He saw the covers begin to move on their own and the feeling of something warm touching his body. Whatever it was touching him. traveled its way up his body until it reached his face. It slowly came to his eye. It dug behind the eye at an agonizing pace. He tried to scream but the only sound he made was a wheezing rasp. The heart monitor beeped as his heart pumped faster and faster. Kurumu moved her hand and slapped it like an alarm clock. The pain traveled down from his eye to his missing arm. He watched as the bandages around the nub loosened to reveal a bone protruding out of the skin.

It was like watching a nature video of a growing plant. The bone grew at an accelerated pace and began to split apart. He watched in amazement as the bones in his arm and hand were fully regenerated. Next came the pink strands and cords of tissue, sinew and muscles wrapped themselves around the skeletal arm. Finally patches of pale flesh grew on the muscles and expanded outwards. He couldn't believe it, his arm was back to normal. Everything was exactly the same except for a pale white ring around his elbow.

'A reminder of what I have done...and can do."

(Medical building-Morning)

Outside of Tsukune's door was the three boys readying themselves for one last all out attack. Each one of them was carrying a small wooden club. They were psyching themselves, building up their courage. Kasashara stood ahead of them with his hand on the door knob.

"All right we all saw him yesterday and know that he's in no shape to defend himself. If we take him out than we'll become the toughest students in this school!"

All three of them let out a primal war cry and tore open the door. They held their clubs up high ready to bring them down on the head of their enemy.

"Hello!"

Tsukune stood in the middle of the room buttoning up his shirt. One side of it was torn and caked in dried blood but it was the only shirt he had. The group stood there with jaws dropped but quickly brought the clubs behind their backs. Tsukune had on a friendly smile as he continued to get dressed. After a few minutes Tsukune finished and made his way to the door.

"Thanks for stopping by...it's nice to know that not everybody is out to get me."

Tsukune made his way out of the room and quickly made his way down a flight of stairs. All three of the boys watched in disbelief as to what just happened. Gouzaburou and Kubisaku glared at Kasashara, brought out their clubs and whacked him over the head. As he lay on the floor twitching in pain they threw down their clubs and walked away from him, not wanting to have any part with him any more.

(A/N)

Thanks to all of those who reviewed...I truly appreciate it.

"In Tobi We Trust"