Draconeelans here with the next installment of Metroid: Rosario. I honestly have no excuse again to why it takes me so long. But this story is not dead! And neither are any of my other stories! I'll just be working on the others when the inspiration hits. Anyways, let's get on with this chapter!
It was a while since the incident with Gin, and the Newspaper Club had a huge success with their first edition, covering the identity of the Peeping Tom. Gin ended up on the receiving end of the anger of some VERY pissed off girls. After having also been defeated by Devon, this helped change his attitude, and he managed to stay somewhat behaved.
Thanks to his change in attitude, the Newspaper Club actually managed to start making and handing out editions, much to Ms. Nekonome's delight. And after another night of hard work, the latest edition of the paper was ready for distribution. The members, which at this moment were just Devon, Moka, Kurumu and Yukari, as Gin was nowhere to be found, were in front of the school, handing out their work. Devon shrugged as he helped hand out papers, not really bothered with their president's 'absence'.
Devon noticed that most of their customers were boys that were probably only buying copies due to Moka and Kurumu handing them out. The newspapers were selling left and right, and it wasn't long before the group had reached an endpoint.
"Wow, we sold out!" Moka exclaimed in amazement.
"Yeah," Devon agreed, "Completely."
"We handed them out to almost everyone!" Kurumu beamed as she hugged Devon.
"That's what makes it all worthwhile!" Yukari agreed.
Devon and the others all agreed with the young witch, before he glanced around, "Anybody seen Gin?"
"He's probably chasing skirts like always," Kurumu scoffed, "Who needs him?"
"He's an enemy of women!" Yukari supported that comment.
"You all sure get along..."
At the sound of the almost silent voice, the club turned toward it's source. The owner was a beautifully pale girl with long, messy purple hair and eyes that were a shade somewhere between blue and purple. Instead of the normal school uniform, she wore a white sweater with navy-blue sleeves that was loose enough to expose the straps of a black tank top she wore underneath. She still wore the standard uniform skirt, alongside striped, thigh-high stockings. Devon noticed she also had a lollipop in her mouth.
"I don't really get it," she muttered.
"Got a problem with that?" Kurumu glared.
"Yeah, that's pretty rude!" Yukari added.
Devon walked up to the girl, ignoring the other two for the moment, "Something you don't understand about having friends?"
"Hard to understand what I don't have," the girl replied.
Devon frowned, "That's no good."
The girl stuck her hand out to him, "Got any newspapers left...?"
Checking his pockets, Devon managed to produce a copy of the newspaper. Why he was going to hold on to it was a mystery to him, but the girl had asked for one. "Just one. Might be a little wrinkled though."
The fact that it was was wrinkled didn't seem to deter the girl. If anything, her eyes lit up as she held the paper close. She looked at it for a second before shifting her gaze to Devon. He felt an odd chill go up his spine, "Did you need anything else?" he asked.
"So you're Devon Aran, huh," she identified, removing the lollipop from her mouth and smiling, "You're a lot cuter than I expected."
"Uh-kay," Devon muttered, not really sure what to say.
"Hope I see you again," she said as she left Devon and the others.
As the group watched the girl leave, Moka asked, "Devon, who was that girl? Do you know her?"
"No," Devon shook his head, "First time I've ever seen her."
"Well, whoever she was, we probably won't see her again," Kurumu said hopefully. She already had enough rivals for Devon's heart, she didn't want anymore.
"At any rate, we better finish packing up and get to class," Devon said.
As Ms. Nekonome was about to begin the day's lesson, the door slid open and the girl from earlier walked into the class. This drew the attention of Devon, Moka, and Kurumu.
'She's in our class?' the three thought in unison.
"Sorry," the girl apologized, "I'm late."
"Ah, Shirayuki-san," Ms. Nekonome said, "I'm glad you finally came. Please, take your seat." the girl bowed and went to her seat, which was the one directly in front of Devon.
Ms. Nekonome then explained, "Mizore Shirayuki was ill for most of the semester so she couldn't come to school. I'm glad she's feeling better now."
"I am," Mizore nodded, before glancing over her shoulder at Devon.
"Now as I was saying..." Ms. Nekonome said as she started the lesson.
After class, many students were milling about, minding their own business. As for the Newspaper Club, they were meeting up. To celebrate completely selling out on their most recent edition, they were planning on hosting a small party in their club room. Yukari was already off collecting some things, while the other three, meaning Moka, Devon, and Kurumu, were going over the details.
"So we'll all meet up back at the club room once we finish buying everything," Moka said, "Is that alright?"
"Right," Kurumu agreed, before she turned to Devon, "Hey, Devon. I'll bake my special cookies for you. Would you like that?"
Kurumu's statement was punctuated by pressing herself against Devon, making sure her breasts were tightly pressed against him.
"Kurumu!" Moka huffed before she grabbed the amorous succubus by the shoulders and began dragging her away.
"Hey! I wasn't done!" Kurumu cried.
Devon sighed, shaking his head. He was probably not going to ever get used to Kurumu's ways of showing affection. Any other guy would probably welcome it, but that wasn't him. As he was about to walk off, he suddenly had a feeling that he was being watched. Heightening his senses, he looked for some sign of whoever was possibly watching. He found it when he spotted someone's shoulder sticking out from behind a pillar.
"Who's there?" he called, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Things were silent for a moment, until the familiar form of Mizore Shirayuki poked her head out from the side with a friendly smile on her face.
"Hi," she greeted.
"Oh, Mizore," Devon's expression relaxed, a small smile on his face, "How are you?"
"I am well," Mizore nodded as she walked closer to the boy. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the copy of the newspaper that Devon had given her. "I read your article. It was very good, as always."
"Thanks," Devon smiled. He had wondered if anyone would like his articles. Journalism was something he was new too. Sure his skills he gained from training with the galaxy's greatest bounty hunter came in handy for finding out stuff, but actually writing it all down was surprisingly challenging, yet rewarding at the same time. "You always read my articles?"
"Yes," Mizore smiled. Reaching into her sweater, she pulled out a blue book that had an ornate silver heart on the back and a white rabbit on the front. "Here."
"A scrapbook?" Devon identified as he accepted the offered item.
"When I was away, I asked Ms. Nekonome to send me copies of the School Newspaper," Mizore explained as Devon opened the book, "I found your articles interesting so I kept them in this scrapbook."
"Glad somebody likes them," Devon said. Opening the book to see what articles Mizore had kept, he was surprised to see that the odd girl had been writing comments next to the articles. There were so many of them that Devon had trouble reading them all. Some were so small he wasn't sure what they were saying.
"You tend to write from the perspective of the observer, almost like an outsider," Mizore commented, "That's something I can really relate to."
"Well, personal opinion can draw unwanted attention, good or bad," Devon explained, "I just try to be real with the facts and tell it as it is."
"I can't help but feel our personalities are the same," Mizore said as she almost seemed to glide over to Devon and wrap her arms around one of his, resting her head on his shoulder. Devon was a little surprised at the girl's boldness, as well as the fact that she felt a little cold. Devon reasoned that was why she was wearing a sweater instead of the standard uniform. "You must be pretty lonely too. I know how that feels."
Devon frowned slightly at Mizore's words. In all honesty, he hardly felt lonely anymore. Moka, Kurumu, Yukari, and even Gin were all good friends. Even when he couldn't hang out with them, he knew he wasn't alone anymore.
'Anymore...' he thought. There was a point of loneliness in his life, one that he wanted to forget: his past. That, and being from another world made him feel different from everyone else here, even if they were all monsters. He tried not to think about the past and instead focused on the good things that has happened since he came to the school. He had made a lot of great friends and was having lots of fun.
"I felt lonely before," Devon said, "But not anymore. I do remember that feeling though. It isn't fun."
"Then we do understand each other," Mizore smiled, "Do you want to hang out? I know a nice place."
"Well... I do have something I need to get too," Devon started. He still had the party with Moka and the others to get too. He did have some time to spare though, maybe he could use it to get to know Mizore better. She looked like she really wanted to be friends, and if she was telling the truth about being lonely, Devon wanted to do what he could to help her. "I guess we could hang out for a little while."
Mizore smiled as she tugged on Devon's arm, getting him to follow her.
"This is my favorite place, where I like to be alone," Mizore said as she stood with Devon next to a small lake, close to the school.
"Definitely seems peaceful," Devon commented. He watched as Mizore picked up a pebble and tossed it, seeing it skip seven times before sinking underneath the surface. "Nice," Devon smiled. He then noticed Mizore giving him a pebble.
"Your turn," she beckoned.
Gripping the pebble, Devon glanced at the lake for a moment, before he tossed it. The pebble skipped five times before sinking. "I've never done something like this before."
"But you made it skip five times," she encouraged, "That's pretty good for your first try."
"I guess," Devon shrugged, a small smile on his face. He then remembered something.
"Hey, Mizore, I'm sorry to say but I have to get going," As soon as he said that, he could see her smile turn into a frown. "Mizore?"
"You want to see that girl, don't you?" the girl questioned.
"That girl?" Devon blinked, "Do you mean Moka?"
She smiled again, placing a hand against his cheek. He shivered a little at her touch, "Don't worry, I've taken care of her, and you won't ever have to think about her again..."
"What do you mean?" Devon questioned as he backed away from Mizore, his eyes narrowed, "What did you do to Moka?"
"Nothing... yet," Mizore stated, "But she's not going to be a problem anymore."
"She's my friend!" Devon said sharply.
"I'm sorry, Devon, but you can't leave," Mizore said.
Devon backed away as the air grew increasingly colder. He shivered, 'C-cold...'
"I cannot let you leave," Mizore spoke softly as the lake froze over in a thick sheet of ice. The girl's hands became covered in ice claws, while her hair appeared to turn to ice as well. "I suppose you can tell I'm a yuki-onna now. I will make you mine."
"W-wait... Mizore..." Devon started, a shiver audible in his voice, before he lost all feeling in his feet. He glanced down to see that his feet were encased in ice. "N-not... g-good..."
"It will only hurt for a little while," Mizore smiled gently, "Then we can be together."
"S-s-s..." Devon shivered. Mizore moved closer, trying to understand what he was saying. She however, missed the fact that his eyes were glazing over. Unbeknownst to her, the cold was severely affecting Devon, in a very negative way. "S-s... stop... c-c-cold..."
"Devon!" Mizore heard a voice, and looked up to see Moka being carried by a flying Kurumu. Mizore narrowed her eyes at the pink-haired vampire.
"Moka... Akashiya..." the yuki-onna spoke dangerously. "Do not get in my way!" A sudden blizzard then started up, knocking Kurumu around in the air. Losing control of her flight, Kurumu and Moka both ended up crashing into Devon's half frozen form, breaking him free of the ice. As they tumbled to the ground, Devon's hand snagged on Moka's rosary.
"You are an eyesore," Mizore stated as she stalked toward Moka, her hand forming into a icy blade. Before she could bring the weapon down on Moka though, a brilliant flash illuminated the pink-haired girl, followed by an enormous wave of energy. The pulse was strong enough to knock Mizore back slightly, and she could only look on as Moka's hair bled silver. When the girl opened her eyes, they were no longer green, but a fierce red, with narrow slit pupils.
"No," Mizore shook at the power the vampire was giving off, "I can't lose... I cannot!" she lunged toward Moka, intending to slice her head off, but didn't get the chance, as Moka shot forward, driving her foot into Mizore's stomach. The attack launched Mizore back, nearly unconscious when she landed. Before Moka could possibly press her attack, or even say anything, a shout drew her attention.
"Devon!"
It was Kurumu's voice. Glancing toward the succubus, Moka saw the girl kneeling over Devon's prone form, and noticed something wrong, very wrong. Devon was hardly moving, save for the small shiver that passed over his body occasionally. His eyes were glazed over, not really seeing anything. Moka could even sense that his heartbeat was erratic, and his body temperature was dangerously low.
"Kurumu!" Moka moved near the girl, who was almost in tears.
"What's wrong with him!?" Kurumu yelled. Moka didn't have an answer.
"C...c-c-c... cold..." Devon's almost silent mutter was missed by Kurumu, but Moka's sharp hearing managed to pick it up.
"The ice," Moka stated, causing Kurumu to glance at her questioningly, "He must have an aversion to the ice, or at least to cold temperatures." Moka trained a glare on the yuki-onna, who was starting to get to her feet, albeit shakily. The look on the girl's face though, showed that she had heard the words that Moka just said, and was staring fearfully, both at Moka and Devon.
"You'd best hope that he recovers from this," Moka stated, anger lacing her tone. Nothing else was said as Moka and Kurumu quickly moved Devon away from the area, taking him to the infirmary. Mizore remained where she was, playing through her head what just happened.
'He's... weak to the cold...' she thought, 'I almost...' she couldn't finish the thought, and instead ran off in the opposite direction the other three went.
"Is he going to be alright?" Yukari questioned fearfully, looking over Devon as he lay on a bed in the infirmary. Multiple hot water bottles were positioned on and around his body, trying desperately to warm him.
"He has to be!" Kurumu shouted, both angrily and fearfully.
Moka stood off to the side, still unsealed. She was looking over Devon carefully. When she first fought alongside him, during the incident with the Lizardmen and Yukari, she had sensed some sort of energy within him. An energy that, though weak, was vaguely similar to her own demonic yoki. Now however, she didn't sense that energy at all, almost like it had been sapped from him. She reasoned that the cold had a similar effect on him as water did to her.
"Ugh..." Devon groaned quietly, shivering. It seemed that the attempt at warming him was failing, his body temperature had yet to change, if anything, it seemed even lower.
"Devon..." Kurumu muttered, before turning to Moka, "Isn't there anything we can do?"
Moka thought about one possible way to help, she was also wondering if the boy was worth it. She eventually stepped forward, "There might be something." the other girls looked to the silver-haired vampire. "I'm going to give Devon an injection of my blood."
"What?" Kurmur questioned, but Yukari had an understanding look on her face.
"Of course! Vampire's have incredible healing abilities," she said, "And they can pass those on to others by injecting their blood into them."
"Really!?" Kurumu started, her face gaining hope, "Then do it already!"
"There is a downside however," Moka said, she remembered what Devon had told them about himself, "Not even I know what kind of effect it could have on him. Considering he's from another world, and a combination of genes, I'm not sure my blood could heal him or not."
Kurumu and Yukari looked at each other worriedly. What Moka said had merit, who knows what would happen to Devon.
"I still think it's worth a try," Kurumu eventually said, "I don't want to lose my Destined One, not when there is a chance to save him." she then looked at the vampire, "And what about you Moka?"
"What about me?" she said.
"Do you really care for Devon?" the succubus asked, "Do you want him to die?"
Moka scoffed as she moved next to the bed Devon was in, not answering Kurumu's question. She reached down to move Devon's head to the side so she could reach his neck, when Devon's hand shot up and grabbed her wrist. She was surprised that he moved, considering the state he was in, but what happened next shocked her even more.
It felt like something was being drained from her body, not unlike how she, or at least her pink-haired self, drained Devon of his blood. This was different however, it almost felt like, her energy was being drained. She quickly managed to pull out of Devon's grip, and his hand fell limply to his side.
"What the...?" Moka muttered, her eyes narrowed at the still near unconscious boy.
"What just happened, Moka?" Kurumu questioned, surprised at the turn of events.
"I don't know," the vampire answered, "It almost felt like... like he was draining me of my energy."
"But how did he do that?" Yukari asked. Moka didn't answer immediately; instead, she focused on the boy. What she both saw and sensed surprised her slightly, Devon's body was warming up, if slightly. His breathing and heart rate were starting to return to normal levels, and the energy she had once sensed was there again, though still weaker than normal.
"I may not have to give him my blood," Moka muttered.
"What?" the other two girls asked. They didn't get an answer as Moka walked over and grabbed a nearby potted plant. She then walked back over next to Devon's bed.
"What are you doing?" Kurumu questioned.
"Testing a theory," Moka said simply, confusing the blue-haired girl. Moka held the plant near Devon, and he moved his hand, grabbing the plant near its base. The three girls looked on in surprise as the plant quickly withered away, its leaves draining of color, becoming brittle. Even the soil the plant was in dried up, as if all nutrients had been completely drained.
The now dead plant crumpled in Devon's grip as his hand fell back to the bed. Moka placed the pot on the ground, her gaze not leaving Devon. The girls all noticed that he actually looked better; he wasn't shivering, and Moka could sense that previous energy within him. After a few minutes, Devon's eyes opened. He looked around to see the three looking over him, various expressions of relief on their faces, except for Moka, whose expression looked more curious than anything.
"Devon!" Kurumu and Yukari both exclaimed, trapping their friend in a hug. Devon grunted from having his breath knocked out of him.
"Easy girls," he gasped, "still recovering here."
"How did you recover anyway?" Moka asked, "Emphasis on 'how'."
"Yeah," Yukari added, after she and Kurumu released Devon, "Moka said it felt like you were draining her energy."
"Then there's the fact of what you did to that plant," Kurumu said, gesturing to the shriveled plant on the ground.
Devon looked at what remained of the plant for a moment, before sighing and turning to the girls, "First off, let me say sorry for doing that to you Moka. It was kind of a reflex response."
"Reflex?" Moka eyed the boy.
"Survival," Devon said, "Considering I was near comatose, my body kind of reacted on its own. As to how I did what I did, I need to tell you something else. Something about my mother."
"What is it?" Yukari asked.
"You all know a bit about my mother," he told them, "How she's human and whatnot." the girls all nodded, "What you don't know, is that she has other DNA infused in her."
"Other... DNA?" Kurumu questioned.
"You see, my mother wields, or rather, wears a suit of armor called the 'Power Suit', given to her by the Chozo, the alien race that adopted her." he explained, "In order for her to properly use the suit though, the Chozo had to infuse her with some of their DNA. By doing so, not only was she able to use all of the suit's capabilities, she also became stronger, faster, and more agile than any human alive."
"How does that explain your draining ability?" Moka asked, "I understand your own physical strengths being affected by that, but not the draining."
"I'm getting to that," Devon said, getting a slightly annoyed look from the vampire, "During a routine mission, one that occurred about a year or so before my 'birth', my mother was nearly killed, by a creature that was simply called the 'X-parasite'."
"'X... parasite?'" Yukari questioned, not really liking the sound of that name.
"It was a name given to the creature by the Chozo," Devon explained, "A deadly organism; one that was nearly impossible to kill. It had the ability to replicate whatever it killed, through infection, with near perfect accuracy. All of the host's abilities, memories, everything is mimicked by this creature. The hosts never survive the process."
All three girls, even Moka, were shocked. A creature that could kill something in a matter of seconds, then perfectly mimic what they just killed, it was not a very pretty thought.
"How did your mother survive?" Kurumu asked, knowing from what Devon told them before that Samus was alive and well.
"The X that infected her was killing her slowly, putting her in a coma. The Galactic Federation, in an attempt to save her, created a vaccine from an extinct creature: the Metroid."
"Metroid?"
"A creature that was described as an almost perfect predator," Devon said, "Even its name in the Chozo language roughly translates to 'Ultimate Warrior'. It was a creature that was genetically engineered by the Chozo to prevent the spread of the X. Using its DNA, the Federation created a vaccine that managed to purge the parasite from Samus' body, saving her life. An unknown side-effect at the time was that the DNA of the Metroid bonded with Samus', giving her some of their abilities, like the ability to 'feed' off the X-parasites."
"And since you have the DNA of Samus within you, that means you have the abilities too," Yukari concluded.
Devon nodded, "The Metroids feed by draining the life force of their prey, in a manner similar to a leech. No one knows exactly how the Metroids do it, or what exactly this 'life force' is. All that's known is that the Metroid itself was a lethal predator, one that the Pirates and even the Federation experimented with, until their extinction."
Devon took a breath, "Unfortunately, the Metroids also had one fatal flaw. Whether the Chozo meant for this or not, the Metroids have a mortal weakness to the cold. Which, as you girls saw, transferred to me through Samus."
"So because the Metroids are weak to cold, so are you?" Moka said.
"Yeah," Devon confirmed, "I'm a bit more resilient then my mom, but that could be due to Ridley's DNA within me. Regardless, I'm still intolerant to the cold." Devon then thought of something. "Where's Mizore?"
"She's not here," Kurumu huffed, thankful for that fact. If she ever saw the snow girl that had nearly killed her Destined One, she'd probably kill the girl on the spot.
"Why would you care about her?" Moka asked, "She nearly killed you after all."
"That may be," Devon said, "But I can't help but worry."
"Why's that?" Yukari asked.
"Simple," Devon answered, "She's been alone for who knows how long. We all know that feeling; it's something no one should have to go through."
"Well, yeah, but..." Kurumu started.
"I don't blame her for nearly killing me," Devon interrupted. The three looked at him, confused. "The reason being: she didn't know. She didn't know I was weak to the cold. If she knew, that would be one thing, but she didn't."
"None of us knew," Moka said, "Because you never said anything."
"Then it's my fault I nearly got killed," Devon shrugged, "If I said something than maybe none of this would have happened."
"Understatement," Moka commented. Devon merely glanced at the vampire.
"Well, I'm going to head back to my room," Devon said, getting up somewhat easily, most of his earlier weakness gone, "I'd feel better finishing my recovery in my own room." With that, Devon left, leaving the girls to think about what he said.
The next day, Devon had completely recovered. Mizore however, was absent from school. Moka and Kurumu were relieved that she was gone, but the same couldn't be said for Devon. He was honestly really worried about her. He knew it was his fault that the girl was not at school. If he had just said something about his weakness, then everything would probably have turned out differently.
"Where Shirayuki-san lives?" Ms. Nekonome asked curiously.
It was the following day after class, and Devon was visiting the faculty room where most of the teachers got their paperwork done. It had been pretty easy to find where Ms. Nekonome's desk was. She was the only one who had cat ears sticking out from her head.
"Yeah," Devon nodded, "I'm worried about Mizore."
"Oh, how nice of you!" Ms. Nekonome smiled, "I know exactly where she stays so I can give you the room number."
"You sure you want to do that?" a rough voice asked.
Ms. Nekonome and Devon looked up to see who was speaking. The two found themselves looking at a man who was wearing track suit pants and a sleeveless shirt. His skin was tanned and he had red hair. The vibe the guy gave off gave the impression that he thought he was above it all. Devon also didn't like the look in the guy's eyes.
"She's dangerous, you know," the man continued, "A really unstable girl."
"Kotsubo-sensei?" Ms. Nekonome blinked.
"I'm just saying she's trouble," Kotsubo shrugged. "You know why she was gone so long, kid?"
"She was sick, wasn't she?" Devon asked, his arms folded.
"That's just the cover story," Kotsubo chuckled, "You see, she attacked a teacher, apparently for no reason. She just snapped all of a sudden."
Devon quirked an eyebrow at that. It didn't sound right. Sure, Mizore seemed to resort to violence, but only if and when there was a real reason. She wasn't the type to attack for no reason at all. "You sure about that? Maybe it was a mistake?"
"Hell yeah I'm sure," Kotsubo chuckled, "You see, I was the teacher she attacked. Put me down for a while too."
Devon observed the guy. He didn't look to badly hurt for someone who had gotten injured by Mizore. His tone of voice also suggested that he was enjoying telling about how he was supposedly attacked by the yuki-onna.
At the same time, Devon couldn't help but feel that the guy was leaving out a lot of detail to his story. He kept that thought to himself for now.
"She's getting worse too," Kotsubo continued, "Two students were attacked last night. They got frozen in ice and looked cut up pretty badly. They might have died if we didn't find 'em."
"Huh?" Devon clearly gaped, "There has to be a mistake."
"There isn't any mistake about it kid," Kotsubo snickered. "The ice was pretty unmistakable. I've even heard that there's plans to expel Mizore Shirayuki since she's so dangerous."
"How can you even be sure that it was really her?" Devon asked.
"The ice, kid," Kotsubo answered, "Who else could it be?"
"That's not a valid reason," Devon argued, "There must be hundreds of yokai at this school. Mizore can't be the only one capable of wielding ice."
"Ohhh! That's a good point!" Ms. Nekonome gasped, "It could be someone else who uses ice. She's just the only one we know who can!"
"And all this starts up the night of the day she gets back here?" Kotsubo asked while frowning, "Sorry, but I know a troublemaker when I see one."
"Could just be a coincidence," Devon said with a small shrug, "Weird things happen in this school all the time right?"
"You know..." another teacher, Ririko Kagome, spoke up, having overheard the conversation. "He has a point. With so many different monsters grouped together, plenty of odd things happen out here."
Kotsubo started to become agitated, "Hey, are you forgetting that she attacked me? Can we really let that go? The fact that she hasn't said anything about it speaks of her guilt."
"She won't talk to you," Devon answered, "Maybe she's afraid for some reason. I might be able to get her side of the story."
"Oooh! You're right!" Ms. Nekonome smiled brightly. She quickly scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it over to Devon. "Here you go! I wish you the best!"
"Thanks," Devon smiled.
Kotsubo gave Devon a small glare, "Why would you defend her though? I heard about what happened to you. Are you seriously just going to let that go?"
Devon looked at the teacher. Apparently word spread fast if the teachers knew what happened to him. He merely shrugged, "I don't hold it against her. She wasn't aware of the fact that I'm weak to the cold, so it's not her fault. If anything, it's mine for not saying anything about that." With that, Devon left the room. He was starting to feel that something was up, and if he didn't do something, Mizore could be hurt. As he was leaving, Kotsubo was staring at him with a frown.
"He's going to be trouble," he muttered.
Devon didn't tell Moka or the others that he was going to see Mizore. They'd probably freak if they found out. He could tell that Mizore was lonely and misunderstood, much like he was in his world. Except for one person, he had been alone. He did not want to leave Mizore like that, he had to talk to her.
Devon stood at Mizore's door. "Time we talked," he muttered to himself. His hand went to the knob, but he recoiled from the sudden chill. "It's cold..." Well, she was a yuki-onna, so it was probably normal for her doorknob to be cold.
Bracing himself, he tried again, jiggling the doorknob and found that it was unlocked. He pushed the door open and was greeted by an arctic breeze. He quickly jumped back, shivers already pulsing through his body. Fighting his instinct to get away from the cold, he looked inside the open dorm. The entire place was covered in a thick layer of ice. The chill in the air was already starting to weaken him, so he had to be quick.
"Mizore?" he called, trying to keep the shiver out of his voice,"You in here?" He got no response. Pushing his senses to heighten through the cold, he tried to find some sign of her, but nothing.
"She's not here," he muttered, closing the door. He rubbed his arms, trying to regain some warmth. There were times it was extremely annoying to be weak to the cold, and this was one of those times.
Right now though, he needed to find Mizore, cold or no cold. Steeling his still shivering body, he quickly started his search, hoping to find her quickly.
Mizore stood at the edge of a cliff that overlooked a rocky beach, her eyes staring longingly across the water's depths. The wind blew through her hair, and she absentmindedly moved a strand from her face. She was alone again, and Devon probably would never see her again. Worse, he'd probably never want anything to do with her.
Just that very thought tore into her very heart. The pain of remembering what she had almost done to him hurt her, and she couldn't bear to even look at him. All she remembered was the unseeing gaze he had and how he hardly had moved. Just thinking about her actions made her want to cry.
She'd regretted attacking Moka, and for trying to freeze Devon, greatly. But, she just felt so lonely, and the way he spoke to her, and acted around her; she had never known such happiness in a long time. But it was gone now, forever, and she only had herself to blame.
"Alone again, are we, Mizore?" the snow girl gasped at the voice and spun around, her eyes lit up in shock. She knew that voice all to well; it belonged to the gym teacher, Kotsubo.
"Kotsubo... sensei?" her already pale face drained of any remaining color as she backed away from the grinning teacher.
Kotsubo chuckled darkly, "You know, it's funny what kind of card life deals you," he said as he approached her, grinning lecherously, "First, you say you like me, then you turn around and attack me."
"You were taking advantage of me," she defended, "I didn't like it."
"Well, no one will believe you anyway," he said, "I mean, it's a teacher's word against a student's."
Kotsubo suddenly lunged at Mizore and pinned her body to the ground. She struggled to free herself from his grip. "Let me go!" she demanded.
"Oh, don't be like that," he licked his lips, "Just let me do whatever I want, and I'll let you off easy. How's that?"
Mizore's eyes blazed with fury, and with a sudden burst of strength, she threw him off of her, and over the cliff. She could hear his screams of terror and suddenly felt horrified at what she'd done. She'd just killed a teacher.
Mizore looked over the edge to see if he was alright. "Kotsubo-sensei!" she cried, but saw no one. The girl slumped to her knees, despair filling her once again. Suddenly, she felt something grab her ankle and yank her over the cliff. She gave a startled scream and managed to grab onto a thorny plant, preventing her from falling.
She looked behind her, and gasped as she saw Kotsubo in his true form: a Kraken. He looked to have an octopus attached to his back, with the octopus' head acting as a cowl of sorts over his head, tentacles swinging about as his own arms had become tentacles as well. The man's face had a vicious grin on it.
"You know, I was going to give you a chance," Kotsubo sneered, "But it looks like I'm just going to have to kill you now, such a shame really." Another thought then crossed his mind, "Oh, but before I do that, some kid named Devon was out looking for you. He must have really liked you, despite what you nearly did. You could practically see it on his face."
That statement shocked Mizore greatly. 'Devon... cares about me?' she thought, 'Even after what I did?' tears began to flow down her face again, even as her grip started to weaken, 'Devon, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...'
"MIZORE!"
Suddenly, she felt a strong grip on her hands, and looked up in shock. Devon was holding onto her wrist tightly, a determined expression on his face.
"D- Devon?" she questioned with shock in her eyes.
The Kraken however, was anything but pleased.
"Do not interfere boy!" He lashed out with one of his tentacles, trying to wrap it around Devon's neck. Before it could though, Devon's free hand shot into his jacket, quickly unholstering his Paralyzer. Pressing the tip of the weapon on the tentacle, he fired a round before the appendage could tighten around his neck. The resulting shock of the weapon coursed through the teacher, and he cried out in pain, releasing his grip on both Devon and Mizore.
With a tug, Devon pulled Mizore over the cliff. He was relieved that she was okay, but didn't get a chance to say anything as he felt something grab his ankle and yank him over the cliff.
"DEVON!" Mizore screamed, her eyes filled with worry as her savior and the teacher both fell to the rocky beach below them.
For his part, Devon remained calm, quickly flipping and landing on his feet. Like when he had jumped out of his dorm room on the first day, he was unharmed from the fall. Just a small impact crater from his landing. Kotsubo on the other hand, landed roughly, though he managed to get to his feet quickly.
He glared at the boy that had gotten in his way, "You know; you shouldn't get involved with business that doesn't concern you."
"Can it. I make it my business when my friends are threatened." Devon stated coldly, returning the teacher's glare. Kotsubo noticed that Devon's pupils were narrow slits. "I'm going to kick your ass for what you did to Mizore!"
"Well, we'll have to see about that, won't we?" Kotsubo rushed Devon, lashing his tentacles forward when he got close.
Flicking his weapon, Devon activated the weapon's blade function, the plasma line extending. Keeping his gaze on the attacking teacher, he began using his Sensemove, dodging the attacks while swiping with his plasma blade. Unlike the whip, which would, at most, burn if partly cut flesh, the blade cut through the tentacles like butter.
Kotsubo howled in pain as two of his tentacles were severed. He leaped back, as did Devon, creating space between the two combatants. The stumps where his tentacles used to be were sizzling, though there was no bleeding, the plasma blade having cauterized the wounds.
"You little brat!" he roared before charging again.
"You're a one-trick pony, you know that?" Devon said as he began to effortlessly dodge the kraken's clumsy attacks. As he did so, he severed three more of the teacher's tentacles. Kotsubo, seeing that his attacks were going no where, tried to leap back again. Devon would have none of that.
"I don't think so!" he yelled, before he lashed his weapon forward, switching to grapple function. The plasma line attached to Kotsubo's torso, and with a hard pull, the teacher found himself flying toward Devon.
"This is for Mizore!" he yelled. Putting as much power into his leg as he could, Devon delivered a powerful roundhouse to Kotsubo's head. The hit sent him flying, unconscious, into the ocean.
Looking where the teacher had landed, or rather sunk, Devon sighed, glad that was over.
"Devon!"
The familiar voice drew Devon's attention around. Looking toward the source, he spotted Moka, as well as Kurumu, Yukari, and Mizore, all running down the beach toward him, having found a way down that didn't involve jumping from the cliff.
Moka and the others all expressed various degrees of relief that their friend was okay. Mizore hung back slightly, still worried over what she had nearly done. She was also confused, why would Devon still defend her, let alone protect her? She was brought out of her thoughts as Devon walked over to her.
"You alright, Mizore?" he asked. He looked genuinely concerned.
"Why?" she couldn't help but ask, "Why did you rescue me? Even after I...?"
"Don't Mizore," Devon gently interrupted, "I don't blame you for what happened. If anything, I blame myself for not saying anything about my weakness." he then put his hand on the girl's shoulder, "As for why I helped you; well that's what friends do right?"
Mizore couldn't help but hug Devon, tears running down her face. Devon returned the hug, a small smile on his face. The other three girls looked on, also smiling. They had all decided that they shouldn't blame Mizore for what happened. It was as Devon said, it was his fault for not saying anything anyway, and they wouldn't hold it against the yuki-onna.
Their happy mood was cut short however, when the water where Kotsubo had landed seemed to explode. Looking up, they all saw Kotsubo's form in the air, as if he had leaped out of the water.
"Huh!? Is that guy still not done?" Kurumu asked, as the teacher came toward them.
"Move!" Devon said, as the group all scattered before the kraken landed on them. However, Devon noticed something. Kotsubo's body wasn't positioned to attack. Instead, he looked like a rag-doll. His thought was confirmed as Kotsubo landed where they had all been standing, and they could all see that he was still unconscious.
"What just happened?" Moka asked, as they all looked at the injured teacher. Devon looked over the kraken, trying to see what happened. In addition to the large bruise and possible broken jaw from his kick, he noticed that Kotsubo's shirt was torn, and there looked to be a large mark on the teacher's torso, and one of his legs was twisted slightly, indicating a break.
'What caused this?' he thought.
"Devon?"
Moka's question grabbed his attention. He noticed they were all standing behind him. "From the looks of things," he started, looking over the body still, "It looks like he was rammed by something. His leg's broken, and if I had to guess through this mark," he pointed over the man's torso, showing the large bruise, "Possibly some broken ribs."
"What could do that though?" Kurumu asked.
She was about to get her answer.
From the ocean, a large creature burst out, surprising the group of friends. The thing was quite large, maybe slightly taller than Devon's lizard form, though it was smaller overall. It 's body was a dark blue, with a lighter blue underbelly, with pink spots or markings. It had two heavily muscled legs, which had four toed, clawed feet, with another two claws pointing backward. The lower legs had what looked to be armor of sorts, that was a yellowish-brown color. It's tail was vaguely similar to a dolphin's. The creature's large head had a shell-like armor covering almost it's entire skull, with large antlers sprouting from the side.
"I think that's our answer," Devon said, though the girl's were able to catch a thread of anger in his tone. 'Not again...' was his thought.
The creature's green eyes locked on the group of teens, and the thing roared, showing a large mouth full of razor sharp teeth. It then charged at the group, moving surprisingly fast for something its size.
"MOVE!" Devon barked. He and the girls quickly moved out of the thing's path. The creature ended up unceremoniously kicking Kotsubo's body to the side. It stopped and glanced around, looking like it was deciding who to charge at.
"What the heck is that thing!?" Kurumu asked, looking at the thing in disgust. It wasn't exactly a pretty looking creature. The fact that it smelled of dead fish didn't help matters either. The creature turned at the sound of her voice, and charged at her. Spreading her wings, Kurumu quickly took to the air, avoiding the thing's attack.
"Gigafraug!" Devon told the others, "An aquatic species. Another creature the Pirates have experimented with before." The Gigafraug turned toward Devon as he spoke, it's eyes glowing as it charged him. Devon leaped to the side, causing the beast to slam into the cliff wall. The impact caused the ground to shudder, this thing was definitely strong.
Devon and the girls regrouped as the Gigafraug tried to regain its senses, as well as find a target.
"What do we do?" Yukari asked, holding her wand up, ready to fight if needed.
"Well, we cannot let this thing live," Devon told the others, "Last thing we need is for this thing to run amok or possibly be found." Devon looked at the creature, which had turned away from the group and stalked a few steps away, before stopping. This thing wasn't acting like a bio-weapon. It seemed like it was almost declaring the area its territory, much like any beast. This seemed further proved when it saw the five of them standing there, as it roared at the group, trying to intimidate them.
"So, how do we beat it?" Moka asked.
"Well, first," Devon started, as he reached over and pulled Moka's rosary off, releasing her inner self. A wave of demonic energy accompanied her transformation, and the Gigafraug appeared to grow more agitated, possibly sensing the danger it was now in.
"It appears I'm needed here," Moka said as she opened her now ruby-red eyes, training a glare on the beast that stood a few dozen yards from the group.
"The Gigafraug is a durable creature," Devon said as he handed Moka's rosary to her, the vampire putting the item in her pocket for now, "Even the unarmored parts of it's body can be tough to pierce."
"So what do we do?" Moka asked, stretching a little, seeing as this beast might give her a light workout.
"Despite it's toughness, a strong impact to its head can break it's armor," Devon told them. The Gigafraug was scraping the ground with one of it's legs, much like a bull preparing to charge. "That would allow us a chance to deliver a killing blow."
Before more could be said, the Gigafraug charged at the group. Devon tried firing his Paralyzer at the beast, but the size of the creature made it hard for the small bolts to stun it. The group scattered as the Gigafraug got close. The thing paused, before leaping into the air, and coming straight down at Moka.
The vampire avoided the attack, but had to keep moving as the Gigafraug rapidly leaped into the air again, coming down on the vampire. This thing was quick despite its bulk, but Moka was faster, and easily avoided the creature's attacks.
The Gigafraug appeared focused on Moka, sensing that she was the greatest threat. So focused on its target, it didn't notice Kurumu fly in and slash at it with her claws. She managed to cut into the thing's flesh, but her claws scraped off its shell-like armor. A few large wash-bins, conjured by Yukari, fell on the creature, but it was like dropping pebbles onto a boulder. The Gigafraug didn't even feel the impacts, and it practically ignored the cuts caused by Kurumu.
Mizore and Devon fired ice and electricity, respectively, at the beast, trying to distract it so Moka could retaliate. They ended up succeeding in that regard, as the pain from having large icicles and the small jolts of electricity hitting it got its attention. With a roar, the Gigafraug leaped into the air, this time, aiming to come down on the two firing at it.
The two rolled to the side, avoiding a direct hit from the creature, but the impact was enough to knock Mizore to the ground. The Gigafraug turned on the yuki-onna, intending to crush her with its weight. Before it could though, Moka shot in, taking advantage of the thing's distraction, and landed a literal skull crushing blow to its head. A chunk of the shell-like armor on the Gigafraug's head broke off, leaving a gaping hole in the beast's head.
The Gigafraug roared in pain, before butting its head forward, hitting Moka, who was still in the air from her attack. The headbutt knocked the vampire flying, sending her into a nearby boulder. The beast snarled, before it returned its attention to Mizore, who had gotten to her feet. It scraped the ground, preparing to charge. It didn't get a chance.
The Gigafraug was suddenly tackled from the side by a monstrous, purple lizard; Devon. He gave a loud screech as he grappled with the amphibious creature.
The two monstrous combatants struggled with each other, trying to overpower the other. Despite not having any arms, the Gigafraug was proving to be powerful foe. Devon struggled to keep his grip on the amphibious creature, as the thing squirmed and flailed, trying to either bite or kick its foe. Because of the struggle, he couldn't bring his tail-blade to bear, as his tail was currently wrapped around the Gigafraug's torso, acting as an anchor to hold him to the creature.
Moka and the others merely looked on, as the struggle between the two beasts left no opening for any of them to help.
An eventual turning point came. Devon managed to pin the Gigafraug against the cliff wall, though the amphibious creature managed to bite down on his foreleg at the same time, causing him to howl in pain. Not giving in though, Devon kept his enemy pinned, and brought his tail around, stabbing the tail-blade into the thing's open skull.
Unfortunately, it wasn't a fatal strike. The Gigafraug roared in agony, and began thrashing around, trying desperately to remove the blade from its flesh. Seeing that this thing was still not dead, and not wanting to have his tail yanked off, Devon did the only thing he could really think of. Grasping the creature's head with his claws, Devon began draining the thing of its life energy.
The Gigafraug roared again, though it sounded more desperate than angry, and thrashed harder, trying to dislodge Devon from its head. Its attempts were in vain, however, as Devon kept his grip.
The girls watched with mild fascination and shock, as the Gigafraug slowly ceased its thrashing, its body starting to shrivel. It wasn't long before the thing collapsed, unmoving, its body looking more like a rotting corpse. They also noticed the wounds Devon had sustained from the fight, both the bite to his foreleg, and the various cuts from the Gigafraug's antlers, healed at a surprising rate.
Yanking his tail-blade from the now dead creature, Devon grabbed the tail of the Gigafraug in his jaws, and threw the creature far out to sea, its body disappearing beneath the surface. After disposing of the creature, Devon reverted back to his human form.
"Everyone alright?" he asked as they all regrouped. The girls all expressed various versions of: "I'm alright." though Mizore was slightly confused at what occurred. Devon ended up once more explaining his past.
As he did, none of them noticed that they were being watched from the ocean. The unknown being, after seeing that the fight had concluded, sank beneath the waves, disappearing to some unknown location.
The next day, Mizore was declared completely innocent of all charges, as what Kotsubo had done to her was exposed. Normally, he might have been fired, but after the beating he had received, his sentence was lightened. However, he had lost respect most of his fellow teachers. Those in the Newspaper Club were celebrating their victory and good deed.
"Kampai!" they all cheered.
"To a major scoop!" Gin smiled. He hadn't had such an incredible story since he first joined the Newspaper Club in his first year.
"And we have Devon to thank for it!" Kurumu smiled as she leaned against the young hunter's shoulder. "Without him, we never would have found out about it!"
"How did you know where to go in the first place Devon?" Moka wondered.
"Well, let's just say that there was something about that Kotsubo guy that I didn't like," Devon explained, "It was like he was amused when he was telling how Mizore 'attacked' him. He also left a lot of details out of his story. Not to mention he was getting aggravated when I started defending her. It wasn't that hard for me to pick up Mizore's trail."
"I ran into Devon along the way," Gin added, "After he explained the situation, I agreed to help. When we got there, Kotsubo was already attacking. So Devon handled the rescuing and I decided to collect evidence."
"How noble," Kurumu said.
Devon smiled and suddenly shivered as he felt a chill. Spinning around, he saw Mizore standing in the doorway. "Mizore?"
Kurumu and Yukari backed away from the yuki-onna, who entered with almost silent footsteps. The young woman sported a shorter, more exotic look of her old hairstyle and it suited her nicely. Standing up, Devon went to greet her, "Mizore, what brings you here?"
Mizore ran a hand through her hair, before asking, "Do you like my hair?"
Devon smiled, "Yeah, it makes you look cuter." She returned the smile, a blush visible on her face.
"I'm glad to hear that," Mizore said, as she suddenly hugged him. "I'd like to thank you again for before, for sticking up for me. Even after I..."
"Don't," Devon simply said. He noticed that, though her skin was a little cold, he was able to tolerate it. "That's all in the past now, so don't worry about it." Mizore simply nodded, tightening her hug.
"Hey! Get your hands off of him!" Kurumu shouted angrily, and made to move toward the girl, but was suddenly completely frozen in a block of ice.
"Mizore!" Devon gasped, and she looked at him apologetically.
"I'm sorry, but old habits die hard," Mizore then turned her attention to Gin, though she didn't release her grip on Devon, "Also, I wish to join this club, if that's alright."
"You sure about that?" Devon asked, as he and the others were surprised at Mizore's sudden desire to join a club.
The yuki-onna nodded shyly, "It's very lively here and... I don't want to be alone anymore."
"Well, welcome to the club!" Gin grinned, "We welcome anybody!"
Moka frowned, not liking how Mizore was hanging off Devon, but she knew how he was so she allowed it. He was simply too nice at times.
For his part, Devon didn't really mind Mizore hanging onto him. Just so long as she was careful with her ice, he'd do anything he could for the girl. And that went for all of his friends.
Unknown Location
A video feed was playing on a large screen, located in a room dominated by a large tank. The video showed the fight between the Gigafraug and the group of students. Not many were watching the feed at the moment, but those that were watching were growling and chittering to each other, all of them clearly not human.
"Hmm..." a low rumble reverberated through the room, quieting several of the creatures.
"It would appear that the boy has gained more than we thought from the splicing process," a voice spoke. The owner of the voice was an inhuman creature, with reptilian and insectoid characteristics. It stood around 8 feet tall, with a relatively bulky upper body. It's armored body had many similarities to an insect, though its claws, feet, and head were more reptilian. It's yellow eyes turned to the large tank, knowing its leader was inside.
"Indeed," a voice spoke, interest in its tone. "To think that the Metroid DNA that was within the Hunter would give him the ability to drain energy."
"You do not sound worried," the creature said.
"Why should I?" the voice replied, "This just makes capturing him an even greater reward."
"Speaking of, when exactly are we going to do so?"
"When the time is right." the voice said, "I am still not at full strength, and I wish to personally capture him."
"You are aware that it will still be some time before you can leave this room," the creature said, "Even longer for your new body to be ready."
Blood-red eyes flashed from the darkness of the tank, as the voice growled, "I am well aware of my current limitations." The creature shrank away from tank, the anger in the being's tone scaring the other things in the room. When the voice spoke again though, the anger was gone, replaced with cold calculation, "However, this does present an opportunity to see just how much the boy has gained. Continue to monitor him, as well as that group of girls he was with."
"What exactly are you thinking?" the creature asked nervously.
"All in time," the voice said, "Now leave me. I must contemplate matters regarding the yokai." The creature bowed and left, the others in the room following. Red eyes glowed from the tank, watching the video of Devon draining the Gigafraug. "And things get more interesting," the voice mused, before malicious laughter rang throughout the room.
And that's the end of this chapter! Usual read and review! NO flames please!
