Angel vs. Demon

Chapter 21 – Bonding Session

"Hello again, Ame," the voice said. "Did you miss me?"

"No," I thought angrily. "I just saw you when I was training, didn't I? How come you were there?!"

"Oh, I'm everywhere," the voice answered, with a tone of honesty. "But I'm flattered, you know… I didn't know you feared me the most. That just makes my day…!"

I stayed silent. I knew I was dreaming, because the voice was getting stronger and stronger. But, if I was dreaming, then that must mean…

"You made me faint," I accused. "Back there in the forest."

"I didn't make you faint. You fainted yourself."

Once again, I made no comment. I didn't know if I was alive or dead… would I be dead if I was still dreaming? Or was I still alive? But how would the ice dolls leave me alive after I passed out? This just didn't add up somehow.

I wanted to find out. And to do that, I would first have to wake up. Even if I wasn't curious to find out my condition in reality, I still wanted to escape from my dark hole. It was even closer than before, it that was possible… the chasm was getting narrower and narrower.

I squeezed my eyes shut, although it didn't make much of a difference because I couldn't see anything in the first place, and tried to force myself to wake up.

"That won't work," the voice snickered, amused. "You'll have to wait until you're better to wake up. Just rest for now, ok? Calm down and don't struggle. That would make things easier for you… once the time comes."

"There you go again," I thought with irritation. "Stop being so cryptic. Tell me when 'the time' is, and what will happen once it gets here?"

"Ame, the walls are steadily getting closer to you. And you cannot break free, correct? You never could, even in the beginning. You are stuck here, while darkness will take over. And then you will become a part of it."

"In your dreams," I snarled.

"Nope," the voice objected, sounding very relaxed and amused. "In yours, more likely…"

My eyes flew open. I was panting heavily, but I wasn't covered in sweat this time, thank God. Looking up at the sky for a moment, I was confused. Where were the trees? Wasn't I supposed to be lying down on the forest floor? And the clouds, too… even the sky disappeared. Everything was covered in white. And I was strangely comfortable…

Oh my God. Had I really died and gone to Heaven?

"Ame?" an angelic voice asked. Yes, that confirmed everything for me. I definitely died. "Ame, are you okay?"

Turning my head, I looked up to see Kiseki leaning over me in anxiety. My brows furrowed in confusion.

"Why are you dead, too?" I asked him, perplexed. "Or… are you really an angel?"

Kiseki took a long look at my dumbfounded expression and sighed.

"We're at the infirmary," he said slowly, as if I was retarded. "You know, the building thing with doctors and nurses that help mental patients like you…?"

Kurumu snorted and shoved him over a little bit. She then popped her head into my field of vision.

"Ame, you collapsed while we were doing the tournament!" she exclaimed. "How could you? You gave us such a scare! We even had to cancel the rest of the tournament for you."

"Kurumu!" Moka cried, astounded. Moka had returned to her normal Outer self this time, I noticed. "Ame was unconscious, and you're still talking about the tournament?"

"Wait," I croaked. I flinched at my hoarse voice. "What happened after I fainted?"

"Garron found you lying on the ground," Tsukune said worriedly. "He beat up the ice dolls that were circling you, and carried you back to the open field."

"Then I called off the rest of the ice dolls," Mizore said.

"And I contacted everyone else to let them know that the tournament was canceled." Yukari continued.

After a brief pause, I sighed. "So… in other words, I ruined the tournament?"

"Pretty much, yes," Kurumu answer bluntly. Yukari dropped a small golden bin onto the top of her head, a relatively small one to warn her to behave.

"But it's alright," Kurumu quickly added, taking the hint. She wrapped an arm tightly around Yukari's neck as she said this, smiling at me. Yukari struggled in her grip. "We can always have it another time… it's good that you weren't hurt."

"If… you don't… let go," Yukari puffed, clawing at Kurumu's arm, "Then I'll make sure you end up here at the infirmary too."

"Hah!" Kurumu laughed, not amused. "Don't joke with me, you flat-chested little girl!"

I was too tired to stop them from fighting. While Moka tried to intervene and break up the quarrel, Garron leaned towards me. He was sitting beside my bed from my left side, unlike everyone else.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, looking worried. "When I found you… you seemed to be in pretty bad shape. Mentally, I mean."

"I'm fine," I replied, frowning. Was he saying indirectly that I was mental? Maybe I was… I was hearing voices, and that's never a good sign.

"But what made you faint?" Garron asked. His eyes lit up with curiosity… but not your average curiosity. It seemed like he was more curious about my answer than about my well-being. I decided to give him a different response.

"I was just tired," I replied. "I think I used up too much energy from practicing."

Garron didn't pursue further, but he pursed his lips. I had a feeling he was displeased with my answer.

"Ahem," Kiseki interrupted, clearing his throat. "Now that you're all better… why don't we leave the infirmary?"

"Why?" Garron asked, smirking. "Afraid of the hospital? Or the big, bad nurses?"

Kiseki clenched his jaw, his eyes hard. Despite that, I could see he was embarrassed. "I'd rather not talk about it… I don't have very good memories of the infirmary."

Shrugging, Garron got up. "Come on," he called to everyone else. "We're all ready to go. Ame's better now, so we should all head back to our dorms."

We all got up and, with the exception of me, walked fairly quickly towards the exit. Moka and Kiseki had to support me once in a while, when I still wasn't feeling quite steady. I did want to get out of the infirmary as fast as I could, though… It freaked me out. I saw nurses with abnormally huge needles and test tubes from inside rooms with the doors ajar, facing their patients. I even saw several students (at least, I think they were students) wrapped up completely in bandages, with only their eyes staring out at me. Shuddering, I willed my headache to cease so I could walk out the front door faster.

When we finally all made it to the dorms, we bid our goodbyes and separated. Everyone was tired from the tournament, even if I had interrupted it halfway, and we all had to call it a day.

Sighing, I made my way up to my room. I had ruined it for everyone else… and I was sure this wasn't going to be the last time. Why did I always get in trouble, and drag everyone down with me? Truthfully, if I had to choose, I'd rather the bad things only happen to me instead of my friends. I guess that was the only way I could protect them, after all… I was just a weak human.

But you're not so weak anymore! an optimistic voice chirped in my head. Moka's training you, and you'll be stronger every single day!

But then that was another problem. Did I really want to be that strong? As strong as Tsukune was, even though he was a human to begin with as well? Did I want to be… a monster?

No. I couldn't deny it; power scared me. Especially when I couldn't control it. I hadn't seen Tsukune lose control at all since I was here, but that didn't mean his powers were always checked. According to the stories Moka and the others told me, Tsukune struggled through that part the hardest.

But then what did that make me? Was I a failure, for not trying hard enough? I wasn't like Tsukune at all. I still couldn't decide whether I wanted to be human or a monster… or just a powerful human. So far, I've had all my choices decided for me. Just like Lucy said, I had no say in anything. I've been forced into everyone all along…

While I contemplated this all in my head, I collapsed onto my bed. A whoosh of air escaped my lungs and Midnight jumped onto my stomach, snuggling down with me on the bed. I scratched her absent-mindedly behind the ears, still deep in thought.

I was thinking, thinking… and before I knew it, I fell asleep.

"Meow! Meow!" Midnight meowed me awake, nudging my cheek with her little head.

"Stop it," I grumbled, pushing her face away. "I'm tired…"

Midnight wouldn't give up; she battled with my hair, and her paws came into contact with something solid.

Something that was definitely not a part of my hair.

I immediately sat up, eyes wide. I think I sat up too soon, though… either that or I wasn't fully recovered from the tournament. My head spun, and I felt extremely nauseas. My stomach heaved, but there was nothing to upchuck. I had no dinner.

One hand clutching my head and the other clutching my stomach, I stumbled into the washroom. I had to wash my face and cool it down, and then maybe take some medicine…

Opening the tap, I watched the water leak through my fingers and trickle down into the sink. I cupped my hands into a bowl-shape, and waited till it filled up with cold water. Splashing it onto my face, I raised my head up to look in the mirror, and…

I froze. The solid, hard thing that Midnight was pawing at… it turned out to be attached to my head. Permanently or not, I don't know, but they were there alright.

"Horns," I whispered in distress. Yes, there they were, plain as day. What had happened? Had I transformed without knowing it, in the middle of my sleep…? Somehow, this made me feel like crying. I was becoming less and less human…

Blinking away the tears, I looked up to the mirror again. With a shock, I realized that the horns were suddenly gone. I patted my head, just to be sure, but my hand didn't touch anything solid or pointy.

Wait.

Was I delusional?! Did I just imagine that I had horns…? It was definitely possible. I was half-asleep. But if that was true, then… what had Midnight been pawing at?

Rushing back to my bedroom and ignoring my splitting headache and heaving stomach, I ran towards Midnight. I grabbed her and picked her up, bringing her up to my face until we were staring at each other in the eye.

"Midnight, tell me." I ordered. "What I dreaming? Did I really have horns? You saw, didn't you? You saw them…!"

Midnight let out an irritated meow, and struggled out of my hands. Giving up, I let her drop onto my bed again. This was definitely not going to do.

Picking up a light jacket from the back of my kitchen chair, I quickly shoved my arms through the sleeves and slipped into my shoes. I had to get outside, now. I seriously needed some fresh air to clear my head.

Walking towards school campus again (the parts that weren't occupied by the dorms), I decided to get a drink. I had to calm my stomach somehow… maybe a cold drink will do me good. I needed an ice pack-substitute for my head, anyway. Slipping my hand into my jacket pocket, I felt relieved to find a few coins still in there.

I fed the coins to the vending machine, and punched a button. Immediately, an ice-cold drink dropped down, and I bent to pick it up. It was just plain old water, but it was in a can. Things like this at Yokai Academy were just weird. Just as I straightened back up, however, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I was prepared for this. What else did I expect? I was a girl, alone, at a school for monsters… and a human, at that. Gathering up all my courage, I spun around and slammed my can into the nose of the person behind me. I heard a crunch and then a groan, but that was all the time I needed to run away.

"Waaait…" a voice croaked. As I stepped away, my back towards the person, a twitching hand wrapped around my ankle. "Ame, wait…!"

Whoa, so this guy even knew my name?! This wasn't good… maybe I should call Kiseki over or something…?

Turning around, I was about to tell my attacker just that when I noticed who it was.

"Tsukune!" I gasped, horrified. I dropped down to my knees, and bent over his bleeding nose. "Oh no, I'm so sorry!"

"It's ok!" Tsukune laughed, waving it off. His voice sounded muffled as I stuck my handkerchief to his face, trying to stop the bleeding. "It was my fault, anyway… sorry I startled you."

I was about to reply, but no words came out of my mouth. Instead, I bit my lip as my eyes turned watery. Tsukune looked alarmed; I could tell he wasn't good with crying females.

"A-Ame! What's wrong?" he looked at me up and down, making sure I wasn't injured or hurt.

"I'm sorry," I sniffled, tears streaming down my face. "I'm always causing you trouble… not just you, Moka and the other guys too! All of you are so nice to me, and yet I-I…"

"Ah, um… it's ok." Tsukune replied lamely. He looked flustered, and tried to use the clean parts of my handkerchief (the parts that weren't covered in blood) to wipe my tears away. I cracked a smile, pushed his bloody handkerchief away and used my sleeves to wipe my face instead.

"Don't worry, Tsukune," I replied, smiling. I could now tell why all the girls loved him. "I should be the one comforting you, though, since I smacked you with the can. But I'm the one crying." I laughed at myself, ashamed.

"No, you can cry if you want to, Ame." Tsukune answered kindly. "I know exactly how you feel… it's hard to try to do you part and please everyone, isn't it? Especially when you find out that you don't need to… that everyone is nice to you unconditionally."

I froze, and I swear the tears on my face stopped in their tracks, too; I was as immobile as stone.

"H-How do you know that?" I asked, surprised.

Tsukune shrugged, and then smiled. "That's the way I felt when I came to Yokai Academy, too. I was supposed to be tough, you know? Be a man and protect everyone. And yet it was always my friends who protected me… and they still like me despite that. It's nice to know that feelings are mutual, though."

I smiled. "You know, I used to be so jealous of you…"

Tsukune looked appalled. "What? Why?"

"Because you seem so happy all the time, and you fit in so incredibly well with the rest of them, even though you're human like me!" I answered, laughing. "I wish I could be like that too, even though I still don't know what it takes to get there…"

Tsukune thought about it for a moment. "You know, there's really no secret to achieving that… I just care about my friends with all my heart, and I'll do whatever it needs to protect them, to make them happy. I think you already have that, Ame… it's just that you're still kinda confused about it."

"Kinda confused?" I repeated, "More like completely."

Tsukune smiled. "Don't worry, you won't be soon. You have us, and everyone else, isn't that right?"

"But still…" I protested, frowning. "Isn't it scary to fully lose your human self…? I feel like that's what's happening to me, little by little."

Tsukune grabbed my by the shoulders, looking stern. "Ame! Don't ever say that! You'll never lose yourself, ever. You'll still be you… just changed a little bit. And for the better, too. Monster, human… it doesn't' matter. Your friends will still like you, whatever you choose to be."

I grinned, and suddenly felt the urge to give Tsukune a big hug. Without thinking, I did just that.

"Thanks for the pep talk, Tsukune." I said, feeling extremely grateful. "You're like the big brother I never had!"

Tsukune looked shocked, and a blush slowly made its way to his cheeks. Sometimes it seemed like he's more easily flustered than Kenta. The thought of that made me smile bigger.

"W-Well," Tsukune stammered, scratching his head. "Thank you, I guess."

I leaped up, feeling my headache and stomachache go away. I felt reenergized… Yes, that was right! It didn't matter if I was a monster or a human… nothing would change either way. I'd still be me, and my friends wouldn't treat me any differently.

I thanked Tsukune once again, and skipped back to my dorm with a spring in my step. I felt like a whole new person. I guess it took another human to understand what I was going through… It made me sad to think about that, though. Tsukune was there for me, just now, when I was in need of consolation… but who was there for Tsukune? I didn't think there was anyone who understood what he was going through when he first came here to Yokai.

I quickly shook that thought out of my head. Tsukune had such loyal friends, and I'm sure they had accepted him for who he was, whatever he was. That was good enough.

Smiling once again, I found myself looking forward to the next day… something I rarely ever did.

Author's Note:

Hello, you guys.

In this chapter Tsukune and Ame have a nice bonding session… Or, you could say, "therapy" :/ It seems like our Ame is going mental! T^T

Alright, fav this story if you enjoy it so far, and take care~! x)

― ACookieZ