"Moka! Tsukune!" Yukari cheered out happily. She ran towards the two figures in her life that made her heart light up inside. Her cape flowed gently behind her as she ran towards the happy vampire couple, her bright eyes locked onto Moka's statuesque beauty and Tsukune's handsome form.
"Wait, wait for me!" she called out as they started to walk away together, the vampire couple smiling and laughing with each other. They proceeded to walk down the beaten path near the academy, the girl holding onto the boy's arm and smiling happily.
"Wait! Moka!" Yukari said with worried eyes. She suddenly saw herself further and further away from the two, no matter how hard she ran.
"Tsukune! Don't leave me behind!" she shouted as she was pulled further and further away still. She ran with all her might yet wasn't able to move any closer.
"Wait! Come back!" she shouted as her world faded to black. She floated in the darkness as everything around her vanished into a black haze.
"What… where am I? Moka! Tsukune! Where are you?" she cried out with fear. She looked everywhere around her, the little girl seeming to float amidst nothingness.
"What… it's so cold. Where am I?" she said with worry. Suddenly she felt herself falling, the little girl screaming as she fell down into the dark abyss below. She screamed as she tumbled in the air, the young witch looking franticly around her for any sign of anything.
"Help me!" she cried out as she fell down further and farther into the black void. She suddenly stopped and seemed to float in place, then looked around with worry as her breathing was starting to pick up.
"This can't be real, this can't be real," she said with worry. Two figures started to appear before her as she landed down on what seemed to be solid ground.
"Who… who's there?" she said with fright. The two figures walked up and smiled gently at the girl.
"Ms. Yukari," Apoch said softly. Yukari smiled with relief at seeing two familiar faces.
"Apoch. Astreal. I'm so glad-" she started before another figure walked up between the two sisters. Ahakon smiled at her arrogantly then looked up to the two witches.
"C'mon girls, let's go. This one is crazy, she could snap at any moment," he said with a chuckle. Yukari's eyes locked onto the boy in surprise as they started to walk away.
"Sure thing boyfriend," they said in unison.
"No… wait…" Yukari said softly. Ahakon stopped and glanced back to the girl.
"Stay away from my girlfriends," he said coldly. Yukari felt her heart ache at those words.
"Girlfriends?" she said weakly. The sisters glanced back to her and smirked.
"He's ours now, quit trying to chase those who are already taken Ms. Yukari," Astreal said coldly.
"Yes, Mr. Ahakon is our boyfriend now," Apoch said with a giggle. Yukari blinked and looked at the mage.
"I… I don't care…" she breathed out nervously. The three chuckled as the sisters looked down to the mage.
"Good, because you could never compete with them to begin with," Ahakon said smugly as Astreal swooned and blushed while looking at the boy. Yukari jumped a bit then looked down with worry.
"They're angels, real ones. I love them with all my heart," he said calmly as Apoch swooned and blushed from his words. Yukari's breathing started to pick up.
"I don't care… I DON'T CARE!" she cried out. Her heart started to ache more as she held a hand over her chest. It was hurting more and more with each breath she took.
"Mr. Ahakon…" the sisters said softly while looking at him with loving eyes. Yukari shook her head as she started to cry.
"I don't care… I don't care… I… I…" she said shakily. She looked up slowly to the mage with teary eyes as her mouth quivered. He smirked and raised an eyebrow to the girl as the witch sisters glanced to her with arrogant gazes.
"He loves us," Astreal said softly.
"And we love him," Apoch said with a gentle smile. Yukari trembled and looked at the mage with watery eyes.
"I… I…" she said softly, clutching her hand over her heart.
A loud roar echoed out in the darkness around them. The four looked over to see a giant wyvern racing towards them out of the black void. The witch sisters gasped as Yukari stared at it with wide eyes, the girl recognizing the giant creature from Snow Woman Village. Before the beast could get too close Ahakon held out his hand, erecting a large glowing ring of strange symbols that spun around in front of him in midair, then cast out a giant ball of fire, the projectile slamming into the head of the large creature and blasting it away into a firestorm. Yukari stared with wide eyes at the fallen beast then over to the mage who was glaring at the evil creature, his arm still held out as his cape flowed behind him.
"Mr. Ahakon, you're so brave!" Apoch said dreamily.
"Please love us forever!" Astreal said with stars in her eyes. Yukari shook her head shakily.
"No… no!" she cried out. She slowly held a hand out towards him, feeling a strong pulling from within, being drawn towards the boy. Next to her a faint image of herself appeared doing the same.
"Ahakon!" it cried out under a whisper. It vanished as another image of the young witch appeared by her other side, this one trembling with a worried expression.
"I… I… I love…" she said softly before it vanished. Yukari stared with wide eyes as the boy started to walk away with both sisters at his sides. She felt her heart tug towards the mage strongly, the girl starting to cry with heartbroken eyes as the three vanished into the black void.
"Wait… come back! I love you Ahakon! I do!" she cried out. She felt the world grow darker around her, feeling colder in the void.
"Please… I'm sorry! I love you!" she shouted out. As she remained alone in the darkness she dropped to her knees, feeling weighed down by her realization.
"I love you…" she said as she broke down crying.
Everything faded to black as she closed her eyes, the girl crying softly to herself.
"Ahakon… I… I…" she breathed out.
"Yukari?"
The young witch stirred and slowly opened her eyes. As her vision cleared she looked around in a daze. She was in the infirmary lying down on a bed.
"Yukari? Are you ok?" a voice came from beside her again. She looked over to see Kokoa standing by her bedside looking at her with worry.
"Kokoa? Where… what happened?" Yukari asked slowly as she sat up.
"I found you lying in the hallway out cold. Are you ok?" the vampire asked worriedly. Yukari blinked a few times then held a hand to her head.
"I was?" she asked in a daze. She shook her head then looked down.
"I must have fainted…" she said softly.
"Are you ok?" Kokoa asked worriedly. Yukari slowly nodded and glanced to the window. The sun was still shining from the day, yet she felt like the day was over for her.
"Yeah…" she said softly. Kokoa looked at her curiously then towards the door.
"Ok, well I need to get going then. You going to be alright getting back to class?" she asked carefully. Yukari trembled and started to cry in the bed. The vampire looked at her in surprise then sat next to her.
"What's going on? Why are you crying now?" she asked confused. She blinked then looked at the young witch with an inquisitive expression.
"Um… I wasn't going to pry, but… why were you saying Ahakon's name in your sleep?" she asked slowly. The witch looked up to her with teary eyes then away.
"It doesn't matter," she said softly. Kokoa looked at her carefully then slowly nodded.
"Ok… well c'mon, let's go find the others. Lunch period is almost over and I haven't gotten to see my master yet," she said simply.
"Kokoa…" Yukari said flatly. The vampire blinked then rubbed the back of her head.
"Right. Tsukune," she said with a smirk.
"I'm just going to go wait for my next class. I'm not really in the mood to see them again right now," Yukari said with an annoyed tone.
"What? Why not? What's going on with you anyway?" Kokoa asked puzzled.
"Just leave me alone!" Yukari shouted out. The vampire blinked and looked at her curiously.
"That jerk… that stupid jerk… stupid stupid stupid…" Yukari grumbled as she trembled in the bed, clenching her fists and looking down while struggling to hold back her tears. Kokoa looked at her with a gentle gaze then away.
"So, you like the mage don't you?" she asked softly. Yukari jumped and looked to her.
"What? I… I never said that!" she said franticly. Kokoa glanced to her and raised an eyebrow.
"I can tell Yukari," she said flatly. Yukari looked away with a saddened expression while Kokoa just eyed her carefully.
"What do you know-" the witch started before Kokoa got up from the bedside.
"I know how it is to lose the boy you're after. I failed to get Dark, and then I struck out with Tsukune. Don't act like you don't care Yukari, it's written all over your face. That and you were calling for him in your sleep," Kokoa said sternly. Yukari growled then looked to Kokoa with teary eyes of frustration, the little witch raising her wand up.
"Just… just…" she stuttered as she looked at the vampire.
"Go ahead, cast your washtubs again. Just like you kept doing to him out of frustration and stubbornness, right?" Kokoa said with an accusing stare. Yukari trembled and looked down, the wand slowly being lowered as she wept to herself.
"Just be quiet… I never asked you!" she screamed out.
SLAP!
Yukari went wide eyed as Kokoa's slap to her face silenced her. After a moment she slowly turned to Kokoa who was looking at her with discontent.
"Just stop it. Geez, is this how I was when I couldn't face the truth? It's just pathetic," the vampire scowled. Yukari looked at her with watery eyes, speechless from the vampire's words.
"You are so stubborn. You're just as blind and foolish as I was," Kokoa said shaking her head.
"No I'm not! I belong to Tsukune and Moka, not that… that…" Yukari stammered with anger.
"Bullshit," Kokoa said sternly. Yukari looked at her with frustration then down.
"Answer me this Yukari, why did I never try to stop you?" Kokoa asked while crossing her arms in front of her. The witch looked to her cautiously.
"Try to stop me? From doing what?" she asked.
"From chasing after my big sister. Did you really think I would have let you be her lover?" Kokoa said with a raised eyebrow. Yukari just looked at her for a moment then away.
"I didn't bother to stop you, just like everybody else didn't bother to try to talk any more sense into you. We didn't because it was never going to happen! Tsukune and big sister would NEVER have allowed you into their relationship like that! Hell, I would have had a better shot at that, and even I know that will never happen!" Kokoa shouted out at the girl. Yukari glanced to her with worried eyes as the vampire looked away with a scoff.
"Honestly, did you really believe that? Did you really believe you would be part of their romance? Get real Yukari!" she shouted out. The witch looked down with heartbroken eyes and shook her head.
"But… but…" she said in disbelief. She felt her heart ache inside, the cold harshness of her dream coming back.
"Quit fooling yourself. Those two are meant to be together, that's how it was going to be no matter what. Not you, not I, not anybody in this school could have changed that," Kokoa said as she looked at the trembling witch.
"But… our love…" Yukari said weakly. Kokoa shook her head and sighed.
"They love you as a friend. That's how it's always been," she said softly. Yukari looked away and tried to hold back her tears.
"You love Ahakon, don't you?" Kokoa asked gently. Yukari looked to her with surprise then down with worry.
"I… I…" she said softly. Kokoa smiled softly and sat next to the young witch.
"It took you long enough to find somebody else. Be honest, do you?" she asked curiously. The witch paused for a moment then slowly nodded.
"Yes… I… I do," she said softly. She couldn't deny it any longer; all the reasons she felt jealous, all the times she lashed out for no particular reason, all the times she felt frustrated or angry at him for nothing. She couldn't run away from it anymore. She loved Ahakon Maradoza.
"I do," she said with a nod. She looked up towards the ceiling with watery eyes.
"He's smart, and a powerful spell caster. He's confident, and brave, and… he's cute too," she said with a soft smirk. Kokoa smiled and giggled.
"Well then what are you waiting for? Go get him. About time you got a boyfriend right?" she asked with a laugh. Yukari's smile vanished and she shook her head, the girl looking down with despair once again.
"I can't. It's too late," she said quietly. Kokoa looked at her curiously.
"Too late?" she asked puzzled. Yukari nodded and glanced to her.
"He's taken," she said softly. The vampire jumped at that in surprise.
"Wow, already? That was fast, it's only his first day here. Who asked him out?" she asked curiously.
"He asked them out, and they said yes," Yukari said with a frustrated glanced downwards. Kokoa blinked and tilted her head at that remark.
"Um… they?" she asked slowly. Yukari nodded and looked back to the vampire.
"Apoch and Astreal. He confessed his… love to them, and they both accepted it," she said remorsefully. Kokoa just stared at the witch in disbelief then slowly looked up.
"He's going out… with both of them?" she said in shock.
"Yes. He wanted them from the start, I never had a chance," Yukari said softly. She sniffled and held her wand, looking to it with saddened eyes.
"Even if I wanted to try from the beginning, it wouldn't have helped. Those two are powerful spell casters, and their bodies have more to offer than mine. They're more developed than I am in every regard, and there's TWO of them!" she cried out and broke down crying. Kokoa looked at the young witch with wide eyes then towards the door.
"Wow… didn't see that coming," she said softly.
"I finally see the truth, I finally see a boy who would be a match for me, and it's too late," Yukari said with despair. Kokoa looked to her worriedly then towards the door.
"I'm sorry Yukari… I don't know what to say," she said softly. Yukari nodded and sighed.
"I'm such an idiot," she said as she looked down depressed.
"No, you're just learning, like I've been doing. It sucks making these mistakes, I know. But don't give up, I'm sure… I'm sure you'll find somebody else," Kokoa said kindly. Yukari just sat there in silence looking down at her wand.
"C'mon. Let's go see the others. I know it hurts, but you can't let this keep you from your friends," Kokoa said gently. Yukari nodded and looked to the vampire as she wiped away her tears.
"Thanks Kokoa," she said softly.
"About time I helped somebody, right?" Kokoa said with a small laugh. The two girls laughed softly then started walking towards the door.
"I guess I should be happy for Ahakon. He really does like those two," Yukari said gently.
"Still kinda weird. I mean, how's he going to date both of them? And isn't he a bit young?" Kokoa asked puzzled. Yukari shrugged and smirked at the vampire.
"Like age would have stopped me," she said simply. Kokoa smirked and rolled her eyes.
"Ok, well let's go. We might still catch them if-"
"NO!" a voice echoed out in the hall. The two girls blinked and looked to each other.
"What… was that?" Yukari asked. They opened the door to see Felucia running by and down the hall, the demon having a look of fright on her face.
"DARK! DARK!" she screamed out.
"What's going on?" Kokoa asked with worry.
"I don't know, come on!" Yukari shouted as they started to run after the doll demon.
Outside in the courtyard near the academy a group of students were looking towards the building where their young friend ran to in her sorrow. Ahakon was still unconscious on the ground with two witch sisters kneeling next to him and watching over him with worry. Ruby was watching the sisters with a quizzical stare as the group looked to each other.
"What got into her?" Tsukune asked worriedly.
"I don't think she took the news of Ahakon picking out a girlfriend… or two, well," Kurumu said with a smirk.
"Yes, I was afraid that was what upset her," Moka said gently. The group looked over to the sleeping mage and the two witches next to him.
"I'm sorry, but… you two CAN'T be serious!" Ruby yelled out. Apoch and Astreal looked to her curiously.
"What do you mean Ms. Ruby?" they asked in unison.
"Ok, seriously, how are you always speaking together like that? It's starting to creep me out," Rason commented.
"He's much too young for you. And even if he wasn't you both can't date him!" Ruby said in disbelief. The sisters looked to each other curiously then back to the elder witch.
"Why not?" Apoch asked softly.
"Yes, we don't mind," Astreal said politely.
"He's at least four years below you," Ruby said sternly.
"Question, how much older are you than Tsukune?" Kurumu said raising her hand. Ruby blinked and looked over to her.
"Why does that matter?" she asked carefully.
"Well, what if Tsukune had picked you instead of Moka, you would be older than him," Kurumu said with a raised eyebrow.
"But that's different!" Ruby shouted out defensively.
"And Tsukune is dating two girls in one, so it's kinda similar," Rason added.
"No it isn't!" Ruby cried out.
"We love him Ms. Ruby," the sisters said happily.
"No you don't! How could you? You practically just met this boy!" Ruby shouted out in exasperation.
"Well, we all fell for Tsukune from day one," Moka added, the elder witch looking to her with surprise.
"Yeah, after we all tried to kill him," Kurumu said with a shrug, the witch looking to her with worry.
"Not to mention it is their choice," Mizore said coolly, the elder looking to the witch sisters with concern.
"He has shown to be very protective and caring for them," Rason commented with a nod.
"But… but…" Ruby said in worry.
"It's their choice woman, let them make it," Felucia said with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, if they are both ok sharing him, why not?" Luna asked curiously. Ruby looked around then towards Dark, the only one who had been silent so far, no surprise of course. After a moment he simply shrugged.
"If that's what he wants, I say let him go for it," he said calmly. Ruby looked around then back down to the sleeping mage.
"Well…" she said slowly. The witch sisters looked to her with pleading eyes as the group glanced to her. She sighed and looked upwards.
"He does make good chocolate cake," she said simply. The sisters smiled brightly and nodded. Ruby looked to the boy with an amused smile.
"Ok, if this is what you two girls want. Just don't let it interfere with your duties for the headmaster, you two aren't technically students and are considered faculty here," she said in a professional tone. The sisters smiled and nodded.
"Yes Ms. Ruby," they said together.
"Again, creepy," Rason commented. Ahakon stirred a bit and slowly opened his eyes. He slowly sat up while the group looked to him curiously.
"Ugh… what… happened?" he asked in a daze. He blinked then looked to either side of him to see both witch sisters smiling at him brightly.
"Mr. Ahakon," they said happily. He paused for a moment then glanced around him.
"Wait… this really happened didn't it?" he asked unsurely. The group nodded while the sisters nodded eagerly.
"Yes, boyfriend," they said together. The mage smiled a dopey smile and glanced back and forth between the two.
"Wow… girlfriends…" he said with a soft giggle.
"You'd better take care of them Ahakon, they're still young and growing girls," Ruby said with stern tone and an accusing stare. The sisters giggled and hugged him tightly from both sides.
"Yes yes, please Mr. Ahakon," Apoch said happily.
"Please do take good care of us Mr. Ahakon," Astreal said gently. The boy twitched a bit then passed about again from the overload, the girls looking to him curiously as he fell limp in their arms.
"Mr. Ahakon?" they asked curiously.
"Bet you guys anything the moment he sees them in their swimsuits he'll die from a heart attack," Rason said dully.
"I'm thinking he'll be dead by nightfall," Kurumu said flatly. The witch sisters took turns gently shaking Ahakon and watching their sleeping boyfriend curiously while Ruby rolled her eyes and looked back towards the group.
"By the way, we just came from the cafeteria. Care to explain?" she asked with her arms crossed before her.
"Oh yeah, about that; the students here are crazy," Rason said with a nod.
"They keep breaking out into fights about whether we're heroes or not," Moka said worriedly.
"It's been like that with all of our classes. We can't get them to stop," Tsukune said while rubbing the back of his head.
"I see. This is going to be a problem for everyone here at this school," Ruby said with a sigh. She looked around at the group curiously.
"I've also been getting complaints from teachers that you guys haven't been behaving. Especially you Dark," she said with an accusing glace to the shadow demon. The boy just stared back at her with his music playing as always.
"Yeah, but we've worked out our problems. We won't let that happen again," Tsukune said confidently.
"Yes, just some minor issues to work out, which we did. Nothing to worry about," Moka added with a smile. Rason glanced to Dark then back to Ruby.
"Just don't let Dark and Mizore get split up in their classes. It would be too cruel for the other students attending this school," he said weakly. Ruby gave him a puzzled glance then looked around at the group.
"I see. Well, glad to hear that's at least taken care of. But on to the issue of your apparent fame, seems it's causing a war to break out in the school," she said with concern.
Ahakon shot back up and looked around with wide eyes.
"Wow… what happened?" he said in a daze. The sisters sighed with relief as they held him close.
"Are you ok Mr. Ahakon?" Apoch asked as she leaned her face closer to the boy. He blushed and stared with wide eyes at the witch.
"Um… yeah…" he said softly. Astreal nuzzled close to him as well.
"Good, we were worried," she said softly. The boy trembled and looked between the two with twitching eyes.
"I'm… great…" he said shakily. The girls giggled and kissed both his cheeks at the same time.
"Good," they said together. His faced turned bright red before he passed out again. The group just watched the boy fall back and lay on the ground dazed. The sisters looked at him curiously then to each other.
"Did we do something wrong?" Apoch asked curiously.
"I'm not sure," Astreal said worriedly.
"You two didn't do anything wrong, just… go easy on him," Rason said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, I think you two are the first girlfriends he's ever had," Kurumu added. The witches blinked then smiled at the mage.
"Oh I see," Apoch said softly.
"We must be more careful with our new boyfriend," Astreal said with a soft giggle.
"Yep. Still single over here," Ruby breathed out with annoyance. She then looked back to the group with a calm eye.
"Well, what do we do then? We don't want to be seen as heroes here, we just want to have a quiet school year," Tsukune said as he looked up.
"Let's just arrange a school assembly and allow us to publicly tell everybody that we're not heroes. So what if they think we're fakes, as long as they just leave us alone that's all that matters," Kurumu suggested.
"That might get them to stop fighting over what you did. But you really did help out; you're ok lying to the whole school like that?" Ruby asked curiously.
"We didn't protect our friends and family for public fame. Whatever it is they think of us does not matter," Mizore said calmly.
"Yeah, if it'll get them out of our hair, just let them know once and for all we're just normal students who didn't do anything," Felucia said with a shrug.
"Well, ok, perhaps that would be best," Ruby said with a nod.
"That would be a terrible idea," a boy's voice called out from behind. The group looked over to see a taller student walking over to them. He had glasses on and a friendly smile as he approached them.
"You all are heroes, don't hide that from the public," he said kindly.
"Hokuto!" Luna called out happily. The group looked to her then to the boy.
"You. You're that boy that called us out during the return ceremony," Kurumu said cautiously. Hokuto nodded and smiled at the group.
"That's right, I wanted-" he started before he was tackled to the ground by a fast moving blur. The group blinked and looked in surprise as Hokuto was staring up into the eyes of Luna, the girl having a twisted smile and wide eyes that flickered green every now and then.
"FRIEND!" she cried out before she started laughing crazily. The boy just looked at her with wide eyes then glanced to the others.
"Um… is she ok?" he asked worriedly.
"As ok as she'll ever be," Kurumu said shaking her head with a sigh. She walked over and slowly pried the butterfly girl off of the boy.
"FRIEND!" Luna screamed out as Kurumu dragged her back to the group.
"Yeah yeah, friend. Calm down already would you?" the succubus said dryly as she turned back to face the boy. Hokuto slowly got up and dusted himself off, then smiled weakly at the group.
"Last I met Luna she wasn't so… friendly," he said with a chuckle. The butterfly girl giggled and waved gently at him.
"Friend!" she said happily. Hokuto smiled and waved back.
"Yeah, that's more like it," he said with a smirk.
"Hokuto, I've been meaning to talk to you, I have a few questions about your little speech at the return ceremony," Ruby said cautiously. The boy smiled and looked to her curiously.
"Well, I don't mind talking to you more if you like, but I must insist that you all don't lie to the public about your efforts against Fairy Tale," he said calmly.
"Who are you anyway?" Tsukune asked curiously. Hokuto looked over to him and smiled kindly.
"My name is Hokuto Kaneshiro. I just transferred to this school and I've been appointed head of student council here at Yokai Academy. I've heard all about your adventures in the human world, how you defended the weak from Fairy Tale, how you chased them down from a monster's village into a human city, how you fought bravely against greater odds and triumphed," he boldly stated as he looked around at the group.
"Just how did you hear about that anyway?" Felucia asked cautiously, her and Dark looking at him carefully.
"Word spreads fast in the world my dear. But please, listen to me. I can help turn all this nasty trash talking about you around. The school needs heroes, and you all are perfect for that role. You're an example of what young monsters can do in this world, fighting for the rights and lives of those unable to defend themselves. I myself am I big fan of your efforts," Hokuto said with a gracious bow.
"Well… that's very kind of you to say that, but the truth is all this fame is tearing apart the school. Not to mention we just want our quiet lives back," Tsukune said with a small smile.
"Yes, but thank you anyway," Moka said kindly. Hokuto looked at them with a saddened expression and shook his head.
"Please reconsider this, I beg of you. You don't realize how important you all are to these students," he said worriedly.
Ahakon shot back up and looked around with wide eyes.
"Tell me… I wasn't dreaming just now," he said as he looked to the sisters. They looked back to him and smiled.
"Hello Mr. Ahakon, are you ok now?" Apoch asked timidly.
"Yes, I'm sorry we were being too forward just now, please forgive us," Astreal said politely. The boy rubbed the back of his head and smiled at them with a dopey smile.
"No… it's fine. I just need to get used to having two beautiful girlfriends is all," he said with a small laugh. The sisters blushed and looked at him with wonder.
"Beautiful?" they asked gently. He nodded then looked towards the new student with glasses.
"Um… who's he?" he asked curiously. Before he could get an answer he was tackled to the ground by two overzealous witch sisters.
"Mr. Ahakon!" they said dreamily, the mage being smothered between two pairs of breasts from the girls.
"Ok you two, calm down. Now's not the time," Ruby called back to them while keeping her eyes on Hokuto. The boy raised an eyebrow then smiled amusedly at the trio.
"Did he just say those two are his girlfriends? My my, I wish I had that kind of luck when I was his age," he said with a laugh. Apoch and Astreal stood up and looked at Hokuto curiously while Ahakon twitched on the ground with blood trickling down his nose, the mage in a dreamy state of bliss from their hugs.
"Yes, but that's beside the point here," Ruby said while keeping a sharp eye on the new student.
"What do you mean we're important to the school?" Kurumu asked curiously. Hokuto smiled and nodded at her.
"Just what I said my dear, all of you are living examples of real heroes in our time. Sure, you may not have been the only factor in Fairy Tale's defeat, but you gave them hell and did so on your own. It's incredible really. Should Fairy Tale ever come back your presence here would keep students feeling safe and secure," he said kindly.
"Should they ever come back? What makes you think they would come back?" Mizore asked cautiously.
"I'm just saying if they ever did, or if anything like them does. You are all warriors that would keep everybody feeling calm and secure in their time of need," Hokuto said with a smile. The group looked to each other then back to the boy.
"I think we'll pass. Again, we just want to live our lives in peace," Rason said calmly while shaking his head.
"Yeah, we're done with all this fighting," Kurumu said in agreement. Hokuto looked at them disappointedly then shook his head gently.
"I'm sorry you feel that way. But how can you be sure the fighting is ever over? We're all monsters, a battle is always around the corner for us," he said worriedly. He glanced to Tsukune and smiled.
"You would still protect your girlfriend and friends if Fairy Tale came back wouldn't you? You wouldn't just sit by and do nothing," he said with a curious smirk. Tsukune blinked then looked to his girlfriend.
"Well of course I'd fight to protect Moka, and my friends. But still..." he said softly.
"The dark lords will take care of Fairy Tale or any others like them. Tsukune and his friends don't need to assume the roles of protectors for this school," Ruby reasoned. Hokuto smiled and looked around at the group.
"Well, I for one still see you as our protectors. It's only because I heard you would be here that I accepted coming to this school, much like many others probably did. Please, just think about it. You really are inspiring others that there is always hope and that even students like us can fight back against all odds. If you dismiss all of that and concede to the notion that you are all fakes, you would be devastating many of the promising young students here," he said worriedly. The group looked to each other then back to the boy.
"Well… I didn't really think of it like that," Kurumu said as she looked down in thought.
"It's true. You really are a true inspiration to many at this school just by being here. I'm not asking you to go out and find more fights to prove yourself, just let me try to win the public back to your side. I'll let them know that you are here to protect us, and to let you have your space as you've earned it from your trials," Hokuto said kindly.
"I'm not so sure… I don't think the school needs protectors anymore," Moka said softly.
'I wouldn't mind being recognized with our mate.'
'Well yeah, but then we won't have any privacy here at school.'
'True. Plus it's my turn to use the maid outfit next.'
Moka rolled her eyes at her inner self's comment then looked to Tsukune curiously. After a moment he spoke up.
"I appreciate your concern for the school, but my friends are right. They're not in any danger. Besides…" he said as he glanced to his wrist with the Holy Lock. Hokuto glanced to it curiously then back to the boy.
"I'm not really in the mood to deal with more stress," Tsukune said with a small smirk.
"I see. Well, I thought-" Hokuto started before he stared curiously at something behind the group. They blinked and looked behind to see Luna watching them curiously while chewing something.
"What?" she asked simply. The group glanced down to the table near her, or at least the half that was still there.
"Um… Luna?" Kurumu said worriedly.
"Holy shit, did she just eat the table?" Ruby cried out. Hokuto just looked at the girl curiously as she continued to chew her 'food' and tilt her head at the group in wonder.
"That's a bit… strange," Hokuto said after a moment. Luna looked to the table then shrugged at the group.
"Sorry, but I was hungry," she said simply.
"She's eating the table!" Ruby cried out. The witch sisters looked at her with wide eyes then to Ruby.
"Um… should we do something Ms. Ruby?" they asked slowly. The elder witch just stared in disbelief at the strange girl that continued to chew her meal with a small smile.
"Luna, we need to explain what you can and can't eat here," Kurumu said while shaking her head at the girl. Luna blinked and looked at her curiously.
"Oh. Ok, thank you Kurumu," she said softly.
"She certainly is more unique than I thought," Hokuto said with a weak smile.
"She's EATING the table!" Ruby yelled out in shock.
"Yeah, she can, and will, eat anything," Tsukune said with a weak smile. Ruby and Hokuto looked to him then to the strange girl.
"Anything?" Ruby said worriedly. Luna just nodded as she smiled at the group.
"Yep yep," she said happily.
"We'll try to explain what to eat here for her," Rason said as he rubbed the back of his head with a weak smile. The witch sisters looked at Luna with surprise then to the half of table that still remained.
"Um… is that against school rules?" Apoch asked softly.
"I… I'm not sure," Astreal said in wonder.
"Again, we'll take care of it," Moka said as she raised her hands up defensively with a weak smile. Hokuto looked at Luna curiously then smiled.
'At least we're friends; hopefully she won't eat me while I'm here.'
"Anyway, like I was saying," he said, the group looking back to him as Ruby gave one last glance of shock at Luna before turning back to him as well.
"If you all insist on letting the flames of your triumph die out, that's your decision. Still, I hope you will at least reconsider that before you make any sort of announcement. I can help you all keep your hero status while ensuring your privacy here if you would just give me a chance," he said kindly.
"You just got appointed the head of student council, what makes you think you can help us like that anyway?" Mizore asked curiously.
"I know how to sway people towards the truth, working with people and politics is a little hobby of mine," Hokuto said kindly.
"Like with how you're trying to sway us?" Dark asked with a raised eyebrow. Hokuto chuckled and shook his head gently.
"Please, at least let me try to help you. If I can't, or if you are absolutely sure you aren't needed to be seen as true heroes, then you can always tell them you are just normal students," he said with a calm smile. The group looked to each other while Ruby kept a sharp eye on the new student.
"What do you think Tsukune?" Moka asked softly. The boy looked to his wrist and thought about it. After a moment he smiled and looked to his girlfriend.
"Maybe… maybe if the school thinks we are the good guys they won't try to pick any fights with us. It might even help bring a sort of peace to this school," he said hopefully.
"That's true, if everybody was on our side, that's less bullies we have to sand the faces off of," Rason said with a glance to Dark. Hokuto raised an eyebrow to that strange reference then looked around the group with a curious smile.
"Hmm, well. Maybe it couldn't hurt to at least see if he could help us," Kurumu said with a thoughtful nod. Tsukune nodded and looked to Hokuto.
"Ok, see if you can work your magic to help smooth this over for us," he said with a smile. Hokuto smiled back and walked up to him.
"I promise, with us working together Tsukune, this school will be changed forever, and for the better," he said as he held out his hand. Tsukune looked to the hand then up at the boy. He smiled and shook Hokuto's hand, the two nodding in agreement.
"I hope so," Tsukune said calmly.
"Hey, you heroes did your job already; your fight is over right? Let me handle this. I'll convince the school that our heroes are really heroes and they deserve their rest. But should another menace ever show themselves, we have warriors here to help ensure the peace," Hokuto said proudly.
"I guess I could learn to live with a bit of fame," Kurumu said as she fluffed her hair and struck a pose. Mizore rolled her eyes then glanced to Dark. The demon was eyeing Hokuto carefully, just as Felucia was. Mizore gave a curious glance at them then looked at Hokuto.
"Ok then. Let me know what you plan to do before you act Hokuto, just to make sure it won't dig them in any deeper," Ruby said cautiously. The boy nodded and smiled at the witch.
"Gladly. And don't worry, I'll put all this worrying and headaches behind us without a problem," he reassured with a gentle smile. Ruby slowly nodded while she eyed the boy carefully.
'Still getting a bad vibe about this guy, but I guess it couldn't hurt to at least let him try to make things easier for Tsukune.'
"Very well," Ruby said with a nod. She glanced back to the sisters who were looking down at Ahakon curiously.
"You two need to come with me. We still have a cafeteria fight to break up and clean up," she said simply. The sisters nodded and smiled at her.
"Yes Ms. Ruby," they said happily. They glanced back to Ahakon then towards Tsukune. The boy chuckled and nodded.
"We'll tell him where you went. You'll see him again soon," he said kindly. The sisters smiled happily then walked over to Ruby.
"Alright, well try to at least stay out of trouble for now. If you all are going to be our golden students then that means no more complaints from the teachers," Ruby warned. The group nodded as the witches looked towards Hokuto.
"I hope we can trust you with this," Ruby said simply. The boy smiled gently at her with a calm gaze.
"I promise my dear Ruby. Relax, I'll handle everything," he said kindly. She nodded and started to walk off with the sisters towards the academy. Hokuto turned back to the group and smiled proudly.
"It will be an honor to work with you Tsukune, I'm sure we'll become good friends here," he said happily. Tsukune nodded and smiled back.
"I'm sure we will Hokuto," he replied simply. Hokuto glanced to Ahakon with a raised eyebrow and chuckled a bit.
"May we all be as happy as that young boy," he said with a laugh. He then turned to walk back toward the building with a friendly wave.
"I have work to attend to, but I'll be in touch again. Take care friends," he said as he walked back to the academy. After he left the rest of the group looked to each other curiously.
"Can we really trust him to do this?" Mizore asked curiously.
"He's a friend, of course we can," Luna said happily.
"Well, I suppose it won't hurt to at least let him try. I mean, if it doesn't work we can always just say we're not heroes," Rason added.
"Yeah, besides, a little fame couldn't hurt right? I mean, we did fight pretty hard out there. I think we earned a bit of respect," Kurumu said smugly. Moka giggled and latched onto her boyfriend's arm, looking to him with loving eyes.
"You fought bravely too, hero," she said with a giggle. Tsukune chuckled and rubbed the back of his head with a smile.
"Well, I don't know about hero, but thanks Moka," he said gently.
"Oh Tsukune…"
"Oh Moka…"
"Oh Tsukune…"
"Oh Moka…"
"You two need to expand your vocabulary," Rason said dryly as he shook his head.
Ahakon again shot up and looked around with surprise.
"Ok… what did I miss?" he said in a daze.
"Just a few things, looks like you need to build up some stamina just being near your girlfriends," Rason said with a chuckle. The mage blinked then smiled softly to himself.
"Girlfriends…" he said softly. He got up and looked around curiously.
"Where are they?" he asked.
"They left with Ruby to help break up the fight in the cafeteria. You'll see them again soon," Moka said kindly.
"Yeah, try to stay conscious for more than two minutes next time," Kurumu giggled. Ahakon rubbed the back of his head with a nervous laugh then looked down. The group smiled at him then looked over to Luna.
"So you met him before?" Tsukune asked curiously. Luna nodded and smiled gently.
"Yes, he was kind to me when we arrived here. He said we're friends," she said happily.
"Well, at least that's a good thing. Here's hoping he can give us a break here," Rason said with a nod. He blinked then looked over to see Mizore, Felucia, and Dark still watching where Hokuto had left to.
"You ok?" Rason asked curiously. The group looked over to them as Mizore and Felucia glanced to Dark.
"Dark?" Felucia asked cautiously. The boy stared for a moment longer then glanced to the doll demon.
"Go try to reach Kenzo again. I want to know if he's heard anything else regarding Fairy Tale," he said simply.
"You got it Dark," the doll demon said and started heading back towards the academy. Mizore watched her run off with her usual expression then glanced to Dark curiously.
'She always treats Dark like her commander from Fairy Tale… I guess some habits die hard. That or she really does want to be by his side no matter what.'
Mizore took out her lollipop and tugged on Dark's shirt, the boy glancing over to her with his usual expression.
"Is something wrong Dark?" she asked curiously before putting her candy back in her mouth. The demon looked at her for a moment then back to where Hokuto left.
"Just want to make sure for myself that Fairy Tale isn't coming back," he said simply. He turned to look at the group with his usual blank expression.
"You think they might be?" Rason asked curiously.
"Not sure. The headmaster hasn't said anything new about it yet, and Kokoa's bat hasn't returned yet either. However this boy seems to know a lot about Fairy Tale, especially from all the 'rumors' he keeps hearing," Dark said carefully.
"You don't trust him?" Kurumu asked cautiously.
"Trusting a cracked chain to keep a ghoul sealed up while my soon-to-be-wife is nearby is about as trusting as I can be at the moment. Right now I want to make sure Fairy Tale is indeed dead. Besides, he said himself that talking to people, swaying their opinions, and changing their minds is his specialty. That talent could be used for any purpose and that alone makes him suspicious," Dark said as he continued to listen to his music.
"Well, he did seem eager to know who we were at the return ceremony," Tsukune pointed out.
"Yeah, then again the whole crowd was eager to meet us shortly afterward," Rason said with a nervous laugh.
"Well Hokuto didn't come right out and say Fairy Tale was coming back, he was just using them as an example, right?" Kurumu asked curiously.
"No, he didn't. But it would be good to confirm that they are indeed gone forever," Mizore said while looking to where Felucia ran off.
"I wonder if the headmaster's spies found anything yet," Kurumu said thoughtfully.
"I wonder if Kou found father yet," Moka added curiously.
"I wonder what kind of cake I should bake for the sisters next," Ahakon said with a dopey smile.
"I wonder if we should stop Luna," Tsukune said with weak smile. The group looked over to see the butterfly girl eating the rest of the table she had started on earlier. After a few more bites the girl stood upright and looked at the group curiously.
"Something wrong?" she asked as she tilted her head while chewing.
"Luna…" Kurumu said with a tired sigh.
"Well… not like anybody was going to use that table again anyway," Rason said with a nervous laugh.
Inside the academy Felucia ran up to the phones and started to dial a few numbers. She waited patiently for the call to be picked up while flicking her hair behind her. She blinked then glanced back to it.
'Maybe Dark prefers girls with short hair… hmm…'
After a few rings the call was answered, the demon still glancing to her hair thoughtfully.
"Hey, it's Felucia. Put me on to Kenzo, Dark wants to-" she started before stopping mid-sentence and blinking. She looked to the phone cautiously and stood there in silence. After a moment she started to show a worried expression.
"Who is this?" she asked slowly.
The group was outside in the courtyard, all of them taking the events of today into mind while Kurumu was lecturing Luna on not eating the tables, chairs, and school supplies at the academy. The butterfly girl just nodded constantly with a smile on her face, the succubus fearing that she was talking to a brick wall at the moment. Ahakon was filled in by Tsukune about Hokuto's offer to try to gain public opinion at the school and hopefully stop all the fights that were breaking out.
"Wow, do you really think he can help us like that?" the young mage asked curiously.
"Who knows. I'll say this though, if you can ask two witch sisters out and have them both just say yes like that, anything's possible," Rason said with a smirk. The mage blinked then rubbed the back of his head with a chuckle.
"I wonder if Yukari is ok, she hasn't come back yet," Moka said with worry.
"She just needs to cool off and realize that she missed her chance with Ahakon," Kurumu said with a shrug. The mage looked at her puzzled from that comment.
"What are you talking about?" he asked curiously. He then looked around and noticed that a certain young witch wasn't clonking him on the head constantly with washtubs as was the norm for his day so far.
"Wait, where is Yukari anyway?" he asked simply.
"DARK!" a voice yelled out from the academy. The group, minus Dark who was gazing around still, turned to see Felucia running out of the academy. Mizore nudged him and pointed towards the doll demon, the boy looking over to see the girl running up to him with tears in her eyes.
"Felucia? What's wrong?" Tsukune asked with worry. The doll demon ran to Dark and embraced him tightly, burying her face into his chest as she cried. Dark blinked then glanced down to the girl.
"Felucia?" he asked simply. The girl looked up and trembled, her eyes watery as a few tears still flowed down her face.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Kurumu asked worriedly.
"Dark… it's… it's…" Felucia stammered as she shook a bit. She growled in rage and cried out. The group watched her worriedly as she looked up with sorrowful eyes at the boy. He watched her lips move, and then showed surprise from the girl who relayed the message she received on the phone.
In Ashton City alarms were heard in the sky above the busy streets. Fire trucks and police cars raced through the streets with their lights flashing and their horns blaring. The city had already dealt with two major incidents recently, what with the Emperor's Palace being leveled to the ground and an unnamed commercial complex being blown sky high by unknown means. Now however the emergency crews were racing towards a section in the abandoned district, a section that had several of the old rundown houses on fire. All around buildings were burning to the ground as gunfire and roars of monsters died down.
"I'm sorry to cut your conversation short dear girl," a calm commanding voice spoke into a cell phone after a figure picked it up from the ground.
In one of the buildings a few figures were seen, however only one of them was still alive while fires burned brightly all around.
"But I'm afraid your friend won't be able to offer much more intel for you," he said with a dark smile.
The only standing figure was dressed in black, a taller being who had long golden hair. He had pointed ears and yellow eyes with two markings on his forehead. He wore black pants and a black turncoat that flowed behind him. On his hip a katana was sheathed while he wore white gloves.
"Sorry, but I'm afraid I couldn't let him live since they found out about me. But hey, that's how life goes right? One minute you're alive and well, then the next you're ash," the voice said with a chuckle.
On the ground around the figure were the burnt remains of three bodies which were smoking slightly, one of them holding a shotgun tightly in one hand as white smoke faded away around it. The other two were human in appearance, the gang members having been killed before they could turn into their true monster forms.
"Now that you know this, could you do me a favor? I believe you are good friends with a boy by the name of Tsukune Aono," the voice said with a grin as he aimed his hand towards the door. Two beast men charged in and roared out at the man. In a flash his hand lit up and fire blasted out towards the two monsters, the massive wall of flame engulfing and incinerating them instantly. As the fire lit up around behind him the man laughed before looking around at the burning hell he brought about with a cold glare.
"Tell him that his dear old friend Kuyou is looking forward to seeing him again very soon."