Tears silently rolled down Tsukune's face as he huddled under the pier. Sand dug into his exposed skin uncomfortably, but he couldn't care less. He had failed to stop the Ghoul in time, and because of that failure it had hurt Moka.

If I can't control myself then what good am I, he asked himself. What if it had been Yukari or Kyoko? I would have killed them. Why don't I just leave? There are dozens of uninhabited islands I could go to where I couldn't hurt anyone.

You could always just kill yourself, a small voice whispered in the back of his mind. Save everyone the trouble.

The emergence of that silky voice jolted fear through Tsukune and caused him to question his sanity. Only crazy people had voices in their heads, right?

Close your eyes and clear your mind, the voice whispered. Turn yourself inward. We need to talk.

Apprehensively he closed his eyes and let the darkness slowly dissolve all thought. He saw himself in a mirror, but yet it wasn't him. The reflection's eyes were solid crimson, even the pupils, and his fangs were slightly longer. The most striking feature was his hair: silver, just like inner Moka's had been. The muscles of his arms and legs stood out, a fact he noticed due to their identical states of nudity.

"This could be you, Tsukune", he whispered as he raised his leg and stepped out of the mirror to slowly circle Tsukune. "You could have all the power of the Ghoul and more, but without the drawback of not being in control. What would you give to protect those beauties out there? What would you do to keep them in your life?"

"Name it", Tsukune said as he clinched his fists.

The reflection chuckled darkly as he stood face to face with Tsukune, his eyes burning into him. Slowly he reached for Tsukune's throat as he drew back his lips.

"Brace yourself", he grinned. "This is gonna hurt like hell."

-\/-\/-

The ball of light flew erratically down the street with all seven of the girls in tow as the sun climbed higher in the sky. Kyoko had refused to be left behind, mainly because she was scared of being alone right now. She had never been shot at before, much less been carried like a rag doll by an enormous demonic killing machine. Fresh tears of fear still glistened in her eyes as she listened to the others talking amongst themselves.

"Hey Yukari", Kurumu called. "Is that little light thingy flying like that because you're hung over?"

"No", she replied, sticking her tongue out as the backpack containing Tsukune's clothes bounced against her back. "It's following the path Tsukune took."

"So why the hell is it weaving all over the place?"

"Probably because he was", Moka said. "You know he has a tendency to cry when it comes to one of us. Remember when you sprained your ankle on that skateboard of his, Kurumu?"

"Yeah", she giggled. "He cried every time he looked at me until I could walk normally."

"So I guess Tsu's still a softie", Kyoko chimed in. "He cried for a week straight when he pushed me off the slide and I broke my arm. Then again, we were kids then."

"The best people never change who they are at heart", Mizore mumbled.

Silence fell over the group as they thought about Mizore's comment. Slowly they made their way onto the beach and turned to follow the water's edge. The sounds of the waves crashing on the beach and the gulls calling overhead lulled them all into a state of calm as they walked.

"I'm sorry, I just have to ask", Kyoko said after a few minutes. "What makes my cousin so damn appealing?"

"Sexual compatibility", Mizore said before anyone could reply. "No, I'm just kidding. But it does help. For me, it would have to be the way he sees the good in people and doesn't really care who or what they are. He's also very intelligent, which most people tend to overlook."

"Okay, somebody forgot to play the sappy romance music", Kurumu laughed. "Yukari, you're fired."

Everyone laughed as they approached a pier but fell silent as they noticed the lone figure kneeling underneath. As they got closer they noticed it was Tsukune and all but Kyoko raced toward him, which drew a puzzled look from Mizore.

"I've seen my cousin's junk enough for one lifetime", she called as she motioned for Mizore to go on.

She raced to catch up to the group and breathed heavily as they all slowed to a stop several feet away. His head was bowed and his eyes were closed, undisturbed by the sounds of their approach. Sweat formed on his brow as his entire body shook. Blood trickled down his thighs where his nails had dug into them.

"What's wrong with him", Yukari whispered, bending down and picking up a seashell.

She raised her arm and prepared to throw it at him but froze as Moka sent a twinge of youkai at her. Moka slowly circled around in front of him and crept closer to him, easing herself to her knees to stare at him. She cast a worried look at the others, their faces showing surprise. As she turned back to him she understood why.

Slowly his hair began to change as silver crept out from the roots and stopped just shy of the tips. His muscles seemed to be increasing in size, as if he had taken some sort of instant effect steroids. As if the sight of his changed body wasn't enough to arouse Moka, there was something else at work. It was almost like an animal instinct, a fact she had proof of when Kokoa breathed deeply and gave an ultrasonic moan only vampires and animals could hear. She turned her gaze to her sister and saw her eyes had dilated, which worried her slightly.

"Kurumu, get her away from him", Moka ordered, pleased when the succubus obeyed without question.

As she was being dragged away Kokoa gripped Kurumu tightly and began to shake lightly. The seductress held her mate and sat on the beach with her, their foreheads pressed together as Kurumu whispered to her. Yukari gave Moka a questioning look but was rewarded with only a shake of her head as if to say 'later'.

Slowly Moka reached out and brushed Tsukune's silvery hair but jerked her hand back when his eyes snapped open. Much like when he had briefly been in control of the Ghoul his eyes were crimson with a ring of brown. He breathed deeply and heaved a long sigh. His eyes darted everywhere before settling on Moka.

"Tsukune, are you okay", she asked hesitantly.

"I've never been better", he replied, his gaze turning Kokoa.

"Tsukune, what have you done?"

"What I had to in order to protect you", he said as he breathed in deeply.

Moka caught the scent of his pheromones as the wind shifted, causing her mind to go fuzzy. Slowly she placed her hands on the ground and began to crawl toward him as Kokoa struggled to get away from Kurumu. She placed one hand on his cheek and turned his face toward her. Her entire body trembled as their lips met. It seemed like hours before she finally broke the kiss.

"Tsukune, change back", she ordered softly. "I know you can, and we need you to. Kokoa can't handle this."

A twinge of guilt flashed across his face as he dropped his eyes. Slowly the crimson faded from his eyes as his hair darkened. His scent never changed, just as Moka expected, it just lost most of its intensity. Blushing madly but openly staring at his naked body Yukari brought the backpack over, running her gaze over his body before turning around to offer him some sense of modesty.

Stiffly he stood and brushed the sand from his shins before pulling on the pants and shirt they had brought for him. He had complained about the lack of underwear but had to laugh when Mizore had said that it was just less to take off later. He held his shoes in his hand as they began to walk back toward the road.

As they neared Kokoa and Kurumu the young vampire had a look on her face that he couldn't place. It almost seemed to be a mixture of hatred, pity and desire, but he wasn't too sure about the latter. He pushed it to the back of his mind, determined to discuss it with Moka. He glanced at her in shame as he thought of what the Ghoul had begun to do. He stopped walking and caught Moka's hand as he motioned for the others to go on.

"Moka, I need to talk to you", he sighed as he turned to face her.