After all the classes were finished for the day everybody was sitting in the newspaper club room with perplexed looks, except three members. Mizore was sitting at her spot looking down at the table with a smile, rolling her lollipop around in her mouth as she thought about Dark. Gin was still out collecting some last minute info for the paper while Dark had been asked to speak to the headmaster about him frightening two gym teachers away, the demon not really caring at all of course. The rest of the gang was looking at Mizore trying to think of what to say.
"Ok, so we've gone through the rest of the day being quiet about this, but now I have say something," Rason said as he eyed the snow girl curiously. He paused for a moment then shook his head.
"What did you do to Dark?" he asked plainly. Mizore looked up with her smile and tilted her head.
"Whatever do you mean?" she asked innocently.
"He's agreed to be your husband! And so soon! You did something to him didn't you?" the angel asked out loud. The snow girl shook her head with a warm smile.
"I didn't do anything to him. He chose me to be his wife," she said softly before looking down with a blush.
"He chose me," she said holding a hand to her cheek.
"Mizore, why do you want to get married so soon?" Tsukune said with a worried look.
"Maid of honor!" Kurumu called out suddenly.
"No way Kurumu, I get to be the maid of honor," Moka spoke up.
"What about me? I was closer to Dark than you two were! Sort of…" Kokoa said as she stood up. Rason and Tsukune looked at the girls like they were crazy.
"Are you girls crazy? Why are you encouraging this?" Rason asked with disbelief.
"You girls can't be serious can you?" Tsukune said looking around the room.
"Tsukune, if they want to be together that's their choice," Moka said with a smile.
"Wait a minute; you girls were against it when we were out on the track earlier!" Rason said pointing his finger around at all of them.
"That was because we thought she was trying to force herself on Dark. She's been known to do that," Kurumu said eyeing the snow girl with a mischievous smile. Mizore just giggled and shrugged innocently.
"Yeah, if Dark has agreed to it, then I say let them," Yukari said with a smile. Tsukune just looked around them with an expression of shock.
'These girls are crazy, how can they always treat marriage and having children like it's a normal everyday thing?'
"So can I please be the maid of honor?" Kokoa begged Mizore again. The snow girl looked around the room with her smile then nodded at the redhead.
"Sure," she said softly. Kokoa jumped up and danced with joy as the other girls sighed and looked down.
"You all can be bridesmaids, relax," Kokoa said to them with a smirk. They looked to each other and after a moment they smiled and nodded.
"Ok, seeing as how only me and Tsukune here are confused about this, mind explaining why you girls are ok with this?" Rason said scratching his head.
"I don't understand either. Mizore, you've always been so persistent about marriage and having a family, why is that?" Tsukune asked his friend with a curious look.
"This isn't the human world Tsukune, things aren't the same here," Mizore said with an amused smile.
"Yeah angel boy, let me guess, you only watched over the humans from heaven didn't you?" Kurumu said with a playful smile. Rason glanced to her then down quickly.
"Not exactly, but close enough. And don't call me that," he said quietly.
"In the monster world some monsters live short lives, others very long ones. The age to get married can vary greatly," Yukari said looking at the angel.
"Yes, and there can be other factors too," Mizore added quietly while looking down. After a moment she looked over to Tsukune with a sympathetic expression.
"I'm sorry I tried to force myself so much on you before. I can understand how a human may have been scared by the idea of marriage so soon. It's just, for my kind it's something we do very quickly. The fact that Dark is not only ok with it but wants to be with me as well, it's just a dream come true for me." she said with a soft smile.
"Hm, well I guess I can understand that. I've only known much about humans getting married to be honest," Rason said thinking about that.
"I suppose you're right," Tsukune replied looking around the room.
'They aren't human; some of them can live longer than humans. Like vampires…'
He looked to Moka and wondered how long she would live for. How long he would have with her before he passed away. The thought of it worried him greatly.
"So… I guess that settles it then. Well, I have to ask, when's the big day?" Rason asked the snow girl.
"I would imagine after we graduate our senior year here. I myself only came to this school to find a husband, but I have a little more time before I have to get married, so if Dark wishes to continue to graduate, I suppose that would be fine," she said calmly.
"Little more time? Before what?" Moka asked curiously. Everybody turned to Mizore who looked down with a saddened expression.
"Well…" she started as she kept looking down.
"What's wrong?" Tsukune asked with concern.
"My people have a… condition," she said softly. Everybody looked to her with curiosity.
"What do you mean?" Yukari asked. The snow girl looked up and around at her friends.
"We snow people have a condition… the women of our people are only fertile for a short time when they come of age," she said with a saddened look.
"For a short time?" Moka asked.
"Yes, a few years at best. We have a declining birthrate because of this. As such, it's every snow woman's duty to find a husband quickly and have as many children as possible." Mizore explained as she looked down again and closed her eyes.
"I came to this academy to find a husband, hopefully somebody who would understand me and care for me as I am," she said softly. Everybody looked at her with saddened eyes, they had no idea that was her reason for being here all this time.
"I guess that explains why you were so fixated on Tsukune before," Kurumu said softly.
"And why you wanted to have children so soon," Tsukune said gently. He finally knew why Mizore always pushed for children; she was obligated for her people to give birth as much as she could during the short time she would have to do so.
"I thought he was the one who would understand me. Turns out he understood me but wasn't the one," Mizore said with a slight laugh at the end. She turned to look at the boy with a warm smile.
"Still, he's a good friend, and I'm glad I met him," she said softly. The boy smiled and nodded to her.
"I'm glad I have you as a friend too Mizore," he said gently.
"Well no need to worry now Mizore, looks like you found your future husband," Kokoa said with a smile.
"Yes, I'm so glad I did," Mizore said as she smiled and looked down with a blush.
"I just wonder what Dark meant about you being marked," Rason said as he looked up.
As if on cue the door opened and in walked a boy listening to music from his player. Dark walked in and looked to see the group smiling over at him.
"Perfect timing," Rason said as he motioned to Dark's seat. The boy walked around and sat down with his usual expression. Mizore smiled and took his hand into hers.
"Hello beloved," she said softly. Then she chuckled as she realized she forgot to take her lollipop out. She reached up to take the candy out, and then repeated herself.
"Hello beloved," she said happily. She didn't mind his strange taste in music, after all his music was very important to him and she wouldn't dare try to take that away from her demon. Dark nodded then gave her a curious look.
"What is it?" she asked tilting her head. Dark took her lollipop and gently put it back in her mouth. She blinked then looked at him curiously.
"Say that again," he said. She looked to the group then back to her boyfriend.
"Hello beloved," she said around her lollipop. Dark studied her for a moment then tilted his head.
"What is he doing?" Rason asked as he looked at the boy with a puzzled expression.
"Again," Dark said. Mizore glanced around then back to her boyfriend.
"Hello beloved," she asked with a slightly confused tone.
"What's he doing?" Tsukune asked. The demon eyed the girl closely and tilted his head the other way.
"One more time," Dark said simply.
"Hello beloved," Mizore said again. Dark studied her for a moment then smiled briefly. He looked around to see everybody looking at him with confused stares.
"What are you doing?" Kurumu asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Learning," he said simply as he looked back to Mizore. She just gave him a confused look still.
"Learning?" she asked. The boy just looked at her confused then studied her lips. The group watched him puzzled as he sat there in silence.
"Oh!" Yukari said, her eyes widening. The group glanced to her as she looked from Mizore to Dark.
"Mizore, I think he's learning to understand you with your lollipop in your mouth," she said with a curious smile. Mizore looked at the witch surprised, then to Dark.
"Can you understand me?" she asked the boy. He studied her for a moment then shook his head.
"I don't think we should do that here," he said flatly. Everybody looked at him, then to Mizore.
"I wonder what you just said to him," Moka said eyeing the boy.
"Good question," Kurumu commented.
"Well that kind of language could take some time to learn I suppose," Tsukune said with a chuckle. Rason nudged Dark to get his attention, and then spoke up while raising an eyebrow.
"What did she just ask you?" he asked pointing to the snow girl. Dark looked around, then leaned over to Rason and whispered into his ear. The angel's eyes shot open and looked to Mizore in surprise.
"What did he hear from her?" Tsukune asked curiously.
"Um… well…" Rason said looking to Mizore and back to Dark again. The demon had resumed looking back at his girlfriend at this point with no expression.
"Well?" Yukari asked.
"Well, either Dark's mind is in the gutter, or your lollipop makes you sound very perverted…" Rason said with a shrug. Everybody went wide eyed and looked to Dark, who was still showing the same expression he always does. Mizore blushed brightly and looked down, wondering what her future husband just heard her say. Rason nudged Dark to get his attention again.
"Dude, can you take the headphones off, we have a few questions for you," he asked politely.
"No," Dark simply replied. Rason just sighed and nodded.
"Of course, I should have known. Well can I ask you a question?" he asked tiredly. Dark just nodded while looking at the angel.
"What did you mean Mizore is marked?" Rason asked curiously.
"Just what I said, I've marked her to be my wife," Dark said simply.
"We heard that, but how did you mark her. And why?" the angel asked. Dark looked over to Mizore and gazed deep into her eyes.
"I marked her by giving her a part of my essence. I did so to mark her as my wife," he said calmly.
"Essence?" Mizore asked curiously. Dark studied her for a moment and then spoke up.
"Mizore, I don't think we should do that right now in front of your friends," he said flatly. The ice maiden blushed and looked away.
"Wow, I'm curious to what he thinks you're saying," Kurumu said with a giggle.
"Me too, hee hee!" Yukari said looking at Mizore's deep blush.
"I don't think I need to know," Tsukune said with a weak smile. Mizore took a breath and cooled off, then looked back to Dark as she removed her lollipop.
"Essence?" she repeated herself. He nodded and smiled briefly again to her.
"Part of my spirit, my being. It marks you as my woman to all other demons," he said simply. Mizore looked at him with wide eyes as her mouth opened a bit.
"Your… woman?" she asked softly. He just nodded with a blank expression. The girl looked at him with wonder then smiled with amazement.
'He's so possessive too. I won't let him get away now, I can't. He's too good to be true.'
"When did you do that?" she asked softly while tilting her head.
"When I kissed you for the first time," he replied. She smiled and sighed happily, remembering that moment very well and blushing more thinking about it.
"Wow, so how does that work?" Kurumu asked looking closely at Mizore. Dark just kept looking at Mizore, not hearing her at all. The snow girl giggled then leaned closer to her boyfriend.
"So how does that work beloved?" she asked softly.
"I can see it. All demons can now; it shows you are claimed already. If any other demon wants you, they'll have to answer to me," he said as he looked at the snow girl, his eyes flickering black for a moment. She wasn't sure if it was just his words to her, or his aura creeping out temporarily, but for a brief instant she felt a chill run down her spine. And she loved it.
"Wow…" she breathed out.
"I don't see anything. Where is it?" Moka said studying Mizore closely as well. She and Kurumu were looking all around Mizore's neck and arms while the snow girl glanced to them with a weak expression.
"Hey, can you give me a little room?" Mizore asked nervously as the two girls got really close to her.
"Only a demon of my nature can see it. It shows that she is my wife to all of my kind," Dark said simply.
"Your kind? So only shadow demons can see it?" Kurumu asked.
"No, any type of demon from…" he said before he stopped and looked down.
"From where? I'm a demon technically and I don't see it," Kurumu said eyeing the snow girl closely.
"Um, Kurumu?" Yukari said softly. The group looked to her as she slowly shook her head.
"There's only one place a shadow demon would come from," she said and pointed downward. The group looked down and thought about it then realized what he meant, all of them jumping with a bit of surprise.
"Oh… I see," Kurumu said as she backed up a bit.
"Still, I guess that's something. No demon from hell is going to hit on you now," Rason chuckled. Mizore giggled at that and looked at Dark. She held her hand out and raised his gaze up to meet her eyes.
"I don't fear you, it's ok. I'm just glad you chose me," she said with a smile. Dark nodded and looked back at her with his usual expression.
"Yeah, it's sort of like you have a Destined One as well," Kurumu said as she reached over and hugged Rason closely.
"I suppose so," Mizore said smiling at the succubus.
"I guess we are the same, well almost. I can tell where my Rason is, I can feel his presence. It's like a special sense I guess. Pretty cool huh?" Kurumu said as she held the boy closer.
"Um, Kurumu…" Tsukune said with a weak smile.
"It's incredible actually; I can tell where he is. Not pinpoint yet, but still, I can feel when he's close by. It always makes me so happy to know he's nearby. I wonder if he can feel my presence too," Kurumu continued as she looked up in wonder.
"Kurumu…" Moka said with a similar weak smile.
"Maybe he knows where I am all the time too. Maybe the bond works both ways. That would be so cool! I wonder what he feels when I'm near," Kurumu went on with stars in her eyes.
"I can guess how he feels," Mizore said calmly. The succubus looked to her curiously.
"You can?" she asked.
"Yes, I bet he feels like his lungs are on fire," Mizore said. Kurumu blinked and tilted her head. Mizore just pointed down to her chest. The blue haired girl looked down and gasped. Rason had passed out in her chest again and wasn't moving anymore.
"Oh my gosh! Rason! Rason! Speak to me!" she cried out. The rest of the gang just looked at the sight with weak expressions.
"Poor angel," Yukari said softly.
Mizore giggled and smiled at Dark with loving eyes while Kurumu was busy shaking Rason while frantically apologizing to him.
'My own knight in shining armor. Who would have thought a snow girl's husband would come from hell itself?'
While the group focused on the two happy couples, even though one of the boys was unconscious, Tsukune was looking at his girlfriend with a saddened expression.
'Moka is a vampire. She'll live to be… who knows how old exactly. But she will certainly outlive me. I'll only have my short life as a human with her, then she'll have to witness me die.'
The boy looked down and worried about the future. Vampires would most certainly outlive humans, and he feared what she would think about outliving him like that. Moka glanced over and saw him upset, causing her to worry as well.
"Tsukune, what's wrong?" she asked. The rest of the group, including Rason who had just regained himself with a few deep breaths of fresh air, looked over to him curiously. Dark only looked because he saw Mizore look over there as well.
"Well, it's just that..." Tsukune started before looking at his girlfriend's worried eyes.
"How long do vampires live for?" he asked carefully.
"Oh, well, let's see. I know my great grandfather lived to be over 200 years old," Moka said as she looked up thoughtfully.
"200 years huh?" Tsukune said softly as he looked back down. Moka looked to him with concerned eyes.
"Why, does that bother you?" she asked.
"It's just… if monsters live longer than humans…" he trailed off. Moka watched him for a moment then gasped at realizing what he was thinking. She looked to the others then to him, opening her mouth to speak before stopping. After a pause she looked down saddened too.
"Tsukune..." she said softly.
'I didn't think about that. I wonder how that must feel for him to know that I'll outlive him. Oh Tsukune…'
"Tsukune, I'll always cherish every second I have with you. I promise I'll enjoy every day with you more than anything," she said as she looked to him with a sad smile. The boy nodded while still looking down.
"I never thought about that," Kurumu said looking between the couple.
"Me neither. Actually, Kurumu and I would live just as long as a human would, so I guess it never occurred to us," Mizore added softly.
"Me neither," Yukari chimed in. The girls shot her a dull expression then looked back to Tsukune.
"Isn't Tsukune a vampire now though? Shouldn't he live just as long?" Rason asked as he looked at the boy.
"No, only a full blooded vampire would have increased life. He may have a few more years, sure, but not as long as us," Kokoa said softly. She wasn't one to agree Tsukune was the best choice for her sister just yet, but she knew how much he meant to her. She actually felt a bit of sympathy for the boy for a moment.
"I'm sorry, I guess I should have expected this, I mean this world is different than the human world in many ways," Tsukune said as he looked back to his friends with a gentle smile.
"Enjoy it," Dark said to the boy. Everybody looked to him curiously.
"What?" Tsukune asked.
"Enjoy your life with her. That's all you could ever do," Dark said simply. Tsukune looked to his girlfriend and thought about those words.
'She's a vampire. She will outlive me by far. But still, I can't focus on that now. Even if there isn't a way to live as long as her, I need to treasure the time I do have with her. I can't deny how I feel, and I know without her I would be miserable for however long I do live for.'
He smiled at her and looked into her green eyes, the eyes he fell for since the day he came to this academy.
"Moka…" he said gently.
"Tsukune…" she said softly.
"Uh oh, they're doing it again," Rason said as he looked between the two.
"Moka… I need to be honest with you," Tsukune said with a look of determination.
"Oh, well that part is new," Rason said raising an eyebrow.
"Tsukune?" Moka asked curiously. Tsukune walked over to her and held her hand, gazing into her eyes deeply.
"I know you will outlive me, and there isn't anything I can likely do about that…" he started.
"Tsukune… I…" she said worriedly.
"And I know that monsters and humans have always had trouble coexisting in the past…" he continued as he looked down with remorse. Moka's eyes widened.
'Oh no! He's not going to break up with me about this is he? Tsukune?'
"And I know that vampires are proud beings who only want other vampires or strong monsters to be with them…" he said with a sincere expression as he looked back to her. Everybody but Dark stared at the boy with wide eyes while Moka started breathing heavily.
'No, please don't let me go Tsukune! I don't care if you're not a vampire or a monster, I care about who you are!'
"I understand that the monster world is a different place than the human world, and something's are supposed to never be…" he said softly. Everybody but Dark looked at him with wide eyes and jaws that dropped a bit. Moka felt her heart start to ache as she shook her head.
'Please don't break up with me!'
'If he breaks up with us over this I swear I'll beat him into the ground! Dammit Tsukune, don't let us go!'
"So having that in mind, I need to tell you something, something that I've known for a while actually…" he said as he held her hand securely.
'Please Tsukune! I… I… Tsukune I lo-'
"I love you Moka Akashiya," he said to her gently.
Silence.
The vampire stared at her boyfriend with a surprised expression, stunned to hear such words from the boy. She stared at him with unblinking eyes as words failed her. After a long pause she trembled a bit.
"Wha… what did you say?" she breathed out. Her heart skipped a few beats and her breathing was short.
'Did he… did he just say what I think he did?'
"I love you Moka, and I want to be with you forever, for as long as I live," he said with his gentle smile. Everybody stared at the boy in silence. After a moment Dark turned to Rason and smirked for an instant.
"I called that one," he said simply. Moka stared at her boyfriend as words failed to form in her mouth.
'Tsukune… do you… do you mean that?'
"I love you," he said as he gazed into her eyes. A moment passed where nobody said a word. After a while a voice squeaked out.
"Do you… mean that Tsukune?" Moka asked under her breath. Her eyes were fixated on Tsukune with shock. The boy nodded and smiled at her.
"Tsukune…" she said softly.
"Moka…" he said back gently.
"Tsukune…"
"Moka…"
"Really? Now of all times? What is wrong with you two?" Rason asked out loud.
"It's just their thing," Kurumu said with a giggle.
"Tsukune… I… I…" the vampire started to say, tears forming in her eyes.
"Moka?" the boy asked worriedly.
"Tsukune… I LOVE YOU TOO!" she yelled as she jumped up and tackled the boy to the ground. Everybody watched as the couple fell to the floor with a crash.
"Are you two ok?" Yukari asked walking over. The two vampires were locked into a kiss, with Tsukune holding Moka closely. Yukari blushed and nodded.
"Yeah, they're ok," she said simply.
Moka kissed her boyfriend passionately, the couple locked into an embrace on the ground. Her heart was beating steadily as she held her boyfriend, the girl feeling her world brightening beyond anything she imagined. She always dreamed of being with Tsukune, always being with him and making him happy. But hearing him say those words to her, and with such confidence, she felt her heart yearn for the boy like never before.
'Tsukune! I love you too! I really do!'
While locked in their embrace her rosary glowed brightly. Inner Moka's heart was beating just as fast, and she looked forward to telling the boy herself how she felt about him.
"Well, glad that all worked out," Kurumu said as she turned to her angel.
"Say Rason…" she said slowly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Kurumu, I think you already know the answer," he said gently as he pulled her closer.
"I know, but… I want to hear it," she said with a blush. She wanted to hear the same words from her Destined One as well. The angel smiled at her and leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"I love you Kurumu," he said gently. The succubus squealed with delight and kissed him deeply in response. She felt the tingle shoot through her body again, and loved the feeling of the bond they shared.
The third couple eyed the two couples who were locked in their embrace, then turned to each other. Mizore smiled around her lollipop at her boyfriend.
"Dark..." she said softly. The boy tilted his head with a blank expression. Blinking once, she realized the lollipop was in her mouth still. This was one time she wanted to be crystal clear with Dark. She reached up and pulled the lollipop out, but before she could say anything Dark leaned in and kissed her. She sighed and enjoyed the kiss as she always did. After the kiss broke Dark leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"I love you my little snow bunny," he said gently and looked to her again, a small smile on his face. Mizore stared at him wide eyed then blushed brightly with a big smile on her face.
'The way he says that… it's… perfect.'
At that moment Gin walked in holding some papers he was looking through.
"Good new guys, I think we got the last info we need for our paper, now we just need to-" he started before stopping in place and looking around. On the floor Tsukune and Moka were making out, next to the table Rason was holding Kurumu in his lap and they were also making out, and sitting at the table Mizore and Dark were staring into each other's eyes with a smile on each of their faces.
"Um… what the…" Gin started.
"Don't interrupt them," Kokoa said sternly. The wolf turned to see Kokoa and Yukari off by the wall with smiles on their faces. The vampire looked over to Gin and shook her head.
"I would hate to be the poor soul that came between any of them," she continued with a smirk.
The class day had ended and many students were leaving the academy for the dorms. Some students stayed behind for after school activities and clubs while others just wandered around minding their own business. Two students however were finishing up their duties outside the headmaster's office. They had been keeping an eye on possible threats to the school and its students, and were turning in their report to the headmaster's personal assistant.
"So, what have we learned yet?" Ruby asked while keeping her back turned to the two sisters. Apoch and Astreal smiled and spoke in unison as usual.
"We have learned that the Kiyo brothers have done nothing suspicious yet, neither have the other two students who claimed not to have known Mr. Tsukune at all Ms. Ruby," they said politely. The elder witch twitched her eyebrow in frustration.
"And what else have we learned girls?" she asked again.
"We have seen Mr. Tsukune and his friends exhibit great strength in their encounters with students and during their classes Ms. Ruby," the witch sisters said with impressed smiles.
"And what else…" Ruby said with a tone of annoyance. The sisters looked to each other then back to the witch.
"Um… that is all Ms. Ruby," they said together.
"No, there is one more thing you two should have learned by now," Ruby spoke as she turned around.
"What is that Ms. Ruby?" the girls asked curiously, both still speaking at the same time.
From down the hall a woman's rage was heard from her screaming.
"It's just RUBY!" she yelled out. The twin sisters blinked and nodded with smiles.
"Yes Ms. Ruby," they said together.
More sounds of weeping were heard down the halls nearby. After a moment the twin sisters were walking the halls towards the exit of the academy.
"She seemed sad sister," Apoch said softly.
"She must be frustrated that we have not found the threats yet. Do not give up, we shall prove to her we are capable of completing this task," Astreal said calmly. The girls walked around the corner and stopped, seeing two students who were smiling at them.
"We meet again," Rarosun said with a smile.
"Oh, hello again," the sisters spoke together.
"You girls are still at school? Did you get into trouble with the headmaster?" Surason said looking down the hall towards the headmaster's office.
"Oh no, we were just helping him with some jobs," Astreal said politely.
"It's good to see you two again," Apoch said with a shy smile.
"Indeed, I'm glad this school hasn't been too rough with you. Did you find protection from that bad man?" Rarosun asked tilting his head.
"Oh dear, I hope they are not being troubled by him still," Surason said looking worriedly at them.
"No no, we have that problem taken care of," Astreal said with a giggle.
"Yes, we found some friends who helped us," Apoch said softly.
"Oh, well I'm glad you're ok then," Surason said as he glanced to his brother.
"Yes, we wouldn't want anything bad to happen to our friends," Rarosun said with a kind smile.
"Thank you, well we must be going. We shall see you later perhaps?" Astreal said with a small bow.
"I would hope so," Surason said holding out his hand. Astreal looked at it for a moment, and then shook it with a smile.
"Take care as well," Rarosun said holding his hand out to Apoch. She paused shyly, and then shook it gently as well. The girls then walked off in the hallway while the boys smiled at them. After they rounded the corner the boys looked to their hands with eerie smiles.
"That should be all we need," Surason said as a green wisp flowed around his hand briefly.
"Yes, this should be interesting," Rarosun said with a chuckle.
Elsewhere the newspaper club was getting ready to end today's meeting. They were all sitting around the table discussing the paper before it was finalized. Although they all worked hard to complete this edition of the paper in time for the dance, not everybody was focused on the project anymore.
"So that concludes all the articles we will be putting in the paper-" Gin said as he looked around the room.
Moka and Tsukune were staring into each other's eyes dreamily again and holding each other's hands. Moka felt her heart racing as she recalled how Tsukune declared his love to her, and couldn't take her eyes off of him now. Tsukune felt the same way as he held the hand of the girl he loved, the girl that even if she did outlive him he wanted to spend his entire life with.
"-and I know that the info for the dance will certainly be a big hit-" Gin continued as he glanced around.
Kurumu and Rason were sitting close together, the angel having his arm around the girl and holding her close while she smiled up at him with loving eyes. She felt the bond flowing through her and combined with the angel's declaration of love to her she felt like she truly died and went to heaven. The angel too felt like this was heaven as he had his beautiful girl close to him.
"-so I will put all this out to the press for tomorrow, I expect you all to be able to hand out the papers in the morning-" Gin said with a raised eyebrow.
Mizore and Dark were looking into each other's eyes, both being silent yet still voicing how they felt to each other in their own way. Mizore had a soft smile on her face as she rolled the lollipop around in her mouth, still amazed she had a shadow demon for a soon-to-be-husband while Dark showed his normal expression, which was none. Even though he had no visible sign of happiness on his face, the demon was indeed thankful to have found a future wife for himself.
"-and with that, I have to ask you all one more thing before we end today's meeting-" Gin said calmly.
Kokoa and Yukari looked to the couples than back to Gin with a smirk and giggle.
"-and that would be ARE ANY OF YOU LISTENING TO ME?" he roared out. None of the couples flinched or moved in the slightest.
"Doesn't seem like it. Nice speech though," Yukari said with a shrug.
"Besides, we did our job, let's get going anyway," Kokoa said as she stood up. She walked over and waved her hand between Tsukune and Moka's gaze, snapping them out of their trance.
"Enough of this big sister, let's get to our training," Kokoa muttered. She was trying to be understanding of Moka's choice, but she was more eager to fight than anything. Moka blinked at her sister then smiled happily.
"Oh, of course Kokoa," she said with a nod, then turned to her boyfriend and blushed at bit.
"Let's go, ok Tsukune?" she asked softly. The boy nodded and the two stood up while maintaining eye contact.
"Sure thing Moka," he said gently. He tapped on the table a few times to get everybody's attention. Everybody's but Dark, who looked over only because Mizore did.
"We have the paper taken care of, so let's head out. We still have light out so let's try to improve what we can," Tsukune said with a confident smile.
"I suppose that would be best. Need to keep in shape for my girl," Rason said as he kissed Kurumu on the forehead. She giggled a bit and stood up with him.
"Hey, I can get stronger too you know," she said confidently.
Mizore and Dark stood up and walked over, with Mizore clinging to her boyfriend's arm while he listened to his music. The boy glanced to Tsukune and nodded.
"Still can't believe you guys are doing this," Gin said as he sat down. He shrugged then leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed behind his head.
"Well whatever, just try not to kill each other," he said casually. Tsukune chuckled then took Moka's hand and led her out of the room. The other two couples followed along with Yukari who ran to catch up with Tsukune and Moka. Kokoa started to walk out then glanced over to Gin.
"How come you don't want to train with us? Wouldn't you want to get stronger with them?" she asked raising an eyebrow.
"Nah, I got better things to do with my time," he said as he pulled out a camera. Kokoa narrowed her eyes as she knew exactly what he was going to be up to while they were out. She shook her head with discontent then walked out.
Out in the field they used for practice two different groups of fighters were darting around the clearing at high speed. Monster energy was rippling around them as they fought and dodged around with great power.
Tsukune dodged to his side and just missed a sharp punch to the face from Dark. As he did so he tried to rebalance and send a kick towards his sparring partner, only for Dark to grab the leg and fling him at a tree. Before impact Tsukune rebalanced himself and landed feet first on the trunk and jumped back, cracking apart the tree with great force. The boy soared through the air and missed the demon with headphones on with a flying kick by a hair. Tsukune landed and spun around, his blood red eyes focusing on his opponent as he tried to push himself even further.
Next to them a pink haired girl was dodging left and right to avoid punches from a boy with blonde hair. He was smiling at her kindly yet attacking with high speed. Rason tried to send a roundhouse kick to her head, only for Moka to reach up and stop the attack with one hand. She then tried to throw the boy over her. He soared over her head, but landed on his feet on the other side and sprang back at the girl with a punch to the stomach, sending her back a few feet. She let out a startled gasp then focused back on the boy charging her. Rason ran to her with the intent to send a kick to her head again, which she quickly rolled off to the side to avoid. During the fight her rosary was glowing brightly with her will to fight.
Off to the side two girls stood watching the fights with high interest. One of the girls jaw was hanging down, her lollipop almost falling out of her mouth, as she stared at her boyfriend with amazement. The other stood there fidgeting a bit, her tingling sensation in her chest spiking every now and then as she watched the angel fight nearby.
"Wow…" Kurumu breathed out, her face flushed slightly.
"I know, they're so strong…" Mizore said as she kept her boy in sight.
Behind them two other girls were eyeing them with questioning looks.
"Hey, we're supposed to be fighting here!" Kokoa barked out as she held a giant hammer behind her head with one hand.
"Yeah, we're supposed to be training as well, c'mon you two," Yukari whined out.
After a moment they were both encased in ice while Mizore and Kurumu kept looking at the battles in front of them.
"I think watching them will teach us a lot," Kurumu said softly.
"I'm already getting ideas," Mizore said with a blush on her face.
Tsukune was trying his best to knock the dark haired boy over, but each attack was blocked or dodged. The only good side to this fight was Tsukune was avoiding all of his opponent's attacks as well, either by dodging or blocking them just in time. He may not be able to strike down the shadow demon, but at least he was holding his own so far. Meanwhile Moka was able to defend herself much better, this time her power holding strong, yet still was not attacking often. She was defending herself more than going on the offensive, and as such was not able to make any progress striking the blonde haired boy out. She had the will to fight, but still didn't want to hurt her friends.
Tsukune threw another kick towards Dark who dodged it quickly and sent a punch right to his jaw, sending him up and back a bit. He focused his power to regain himself quickly and landed on his feet, then shot back towards the silent boy.
'C'mon! I can do this, focus your power Tsukune, you're fighting for your girlfriend! For Moka!'
Next to him Moka was not only defending herself from Rason's attacks, but was also listening to her rosary yell at her.
'What is wrong with you? Attack! Don't just dodge and block. You need to go on the offensive!'
'I can't, I don't know how to attack like you do. I thought I was doing pretty good lasting this long.'
'Lasting long and doing nothing but letting him attack you. C'mon, if you're going to do this, do it right. Fight back!'
With that Moka summoned her power best she could and struck at Rason with a fist, the shot missing the boy by a hair as he dodged to the side, the angel then sending a sideways kick to her face, hitting her hard and sending her flying back into the ground with a fierce crash. Dazed she got up in time to see the angel running at her and jumping into a kick. Thinking as fast as she could she dodged to the side and grabbed his leg, then spun around and slammed him into the ground. The impact blasted the boy into a small crater, and got everybody's attention as well.
"Wow, Moka actually took him down," Mizore said calmly.
"Lucky counterattack," Kurumu scoffed. The other two girls who had broken out of their icy prison watched in wonder.
"Huh, big sister actually held her own," Kokoa said softly.
'Not bad, I guess.'
"Amazing, she's so cool!" Yukari cheered with stars in her eyes.
Dark and Tsukune glanced to each other than walked over to the other sparring couple, just as Rason got out of the hole and dusted himself off.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't hurt you did I?" Moka said nervously as the angel glanced to her.
"Haha, don't worry, I'm fine. Glad to see you're getting the hang of it," he said with his gentle smile. Moka smiled back and nodded. Tsukune walked over to his girlfriend with a big smile.
"You're amazing Moka. I'm so proud of you," he said as he hugged her. The vampire blushed and sighed happily at his compliment.
"Oh Tsukune…" she said as he faced her.
"Oh Moka…"
"Oh Tsukune…"
Without a second word he leaned in and kissed her deeply. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the embrace with him.
"Huh, thought for sure they would have at least two more back and forth's," Rason said scratching his head.
"Well at least they are doing something besides reminding each other of their names," Kurumu said with a giggle. She looked to her boyfriend with a gentle smile.
"Glad you're ok too," she said gently.
"Ha, don't worry about me, I'll be fine," he said as he rubbed the back of his head. The attack did hurt a bit, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.
Moka's rosary glowed brightly, causing her to look down at it with wonder. Mizore walked over to her boyfriend and clung to his arm again. She removed her lollipop and spoke with a soft smile.
"I was watching you fight, you're so amazing," she said with a blush. Dark smiled briefly at her and kissed her on the lips, the girl savoring the taste and sighing happily. After the kiss broke Dark looked back to Tsukune.
"I know, I could have done better. Really, I'm trying," Tsukune said rubbing the back of his head with a shrug. The rosary on Moka's chest glowed brightly again while Moka looked from Dark to Rason with curiosity.
"Well at least you guys are improving. That's what matters," Kurumu said as she grabbed her boyfriend's arm.
"Um," Moka said softly causing the group to look to her.
"What's wrong Moka?" Tsukune asked curiously, his red eyes seeing his girlfriend's expression.
"Um, my other self want's to talk to Dark and Rason," she said while looking between the boys. Dark and Rason merely glanced to each other.
"Oh, well. Ok then, sure," Tsukune said a bit puzzled. Then he reached out and removed the rosary from her chest. The area was hit with a wave of monster energy as the sky turned blood red and the area darkened around them. Everybody watched Moka as a bright light shined from her body while Kokoa stared at her sister with stars in her eyes. When the light receded Inner Moka stood there, her silver hair flowing in the wind, her blood red eyes set in her usual piercing gaze, and her bust size having increased from before.
"So what's up Mo-" Tsukune started before the vampire pulled him into a fierce kiss. Everybody stared at them with a bit of surprise. After a moment Tsukune closed his eyes and enjoyed the kiss from the other side of his girlfriend. They were one and the same in some ways, and he cared for them both as one. After the kiss ended the vampire looked at her boyfriend with a smile, even though for her a smile still seemed like an arrogant stare.
"Hello boyfriend, I've been waiting to do that for a while now. You seem to kiss the other Moka far more than me," she said raising an eyebrow. Tsukune stammered a bit then slowly regained himself.
"Well, that's just because I've seen her more today," He said nervously. Then he looked at the vampire with a sincere smile.
"But I care for both of you the same. I love you Moka, both sides of you, equally," he said assuredly. The vampire tilted her head slightly, then chuckled a bit.
"Oh Tsukune, you are always too kind to everyone," she said as she looked into his eyes. Her expression softened a bit and her voice became slightly gentler.
"And I love you too Tsukune. I don't want you to ever forget that," she said that calmly.
"Wow, didn't expect this side of Moka to be capable of saying such caring words," Rason said with a smirk. The vampire shot him a glare causing him to wave his hands in front of him.
"Still, it's great to see such a happy couple!" he replied quickly with a nervous laugh. The vampire looked from him to Dark with a questioning glare.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Tsukune asked curiously.
"Dark. Rason. I need to speak to you about something," she said as she walked over to the angel. She glanced over to see Dark was looking off to the side listening to his music. Even when Inner Moka was out he didn't seem to care anymore than usual.
"Um, I don't think he can hear you," Tsukune said nervously.
"Bullshit," the vampire said and walked over to Dark, the boy still looking off to the side listening to his music.
"What are you-" Rason started to ask before Inner Moka wound up a punch and set it straight for Dark. Everybody went wide eyed as the strike traveled towards his head at high speed.
"Moka!" Tsukune cried out.
Before the punch connected Dark reached up and caught the hand, holding it in place instantly. He slowly looked over to see a vampire smirking at him.
"I thought so," she said as she pulled her hand away. The boy kept looking at her without any expression.
"Wha? How did…" Tsukune stammered out. Everybody looked at Dark with wide eyes, except for Inner Moka and Rason.
"You've been holding back, you're more aware of what's around you then you let on," she declared as she glanced back to the angel.
"You both have been holding your power back. Admit it," she said accusingly. Rason looked at her for a moment, and then glanced over to Dark. The demon still showed no expression while his music kept playing for him. After a pause Rason just shrugged.
"What makes you say that?" he asked curiously.
"Don't give me that," she snapped at him, and then looked back to Dark with a smirk.
"You've both been holding back your power with us. Did you think I wouldn't notice?" she said arrogantly. Dark continued to look at her without saying a word. The vampire grunted and bared her fangs.
"Fine, have it your way," she said and with that jumped up and sent a swift kick to Dark's head. He instantly blocked it again and pushed her away with one hand. The group just looked at him with wide eyes as he seemed to have become stronger than before somehow.
"He blocked her kick?" Kurumu said with surprise.
"Wow, have they been practicing too?" Yukari said amazed.
"No, they've always been strong. We just haven't seen it when we've been out here," Inner Moka said looking back and forth between the boys.
"What do you mean?" Tsukune said as he eyed them as well.
"I mean they haven't been trying with us. Frankly I'm disappointed, if they had been using their full power maybe you could have improved faster," she said with a smirk.
"Or died faster," Dark said flatly. All eyes turned to the shadow demon. He was looking right at Inner Moka with his usual expression. Kurumu looked from him to Rason, then back to Dark.
"So, what? They just haven't been using their full power all this time?" she asked curiously.
"No, we've seen it briefly before. Rason's eyes and wings were glowing in the cafeteria when he was fighting. Dark's eyes turned pitch black," Inner Moka replied.
"But we've seen Dark's eyes turn black before," Kokoa spoke up.
"Kokoa, you said yourself you've seen a monster in those eyes. Tell me, have you seen him fight as that monster yet?" Inner Moka said over her shoulder. Kokoa thought for a moment then looked down.
"Well… no," she said softly.
"What about when he fought you?" Mizore said as she looked from Dark to Inner Moka.
"He didn't use his power at all. His eyes were normal the entire fight. He lost that fight on purpose to prove a point to Kokoa," she replied as she looked from her sister to Dark.
"Isn't that right?" she asked knowingly. Dark looked at her with no reaction then over to Rason who just looked back without a saying anything. Mizore looked to her boyfriend with curious eyes.
'If he wasn't fighting with his all against her, what reason would he have to hide it?'
Kurumu looked at her angel in wonder. She remembered seeing his eyes and wings glowing brightly in the cafeteria battle, but hasn't seen it once since then. She never really stopped to think about it as she was always staring at him in a dreamy bliss.
"If you are going to help us reach a higher level, to help us become stronger, don't hold back anymore. Tsukune and I could use a bit more practice against harder opponents, and you two can provide that," Inner Moka said confidently as she walked over to her boyfriend.
"What? But I haven't been able to hit Dark at all yet, and he hasn't been using his full power," Tsukune said nervously.
"Neither have you. This will help you learn to bring out your full potential, when you absolutely need it most. I have faith in you Tsukune," she replied calmly while looking into his eyes.
"I don't understand, why would Dark and Rason hide their power though?" Yukari asked out loud.
"Dark, tell her that you have been fighting with your all. That you lost to her fair and square," Kokoa said to Dark. The boy reached up to remove his earbuds and put them in his pocket. Mizore and Kurumu looked at their boyfriends in wonder.
"Well, we just didn't want to hurt Tsukune or you girls; I mean we were under orders to protect you. Well, at least that was my reason," Rason said as he glanced over to Dark.
"Don't worry about us. I can understand starting them off with an easier challenge, but we need to make real progress here. Don't hold back anymore," Inner Moka calmly said as she smiled at the two boys. Then she blinked and looked at Dark with a raised eyebrow.
"Wait, what was his reason for not using his full power?"
Dark didn't say anything back, he just glanced over to Rason.
"So, you two are sure you want us to go at it with our all?" Rason asked cautiously. Dark looked over to Mizore with his usual stare, but his eyes seem to sadden a bit. Mizore tilted her head curiously as she saw the strange look in his eyes.
"Yes, we can handle it," Inner Moka said before she glanced over to her boyfriend.
"They won't hold back, so we shall not either. Fight with your all Tsukune, I know you can do this." she said confidently. Tsukune nodded and looked towards the two boys with determination.
'I'll prove to her that I can be strong. I can control my power much more easily than before. We can do this, I know we can. I will not let you down Moka.'
"Ok, don't hold back you two," Tsukune said as he and Inner Moka got into fighting stances. Dark and Rason looked to each other, then ahead to their opponents.
"Well, ok. Let's do this then," Rason said as he took off his shirts and tossed them aside. He spread out his wings and flexed his chest out, stretching his muscles, then returned to his normal stance. He looked over to his silent friend.
"No more hiding buddy," Rason said as he glanced to Mizore. She blinked and looked at Dark curiously. Dark took his player out of his pocket and looked at it for a moment, then tossed it over onto the angel's shirts. He looked ahead at the vampires, then over to Mizore.
"Dark?" she asked softly. He looked at her for a moment then set his sights on the vampires.
"Ok you two, show us what you really have," Inner Moka said as a red aura started to wisp around her. Tsukune focused his power with all his might and a similar aura flickered around him. Vampiric energy radiated from the two and flooded around the area. The other girls wavered a bit at first from the surge then looked at them with amazement.
"Now THAT'S my big sister!" Kokoa gloated as she looked at Inner Moka with stars in her eyes.
"Wow, that's some serious power," Yukari said a bit afraid.
"I wonder how our boyfriends measure up," Kurumu said curiously. She looked over to see Mizore with a worried expression on her face.
"You ok?" she asked worriedly.
"What would he want to hide from me?" Mizore asked softly.
Rason extended his wings out as a bright glow started to radiate from them. His eyes started to glow brightly and the area around him started to brighten as if light was shining from above. Kurumu felt the tingle in her chest amplify as she looked to him with awe and wonder.
"Wow… look at that…" she breathed out as she felt her boyfriend's power expand out. The angel smiled as he always did and waved to his girlfriend. She swayed and waved back with dreamy eyes. He chuckled and glanced over to his comrade.
"Ok, now or never," Rason said as he looked back forward. Dark looked down and breathed out slowly. Then he looked back forward and glared at the two vampires. His eyes turned pitch black and a dark fog seemed to form at his feet.
"That seems just like before, I think Moka was mistaken about him," Kurumu said eyeing the boy.
Suddenly the area around Dark started to grow darker, as if cast in a shadow from all around. His eyes grew dark and cold as black wisps flowed around his body. The area around him turned darker and darker, light seeming to vanish all around. The area between the angel and demon started to flicker violently with light and shadows, as if being cancelled out by the other's aura.
"That doesn't seem so bad, I wonder why he didn't want to use his full power before," Yukari asked.
"Yeah, he just made it darker around him, what was Moka talking about?" Kurumu asked curiously.
Kokoa watched the boy with a sharp eye.
'I know I saw something in those eyes before. My big sister had to have seen it as well.'
Mizore looked at him with worried eyes still.
'What are you holding back? Why would I fear you Dark?'
The darkness and the light seemed to clash between the two boys, light streaks flying out and dark patches streaking through the air in some places. They seemed to mix and violently spin around at the edge making a small storm of light and blackness.
"This is it Tsukune. Don't hold back, because they will not," Inner Moka said preparing to attack.
Tsukune looked at the two fighters. They were his friends; they helped save him and his friends' lives since the day they arrived here. They even helped him train to get better control of his power. He didn't want to attack them with his full power, but he knew he had to try. Not just because it was necessary to better control his own strength. Not just because he had to protect and help his girlfriend overcome the challenge. No, it was because he had to fight to survive, because the two that stood before him were going to attack with strength that hadn't been seen yet. And he would need all his power to fight them back.
The two vampires stood there facing a demon from hell, and an angel from heaven. They stood there preparing to fight them with all they had together. They stood there; a boy and a girl, against the brightest darkness.