With her Rosario pulled off demonic aura flooded into Moka, so powerful it was visible to the naked eye. The attacking monsters all came to a momentary halt. Seeing the red aura swirling about Moka and watching her transform into a true vampire they all shared a sickening dread.
Tsukune, Mizore, and Yukari had seen this before and were unaffected by it. Tsukune especially, he had a single minded purpose; he was going to stop these monsters and protect the innocent students. He raced straight at the one who had killed a helpless boy a moment before with his arms that were now blades. The boy shifted his focus away from Moka and back to him, but much too late. With all his strength Tsukune balled up one of his ice claws into a massive fist and slammed it into his opponent's belly.
"Haaaaargh!" His enemy cried out as he was lifted off his feet and sent flying thirty feet through the air. Slamming into a tree he collapsed, unconscious and out of the fight.
Strong! Mizore thought, very impressed. She knew that she had nowhere near that kind of physical strength. So far as she knew none of the snow people did. Two enemies came at her. She froze them both in blocks of ice. One remained frozen and helpless. The other was strong enough to break the ice encasing him.
"Annoying," Mizore muttered as she sent eight or nine ice kunai into his head, legs, and arms, dropping him with a painful howl.
"Desu!" Yukari cried as she materialized metal pots and dropped them on the heads of several opponents.
Unfortunately for the little witch this only angered a couple of her victims who came at her ready to tear her apart.
"Help!" Yukari shouted. She closed her eyes.
There was a grey blur and some pained grunts.
"I don't care if the club has been disbanded," a male voice spoke with annoyance. "NO ONE messes with my club members."
Yukari opened her eyes to see a werewolf in school uniform and headband standing in front of her. At his feet were the two who had been coming after her.
Gin turned to look at her and gave her a wolfish grin. "Try to stay out of trouble o.k.? I may not always be around to save you."
"You saved my life," Yukari whispered. She felt her heart suddenly begin to pound. "I LOVE YOU!!" She leapt and glomped on to him.
"What?"
Seeing Yukari safe Vampire Moka waded into battle. Three enemies were coming at her. One was a particularly nasty looking brute. He was about six feet and his leathery skin was covered with thorny spikes.
"You think we're afraid of you just because you're a vampire?" He screamed at her. "We're not!" He swung at her, trying to rip her apart with his thorns.
"That only proves that you are fools as well as cowards." She side stepped to the right, avoiding his weak attack with contemptuous ease. "You attack innocent students who have never done you any harm. You and yours are nothing but a pack of spineless weaklings! Know your place!" She delivered a perfect spinning kick into his chin, slamming his mouth shut and knocking him out. The two others fared no better as she beat them down without trouble.
XXXXXXXXXX
Tsukune had never been a fighter. He had never been one to look for trouble and had been the sort to be more likely to be on the receiving end of any bullying. He had never learned how to fight, not even on the schoolyard playground. So as he smashed his fist into another face he was surprised at just how easily and naturally this seemed to come to him. He wasn't even scared about being caught up in a life and death fight. He was actually excited and wanting to keep going. It was almost as though some part of him had always known how to do this and had abruptly awoken. Is this me or something that was put in me? He didn't get a chance to think about it as he was faced by a monster with what looked like dozens of spiked whips coming out of his shoulders where his arms should be.
With a thought he froze him into a block of ice. So easy, he thought. His ice powers were becoming natural to him. He could pretty much do everything Mizore had shown him without difficulty. And it no longer seemed strange. It was though his ice powers were just a part of him like his breathing or walking. His thoughts were again interrupted as the ice shattered around his enemy. Before Tsukune could dodge the whips extended about and wrapped around him, tying him tight and binding his ice claws.
"I'm going to kill you," his enemy said and Tsukune felt the whips constrict.
He felt fear. With the fear he felt an odd power filling him, followed immediately by heat.
"Aaaargh! What the fuck?!!" Tsukune's opponent felt a murderous pain coming from his whips. He then watched with horror as they turned black and began to whither. They were numb and he couldn't make them let go now. He felt a bone chilling cold flow up them and into his chest. His strength left him as the numbing cold filled him. The world turned black as he hit the ground.
Tsukune felt the pleasant warmth and watched as his enemy dropped. He understood what was happening. No! I don't want to kill him! I have to make it stop! Mizore hadn't told him about this particular power. He'd used it against Kotsubo; he didn't remember how he'd made it stop. He concentrated on making the heart stop flowing into him and shrugged off the now limp whips. With his fear gone and his thoughts focused on stopping he felt the power inside him fade away.
XXXXXXXXXX
Sitting on a nearby tree limb, a book in his lap, Kiria watched the battle with interest. His underlings had been slaughtering the weakling students like lambs. That had changed when they'd run into Tsukune and his group. It was clear from watching things play out that both Tsukune and Moka were S-rank monsters. As soon as he'd realized what Moka was he'd expected to see her crushing everyone she faced. Vampires were among the absolute most powerful of beings. Tsukune was the surprise though. He was obviously a snow boy, but snow people weren't supposed to be S-ranked. They were strong, but not that strong. Certainly his girlfriend the snow girl wasn't showing any indication of being an uber monster. So why was Tsukune so disproportionately powerful?
"I love a good mystery," Kiria said to himself. "Oh well time to wrap this up." Of the twenty Anti-thesis members who'd been sent out half were already down, either unconscious or frozen in ice. "I think we've done enough to make our point." He put two fingers to his mouth and let out a long shrill whistle.
Hearing the whistle the remaining members of the group gladly fled into the woods.
XXXXXXXXXX
With the fight over Moka approached Tsukune. She was still in her vampire form but he had changed back. "I need to have a word with you," Moka told him. "Alone."
His first instinct was to beg off, but he had the feeling that Moka was not going to be refused so he nodded and they headed into the woods as Mizore and the others gathered the prisoners together.
Once they'd gone far enough to feel alone she stopped and looked at him. "I hadn't realized it before," she said directly. "But when you were changed in Mizore's village you weren't just turned into a snow boy were you?"
"What do you mean?" He sounded confused.
"Haven't you noticed the difference in power between you and Mizore?" She asked patiently. "In many races the males tend to be stronger than the females, but since Mizore was born a snow girl and you only recently acquired your powers that shouldn't be the case. Even if you were somewhat gifted there is no way the gap between you should be as wide as it is."
"Moka I don't know what you're talking about."
"Tsukune, how exactly were you transformed? The normal method of changing someone is by injecting a great deal of blood into the person. This is very dangerous as the results cannot be totally controlled. Sometimes the blood fails to transform a person or does so in an unexpected manner; it is also possible to kill someone doing this. That was a part of the reason I was so furious with Mizore when I learned of your transformation. I assumed she transformed you with her blood against your will, not only violating you but putting your life at risk. But having just seen the two of you in combat I now realize I was mistaken. You couldn't have gotten that much power from her. Tsukune, how did you become a snow boy?"
He looked down nervously. "I'd really rather not say."
"And why not?" She asked coolly.
"Because I don't know you and the others would react and I can't risk losing your friendship." He told her honestly.
She looked at him for a long moment. He was surprised when she reached out to him and gently touched his cheek. "You never need to fear that Tsukune," she told him softly. "To both me and my other self you are a precious friend. I would never abandon you because of something that was done to you." She let out a sigh. "If you wish to keep this matter a secret I will respect that. I have secrets of my own so I will extend you the same privilege. But should you ever desire to talk about it I, or my other self, will be ready to listen."
"Thank you Moka," he said relieved.
Moka slowly took her hand away. "You truly love her don't you?"
"Huh?"
"Mizore," she clarified. "I had thought you'd been tricked. But you honestly love her don't you?"
"Yes, I really love her. I never knew what love was, but now I love her with all of my heart."
Moka slowly nodded. "I see, in that case," she moved faster than he could see and put her face next to his. He was expecting a bite on his neck. But instead he felt her lips touch his cheek. It was a chaste kiss and a light one, but he thought he could feel her tremble as she kissed him. "I congratulate you and wish both of you well," she whispered. "I will always be a friend to you Tsukune." Then she was hurrying back to the road.
"Moka-chan," he whispered.
XXXXXXXXXX
Hidden in the shadows Mizore watched nervously as Moka kissed Tsukune's cheek and whispered something in his ear.
XXXXXXXXXX
When Tsukune made it back to the road the ten prisoners were gathered in a group being watched over by Gin, Yukari, and Mizore. A pink haired Moka was lying in the nearby grass peacefully dozing. Tsukune was a bit surprised to see Yukari standing so close to Gin and looking up at him with adoring eyes. Had he missed something?
About ten minutes later Kuyou and his people arrived. Tsukune was impressed by Kuyou's transformed body. He was tall with pale skin with black markings tattooed into it. Four fiery tails swung about him. Coming upon the scene he did not look happy. He glared at Tsukune and the others almost as angrily as he did the defeated prisoners.
"You were very lucky to survive," Kuyou finally said. "There are about fifteen bodies scattered from here to the school grounds."
"Luck had nothing to do with it," Tsukune said. "We were strong and we stopped them."
"You were amazing Tsukune-kun," Mizore said as she wrapped herself around him possessively. "You are the best."
"Don't let this little victory or your girlfriend's opinion go to your head," Kuyou growled. He really was disgusted with how things had turned out. He'd had a golden opportunity to slaughter these scum only to have it stolen from him by Gin and his rabble. Even if they had done him a service he wasn't about to thank them for it. "From here on out the Police Committee will deal with these people." Kuyou looked at the unconscious and frozen enemies before him. "I need one prisoner, kill the rest." He announced.
"What?!" Tsukune screamed and transformed. "You can't do that! Even after what they've done you can't just kill them in cold blood!"
"I can and I will!" Kuyou said hotly. "Only police Committee members are allowed to transform, stand down or I'll arrest you." The six remaining members of the Police Committee formed a line behind their leader.
Gin, Mizore, and Yukari formed up around Tsukune. Pink haired Moka was sleeping peacefully through the sudden standoff.
"That's enough of that!" A voice called out. From down the road the Chairman appeared in his white robes along with the black dressed members of his personal bodyguard.
Kuyou turned to the Chairman. "This one is trying to defy my authority!"
Tsukune turned to the Chairman. "He wants to murder helpless prisoners in cold blood!"
The Chairman frowned at Kuyou. "You are to protect the student body, not threaten them. Given the circumstances I am suspending the school rule about transforming. The students have a right to try and defend themselves." He then faced Tsukune and frowned at him. "These people have openly attacked this school and its students. As such they are no longer deserving of many mercy from me or my chosen agents. If Kuyou wished to kill them he may do so."
"You can't mean that!" Tsukune said. "You can't be o.k. with doing something like this."
"We do not live in an ideal world Aono Tsukune," the Chairman said sadly but firmly. "Sometimes the solutions to problems must also be less than ideal. Now I think it would be best if you were to return to the dorms, my guards will see you safely there."
The black coated men formed a circle around Tsukune and his friends. They did not draw out their swords but seemed ready to do so.
'"We need to go Tsukune," Gin said quietly. "There's nothing more you can do now."
Tsukune wanted to argue but he saw Mizore and Yukari both nodding.
"Fine," he muttered. His hopes in the Chairman and in the academy badly shattered.
XXXXXXXXXX
"The school will be closed for the coming week," Hokuto said as he sipped his tea. Tsukune had come to see him after returning to the dorm. "We'll have to try and keep the students safe. It looks like the Police Committee and Anti-thesis are going to wage their own private little war."
"With all the students here to play the part of innocent civilians," Tsukune said angrily. "If that's what he wants why doesn't he at least send the student body out of harm's way?"
"Two reasons," Hokuto said calmly. "One he doesn't know who all the members of Anti-thesis are. Were he to send the students away many of the members would be among them. Second, and more important, he's afraid that if he sends the students out now most of them won't return when the fighting is finally over. He doesn't want to risk seeing his precious academy close down due to lack of students."
"So the academy means more to him than the lives of his students?" Tsukune asked.
Hokuto took another sip of his tea. "Isn't that obvious?"
"We have to do something!"
Hokuto nodded. "I agree, since we can't rely on the Chairman or the Police Committee to protect us I'm going to ask for volunteers from among the stronger monsters. We'll form groups and patrol the dorms to try and protect everyone. We can only pray the dorms themselves don't become a battleground."
"That's not good enough! We have to do more!"
Perfect Hokuto thought. "Well," he hesitated. "There might be one other option, but it's rather dangerous and would involve breaking school rules."
Tsukune leaned forward in his seat. "I don't care about school rules when the Chairman is having people murdered. Tell me what I can do to keep everyone safe."
"Very well," Hokuto said. "If you're truly committed there is a magical artifact that might save the situation. It's called the Lilith Mirror."