The newspaper clubroom was normally very chaotic despite the fact that making newspapers for the school shouldn't be too difficult or dangerous. However when the club members are monsters it can get a little rough, and when some of those members are girls that can get a little carried away by their loving emotions it can get downright crazy. Not to mention that there were more monsters in the clubroom at the current moment than ever before, which would normally mean that if you valued your life you would run far and fast away from that place.
However even with the added amount people in the room all was quiet, which might be enough of a reason to still run far and fast away from that place for your life. Everybody in the room was staring with stunned expressions at the two latest arrivals, or rather one of them in particular. Tsukune and his large group of friends had come here with wonder and excitement at the news that a new student named Hokuto could possibly have Tsukune's Holy Lock repaired.
But that wasn't the reason everybody was stunned.
They had also come here to find out more about the mysterious boy as he too had a seal around his wrist, one that was cracked to a hair of its life. How he got it, where from, and why was still unknown and was causing some concern in the group about if he was trustworthy or even safe to be around despite his gentle nature.
That too wasn't the reason why everybody was speechless.
As promised his friend had arrived to hopefully be able to repair both boys' seals. Her name was Jovian Kikion and she had just arrived at Yokai Academy to join the student council with her friend Hokuto. She was polite and seemed kind at first glance. Her appearance also seemed very familiar.
Which was the reason everybody was staring with shock.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Jovian asked curiously as all eyes had remained on her for a few minutes without anybody saying a word. Hokuto glanced Apoch and Astreal then back to his friend with a blank expression. After a moment of silence Ruby spoke up.
"She… looks like Apoch," she said in amazement. Jovian glanced to the witch sisters and smirked.
"My my, seems I have a sister here," she said with a giggle as Apoch stared at her with wonder.
"She looks exactly like Apoch, except…" Moka said as she looked closely at the new girl. It was true, Jovian was an exact copy of Apoch, despite her different wardrobe. She had black clothing instead of the brighter schoolgirl's uniform. And something else that was immediately noticeable.
"Her eyes," Kokoa said with awe. Jovian's eyes weren't yellow like Apoch's; in fact they weren't a single color. They were multicolored, with the colors of green, red, blue, and white swirled around the irises. The girl giggled and looked at Hokuto with a kind smile.
"I've been told my eyes are a bit unique," she said softly. Hokuto nodded with a smirk and looked around the room.
"She's one-of-a-kind, wouldn't you say?" he said calmly. Dark and Rason narrowed their eyes as they slowly stood up.
"Where did you come from Jovian?" Rason asked cautiously. The girl looked to them and smiled gently.
"From the human world, I do traveling there with family, but I've decided to try staying here for my education," she said politely.
"And what manner of monster are you?" Dark asked carefully.
"I thought it was against school rules to tell that. Do I really need to say?" Jovian asked innocently.
"I would like to know myself," Ruby said suspiciously while keeping a sharp eye on the girl. Jovian looked back to her and then around at the group.
"Well, I'm a witch," she said simply.
The group stood up with glares at her while Ahakon, Luna, and Hokuto looked at them with surprise.
"Yukari? Hey, you guys?" Ahakon asked confused.
"What's wrong?" Luna asked curiously.
"A witch that looks like Apoch, I've seen those before," Kurumu said sternly. Jovian looked at her puzzled then to Hokuto.
"What is she talking about?" she asked innocently. The witch sisters looked at her with glares while raising their hands at her.
"Don't move!" they shouted out in unison. Jovian and Hokuto looked at them with surprise while Ruby aimed her wand at the new girl.
"What's the meaning of this?" Hokuto asked as he looked around.
"Hey, what's wrong with me being a witch?" Jovian asked softly.
"You got a sister by chance?" Kokoa asked with a deep glare. Jovian looked at her then nodded.
"Yes, why?" she asked worriedly.
"Hokuto, where did you meet this girl?" Moka asked as she tensed up. The boy looked at her and rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, she met me. She found me when my seal was about to break a few years ago," he said worriedly. The group looked to him then back to Jovian.
"A few… years?" Mizore said slowly.
"Yes, why are you all acting this way?" Hokuto asked looking around at the group.
"Does she have transfer papers for the school?" Ruby asked sternly. Jovian looked at her and nodded.
"Yes, I've already submitted them to the faculty," she said softly.
"I am faculty here, and I would like to see them myself," Ruby demanded with narrowed eyes.
"Why are you all ganging up on her? I thought we wanted her to fix Tsukune's lock," Ahakon asked puzzled.
"She looks just like Apoch. We've seen girls like her before," Kurumu said with a growl.
"What? What do you mean you've seen girls like her before?" Luna asked curiously.
"We saw dozens of them. Fairy Tale made an army of them in the human world," Felucia said with narrowed eyes at the new witch.
"And they all had sisters, Apoch and Astreal always come in pairs," Yukari said while holding her wand out towards Jovian.
"She looks just like my sister, and has a sister of her own," Astreal said sternly.
"She was created by Fairy Tale as well," Apoch said with a mean look. Jovian and Hokuto looked to each other then around the room at everybody. After a moment they chuckled with amused smiles.
"You can't be serious," Jovian said with a smirk.
"You all know as well as I do that Fairy Tale was defeated. It was you all that had a hand in that remember?" Hokuto said with a laugh. Jovian walked up towards the table, the group keeping her in their sights intently.
"I assure you I'm not with any murderous group of monsters. I came here to help Hokuto with his seal problem, and I'm glad to help Tsukune with his as well," she said politely. The group kept looking at her closely while she glanced to Tsukune's lock.
"Please, allow me to repair it. You will see that I'm not a spy or enemy," she said with a smile. Tsukune looked to his lock then glanced back to the new witch.
"C'mon you guys, she could be the only way to fix his lock," Ahakon said worriedly. The group looked to each other then back to the witch.
"I see you all are suspicious of me. What can I do to ease your worries?" Jovian asked as she looked around at everybody. Ruby walked back over to her seat and sat down. As she did the rest of the group sat down as well.
"You two have some explaining to do before we can trust you. I'm sorry, but after all we've been through we're not going to take any chances," Tsukune said with a cautious glance at the two.
"Alright Hokuto, we're willing to listen, so let's start with you," Ruby said with a focused eye at the boy. He chuckled and nodded as Jovian smiled with a soft giggle at his side.
"Alright, fire away," he said with a laugh.
"First off, why do you have a seal over your wrist?" Ruby asked as she crossed her arms in front of her.
"Yeah, Tsukune's lock is from heaven, it's a one-of-a-kind trinket," Rason said as he looked at Hokuto cautiously. The boy with glasses chuckled and held out his arm while rolling up his sleeve. Everybody looked at the lock that was so badly damaged around his wrist.
"Hokuto, honestly, why must you keep breaking it?" Jovian said with an amused smile.
"Hey, it's a dangerous world out there, right Tsukune?" he said as he looked to Tsukune with a shrug. The boy merely nodded and looked at Hokuto's seal again.
"Well, explain," Kokoa said sternly. Hokuto nodded then looked down to his seal.
"I have this seal because like I said there is a monster inside of me. You see growing up in the human world I had a difficult life. It's a dangerous place for a boy to grow up all alone," he said with a remorseful gaze.
"All alone?" Moka asked curiously. Hokuto nodded as he and Jovian took a seat at the table.
"Yes. I've been alone my whole life. I've had to fend for myself for as long as I can remember. The human world has its own monsters for a little boy to face. I managed to claw my way through my childhood by any means I could to survive. I made very few friends and many enemies in doing so," he said as Jovian examined his lock.
"This must be like the 20th time you've cracked it to pieces, you're hopeless," she said with a gentle voice as she shook her head. She took the boy's wrist into her hands with loving care and tilted the chain around to examine it.
"20th time?" Gin asked surprised. Hokuto nodded and looked around at the group.
"Years ago I was still living in the human world, just barely surviving from day to day. It was getting to be too much though and my body and mind were wearing thin. I started to imagine that the world was just a horrible place to live in no matter who you were. Then I came across someone who wasn't human. He was a real monster, but he was kind to me. Kinder than anybody ever was," he said with a smile.
"Who was this monster?" Ruby asked curiously.
"He never told me his name, but he was an orc; an orc for a friend, hard to imagine right? Anyway, he helped me get out of the city and far away from humans. Of course, his kindness was my downfall. He took me back to the monster world, the poor soul thinking that I wanted to literally leave the human world behind. I came to the monster world a ravaged human boy. You can guess how that went for me," he said with remorse.
"I'm going to assume you didn't meet a couple girls who really liked you and fought over you like somebody I know," Rason said with a smirk to Tsukune. The boy chuckled a bit then looked back to Hokuto.
"I wish, no I was hunted down and nearly killed on a daily basis. The orc that brought me here was slaughtered by his own kind for being too weak for caring about a human. I was then all alone in the monster world and scared beyond belief," Hokuto said softly.
"So how did you survive?" Ahakon asked curiously.
"One night while I was running away from predators out in the barren wastelands, I came across an old man, a dark wizard of sorts. Though I begged him to help me he refused saying I didn't belong here in the monster world. I told him that I didn't belong in any world. Before the predators caught up to me the wizard offered me a choice. He would give me the blood of a monster in return for me helping him with his work. Being infused with a monster's blood would have given me an edge in fighting back. Having no other choice I agreed, and he infused me with the blood of a powerful monster. Of course, the blood took over completely and turned me into a killing machine, and in my crazed rage I not only killed my chasers but my savior," Hokuto said sorrowfully. Tsukune looked at the boy then back to his own wrist, knowing how it was to lose control and harm those around you.
"I see, but how did you get the lock?" Ruby asked curiously. Hokuto looked to her and smiled.
"I found it. While running around the monster world in my crazed state I started to somewhat regain myself. After a while I was again in control of my mind but my body was forever changed into a horrible beast. I disappeared into the far corners of the monster world before I found it. It was in some bizarre shrine of sorts. It was abandoned and falling apart, I had thought at first that such a place would be suitable for a wayward monster like me. But inside the shrine I found a trinket near a strange statue," he said with a smirk. He looked to Luna and smiled with intrigue.
"It was a statue of somebody resembling you my dear," he said calmly. The group looked to Luna who just blinked and tilted her head curiously.
"Of me?" she said confused.
"Yes, it was a girl with butterfly wings, the statue standing before the trinket that was just lying on an alter near her feet. It looked to be an ordinary chain and lock, yet when I picked it up it seemed to resonate with me. And when I attached it to my wrist, I changed back to my human self," he said with a nod. The group looked at him carefully then to Luna.
"Luna? I thought you said everything from your kingdom was destroyed," Ruby said curiously.
"It was. The spell that was cast wiped out all of our existence, the entire kingdom was completely annihilated," Luna said puzzled.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about, but the statue looked like a girl with butterfly wings, and she looked like you," Hokuto said with a shrug.
"Oh my, are you famous Luna?" Jovian asked excitedly. The butterfly girl looked at her and slowly shook her head.
"No, not at all. Nobody knew about us until I remembered earlier today, my race was always secretive, we never even built any homes or shrines outside of our homeland," she said softly.
"Did your people ever use such trinkets like these seals?" Ahakon asked curiously. Luna again shook her head and looked to Hokuto's lock.
"No, I never saw such things until I met you guys," she said curiously. She looked at Rason with confusion.
"I don't understand, how can there be a statue of me out there? Who else could have known about us?" she asked softly.
"Hokuto said this was a few years ago. Are you sure your people never built shrines elsewhere?" Yukari asked curiously. Luna shook her head yet again while looking to her.
"No, all our people stayed in our own kingdom. We never made any settlements elsewhere in the world; we were perfectly content where we lived. There just can't be a statue of me elsewhere, nobody else could have known about us," Luna said while all eyes were on her.
"No no," Jovian said shaking her head, the group looking to her curiously.
"The statue is indeed there. I know, I saw it not too long ago. I like to visit it since that's where Hokuto's life was given back to him," she said with a smile up at Hokuto.
"You're too kind to me Jovian, really," the boy said as he rubbed the back of his head with a laugh.
"I don't understand it... how could a statue of me exist?" Luna said puzzled. She groaned and shook her head with a strained expression, the girl's head starting to hurt a bit.
"Don't push yourself Luna, thinking about this will likely cause more stress for your mind," Kurumu said worriedly. The butterfly girl nodded slowly and looked to Hokuto's lock again.
'How can that have come from us? We never made such seals before.'
"I guess we'll never know the answer to that mystery," Felucia said shaking her head.
"Luna's people didn't make that statue or lock," Dark said simply.
"I knew you'd figure it out Dark," Felucia said with a cheery smile. Mizore rolled her eyes at that comment then looked to her boyfriend with curiosity.
"What do you mean?" Tsukune asked curiously. Dark looked at the boy's lock then to Luna.
"Shrines are usually built by other races or tribes that pay tribute or worship others. Or even try to seal those who they think are dangerous away," the boy said cautiously. Luna looked at him with a curious glance then to Hokuto's lock.
"What… does that mean?" Luna asked softly. Dark looked back to Hokuto and then to his lock.
"Best guess is that seal wasn't made for a monster like Hokuto. It was made for a chronofly," he said plainly. The group looked at him then to Luna with wonder.
"For me?" Luna said with surprise. Rason thought hard about that then glanced up to the ceiling.
"Chronofly?" Hokuto said with a curious glance to Luna.
"Yes, she's the last one of her kind," Kurumu said while looking at her friend.
"That would explain why the shrine is there, it wasn't made by the chronoflies," Ahakon said with a curious glance downward.
"Why would they want to seal a chronofly?" Luna asked worriedly.
"Well after what happened to your home, and not to mention the dangers with some of your spells, I can see some monsters being a little frightened by you," Kurumu said with a cautious eye.
"But we never attacked anyone, we always stayed in our own land. We were happy living in peace and solitude away from the world," Luna said defensively. Hokuto and Jovian glanced to each other then back to the group.
"We're not saying it was made for that purpose for certain, it's just a possibility," Moka reasoned gently. Luna nodded slowly then looked down with worry.
"I wonder," Rason said curiously. The group looked to him as he looked back up to the ceiling.
"Rason?" Kurumu asked softly. The angel seemed to be thinking about something for a moment, then looked over to Tsukune's lock.
"Tsukune's lock wasn't made to seal a ghoul away. It had to have another purpose. Something that was no longer needed seeing as how it wasn't being used," he said as he started to connect a few dots in his mind.
"So what, you think that purpose was to seal the chronoflies away?" Ruby asked.
"I'm not sure. But the Holy Lock that Tsukune has is the only one heaven had. It couldn't have been made to seal them all away. If it was made for the intention of sealing something it was for sealing one particular being," he said with a shrug.
"By the sound of her stories the only chronofly that needed to be sealed was Falla, but she was killed with the rest of their race. Besides, she didn't go crazy until the night she was killed," Yukari pointed out. Jovian's eyes widened a bit then glanced to Hokuto at that remark for a moment. Ruby looked down in thought for a moment then over to Hokuto.
"Alright, provided your papers check out and so does your story of that statue I suppose we can believe all that. I will want to know the location of that shrine so we can investigate it for ourselves. However you mentioned that Hokuto has cracked apart this chain many times. How did you find Jovian to fix it?" she asked cautiously. Hokuto smiled and looked to the witch at his side, the girl smiling up at him gently.
"Like I said, she found me. Having the lock on my wrist I didn't know it was able to break. I found out I couldn't remove it, so I thought I was cured permanently. I went back to the human world to try to reclaim my life and get away from the monster world before I turned into something else entirely. I learned that I could summon great strength and power from the lock, and used that to get through the horrible world with relative ease. However over time the lock was cracking apart and I feared what would happen if the lock broke while I was in the human world. Then she found me," he said kindly.
"It was a lucky coincidence if there ever was one. My family likes to travel in the human world to learn about them while blending in. The things they have are as incredible as magic. Television, airplanes, cars, and something they call the internet. It's just wondrous," Jovian said with a giggle.
"Human transportation is indeed a marvel," Rason commented.
"Oh yeah, the internet. I sort of miss that," Tsukune said with a chuckle.
"Their firearm selection is interesting," Dark said simply.
"I'm a fan of their drinks, that's for sure," Felucia said with a smirk. Jovian nodded then glanced to Hokuto.
"Yes, but one day while I was walking around a city I saw Hokuto fight off some thugs that were picking on him. They turned out to be monsters in disguise and were trying to kill him with such brute force," she said worriedly. She looked up at the taller boy and smiled happily.
"But boy was he able to fight back; he used such great power and defeated them with ease. I went over to check on him when I saw the seal around his wrist was falling apart. He was screaming out with anger and fear while he started to shift into something horrible. Before the chain broke I used my magic to restore it. Apparently I was able to fix it properly and save his humanity," she said with a shrug.
"I was lucky she came along. I traveled with her family after that acting as their protector. They weren't able to use any real defensive magic for themselves so I agreed to act as their bodyguard for saving my life," Hokuto said with a smile.
"So… you can really fix that seal?" Ruby asked cautiously.
"Yes, I've been fixing his for so long now. Honestly Hokuto, I'm starting to think you crack it to pieces just to see me again," Jovian said with a giggle. The boy shrugged and laughed a bit.
"A fortunate side effect of it being broken, I assure you," he said kindly. The group looked to each other curiously then to the new witch.
"Were you created from magic?" Kokoa asked cautiously. The witch looked at her funny and shook her head.
"No, what made you think that?" she asked curiously. Apoch and Astreal looked to each other then to the other witch.
"You look like our friend, it's just… unsettling for us," Rason said carefully.
"I see you all are still leery about her. How about if she shows you personally that she is here to help?" Hokuto said as he held his arm on the table for the seal to be seen.
"Jovian, show them that you are capable of fixing these seals. Perhaps seeing it will help them believe it," he said with laugh. The witch nodded and held her hands over the lock.
"Ok, but try to keep it in one piece this time," she said with a playful laugh. The group watched with wonder as the girl's hands were placed over the lock in a cross formation. A glow started to appear around the chain, the links glowing red, blue, green, and white with flickering and swirling lights. Hokuto smiled at the sight calmly while the group watched with awe.
CHINK!
A link seemed to snap back into place and looked as good as new.
"Whoa!" Yukari said in disbelief.
CHINK! CHINK!
One by one the links started to reseal and seemed to regain their healthy texture.
"She's… she's doing it," Ahakon said with wonder. Tsukune watched with absolute amazement as the seal around Hokuto's wrist seemed to restore to a healthy state right before his eyes.
"Incredible," he breathed out.
CHINK!
"I don't believe it," Moka said with wide eyes as more of the links snapped back into place.
'Amazing… she's actually able to repair these seals…'
CHINK! CHINK! CHINK!
As more of the locks snapped back into place Rason looked to the witch with wonder.
'I don't believe it, how is it she able to fix these like that?'
After a while the girl removed her hands and the multicolor glow faded away. Hokuto held out his wrist for everybody to see, with the lock and chain looking as good as new.
"See?" he said proudly. The group just stared at it with amazement then looked to Jovian.
"Glad to help. Now please don't go and break it again so soon Hokuto," she said with a giggle.
"I'll try, thank you Jovian. You really are a life saver," the boy said with a smile and nod. He looked over to Tsukune and smirked.
"Still have your doubts?" he asked curiously. Tsukune just stared with wide eyes at the fixed seal speechless.
"I… I can't believe it. It looks as good as new," Ruby said with wonder.
"I told you, Jovian is very skilled in repairing these trinkets with her magic. Tsukune, if you want, I'm sure she can still fix yours," Hokuto said with a kind smile. Tsukune jumped at that then looked around at his friends.
"What do you guys think?" he asked softly. The group looked to each other then to Tsukune's lock.
"Well… she does seem able to fix the seal properly, at least with Hokuto's lock," Kurumu said carefully.
"What do you think big sis?" Kokoa asked curiously. Moka looked at her boyfriend's lock with wonder then to the new witch.
'Is it safe?'
'I'm not sure, but it seems like this girl is the best chance we have at repairing that lock.'
Moka looked around at her friends then back to her boyfriend.
"I think we should let her try. She might be our only shot at fixing it," she said with a hopeful smile. Kokoa nodded and looked to Tsukune.
"I agree, couldn't hurt right?" she asked.
"Famous last words," Rason said dryly. He looked at the witch cautiously then to Tsukune's lock.
"Still, she might be able to do it," he said with an impressed nod.
"I say let her try, if she could repair the other one why not Tsukune's?" Kurumu said with a smile. Mizore and Felucia looked to Dark as he kept his eyes on the boy's seal.
"Alright. Might as well try," he said after a pause. Mizore and Felucia looked to each other then to Jovian.
"If she thinks she can, sure," Mizore said simply.
"If Dark says it's ok then that's good enough for me," Felucia said with a nod.
"I say do it, it'll be great to have that ghoul locked away forever with a restored seal," Ahakon voted with a nod. Yukari smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Yes, please Jovian?" she asked kindly. Luna looked at the lock with wonder still, curious as to why it was found near a statue of a chronofly. After a pause she looked to Rason.
"If Rason says so, then ok," she said softly. Ruby and the witch sisters looked to each other then to the new witch.
"If you think it'll be safe then please do try," Ruby said gently. The sisters nodded in agreement as Apoch looked at her double with curiosity.
"I'd say we're all in. Give it a shot," Gin said with a nod. Hokuto chuckled and looked to his friend.
"Well, they all gave the green light. Will you help him?" he asked kindly. The witch looked at Tsukune and smiled confidently.
"No," she said proudly. The group jumped in surprise and looked at her with confusion.
"No? Why not?" Tsukune asked with concern.
"Please Jovian, we need that lock to be fixed," Moka said with worry.
"Yeah, what gives? You came here to fix it, why not now?" Kokoa asked annoyed. Jovian giggled and looked up innocently.
"I came here only to face threats and accusations. I believe I'm owed an apology," she said with a smile. Hokuto shrugged and looked to Tsukune with an amused smile.
"Well, you heard her," he said simply.
"We're sorry!" the group shouted out in unison. The witch giggled and glanced away slyly.
"I don't know, that's still not good enough. I think I want something more for the trouble," she said with a mischievous tone. Hokuto sighed and shook his head.
"You always are difficult aren't you?" he asked tiredly. The girl giggled and swayed around innocently in her seat.
"Not with you Hokuto, but I think I deserve a treat here for being judged so unfairly," she said playfully.
"Fine, what do you want then?" Ruby asked curiously.
"Please Jovian; we need to have this repaired. What do you want from us?" Tsukune said with worry. The girl looked at him with an amused smile then upward.
"I think a kiss would do. Yes, I think that would be fair," she said playfully. The group looked at her with surprise then over to Tsukune.
"You want… me to kiss you?" the boy asked worriedly.
"That does seem to be the popular choice for prizes lately," Rason said weakly while glancing to Luna. Moka gasped and clung to Tsukune's arm.
"Please, anything but that!" she cried out. Jovian looked at them puzzled then shook her head with an amused smile.
"No, I don't want you to kiss me Tsukune. You're not my type," she said with a laugh. The vampires blinked and looked at her curiously.
"Then… who?" Tsukune asked puzzled. Jovian giggled again then pointed her finger to a member of the group, everybody looking over to see the selected individual jumping with surprise.
"You," Jovian said simply. All eyes were on the member of the group who was staring with shock.
"You want..." Kokoa said with disbelief.
"A kiss…" Kurumu said with surprise.
"From…" Mizore said with a curious glance to the one in question.
"M-Me?" Astreal said in shock. Jovian nodded and smiled playfully at her.
"Yes. You are a cutie after all," she said with a purr. Everybody looked at Jovian while Hokuto shrugged.
"She always had different tastes," he said with a chuckle. Astreal looked at the witch with wide eyes then tilted her head in confusion.
"But… me?" she asked a bit worriedly. She glanced around to see everybody looking to her with wonder.
"Yes you. What do you say?" Jovian asked with a playful wink. Astreal looked at her with bewilderment then around at her friends.
"Um… why her? She's… a she," Rason said bewildered. Jovian smirked and glanced to him.
"Yeah, and she's a hottie," she said with a bit of passion. Astreal jumped at that and blushed slightly while Apoch stared at Jovian with shock.
"Strange girl," Luna said softly. Kurumu glanced to her then back to Jovian.
"You… really can't speak up about that," she said flatly.
"I… but… you… me?" Astreal stuttered as she looked around then back to Jovian.
"Well what do you say? It's for Tsukune's sake after all," Hokuto said with a smirk. Astreal stammered a bit then looked to Ruby. The elder witch looked between the two then to Tsukune's lock.
"Well… I guess it's up to you Astreal," she said softly. The witch sister looked to Apoch then to Tsukune with a worried expression.
"I… um…" she said with uncertainty.
"It has to be a real kiss too, I like a bit of passion with them," Jovian said with a giggle. Kokoa looked at them disturbingly then to Gin. The wolf looked between the two witches then glanced to her.
"I'm not saying anything here, don't look at me like I'm a pervert," he said defensively. Kokoa slowly nodded then looked back to the witches, noticing that Gin did indeed not make one single comment about two girls kissing in front of him.
"Go on Astreal, nothing wrong with taking one for the team. Besides, if it doesn't mean anything to you who cares?" Felucia said with a shrug.
"You would say that," Mizore muttered. The doll demon glanced to her curiously.
"What do you mean? We need to get Tsukune's lock fixed right?" she asked simply. Mizore looked away with a dull glance, not saying anything back. Astreal looked at Felucia then to Jovian.
"Well…" she said softly. She then glanced to Ahakon, the young mage looking at her curiously. Next to him was Yukari who was smirking at her while trying to contain her laughter.
"Go ahead Astreal," Yukari said playfully. Astreal growled at her then looked to Jovian.
"If I must…" she said in defeat as she stood up and walked over to Jovian. The new witch jumped up to her feet with joy and spun around playfully.
"Yay!" she cheered out with a smile. Astreal looked at her with a weak expression then glanced to Apoch.
"Please look away sister," she said softly. Apoch slowly nodded then looked down, her eyes still wide with disbelief.
"Ok, so what do you want me to-" Astreal started before Jovian wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her into a passionate kiss, then dipped her and continued to kiss deeply. Everybody, including Astreal, stared with shock and wide eyes as Jovian kissed the witch with furious passion.
"This… isn't right," Rason said softly shaking his head.
"I'm not really against a girl loving another girl I guess… but… seeing those two doing that… seems wrong," Kurumu said weakly. Apoch had glanced up with shock, covering her mouth as she saw her sister being kissed by the female witch that looked exactly like her. Mizore and Felucia watched with startled expressions before glancing to Dark. The boy showed no expression as he watched the two kiss.
"Well… that's just a strange sight to watch," he said simply. Ahakon watched with surprise while Yukari snickered and held a hand over her mouth. Luna just watched them with wonder, not sure what to think about the sight.
"Wow," Moka said flatly as the two were still kissing in their pose, the new witch holding Astreal tightly while kissing her with a lot of passion and some tongue.
'I'm not sure what to say about this…'
"Doesn't… doesn't she need to breathe?" Kokoa asked worriedly. Tsukune glanced to the clock then back to the witches.
"She… really likes Astreal," Gin said with wide eyes. Hokuto looked to the clock with a calm gaze then back to his friend.
"Ok Jovian, I think Astreal would like to sit back down now," he said with a laugh. Jovian pulled the girl back up to her feet and released her from the kiss, the multicolored eyed witch smiling bashfully at her.
"Not bad girl, not bad at all," she said with a purr. Astreal just blinked in a daze then looked down as she wavered a bit.
"Um… thanks… I think," she said softly.
"Sister? Are you ok?" Apoch asked quietly. Astreal slowly walked back over to her seat and sat down with a dazed expression still. Ruby looked at her worriedly then to Jovian.
"Um… so… was that ok?" she asked with worry. Jovian sighed happily and nodded.
"Oh yeah. Apology accepted and then some," she said before licking her lips. Astreal trembled a bit then slowly glanced to Ahakon. The boy was looking at her with worry while Yukari was next to him giggling quietly to herself.
"You ok Astreal?" the boy asked curiously. Astreal just slowly nodded then looked down as her face blushed a bit.
"Ok… you got your… apology. Now please fix Tsukune's lock," Rason said with a weird expression at the new witch. Jovian nodded and walked over to where Tsukune was sitting.
"Sure thing. Hold your arm out on the table Tsukune, this won't take long," she said happily. The boy looked at her for a moment then nodded slowly. He laid his arm on the table with the lock showing, the girl then leaning over and holding her hands over it. Tsukune pulled his head back a bit as her breasts were coming close to his face, the witch leaning very close to him with a calm smile at his lock.
"Um… should I move?" Moka asked with an annoyed expression as she watched Jovian's bosom come closer to the boy's face.
"No, it's ok, I can do this from here," Jovian said simply. Her hands started to cast out the multicolored glow over his lock, all eyes then looking to it with wonder.
"I guess this is the moment of truth," Kokoa said with anticipation.
"You think it'll work?" Ahakon asked curiously.
"It had better work," Astreal said flatly, looking at the lock with a hint of frustration in her eyes. Tsukune watched the lock with wonder as the links glowed with the bright colors.
'Please… please work.'
The lights around the lock started to glow brightly and flicker, the witch concentrating on the seal with her magic.
"Is… is it working?" Kokoa asked worriedly. Everybody watched the lock with anticipation as it glowed brightly. After a moment the group started glancing to each other.
"Maybe the seals aren't the same," Ahakon said worriedly.
"They look identical… but maybe the one from heaven is different," Rason said as he watched the broken links just glow.
"Wow, looks like Astreal kissed Jovian for nothing then," Yukari said with a sly smirk at the blonde haired witch. Astreal twitched at that then looked to Jovian with disbelief and frustration.
"Jovian? Is it not able to be-" Ruby started before they heard it.
CHINK!
The group looked to the seal to see one of the broken links had snapped back.
"Oh my… it…" Moka said with wide eyes.
CHINK!
Another lock snapped back as the group stared with amazement.
"It's… working!" Kurumu cheered out.
CHINK! CHINK!
Two more links snapped back into place as the group watched with bright smiles.
"She's doing it! It's working!" Kokoa cried out with joy.
"Amazing, the seal, it's being restored," Gin said with awe.
CHINK! CHINK!
The group watched as all the links had reformed and the seal looked as good as new. After a few moments the glow faded and Jovian stood back upright.
"There you go Tsukune, all better," Jovian said with a cheery smile. The boy blinked and held his wrist up for the group to see. The Holy Lock was completely repaired and looked as good as new.
"I… I… I don't know what to say. Thank you Jovian! This is incredible!" the boy said with complete amazement. He couldn't take his eyes off of the lock, each link looking as good as new. Moka cried out with excitement then hugged her boyfriend with tears of joy.
"Tsukune, the lock is fixed! It worked!" she cheered with overwhelming relief.
"I can't believe it, it worked master! It worked!" Kokoa said with amazement.
"Kokoa," Gin said simply. The vampire blinked and continued to stare at the Holy Lock with awe.
"Tsukune!" she said with the same tone of amazement.
"Wow, that's incredible! How does it feel Tsukune?" Yukari said with an eager smile. The boy held his wrist out and tilted it to examine the chain. He looked around at his friends then back to the lock.
"It feels great Yukari, the lock is as good as new," he said with a big smile. Jovian giggled and walked over to Hokuto.
"I'm glad you approve of her work. She'll be staying here with me at the school, so don't be afraid to use your power if need be. If a link cracks I'm sure Jovian will fix it right back up," Hokuto said with a smile. The group looked to him with surprise then to Jovian.
"You bet. Especially if you're here," she said with a wink to Astreal. The blonde haired witch looked at her nervously while Yukari giggled.
"A kiss for a repair job, I'm sure Astreal wouldn't mind helping with that," Yukari said with a laugh. Astreal growled then glared at her.
"Hey, I never agreed to that!" she barked out. Jovian giggled and shrugged.
"I was just saying, no worries," she said simply.
"You hear that Tsukune, she can repair the lock easily. That means that the fight against Kuyou is going to be a piece of cake," Gin said confidently. Tsukune nodded and looked to his seal with a cool smile.
"Yeah, that means I don't have to hold back at all. I can use my full power against him without worry," he said with a nod. His confidence in what was coming was completely restored. He knew he could use his all against Kuyou now without fear of breaking the seal, if any links cracked Jovian would be there to patch it right back up. Moka blinked and looked to the lock.
'Should we really let him do that? I mean now that the lock is fixed he shouldn't have to risk using it.'
'If Jovian can fix it just as easily I see no reason why not. Besides, you know what that means right?'
'…his aura…'
'We can have as much of it as we want now.'
'Dear lord… that means…'
'I know…'
Moka blinked and twitched a bit, then smiled brightly at Jovian.
"Thank you so much Jovian!" she said with a joyous smile.
"Wow, that's a relief actually. With your full power Kuyou won't stand a chance," Rason said with a nod.
"I still bet Luna could kill him in a second." Kurumu said with a giggle. Luna looked at her curiously then down.
"Maybe, if I can control myself," she said worriedly.
"Don't worry Luna. You don't have to strain yourself now, Tsukune's going to wipe the floor with that bastard when he shows up," Ahakon said confidently. Rason looked to Luna with a gentle smile.
"We can handle it just fine. I'll make sure nothing happens to you Luna," he said kindly. The girl blinked then smiled bashfully at him.
"Oh Rason…" she said softly.
"Still want to kill him myself here. Just saying," Felucia said simply.
"That bastard will get what's coming to him, don't worry," Kurumu said with a determined smile.
"Yeah, my master's going to annihilate him with my big sis," Kokoa said with a triumphant face.
"Kokoa," Moka and Tsukune said in unison. The redhead blinked then smiled weakly.
"Sorry. Tsukune," she said with a small giggle. Dark looked at the lock then glanced to Luna. Something about Hokuto's story about the chronofly statue was causing some concern with him.
"Now will you still fight? I'm sure the students here would be grateful if you lived up to your roles as heroes," Hokuto asked gently. Tsukune looked around at his friends then to Hokuto with a determined smile.
"Yeah, I won't let Kuyou set one foot in the school now," he said with a nod.
"Good, I'm glad to hear it. I know you'll be able to take care of this problem easily, I have complete faith in you," Hokuto said reassuringly. Tsukune nodded and looked to his lock.
'I'll defend them this time. With my full power I'll stop Kuyou before he goes near any of my friends.'
"Well then, I say we head outside and test your strength Tsukune. Why not right? Jovian can fix the links if they crack during practice, it'll let you get used to using your full power," Rason said with a smile. Moka and Kokoa blinked then looked to Tsukune bashfully.
"Yes, I wouldn't mind seeing your… full power either Tsukune," Moka said timidly.
"Please?" Kokoa said softly. She blinked then glanced to Gin who was looking at her worriedly. The young vampire smirked and giggled.
"I just want to see him use his power, that's all," she said softly. Gin nodded then glanced to Tsukune, not being thrilled that Tsukune's aura could still excite Kokoa to a massive level.
'I'm going to have to improve quickly as well then.'
"It would be good for you to know your limits before running out into a battle. A little practice with your full power would do you some good," Ruby said with a nod.
"We could use some extra practice too. No telling when Kuyou will show up," Mizore said looking to Dark. Felucia nodded and looked to her comrade.
"Yeah, I still need to get the hang of his lesson plan anyway," she said with a giggle.
"We could use some more practice time too," Ahakon said with a nod. Yukari smiled and held onto his arm.
"Yeah, I have a few things you need to teach me boyfriend," she said with a purr.
"Um… what kind of practicing are you two talking about?" Kurumu said with a raised eyebrow at them. The young witch giggled and held onto Ahakon's arm while he smiled weakly and rubbed the back of his head.
"I think I'll join you all as well. Just to make sure Tsukune is in fine form," Ruby said as she stood up.
"We're coming too," Apoch and Astreal said standing up with smiles. Yukari jumped and looked to them.
"What? Why?" she asked with surprise. The witch sisters glanced to her and smirked.
"We want to improve as well," Apoch said simply.
"Yes, it's our job to protect the students here at this school after all," Astreal said as they glanced to Ahakon. Yukari growled and held onto the boy's arm tightly.
'They just want to show off in front of him…'
"I'm sure you'll all be ready for Kuyou when he shows up. Jovian, be a dear and keep an eye on Tsukune during his practices tonight. He may need a repair job now and again," Hokuto said kindly. The girl smiled and nodded at Tsukune.
"Sure thing. I'll be with you if you need anything at all Tsukune," she said happily. She glanced to Astreal and winked, the blonde haired witch looking at her nervously.
"Well that settles it then. Let's head out to the field and see what we can really do," Tsukune said as he stood up. He was determined to fine-tune his power now that he could fight freely.
"Yahoo! Finally things are looking up for us!" Kurumu cheered out as she and Rason got up. She grabbed ahold of his arm and smiled contently. Luna stood up and looked at Tsukune's lock with wonder, still baffled by how that statue of a chronofly had a seal near it. Dark stood up and glanced to his girlfriend.
"Let's go my little snow bunny," he said softly. Mizore nodded stood up with a soft smile, the snow maiden then holding onto her boyfriend's arm with a gentle sigh. Felucia jumped up with a cheer and grabbed ahold of his other arm. Mizore glared at her while the doll demon smiled up at Dark with a blissful expression.
"I said you could hold his arm once," Mizore said sternly. Felucia blinked then slowly let go while Mizore growled at her.
"Aw, c'mon," she whined. Dark glanced to his snow girl curiously, wondering what was going on with the two girls.
"I guess the newspaper work can wait until later. Let's head out then," Gin said standing up. Kokoa nodded and stood up as well, the girl looking at him timidly then taking his hand into hers. The group just looked at them curiously.
"Still strange seeing this," Kurumu said simply.
"I know what you mean," Moka said softly.
'If he slips up once…'
Kokoa glanced to her boyfriend then to the door. She then looked to Gin with an arrogant smile.
"C'mon, let's go boyfriend," she said with a coy expression. The wolf smiled at that and nodded while holding her hand gently. The couple walked out first as the group just watched them go. After a pause Tsukune looked to Moka with a calm smile.
"Alright, let's do this. And Jovian? Thank you again, you have no idea how much we needed this," Tsukune said as he looked to the new witch. She smiled and nodded.
"Anytime Tsukune, I'm here to help of course," she said kindly. The vampire couple nodded then walked out with Moka holding onto her boyfriend with a loving embrace and Tsukune having a determined smile on his face.
"Shall we my dear?" Rason said with a kind smile. The succubus nodded happily and held onto his arm tightly. The bond flowing through them was relaxing her even more so than the fact that Tsukune's seal was now repaired. She blinked then turned to see Luna looking at Rason with a timid expression. The butterfly girl glanced to Felucia then back to Kurumu. The succubus looked to her angel then to the door.
"You can walk with us, but that's it Luna," she said flatly.
"But, Felucia…" Luna said softly. Kurumu shook her head.
"I don't care if Mizore is willing to share like that. Rason's my angel after all," she said proudly as she and Rason started to walk towards the door. Luna blinked then gave her a dull stare, the succubus looking back to her with a bit of worry in response.
"He's my angel too Kurumu," she said flatly as she followed the couple out of the room. Kurumu didn't like the fact that the butterfly girl was starting to become bolder with being near Rason, and was scared even further by the fact that Luna could more easily control time now.
"C'mon Mizore, please?" Felucia said with a hopeful expression as she stared at Dark. The snow girl shook her head as she and Dark started to walk out. The doll demon looked down with defeat then towards the door. As she walked out after them she muttered something quietly to herself.
"You did like it…" she said to herself with a dull stare ahead of her.
Yukari started walking out holding Ahakon's hand as she glanced to the witch sisters. The two smiled slyly and followed after her. As the young couple walked out Yukari glanced to Ahakon with worry.
'I won't let them take him back, no way. I'll master magic just like he can and show him that I'm the best choice for his girlfriend.'
Ruby watched everybody leave then looked to Hokuto and Jovian.
"Thank you for all your help. I'm sorry we doubted you. It's just…" she said before looking down.
"I understand your position Ruby, really. You don't have to explain. Jovian will be at the field with you if you have any other questions," Hokuto said waving his hand in front of him. Ruby nodded and smiled at the new witch.
"Ok, and thank you Jovian. You really saved the day for us," she said kindly. Jovian bowed politely and smiled at her.
"Glad to help Ruby," she said gently. Ruby walked out after the groups while Hokuto and Jovian glanced to each other. The witch giggled and smirked at Hokuto when they were all alone.
"That was some story master; I think they actually believed it. It was hard to keep a straight face when you told them about a friendly orc, you're so silly sometimes," she said with a laugh. She then looked to Hokuto as he was watching the doorway curiously.
"Yes, although that part about the statue was indeed true. Seems they know about the chronoflies now. That Luna girl is indeed one of them," he said cautiously.
"Master?" Jovian asked curiously. The boy smirked and started to walk towards the door.
"Keep an eye on them all out in the field. Make sure Tsukune's lock is completely repaired for battle tomorrow, they'll need him," he said with a calm smile. He paused and glanced back to the witch.
"And watch Luna carefully. She could be a problem for us," he said gently. Jovian nodded then tilted her head curiously.
"Of course, but master…" she said softly. The boy chuckled and shook his head.
"Don't worry about that little detail," he said as he looked back down to his lock.
"What if his lock breaks during Kuyou's visit? My repair work is only temporary, and if he cracks any additional links while fighting they too will break when the spell dissolves," she said softly.
"True, but that's a risk we're going to have to take. I wasn't aware he had the lock on his wrist when I arranged this little plan. However without them all distracted we won't be able to act with our short window of opportunity. Let's just hope he doesn't crack them all during his practices tonight," Hokuto said calmly. Jovian nodded and started walking towards the door.
"As you wish master," she said softly.
"And Jovian? Make sure to escort our new friend back to my room after their night is complete. We will have use for her tomorrow," Hokuto said with a calm smile. Jovian nodded and walked out after the others. Hokuto watched her leave then smiled slyly to himself.
"Try not to overdo it Tsukune, Kiria still needs you alive after all," he said with a small laugh as he walked towards the door. He then paused and thought about something with wonder. He remembered finding that shrine out in the monster world while he was roaming around aimlessly. He recalled finding that mysterious seal that was just lying on an alter before a statue of a chronofly. And he distinctly remembered the word that was engraved on the alter next to the lock.
Fallacy.