AN: Thanks for beta'ing this, Izzy!
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"SAI!"
Shock and disbelief would forever remain on Sai's pale face as his head fell to the ground, lifeless as it rolled across the cold floor. There wasn't a lot of blood, and the cut was clean and precise, one that came from a trained killer or someone who's had years of experience. Only someone with such skill could ever hope to accomplish something like this. Sai's decapitated body was sprawled on the floor, for his legs had given way the moment his head was lopped off.
Tears traced down Sakura's cheeks as her knees wobbled, before giving out, the shock of her teammate's death hitting her like a punch to the gut. She had just witnessed her friend's murder first-hand, and it was horrifying. Sakura had watched as Sai's expression suddenly changed the moment his head separated from his body as if in slow motion. It was random, unexpected, and she didn't see it before it was too late. Her tears were coming as fast as a waterfall now.
But the reason why she was blaming herself... was because she was helpless to about anything about it.
"No..."
Picking up Sai's head, the kunoichi cradled it to her chest as her thoughts wandered to Naruto. If he found out... it would be disastrous. She didn't even want to think about how far Naruto would go to avenge Sai's death.
"Now, you're next," a cold voice said from the shadows.
Sakura turned with a start.
"Lucy?"
And she was right. Standing there, wearing the academy's school uniform, with two horn-like protrusions sticking out of her head—it was none other than Lucy.
"Hmph," she said, her red eyes never leaving Sakura. From watching Naruto, Lucy knew what shinobi were capable of. But still, she never comprehended their speed.
"Was it you? Were you the one who killed Sai?" Sakura's voice surprised Lucy. Jumping away, the Diclonius readied herself as she turned to face the kunoichi, whose eyes were shadowed by her pink hair.
"..." Lucy didn't answer. Instead, she sent one of her vectors to attack Sakura.
Sensing something wrong, like how Lucy wasn't making any effort to attack her, Sakura began to wonder what was going on.
Then, a cut appeared on her cheek.
"What the—" She touched the cut and was surprised to see blood.
'Damn, my vectors aren't long enough...' Lucy gritted her teeth, but she inwardly smiled. She had an advantage over the kunoichi. Quietly moving closer to Sakura, Lucy was about to attack her again with her vectors when the pinkette suddenly charged.
'Crap, she's strong!' Lucy thought as she sloppily evaded one of Sakura's punches, which were making large craters in the walls and floor. If she got hit by one of them... this would be over.
"Why did you do it!" Sakura screamed, attempting to land another punch on the Diclonius. "Sai didn't do anything to you!" Sakura could've ended the fight quickly, but she wanted answers.
Again, no answer came from Lucy as she used her vectors to grab Sakura's head.
"Ack!" Sakura cried out in pain as Lucy increased the pressure of her vector's hold on her. Quickly thinking of a plan, Sakura put a small amount of chakra into her fists as she punched the floor, crumbling the concrete underneath them.
The portion of the hall that they were in quickly collapsed as the two fell down the hole Sakura had made. Landing on her feet, the kunoichi jumped away from Lucy as the Diclonius steadily got to her feet, a bit shaken from her fall.
With her eyes filled with rage, Sakura resumed her charge.
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"What's going on?" Moka gripped the sides of her bed as another tremor shook her room violently, a few of her belongings falling from their shelves. She had jolted up from her sleep when the first tremor started, and now, she was wide awake as she wondered what was happening. She could hear that it was coming from the hallway outside.
Standing up from her bed, she hastily put on her clothes before she rushed to the door. Opening it slowly, she had to shut it again as debris flew past her head, just missing her by an inch.
"Lucy!" a voice came from outside that she instantly recognized.
"Sakura-san, Lucy-san!" Moka cried. She stepped outside and immediately let out a gasp. The entire hallway was littered with debris and craters, like it had been hit by a typhoon. Most of the craters were on the walls while some on the floor, which were about 3 feet deep. Windows were shattered and the lights hung limply on their sides: the damage in the hall was tremendous.
Meanwhile, students piled out of their rooms as the noise had woken them up. Shocked at what they were seeing, they were about to run when Sakura turned to them. "Moka? Get back in your room! The same to all of you!" Sakura yelled as her punch barely missed Lucy. Turning to glare at her fellow pinkette, she screamed, "Lucy, answer me!"
"I have been ordered to not tell you anything," Lucy replied in her monotonous voice. With her vectors, she picked up some debris and threw it at the kunoichi.
Sakura ducked and weaved through the mess as she got closer to Lucy. Then, she saw something strange heading towards her. It looked like invisible arms, but they were vibrating at a high frequency, like a buzz saw. Dodging it, Sakura took note that those things shouldn't be underestimated, and assumed that they were the source of Lucy's attacks.
'So that's how she's able to hurt me without even touching me... better keep an eye out on them,' Sakura thought. Bracing herself for another pile of debris heading her way, Sakura infused chakra into her fists and punched the rubble into dust.
Lucy growled. This girl was too much trouble. No wonder the higher-ups wanted her brought to them. Looking around for any possible advantages, Lucy smiled when she found one.
But that was her mistake.
Since she was looking away from Sakura, the kunoichi was able to get close and, charging her fist, landed a bone-crushing punch to the Diclonius's jaw.
"AGH!" Lucy cried out in pain as she flew back and smashed into the wall. Landing in a heap, blood seeped from her lips as she winced. Her jaw was broken.
Sakura strode carefully to Lucy, her eyes never leaving the downed Diclonius. Sakura knew what she was capable of, and was cautious of her actions.
"Sakura-san? What happened here?"
Jumping in surprise, Sakura almost punched the person behind her before she realized that it was Moka.
"Moka, what the hell are you doing here? It's not safe!" Sakura said. She then turned and ducked as Lucy tried to grab her again with those weird arms—
But the hand shot straight past her.
"Ugh!" Moka abruptly gasped as she placed her hands on her neck, as if she was choking. Her face contorted in pain as she wriggled around, like she was trying to get whatever had a hold of her to let go. Suddenly, she was lifted up into the air.
"Moka!" Sakura cried before she glared at Lucy. "Put her down!"
Lucy stared coldly at her. "Don't try anything. If you want Moka to live, then come with me."
"Sakura, d-don't!" Moka managed to say between breaths. "Please, don't worry about me! I'll be fine!"
Sakura clenched her fists. "Damn it..." she cursed, "if only..." Then an idea popped into her mind. "Alright, I'll go," Sakura said. "But, you have to promise that you'll let go of Moka."
Smiling in satisfaction, Lucy put the pink-haired vampire down as her vectors lunged towards Sakura.
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"Naruto! Naruto, wake up!"
The loud banging on the door caused Naruto to wake up from his sleep. Yawning, the blonde stood up as he rubbed his eyes and dragged himself toward the door.
"Huh? Moka-chan? What are you doing here in the boy's dorm?" Naruto mumbled, half-asleep.
"Naruto! S-Sakura's been captured, and I think it's by ANTI-THESIS!" Moka explained, her eyes half brimming with tears. She had blamed herself for the kunoichi's capture.
"What?" Naruto yelled, now fully-awake. "How?"
"Lucy... Lucy took her. When we were all sleeping, they were fighting in the hall. They did a lot of damage, and the noise woke us up. Naruto... S-Sai... Sai's dead."
No response came from Naruto as his expression became unreadable. The two were silent before he suddenly lowered his head, his hair shadowing his eyes.
"Naruto?" Moka asked.
"That's it... I've had enough. I'm tired of fighting these guys. Killing Sai... Now they've crossed the line..." Naruto whispered, tears tracing down his tanned face. His head swiftly jerked up, and Moka let out a gasp. "AHHHHH!" Naruto roared as his now feral face contorted in rage. His hair had grown wilder and spikier and now almost reached his shoulders, while his slit eyes shone a menacing red. When Naruto clenched his fists, a bit of blood poured from his hand as his nails had sharpened to the point of being talons. His already sharp canines and whisker marks grew more pronounced.
Moka fell to her knees as a large amount of chakra flooded the entire hall like a tidal wave. It seeped into her pores and the very air felt like it became heavier, making it harder and harder for her to breathe. This was unlike anything she had ever felt. Naruto had never released this much chakra before. It was shocking and astounding, a testament to the Kyūbi's might, and this time, it wasn't because Naruto was protecting someone or fighting for what's right.
No, this time, it was because of pure rage.
"Hiraishin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled before disappearing in a flash of light.
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Sakura growled when she felt herself being pulled across a smooth, hard floor as she struggled to untie her binds. When she had surrendered herself to Lucy, there was no hesitation in the Diclonius' eyes as she used her vectors to roughly bind Sakura's arms and legs, purposely leaving small scratches and cuts. Sakura inwardly cursed. Moka was probably blaming herself right now, since she was one of the reasons why Sakura was captured, and the kunoichi hoped that Naruto would be there to assure the pink-haired vampire that everything would be alright, that she had everything under control.
But that would have been a lie.
Meanwhile, Lucy massaged her jaw—and instantly regretted it. She winced as a fresh wave of pain jolted through her body, shocking her and making her want to turn around and end the kunoichi's life. But, much to her chagrin, she was under orders.
The pain was intense as it coursed through every nerve of her body, forcing her to stop what she was doing for a moment. 'Damn can that bitch punch!'
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With her mouth now gagged and her eyes covered, the kunoichi was dragged by Lucy's vectors into a familiar, Basilica-styled room with a round table and decorative pillars—the Student Council Committee's meeting room. Since it was already midnight, the room radiated an aura that made it even creepier than it was in the day, with dark, looming shadows at every corner. Around the room, the lights were lit, but that made the scene all the more eerie.
And seated at the table, his glasses glinting in the moonlight, was Hokuto, the leader of ANTI-THESIS.
But of course, Sakura didn't know this.
A muffled moan was released from Sakura's lips as Lucy untied the blindfold around the kunoichi's head. When the fabric fell to the ground, Sakura lifted her head, and quickly regretted it. She immediately flinched as the moonlight coming from the ceiling blurred her vision, which had been adjusted to the dark. Moving her arms, she groaned as the binds around her hands prevented any more movement.
"You've done well, Lucy. I thank you for your effort," Hokuto said, his fingers laced.
Lucy didn't reply as Hokuto gestured her to take a seat, which she did.
His eyes resting on Sakura, Hokuto briefly studied the kunoichi before he said, "So... are you curious as to why you are here?"
"What do you want? Who are you?" Sakura growled, glaring at the boy.
Hokuto smiled. "Oh, all I want is the school's destruction, and who am I? I'm Kaneshiro Hokuto, the president of the school committee and the leader of ANTI-THESIS."
Sakura's eyes widened. "W-what? And you're—"
Hokuto held up a hand. "Ah ah, it wouldn't be fun if I tell you too much. Besides, I can sense someone coming. Someone you may know."
Immediately, the hairs on Sakura's neck stood up. 'Oh no...' she thought.
"Naruto..." she mumbled, "and he's let—no. This is bad. Really bad."
"Exactly. And the reason why I brought you here... was so that he could see you," Hokuto said as he stood up and stared at the moon, its pale beauty illuminating the darkness of the night.
"What do you mean?" Sakura shouted, now glaring full-on at Hokuto.
Hokuto turned to her. "You see, I know what he holds inside of him, and his reactions to when his 'precious people' are harmed. His fight with Kuyou and with my henchmen... it showed me enough. That power is fuelled by his hatred and rage. And if I push it even further beyond..." He smirked. "The Chairman is a fool if he thinks that the Kyūbi can be restrained. And that will go with him to his grave. This school will burn." He then nodded to Lucy.
Lucy stood up from her seat, her face emotionless as she walked towards Sakura, whose eyes were widened to the size of dinner plates. For a moment, the kunoichi thought that she saw hesitation in the Diclonius' eyes, like she was tired. Then, a vector vibrated to life.
"I'm sorry..." was the last thing Sakura heard as the vector slashed her neck. Before the end, her last thoughts wandered towards the time when they just finished Kakashi's bell test, fresh genin just out of the academy. The newly-formed Team 7, with Naruto trying to coax Sasuke into a fight while Sakura punched the blonde in the head as Kakashi chuckled idly in the background, those thoughts flashed though Sakura's mind before she finally closed her eyes.
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"Sakura-chan!"
Naruto, with his senses enhanced by the Kyūbi's chakra, dashed through the woods as he followed Sakura's scent. The winds rushed past his face as he jumped from branch to branch, going faster with every leap as he frantically made his way towards his friend, all the while hoping that she was okay.
Seeing a figure come into view, Naruto's heart leapt as he guessed that it was Sakura, but his happiness was soon dashed when he saw who it was. Jumping down, he snarled.
"Kiria..." Naruto growled, contempt lacing his tone. A body-bag was laid on the ayashi's feet.
Kiria smiled. "Naruto-kun... it's been awhile. How have you been?"
"Where is she?" Naruto demanded, ignoring Kiria. "Where's Sakura-chan?"
Kiria shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea, Naruto-kun. Are you sure she isn't in her dorm? Or maybe..." His smile widened.
"Maybe what?"
"Oh, you'll see." Kicking the bag to him, Kiria watched as the blonde knelt down and opened it.
Naruto immediately covered his nose. "What the hell? What's in this?" he shouted. The stench was unbearable.
"Take a good look, Naruto-kun," Kiria instructed. "Maybe then you'll realize who it is." Those last words echoed in Naruto's ears as Kiria disappeared into the darkness.
Taking a closer look, Naruto felt a sense of dread build up in his gut. The clothing looked familiar, but there was too much blood in the bag for him to recognize immediately. Then, his eyes set on a familiar shade of pink.
"No..." he whispered. Moving it, Naruto recoiled when he recognized who it was. "No... Sakura-chan... Not you... No... No..." Naruto then grabbed his head, tears leaking from his eyes as he stared at the bag. The person he had sworn to protect, the person who he had loved like a sibling, and who he had once loved, and the person who he had promised to bring back Sasuke to... was gone.
"NOOOO!"
The earth shook under Naruto's feet as his chakra-enhanced howl created a shockwave that rippled throughout the vicinity. Trees were uprooted and rocks were smashed as large clouds of dust and debris flew across the area as the roar increased in range, decimating everything that was unlucky to be in its path. Strong gusts of wind subsequently mixed with the dust clouds and formed miniature tornadoes, which sucked up the rubble before wildly throwing them around. But this wasn't the biggest problem- as another change began in Naruto.
Unlike his previous transformations, a column of red chakra burst from Naruto as the blonde fell to all fours, like a fox, while his face lost all its characteristics as the chakra burned its way through his entire body, completely destroying his skin while rapidly healing it at the same time. His eyes became empty, glowing circles as a black mask of chakra surrounded it, making his whiskered face now unrecognizable. Tiny bits and pieces of the remaining flesh then mixed with the blood and red chakra and formed a fox-like shroud, which solidified and became an impenetrable shield as four tails grew from the cloak.
Naruto let loose a low growl, his anger and hate manifesting itself into this gruesome form. He was now a mere exoskeleton for the Kyūbi's chakra. But the transformation wasn't done there.
Two more chakra tails bubbled into life as a set of bones formed out of the shroud, which made it look like he had a skeleton covering his body. Attached to the body were several thick chakra ligaments that connected the bones to the now six-tailed Naruto. A fox's skull then grew from the demonic cloak and surrounded Naruto's head, like it was some sort of headgear.
Strangely, though, through all of these events, Sakura's body remained where it was.
"AHHHHHH!" Naruto roared, worsening the destruction that he had already caused. He swiped his claw, and a huge wave of chakra tore through the trees towards the school.
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"What was that!" Kurumu screamed as the school suffered another quake.
The shaking from Sakura and Lucy's battle had woken up the girls from their sleep. When they saw the wreckage, they were shocked to hear that Sakura had been kidnapped. And when Moka told them that Naruto had left to rescue her, they all had no choice but to wait for him. So at the moment, they were sitting on a couch in Moka's room as they all waited for Naruto's return.
However, this new tremor was unlike any of the ones from before. Suddenly, Moka's Rosario started to move around.
"Oh no..." Inner Moka's voice began. "Omote, can you sense that?"
"Sense what, Ura?"
"Concentrate. Then you'll figure it out."
Nodding, Outer Moka closed her eyes as she allowed her vampiric senses to take charge. Even though her control over her powers was limited, her senses were still heightened to the point that she can sense the presence and energy of others. And it was then that she felt a wave of demonic energy, one that she had felt before.
"That's... Kyūbi's..." Moka whispered, fear in her voice. "Oh god... Naruto-kun..."
'You see? And this is unlike his other forms. This one... its power is incredible, much more powerful than all of his other forms combined. But it's also evil, like the fox itself has taken over. But I can sense that the Nine-Tails is still trapped inside Naruto's body, though it won't be for long. We've got to help him. Or else...' Inner Moka didn't finish.
Agreeing with her inner self, Outer Moka turned to the girls and smiled. "I'll be right back. I, umm... forgot to get something."
"Huh? Wait, Moka-san!" Yukari cried as Moka rushed out the door.
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"ARRRHHHHHHAAA!"
His anger and hate spiking to its limits—Naruto unleashed an ear-piercing roar as another wave of energy rippled across the now ruined field, furthering the destruction to the point that everything was unrecognizable. Nothing had remained from Naruto's wrath. What was once a beautiful clearing with sweet smelling flowers and long green grass that was rarely seen in Yokai Academy was now a wasteland of debris as Naruto's six tails swung wildly in the air.
Meanwhile, from atop the committee building, Hokuto watched with extreme interest and delight. Everything was going according to plan. And the effect of Sakura's death on Naruto's psyche had gone just as he intended. With the fox's power, Yokai Academy is finished. Now, the only thing he had to do was just sit back and enjoy the show.
"Naruto-kun... I should remember to thank you. Without you, everything I worked for would have taken much longer."
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"Incredible. I have never felt this much power. But I can sense that something's wrong. Omote, be on your guard. If Naruto's lost control, he would see everything as an enemy."
Nodding to her inner self's advice, Moka cautiously worked her way through the piles of fallen trees as she slowly headed towards Naruto. When she had left the dorms, it wasn't long before Moka had seen the first signs of the destruction the blonde had created. And it only grew worse as she went deeper into the forest. But that didn't stop her, as her determination to find out what was wrong spurred her to continue.
As Moka drew closer, a part of her began to worry about her safety. Unlike the previous times, this form held more malice than hatred, like the Kyūbi was the one in control. And even though she had a brave face on, inside Moka was starting to have her own doubts.
"Omote! Look out!"
Blinking in surprise, Moka was just able to get out of the way of a falling tree as it crashed into the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust and leaves.
"Focus! Yourdaydreaming almost cost us our lives!" Inner Moka reprimanded.
"Sorry..." Outer Moka said. And from then on all of her attention focused on keeping herself alive.
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"Naruto..."
Having hidden her presence, Lucy watched Naruto's transformation with tremendous regret. It was her fault that the blonde had transformed, and it was her fault that he was suffering. Never before had she felt sympathy for her victims, but Naruto was a special case.
Because he, along with Kouta and Aiko, were one of the first people to ever show her kindness.
Ever since Naruto complimented her horns and vectors, Lucy had felt this special connection with the blonde, something that was similar to Kouta. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about Naruto that made her feel very possessive of him, like he was her property. And the few times she was with him, she always felt relaxed and calm, as if the weight of her sins was temporarily lifted of her shoulders.
'No way, do I actually... no. It can't be. That's impossible. My heart belongs only to Kouta. And he loves Moka,' she added that last part bitterly.
She didn't really have anything against Moka, since she was also kind to her, and that question Lucy asked Naruto in the hallway was because of pure curiosity, but whenever she saw him with Moka, Lucy always felt this pang in her chest, like a dagger piercing her heart.
Suddenly, Naruto roared, "RRRRAAAGGHHHH!" before dashing into the woods.
Lucy sighed. She didn't really have any choice in the matter. If she could have, she would've never killed Sai and Sakura. But sadly, Hokuto had ordered her to, and like an obedient soldier, Lucy had no choice but to follow it.
"I'm sorry... Naruto..." she muttered under her breath as she watched Naruto's six-tailed form disappear into the darkness. Her words were sincere, like she was admitting a secret. But instead of leaving, Lucy rubbed her horns, disappointment on her face. She had taken the Headmaster's advice of trying to remove them, but she instantly regretted it. Her memory of what happened was blurry, but Lucy could vaguely remember that when she tried to file them off, she abruptly lost consciousness and found herself in the infirmary three days later.
And it was then that she met Hokuto.
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Flashback
"What? Where am I?"
"Ah, so sleeping beauty is finally awake."
Jolting up from her stupor, Lucy turned to the voice and was surprised to see a rather handsome young man sitting on a stool next to her bed. He was wearing black pants and a black, long-sleeved collared shirt that had a thin line of white going down the middle, a black variant of the Yokai Academy school uniform. To most girls, waking up to find a handsome boy waiting for you would've been a dream come true. But Lucy was different.
She could see that there was something strange in his intelligent black eyes, something calculating, like he was studying you. It was like he was trying to see if you would be of any use to him. Lucy inwardly shuddered. This boy reminded her of those researchers back in the facility—back when she was still wrapped up in a straitjacket and forced to wear that accursed helmet while they conducted their horrific experiments on her body. It was if life was playing a cruel trick on her. And even though he had nothing to do with it, those memories made her want to jump at the boy and rip all of his limbs off, slowly and painfully. But Lucy was able to control those urges.
"I can see that you are uncomfortable. Is there something wrong?" the boy asked, what looked to be concern in his eyes.
Lucy shook her head, her cold gaze never leaving the boy's face. "I'm fine."
He smiled. "That's good. Y—"
"What am I doing here? Why am I not in my room?"
"Someone heard a noise and found you unconscious in your room. You were asleep for three days."
"Three days..." And it was then did the memories of what happened return to her. "The Headmaster... he told me-"
"That your horns could be taken off? I'm sorry, Lucy-san, but a Diclonius cannot survive without their horns."
Her red eyes went wide. "Who told you that?"
"I read it from your file. You are a Diclonius girl of 15 years of age. You have no parents, no siblings, and no family. The Headmaster rescued you from a facility that conducts brutal experiments on your kind, all the while trying to find a way to replicate your 'vectors' for their own personal use."
Lucy was shocked. This boy knew this much about her? "Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, pardonmy manners, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Kaneshiro Hokuto, and I'm the president of the Student Council Committee," Hokuto replied with a smile.
"Student Council Committee?"
"It's the school board. Now, then, let's talk about more pressing matters, especially about the current threat that's plaguing the school, have you ever heard of an organization called 'ANTI-THESIS'?"
Lucy nodded her head. "ANTI-THESIS? Hmph, you must be either deaf or a fool if you haven't heard about them. Everyone in my class keeps talking about that group and their repetitive attacks on other students, especially the Newspaper Club."
"And you do know that they are planning an attack on the day of the school festival?"
"Of course, they basically put up warnings about that everywhere. They even published a newspaper article about it."
Hokuto smiled. "I can see that you are well-versed with the happenings in the school. To tell you the truth, I personally am on the hunt for them. I cannot tolerate their actions and as the Student Council president, it is my duty to find and punish them for their actions."
"You seem dedicated," Lucy remarked, her gaze unwavering. "But words are easier said than done. I doubt that you would be able to catch them, but in the instance that you do, what would you do with the others? Their remaining members would gather more people to join their organization, probably much stronger ones too, and you would be forced to deal with them as well. It will be a continuous cycle, one that will never end until whatever they had in mind is complete."
"And that brings us to this," Hokuto said, his smile widening a bit. "Tell me, Lucy-san, if you ever get the chance, would you join them?"
"What?"
"If the opportunity were to arise, would you join ANTI-THESIS?"
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "And why are you asking me this?"
Hokuto shrugged his shoulders. "One can never be too careful," he stated.
"My choices are my own. And, if I do want to join ANTI-THESIS, why would I tell you?"
Hokuto didn't answer, and instead, he just stared at Lucy, like she was the most interesting thing he had ever seen.
And that was how she realized what he truly was.
"W-wait, you're a member of ANTI-THESIS!"
Hokuto ignored her. "The Headmaster has been keeping an eye on you for a while. He thinks that you are unique. And I have to agree. I've seen what you're capable of when you fought that man, when you brutally killed him in front of those pests from the Newspaper Club, and I was impressed. Therefore I would like to extend to you an invitation to join my organization."
"Y-you're the leader?"
"This conversation will not be leaving this room, okay? Because if it does, well, I don't need to explain it."
Lucy readied her vectors, preparing herself for a possible attack. But just as her vectors vibrated to life, a shrill pain jolted through her pale body.
"Ack!" Lucy cried. 'What the... what's wrong?'
"Ah, about that, I placed a seal on your vectors while you were asleep. Just in case. Don't worry, though, it's only temporary."
The Diclonius sent a glare to Hokuto. "Why do you want me?"
"Because you are special, Lucy-san. There is no one else in this school that has your abilities. And with your help, my plans for this school will come to fruition. And besides, aren't you angry that the Headmaster lied to you? Wouldn't you want revenge?" He smiled.
But Lucy ignored it, and instead, she lowered her head, saddened by the fact that she had been deceived. "I can't believe it. Out of all people... I thought that I could trust him..." she whispered.
"The Headmaster has a tendency to do that, to fill someone's mind with lies," Hokuto stated. "But we can fix that. Yokai Academy's faculty are corrupt. They don't care what happens to their students. So in order to bring peace to this school, they have to be removed. That's why my organization attacks members of this school, because we're fighting for the right cause."
"The right cause?"
"Yes. To purge this school from all the wrong, that is our goal. So, Lucy-san, will you join us?"
There was no immediate response from Lucy as she let Hokuto's words sink in. Sure, she was angry that the Headmaster had lied to her about her horns, but deep down, she knew that it had been too good to be true. And if she joined ANTI-THESIS, she would be an enemy to the Newspaper Club and the entire school. An enemy to Moka and Naruto.
"I'm sorry, Hokuto-san, but I can't accept your offer. I'm fed up. I'm tired of this, of being someone's enemy, and all I want is peace," Lucy said.
"I see, well then I truly am disappointed. It's a shame that you are not interested in joining." Hokuto then got up and headed towards the door. But just as he placed his hand on the doorknob, he looked over his shoulder at Lucy. "But before I leave, let me give you some advice. You see, the students here are not very tolerant of humans. In fact they despise them. So I wonder what would happen if someone told them that this is your true form." He smiled. "Well, anyway, I won't be troubling you again. Goodbye, Lucy-san."
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And from then on, Lucy had regretted her decision.
The idea of her being bullied and discriminated against was something she never wanted to happen again. She wouldn't be able to cope with it. In fact, it was a miracle that she was able to endure it for that long in her childhood. And when Hokuto said that—she feared that it would be a repeat of her time in the orphanage.
Then, the episode in the hallway came back to her, and Lucy had to hold back her disgust.
She had been cruel to use Moka as a hostage, and knew that the vampire would never forgive her. And when Moka eventually finds out Sakura's fate, Lucy would bet that the Newspaper Club would never again welcome her with open arms.
All because of her fear that Hokuto would reveal her secret to the school.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Lucy remained steadfast. She had more important things to do, things that could only be done by her. Hokuto had assigned her to do more observation on the Newspaper Club, and with her ability to conceal her presence, she was the best choice for the job. With one last look towards the direction where Naruto had disappeared to, she quickly took her leave.
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"We're getting closer. Naruto's aura is getting stronger with every step we take. And as I feared, the fox is in control. Be careful, Omote."
Taking her inner voice's advice to heart, the pink-haired vampire clumsily scrambled her way through the wrecked forest as she followed Naruto's scent. It wasn't hard as large traces of demonic energy were left behind by the blonde, added to the fact that a trail of destruction was usually left behind in his wake, making it much easier for Moka to track him.
"Omote, don't move," Inner Moka's voice suddenly said from the Rosario.
Putting one foot in front of her, Moka immediately stopped as she looked down at her chest. "What's wrong, Ura?"
"Look to your right. Slowly."
Inching her head towards the direction Inner Moka had instructed, Moka quirked an eyebrow when she saw that nothing was there, just trees and the occasional falling of leaves.
"Ura, there's nothing there. Is there something wrong?" Outer Moka asked.
"Focus!" Inner Moka's voice snapped, causing the other Moka to jump in surprise. "He's here."
Her eyes widening, Moka whispered, "N-Naruto?"
And like a fox coming out of its hole, came out Naruto, his glowing, white hollow eyes glinting blankly in the moonlight. With every step he took, the bones sticking out of the shroud creaked with anticipation.
Moka released a soft gasp. What has become of her fiancée?
"Naruto..." Moka mumbled. "What happened?"
Naruto let out a low growl.
"Omote, move!"
"RRRAAAAGGHHH!"
"Aaahh!"
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AN: Sorry for the late update, but I had a lot to do in school since the year's almost over. All the catch up work and final tests have to be done or else I would be in a LOT of trouble. Anyway, if you guys haven't seen it already, there is a poll on my profile that is essential to the continuation of this fic. Now, this better be true votes, because if you just vote a ten for the sake of it or because you couldn't be bothered, then it wouldn't be much help to me and the updates would come much slower (even though it already is).