"It's strange to have so many people back on campus," Lucy said.

"I'm glad," Kouta said. "This is normal. When this place was deserted it sort of felt like it was haunted."

"Would that be so bad? You get along with Rinko pretty well."

Familiar faces were tramping on and out of the boys' and girls' dorms. Tables had been set up in front of each. Long lines of freshmen slowly snaked forward to register and receive their room assignments. It was easy to tell the freshmen from the returning students. The new arrivals were constantly looking about, and most were weighed down with suitcases. For them this was the beginning of a brand new experience. They would get to find out firsthand what an interesting place Youkai Academy could be. The poor bastards.

Lucy and Kouta were out in the Quad, the opening ceremony would be in a couple hours. Juniors and seniors didn't have to attend an introductory home room class, so following the ceremony the two of them would visit the cafeteria and then probably return to Kouta's room. Now that there would be boys tramping through the corridors she would have to be a little more discreet. Technically, girls weren't allowed in the boys' dorm, and visa versa. Like quite a few other rules on campus, that one tended to get ignored.

Lucy gave a long sigh. "I really liked the break. It was wonderful having you all to myself for a while. It was so peaceful."

"It was pretty boring though. When there are no classes going on there is nothing to do here."

Lucy looked at him and lifted an eyebrow. "Except for all the sex you mean."

Kouta's cheeks blushed and he suddenly began to study a clump of grass at his feet. "Uh, yeah, except for that."

"I'd like to think those times were a sign of our love, not just a way to kill some time."

"That's not what I meant!"

Seeing him get flustered was cute. Lucy reached out and took his hand. "Relax, Kouta, I was teasing. I agree there's not much to do here when school is out, but I don't mind the quiet so long as we're together. I've had more than enough excitement in my life already."

Youkai Academy existed as its own separate world, cut off from everything else outside the barrier. There was no television to watch, no radio, no internet. She and Kouta read, listened to some CDs, talked, went for walks. The most entertaining thing they'd done (besides have sex) was visit Mononoke Arcade two times to do a little shopping and see a movie. Since neither of them were related to a vampire lord they were forbidden to visit the human world. That rule was still enforced.

"It was peaceful," Kouta agreed. "But aren't you ready for the new semester?"

Lucy looked about at all the students and their activity. "I guess, but being alone with you felt like a dream."

There was honking as a silver limo drove off the road and right into the Quad between the dorms. A dozen students were forced to scramble to keep from getting run over. The back door popped open and a tanned vampire with platinum blonde hair and a strapless red dress popped out.

"Kooooouuuuttttaaaaaa!" Like a rabid wolf, Kahlua launched herself and covered the twenty yards between her and her chosen prey in the blink of an eye. "I missed you!"

CHOMP.

Kouta only had enough time for a halfhearted wail before her fangs were lodged in his neck and she was slurping him up.

"Ow! Ow! That hurts! That hurts!"

"And the nightmare begins," Lucy growled.

XXX

"I spent most of my holiday in an old castle in the highlands of Scotland, near a place called Landon's Lament. It was grey and cold and windy, so at least the weather was nice. The food was pretty bland, but there was this one girl who was really drunk when I had her. I got a little bit tipsy, that was sort of fun. But it would have been sooooooo much better of you had been there too Kouta."

Kouta rubbed the side of his neck and managed a weak grin. "I'd forgotten what it was like getting bitten every day."

Kahlua gave an eager nod. "So you missed me too. From now on we'll spend all our breaks together."

"Wouldn't that be a joy," Lucy grumbled.

"I know!" As usually happened Kahlua missed Lucy's tone.

The three of them were making their way to the gym for the ceremony. Though they were in the middle of a crowd no one got too close. The older students knew their reputation, the freshmen noticed the reaction and simply copied it. Kahlua either didn't notice or took the reaction for granted. Kouta seemed a little worried by the isolation, but Lucy was relieved. At this school, as in the real world, the best way to avoid trouble was to have people fear you. Fear was the purest and most sincere form of respect. The only potential downside was that some of the really dangerous ones might seek them out to build a reputation. If that happened Lucy could deal with it.

"So did you get to see your father?" Kouta asked.

"No, daddy couldn't make time for me. He is always busy with work. My mother did visit me though, so that's something."

"Well great, what did the two of you talk about?"

"The usual things; fashion, daddy, the family, her plans to awaken the great beast Alucard and use him to bring an end to human civilization, work, problems with the servants-"

"Wait, what was that again?"

"Mother was having some trouble with one of the chamber maids she was-"

"Uh, no, I mean the part about her ending human civilization."

"What about it?"

"Is she serious?"

"Sure, why wouldn't she be?"

Kouta stared at the vampire with his mouth open.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Kahlua rubbed at her mouth.

"Forget it, Kouta." Lucy said. "Let's just try to get through the school year without getting killed or failing any classes. Saving the world sounds like more trouble than we need."

XXX

In the gym were rows or fold out chairs. They found some and sat down. As the seats filled up Lucy kept an eye out for Sun and other familiar faces. Lucy spotted her after all the seats nearby had been taken. Sun gave them a wave and ended up three rows in front of them. Lucy noted many other classmates and casual friends, several sent her a nod or other acknowledgement before sitting.

One face that caught her notice hadn't been a schoolmate before today. It was the boy named Hokuto. Of course he didn't recognize her and never looked in her direction. Somehow Lucy was not surprised that he'd been the one the Headmaster had chosen to be this year's test subject. Lucy knew that, unlike Kouta, Hokuto had not been assigned a protector or even been told the true nature of the school. He would only find out during the introductory homeroom. And if he panicked and revealed himself, he would either be killed immediately or be burned at the stake tomorrow. That was actually the normal procedure, when a human was brought here the truth was only revealed through normal interaction. Kouta had been an exception because of her. Not giving the human students any sort of warning at all struck her as being deliberately cruel, but she had to admit it did keep with the Chairman's usual policy. The Chairman might talk about understanding and coexistence, but what the school really stood for was simple survival. Every student was expected to be smart enough and adaptable enough to survive this environment. The ones who could would graduate mentally tough and ready for any challenge human society could throw at them. The ones who couldn't died.

Lucy had no idea if Hokuto would make it through the opening week, never mind three whole years. She hoped he managed it, not out of any real sympathy for the boy, but for more practical reasons. If a human was discovered then naturally there would be suspicion that other humans might be present. That would put Kouta in danger.

Hokuto sat down near the front of the gym. Lucy didn't mention him to Kouta. She knew her boyfriend well enough to understand he would want to help this boy survive. That would also put Kouta in greater danger, so Lucy would not say a word about him.

XXX

The speech from the Headmaster was about the same as last year's. Full of optimism and well wishes, and sprinkled with a few suggestions for the freshmen on survival. When it was over they exited the gym and waited by the entrance for Sun.

It was only then that Lucy got her first hint that something was wrong. It came as a pressure in the back of her head. Something she had only ever felt in Kamakura.

"Oh no," she whispered.

"Lucy? Is something wrong?" Kouta asked. "You look kind of pale."

"It's nothing," she lied. Lucy hoped desperately she was somehow wrong, while knowing she wasn't.

A young girl with long black hair walked out of the gym and stopped a few feet from Lucy. She could not have been older than twelve or thirteen, and stood out from the other students.

"Hello, big sister."

"Lucy? Is she your relative? I thought you were an orphan." Kouta said.

"She's not my sister, but she is like me."

Kouta's eyes widened. Before he could ask anything more however another familiar face came out of the gym. He gawked. "Yuka?"

Yuka's response was to rush over to where Lucy stood. Kouta's cousin slapped his girlfriend across the face. Lucy was very sure this would not be a good day for her.