Chapter 10
Sunflowers, a Wizard, and a Vampire
Ever since the incident with Ruby Tojo resulted in Tsukune's close shave with death, Moka, Kurumu, Yukari, Mizore, and Yozora decided to take the other witch with them to their camp after she fainted from the sight of the phoenix he summoned from the heavens above. But although Ruby was unconscious, the others thought that she was sleeping peacefully.
"Hey, Yozora. Do you think you could fill me in on what I missed after we met Ruby?" asked Tsukune.
"Well, to make a long story short, you were almost killed by her in cold-blood," replied Yozora.
"At first, we thought we'd lost you forever. But thankfully, Yozora saved your life with that fire-bird he called a phoenix," added Kurumu.
"I've heard about those kinds of birds. Sometimes when a phoenix is nearing the end of its life span, they burst into flame, until there is nothing left but ash. And with a bit of time and patience, they are reborn from the ashes, and are back in their prime once again. There's also a legend that says that the tears of a phoenix can heal any injury you've sustained from a fight with a dangerous foe. I studied about these kinds of birds at Jr. High before I met all of you," explained Moka.
Everyone was surprised, even Ruby, who also heard about those kinds of birds as she slowly awoke from unconsciousness. When she saw where she was, she was momentarily surprised to see that she wasn't at Witch hill, but inside the tent that Tsukune and the others had set up that night.
"Nice to see you awaken from your slumber," Yozora said.
"Wait a second, where am I?" she asked groggily.
"You're on the campsite," replied Tsukune.
Ruby slowly but painfully sat up, but Yozora tossed her a soda pop which she caught in her hands.
"Easy now, you don't want to strain yourself anymore than you need to," said Tsukune.
"I don't understand, why are you still alive?" she asked quietly.
"Listen, I'm gonna level with you. When you attacked Tsukune and left him in a near-death state, Yozora summoned a phoenix from the heavens so that it's flames would heal the wounds you inflicted upon him. And while we're still a bit sore about that, we saw you faint at the sight of that creature when it ushered a powerful cry," explained Yukari.
"I don't know what just happened, but you've all got another thing coming when I regain my strength," Ruby said coldly to them.
"Save it Ruby. I chose to spare your life even when the others saw that I healed Tsukune when I summoned that bird," Yozora replied in a sharp tone that it made her flinch at how he sounded.
"We want to hear your explanation on why you're acting like this," added Mizore.
"You do?" asked the other witch.
"Yeah, if you tell us your side of the story, then we'll understand," replied Yozora.
"Okay, that hill is a special place that witches have lived on for many years. We lived there in peace, without bothering to bring harm or meeting anyone who came here to our humble domain. But when the humans barged in and began making plans for a new project, everything was either buried in sight, or worse burned to cinders by them. Everything they've done has made them disrespect mother nature and become selfish and consumed by their own desire to fulfill their own benefits. So you tell me how bastards like them can still have some form of kindness when they choose to do these things to us! I've cast aside my own humanity for this purpose in order to attain power so that these monsters can repent for their actions with my own two hands! I hate their machines, their tools, their weapons, and their self-absorbed nature! I HATE THEM ALL!" she said furiously as tears started to form in her eyes.
"I get what you're saying, but revenge doesn't lead to happiness. It only creates shame and breeds darkness," Yukari said.
"How would you know!?" screamed Ruby as she flung the soda can at her which made everyone react in a hostile manner.
"Ruby, don't force us to kill you!" Kurumu said through gritted teeth.
"Enough! We didn't bring her here so that we could finish her off when she's at her most vulnerable," Yozora said firmly, his hand raised for everyone to stand down.
"But more importantly, I said that I'll never, ever be anything like you!" added the witchling.
"Also, you're treading on very thin ice. In other words, your decisions will ultimately lead to your own self destruction," warned Mizore.
"I know that most humans may be a bunch of self-centered, blue-bloods, but there are some who actually find witches fascinating when they saw them on television, in movies, video games, or heard about them through books, and audio dramas they had in their homes," added Yozora.
Ruby was shocked by what she heard, until her eyes fell towards the ground.
"Listen, my parents died a long time ago, when I was around the same age as Yozora. We were going on a vacation when some humans smashed into our car. I alone survived, but the anger I felt suddenly turned them into nothing but dust and ash when I lost control of my powers," explained Ruby.
"Well you're not the only one who knows about the pain of losing someone. Yukari told us about Yozora's past and how his mother and father also died when he was close to the same age as you were," replied Tsukune.
"That's right. I know that you're hurting Ruby. So We'll take that hurt in your heart and use it as motivation to help you overcome your deep-seated hatred for humanity," added Yozora.
"Why? What do you know about hurt!?" she cried out as the she threw soda pop all over Tsukune, soaking him from head to foot.
"Ruby, there has to be another way. A more peaceful solution to help you overcome hatred," said Moka.
"I've made my choice. I'm going to cleanse the world of the evil that is humanity, starting with Tokyo, and then beyond. Now stand I aside. I'm going to see my ladyship, so that we can fulfill our destiny," she said ominously, and walked off.
"Wait!" called Yukari.
"Ruby!" piped in Yozora.
But it was too late, Ruby had stormed out of the tent, and recovered her scepter.
"You will never understand my suffering. I am the chosen one, I have been chosen to make humanity submit to my will," Ruby said to herself as a wicked smile appeared on her lips.
Yukari tried to follow her, but Ruby pointed her scepter right at her throat.
"You will NOT follow me. For now, I hereby brand you as a traitor, and a coward," she said with a low growl in her voice.
When Yukari heard those words, she dropped to her knees and cried loudly. All the tears she tried to hold back fell from her eyes and landed on the ground.
"STOP!" shouted Yozora, but Ruby was gone.
The wizard turned to his apprentice.
"Yukari, pull yourself together. I know, it hurts, and I'm sorry, but there's no time for that now," Yozora said.
"Yozora, we should have told her that she could come to Yokai Academy and get a job there," the young sorceress said through choked sobs.
"Stop feeling ashamed of yourself, and GET UP OFF YOUR ASS AND GET A GRIP!" he shouted.
Yukari nodded, her eyes now full of determination, and the two raced after Ruby towards the hill. They saw Miss Nekonome lying in a crumpled heap, and noticed that she had some scrapes all over her.
"Who in the world was that?" she asked fearfully.
"Miss Nekonome, are you okay?" Yukari asked, as Yozora slowly but gently pulled her back onto her feet.
"It's Ruby Tojo. She said that she hates all humans with pure unadulterated vengeance, and wants to cleanse the world of all of them. But I can assume that she's starting to act more like Sephiroth, the villain of Final Fantasy 7," explained Yozora.
"When I was preparing to get more fish, I asked if she wanted any, but she blasted me with her scepter and left me in that state without a second thought," said Miss Nekonome.
"I see… Listen, can you stay and watch after the camp? Yukari and I are gonna try to tell Ruby that her decision could ultimately lead to her going down a path from which there could be no turning back from," Yozora said quickly.
"Of course I can. But what happened between you and Ruby?" She asked.
"When I refused her offer, she called me a cowardly traitor. That's what happened," Yukari said somberly, as she felt the tears well up in her eyes.=
Yozora gently rested his hand on the witchling's shoulder.
"Whoa, hey, it'll be okay, little soldier. All right? Though I'm aware that Ruby has a right to be furious right now, the words that she said to you were out of anger. I doubt that she meant it… Well… heh, entirely," Yozor said to her.
This was able to help Yukari calm down, as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"There we go. It'll be alright. I swear it. In the meantime, I'll follow Ruby, while you get Miss Nekonome back to the camp so that you can heal her injuries and let the others know I've gone after the other witch. Can you handle it?" Yozora said.
Yukari nodded, and smiled at him.
"You can count on me, Master," Yukari said.
"That's a good girl. Now, lets move out!" he said, and they split off in opposite directions of each other.
On the way, Miss Nekonome gently wrapped her arms around Yukari.
"You look like you could use a hug from someone," she said to the witchling.
"Thank you MIss Nekonome," Yukari said in a low whisper, as she wrapped her arms around her teacher as well.
They decided to continue walking after they parted ways with each other. On the other side of the path, Yozora had just managed to reach the manor of Ruby and her Ladyship. He carefully peaked into the window, and saw Ruby looking at some pictures of herself as a child in a self contained photo album, but then she cast the book to the ground and marched up to Lady Oyakata, until she saw another figure dressed in a dark robe.
"Have you made final preparations for the attack on humanity?" the stranger asked in a dark voice.
"Yes, Caecilius. The Humans will be destroyed by my hands, and Ruby's vengeance will be appeased," Oyakata said to him.
"Who are you, and what are you doing near my Ladyship!?" demanded Ruby.
"Ah, Ruby, so good of you to join us," Caecilius said from beneath the hood of his dark robe.
"What?" gasped Ruby.
"You defied your mistress. And because of that, you must face the unforeseen consequences of your actions for hesitating to kill the intruders that almost came to your front doorstep," he said ominously.
"Yes, traitor. Hesitation means death," Agreed Oyakata.
"No, when you took me in, you practically raised me like your own daughter. How could you betray me at this time?" she asked in desperation.
"Simple my dear, You chose to abandon your mission of bringing both the young witch and that wizard to us so that we could have them claim vengeance upon our enemies. But, your indecisiveness led to you showing weakness," Caecilius said ominously, as he blasted Ruby out the window and onto the field of sunflowers.
Back at the campsite, Yukari had just woken her friends up, and told them that Yozora had followed Ruby back to the hill.
"What!?" everyone cried out in shock.
"We gotta do something before he gets himself killed!" cried Tsukune.
His friends agreed on that matter, and they raced along the rail of footprints towards the Witch's hill. They hurried out of the tent, as the sleeping Nekonome was too wrapped up in her dream about fish, and into the forest towards the mansion. Suddenly, dark chains and roots wrapped around everyone, binding them against their will, but Mizore was a bit neutral about it.
"Infidels! You have poisoned Ruby's mind with doubt! Now you shall never again see the light of day!" Oyakata said furiously to them.
"Where is Ruby!?" demanded Tsukune, his eyes etched with anger.
"She showed weakness when she hesitated at seeing the wizard's pet bird saving your life. Now I'll finish what she's failed to do," the older woman said, until a dark portal opened to reveal a man in a dark robe.
"Now, bow down to Lady Oyakata, and she will show you forgiveness," Caecilius added.
But before they could blast them to oblivion, a powerful shield emerged to protect them from the blast. There was Yozora, holding Ruby in one arm, and his wand in the other.
"Hands off my family!" Yozora called to them.
"No, it can't be!" cried Oyakata.
But Yozora stood firm against them as Ruby cut them down.
"You told me we would destroy the humans together, but destroying this planet is taking it too far!" snapped Ruby.
"Oh Ruby, you've always been so naive, even as a child. You see, it wasn't the drunken humans that took your parents lives, It was I who took them from you, so that I could mold you into a cold blooded killer who always bore nothing but hatred and contempt against the humans by manipulating them to destroy this noelle you find to be so precious to you," Caecilius stated in his dark tone.
"No! It can't be! This isn't true! You can't have killed them!" cried Ruby as she dropped to her knees.
"Search your feelings, you know it to be true," the dark wizard said.
But Ruby's sadness was replaced by rage as she cut Tsukune, Moka, Kurumu, Yukari, and Mizore's bonds.
"Listen, I know you don't like me, just as much as I don't like you. But the one thing that really pissed me off, was how this bastard killed my mother and father, Riku and Akai Tojo," Ruby said to them.
"Yes Ruby, I killed them, they wanted nothing more than to subdue the dark arts. But I've learned this much, take what you can, when you can," Caecilius said as Oyakata lunged at Ruby.
But Yozora stopped her attack with his sword and forced her back.
"Save it! I know why you made Ruby act this way, Caecilius! I've been in the same boat as Yukari was in the past. And I'm also aware of how you twisted Ruby's mind to make her hate humanity. But making humans intoxicated with alcohol by luring them into a bar near this place, just so that you could make her your servant, is crossing the line," Yozora said furiously to the dark wizard.
Caecilius laughed at him.
"Behold, a legion of plant monsters that have been grown and cultivated to serve both mine and Oyakata's will. The end of Humanity is coming now!" he said with evil triumph.
"Kill them all!" shouted Oyakata, as she raised her scepter to the sky.
The plant monsters charged at them, but Tsukune quickly removed Moka's rosary, as Kurumu, Yukari, Mizore, Ruby, and Yozora charged at the creatures as well. The battle was both fierce and intense. Kurumu and Mizore punched, kicked, and cut down the monsters with their claws and Ice swords in hand, then split off in separate directions. Ruby was struggling against them, but Yukari swatted them back with her wand and unleashed powerful bursts of flame magic upon them. Two of the plant monsters managed to wrap themselves around her, but the silver haired Moka karate chopped them and ushered a battle cry of her own. Taking up a stance, the plant monsters tried to bind her, but she punched and kicked them away from her.
"Will you join us in taking down these bastards?" she asked.
Ruby was a bit hesitant at first, but she furrowed her brow with determination and took the vampiress' hand.
"Yes! It's time for Caecilius to pay for what he's done!" Ruby said.
Tsukune was a bit shocked at what was going on, but Yozora quickly tossed him a shimmering katana he found so that he could better protect himself. The two brothers-in-arms charged head first into the battlefield, hacking and slashing at the plant monsters with their blades. When Kurumu saw this, she was ecstatic.
"WHOO-HOO! Go get 'em Tsukune and Yozora!" she called.
Suddenly the fields began to catch fire, and the sunflower field began to turn to ash.
A small handful of plant monsters had managed to charge right at Mizore, but she quickly cut them down with her dual blades. She was now backed into a corner as they closed in for the kill.
"Leave my family alone!" shouted Yukari, her body now surrounded by an aura of light.
"Foolish child, you cannot hope to win," Caecilius said to her.
"Are you talking to me?" asked Yukari.
"Uh oh you called her a child," warned Mizore.
"Are you talking to me!?" Yukari asked again.
"You shouldn't have done that," Mizore said.
"ARE YOU TALKING TO ME!?" screamed the witchling.
"Now you're in for it," Mizore said with a smirk.
"MY FRIENDS CALL ME, LITTLE SOLDIER!" shouted Yukari.
She charged at the plant monsters with her own battle cry and unleashed a full volley of explosions all around her, as Mizore lunged right at them with her dual swords.
"Remind me to never get on her bad side again," Kurumu said to Tsukune as she landed beside him.
"Noted," agreed Tsukune, as Mizore and Yukari started performing what looked like a victory chant.
Ruby's eyes darted from left to right. A flash of lightning revealed that Caecilius was attempting to sneak away and she charged after him. The dark wizard ran quickly, with Ruby on his tail, and eventually saw that there was nowhere left for him to run to.
"You murderer, you don't deserve to live," hissed Ruby.
"Perhaps, Ruby, but I'm surprised that you've taken their side instead of your ladyship's side. After all, I wouldn't have molded you into the perfect killer," the dark wizard said through his calm demeanor.
"Why did I choose to believe your story about my parents' death? You lied to me from the very beginning when Lady Oyakata took me in and raised me," Ruby said through gritted teeth.
"Then what will you do now? Are you going to kill me and prove that no matter how vile humans are you'll never accept one as a friend?" asked Caecilius.
"No Caecilius, I'll never be anything like you, ever. I now know that revenge can never bring back my parents or make them happy," Ruby said.
"Then you have my thanks, Ruby. You are most kind, and I will make it up to you. Now then, feel free to tell me anything you want me to do to prove my loyalty to you," the dark wizard said as he bowed to her.
"Run! Run away Caecilius! Run away, and never return!" Ruby said firmly.
Caecilius nodded in agreement and walked slowly away.
"Yes, of course. As you wish, my dear Ruby!" he said, but he blasted Ruby with dark flames from his hands forcing her back.
The two spell casters lunged at each other and began firing spells at each other with unrelenting fury in their eyes. Behind them, Tsukune hacked and slashed at the plant monsters with the sword Yozora gave him, as he blasted them back with fire spells, which made Lady Oyakata scream in unrelenting fury.
"Back off! Your fight is with me!" shouted Moka, who had come to the rescue.
Oyakata was furious, but Kurumu, Mizore, and Yukari also joined her as well.
"Take away someone we hold most dear in our family, and you will die where you stand!" they said together.
Tsukune turned and smiled at them, but the four girls gave him a thumbs up. Yozora also looked back at them, but this time he channeled a new kind of power within, thanks to the bonds he had made with everyone he knew during his time at Yokai Academy.
"Everyone, give me strength!" he said.
With a mighty leap, Yozora's eyes began to glow brighter than they did, making Tsukune watch in awe as his best friend rose up into the air. They all watched him unleash a burst of light from his wand which hammered into Oyakata, causing her unrelenting pain and agony.
"Cursed fool!" she screamed.
But Yozora struck at her with his crystal sword over and over again, until they were now floating above the sunflower field. With every strike Oyakata was unable to hold back any longer, until she learned that it was already too for her to continue the fight. But suddenly Yozora's red eye began to shine even brighter than before. He sent a full volley of fire balls right at Oyakata which managed to wound her enough for him to attack again.
"You harness immense power, but you lack the purity of will to command it because of your impurity. I will never be defeated, nor will you redeem me. Death is the only salvation you can give me, but I know that you cannot kill me!" she said to him.
"You're right, death is your only salvation. But unlike you, I don't believe in killing without a reason," replied Yozora.
Beyond, Ruby and the Caecilius were exchanging a flurry of punches, kicks, and spells against each other, but then when Ruby jumped back, she saw that Caecilius was enraged. The two foes launched at each other and collided with such brute force, that a sonic boom was heard along with a deafening thunderclap. The dark wizard headbutted Ruby furiously and flung her towards the mansion. But Ruby recovered quickly and landed on her feet, just as Caecilius charged towards her. They charged again, but this time Caecilius slammed into a wall, and landed in a daze, while Ruby stood over him.
"Can you feel it you bastard? The fear of death? Well I can. And although I can't forgive you for what happened in the past, I am thankful for the training you and her Ladyship gave me all those years ago. Now, I'm going to put it to good use," she said.
The combatants fought again, but this time Ruby now had the upper hand against him in their dance. She was now forcing him back with all the strength she had, and kicked him out of the house, and into the sky once again. They charged again much faster than before, but this time Ruby was gaining ground in their airborne battle. Below, Kurumu, Yukari, Mizore, Moka, and Yozora were locked in battle with Oyakata who tried to bind them in strong thick roots, but the wizard cut them loose with his sword just as Ruby and Caecilius collided yet again.
"This is goodbye Caecilius! Crimson Petals!" shouted Ruby.
Instantly thousands of flowers burst from Ruby's scepter and slashed furiously at Caecilius, wounding him until he collapsed in defeat.
"No more, you have one. You are the victor now," Caecilius said, as Ruby landed near him.
"Yes, I may be the victor. But I won't kill for revenge any longer." she said to him.
"But now that it's over, what will you do then? Banish my darkness? Erase me from history like your parents did?" he asked.
"This time, you can rest in peace. Close your eyes forever more," she said.
"You have done well, young sorceress," the dark wizard said, as his body faded into dust and ash.
She turned to see Yozora and his friends standing before the winded Oyakata who was still hell bent on eliminating them.
"This new family you have found, shall be going with you… to Oblivion," she said.
"Yet when I die, my spirit shall enter Ruby's heart, thus making us become one! When your family dies You will forever stand alone! Do you honestly believe that without your friends, you'll still be strong!? It is utter nonsense you fool! I have pledged myself to revenge for many years!" Oyakata said to him.
But Yozora, lunged at her with his sword and began hacking and slashing at her with it. He even blasted her with several spells from his wand. Then he plunged his sword right into her heart, thus making the elderly woman surprised at her own defeat.
"So, that is how you would end it," she said in a near whisper.
"Yes, but even if your spirit does become with Ruby, she knows that deep down, both you, her mother, and her father, will live on within her heart. May you find peace and happiness in the afterlife," Yozora said as he gently closed her eyes with his hand.
When Ruby heard those words, she smiled for the first time in her life, as she saw that the wounds in her heart had at last been healed as her hatred melted away. She slowly walked towards them and knelt before her Ladyship in silence.
"I think it's time to give her a proper burial," suggested Yozora.
Ruby turned to him and smiled at the wizard and nodded in agreement. After a few minutes, the flames died down, and the sunflowers began growing big and strong once again on the Witch's hill. Yozora even managed to cast a water spell upon them so that they could drink it from their roots.
"Yukari, everyone, I'm so sorry, about what I've done. I just… I didn't want anyone to destroy this place. But, even when her Ladyship said that she wanted to destroy humanity and agreed with Caecilius to launch an all out offensive on the entire human race, just so that he could destroy the entire world with a forbidden spell that was kept in the restricted section of the mages' guild from another land," she said.
"We understand Ruby. we all know why you wanted to keep this place safe from those people. We'll let them know that this place must not be defiled and that the project must be cancelled," said Tsukune as he returned the sword that was given to him by Yozora.
"But more importantly, you taught yourself something very important that most of us had to learn through other means. The way to redemption," added Moka.
"This was actually what your parents were trying to tell you, just before they passed away," said Yozora.
But Ruby slowly approached Yozora as she dropped her scepter to the ground. The others were worried that she would revert to her old ways, but instead they saw her giving their friend a big hug as tears of joy slowly rolled down her cheeks. Although Tsukune smiled at this, he returned the rosary to Moka, who placed it back onto her necklace, and collapsed into Tsukune's arms.
"Come on, let's make preparations for the funeral," Kurumu said, as they all placed Oyakata into a makeshift coffin that Yozora had created with his powers.
After digging a hole large enough for the offline, they laid some roses onto her body, before they closed the lid, and locked it shut. Then with careful usage of their magic, Yozora, Yukari, and Ruby slowly lowered it down to the ground as everyone stood in silence at what was happening. After that, they carefully planted some flowers on top of the now replaced dirt, and placed Ruby's scepter behind the replaced dirt, to serve as a marker for those who would visit this place. Meanwhile Tsukune, Kurumu, Mizore, and Moka told the construction workers that they must not turn the sunflower field into a garbage dump, as it would cause their disdain of nature to become their undoing. An agreement was finally made reality as they shook hands with the construction workers, and they all returned to the Witch's hill. Just in time for Yozora to bring out a piano for him to play with Ruby standing nearby him. After hearing the first notes on the piano, Yozora had begun playing something that he knew so well from a video game he played called Final Fantasy 15. Then they heard Ruby singing.
"Deus dormit
Et liberi ignem faciunt
Numquam extinguunt
Ne expergisci possit
Omnia dividit
Tragoedia coram
Amandum quae"
Then came the sound of strings that sang through the wind as Yozora played the piano. To their surprise it sounded beautiful that they felt their eyes well up with tears.
"Et nocte perpetua
In desperatione
Auroram videre potest
Mane tempus expergiscendi."
When the song ended, they all stood silently together as the sun slowly began to rise on the horizon where the first rays of light would touch the makeshift grave they had made.
"Ruby, no matter what happens, always remember, I'll always be in your heart," Oyakata's voice said in Ruby's head
Soon everyone returned to the bus stop, thinking that this experience they learned from would actually enable them to be more careful about what they would do in the future if they met someone who let darkness into their own hearts, only to let it control them and become it's puppet.
"Even though we couldn't do anything else for Ruby's Ladyship, I hope she finds peace with her parents in the afterlife," Moka said sadly as they left for the bus stop.
"Even though I wished to be stronger, what happened here shouldn't be considered our fault," added Tsukune.
"It's okay, Tsukune. But I am sorry I lashed out at you, and tried to kill you. I've been trying so hard to find a way to forgive them, but hatred clouded my judgement. Caecilius, on the other hand, came from the darkness… He used my anger and hatred to control me. He took all my sorrow, my sadness, my pain- and turned it all into rage. There was nothing I could do… I could no longer see the truth. But now that I know that she's here in my heart, I still don't deserve to be happy or forgiven for my actions," Ruby said somberly as a tear rolled down her cheek.
But Yozora gently placed his hand on Ruby's shoulder.
"C'mon Ruby, you need to hear this. You used to be fearless. You would have given your life to protect Lady Oyakata long before you met us. Don't you know what that meant to us? You gave us all courage. But, maybe you should have kept some for yourself. I mean, are you really gonna throw your happiness away? That hill is your only hope, isn't it? Well, it was a special place for you, and you were happy when Lady Oyakata watched you frolic through the sunflowers. So, don't throw away your second chance. Just remember the happiness Lady Oyakata gave you when you were still a kid. Besides, you can't give up. Not now," said Yozora.
"Well, I do know one thing. While I am happy that we stopped the dark wizard who took my parents' lives, they are also with me," Ruby said happily as she gently took the wizard's hand in her own.
"Yeah, my parents are also with me. We're much more alike than you think. We lost our parents at a young age, but when you chose the path of vengeance, I chose my own destiny, and that was to defeat the dark wizards who are plaguing both the other worlds, and this one," Yozora said in a comforting tone.
"Oh, I'm so sorry I kept you all waiting for so long everyone," Miss Nekonome said as she saw them.
"That's quite a catch you've managed to get," replied Yozora, as he gave his teacher a thumbs up.
"Oh, well thank you, Mr. Ikeda," Miss Nekonome said.
But suddenly Ruby started to giggle. For the first time in her life, she was happy to have people like Tsukune, Yozora, and their friends with her.
"Why are you laughing?" Miss Nekonome asked.
"I'm sorry, I just never knew you were a funny person to be with," said Ruby as she calmed down.
"Speaking of which, our ride's here," Tsukune said, as he pointed to the arriving bus.
When it stopped the door slowly opened, and out stepped Gin.
"Sorry I'm late everyone," the werewolf said.
"Actually you're just in time," replied Yozora as he gave the newspaper club president a high five.
"So, what are you doing here?" asked Tsukune.
"I just wanted to see how Yozora was doing as an acting-alpha, while I was doing my remedial studies. And I have to say, he actually did a pretty good job," replied Gin, giving the wizard a thumbs up.
"Wait, acting Alpha?" asked Ruby.
"It's sort of like how the captain of a ship tells his first officer he's in charge when he's going off duty," explained Yukari.
"Or, if you've watched Star Trek, is going on an away mission to greet different people and welcome them to the organization he/she works for with open arms," added Yozora.
"Huh, good to know," Kurumu said in bewilderment.
Mizore giggled a bit to herself at the state the succubus was in.
"Oh yeah, Ginei Morioka, this is Ruby Tojo, she's also a witch like Yukari," said Yozora, as he had already made sure the coast was clear.
"Hello there, Mr. Morioka," she said as she took his hand in her own.
"Uh, call me Gin," replied the werewolf.
"Also to make a long story short, we had a massive misunderstanding, but we decided to clear it up with her," Tsukune explained.
"Anyway, if it's all right with all of you, I was thinking of going with you to Yokai Academy," said Ruby.
"Of course you can," replied Moka.
"Yeah, I think you'll fit right in at this school quite well," agreed Yukari.
But as they were boarding the bus, Yozora turned to look at the Witch's hill one more time. He knew that deep down Lady Oyakata was finally freed from the dark grip of Caecilius' power, and he hoped that she would rest in peace with Ruby's mother and father. Then he turned around, stepped on board the bus, and sat next to Ruby who had a contented smile on her face.
"Rest in peace, Milady. And thank you for looking out for me," she said softly, as she rested her head on Yozora's shoulder.
Yozora gently placed his arm wrapped around her, while the other girls, Tsukune, Gin, and Miss Nekonome all sat respectfully silent.