Chapter 12
Seal, a Wizard, and a Vampire
At Tsukune's house, Kasumi Aono was watching her favorite program as she ate chips and drank tea, when she felt a strong shudder that felt very much like an earthquake. She rushed outside to tear between dimensions slowly forming overhead. All the students and the staff were aghast at what they saw.
"Hold on Yozora, when you say resonance cascade, you mean-" gasped Tsukune.
"Yes, thanks to Kokoa letting Lilith run wild, she's caused the fabric between the two worlds to start tearing apart, which means that the unforeseen consequences of her actions will become a reality," said Ruby.
"Yeah, even though we sealed Lilith's mirror, the energy it unleashed is starting to spread into the human world. That rosary Ruby showed me is already damaged beyond repair. We have to move now, or else it'll be just like what happened in Half-Life!" Yozora added.
"I'm afraid so," replied Ruby.
Kyoko was about to panic, but several people dressed in gray robes appeared before them.
"If the balance is not restored, all of humanity will become extinct, as Yozora said," said one.
"No! I won't let it happen! I'm not letting Tsukune's mother, father, or anyone else in the human world die!" Moka said with a determined look on her face.
"Nor will I, Kyoko! Your aunt and uncle welcomed me to their home, and practically treated me like a second son to them!" added Yozora.
He then turned to Ruby.
"Lead us to the pedestal, Ruby!" he said.
Ruby nodded and they all hurried to where she showed the wizard several days ago. As soon as they arrived, Moka saw that the destroyed rosary was similar to her own, and knew that there was no other choice to be had.
"Yozora's right, even though maintaining the barrier is important, I can't go through with it," Tsukune said sadly.
"You have to, it's the only way to stop the resonance cascade from getting worse. You need to remove Moka's rosary, and place it upon the pedestal. I know that it's gonna hurt, but if you don't do something, all of earth will be placed into martial law by all of their governments, and the war will lead to humanity's extinction, even if it means that Moka will be changed forever," Yozora said.
"He's right, you have to do it! Please Tsukune! just this once! Just for the hell of it! Do something right and stop the tear from getting worse!" agreed Moka.
Tsukune nodded sadly.
"I understand, but I just-" he tried to say, until Yozora punched him hard in the gut.
"Stop thinking about yourself, and get a grip damn it! If your mother and father die, all of this will be for nothing! There's no time to lose!" shouted Yozora.
Moka soon placed Tsukune's hand upon her rosary and removed it. Then, she ran back to the pedestal, and brushed aside the remnants of the old rosary, and placed it on to the pedestal.
"It's done. The seal has been restored. But I promise you this Tsukune, We'll find a way to bring her back to what she used to be," Yozora said as he stepped back, and watched as Moka changed into her other self.
"He's right, Tsukune. Please place your faith in your best friend, and know that we'll meet again. I swear it," added Moka.
All Tsukune could do now, was to watch as the Moka he and Yozora knew faded away, as her other self stood in her place.
"It's done," Yozora said as he walked off into the distance, leaving everyone behind.
A month later, the barrier was now back to full strength, the monster energy was now contained, and life started to return to normal. Kyoko bowed sadly to Yozora as she knew that her visit to the school was now coming to a close, but the wizard gently kissed her forehead as his way of sending her off.
"Hope to see you again everyone," she said.
"Hey, the doors are always open for you, Kyoko," replied Yozora with a casual smirk.
Everyone watched as the bus she boarded soon went back through the tunnel and disappeared. A while later Miss Nekonome began taking roll call for her class, but Tsukune was still depressed at seeing the Moka he cared about fading away from him. When class ended, everyone wanted to have ideas about what to write in the Yokai Gazette, but Yozora brushed them off.
"Look, I'm not in the mood for new ideas for what to write about in the newspaper. So if you don't mind, Moka and I are gonna have a sparring match," Yozora said to them, as he walked off.
"That seems fair enough for me," replied Moka, as she followed him.
Tsukune soon stood up, and raced after them.
"Actually, a sparring match seems like a good idea, guys! It could help us lose some weight and make us stronger!" said Tsukune.
"Yeah, that's nice, now give us some space," Yozora said, nonchalantly.
"What's with Yozora?" asked Mizore.
"I don't know, but I've never seen him acting that way," Kurumu said with a worried glance.
"But I guess his idea about weight loss seems good enough for us," added Yukari.
"Yeah, I guess," Tsukune said, but he was still sad that Moka was gone.
Sometime later, at P.E. Kurumu, Yukari, and Mizore were all a bit sour about their class being super early in the morning, when they saw Tsukune and Yozora.
"Hey guys, the boys are in the training room today as well, right?" asked the succubus.
"Yeah, we'll be playing basketball today," replied Tsukune.
"And if we see you exercising, it's because you're loosening yourselves up, and getting the blood flowing to each and every part of the body, from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet," Yozora said as stretched his arms behind him, then to the side, and performed a few squats.
Kurumu smiled at him, and even exchanged a high five with the wizard.
"Just do your best, my prince," said Mizore.
"I will," replied Yozora, and gently kissed her forehead.
"Yeah, we'll be cheering for the both of you," said Yukari.
The five of them exchanged a thumbs up, when Moka appeared before them.
"What are you guys doing?" she asked.
Before the three of them could answer, Yozora stepped forward.
"Our friends were actually saying that they'd be cheering for us at the court," replied Yozora.
"Huh, fair enough," Moka said as she walked past them.
Everyone could now breathe a sigh of relief, but Yozora needed a bit more time to figure out how they could get the pink-haired Moka back. At Miss Nekonome's class the next day, Moka was able to translate the message carefully and perfectly, which made Miss Nekonome rather impressed, but made Moka rather surprised.
"Huh, not bad," said Yozora.
In the hallway, Moka saw Tsukune walking away with a despondent look on his face and tried to talk to him, but was stopped by three more girls who wanted to spend time with her, while Yozora leaned on the wall and chugged down a soda he got from a vending machine, when he heard a voice repeatedly saying, "Mine!" in rapid succession.
"Do you guys hear that?" asked one of the students.
"Yeah, and it's getting closer…" said another.
"And it sounds an awful lot like…" added Yozora.
All three were struck by Kokoa's warhammer and sent flying down the corridor into the janitor's closet.
"Mine," Kokoa said furiously.
"And the Prodigal Asshole returns," Yozora said as he walked away.
Kou whirled around after hearing the wizard's words.
"Think we should kill him too?" he asked.
"No, I don't think so," Kokoa said.
"But-" Kou protested.
"Just shut the fuck up, Kou," scowled Kokoa.
"Oh by the way, Moka's gone," Yozora's voice said in her head.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner!?" she shouted furiously.
"Kinda assumed that she'd accept, but she's more worried about your future brother-in-law," Yozora replied with his telepathy.
All Kokoa could do now was drop her biggest and loudest F-bomb, until Ruby knocked her out with a sleeping spell.
"No! None of that! Shame on you!" she said furiously.
on the school rooftop, Moka and Yozora found Tsukune sitting alone and eating lunch on his own.
"Hey, how's it going, bro? You seem kinda down in the dumps," Yozora said.
"You really think so?" asked Tsukune.
"I don't know, you're not acting like your usually cheerful, happy-go-lucky self," replied the wizard.
"By the way, you need to accept the fact that the Moka you know, isn't really me. This is who I am now. The rosary was used to keep my powers sealed away until I was able to fully control them," explained Moka, as she and Yozora sat down next to him.
"I know, but without that Moka, I'm nothing but dead weight to you and everyone else," Tsukune said sadly.
"Maybe, but you have to accept the fact that she's not coming back," moka said.
"You have to put the past behind you, or else the thought of getting a new rosary could ultimately lead to Kokoa killing you, and presenting your skull to her father as a trophy for his wall. Also, Moka told me everything about what happened in the past. As a kid she and Kokoa sparred with each other, before she came to Yokai Academy. However, on the last day they sparred with each other, Moka said that she would have her powers sealed away with that Rosary. The Moka that we knew, and even loved along with the other girls, was nothing more than a shadow of her true self. You have to accept that she's gone, just like I did, and move on with your life. If you don't, then Kokoa will have her explicit permission to ensure she never has you as her future brother-in-law," said Yozora.
When Kurumu, Yukari, and Mizore heard this, they were shocked beyond belief by what Yozora had said.
"As for the three of you, either accept Moka for what she is, or become Kokoa's trophies," he said darkly to them.
Below on the ground floor, Kokoa, who had just managed to recover from the sleeping spell, turned and looked up with a satisfied smile on her face.
"Actually, having new trophies for my wall might not be such a bad idea if I ask my sister if can have my own personal collections," she said to herself.
Yozora and Moka soon walked off into the distance as Tsukune hung his head and cried softly to himself.
"Their right, the pink-haired Moka's gone. All the strength that I had, came from not just you guys, but from her as well. What am I supposed to do?" cried Tsukune.
Neither of them could bear to see Tsukune like this, as they looked sadly upon him.
"Alone, I'm worthless. It's over, I'm just dead weight," sobbed Tsukune.
But Kurumu gently rested her hand on Tsukune's shoulder, as he shook with heavy sobs.
"Tsukune, you don't believe that. I know you don't. And so do Yukari and Mizore," she said.
Above, Kokoa stood on the ornament and began laughing maniacally.
"She's gone! She's finally gone! I'm so happy right now! I might not even slaughter you all!" she said excitedly.
"Really?" asked Yukari.
"Ha, no, you're all thoroughly screwed," Kokoa said as she looked down at them.
She looked right at Mizore and smirked.
"And as for Tsukune Aono, just remember this: If he tries to thwart mah plans, I'm gonna hafta kill him for it. So yeah, it's win-win for me," she said, and jumped down.
Yozora soon walked down into the chamber where the rosary was installed on the pedestal as Ruby saw him.
"So how's the rosary?" he asked.
"Actually, it's functioning quite normally, thanks to Moka's sacrifice," said Ruby.
She led him up to the headmaster's office, where the Keepers of Fate would be waiting for them.
"How is the barrier?" asked Artemus.
"It's still holding strong, after everything that's happened so far," Yozora said.
"Yet still, you feel like this is the end of the sealed Moka," replied Artemus.
"If you haven't noticed, Moka just saved both worlds, yourselves included," pipled in Ruby.
"As we knew she would. As it had to be," said Artemus.
"Now I know why I joined the Keepers of Fate," Ruby said.
"And I remember why we allowed you to be free," replied Artemus.
"So what is it that you guys want to do? Congratulate Moka for replacing the rosary, so that you can welcome her to your group?" asked Yozora.
"Very well, I will speak my piece plainly. Both you and she have accomplished what was written, and yes, you have done it well. But there is no chance of inviting a vampire into our ranks. Yet you will have a great need of us, and soon," replied Artemus.
"I'm not too sure about that. I have a feeling that we may have enough of these heroics for one day, but when we changed Tsukune's destiny, he's been living a happy life with us," said Ruby.
"Tsukune cannot run from his future, just as you can't run from us Yozora. Life always has a way of finding you both, no matter how much you ask for a normal life. Listen, there is a place that you were not made aware of: the castle of Issa Shuzen that is located on the northernmost part of the great barrier. If you can make it to the castle, you may find a new rosary to help Tsukune bring back the Moka both you and your family have come to love and cherish," explained Artemus.
"I may tell Tsukune about it, but you always leave trouble along Tsukune's path," said Yozora.
"Yes, both you and he are much more alike than you realize. You both have someone you love and cherish with your own heart, but sadly Tsukune is wandering alone in the darkness with no hope of salvation," replied Artemus.
"I'll let Tsukune and the others know about what you said. If for some reason we're about to die, send your whispers to protect us from death, and we'll owe you guys a debt of gratitude," said Yozora.
"But there's something more, Yozora. When I saw that Moka's rosary is similar to the previous one, and I wanted to know why that is," added Ruby.
"Simple, Keeper Ruby. they were created by a dark lord," replied Artemus.
"A dark lord, huh?" asked Yozora.
"Yes, but seeing as you are close to your friends, Yozora. I will tell you this one secret that only they must hear, Yozora," said the headmaster.
"Okay, let's hear it," replied the wizard.
The next day as Homeroom was just wrapping up, Tsukune decided to pay a call to his family at home, when Yozora followed him after hearing Miss Nekonome talk about future paths to her class.
"Hey Mom, it's Tsukune," he said into the phone.
"Oh, why hello Tsukune, is something going on?" asked his mother.
"No everything's okay. I just wanted to speak to you again," he replied.
"I understand, but we did have a bit of excitement the other day. There was a massive earthquake and a storm that passed over our house. So I was wondering if everything was okay," said Kasumi.
"Yeah, everything's fine mom. By the way, I think Yozora would like to talk to you," replied Tsukune.
"Oh, well okay then," said his mother.
Tsukune passed the phone over to Yozora.
"Hey Mrs. Aono," said Yozora.
"Oh, why hello Yozora," replied Kasumi.
"I guess you told Tsukune about what happened at your place, didn't you?" he said.
"Yes, but I was wondering how you were doing. But it looks like you seem like your cheerful self. Also I was wondering about your friends, Moka Akashiya, Mizore Shirayuki, Yukari Sendo, and Kurumu Kurono. How are they?" she asked.
"They're fine, Mrs. Aono. Also, I have a very special favor for you, from your son's best friend to his mother. I'd like you to tell her that there's nothing to worry about or feel ashamed of. They may look different on the outside, but they are good people on the inside. But if it's alright with you, I was wondering if we could have something of a fancy barbeque later on," said Yozora.
"Of course we can," Kasumi said happily.
"Awesome, we'll see you later," said the wizard.
"You too," replied Kasumi.
A short while later, as Tsukune was leaving, Ruby could sense that he was still upset about the loss of Moka's innocent self, as Yozora walked out to join her.
"We have to tell him," he said.
"I know, but the headmaster and Artemus said that we can only speak to those we have a close connection to," replied Ruby, as they followed him.
They could see the tears in Tsukune's eyes, as he cried for Moka. That night, Tsukune sat alone in his dorm room. He looked out his window when he thought he saw the Moka that he loved, but dismissed it.
"She's right, Moka's true vampiric self is the real deal, not some half-baked shadow of her true self," he said.
But suddenly a rock struck against the windowsill making Tsukune look out to see both Ruby and Yozora down below. He quietly went down the stairs and stepped out to speak with them.
"You know it's rather late to be out and about at this time," said Tsukune.
"Yeah, well there are some things you need to know about what's been going on. When Ruby came with us after we defeated Lady Oyakata and Caecilius, she's been living in regret for a long time after all the horrible things she'd done in the past. Ever since then the Headmaster has looked out for her, even took care of her better than she did. Therefore, the only reason Ruby failed to stop Moka from sacrificing her pink-haired incarnation was because she wanted to do some good by fighting to protect not just you, but your family as well. And for that, we're gonna tell you a very important secret that the Keepers of Fate told us about how you can find another rosary," said Yozora.
"The Keepers of Fate?" asked Tsukune.
"They're like the Whispers from Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Except that they are humanoid in appearance like the Keepers front the Thief games Yozora told me about, before he left to crash at your place in the human world," Said Ruby.
The Keepers told me that if we can get Moka back to what she used to be, we'll do it by finding another Rosary for her to put on her necklace. Only then will your family be happy to see her again. But asking Kokoa's out of the question, so you may not want to disturb her," added Yozora.
Tsukune nodded, and went back to his dormitory to sleep on what he heard from both the witch and the wizard. The next morning everyone went back to the school, while Yozora was on stand by as he saw Kurumu, Mizore, and Yukari's mothers coming back for a visit. He raised his hand to greet them.
"Ah, Yozora, it's great to see you again," said Ageha as she took his hand and shook it.
"Yes, it's a pleasure to see you again, future son-in-law," agreed Tsurara.
Ageha looked at Mizore's mother, then back at Yozora.
"Oh, I understand now. Yes, Tsurara told me that you and Mizore became such a cute couple," Ageha said with a proud smile on her face.
Yozora gently rested his hand upon her shoulder.
"Thanks, but now's not the time for this. In the meantime, I'd suggest that you, future mom-in-law, and Mrs. Sendo should just follow me, for now," Yozora said.
Fujiko suddenly smiled at Yozora, knowing that he could keep the two mothers from letting their argument spiral out of control, as they agreed to follow him into the school.
"Oh, Yozora, Mom, Mrs. Shirayuki, and Mrs. Kurono!" called Yukari as she waved to them.
"What are you all doing here?" asked Kurumu.
"The information isn't until later today," added Mizore.
"Well, it's better early than late, as I'd always say," remarked Tsurara.
"Right, but listen carefully everyone, because it's very important. I've been in contact with the Keepers of Fate," Yozora said.
"The Keepers of Fate!?" gasped everyone around him, but Yozora quickly shushed them.
"Anyway, the Keepers of Fate have been watching the flow of history, and have even allowed us to save Tsukune when he brought the ire of Kuyo's wrath last year. They are summoned forth to to stop those who would attempt to make one's destiny as black as night. They are also watchers of the river of time, and ensure that what may yet be written, will eventually come to pass. I've seen them before in the past, when they saw my parents die after my father left the church and met my mother. Even though they're gone, they're still with me just like the other Moka we all know and love," Yozora explained.
"I see, but what is it that you're not telling us?" asked Ageha.
"Tsukune's going to get Moka back, and he needs our help if we're gonna find a rosary for her. The only problem is that Kokoa might have some potential allies on her side to stop us. So… please… let's work together to get Moka back," Yozora said as he dropped to his hands and knees and bowed to them.
Everyone was surprised by what Yozora was doing, but they all decided that it was best for them to help Tsukune rather than ignore him
"He's right. My heart may belong to Yozora, but Refuse to sit back while his best friend is sad," said Mizore.
"Count me in too. You spared my life and gave me a second chance after Tsukune protected me from Moka's wrath," added Kurumu.
"As your apprentice, I too shall fight for Tsukune!" agreed Yukari.
"Then you can count on us to help, too," the three mothers said together.
"Then let's go! We're gonna follow Tsukune, to the castle of a Dark Lord!" said Yozora, and they hurried off to find some gear for Tsukune.
Outside of the school Tsukune got on his bike and began racing towards the tunnel when Moka stopped him.
"Hold your horses Tsukune, we have an Information session right now, and you have to go back there," said Moka.
Tsukune didn't want to go back, he wanted to get the rosary for Moka.
"Listen, after we finish up with that, we'll have our club meeting. I've got a great idea about a new article," Moka said quickly.
"I'm sorry Moka, but I'm not going to Information," Tsukune replied, and raced off into the distance.
Along the way, he didn't know that Kokoa would be following him, after she overheard his conversation about the Keepers of Fate, the three Dark Lords, and the rosaries that had been created to keep Moka sealed and the barrier maintained, but he didn't care. He knew what he had to do, even if it meant that going to that castle would result in his death, when the bus driver saw him.
"Hold on a second kiddo. Where do you think you're going?" he asked.
"I'm going right to the northern barrier, to the castle of a Dark Lord," replied Tsukune.
"If you want to, I can help you get there," suggested the driver.
"Thanks, but no thanks. This is my journey, and I'm gonna have to do this alone," Tsukune said firmly.
"Well, okay then, but if you want to go north, just cross through the tunnel and head left. You'll be able to reach the castle much more quickly. Also good luck on this long and difficult road," the driver assured him.
"Thanks, I owe you one," said Tsukune and he raced off into the distance.
"Oh yeah, just one more thing. Do you regret coming to this school with Yozora?" asked the driver.
"Not at all," Tsukune called back to him, as he raced ahead into the tunnel.
"Good answer, kid. But the real question now is whether he'll make it out of there alive in one piece," the driver said as he puffed on his cigar.
"He'll make it, and we'll be there for him," said a voice from behind him.
It was Yozora, on his silver Motorcycle with his crystal sword in hand, and all of Tsukune's motley crew on a pickup truck that he managed to materialize from the human world into the monster world, with Ruby behind the wheel.
"Yeah, he's the closest thing we have to a family," agreed Kurumu.
"Let's roll Ruby!' Yozora said as he revved up the engine of his motorcycle, and raced after Tsukune with Ruby and the others following behind him.
As they roared into the tunnel, Kokoa stood on her bike and saw them racing into the tunnel.
"Have it your way Tsukune. Be prepared to meet your maker! Your past, present, and future, end today at my father's hands! Prepare to die! Say goodbye, Tsukune, as you bear witness to his wrath," Kokoa said with a dark cold glare in her eyes.
She began to pedal with all of her might so that she would stop them from approaching her father.