Chapter 3

The rest of the week could not pass fast enough for Elijah Zebulon. Having already completed his high school education, Elijah found himself being miles ahead of almost every other student in his class, with the exception of Moka.

With all of the free time he had due to not being burdened by school work, Elijah began the time consuming task of transforming his outdated dorm room into a space modern by his standards, filled with every comfort he could think of from his old life. Using his matter manipulation ability, Elijah first swapped the ugly brown color of his room to one of a soft, muted grey. He then added in his old desk and full sized bed, complete with trundle drawers to store his clothes in. Finally, Elijah added the decorations from his old room. Posters added splashes of color to his walls, and picture frames lined the edge of his desk.

By the end of the week, Elijah's new dorm room was unrecognizable from its old, drab self, giving the older teen a place he could start to call home. With that project done, Elijah's focus shifted to the weekend and his upcoming "date" with a certain vampire. Elijah knew it wasn't really a date, but to his surprise, he found himself wishing that it was one. Despite only knowing her for a few days Elijah reluctantly admitted to himself that he had a crush on his best, and as of now, only friend. It was a strange emotion that Elijah had never really felt before.

Growing up in a small town had its ups and downs, but one of the biggest problems, for Elijah anyways, was that living in a place where everyone knew everyone, made romance somewhat challenging. It wasn't like he was unattractive. He was tall, well built, and was told by a few of his female classmates that his grey-blue eyes were beautiful. The problem for Elijah was that for the most part, every girl he knew back in his old life was someone that he grew up with, childhood friends that he considered to be like sisters. Despite how any of them may have felt about him, he just never found himself being able to return the feelings. This isn't to say that he was asked out on a common basis; he wasn't. He just could never see himself dating any of his friends.

And then there was Moka. Elijah couldn't say he was thrilled with the realization that he 'liked' her. He was worried that if he let it show too much, then it could ruin their friendship, and from what he picked up in conversations with her throughout the week, she really needed his friendship.

She spoke little about her life before the academy, always giving vague answers and redirecting to another subject, but the information that she did diverge really pissed Elijah off. She was incredibly lonely during middle school. Ostracized for her outlandish appearance and mannerisms, Moka had no friends to speak of. She transferred school three times before high school because of bullying, and seemed so skittish during their first encounter at the academy out of fear of being rejected. Of course, at a school built for yokai instead of humans, one would think she could afford to be herself more, but the snobbish behavior of elite vampires would cause most monsters who learned of her true nature to stay away from her. It just seemed so unfair.

So Elijah remained content to be 'just friends' for her sake if nothing else. He headed into the weekend with a smile. After all, he was going to spend the whole day with his best friend.

Four in the morning arrived far too quickly for Moka Akashiya. Despite going to bed hours several hours early to prepare for this morning, Moka found it nigh impossible to remove herself from her bed. She started her morning routine with an impressively quick pace.

She spent just enough time on hair and make-up to look presentable, all but skipped breakfast, (hoping that Elijah would donate his blood as he so graciously had every other day that week) and then got to her wardrobe. It was here when the lightning fast speed at which Moka was preparing for her day out with Elijah came to a grinding halt.

She thought back to her conversation with her friend at lunch yesterday, where she had made him promise to spend the rest of his day with her after giving in to some petty jealousy over the training date he had organized with her inner self. Suddenly, Moka found herself wanting to look far better than 'just presentable'. She had been conscious the entire time Elijah spoke with her inner self after her encounter with Saizou. She vividly remembered the words he breathed when he saw her vampire form for the first time, and as stupid as it seemed to be jealous of herself, Moka found herself wishing that she could have the same influence on her friend as her other self did.

Thinking about Elijah, Moka began to get sidetracked. She thought highly of her companion, but thinking about what she would want to wear for him got her to realize just how little she truly knew about her first friend at the academy. She knew almost none of his preferences. Of course organizing an outfit for a sparring session limited her choices to pretty much just gym clothes. Moka still pondered over trivial things; like whether he would like a red shirt or a blue shirt better.

She had a lot of questions she planned to ask him today. Somehow, she still didn't know what kind of yokai he was. After seeing him conjure gauntlets onto his fists during the battle against Saizou, she figured he was some kind of Wizard, but she wasn't sure; and other than the fact that he came from the United States, she knew little about his personal life. Of course, she hadn't shared much about her own either, but because she would ask him to open up to her, she figured it was only fair that she should do the same to him.

A whole thirty minutes had passed since Moka had first started constructing her outfit for the day, and glancing at her alarm clock, she knew she needed to pick something fast. It was only a two minute walk over to their planned meeting place, but Moka only had around five before she had to be there. Resigning herself to a sky blue t-shirt and black gym shorts, Moka hurried over to the wooded clearing a few yards behind her dorm.

Elijah had arrived at the clearing a few minutes early. Considering that he normally wasn't even awake for another two hours, saying that Elijah had trouble keeping his eyes open was an understatement. Checking his phone, Elijah saw the time read '4:48 AM' determining he had time for a quick power nap, Elijah leaned up against the closest tree and shut his eyes.

When Moka arrived at the clearing, she giggled at the sight before her. Elijah was slumped over at the base of a tree, his head lolled back against a split in the branches. She knew he wasn't a morning person, his daily complaints about getting up 'too early' told her that much. Blushing as an idea on how to wake up the young man came into her head, she got down on her knees next to where he was laying and took her daily breakfast without asking.

Elijah's eyes shot open as he felt an unexpected, yet familiar prickling sensation on the left side of his neck. Glancing down, Elijah could see the top of Moka's head as she took her morning meal. He gave a little laugh and asked "whatcha doing their Moka?" retracting her fangs and taking a step backwards, she gave a cheeky smile and replied "Just getting some breakfast~"

Elijah couldn't help but notice how cute she looked that morning. Her blue shirt, and short black gym shorts contrasted nicely with her bright pink hair. Resting his eyes on her shirt for a little too long, Elijah also could see the outline of a sports bra just inside her shoulders. His face growing red at that discovery, he met her eyes and said "Good morning Moka; you're looking wonderful today" Her heart rate quickened slightly, and red began to tint her cheeks as she gave a "good morning" in return.

After a little bit of small talk, Moka gave a little sigh and said "I guess it's time you should take off the rosary. This is supposed to be your time with my inner self after all." her face softened a little "See you at lunch!" with that, she stuck her chest forward and prodded for him to take off the rosary. Following her unspoken instructions, he reached out and removed the artifact with a quick tug.

Gaining full consciousness for the first time in nearly a week, Inner Moka came to life with a yawn and a stretch. After exchanging "good mornings" again, an awkward silence began to follow as neither person quite knew how to approach the other.

Ever since the encounter with Saizou, Inner Moka was able to temporarily gain consciousness when her outer self experienced strong emotions. While she still could not communicate with her outer self, she was able to do some free thinking. She had been using her time to plan out what she would do and say when this day finally arrived. Now that her time was here, Inner Moka found herself feeling lost, incredibly lost.

For the past seven years, Inner Moka had no free will of her own. For all intensive purposes, she and her outer self were one and the same up until Elijah freed her from her prison just a few days prior. Now that she was awake and self aware, Inner Moka's memories and experiences separated from those of her outer self. She had still matured with her other self mentally and emotionally, but trying to start a conversation with the young man in front of her now felt impossible.

Transfixing her gaze on an invisible spot on the ground and poking her index fingers together (not unlike her outer self), Inner Moka prayed that Elijah would say something, ANYTHING to start a conversation.

A few more seconds passed before Elijah finally put an end to that never ending moment of silence "So…" he began "You said you wanted to train me?"

Perking up at his words, Moka brought her eyes up to meet his gaze "Yes; I noticed when you were fighting the other day, that despite having incredible physical strength, your technique was quite lacking. Not only would I like to help you become a better fighter, I was also curious if your speed and strength could keep up with mine." Gulping nervously as a chill shivered down his spine, Elijah couldn't help but feel intimidated by the malicious grin that crossed Moka's face.

"So, you want me to fight you?"

"Yes... that's what I said didn't I?"

Grateful to take their time together into an area that she was far more comfortable in, Inner Moka dropped into a fighting stance and motioned for Elijah to come.

To say Elijah was under prepared for his fight against Moka was an understatement. He charged in blindly, sending a wild left hook at Moka's head. While once again surprised by his speed, Moka still had plenty of time to read and counter his picture book punch. With a swipe of her hand she deflected his attack, and countered with a vicious knee to the stomach that sent Elijah flying. Thinking quickly on his feet, Elijah used his teleport ability to move behind Moka, using the momentum gained from her counter to plant a kick into the middle of her back. Despite being caught off guard by his use of an ability unknown to her, Moka was able to quickly recover from the blow and go on the offensive for the first, and only time in the fight. She launched into a flurry of swift kicks and jabs, controlling her power to ensure he didn't pull the same trick as last time. As she attempted to end her combo with a roundhouse kick, she felt her kick catch thin air as Elijah teleported behind her once again. Prepared for the move this time, Moka carried the momentum from her kick into the fight winning punch delivered straight to Elijah's skull.

Stars danced in Elijah's vision as he collapsed on the ground before blacking out. Worrying she had taken things too far, Moka rushed over to his side shouting his name, praying that she didn't kill him. With her adrenaline pumping during the fight, Moka didn't realize until afterwards that she had put all her strength into the last punch she had thrown. The sickening crunch that came from the point of impact frightened her, and the fact that the boy was now unresponsive on the dirt in front of her did nothing to soothe her fear. Tears blurred her vision as she tried shaking the boy awake, to no avail. Not knowing what else to do, she picked him up and rushed him to the school's infirmary as fast as she could.

Elijah awoke to the strange sensation bridal carried by a vampire. Looking up, he could see Inner Moka breathing hard as she ran, tears streaming down her face. Remembering what had transpired just before he lost consciousness, Elijah realized what was going on. She must have got me pretty good if I was out for this long. Figuring he should let her know he was awake Elijah cleared his throat and gave a hoarse "Hey Moka"

The girl gave a gasp of surprise and stopped dead in her tracks. Putting him down and then giving a harsh slap across the face, she started to shout at him "YOU IDIOT! I THOUGHT I KILLED YOU! DON'T YOU EVER SCARE ME LIKE THAT AGAIN DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!"

Elijah gave a small smile and a simple "Yes ma'am" before walking over to her and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Look it was an accident, we were sparring; if someone didn't walk away with at least some injury, I would've been surprised. If today taught me anything, it was that I need your training more than I initially thought. Without any powers, you managed to trash me in under a minute."

While relieved her friend had no hard feelings towards her, Moka was perplexed with that last statement he gave. Without any powers? Is he stupid? I'm a freakin vampire! If anything, I have the most power out of any monster in this academy! Can he not sense youki? Come to think of it, I didn't feel any coming off of him during our match. But how is that possible? I watched him teleport for heaven's sake! The only way for him to not have any youki would be for him to be a...a human. Her eyes widened at thought. That was impossible right? He would tell her something that important; if not her then at least her outer self. On top of that, there's simply no way that a human could have his kind of abilities. She had to know. Building the courage to ask the question, she looked over at Elijah and asked "Say Elijah, what kind of yokai are you?" watching him stiffen in response to her inquiry, her eyes widened slightly in fear.

It was a question that Elijah knew was bound to come up sooner or later, but that didn't mean he was dreading it any less. Elijah knew that humans were not welcome at Yokai Academy. It was one of the school's most well known rules that any human found on campus was to either be brought before the headmaster, or simply executed. While Elijah's powers helped him blend into the academy, and gave him plausible defense against any student accusing him of trespassing, Elijah knew he had no youki and therefore was technically still human. But of all the people he would want to know his secret Moka sat simultaneously at the top and bottom of his list.

He knew she hated humans. She had told him that much when talking about the way they treated her during middle school. Afraid she would hate him, he dodged all of her attempts to get him to 'spill the beans'. At the same time however, Elijah knew that she had a right to know. She called him her best friend, and he would openly admit that she was his as well. Best friends shared everything with each other right? It was only fair he told her the truth.

"Alright…" he began "this is going to be a long story, I'm just giving you fair warning"

"We've got time." Moka said in a breathless voice, trying to anticipate where the story was heading.

"Let me start by saying that this universe is one of an infinite many. If there's a world you can think of, there's a universe out there somewhere where that world is reality. There's an infinite number of worlds with Moka Akashiya, and there's an infinite number of worlds without Moka Akashiya. There's an infinite number of worlds where electricity was discovered, and an infinite number of worlds without it. My point is, this world isn't the only one." Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Infinite universes? What the hell did that have to do with what kind of Yokai he was?

"Trust me, this will all make sense in a little bit. When I told you I was from the United States, that wasn't the entire truth. You see, I am from the United States, but not this world's United States." He watched her face contort in shock as realization set in "You're….you're….." he finished the statement for her. "Yes, I, Elijah Zebulon, came here from another universe."

He proceeded to tell her everything. From the ways of his old life, to meeting God, to gaining his powers and coming to Yokai Academy.

Moka could hardly believe what she was hearing. If the young man in front of her didn't provide proof for everything he was claiming, she would've written him off as a lunatic from the moment he started talking. He showed her impossible things; Technology from years in the future, pictures of his old house and family, she truly couldn't believe it.

While it stung her pride a little that he would keep a secret that large from her, she also understood why. They really hadn't been friends that long. While she knew for sure that her outer self counted the past five days with him among the best of her life, and she personally enjoyed the brief period of time she had spent with him, five days was nothing in the grand scheme of things. Combining their still developing trust with the fact that both her and her outer self expressed some anti-human sentiments towards the boy, it made perfect sense as to why he would want to keep his identity a secret.

The whole situation was incredibly ironic. Who would've thought that the first friend I've had since I was a little girl, would come from the same realm as the group of people I had learned to hate so much? Inner Moka hated Irony. Moka thought for a moment, trying to calm herself down before addressing the young man before her.

Unlike many others of her race, Moka's mother, Akasha, as well as the foster family she lived with in middle school, instilled the importance of being humble and treating others with dignity. Of course, if someone ever got the bright idea to try disrespecting her, she would quickly 'show them their place' but Elijah had never done that. Despite her being a vampire, he never treated her like an outsider. He didn't run away screaming, or judge her based on the actions of others of her kind. Moka made a decision. Just as he had done for her, Moka would not let differences in race throw a wrench in their developing friendship.

Surprising even herself, Moka found herself embracing Elijah in a gentle hug. Father would be disappointed with how soft I'm being. She chuckled inwardly at that thought.

Elijah was honestly surprised Moka took the news as well as she had. Getting caught in a hug from the vampire had really thrown him off guard. Not that he minded of course, but he was still caught up in being thankful that the potential hitch in their relationship had finally been dealt with.

After a few more moments in comfortable silence, Inner Moka excused herself, putting the rosary back on and returning to her dorm room to change clothes for the afternoon. The pair agreed to meet at a local restaurant just off campus in an hour, unaware that a certain blue haired succubus was developing plans to ruin their afternoon.