Lessons Learned

by Cosmic Sky

It's said that you never stop learning. Usually, such a phrase was directed at people like Tsukune, who'd agree with it. With people like Ririko, well, she was a teacher, helping students learn was her passion. The thing is, you're never too young or old to learn a few lessons; Lessons in life, and lessons in love and relationships. Some could hurt, and others could heal.

7. 7) Lessons in Survival Pt4

Hey, everyone. Hopefully you're all doing well. Last chapter had one hell of an impact and I'm glad that everyone seemed to like it. As promised, here comes the fallout of the last chapter, plus some new developments! Enjoy!

I do not own anything.

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Lesson 7-Lessons in Survival Pt.4

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2:45 PM…

On average, schools weren't particularly active during summer school. Anywhere between eighty to ninety-percent of the student body was gone for summer break and teachers usually spent the next two weeks at best doing any remaining work that they needed before heading off for their summer break, then returning some time later to begin preparations for the new year. The most activity there would have been might have come from the janitorial staff or if the school building in question was undergoing some remodeling, which would have been ideal to have in the summer with most students gone. All of that is how a normal school would have functioned.

Yōkai Academy was not a normal school, it was a school for the supernatural.

But wouldn't one think even some norms would have applied with a majority of the student body gone? In an average school year, the answer would have been yes.

This was not an average school year…or at least that's what Tsukune grasped. It was overwhelmingly abnormal for summer school to be just as chaotic, if not more so than the main school year itself.

Hard as it was, Tsukune couldn't remember a time he was this nervous during the main school year. There were a number of factors that could have played a part in that, but he knew a few specific details lay at the heart of his nervousness.

First up-the fact that he'd practically outed himself as a human while at the same time finally fighting a battle of his own and winning. The former detail counteracted the latter, or it did at first.

Ever since his arrival at Yōkai Academy, he'd fought not one true battle himself, or gotten out of a sticky situation by himself. The common response would have been, the situation involved superhuman monsters, what was it he an ordinary human could have done? That was a simple fact, but that being so didn't make it any easier for his pride. It was selfish, but Tsukune was at heart still a human being, such emotions were in their nature. He tried not to let it get to him too often, fearing it would drive away the friends he'd made, the friends who were all willing to put themselves in harm's way for him just as he did for them. That was friendship, friendship between a human and a monster.

But only one of his monster friends knew he was a human, so as far as the other three were concerned, it was friendship amongst monsters.

This time had been different. There were a lot of things that were different this time around. For starters, the person he'd rescued knew of his human identity; she knew it…and she accepted his rescuing of her, even with a weapon that would have sent most monsters running for the hills.

All things considered, he'd always with little injury, albeit his chest and sides were still aching with pain. Likely, he hadn't broken any bones, a fit that everyone including Tsukune himself considered to be a miracle. He'd not only gone up against four monsters, but four monsters basically hyped up on strength-enhancing drugs and walked away with only a few bruises. By all accounts…it was a miracle.

Unable to fight the temptation, he pulled out the object that had allowed him to perform said miracle. Rather fittingly, such deeds were what it'd been forged for.

The monster blood that had stained the silver blade had been wiped away leaving it as pristine as it had been when Tsukune had first unsheathed it. While cleaning it, he'd actually seen some droplets of black blood outright dissolve thanks to the holy composition of the blade, a further testament to its divine power. Yes, divine, all it took was one look at the weapon to tell it was a blessed weapon meant for repelling evil. It was a weapon that would have been right at home in the hands of a human like him.

Faint silver light illuminated the blade, its supernatural sparkle casting a warm feeling over his face as he stared at it. Tsukune could see his reflection in the blade, a teenage boy with some bandaged cheeks and hardened eyes. He questioned if it was the blade or if he really did look so…worn, hardened, almost like a soldier. That's the type of person he imagined wielding a weapon like his knife, he could see it being some ancient knight's weapon more than he could belonging to some pastor or church bishop. It certainly had the design of a knight's weapon.

The dagger's design was unquestionable European, greatly resembling a broadsword albeit slimmed down to dagger size. When he felt the leather-bound grip, he could feel it was worn, having been gripped by hands much rougher than his-likely the hands of a seasoned warrior. The handle definitely had an aged quality too it even though the black leather wrappings hadn't yet lost their color. At the end of the wrappings was the hilt's pommel, a slate-gray marble that he could run his thumb over and felt like he was touching a chunk of ice. It was actually kind of comforting to do so, which he'd used to calm himself down over the last ten minutes. His fingers drifted from the handle to weapon's guard; a lenticular-style guard that was a shining flint gray. Yet another sign of the weapon's heritage showed in the Celtic knot-like designs that wrapped around it. From the guard up, his hands came upon the blade, the most important part. A double-edged blade with two half-circles at the bottom and foreign letter running up the base alongside the fuller of the blade.

The first time he'd unsheathed the knife, he'd stared long and hard at the letter, trying to figure out what language it was in; obviously not one he could read. They were runes, Celtic runes by his guess, he hadn't been able to research them, though he promised himself that he would when he got the chance. Without any of that though, his first impulse was to believe the runes were indeed Celtic and this knife came from Ireland…or perhaps Scotland, in simplest terms, it came from the British Isles. Tsukune felt an impulsive desire to go to Audrey and ask her if she knew anything, but the more analytical side of his brain told him that would be a dead end, not to mention he didn't want to scare her by brandishing a knife in front of her.

Come to think of it, what happened if the knife was confiscated? The thought sent a jolt of raw fear through Tsukune…and a jolt of possessive anger. His reflection in the blade changed, his face seemed darker than it had been a second ago, no doubt thanks to him entertaining thoughts of his weapon being taken from him. Sure, he'd felt possessive of things like clothes and his school work (especially after what Saizō did to his notes), but of a weapon? And one he'd used to maim four of his classmates?

That was another thing that came to Tsukune as he sat on the bench waiting for news to break. He'd never been a violent person, not even during his first few months here at Yōkai, violence simply wasn't in his nature…until the last couple of days. Anger had a way of making a pacifist like him surprisingly willing to indulge in it, and not feel much remorse after the fact. Come to think of it, that's actually what worried him…for the first several minutes.

They had it coming, especially Saizō. Quit acting like this is some criminal drama where you're going to be put away for life! Hell, you didn't even kill them, though you should have. Tsk, suppose we'll have to settle for Saizō being in a wheelchair for the rest of his miserable life!

It was surreal to look back on, especially as he held his knife. Leaning his head against the wall, he remembered how his body had moved to beat death during those precious few seconds. Thinking back to it made him remember how…exhilarating it felt. He'd never quite felt that way in his previous scraps, though Tsukune was keenly aware of the differences between those and this latest one. He was…troubled by them, yet the voice in his head was continuously telling him not to be troubled. Tsukune didn't know how to feel in that he felt inclined to listen to it. His gaze drifted back to his reflection in the knife as he reimagined those precious seconds when he dragged the blade across Saizō's back and thus severed his spine. Like so many other things, it'd been a spur of the moment action, one that he…didn't feel much regret over. In fact, most troubling of all, it actually felt-

"Yoh! Hope you don't have a shank list for that bad boy there!" Called a familiar jolly voice.

Ripped from his inner musings, Tsukune sat up. His eyes served to his left toward the two figures approaching him; his lips curved upward into a smile upon seeing them.

"Not so far. Why? Worried you'd be on it?" Coyly replied the human teen.

Gin chuckled as did Audrey, who caught on pretty quickly. This was the dynamic of friends, first meeting aside, two friends who'd grown to trust one another. She felt honored and incredibly happy that she'd been inclined in the friendship, that she'd met such a kind soul as Tsukune on her first day of summer school.

The two monstrous students took up residence beside the human, Audrey sitting down beside him while Gin remained standing. His eyes drifted down to the silver knife that he'd been staring into, likely in some literal self-reflection. Sheer instinct caused the hairs on the back of the werewolf's neck to stand on end, hundreds of years of wolf instinct telling him to be on guard. To a degree, he was, but he was also relaxed. The weapon that could end his life laid in the hands of someone whom he trusted. Casting a short glance at Audrey, he saw she felt the same way even though she'd only known Tsukune for a few days at best.

I'm safe…again. Quietly mused the male brunette. Here he was again, in the company of monstrous classmates whom he could trust his life to, and who often found themselves charged with safeguarding his life. Not this time though, he'd fought for his life and came out alive. Tsukune leaned his head back against wall as the odd sense of relief and self-satisfaction washed over him. "Guys, thanks for showing up."

"It's what friends are for." Gin casually responded.

"I suppose you're both wondering how I…got this." He whispered motioning to the knife. Tsukune had watched as both of them briefly looked to the knife; the good news was that they did so with more curiosity than fear. They knew what it was and what it was meant for, they'd seen and smelt the blood on it. As the pair looked at him, Tsukune could see the anxiety laced in their eyes; he had a feeling that it wasn't on their part but more for him.

"You don't have to." The werewolf offered.

Before he could answer, Audrey intervened. Without a moment's hesitation, the British transfer reached over and held her hands atop Tsukune's. They were warm causing him to nearly jump out of his clothes. Gently, she aligned the knife with the sheath. Rather than close it herself, she patiently waited for Tsukune to do so himself. He did so after looking at her and receiving a nod of solitary. As he sheathed the blade hiding its surreal glow, Tsukune felt the air in the hallway slowly begin to rise, almost as if the knife's presence had cooled it.

"So, what's it like out there?" Questioned the brown-eyed boy looking between his two friends.

"Bad…it is…it's like…" Out came Audrey's notepad, pen in the other hand and put to use. A minute later and Tsukune found himself staring at…what was actually a pretty good picture of four monsters fighting each other and wrecking everything around them. His face stiffened as he absorbed the overall image the picture was projecting. "Students…dupped up on drugs, stronger than…normal. I had to use…stronger screeching." A somewhat sorrowful look crossed Audrey's face. Tsukune had read a little bit about banshees, their trademark shrieks could cause death, though ones like his blonde friend preferred to go that far. They didn't enjoy being pushed in that direction though.

Feeling an uncomfortable rumble in his chest, he turned to his canine upperclassman. "They're damn stronger than normal." Gin responded to his unspoken question. "Granted, for a lot of them, they're so pumped up on anger that some of the meatheads around here have gotten dumber."

"So you didn't feel too bad about cracking some skulls, did you?" Tsukune coolly fired off.

Gin seemed momentarily taken back by his rather snarky reply, but the werewolf definitely approved it. "Personally, I think it might have done them some good." A short bout of laughter rippled through the trio. As it died down, the severity of the situation bearing down on them returned. "With the way things are, I think we're kind of lucky that this is summer school and not the main semester, otherwise I'd say we'd have real hell on our hands."

Summer school and not the main semester, Tsukune repeated as the pieces began to come into focus. Is it possible that all of this is a test run for when fall semester begins? The more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him-scary sense. When everyone returned for classes in September, the school would be back to its usual size capacity meaning close to four-hundred students, four hundred monsters divided into various groups with differing relations to each other. Some groups outright hating each other to the point the entire nurse's office could be filled to capacity in a single afternoon. And it's not like the teachers would be much help in defusing the situation. Drily added the human teen. He'd seen how insufficient the faculty was at keeping order, at least when they weren't putting in serious effort as they were now. Another thing to consider come the fall, the school would have a number of events planned, including festivals and celebrating Halloween. Tsukune briefly shuddered as he pictured what Halloween at Yōkai Academy, a school for actual monsters, would look like.

The picture was…erratic, but he knew it was for the best that it didn't include students hyped up on some weird rage drug making things worse. For that matter, he didn't even want to ponder what would happen if this Stix was given to humans.

"We stop it, as best we can." He suddenly declared.

"Find…the distributor?" Offered the European transfer student. It was clear that she had no qualms about getting involved in what was looking like a life-or-death struggle against the more thuggish elements of her new school. If her previous comments were any indication, she'd tangled with similar things back in her native England.

"We've got some leads in that area."

"We do?" Both of freshmen questioned looking to their canine upper classman. Gin would have taken a moment to enjoy it, but his face was dead serious, which was fitting as this was a serious matter.

Just as started to respond, his ears twitched as he picked up the sound of wheels scratching against the floor. His two compatriots heard it too as they perked up and turned their heads in the same direction. Then came the voices, frantic and shouting. The three students watched as a gurney was wheeled down the hallway, its occupant groaning as medical staff attempted to stem the blood flow from his abdomen and arm. Already on one side, the three students practically flattened themselves against the wall to make room. They all caught a whiff of the blood, the smell striking each of them like a snake bite. Mixed in with the blood was…something else, something that made their skin crawl in little ways. It was strongest in Gin's case as his alert eyes spotted the black splotches mixed in with the red. He briefly looked to his friends, and to his surprise, Tsukune locked eyes with him.

Oh man, what kind of mess are we getting ourselves into this time? Thought the werewolf.

"Excuse me." Spoke a female voice. It was so sudden to the three teenagers it nearly caused them to jump. Yet again, the trio turned in unison to look at the bandaged face of Mayumi Tsumugi, one of the head doctors at the academy. The mummy regarded the three with benign interest until her gaze fell on Tsukune. "Ms. Ririko's going to be fine, but she will need to walk with a cane for a day, which she should also use for resting. I can say the same for all of you, especially you, Tsukune."

The human let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He felt a light bump on his left shoulder. Looking up, he saw his werewolf friend winking at him. A humorous laugh slipped past his lips as he let the relief wash over him.

"Hm, that's good to hear. Ririko is one of our best teachers, the academy still has much use for her." Another sudden voice declared, this one male…and quite heart-stopping.

Near instantaneously, the temperature in the hallway dropped a few degrees. The reason why was making its way down the hallway, stopping short about four feet from the trio of teenagers. They all snapped to attention, including the Dr. Tsugumi. As per usual, the school's Headmaster seemed to relish the tension he invoked when he made his appearances, especially unannounced ones like this.

Beneath his hood, his glowing white eyes homed in on Tsukune, the human boy tensing up all over again. He knew that there was something…inhuman beneath the priestly robes the Headmaster wore; Tsukune genuinely wondered what made him wear such clothes. His mind jumped to the knife that he still had in his hand, a knife that could wound or kill almost any supernatural creature if he stuck it in the right place.

Think it'll work on him?

How's about we not push our luck in trying to find out. The fact that he even had that thought was…disconcerting. Exactly how screwed up was his brain becoming? You know, maybe that's another question that I don't want answered. Internally clearing his head, he focused his attention on the Headmaster. The man was projecting an unearthly aura different from the other monsters he'd met-it was…rather than heavy like other others that left him feeling like he was being crushed under foot. His aura left him feeling hollow, the strength he had from being drained from him rather than overpowered. In the end, it was still about fortification, internally fortification. Feeling his hands tighten into fists, he stared back into the glowing white eyes that had sunk into him like hooks.

The Headmaster's already unnerving smile grew more disturbing. His eyes glowed brighter for just a few seconds. He seemed amused by the hardening in the human's will. "I heard that you were at the heart of yet another incident, Mister Aono. You ran to the rescue of another helpless maiden, except this time it seemed you were truly able to do the saving instead of having someone else have to save you." Tsukune and Gin felt themselves flinch. "How's that feel?"

"…You're expecting this to happen again, aren't you?" Accused the male brunette. For the second time, he was surprised by the tone in his voice, it had an edge in it.

Surely the Headmaster heard it, but he chose to ignore it. Or he was further amused by it. His disturbing smile remained plastered on his face; all of his attention was focused purely on Tsukune, it cut both ways as the human stared back into his ghostly white eyes. "Well, as much as I'd like to say no, the current situation doesn't seem like it'll be ending any time soon."

Something inside of Tsukune cracked, he could hear it-like a small fracture in a glass window. From that crack something leaked out, something that made his insides feel hot. "And…does that…bother you in any way? I mean, this is your school after all."

As Tsukune had his attention focused solely on the Headmaster, he was blind to the faces of those around them. Faces filled with fear and worry at what they were watching unfold, especially Gin. The werewolf's eyes were widening with every second that passed. Forget getting shacked by a silver knife, this was worse! As much as he wanted to intervene, he felt himself rooted to the spot. Was it his own fear, or was it the Headmaster's doing? Gazing around the hallway, he saw a small audience had begun to form. It filled Gin with dread as he knew that they were about to be witnesses to…something, something that he feared would make Tsukune's situation all the worse. He felt torn between two instincts-one telling to move and the other telling him not to, for if he did it'd be his life that would be lost.

Adjacent to him, Audrey was just as paralyzed, though not entirely with fear. Sweat was quietly collecting on the girl's brow as she focused her blue eyes on Tsukune. She could feel it in her bones-a raging power, a will that was struggling to make itself known. It was making itself known, it was blazing brightly before a greater will, one that could snuff it out in a heartbeat. What would be the outcome? She wanted to know.

"Hm, you're right, it is my school." The Headmaster declared in a sing-song voice. Tsukune waited for the follow up…but nothing came. All the hooded man continued to do was stare at him, smile at him.

Another cracked sounded within Tsukune's mind, this one louder. More heat swirled about within him making him begin to feel like he was burning up inside. The flames licked at every portion of his body from the inside, one of those flames forced its way up his throat and out his mouth. "Is that all you care about! Being in charge! You know, normally that means also doing your job!"

"I can assure you, Mister Aono, I have been. It's tough work-"

The entire window went, or was it a vase? Whatever the hell it was, it was broken, shattered into hundreds of pieces releasing the rest of whatever it was that had been sipping throughout Tsukune. It empowered his arms, they struck out, grabbing the Headmaster by the scuff of his robe. Eyes burning with fury, he roared as he slammed the older man against the wall. Gasps went out all around him, but he paid them no mind. "Do you have any idea what your school is like on a daily basis! Sure, the students are monsters, but do you're supposed to be teaching them how to fit in amongst humans! Humans don't act like this!" He thundered. "Humans aren't constantly trying to eat each other, or trying to rape each other! Do you even care that that almost happened to you of your own teachers! One that believes in coexistence between humans and monsters! Would you have cared if Saizō and his thugs had gangraped her and killed her after they were finished with her! Would you!"

Silence occupied the hallway in the aftermath of the teenager's thunderous eruption. All eyes were wide and mouths hung open wide enough watermelons could fit in. No one was trembling, it'd all been silenced by Tsukune's voice, loud and brimming with pent-up anger that left even the most harden of monsters speechless.

Gin and Audrey in particular looked to their friend, their expressions making it clear they were having a tough time believing what they'd just seen and heard. The former in particular felt a mixture of awe, dread, and…strangely admiration.

Lastly, there was the Headmaster himself. His silence was a cause for concern in itself, as well his…lack of an expression in response to the freshman student's rant. He merely stared back at him with his ghostly eyes, his mouth a straight frown. "Would I have cared…yes, I would have."

"But not enough to try and do something to make sure this doesn't happen again!" Any hope that Tsukune's anger had dissipated were dispelled. From the tone of his voice, it was clear there was still a wellspring of grievance inside of him waiting to be released; it was going to be released, ad the Headmaster was going to be its target. "This wasn't the first time that Saizō did this, do you have any idea how many girls he's harassed since the school year started! How many he's actually raped! He would have done the same to Miss Ririko, and any other female staffer here in this hallway if he could get away with it!" A pregnant pause followed in which everyone held their breath as to what was to come next. It was absolutely nerve-wrecking.

Just as he sensed the teenager getting ready to talk, or rather, shout again, the Headmaster spoke. "But that won't every come about, will it, Mister Aono. You've permanently ensured that Saizō will never be able to perform such a heinous deed again."

Tsukune's eyes flared up with anger. "That doesn't erase the damage he's done! I had to do something because no one else would, because you wouldn't do your fucking job!" A shocked gasp rung through hallway. Eyes already wide widened threefold. With this latest shock, some gained the well to move, they began backing away in unapologetic fear. "It isn't just Saizō. What about Okubo, who's no better than him!" Going for three, another heavy silence fell over the hallway thanks to the teenager's words. Several shuffled about uncomfortably, especially the women.

"And what of your friend, Ginei Morioka? He has a bit of a history too if I'm not mistaken." There was no need to look, the aforenamed student flinched. Fear seized him as he was dragged into the conversation.

Tsukune's glare never wavered. "Gin's had his mistakes, none of which I've forgotten, but he's nowhere near as bad as Saizō or Okubo. At least he tried to figure out what was happening to Mizore instead of sitting on ass doing nothing! At least he actually tried to do something about the Safety Commission, whom you let run wild! They don't keep the peace, they're just thugs with badges, badges that you could take away if you wanted! Just like how you could make sure what happened to Miss Ririko or Moka never happened again if you tried to actually make this school live up to its mission! You're not teaching monsters how to exist with humans, you're just letting everyone run amok without repercussions! That's not how you run a school, you bas-"

"Tsukune! Tsukune! Man, we know, but please, stop!"

He recognized Gin's voice but felt two sets of arms pulling him back, or attempting to pull him back. Normally, he'd have let them, but he wasn't finished yet.

"Tsukune! Calm yourself! This isn't the place to have this talk!"

For a hot second, the rushing river of his age paused. He recognized that voice. Heart pounding, he turned to his left and saw the hardened copper yell of Nikhil. When had he shown up? Like Gin, he was attempting to pull him off the Headmaster and get him to calm down, for his own safety no doubt. Looking back to his right, he saw his closest male friend giving him a pleading look; it wasn't often that Gin looked at him that way. Past him he saw Audrey. The English girl softly shook her head, sending the same message as the other two monsters. She was doing so for his sake, just like them.

Slowly, he released his grip on the Headmaster's robes, then he pulled his arms back. His hands were trembling, his whole body was trembling. Gin and Nikhil continued to hold him; it was like they knew if they didn't he'd collapse onto the floor. Tsukune honestly felt like he would. Blinking, he looked around the hallway, realizing for the first time how many people had gathered to watch the spectacle. There were of course nurses, but also some faculty members and even a few students. One of them moved closer, coming to Nikhil's side before looking at him. Tsukune felt like he'd seen him before somewhere; if the situation were different, he might have been able to focus on when he had.

Inevitably, he ended up looking back at the man whom he'd just manhandled. It was the first time in his life he'd ever done such a thing…and it felt…weird.

The Headmaster's smile was gone, he stared blankly at the brown-eyed teenager, his expression nigh-unreadable. All around him, people were practically clenching at the walls. Three people decided that wasn't enough and outright turned the corner and began to sprint for cover.

Shooting each of the monstrous boys a look that he was calm, Tsukune stood tall in front of the hooded man. He was ready to face the consequences of his outburst.

"…It seems you've come to care quite a bit about this school, haven't you, Mister Aono." Murmured the priestly-looking man. Confusion set in amongst not just the human in question, but several others. The tension remained. "You have…given me several things to meditate on. I feel that you will be doing the same." Looking out to the rest of the teens and faculty, the enigmatic man's eyes glowed with their usual unearthly light. "All remedial classes for the next two days will be canceled. I ask that you all please use your free time wisely, and be careful, academy grounds are more dangerous than they usually are, perhaps more so they are during the main school year."

Without even bothering to adjust his robes, the robed man departed. It was like he'd stopped by for a chat with students and faculty, nothing more. All eyes were on him as he walked down the hallway. Even as he rounded the corner, everyone remained on edge, especially the boy who'd instigated the entire standoff.

Tsukune could practically see the Headmaster walking off in his mind's eye. He was waiting for him to turn around and suddenly attack him, somehow. He waited for it…yet it never came. In fact, Tsukune realized something-throughout the entire unloading, he never sensed one hint of hostile intent from the mysteriously robed man. It was…weird to say the least.

Maybe he just thought us ranting to his face was funnier than anything. I would.

Um…exactly who the hell are you anyway?

What? You haven't figured it out yet? Just look in a mirror! I've always been-

"Tsukune? You okay?" Nikhil's voice sounded off in his ear. "You're not going to faint, are you?"

"If you do, I can put you down for a bed." Spoke up Dr. Tsugumi.

After a blink, Tsukune realized that though the tension was gone, several eyes were still on him. To say he felt uncomfortable would have been an understatement.

Hey, this is what happens when you bear it all in the open. Not that anyone seems to be complaining to the point you've lost your head.

Casting a quick glance around the hallway and noticed how no one was looking ready to decapitate him. At least not at this moment. A tap on the left shoulder caused him to turn to the side.

Nikhil was smirking at him. It was one of those knowing smirks that all but screamed he knew more than he was going to tell Tsukune at the moment. "Saurya, you've got more of it than I previously thought, Tsukune." The human gave him a nervous smile causing the Indian student to laugh again. "It means courage." Nikhil explained.

"Uh, I don't think that's what you'd call it. I was…I was angry, I think I had more of that." Admitted the male brunette.

"It was…coming from the right place though. You're angry…that lives are in…danger." Audrey took the stage as she walked up and placed a hand on the human's shoulder. Her smile was warm and encouraging, something that Tsukune found himself drawing strength from. She placed her fist against his chest and grinned. "That took a lot of…guts! It was awesome!"

"And heart-stopping." Gin finally spoke up; he wiped a few beads of sweat from his brow. "Damn, Tsukune, I always knew you were gutsy, but that was damn near suicidal! Nobody has ever stood up to the Headmaster like that! I'm pretty sure the last person who tried that lost their nerve half-way through!"

"Instead, we had to pull you back because you seemed to be on a roll." Nikhil whistled. Tsukune's face grew redder at the praise his classmates were heaping upon him, which incentivized them to keep on going. They would have had an adult cough not attracted their attention.

Dr. Tsugumi looked around at the group of students, her gaze finally falling and focusing on Tsukune. "As I said, Ms. Ririko's injuries aren't life-threatening. She'll be back on her feet by tomorrow, likely tomorrow afternoon. Tsukune, she specifically asked for you."

And like that, the entire mood changed. Tsukune's eyes went wide and his heart skipped a beat. A familiar chuckling reached his ears followed next by a nudge on the arm. The human teen felt his cheeks heat up.

"Seems I truly underestimated you, Tsukune Aono." Nikhil whistled again.

"G-G-Guys just wait for me outside if you don't mind. There's a lot of things we have to talk about." Commanded the male brunette to the rest of his friends. At Dr. Tsugumi's behest, he walked through the door, not daring to look back for fear of the snickering and amused faces he'd see. Oh man, I almost wish I was being escorted to the Headmaster's office for some kind of grilling!

Maybe you'll get that from Miss Ririko, I mean, she's still a bit of a stickler for the rules so you never know. Then again, she may also give you a nice big thank-

Please stop talking, whoever you are.

Again, you should know this by now.

"Tsukune," she called, her lips curving into a smile upon seeing him. She was happy when he smiled back. "Are you okay? You're not seriously hurt, are you?"

"Amazingly…no." Neither of them were under any illusions about what they'd faced. Saizō and his three thuggish friends were by no means normal, even by monster standards. If it had been, the bespectacled teacher wouldn't have been lying in a nurse's bed with bandages across her body and her leg propped up at a low twenty-degree angle. She'd been given a standard issue hospital gown to account for her torn clothing. It also seemed that she'd gotten a new pair of glasses. During her treatment. Tsukune theorized that someone must have brought them, or she used a little magic to summon them. Either way, it didn't matter. She looked more or less like the Miss Ririko he'd gotten to know over the past few days, which he was immensely grateful for. "I'm glad to see that you're alright, Miss Ririko."

Within her chest, she felt her heart beat just a tick faster as he sat down on the stool in front of her bed. It wasn't his scent, it was just his physical presence, and the genuine concern that he was showing for her. Ririko felt touched by it. "Likewise, Tsukune." For a few seconds, neither of them spoke a word, they simply stared at one another and smiled. It gave them the time they needed to gather their thoughts; Ririko felt she was in need of such a break. Behind her warm smile, a multitude of emotions were swirling about within her. This entire thing was…it…it was…it was unbelievable! The build up began to manifest on her face which went through a variety of expressions, all in plain view of her student and rescuer.

"U-Um, Miss Ririko? I-I can always come back later if you want." Squeaked the human feeling an all-too-familiar chill running up his spine. He'd come to recognize it for what it was-his danger sense.

"No, no, it's not you Tsukune, it's…look, let me start with this." She inhaled a breath through her lips. Gone were the dirt stains that previously marred her skin, as well as her trademark red lipstick. It was the first time Tsukune had actually seen her without it. The lamia faced him eye-to-eye; their gazes were locked with one another, the world around them completely dismissed. "I'm…not used to what just happened, being saved by one of my students. I'm a teacher, it's my job to protect you."

He could hear it, the genuine sorrow in her voice. She takes her role as a teacher so…so…seriously, and not just the academic part. As he opened his mouth to speak, the adult brunette cut him off with her own words.

"I know I haven't been the best of teachers, especially to you." Her gaze became overlain with sorrow. Tsukune struggled to cut her off, but something held him back. Perhaps it was the look she was giving him. "When Mizore Shirayuki was accused, I was perfectly willing t stand by and let her face the consequences. I fully believed she was a problem student thus I wrote her off. Then came…you and your failing."

"For what it's worth, I…forgive you for that." Declared the human. Tsukune wasn't quite sure how to respond.

He at least got her to smile at him. Tsukune felt his cheeks heating up as he looked at her and she smiled back at him. "I don't believe I ever properly apologized for that mess."

"You were trying to help," gently affirmed the male brunette. He chuckled, "In your own overzealous, weird way. I've realized everyone at this school is a little weird in their own way, including me."

Sweet laughter rung from the snake woman's lips. "Yes, that's one of the kinder interpretations of Yōkai Academy one could give. Also, I'm a little curious as to what abnormalities you seem to have picked up, albeit I can take a guess at a few." A boyish laugh and blush overtook his face, Ririko liked seeing it. Sadly, it wasn't to last as her eyes became heavy with sorrow and her hands tightened along the sheets. "I've been teaching at this school for almost seven years; I've dealt with unruly students like Saizō before. But none of them had ever gotten the drop on me like he and his friends did." Her knuckles began to whiten and her face darkened. "Those bastards…they sucker punched me, gagged me, and groped me. Me, a teacher whose job it is to look after them!"

"Guys like that don't need to be looked after, unless it's by a prison guard." Tsukune added, his own expression dark. "Students like him and the rest…I know this isn't something new to Yōkai." As he spoke the words, he looked straight into the yellow eyes of his math teacher. "Look, I know that this school isn't normal by any stretch of the imagination…but for a school to even attempt to function, it has to have rules, and those rules need to be enforced."

"I agree…I completely agree with you, Tsukune." Admitted the mathematics teacher. A heavy sigh followed, it almost sounded like an admission of defeat, which Tsukune believed it might have actually been. "I…what you said to the Headmaster, in my opinion, you made several points."

"Well, it's a good thing to know that I'm-wait, what!?" The teenager's expression did a complete one-eighty as he almost scooted out of the chair, or fell out of it. Wide-eyed, he stared at the lamia, "Y-Y-Y-Y-You heard all of that!?" he shouted.

Ririko gave him a dry stare. "Tsukune, you were shouting so loud that I'm sure that everyone in the medical wing could hear you." His expression grew graver. "Oh, relax! If the Headmaster let you go then you surely have-"

"I-I-I practically outed myself as a human!" he shrieked. Now standing on his feet and clawing at his head, the male brunette seemed on the verge of descending into hysterics. Strike that, he was already down the path. "E-E-Everything I said sounded like how a normal human would respond to Yōkai's insanity! On top of that, Saizō and his goons probably know that I'm a human! What if they talk while they're in custody! Shit! Shit, what if-"

"Tsukune!" shouted the monster woman.

He was so panic-stricken he didn't realize Miss Ririko had moved until the warmth of her bosom had completely spread throughout his face. Once it did, Tsukune felt all the fear bumbling up within him come to a grinding halt, along with practically the rest of his mental functions. His heart which had begun to accelerate began to slow. Slowly, his eyes slid shut as the warm serenity took complete hold over him; Tsukune didn't fight it, he let it happen. It felt good, just like what he'd needed.

The scene would have been scandalous on so many levels, but Ririko didn't care, all she cared about was Tsukune. It was so easy to see him on the verge of a panic attack, seeing that caused something within her to roar to the surface-the desire to protect and nurture. She threw all caution to the wind as she embraced that feeling, and thus embraced Tsukune. He didn't fight her, which she was grateful for. Part of it might have been do to the fact that very few men had been able to resist the embrace of her chest, but Ririko had a feeling it wasn't something as basis as that. Tsukune was a teenage boy with hormones, but he was better than that, he'd shown himself several times to be better. The pinnacle of that had came mere hours ago when he'd put himself between four empowered thugs to save her, and did his best to protect her remaining dignity.

She rubbed the top of his head, light brown hair so neat and pristine. Ririko thought of speaking, but a split-second decision made her choose silence and this tender soothing. Though primarily meant for him, there was a part of her that was liking it. This embrace stripped away the outside world, all of its tribulations and imperfections leaving just the two of them. For just a little while, they were safe.

Outside the wind, summer winds rustling the leaves and shook the tree branches. The natural symphony was the only sound in the room save for the pair's now calmed heartbeats.

Inevitably, the embrace ended. The teacher's hold on her student's head slackened. Somewhat reluctantly, the latter removed himself form her chest, his eyes downcast yet his cheeks sporting a light pink hue. There was no flustered stuttering as one would have expected of a boy who'd just experienced such an intimate embrace. He inhaled a breath, the female brunette patiently waited for him to convert the inhaled air into words.

"The medical staff…they know I'm a human being." Tsukune finally declared. He rose his head up allowing Ririko to see his eyes. The fear was gone, replaced by an admirable and rather mature calmness.

She nodded. "As I said, the medical staff are amongst the few who are required to know the species of students, if they didn't they wouldn't be able to treat them. Almost every member of the medical staff from Dr. Tsugumi down has been handpicked by the Headmaster." Her lips curved into thin smile. Tsukune smiled back, his was driven by relief as he put the pieces together. Finally, he sat back in his chair, arms resting upon his knees. "It's a rule amongst the medical staff not to disclose any student information unless it's of importance to us teachers."

There was a pregnant pause as Tsukune digested that bit of information. On paper, it meant that he didn't need to worry about the nurses and doctors outing him to students. In actuality, he knew things were going to be more complicated. "What about the Safety Commission?" He asked with sharp eyes.

"Officially, the Commission can bypass that rule if the student in question is deemed a threat to the school's safety." Instantly, the human's face fell. "However," Ririko spoke causing him to perk up. "The medical staff is almost totally loyal to the Headmaster, not to mention, I'll let you in on a little secret." Winking, the mathematician held up her index finger. "The Safety Commission isn't~that~well~liked, and that goes broadly for the teaching staff."

Tsukune sat there and blinked at her. "…Gin told me they were a bunch of power-hungry assholes who'll harass anyone, including-"

"Unfortunately, they've gotten it into their heads that even the school faculty is beholden to them." Bemoaned the female brunette. Clearly, she wasn't happy about it. "At the start, the Commission only focused on students, but as the power went to their heads, as Kuyō became more intoxicated with power, they began to harass us teachers as well. Some of it is no doubt because if we put our foot down, it'd result in a clash the Safety Commission would likely lose."

"…But the collateral damage would be the school, and the Headmaster wouldn't allow that." Theorized the human teen. The lamia nodded, Tsukune hung his head and sighed. "Does he know if he does nothing, they'll end up overrunning the teachers one day? Maybe getting it into their heads they can overthrow him?"

Ririko looked at him with a bug-eyed expression…then burst into complete laughter. Tsukune stared at her, confused but ready for an explanation once she calmed down. Truth be told, what was so startling to him was seeing the busty brunette laughing so casually open; it was a first as far as Tsukune was concerned.

"T-T-Tsu-Tsukune," she spoke through continued giggles. "T-T-Trust me, for however strong the Safety Commission Kuyō think they are, they're nowhere near strong enough, or smart enough to overthrow the Headmaster. It's totally absurd!"

A part of Tsukune was still in shock of seeing the normally composed teacher laughing so jubilantly.

You gotta admit, she looks kind of cute when she's laughing, doesn't she?

Yeah, she does. He reluctantly answered. "So, he's that powerful and all-knowing…but he doesn't do anything about the school's craziness?"

The giggling fit ended as the teacher detected the quit discontent her student held for the school's headmaster. She felt that it was rather warranted since Tsukune actually had a point. "I'm not going to tell you that I know the Headmaster's inner thinking, I don't and I'm not sure anyone at the academy knows either. A handful might, but I'm not one of them, Tsukune. He's quite an enigmatic man."

"You don't say?"

Ririko giggled at the quick-witted comment. "Everyone has their work style, one day, you'll discover yours. That said, not every work style is, well, workable. The Headmaster will only intervene when absolutely necessary, otherwise he leaves the school's stability to us, teachers…and you students. I'll admit, it's a style that I haven't always been fond of, but I and the rest of the teachers have made do." She met his eyes as she made that confession. He seemed relieved by it. "Just because we follow the Headmaster, doesn't mean we're in one-hundred-percent agreement with every choice he makes, that's not how leadership works, Tsukune."

"My dad said something along those lines." He spoke. "I guess what it really comes down to is if for all the disagreements, can you get other people to follow you. He's able to do that, but…"

"Yōkai Academy is a unique school with some…unique problems, but problems none the less." Her eyes briefly served to his hands. She remembered them gripping the silver knife that he'd used to wound her would-be-rapists. Those same hands had held her so tenderly and helped her out of the forest, they would have continued to hold her all the way to the infirmary had help not came when it did. She'd held her hand, Ririko felt obligated to return the favor. "The thing is, problems can only be fixed when one is willing to acknowledge them, and is willing to work to fix them. Such things are sadly rarer than one would expect, but those who have such traits…well, I see those people as special, and worthy of my respect."

He felt his heart skip a beat, or maybe two. Even his thoughts temporarily went dead as he let the warmth from the teacher's had flow into him. When he regained the ability to think, Tsukune only had one thought, Her hands, Miss Ririko's hands…they're warm. Somewhere inside, a part of him was expecting her hands to be cold, not quite as cold as Mizore's, but cold none the less. She was after all part reptile, but she was still a person. Miss Ririko was a person he'd gotten to know a little better over these last couple of days, and her him. Wearing a thin smile, he squeezed her hand back.

"I'm honored to hear that, Miss Ririko." The teenager finally replied.

"Tsukune," she started, her smile brightening causing a little pink tint to appear on his cheeks. "Thank you for saving my life. This is the first time I've ever said this to a student, but I've never had a student quite as interesting as you."

His cheeks went from pink to a light shade of red at the compliment. Unfortunately, he didn't wasn't able to respond as he would have liked.

Both human and monster felt it simultaneously. In unison, they looked back at the door with wide-eyes. Their once calmed hearts suddenly began to race. Tsukune's entire body went on alert as his hand went for his knife, still holstered at his side. Ririko threw off the bedsheets to stand up. She was dressed in a medical gown, hardly intimidating, but the look in her eyes was intimidating enough. Holding out her hand, she summoned one of her whips, which she aggressively stretched out; unlike the previous one, this one exuding a slight red aura that reeked of monstrous power. She looked to Tsukune, in that one glance they formulated a plan and acted it out.

Ririko held her whip in one hand while turning the doorknob in the other, Tsukune stood behind her, gripping his knife with the same fervor as he had before. Sweat began to formulate on his forehead as his body braced itself for another go round.

"Ah, Tsukune, I'm happy to hear that you're none the worse for wear!" Called a jubilant voice.

Teacher and student did a double-take, one that ended with the former looking to the latter in confusion. Tsukune's eyes were wide as he knew the voice. His heart still drumming, he squeezed past Miss Ririko to get back out into the hallway.

He walked right into a classic standoff. For once, it wasn't between a group of girls out for his attention, it felt a lot more like he'd just walked between two feuding gangs, both with guns cocked. On his right, he recognized all the faces-the faces of his friends. They all looked ready for battle, serious battle. Gin was at full attention, his body posture that of a wolf ready to pounce on its adversary. Audrey stood beside him, though she looked less serious than the others, her hair was beginning to levitate-she was ready for action the moment it began. The one who drew his attention the most was Nikhil, the Indian student was looking the most serious Tsukune had ever seen him. Like the rest, his eyes had transformed from humanoid to monstrous. Or more accurately, reptilian. Snake eyes, literally, and snake scales running up his neck and his arm. His expression reminded him of a cobra ready to strike, and he in no way wanted to be the person whom he bit.

Lastly, there was the fourth member of the group, looking just as ready for battle as Nikhil, who he stood beside. Tsukune immediately deduced them to be close, perhaps friends even. Finally given the chance to more closely examine him, Tsukune remembered where he'd seen him-that night his dorm room had been broken into. He'd helped stand up to the Safety Commission and get them to leave so everyone could go back to sleep. Tsukune saw that the last time he'd seen him, he clearly just gotten out of bed as his mahogany brown hair had been pull into a loose pony tail; the mood was what was causing it to spike up in such a manner. Just like last time, his pupils were also shining gold and silted like a cat's.

So, a werewolf, a banshee, some kind of reptile monster, and some kind of cat monster, probably a nekotama, not a bad team. He summarized. With that summarization, Tsukune realized he was already running the odds in his head about how this clash would go. For those calculations to be complete he had to look to the other side on his left; that's just what he did and got one hell of a surprise.

"Yo, I said I was happy to hear you were alright, now I'm happy to see you're alright! Guess that silver knife really was the best weapon for you, huh?" Kinmaru laughed as casually as possible. It was in stark contrast to the rest of the mood in the hallway. As one would expect, Tsukune stared at him dumbfounded for a couple of seconds.

Heart pumping in his chest, Tsukune sized up the mysterious student's supporters. To his immediate right.

The student was a whopping five-foot-elven, maybe even six feet, taller than Gin even. And he most definitely looked like he could take the werewolf in a fight. His white undershirt was unbutton revealing a little bit of his chest, a broad chest that went with muscular arms that were lined with a few scars. His hair was a striking shade of cinnamon brown that went surprisingly well with his honey-colored eyes; he might have been considered handsome if his face wasn't bent in a scowl and he wasn't giving off such a threatening aura. Was he the reason Tsukune could feel the temperature in the hallway rising?

On Kinmaru's left stood a boy of considerably less bulk, having a somewhat leaner frame. His hair was jet-black and dark azure eyes. In a second, they swerved to Tsukune; the human flinched causing the black-haired boy to grin.

In that second, Tsukune felt something-a jolt of familiarity that nagged at him as he stared back at the boy. Just like with the wild-haired boy, he'd met this one somewhere before. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Tsukune was pulled back, no doubt by Miss Ririko. The black-haired boy chuckled in amusement making Tsukune's stomach twist itself into knots.

Oh, you've DEINFITELY got to see about shanking that prick, he deserves it. The mysterious second voice in him snarled.

He shifted his focus from the black-haired boy to the third member of Kinmaru's group, the one who'd remained in the background. As it happened, his eyes found Tsukune's.

They weren't malicious or mocking, they were…curious, and that curiosity was aimed at him. Warm brown eyes stared into cool blue eyes, the latter blinking nonchalantly at him. Tsukune scanned the boy up and down, he was closer to his height, roughly equal to him with somewhat curly hair the same shade of brown as him. Without a doubt, he was the least threatening member of the group, at least until he shifted his gaze back to the other side and his blue eyes narrowed in cold aggression.

Practically everyone was looking ready to blow, even Miss Ririko. Tsukune realized that everyone was keeping their eyes on the same person, Kinmaru, who happened to be staring directly at him. And he was smiling.

Oh man, this is feeling almost like Moka and the girls arguing over me, except this time there really is going to be a bloody battle! The accumulated sweat was now pouring down Tsukune's cheeks. He had to do something! Anything! "Y-Y-Your knife worked!"

"Of course, it worked," Kinmaru happily shrugged. "Albeit it's technically now your knife, Tsukune."

The mood did a complete one-eight, and the focus shifted to him.

Still think this was such a good idea?

Rather than grace the inner voice with a respond, Tsukune sucked it up and looked to his friends. Gin and Nikhil were gawking at him, as was Miss Ririko.

"Wait, he's where you got that silver knife from!" Gin exclaimed pointing a figure at the smirking boy. Nikhil and Miss Ririko's glares magnified as Kinmaru chuckled.

He held up his hands, "I can assure you it was a gift that came with absolutely no strings attached. You can ask Tsukune about it yourself. Speaking of which, Tsukune, I'd suggest you start learning how to really use it." The change in color happened in a splint second, but Tsukune saw it, as did everyone else. Hazel changed into gold, a demonic shine that came with a subtle sense of force pointed squarely at the only human in the hallway. "I'm happy to hear you took down Saizō, but he's only the first. From here on out, the road's going to get tougher for you, so you better be willing to cut and slash your way through if you expect to see graduation. Personally, I'm hoping to see you there, Tsukune."

Everyone was more on edge than they already were, but none more so than Tsukune, the sole recipient of Kinmaru's mystical stare. He could feel that he wasn't lying, somehow, someway, Tsukune could feel that this strange boy was telling the truth in hoping he survived until graduation. Yet at the same time Tsukune could sense something else, he was challenging him to survive until graduation.

Something welled up inside of him, like a torrent of water gushing forth then finally exploding onto the surface. "I'll be there, Kinmaru." The words shocked him more so than they did anyone else. They simply followed out of his mouth without any forethought, but once they were out, Tsukune realized he didn't want to take them back. He wasn't going to take them back.

Kinmaru and his entourage all looked to him, their individual eyes seemingly sizing him up as if to ascertain the validity of his words. They all knew he was a human being, Tsukune realized that, but it was that secret that made them take interest in his declaration.

He, a human being, had just declared he'd survive another two years at Yōkai Academy to see graduation. That was incredibly easy to talk about, but actually doing so was going to be a different beast altogether.

The gold-eyed monster boy laughed, an honest serene laugh that ended with a grin revealing sharpened canines. His eyes shined brighter than they had before. "Ah, I knew you were a golden egg, Tsukune! I'll be looking forward to you struggling to fulfill that promise." Finally, he looked away from the human elsewhere, to the sole teacher in the hallway. She'd stood guard by Tsukune's side, and was continuing to do so. "Miss Ririko, I'm also happy to see you're none the worse for wear. Oh, and to let you know, I wasn't the one who sold Stix to Saizō and his thugs. I can do better business than that."

"And that's supposed to put us at ease?" Nikhil snorted. The larger boy by Kinmaru's right glared at him, but the serpent-eyed teen didn't let it phase him.

Smirking at him, Kinmaru replied, "My better business dealings is what gives you guys a challenge. I wouldn't want to make it too easy on you guys, would I? Can't have Yōkai Academy become too boring, then there'll be nothing to report on, eh, Gin?" The werewolf looked less than pleased to be brought into the conversation.

Shoulders hunched, the werewolf snarled, "Kinmaru, I don't care what game you're playing, but whatever it is, leave Tsukune out of it." As he spoke the words, he moved in front of Audrey.

"If you didn't sell the drugs to Saizō, then who did?" Spoke up the student beside Nikhil. "You can at least point us in the direction we need to…keep the ball rolling, let's say."

"Astute as usual, Daiki." Laughed the gold-eyed boy. "Fine, it was Shigeki. He's always found Saizō to be useful, though I imagine that'll end after today." The glow from his eyes began to fade, returning to their more mundane hazel yellow color. His hands went back into his pockets as he turned his back to the group. "I'll be seeing you around, Tsukune. Keep on doing what you do best."

"Something besides getting ogled by pretty girls." The boy now identified as Daiki muttered. The dark-haired and blue-eyed boy on Kinmaru's side chuckled while the giant grunted in annoyance.

In spite the tension still gripping him, Tsukune made a face, something that caused Kinmaru to chuckle in amusement.

"Seriously, is that the first thing that everyone brings up about me?"

Nikhil clocked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Is there anything else noteworthy about you?"

"NPC-like." Audrey quipped.

"You guys are supposed to be on myside!" The human cried in mock despair.

The last member of Kinmaru's gang to leave was the male brunette, he seemed amused by the teasing the others were engaging in at his expense. He locked eyes with Tsukune, then they went to Miss Ririko. She too seemed to be put at ease as she stared back at him. A few seconds passed and her lips curved into a soft smile.

"Kaku," she spoke.

"I'm…happy you're alright, Miss Ririko." There was a hint of a blush on his cheeks before he spun on his heel and followed after the rest of his group.

Tsukune blinked, then looked back at the math teacher. He felt oddly…jealous for whatever reason.

News flash dummy, she's still a teacher, a hot sexy teacher with tons of admirers all across the school.

You know, I'm really going to have to find a way to muzzle-

"Tsukune." A feminine voice filled with maturity boomed, and not because it was so close to him. His body tensing, he turned his head to find the coppery yellow eyes of the school's best mathematician glaring at him, ad she wasn't alone.

Everyone was staring at him, all four of his friends and some of the nursing staff who'd came out of hiding. It'd practically been like waiting out an earthquake for them, first came the primary quake followed by the aftershock. He could see several were hoping there wouldn't be a third quake, one that would likely go hot and turn the medical wing into a warzone like some other parts of the school. No one was going to breath a sigh of relief until the groups occupying the hallway dispersed. Tsukune had a gut feeling he was going to be holding up that request.

"Um, I…take it I've got some explaining to do?" The sixteen-year-old human nervously laughed.

"You have no idea, dude." Gin replied. His scratched the side of his head with a look of pained annoyance on his face. "Really, Tsukune, of all people, it's Kinmaru Hirayama that you end up getting involved with!"

"You know, it'd be helpful if someone explained why I shouldn't be getting involved with him!" Tsukune growled. "And it's not like I sought the guy out! He practically kidnapped me!"

"Okay, now that sounds like Kinmaru." Daiki acknowledged. "Let me guess, he came to you instead of you onto him?"

"Sorta," Tsukune admitted. "I was-" His own stomach was what cut him off, which all things considered wasn't the worst thing that could have happened to him. Sure, he blushed, but Tsukune would have taken that over someone else dropping by and making things more complicated. He did blush a little.

"Shit, now that I think about it, we missed out on lunch." Gin grumbled, apparently feeling his own stomach rumbling.

Audrey clapped her hands together looking around the group. "Then…the dining hall. We can…intero…we can talk there, like we normally do." She looked to the sole teacher who'd stuck by their unlikely band. "Um, if…Ms. Ririko is…o…o…okay with it?"

"I am, even though I'd like to be a part of this questioning. I will my answers in due time." It was clear that she was aware of the gazes of the nursing staff, including Dr. Tsugumi. That said, the lamia's focus was on Tsukune. He nodded, accepting that the discussion between them had merely been put on hold and would continue at some later point. As would his studies. "Go, get something to eat. Tsukune, stop by my class by four o'clock, you should find me there, and once you do we'll discuss your studies and your retakes. Gin, Audrey, I'll do the same with you tomorrow morning. I want you both to report to my classroom by eight AM, is that clear?" The two students gave affirmative nods. "Good, now, all of you go get some lunch, and try to stay out of trouble for a little while."

"More like we better hope trouble doesn't find us." Gin muttered.

"Or it finds Tsukune and we get dragged along for the ride." Daiki mused. "That'll be a first time for me." Chuckles rose from the snake-eyed teen and the werewolf. Locking eyes with Tsukune he held out his hand, "Daiki Hajikano, second year student, nice to meet you, Tsukune."

"Thanks for what you did the other night." The human replied shaking his hand.

Ririko leaned against the door frame to watch as the group of five teenagers finally began to depart. They all waved goodbye to her and wished her a speedy recovery, something that would no doubt happen since it wasn't like she'd suffered any life-threatening injuries; it was the thought that counted though. Her gaze ended and focused on one particular member of the group; he stared back at her with open affection in his eyes.

Tsukune continued to smile at her, lingering on while the rest of his friends rounded the corner. Ririko's heart fluttered as they held one another's gaze. She hoped his heart fluttered as well.

Finally, he began to follow after his friends, disappearing from her field of view. It was then that one of the spectators chose to give her commentary.

"For the most part, I like him. He has spirit, arguably more than some of the monsters at this school." The mummy declared with a smile beneath her bandages and admiration in her voice. "I'm hoping he…fairs better than Hokuto."

A shadow dampened the brunette's face, her eyes moved from the hallway corner to the ground. Her fists tightened as she gathered here resolve. "He's already doing better, and he will do better. I'm going to make sure of that." She looked back to her fellow faculty member with her eyes have hardened with resolve that had the mummy nodding in affirmation.

Usually, it's you catching others in your grasp, but it's looking like this time, it's the reverse. Mused the black-haired doctor. Oh, I'm hoping that faith isn't misplaced, we all are.

---

Location Unknown, 2:58 PM…

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised, disappointed, but not all surprised."

The four students sneered at the Headmaster's words. If they could have, they'd have leaped at him with the intention of tearing him apart limb from limb; they could only dream though, especially Saizō. Ever since he'd been brought it, the boy had been a ticking time bomb of hatred. He could explode, but there would be no force in his explosion, a fact that only further fueled the hatred within him.

"Where is he! Where the hell is Aono!" Shouted the orc, spit flying from his mouth. For the umpteenth time, he struggled against his restraints, and his body's own injury. Like the rest of his friends, mystical handcuffs constrained him to the hospital bed on which he lay. Unlike his three friends, even if those cuffs were removed, Saizō wasn't going to be getting back up, he'd never be able to get back up and stand on his own two feet. "Human!" He shouted again. "Aono, he's a fucking human! You hear me, he's a motherfucking human!"

Mikogami chuckled. "Yes, I heard you the first dozen times."

"Then do something about it!" Saizo shouted while trying to push his body upward only to fail. A jolt of pain raced through him causing him to bury his head back in the pillow and groan.

"He's a human on campus! That's against the fucking rules!" Atomu, the ox demon screamed. His left arm lay in a sling along with his left leg, between the drugs exercised out of his system and the sting of holy power, the two limbs were practically useless. They would heal, but it would take time. Now, the damage done to Atomu's dignity? That was a different story.

The priestly-looking man regarded the four boys chained to their beds in this private hospital room. As tempting as it would have been to simply throw them in the dungeons, all four were in need of medical treatment when they were picked up, especially Saizō. Mikogami had seen the reports of their wounds and he had to admit, he was impressed! Tsukune hadn't quite gone for the kill, but he'd been ruthlessly efficient in putting the four delinquents down, in Saizō's case, permanently. Had the blade that had severed his spine been a normal one, there might have been some hope, but it'd been one of blessed silver, the bane of monster kind. The damage done to him wasn't just physical, it was spiritual. Repairing it would take time and mystical care that Mikogami had absolutely no intention of providing the vile student with.

During his contemplation, the four hooligans had continued to shout at him. The deaf response only furthered their anger, not that Mikogami cared. He figured he could let them get it out…for a little while anyway.

A full two minutes of shouting and ranting passed before the Dark Lord decided that he'd let them vent enough. It was now time to make his displeasure known, and that he did.

Four mouths and four hearts froze as a blast of invisible malice pelted them. Eyes widened in fear, and remained frozen, partially out of a fear that if they blinked the malicious energy the headmaster was emitting would crush them like ants; they were ants, and the Headmaster had just raised his foot casting its shadow over them.

"Yes, Tsukune Aono is a human being…but this school's purpose is to foster the coexistence between their kind and ours. He has taken steps to doing that, you four on the other hand…" The exorcist's smile grew unapologetically vicious causing the four boys to flinch. "Saizō Komiya, Fuminori Furuya, Hisahito Kataoka, Michiaki Okawa, you four all have prior records, but what you attempted to do this afternoon has crossed a line. You assaulted and attempted to rape an academy teacher, and I'm sure if need be, you would have killed her. Such crimes will not go unpunished."

In spite of the malicious aura suffocating him and his friends, as well as his own new found crippled state, Saizō was able to find it in him to speak. Or more accurately, curse. "Bullshit! That's a load of bullshit, you fucking robe-wearing weirdo! That shit happens every fucking day at this school, but now you're choosing to call some one out on it, and us of all people!"

"Oh, and illegal usage of drugs while on campus! That's another charge worthy of expulsion!" Declared the hooded man with a hint of glee in his voice.

"Like hell! If you're going to expel us, you might as well expel Aono!" Shouted the crippled delinquent

"And why should I do that?" Mikogami asked with a cocked head.

By this point, everyone had lost track of how many times Saizō had tried to sit up only to fail thanks to his now severed spine. He was using the pain, both physical and emotional as fuel for his anger. "Because a human on campus breaks the fucking rules! It breaks it a helluva lot more than we have!"

"So you consider Tsukune's humanity a graver sin than your attempted gang rape of one of the faculty members?" Pressed the Headmaster.

By this point, Saizō's eyes were practically bulging with fury. Had he any Stix left in his system he might have had a chance of breaking his restraints. Spit flew from his mouth as he screamed in anger. "He's a mother-fucking-human!"

Mikogami's footsteps echoed across the room further paralyzing the four teenage boys with fear, including Saizō. His rage high reached the end of its run, alternatively, the fear in him finally won out as he realized exactly who it was he was yelling at. Fear quickly consumed his face as he began to quiver in fear.

In contrast, Mikogami's face was twisted in a murderous smile, his torch-like eyes blazing bright eliminating his grin. "Yes, he is a human, but he is a smart, capable human who's a thousand times more beneficial to Yōkai Academy than you four could ever hope to be." The orc's fearful expression grew meeker. Such a statement was yet another blow to his pride. "For that, he will remain at Yōkai Academy, and will likely go on to do great things. You four on the other hand…will be carrying out your education in a different place. One perfect for bottom-feeding scum like you lot. Especially you, Saizō."

Wicked laughter rung throughout the room, filling it like a crack of thunder. It was a miniature storm within the hospital room, and the four would-be-rapists were the hapless fools caught in the middle of it. They bore the brunt of it, eventually breaking down into whimpering as the demented laughter sunk into the very core of their beings. Saizō took the brunt of it as he was the focus.

He'd lost a bit of his pride on the first day of school, then he'd lost the rest of it this afternoon, all at the hand of the same person. That person had also taken his ability to walk. As of this moment, he'd also just lost his place at Yōkai Academy.

I…I…I fucking hate summer school. Thought the orc as his eyes began to fill up with tears.

---

Dining Hall, 3:03 PM…

"So, you really were dropped out of the sky yesterday morning." Gin stated after swallowing a bite of his sandwich.

"I'd take Kurumu over that any day." Tsukune gloomy stated.

"I'll make sure to tell her you said that." Winked the werewolf.

"Kurumu, that's the…succubus, right?" Questioned the group's sole blonde. Tsukune sheepishly nodded at her while Gin cackled. "When she…takes up, does she…" Placing her knife and fork down, she motioned with her hands. The human's face flushed red as she drew a circle in the air with his finger representing his head, then wrapped it up with both arms and pushed it against her chest.

"Yes, ye she does, almost on a daily basis." The three other boys spoke in unison before Tsukune could speak for himself. Scandalized, he looked to his right where Gin sat, then in front of him were Nikhil and Daiki were trying and failing to laugh their asses off.

"You must have…strong resistance." Audrey declared giving Tsukune a side smile.

"Resistance, yeah, I guess you can call it that." The human replied "I've got tons of it considering the crap that I go through on a daily basis."

"For what it's worth, you've managed pretty well on your own." Daiki offered. "No offense, but I always thought if not for your harem, you wouldn't last a week here."

Tsukune stared at the dark-haired brunette. It felt more than a little surreal to be sitting at a table where everyone knew his secret, and they were more or less okay with it. Beneath the lingering surprise was relief that he was thankful for.

"Well, if that was a bet, I wouldn't say you're wrong to bet on me getting killed or eaten by day three." He admitted. "Truth be told, I've always felt I've gotten…lucky." His shoulders tightened as the familiar anxiety nipped at him. "My luck running out, it's…something that I've always been scared about happening."

"Luck will only carry you so far. It's gotten you a good stretch, but you have to go the rest of the way on your own merit." Nikhil stated focusing his eyes on the human's. Tsukune could still remember the reptilian appearance that he'd taken earlier during the standoff with Kinmaru. The Indian student possessed an intensity about him Some of that intensity was there was he stared at him. "You got some grit and some skill to go with it, but you're going to need a lot more if you expect to make it to graduation. If you ally with Kinmaru, you may make it through…but it's going to-"

"What's the deal with him?" Tsukune cut off, somewhat heatedly. He looked between his three fellow males, all of whom clearly knew something he didn't, and that bugged him. Placing his hands flat on the table, he looked to Nikhil, Daiki, and Gin. They could all see the tension on his face and growing frustration in his eyes. "Look, guys, at least give me some info so I can know who it is that's taken an interest in me! Tell us so we can prepare ourselves!" His choice of words caused focus to shift to his left where Audrey sat. The banshee looked to, then back to the others and nodded in confirmation of his request. Neither of them were going to keep stumbling around in the absolute darkness.

All three looked to one another.

Nikhil met Tsukune's eyes, "He's one of the heirs to the Hirayama Clan, one of the strongest yakuza syndicates in this country."

Gin stabbed his spoon into his mashed potatoes. "They're a clan of oni, rumor is their origins go as far back as the Muromachi era."

A light bulb went off in the human's head. "What, did they come in along with the Ashikaga Shogunate?"

"Good to see you don't seem to be failing history." Daiki chuckled.

"Was Takauji Ashikaga secretly an oni? Did he have help from the oni in his war?" While a light bulb had been lit above Tsukune's head, a fire had sprung to life in Audrey's.

The werewolf threw up his hands. "Hey, hey, I don't know! That's the kind of ancient history you'll have to check the library or something for!" After a couple of bits, he was able to get back on track, his eyes focused like the rest of the group's. "I don't know the specifics, but they're an ancient and powerful clan. The Muromachi period was just when they really came into historical record, that we know of. Regardless, amongst the various monster clans throughout Japan's history, the Hirayama Clan has always stood near the top…at least until a couple of years ago, about…I'd say…thirteen, twelve years back. There was supposedly an attempted assassination on the clan's leadership. I don't know the specific details, but it was a bloody affair that the clan made it out of, albeit not without its wounds."

"The clan's previous leader, Tetsumaru, died from his injuries about two years ago. His remaining sons, Kinmaru and Asahi, have been vying for control of the clan. Neither of them are the kind of people you want to cross, especially Asashi." Nikhil twirled his orange atop a single finger, something that temporarily caught Tsukune's eye. He suddenly grabbed it and pointed his index finger directly at the brown-eyed boy. "Unfortunately, it seems Kinmaru's taken an interest in you, Tsukune."

He wore a face of resigned acceptance. "Lucky me, some criminal prince has eyes on me."

"Kind of sucks it's not a princess, then again, maybe your incredible luck continues." Gin offered with a grin. It remained as his best friend fixed him with a dry glare. "Hey, I'm just saying, with your luck, it could have happened."

"Don't remind me." Groaned the younger teen.

"So…he knows…you are…human-"

"He knows more than that, Audrey." Everyone sensed the shift in Tsukune, and saw it with their eyes. He wasn't sitting still; he was shaking with fear. Gin's eyes widened while Nikhil and Daiki's narrowed. It took the sixteen-year-old clasping his hands together for him to regain enough focus to explain himself. "When he…introduced himself, he…he…he knew information about me. About my family." Four eyes widened. "You guys, Kinmaru…he…I…"

"He has plans for you." It seemed Nikhil's eyes were seconds away from transforming again. He'd already extended one of his claws and had begun to use it to peel away and cut up his orange. "He did that to let him know he's watching you, and that he knows where to hit you to make you comply to his wishes. That's Kinmaru's style, unlike most oni, he's…"

"Your typical oni is mostly like everything you'd read about in the stories," Picked up Indian student's compatriot. His demeanor was more lax, but it was a cover to hide how serious he was also taking the discussion. "Kinmaru on the other hand, prefers subtly; it's one of the traits that makes him so damn dangerous. The guy's got a brain and he's not shy about using it, or combining it with a little muscle." Daiki's eyes moved over Tsukune's now still but sweating form. "Another thing about him is…he's not an anti-human bigot, guy doesn't even mind having half-breeds in his crew."

"It's one thing I'll begrudgingly say about him-he values ability over things like race." Admitted the brown-skinned student as he finished slicing up his orange. "The guy knows how to sniff out talent and cultivate it, or as he calls it, 'shine it up'. True to his name, he likes making comparisons to gold, referring to certain individuals as golden eggs. Seems like he thinks you're one of them, Tsukune."

"I had to judge your worth, and like I thought, you're a golden egg." Every time he thought of that conversation, especially that statement, Tsukune became riddled with confusion. Now, some of that confusion was starting to dissipate. "He said something to that effect when we met, and right before he gave me this…knife."

"He's been watching you, probably since school started." Gin theorized. "Odds are he's also likely known that you were a human." He met the male brunette's gaze with a shrug. "When you really stop and pay attention, it's…kind of easy to deduce that you're human."

"What…matters is…afterward. Your human…nature, he sees it as…useful." Audrey added. She was completely right as that's what Kinmaru had all but implied. Without warning, the British girl seized Tsukune's hand in a tight squeeze. "Do not worry, Tsukune. As your friend, I'll…" Briefly letting go, she broke out her notepad and scribbled on it. Tsukune smiled at it while the rest of the boys looked on with curiosity. Minutes later she revealed her sketch. "I'll protect you!"

Nikhil exploded into laughter as he laid eyes on the sketch, Daiki stared at it with slightly widened eyes as did Gin. All things considered, the sketch was pretty impressive, depicting the English girl in her banshee form standing before a trembling Tsukune. She'd even illustrated her deathly screeches being projected from her mouth along with tiny skull and cross bones.

As for Tsukune himself, he felt his heart genuinely twinkle at the sketch, yet at the same time he felt it ache a little. "Thanks, Audrey, that means a lot."

"Hey, hey, are you leaving out your roommate and best buddy? I've got your back too!" Declared the werewolf wrapping his arm around him. "Oh, and the girls too when school starts back up again. You know they'll definitely have your back!"

The Indian student had leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, observing the friendship display with a smile. That dream of yours, Headmaster, I'd say maybe you chose the right vessel. That said… Nikhil had watched Tsukune as Audrey and Gin spoke. Though he was assured by their declarations of protections, those same declarations caused his face to grow heavy with sorrow, even if it was only temporary. His focused eyes accidentally met Tsukune's; he made it clear he'd noticed his quiet sorrow-he let him know he knew the root cause of it.

Not that he was going to say it aloud, not when they had company like this. "I originally came looking for you to tell you that your dorm's been repaired. You can move back in tonight." Tsukune and Gin shared a look between the two of them. "Tsukune, do you remember that…ahem, thing we discussed?"

"Thing?" Gin repeated looking to his human friend.

"A security system, something to keep out intruders." He answered.

"You know Mizore's not going to like that, right?" Gin retorted with a slight grin.

Tsukune shrugged. "I know she won't…but this is about my safety, my survival." Answered back the male brunette with hardened eyes. "It's…something that I think I need to start taking into my own hands, especially after today."

Nikhil saw his opportunity and pounced on it like the serpent within him. "How far are you prepared to take that?"

Swerving his eyes to him, Tsukune responded to the question with dead certainty. "As far as I have to if it means staying alive. Particularly…if it means learning how to use this." For the first time since they got to the dining hall, Tsukune raised his knife, still sheathed. All eyes went to it, then back to Tsukune. "I need to learn how to use this thing, properly. I'm going to need more than just this one knife…probably a lot more. If I have to build it with my hands, so be it." As he intended, his words caused Nikhil and Daiki's eyes to widen. Looking to the side, he saw Audrey's brow had risen as well. Tsukune looked back at his knife, his hands trembling as they were balled into fists. "Ultimately, I'm…even if I'm just a normal human, I'm going to have to learn how to fight. I know humans can slay monsters, and I…"

"Would you be willing to learn how to do that?" Nikhil again questioned with a glow in his eyes.

"Yes." Came the human's immediate response. His heartbeat frantically beat in his chest as he stared into the eyes of the Indian student. "Nikhil, would you-"

Whosh!

"Come on, dude, we talked about this." Groaned the long-haired male student.

"What can I say, Daiki." Replied the snake-eyed boy. "Tsukune was talking a big game, I had to see if he was serious."

It was a good thing he'd grown used to Yōkai's insanity, otherwise he might have panicked at having a spear whipped out of nowhere and pointed at his face. The blade was mere inches from his cheek, yet he didn't feel like panicking; Tsukune was calm as he stared back into Nikhil's serpentine eyes.

"Woah, this is turning into one hell of an afternoon lunch." Gin mused feeling his heartbeat begun to subside. Casting a glance at Audrey, he saw she too was relaxing. "Geez, Nikhil, dramatic much?"

There was a shrug, but the spear-wielder kept his focus on the human who'd captivated his attention. His face possessed the calmness that Nikhil had been looking for.

With a grin, he dismissed the spear in a haze of blue light.

"That." Suddenly spoke human. "I want, no, I need to learn how to do that with my knife."

"Weapon summoning? I could probably teach you that this after-"

"I'll do it. I'll go clear my afternoon with Miss Ririko then meet you wherever you want so you can train me." There was a brief pause as Tsukune's mind caught back up with his mouth and his emotions. His chest tight, he bowed his head toward the dark-skinned boy. "Please, Nikhil, would you train me?"

Smirking, he answered, "After all I've seen today, yeah, I'll help you out in keeping you alive." He quietly waited for Tsukune to question his motives, but he never did. Snake eyes flickering to Gin, he silently asked if he would, but the werewolf didn't take the bait either.

"Um, that's great and all, but what are we supposed to do?" Daiki spoke up. "No offense, but it kind of feels like you two are carving out some private time and leaving us on our own."

Nikhil ribbed his friend. "Last I checked, you love your free time, including making play time out of what's supposed to be study time." The near redhead hung his head low in defeat giving the Indian student a chance to laugh.

"How's about we…inv…investi…investigate?" Simultaneously, the four boys looked to the sole female member of their group. While the conversation regarding Tsukune and Nikhil's training had been going on, she'd been jotting something down on her notepad, again. She held it up allowing the four to see what was undoubtedly a detective diagram. "Stix…Safety Commission, lots of things happening…we could…snoop around."

"Oh, hell yeah! Now that's how we're going to spend the next two days!" Proclaimed the group werewolf.

"While making some time to peek on girls." Tsukune drily added.

"Guess that means either me or Audrey will be the ones tailing Keito if she's still around.

Gin made a face while Tsukune and Audrey looked to him for further information.

"Spider woman." Audrey's eyes widened. "No, no, not that one! She's a jorōgumo, a spider woman monster! Then again, I think she might have split along with a majority of the student body, though if Kuyō called her back, she'd come crawling."

"Sounds like a little recon is an order." Nikhil mused.

Audrey wrinkled her nose. "Detective work sounds better."

"I'm with her on that one. Damn, who knew summer school would turn out to be this exciting!" Gin laughed.

"Yeah, but we gotta make sure we live past the school part to actually enjoy summer. I seriously don't want this mess eating up my summer vacation more so than it already has. I had places to be." Daiki sighed. It seemed that the feline-eyed boy was in the same boat as the rest of them.

Except Nikhil. "Seriously, that one is on you. All you had to do was put that stupid controller down, but no, you just had to keep on playing."

Slamming his fist down in comedic anger, the long-haired boy screeched, "You'd understand if you had a record to uphold!"

Nikhil fixed him with a dry stare. "I do have such things, but they don't include getting so worked up over some stupid multiplayer scoring that's likely to change by the end of the day."

"My rank was stolen from me, I had to get it back!" Cried the spiky-haired student.

While the other side watched the argument in amusement, Audrey seemed to focus and hone in on the conversation. She listened intently as the two boys across from her argued back and forth. "What game?" She asked in perfect Japanese. Her voice came as such a surprise it caused everyone to turn to her in shock. "What game?" Audrey repeated again.

"Killzone 2." Daiki responded.

For a minute, Audrey said nothing as she leaned back into her seat. Her face was one of contemplation, deep contemplation. "Your Class…was it…" Suddenly, she leaned forward, her blue eyes narrowing on Daiki. "Assault?"

"Yeah, why?"

A smug grin spread across the blonde's face as she leaned back in her seat, arms triumphantly crossed across her chest. "Tactician is better."

Daiki's eyes rose, then narrowed. "Yeeeah, no, only if you want to play some long game and spend all your time playing defense and support."

The British girl's grin was one of audacity that left the other three boys at the table reeling. Exactly what was awakening within the banshee?! "Someone doesn't like drones, do they?"

"Damn right I don't!" Daiki shouted back, an angry tick mark on his forehead. What came next was the rant of a gamer who'd been killed too many times by remote weaponry.

"They're…holy shit, they're two freakin' game nerds." Gin whispered in shock at what he was witnessing. His gaze shifted to Tsukune and Nikhil. "Guys, are you seriously going to leave me with these two?!"

"Hey, maybe you'll get lucky and the conversation will turn to a game like Dead or Alive, then maybe you'll be able to enjoy the conversation." Tsukune offered with a grin.

Gin groaned. "Guy's gotta hope! If Daiki's got those sorts of games, I'm open for a game night."

"Urgh, how's about we get back to the subject at hand." Nikhil groan. "Hey, you two! Save it for dinner! Remember, you have jobs to do!"

Both bickering gamers snapped to attention, again it was Audrey who became the focus of attention. She clenched her fist and smiled back at the group. "I'll channel the…inner phantom detective in me! Literally!" A demonstration followed the Brit's body glowed with a ghostly white light that came with a chill that rolled over the table. The fist she'd held up glowed a translucent white, she thrusted that hand toward the table, and it went straight through it. Tsukune gasped while Gin and Daiki whistled in awe. Nikhil smirked and nodded at her. Grinning, the European girl turned to Tsukune, at the last second the boy realized what she was about to do and tried to stop her.

Mercifully, she stopped at a light tap on the cheek, or it would have been a tap if her hand were in physical form.

"T-T-Thanks, Audrey." He spoke as his heart rate began to climb back down after beginning to pick back up. "T-That's a pretty cool ability, one that could come in handy."

"Good practice for me." She admitted. "I can't do…full body intangibility, but I am…getting there."

"Right then, we know the game plan for the rest of the day." Gin declared clapping his hands together. "So, anyone up for some ice-cream? I hear they've decided to break some of that out early."

---

Miss Ririko's Classroom, 4:01 PM…

"Thanks for coming, Tsukune." Applauded the busty brunette with a casual smile that was mirrored on the sixteen-year-old's face.

"Hey, you're my math teacher and my tutor, plus I…um, wanted to make doubly sure you were alright." On the surface, she seemed to be. At some point, she'd gotten a new set of clothes and switched into them. She'd also thrown on some perfume which he caught a whiff of. It smelled like strawberry. He felt that her choice of dark blue jeans wasn't just a decision to shake up her daily appearance. She'd yet to done on another slap of lipstick leaving the only red on her in the form of a nice blouse; she'd gotten a new pair of glasses through which she stared back at him.

Once again, the classroom was empty save for the two of them, sunlight and summer air rushing in through the slightly cracked window. That wind caressed the two as they stood across from each other, Tsukune leaning against one of the front desks and Miss Ririko against hers.

"Thanks for your continued concern, Tsukune, but I'm going to be fine." She declared; her eyes then grew heavy as they focused on him. "It's…you I'm actually more worried about."

A surprisingly humorous laugh fell from the human's lips. "Yeah, I figured that. I spewed a lot of hot air today." His hands fell against the edge of the desk as he focused on his gaze on the floor. "I was just…I guess I had so much inside of me. When I screamed at the Headmaster I just…I couldn't stop, a part of me didn't want to stop. All the frustrations I've had with the school, I just…let it all out, at probably the last person I should have."

"Actually, I'd say it was quite the contrary, Tsukune." Softly retorted the lamia. "In any school, the principal is the ultimate authority, not to mention the one who ultimately accepts responsibility for the school's short-comings and its achievements. Headmaster Mikogami knows this, but like I said…he has his…way of doing things." She paused and smiled at him, he smiled back. Not only was he taking her word for it, but he seemed to have recognized that Headmaster's unique brand of leadership on his own. That said, he was still right to criticize it.

"How long has he been the school's headmaster? How old is Yōkai Academy anyway?" Questioned the human teenager. "Did the school start with him?"

"Yes, it did. I can't tell you the whole story, but I can tell you that he is the school's founder and its first principal."

"You mean he's been its only principal." Tsukune interjected.

He's getting snappier. Thought the lamia with some amusement. "That's a fair interpretation. As for your second question, the school is one-hundred-and eight years old. It was founded after the chaos of the Meiji revolution finally died down and he was able to secure the support he needed to build and run Yōkai Academy." She saw a flash of curiosity in his eyes, her words having clearly enticed him. "While the school's faced its number of potential calamities, the time during the Pacific War in particular being a near catastrophe."

"Did the school get involved in World War II?" Immediately fired off the teenager.

Ririko was somewhat taken back by his question. Tsukune, does your family have history with the Second World War? Did your ancestors witness something that they shouldn't have? "No, but there were some who…tried. Most humans don't know this, but the World Wars had just as much of an impact on monsters as they did on humans. The Headmaster endeavored to keep the school neutral, believing no good would come of it, especially given who was running the imperial government." For a fraction of a second, his eyes widened, no doubt from the image of the military junta getting their hands on the supernatural powers of the world of monsters. It wasn't a pretty image. "The Headmaster has navigated the school through such crises…but such past accomplishments do not excuse the way the academy has slipped in these past few years. As they are, the school can't continue like this if it expects to reach its goal of coexistence."

A heavy sigh was expunged from the teenager's lips. He whole-heartedly agreed with that statement…but what good was just that agreement? Deep within him, he found himself asking a simple question-what could be done to make the school better? First and foremost, he thought about the Safety Commission, one way or another they had to go. It wouldn't solve all the school's problems, but things would improve without their tyranny suffocating everyone. Then there was this mysterious drug, Stix, and its distributors…something had to be done about them.

Ririko wished that Tsukune could have seen himself at that moment, she wished that others could have seen him. Though they'd been separated by walls, she'd heard a majority of what Tsukune had said to the Headmaster. His aggression wasn't just motivated by his own trauma, but by the trauma he'd seen others experience, including those who'd tried to do him harm. On top of that, he was likely thinking of future students, including human students who'd fumble his way to Yōkai like him. All things considered, Tsukune was doing better than most of his predecessors, especially his immediate one.

"Miss Ririko?"

"Hm? Yes, Tsukune?" she blinked.

"Um, I…I'm going to…Nikhil Kothari, he's going to…train me. As in…combat train me." He admitted, his fingers gripping and relaxing off the edge of the desk. "So I'm going to be…"

"Occupied for the rest of the day." She finished. It was her turn to sigh, though at the end of it was an understanding smile. "Tsukune, I understand. As much as I'll tell you passing your retakes is important, you have to survive to take them, not to mention you're going to have to survive when school starts back up again in the fall. Learning how to defend yourself…that takes precedence." Ririko allowed the teenager to bask in relief for a few seconds. He had a right to it, plus, she found his relieved face cute to behold. "But," she started causing him to freeze up. "As your teacher, I'm not going to let you entirely forget about your studies. You'll show up tomorrow at my class at eight o'clock with everyone else. Once class ends, you can go off to train, but I'll be expecting you at our private place by five o'clock." Winking at him, she added, "Don't worry, I won't erase all the training you learned with mathematics. I'm trusting your brain will be able to have two sets of lessons engrained into it."

"It better be, or else I won't be lasting long." He laughed. Several months ago, the thought of balancing out his math studies with combat training would have terrified him. Now, he felt a calm confidence in himself to do so. Matter of fact, Tsukune felt something within him that felt a lot like excitement. He recalled his earlier words and felt that excitement pulsate through him.

Ah, that's the beauty of learning to live on the wild side. Feels good, doesn't it?

Tsukune was reluctant to respond to the voice. To take his mind off it, he looked at what his teacher was doing. Apparently, she'd been preparing for this. She had a collection of papers in her hands; Tsukune realized that he was more than likely going to be getting homework. He could feel a knot forming in his stomach, then unwinding as acceptance took hold of him. It actually made a large amount of sense considering who he was dealing with; in a way, it showed Miss Ririko's dedication to teaching him. He appreciated it.

"When you get the chance to, stop by the library and check out these books. Trust me, they'll come in handy." Declared the busty brunette pushing two folders into his hands. "Now, get going, you're going to need every second of training that you can get."

"Definitely." A dim frown covered the teenager's face as he took the folders and placed them in his bag. "I…um, guess I'll…see you tomorrow, Miss Ririko." As expected of a kind youg man like him, he bowed in gratitude.

He seemed hesitant to say goodbye to her; the feeling was mutual. Though she accepted that he had to go, there was a part of Ririko that was reluctant to see him leave. Interestingly, the concept of teaching him was only half of her longing. Could it be that she…simply wanted to talk with him? Talk as they had done earlier today? The realization dawned on Ririko as her student slowly began to walk toward the door.

"Tsukune!" She yelled. He spun around and faced her, all his attention on her as he repeated her name. Just let it go, Ririko, just let it…let it… It would have helped if she looked away from him, but Ririko didn't. Each individual heartbeat an echo in her ear, she walked forward, her low heels clicking against the floor. The human said and did nothing but breath as she closed the distance between them. Just…oh, dammit! Where's the harm in it! It's not like I haven't done this before!

A hush rushed past the human's lips as his head was titled by the hand of the lamia. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his right cheek.

It was over as soon as it began, just a quick peek on the cheek that likely would have gone down as miniscule were it not for a certain set of factors.

Not that Tsukune was thinking about any of those factors at the moment. He wasn't thinking about his impeding training, the maelstrom of a day he'd just had or even the four female friends who all had the hots for him, and likely would have exploded at the intimate act that his math teacher had just performed on him. Said act was what his mind was focused on.

Though it lasted for maybe ten seconds, those seconds stretched on ad infinitum in Tsukune's mind.

"Thanks again for…rescuing me." Spoke the mathematician. It was a blessing that Tsukune was seemingly too stunned to notice anything around him, otherwise he'd have seen the light pink tint on her cheeks. On top of that, it was a good thing that no one else was around as what she just did would have ignited a firestorm.

He blinked, seemingly his daze ending. "Y-Y-Y-Yo-Yo-You-You're w-w-w-w-w-welcome, M-M-M-M-Miss Ririko."

How he didn't trip over his feet, Tsukune would spend the rest of the day wondering. He'd also spend the rest of the day putting his hand to his cheek, the residual heat of Miss Ririko's kiss lingering on his face.

It felt incredible, she had felt incredible.

Likewise, the serpentine monster woman would spend several minutes back in her classroom trying to calm her frantically racing heart. And trying to drive out images of what would have happened if she hadn't kissed her student on the cheek. She spent that time pushing down the impulse to drag him back and kiss him on the lips.

Holy crap! Teacher and student repeated in separate but united awe.

---

Big things start small, huh? To be honest with all of you, that last scene originally wasn't supposed to end in a peek on the cheek, but as I got down to the final portion of this chapter, I fingered it felt like a natural fit. By this point, Tsukune and Ririko are experiencing some attraction to each other, genuine attraction mind you. It's only going to grow from there, folks. It's going to be one hell of a wild ride I can assure you of that.

This chapter was partially built around a headcanon that I've always had-some residents of the school know Tsukune's a human. Much like in the first chapter with Ririko, when you stop and examine Tsukune's mannerisms and actions, anyone with half a brain would be able to tell Tsukune's a human, but the interesting thing is what comes afterward-how they react to that knowledge and what they do with it. There are those who are anti-human bigots and would just rat him out or try to kill him…then there are those who won't for whatever reason. As this chapter showed, Tsukune's humanity is kind of an open secret that everyone takes and moves on with, albeit some are willing to bring it up and even use it for their own personal reasons. Mikogami and Kinmaru fall into that category, albeit on opposite ends of the moral spectrum, heh, mostly.

While Mikogami is certainly the Big Good of the RV verse, his methods leave much to be desired, which I decided to write somewhat realistically here. Tsukune's rant was a long time coming and the natural result of having to survive at a school where order seems to mean as leaves underneath your shoe. Now, of course some of this is for story purposes as if Yōkai Academy were run like a semi-ordinary school (as normally as you could run a school for monsters), there wouldn't be much of a story, at least for the series' first half, would there? That said, in-universe, I wanted to show how stressful and insufficiently the school is run, and it's not a sentiment that only Tsukune has. As I'm sure some of you have figured out, Mikogami is well aware of this…and does believe things need to change, he's just banking on a certain someone being there to bring about that change. In his own way, he's helping Tsukune along by giving him the desire to change things himself, to me, that's what a trickster mentor does.

It was nice writing more Tsukune/Ririko goodness following all of that. Yes, he had his little freak out from the fact that his humanity has essentially been outed, not knowing he's got nothing to worry about from Mikogami. Following that, it was great writing Tsukune paling around with his…I guess you can call them the Summer School Brigade, or something. Opposite of them, I was able to show a little more of Kinmaru and his gang.

Oni are some of my favorite mythological monsters and this story gives me the chance to give them some spotlight since the original series didn't give them as a race too much attention (aside from perhaps a chainsaw-wielding loli). They're going to be primarily explored through the now named Hirayama Clan, whose background I teased this chapter with more info coming as Tsukune gets more wrapped up in Kinmaru's schemes. Yeah, Gin and Nikhil's pleas sadly won't be going as far as they hoped, though it's not Tsukune's fault he's taken an interest in him. Regarding the latter, this chapter I was able to show more of him and introduce Daiki, another friend of his…and gamer rival to Audrey.

Since this story is set in 2010, I'm going to have a little bit of fun with real-world events that are going on and what was around. 2010 had some real gems that I'm going to enjoy revisiting through this story's now two gaming nerds.

This chapter officially touched upon one of the central themes of this story, survival. Much was made about Tsukune finally taking steps to safeguard his survival, even if it means stepping on a few toes. Such is going to be a constant theme-what are you willing to do to survive? How do you survive? And what could potentially lie at the end of survival and what will you endure to make it through? Tsukune's started down the path, though he won't be the only one. As things start heating up, various characters are going to be faced with the same question.

That's all for now. Next chapter we'll see the return of some more actions since I'll be showing Nikhil starting Tsukune's training. Oh, and yes, his monster form will be revealed. I feel like I've dropped some hints as to what it could be, but for any of you with guesses, you'll have to wait until next chapter to see if they're right. Until then, stay safe and healthy, everyone!