Interlude – "Do you understand now, Tsukune-kun?"

Several days had passed since the incident with Komiya Saizou.

Moka was fine and recovered peacefully in the infirmary under the care of the nurse Tsumugi. The vampire was just a little anemic after exerting herself, but after drinking a bit of Kurumu's blood, she felt better and could leave. She wanted a bit of distance from the two of them – not forever, just for now, so she could go over her feelings. She was back in class, but Tsukune had yet to speak to her outside of cursory greetings, and they hadn't eaten lunch together in a while.

Saizou was also dropped off in the infirmary by someone, but took much longer to recover and disappeared from class afterwards. Tsukune couldn't say he would miss the guy, though he was a bit curious about where he ran off to. It'd be bad if he came back for revenge against them.

He and Kurumu were still hanging out.

But right now, he was alone, walking in the woods. There was a cool fog blanketing the trees, and he wanted to take a break from homework anyway. Stretching and yawning, he kept an attentive ear out, but it seemed he was truly alone.

At least, until he heard a snapping branch and someone's short shout.

He ran over to where the thought the shout was coming from, but there was no one to be seen. It sounded familiar… oh well, guess it was…

"Tsukune-kun~!"

Tsukune's thoughts were interrupted by softness and then weight collapsing onto his back, knocking him to the ground. He didn't have to look up to know it was Kurumu – her voice was familiar to him now. And unlike the previous few times she did this, he had enough sense not to turn around and get a full face of her chest.

"Oh no~, Tsukune-kun, are you alright~?" Kurumu asked with feigned concern. She rolled off his back, but held onto him so that now he was on top of her, his head resting on her chest. "You should be careful walking around in the woods… you never know what kind of dangerous youkai are running around, hahaha~!" She was looking down at him as she said this, and winked.

He gave a half-hearted chuckle. "And who would that be exactly, Kurumu-chan?"

"Me, silly!" The two laughed, Kurumu's much more sincere sounding than Tsukune's. Their laughter died down, Kurumu still cheerful and Tsukune still pensive. She noticed and asked: "Ummm… Tsukune-kun? Are you… thinking about what happened with Moka-san still?"

Tsukune nodded, looking forward at the trees. He answered: "Yeah… I guess I should be just glad that all hope isn't lost. It'd be bad to lose her friendship forever. It'd be almost as bad as losing yours!" He chuckled, feeling secure that such a thing would never happen, and was surprised when Kurumu didn't join in. He looked up to face her, and saw her face was bright red. Instead of her normal boisterousness, she was stuttering something softly.

"Kurumu-chan?" he asked in concern. "Are you-"

"Ummm…" She interrupted him. More unusually, she pushed him away, forcing him to sit up properly. She was doing the same now, and went on: "Um… Tsukune-kun, that's… I… what… what do you really think of me?" Her blush deepened and she was pointedly avoiding his eyes.

He stared at her for a moment, not really getting why she had asked this. Hadn't he already said he valued her friendship? But then he recalled her self-imposed mission of destined true love. His face turned bright red as well, as he realized she was asking if he liked her. And in truth?

He did.

But probably not in the way she was hoping…

He chuckled nervously, but answered honestly. "I like being around you, Kurumu-chan… but if you're looking for love at first sight or whatever, I don't really believe in that kind of thing…"

Kurumu glanced at him. "Oh." She then visibly relaxed, her intense blush fading. "Okay, that's fine!" She then giggled cheerfully. "A 'Destined One' doesn't mean the same as 'love at first sight', though. Don't think you've gotten rid of me, just yet~!" She stuck her tongue out at him.

He relaxed too. "I'm not trying to get rid of you though…"

"Great! I'm glad that the cute Moka-san hasn't infected your brain like what happened with pretty much all the other guys. Otherwise, I might've had to charm you!" She then laughed.

He joined in at first. "Yeah, that would be…" He then paused. "Wait, what?"

Kurumu stared curiously at Tsukune. "Eh? Didn't you hear me, Tsukune-kun? I said it doesn't matter if it's 'love at first sight' or not…"

"No, I heard that part clearly… I meant the stuff after."

"Oh. Ummm…" Kurumu, flustered, looked away from Tsukune. "I said that part out loud? Oops… Can you please forget I said that? Ehehehe…"

"No." Tsukune said firmly. "And now I want details. What's going on with you and Moka-san? And did you really just say that you would have forced me to make me fall in love with you?"

"…No…."

Tsukune glared at her. She squirmed in discomfort.

"…Maybe… Look, I can explain!"

"Then start."

"…alright…" She then sighed, and leaned back against one of the nearby trees. Kurumu beckoned Tsukune towards her, but he remained firmly seated in place with arms crossed. Frowning, she continued: "So, you remember Moka-san's other form, right?"

Tsukune didn't think he'd ever forget that awe-inspiring persona, and said as much to Kurumu.

"And that's the problem!" she exclaimed, sulking and glaring up at the sky. "I need to find my 'Destined One'! I can't let all the guy's attention be suddenly drawn away by anyone, not even Moka-san's… alluring… alter ego. So… I might have started using my powers to ummm… persuade some of the guys I was chasing to think of me instead of her other self."

"Kurumu-chan…"

"What!?" she yelled at him, now facing him and returning his accusing glare. Tsukune almost fell backwards in shock, but she ignored that and kept on her rant. "What would you have me do? I can't accept this! I need to find my 'Destined One', no matter what it takes or what I have to do. It's my destiny! It's what I want! You don't understand how I feel at all, Tsukune-kun!"

The only sounds present now were nature's ambiance and Kurumu's heavy breathing. She had been leaning towards Tsukune, and returned to reclining against the tree with a loud thump.

Tsukune wasn't sure what to say in response. She was right, of course; he didn't understand how she felt. He wasn't much of a believer in fate, destiny, or 'true love'. He was certainly willing to support her in her efforts, whoever her choice ended up being. But forced love? Mind control? He couldn't accept those methods, especially not when they could be turned on him.

He stood up, walked towards her, and sat down in front of her. She pointedly looked away.

"…Kurumu-chan."

"Yes?"

"…I'm sorry. You're right."

She raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing and didn't look at him.

He continued: "I don't get it. I don't really understand why you did what you did. But I have to ask… would you really be satisfied if controlling men was the only way for you to win?"

"…No…" She sighed, and finally turned to him, still with a frown. "But what else is there?"

"Well…" he thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. I can't answer that for you."

The two were quiet for a moment, both looking down at the ground between them.

Tsukune spoke up first, asking her a question. "Why do you want to find your 'Destined One'?"

The breeze picked up, blowing through the branches, clearing the fog.

She answered without looking at him, a light blush on her face. "I want to believe in that kind of destiny. A future where my perfect match and I can live out the rest of our lives together… you know, I don't know who my father is. It could be one of… twenty guys, I think? I don't quite remember and I've never met any of them anyway. I thought that was normal, and I guess it is for us. I was raised by my mom and by the other succubi and incubi in the human town where we lived in secret. And they told me about that story, and that for some of them it had come true. I think my mom either gave up on finding hers or never believed... but… I want to show her that such a fate really is possible. So, I want to find my true love for both of our sakes. And I've been searching around ever since, hopping between human schools and scouting out hidden youkai."

Kurumu glanced at Tsukune. "Do you understand now, Tsukune-kun?"

He was staring at her in rapt attention, and had been nodding along as she was talking. And now he answered. "I think I do… but then, I have to wonder if it's really true love if you need to…" He paused, and looked away from her. "…well, you know. And if they would abandon you so easily for Moka-san, could they really be destined for you? It's hard to believe they would be…"

Kurumu blinked. She pursed her lips in thought, and brought a finger to them too. Hmmm… he has a point there… she thought. My 'Destined One' and I should be drawn to each other. So, if he really was one of those guys fawning over Moka-san, then he should come back to me? Maybe? I don't know how this works. But… She sighed. I need to do this without my powers. Like I was planning from the start until I got into a panic… good thing they won't remember what I did. Having come to a decision, she looked straight-on at Tsukune with a pleased smile.

"Kurumu-chan?"

"Hehehe… thanks, Tsukune-kun! You're a big help!"

"Eh…?" He bashfully rubbed the back of his head. "Am I…? I didn't even notice anything…"

"That's because I was hiding it… sorry about that."

He shook his head. "No, I should be apologizing to you."

The two insisted at each other that they were the ones in the wrong and that the other person wasn't at fault at all. Getting nowhere, they agreed to just forgive the other and that was that. Kurumu closed her eyes, breathed in, and released the hold she was holding over certain minds with her next exhale. She felt a burden lift from her own shoulders just the same.

The mood now peaceful once more, Tsukune stood up, stretched, and was about to walk away… except that a now also standing Kurumu was holding onto his hand, preventing him from doing so. Even though she was much stronger than him, her pressure was as gentle as it was firm.

He turned to face her. "Something on your mind?"

"I've been… searching for a long time. These aren't the first guys I've used my powers on. Knowing that… do you still… want to be friends?" she asked with palpable hesitation.

There was only one answer for Tsukune, who smiled at her. "Of course! I just can't see you as a bad girl at heart." He chuckled, and was about to keep talking, but was interrupted by a tackle-hug from an ecstatic and grateful Kurumu. She was thanking him ("so much~!") as they crashed down. The two were now back on the ground, Kurumu's head resting on Tsukune's chest.

They lay there for a few moments in a comfortable, relaxed silence.

Kurumu spoke up first. "Tsukune-kun?"

"Hm?"

"Do you believe in true love?"

"…can't say I've really thought about it."

Kurumu chuckled. That was a familiar refrain, from both humans and youkai. But… this feels different, she thought to herself, looking at him with warmth in her sparkling eyes, much to his confusion. Tsukune-kun is… different. So far, she had been chasing hunches that went nowhere or had to repel the advances of the overly lustful. But there was a spark she felt when the two of them first met – a small one, maybe, but that was already better than most youkai, let alone the humans she had previously encountered. And she noticed over time, as they were around each other, it had started to grow within her, fed by the fuel of their close contact. And the best part?

As a being in touch with emotions, she could feel within Tsukune a reflection of the same flame.

It required a bit of fanning on her part at first, but… unconsciously, at some point, he had joined in too. Things relaxed and became more natural. She had long suspected he was human (he smelled wrong, for one), and was not very surprised to learn that she didn't care all that much that he was when he admitted to the truth. Maybe… is it too early? She had no idea how this part worked.

It's supposed to be intuitive… it's a feeling… go with your burning desires…

She then realized she must have been making faces at Tsukune, because he was giving her an odd look. She chuckled, and said only that he should think about it more before she…

Is she… trying to kiss me!? Tsukune asked himself. He panicked, not sure how to react. He wasn't ready for this. It was far too soon! Wait… did that mean… there's really a part of me that wants to kiss Kurumu-chan, isn't there? I can feel a little flame inside me, burning, growing… He wondered how long it had been there, as he drew in closer too, closing his eyes.

A succubus's kiss was dangerous to anyone who suffered it, for it could be used to control minds. But not in all cases. It was possible to break through with a strong enough will. And it would not affect at all those bound to the succubus by 'true love' and 'destiny'.

Kurumu drew still, opened her eyes, and saw that Tsukune was willing to take that risk. She chuckled, a heavy blush on her face, and put a finger to Tsukune's lips. The confused boy opened his eyes as Kurumu spoke: "Now now, Tsukune-kun… you have to be careful around us youkai, remember? You never know what kind of danger we could put you in, hahaha~!"

She turned away from him, still blushing. "But… I guess it's not so bad, that you're so open. It's what I like about you after all…" She then got up, and offered him a hand up, which he accepted. The two stood close together, eyes locked, hand in hand, until Tsukune started to feel his hand go numb from Kurumu's intensifying sweaty grip and pointed that out to the succubus.

She practically flung his hand away in embarrassment, and turned away from him. With a flimsy excuse of having homework to do, she excused herself before she could do anything to ruin the moment. But she left secure in knowledge that maybe, just maybe, she was done searching.

And as for Tsukune?

He still wasn't a believer in destiny, but… it'd be nice if it worked out between the two of them, he thought. He needed her support, and hoped he could also help her. Was this the way to do so? How did he really feel about her, both as herself and as a youkai? So many new questions…

Now with a lot more to think about, he slowly made his way back to his dorm.