Disclaimer: I own nothing of the properties within this story and all right rights go to the creators and companies of said properties

Beta by: MoltenCrystal and Slothful

Chapter 3: A cute cat falls into my lap and brings me a monster

I finally found one thing that I don't care much for in my new life. Going back to school, but at least it was college. As much as I would rather be using my time for something to advance towards my end goals, it is something I need to do. People might not accept me as their king and pseudo-god if I don't show that I have some brains with my brawns. And dropping out of college will undoubtedly get my parents' attention and probably would cost me my tutoring gig with Sakura.

Besides, it isn't all that bad. Just a couple of morning classes and no late night classes, I'm normally done with classes before lunch for most people. And most of the classes Shin had left before I took over are intro classes needed to get the other requirements to graduate. Meaning that classes don't need too much effort.

Though… there was one thing surprising about my class. I look across the row that I'm seating in and see a handsome black hair man with stunning blue eyes and several girls were giving him a loving gaze, though he himself doesn't care for them. And the most annoying person that I can think of. Mamoru Chiba, the reincarnation of Prince Endymion and Tuxedo Kamen. The one man that can ruin my plans to add the Sailor Scouts into my harem, especially Usagi. I remember how I and a few people argued about how Usagi and Mamoru were destined to be together until someone brought up the theory of Usagi was slowly being erased and replaced with Princess Serenity. It would explain why in the future Usagi changed her name to Neo Queen Serenity and Mamoru to King Endymion, who you would expect to keep the name his dead parents give him. The two were slowly wiped away when they learned about their past lives.

Kind of sad when you think of it like that.

But it doesn't make me petty Mamoru enough not to do this. During the period of the class, I realized that I only need to have Mamoru protect Usagi once to unlock the Silver Crystal and not have them fall for each other. So, I'm going to give an excuse to go on a vacation and not wear the tux.

Using my slime form to turn my leg into a slowly moving gel that slid toward where Mamoru was seating, but I wasn't aiming directly at him. I'm aiming for the floor as I coat the area with the slime and quickly turn it to the same look as the floor. Thankfully, Mamoru is a good student so all his attention was aimed at the teacher and the ending lecture. As I watch him like a predator, waiting to strike, Mamoru collects his notebook and other things and starts to leave his seat. And I strike.

As he was about to take a step down the stairs, I quickly spin the thin slime cover floor where his one and only foot was standing, making him fall forward. While that could be enough to keep him putting on the mask for a while, I rather be sure he is out of the picture as long as possible. I wrap my slimy tendril around Mamoru's shoe and slammed his ankle into the table leg, possibly breaking it but I bet him awakening his magic might make him tougher. But I was pretty sure that Mamoru won't be saving Usagi anytime soon with how loud his screams of pain are as classmates and the professor run towards him, letting me slip out easily.

I doubt he could sense magic or anything as he was solo during the Dark Kingdom arc and is only doing what dream Princess Serenity asks. So I'm pretty certain that I got away with it, plus I can just push the blame on the Dark Kingdom if Mamoru suspects me. What better people to blame your wrongdoings on than a group planning to enslave the world?

Could I use Mamoru for my end goals? There is a possibility but the risk of losing Usagi, one of the strongest characters in fiction, is too great. Plus I never liked him. Had a dream where you married your girlfriend causing her death and what does he do? Talks to her about it and works on how to prevent it? Nope. He just breaks up with her with no explanation and made Usagi believe he left her for Chibi Usagi, someone that is like a six-year-old mentally. Yeah, he isn't getting Usagi or any girl if I can help it.

But I'm getting sidetracked. As I leave the campus, seeing some people in an ambulance uniform with which hospital they work for written on the back, I head towards a different part of Tokyo. Tokyo, just like any big city, has good places and places you shouldn't be out at night. The poor slums, where the homeless sleep, where gangs and low-level criminals form and start their life of crime. And I'm heading towards the heart of it, where people going missing wouldn't even raise a brow.

Walking down the street from the good part of Tokyo to the bad part, watching kids with sunken cheeks, showing the fact they are not eating properly, playing with broken toys and in dirty clothes. This is something I need to fix when I become king of Crystal Toyko. The people are the kingdom's true strength. The people are the ones that grow the food and work the markets, the ones that make the clothes, raise the cattle, and more. A king needs his people but the people don't need that one king, they only need their fields.

I plan to make a strong kingdom, the greatest in the universe, and to do that I need strong, smart, and talented people. As Moses in Ten Commandment says 'The strong make many, the starving make few. The dead make none.'

Therefore I will lead them into a Golden Age, where hunger and illness are things of the past. For if a king gives money, he earns their craft. If the king gives food, they will give their strength. And if that king is willing to fight for them, they give him their loyalties.

But for now, I need to take the first step and that is to make a base.

And I think I found the perfect place. The Satio Ironworks has a story as old as time, the founder made the factory around Japan's construction boom, leading to the founder gaining a lot of money due to increased demand for steel and iron, building up the factory to be one of the top steel mills in the country, dies and hands over the factory to his sole son. The founder probably expected the son to use the lessons he taught him but the son did everything wrong. To try to make a quick extra buck by lower the quality of the metal and tools the workers use, lowering the safety measures, pay cuts, layoffs, removing benefits, and cutting corners on projects.

The son always blames the workers whenever something goes bad than rather admit that he was being too greedy, that action and the plain disregard for their health and safety caused his best workers to walk out and be replaced by lesser skilled workers, one that got their hand cut off due to lack of safety. The story ends with the worker that lost his hand suing, winning, the factory going into bankruptcy, leaving the son in massive debt due to the fines for everything wrong with the plant, and with him being unable to open the plant back up until the fines are paid, equipment is up to standards, and paying for late payment to the workers (both old and new). The son hanged himself in his office.

I was planning on buying the place due to the history, it is placed in a bad neighborhood, and rumors of the son's ghost haunting the place make the cost of the place to be very cheap. But I decided against that because of two things, one is the fact my parents would ask why would someone that plans to become an author buy a steel mill. The second one is the fact… there are some tenants in the building. Sometimes it is homeless people looking for a dry place to sleep, especially when it's winter or raining. But most of the time, it's teenagers who make the place their own private funhouse, party, drink, do drugs, fuck, and do anything their minds wanted to do behind the abandoned factory's doors.

And thanks to my supernatural hearing, it seems like there are a couple of party goers now. Meaning I need to clean the place before making this place into a proper base. Hopefully, they would leave easily, and if not… well, my system does need me to have a body count, and this neighborhood also has a history of people going missing so there is that.

Looking around to make sure no one can see me, I jump over the ten feet tall gate. Should I have at least tried finding another way in before doing this? Yes, but sometimes you should just do it. Besides, even if someone saw my jump, they can't exactly tell people without sounding crazy.

As I walked toward the main building, I made a note to check the storage buildings as well. One is to see if anyone is in the buildings and two is to see if there was anything useful that hasn't rusted over from time. While I'm doubtful there is anything of real use, I should still check as I need any advantage I can get. I decide to get into the building through the upper floor, partly because I expect there to be a guard to charge admission if this was an open party.

The teens need to pay for their booze and drugs somehow.

Chancing into my incubus form to fly up towards one of the top floor windows, seeing one that was already broken, making it easy to slip in. I give the new room that I enter a look around, seeing that the carpet was molding, most likely from rain getting through the broken window, several papers and books torn and shredded scraps litter the room, thick layers of dust. I leave the room as there wasn't anything of interest and look for the stairs, something that was easy to find thankfully. With each floor, I go down the more signs of people being here show. The top floor had mice droppings and the occasional roach, but now I've seen a couple of empty bottles of beer, some empty baggies, and a dried-up condom. Another thing is the noise grows louder and clearer, the sounds of music, talking, cheering, fighting, moans, and grants are a few of the noises my ears picked up.

As I reach the party floor, the only thing to describe it is… a mess. A ring of people cheering, yelling, and waving bills of cash are in one corner. The slight smell of blood tells me the ring is a fight ring, with them gambling on who will win. In another corner, a girl is getting gangbang trained, not sure if she is under the influence of something or just super kinky but she isn't the only one getting fucked as I see two girls making out as they're getting railed from behind. In the center of the room is something of a dance floor with boomboxes, mix tapes, and people dancing (and striping) onto conveyor belts and tables. Then there are pockets of people making out, fucking, drinking, talking, and I saw one inserting a needle into his arm.

"My my~ I don't think you were invited to the party." I turn to see a girl in her teens. Short black hair in a bob cut, long nails painted red, brown eyes, and wearing a rather nice dress.

Well… nice for this party.

"I wasn't informed that this is an invited only." I told the girl, who giggles in response.

"Sadly it is, and while normally if it was just you and me alone, we could have talked about how you can earn that invitation." the girl said, tracing her finger on my chest. "But I'm afraid that I can't do that now people are watching. Though I can at least give you a cute guy like a discount, so I will only charge you five-thousand yen."

This is bullshit and she knows it. I'm not sure if she is really the one holding this party or just a lie to make some easy money. "And if I don't pay?" I asked, the girl's eyes widened a bit before regaining her composure.

"Then I guess you have to earn it in a less fun way~" the girl practically sings. As she says that, another person walks toward us. A large man by most standards, with a small amount of muscle but nowhere near someone that is a pro bouncer or bodyguard. Maybe just a street punk she collared with money. "Ryo here will be your partner~"

Partner? I look towards where the two are staring, with it being the ring. So that is what she means~

"So it's either I pay or I and this guy fight and you bet on one of us." I said to the girl as she smiles.

"Yes! Seems you are more than just a pretty face~" the girl compliments me. "Now the fee is" the girl starts her whole entry fee again but stops when she saws me ignoring her and making my way to the ring.

"HEY! Make some room in there! I and the big guy want a turn!" I yell to the ring, as I heard the girl behind sigh and whisper 'Guess he wasn't that smart after all'. The crowd dispersed, either because the current fight just ended or they just want more and newer blood, leaving an open area for me and Big Jim to enter. As soon as we enter, the people close around us to form the ring. People are yelling their bets, most of them going to the big guy, speaking about the big guy, he strips off his shirt, showing the small number of muscles he has. I follow suit, taking off my own, hearing more bets going towards my opponent as people see my slim, pretty boy body.

Maybe I should bulk up a bit. I rather not look too much like Mamoru and the girls like some meat on the bone. Plus I'm in the 90s again, so I bet girls would prefer the 90s action star body over a twig.

The big guy creaks a grin, probably thinking I'm going to be an easy fight. "It has been a while since someone been willing to fight me. How about I let you have the first hit?" Ryo said, leaning closer to me with his chin out.

I give a small chuckle at the gesture. Well, I suppose I can do the same. "Sure but before that," I told Ryo before looking towards the crowd. "If any of you want to leave this place alive, then leave now and never talk about anything that happened here."

My statement was met with stunned silence before the crowd started to laugh. Several of them even questioned if I have taken any of the 'candy' here. Even Ryo is laughing his heart out.

"Ah! That was a good one." Ryo wipes a tear that was caused by his hard laughter. "Now come on! Hit me so we can start the show!" the man roars with the crowd cheering at his words. This is probably how Rome felt during the Colosseum days.

I can only just shrug. At least I give them a warning so I won't feel bad about what is going to happen.

Not like I was going to feel bad anyway. I need to get stronger and the only way is to shed blood. While I would prefer to use only harden criminals to help my reputation, I'm not against killing idiots that are already throwing their futures away for short-term pleasures. I'm not stupid enough to think I can turn all their lives for the better without force and their deaths will become the foundation for my Golden Age.

As I watch Ryo lean closer to me, his chin was a couple of inches away from my face, making a smug smile. "Come on… Hit me…" Ryo said. Well, he did ask for it.

Faster than he can probably react or even recognize, my fist crash into his chin in an uppercut-like fashion, making Ryo's head fly off. Well~ 'fly off' isn't correct, Ryo's neck is stronger than I thought. Ryo's throat ripped, blood spraying me and coating my shirt and face, the part of the spine that holds up the neck also snapped, showing the angel hair thin noodles that were the nerves. A part of me wonders if this was because of the game or if I was always been like this without knowing, but the moment Ryo's blood caked me I felt… fantastic. The warm, sticky blood felt the same as a hot shower would to tired muscles, amazing. The sight of Ryo's torn open neck with his head holding on with the tiniest amount of flesh gets my blood pumping.

The crowd's cheers have died down, the only noise going on being people partying away from the ring, the music from the boomboxes, and the slowing dying spurts of blood. Soon enough Ryo's body falls over, and the mayhem begins.

Screaming, people breaking from the ring and running away, sounds of confusion from the other party goers, and the sounds of bottles breaking from falling to the floor. Again, I can let some of them leave, but if the rumor of a black-haired male with unnatural strength killing someone at a party reached one of the magical girl groups, things can get really annoying. Besides, I have been meaning to try this form out for a while now.

As I select which form I want, I feel how different this change is from the others. Vampire and Incubus can change into one another almost seamlessly while Slime makes me feel like I was slowly relaxing into becoming a liquid. This one… I feel my bones themselves snapping and breaking as my limbs grow longer as my skin darkens into pitch black like my whole body just got frostbite. My muscles and stomach sink away, watching my now black arm thin out until it is nothing but skin-covered bones. But I don't feel any loss of strength, if anything I feel very, very hungry. The last thing I notice is the fact I feel myself crying, but I wasn't crying tears. I was crying a thick substance, which I soon feel coming from my mouth as well. The substance wraps around my head and I can feel it shape itself into a deer skull with broken antlers and very sharp teeth.

The Wendigo, one of the most well-known North American monsters, is a spirit that is most commonly known for being the punishment for those that committed cannibalism to forever feel the pains of starvation.

And this Wendigo is certainly hungry…

Going on pure instincts, I feel what little muscles in my legs tense up before launching me towards my next victim. I open my jaw as I get close to another teen, chomping it closed as soon I get the teen's head between my teeth. The taste that floods my mouth is indescribable, the meat was so tender, the blood is so rich, and the bones of the skull and teeth add a nice texture. Plus the crunching of bones that is soon followed by the taste of bone marrow is divine~

More… I want more…

I must have more…

But I can't focus on the meal in front of me. Not when there is a buffet waiting for me~

Another thing about this form is the fact my height changes a lot. While I'm not sure of the exact height this form has, I would bet around ten feet tall and my arms and legs are long as well. Making it easy to grab someone and pull a Bane, snapping the poor guy's spine over my knee before tossing him to the side, knowing he isn't going anywhere fast. By the time I throw a metal table at a small group of people to only jump on it to crush them, everyone that was sober enough to realize that an actual monster is here tries running for it.

The ones that are drunk or on drugs just think they are seeing things.

I jump up, digging my fingers into the ceiling, and swing myself forward, flinging myself in front of the fleeing teenagers. If they were a bit smarter, some would have tried the windows but the fear, the effects of the alcohol and drugs, and the herd mentality played against them. They instinctively gather in a group in the hopes of either working together to survive or to lower their chance of death. They are like a group of animals, fleeing to the most oblivious and fastest way out.

And I'm using those instincts against them. Now standing between them and their escape route, I let out a bestial roar to fan the flames of their fears. Based on how they are now running away from the door and still not going for the windows shows me I got the reaction that I want. Though not all of them runaway, one guy tried hitting me with a beer bottle, which shatters when it hit my skin. I responded by bitting his head off before throwing the body at another teenager, who creaked his head open against the metal table next to him judging by the red bloodstain on the table's corner.

But I really should end this, as fun it was to hear the screams of my prey there was no telling when someone from the outside might hear the screams and call the police. Meaning as much as I like to use my Wendigo form to tear them into bits, I need to finish the task at hand. So I start throwing anything I can get my hands on metal tables, chairs, and bodies, I even rip chunks from the ground and throw them like a baseball. By the time I was done throwing, the only living people were the high and drunk people that just ignore the whole thing because they think it was their eyes playing tricks on them. People that don't even react as I walk up to them and snap the neck of whoever was sitting next to them, outside of them saying 'this shit is crazy good to make me see this shit!'.

Once I snap the last druggie's neck, I look around to see the level of damage I did. Blood, brain matter, chunks of bones and flesh, and bodies are everywhere, broken glass and chunks of concrete, a busted boombox (not sure if I broke it or if it was from one of the fleeing victims), and the floor and ceiling have holes. There was one boombox that somehow survive the mayhem and was still playing, with it being the only sound that wasn't coming from me.

I better start on the cleaning now… The one bad thing about me going the fun and messy route. Taking care of the bodies is easy, into the inventory they go, the blood needs to be properly cleaned up as that was how people found my first murder, the smell of blood.

Thank goodness that Wendigo is strong enough to left bodies and toss them into my inventory like how I toss a paper wad into the trash. Not sure if all those bodies will ever become useful but it is my best hiding spot for right now, and bonemeal can be used in several ways so I can probably find something. As I toss more and more corpses into the inventory, ripping off an arm or a leg for a snack every now and again. Grabbing another body, I realize two things. One, this body is the girl who tried getting me to pay for the invite, and two, she wasn't dead. Did she just faint when I went on my rampage? That seems to be the case. But now that I was looking at her more properly, I have to admit that she is pretty cute as she sleeps. Not cute like Usagi, Ichigo, or Sakura, but cute enough that I have to acknowledge it.

And I would be lying that the idea of making her into my first 'pet' isn't tempting. The idea of her being on her knees as she looks up at me in fear and hopelessness as I thrust into her mouth certainly turns me on.

But I can't do that now. Will she fear me and do as I said? Yes, but I can't exactly keep her under lock and key or keep her by my side everywhere. As soon as I have to leave for important tasks, she will try to escape and no doubt gather proof of me being a monster to keep herself from looking like a crazy person. Keeping her as a pet in my current state is too risky, I have nothing like a GPS tracker to tell where she goes if she gets out.

"Such a waste…" I said, the bones of my skull head rattling. The form voice is also rather raspy as if I didn't talk for years. I wrap my fingers of my large pitch black hands around her frail, pale neck and squeeze. Not enough to pop her head off her shoulder but enough to cut off her breathing. She gasps as the airflow was cut but she doesn't wake up, and soon enough she stopped moving, I checked her heart to see if it was still beating and nope, it stopped. It truly was a waste to kill such a promising pet, but that's how the cards have fallen. Besides, I'm certain that this world has the means to bring people back to life, and if it doesn't then my system should. After placing the body in my inventory, I turn into slime to absorb the blood that coated the place but as I was cleaning, I discover three wooden sticks.

I don't why I feel so pulled by them as if they were… calling for me. I crawl over to them as a slimeball and pick one up, seeing that there are words on the stick, with those words being 'gacha'. Meta, is this what I need to use the gacha?

Yes! And to think you would find not one but three in such a random place. Guess you're quite lucky, Boss.

Gacha… the bane of most gamers' existence. I personally don't like the idea of gacha in games, spending a ton of cash for the chance of winning something good sounds terrible to me. It makes the game where the only 'good' players are either lucky or just people willing to spend a ridiculous amount of money instead of working on becoming skilled in the game.

… I'm still going to use it. Saying no to free resources is just plain stupid.

I grab all three sticks and snap them at the same time.

You gain the [Blackmarket function]

You gain [Your missing left sock]

You gain the [Summoning Crystal (Hana Uzaki)]

The moment the textboxes appear, I felt something in my hand. I open my closed fist to see that sure enough, the missing sock from when I doing laundry this morning is now in my hand. That was a fucking waste of a gacha.

The second item was a brilliant gem and as I look at it, a textbox with the character's backstory, skills, and a picture is shown. It even gives me the name of the show she was in. Not that I need it as I remember the shitstorm twitter and people made when the anime first came out.

Hana Uzaki or better known as Uzaki-chan is the annoying girl that wants to hang out with her loner senpai that whom she has feelings. The main reason for the controversy with her is how she is under five feet tall with J-cup breasts by Japanese standards. I can still remember people posting on Twitter about how they 'fixed' Uzaki's character design, forgetting that she is a fictional character and people with the same body type coming out and saying 'it happens'.

I roll the gem in my hand, pondering what to do with it. I could just summon her to add another body to my slowly growing body count, but that felt like a waste. This is a named character after all, plus thinking about the girls I plan to add to my harem, a lot of them have slender body types. None of them have the level of curves that Uzaki has and the idea of her wrapping her massive tits around my cock is far too tempting to throw away. And she would honestly be easy to control, even more than the girl from before.

Uzaki isn't from this world, she is from the future. If she gets out, she has no real way to survive. She has no paperwork to prove that she ever exists, and no paperwork of her existence, let alone citizenship, means she can't get a job, a place to stay, or at worse, she can even be kicked out of Japan on grounds of being an illegal immigrant. She can't use the money she brings with her if she does bring any, as it would be made way after the 1990s and people will think it is a very well quality fake. If I summon her now and explain how much control I hold over her, both indirect and direct, I can be balls deep in her before the end of the day.

But I'm going to hold off for now. I still have some things I need to do before getting my dick wet and I need to keep focus. Plus I want free time to buy her new work outfit.

The image of Uzaki in a maid outfit being under my desk as she sucks me off is causing my jeans to make a tent.

I turn back into my vampire form, something I have been treating as my base form, and give the place one more look over. The place is still a mess, just now it looks like the aftermath of a normal teenage party instead of a massacre so now I don't have to worry about people calling the cops if they break in here. But now I need to know where to set up my workshop, downstairs is out on the grounds I rather not have people mess with my stuff and I doubt I can secure this place without raising some questions.

Maybe upstairs? I didn't really see any signs of people being on the third and fourth floors of this place, just move a bunch of shit in front of the door to get on the third floor, clear out the rats and pests, and boom, a perfect workshop. There are also the storage buildings, I can use those too and I'm certain that some of those buildings' doors are rusted shut. I need to check them out later, for now, I need to get some lunch. I don't need to eat and I certainly would have eaten my fill when I was going all wendigo if needed to. But the lunch is meant to serve a different purpose, that is to give me an alibi. People are going to question where these teens have gone and I rather have a story, while I know the police can't reason that one guy killing like twentyish teens and hiding the bodies so fast, I would rather be safe than sorry.

I went up to the third floor and block the entrance, using filing cabinets, and desks to make the barricade. I will have to give a proper cleaning one day but for now, it is fine, plus I still need to get the equipment for my workshop, so far all this place is storage from my raid last night. I already dump some of the stuff in rooms, mainly just tools and electrics. I leave the building through the top floor, through the same place that I entered, and fly until I found a very lonely alleyway, landing and start making my way back to the good side of Toyko.

As I walk, I decided to check out that black market thing I got from the gacha and almost got a heart attack at some of the prices. Yes, what I'm looking at is a bunch of rare magical items and material so that would explain the prices but dear lord, I have never seen anything with that many zeros. And what is worse is that I'm probably going to buy something. As soon as I opened the market, it give me a discount on my first item purchase and I found something that I really want. The market was marketing an alchemy beginner set, it comes with the basic tools (glass tubes, pestle, mortar, scales, and other things), seeds to grow plants needed for alchemy, a book of potion recipes, and a couple of blank notebooks to write down notes. Normally this thing would cost an arm and a leg but with the discount and the cash I stole from my raid, it is actually not too bad and potions sound really good for the future, there isn't healing magic in the shows I'm in.

Fuck it, I'm buying this and I know this is going to be useful sooner rather than later.

I made the purchase and the alchemy kit is placed in my inventory, I made a mental note to read the recipe book once I get home. Maybe I should make a garden on the rooftop of the factory tomorrow?

"AAAHHH!" I turn toward the scream, seeing a familiar face. Though this is our first real meeting since she was asleep and I was using my astral form. I creak a small smile as I watch the twin-tail girl falling towards me.

Hello Ichigo~

{Ichigo's P.O.V.}

Ow ow ow… As if today couldn't get any worse. First Aoyama has been avoiding me (though he has been doing that with everyone lately), then the cafe was busier than normal (And Mint's tea drinking and Pudding's playing didn't help), and now I tripped and fell! Thankfully, I landed on something soft enough to cushion my fall. I open my eyes to see what I fell on, and it wasn't what but a whom.

Our faces are a few inches from each other, my lips centimeters away from kissing the stranger. I quickly pull back, getting a better look at the person that I almost give my first kiss, and saying that I was shocked at who it was would be an understatement. Straight black hair, pale skin, and most notable, his twilight-colored eyes. It was a face that I was too used to seeing… but in a not-so-innocent sense.

The person I landed on looks exactly like the person from my… dreams. I can feel my cheeks heat up from the memory of how I touched myself, thinking about a man that I never met. After a while, I reasoned that I just was frustrated with everything going on and used someone that I probably saw on television. But now I'm seeing that man in front of me, causing all those dreams that I tried pushing into the back of my mind to come back with a vengeance.

"Um… not that I'm going to complain about a cute girl falling for me but mind getting up? I rather not get too dirty." the man in my dreams said. His words made me realize what position we are in. My hands resting on his chest, feeling the hard texture of muscle under his shirt, as I'm saddling his lap. If we were somewhere more private, then we would look like lovers about to embrace.

If my face was red before now it must be glowing red as more and more memories of my dreams flood my mind. It didn't help that he called me cute.

"AH! I'm so sorry!" I jump off him as if his skin was boiling water and land on my feet, thanks to my part-cat nature. As I try calming my pounding heart, I watch the guy get himself up and dust off any dirt on his clothes.

"It's fine. It isn't like you break anything, I've been told that I'm quite tough." the guy smiles, making my heart skip a beat. Great… not only is he good-looking but also nice. Can he become my type even more?

"Even so, you probably hit your head." I look around to see if the man was bleeding but found nothing. He really is fine, but with how high my fall was he should have been bruised at least. While I'm happy to see that he was okay, I still feel guilty. "Is there something I can do to make it up? I know you're fine but I should do something to apologize."

"Maybe there is. I was going out for lunch and having a date with a cute girl sounds great right about now." the guy said. I can feel myself blushing again. I think most girls would say no to going on a date with someone they just met, but I do feel guilty and he seems nice so maybe it will be okay? I have never been in a situation like this before so I don't really know how to react.

So all I did was nod as my blush darkens.

"Great!" the guy chuckles. "Oh! I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Winter Shinku or Shin if you are okay with that."

"Momomiya Ichigo…" I timidly said. I follow Shin, the silence between us making the start of this 'date' more awkward. Maybe I should ask a question? Something to break the tension? It would make sense to know who I'm going on a date with… right?

"Are you really sure that this is what you want?" I ask as I start to wonder where we are eating at.

"Yeah and besides, the food would taste better with more people," Shin answers as he stops in front of a sushi place. This is probably just the Mew in me talking but sushi sounds really good right about now. "It has been a very long while since I last eat with someone."

"What about your family?" I blur out without thinking, I was about to apologize again if Shin hadn't started to laugh.

"There is no need to apologize for every little thing you know. But my parents are in America so eating with them is out of the question, and since people rather not deal with a foreigner I don't have any friends." I flinch at Shin's words. Nice going Ichigo… Maybe ask if he has broken up with a girlfriend before coming here? Now I feel even worse, between me falling on him and this, I'm starting to wonder how can I truly make it up to him as eating with him really doesn't do it.

As we enter the restaurant, the smell of fish floods my nose, and I feel myself drolling a bit. If wasn't trying to keep my powers under control, I would have my cat ears and tail out right now. A waitress soon takes us to our seats and handed us the menu. I was trying to find something cheap but Shin had already ordered several plates of sushi, mainly squid, tuna, and eel.

"If there is something special you want then go ahead and order it, it is on me." Shin said as he looks through the menu before turning to the waitress. "I never had cuttlefish before, is it good?"

"Shin! This is too much! I was the one that fall on you so I should be the one that pays!" I reach into my skirt pocket for my wallet and… it wasn't there. I forgot that I left it at home… I was planning to head home after working at the cafe so I didn't bother taking it.

Great, now I feel myself blushing again. "I said it was fine." Shin said, trying to make me feel better. "And think of it like this, if I wasn't there to cushion the fall, you probably would hurt yourself, maybe even breaking something."

I… never thought of it like that. While I doubt that I would break anything, as ever since I became a mew my body has become stronger, that doesn't mean that it would be impossible.

"Besides, I was the one that asked you for a date and the idea of making you pay for something I want doesn't sit well with me. Plus my mother told me to treat a girl well if I go on a date with them." Shin smiles, making me feel a bit better. I still plan to properly repay him but I should just enjoy myself now. And when was the last time I just let loose? Not to worry about Chimera Animas attacking and risking my life to fight a war for the planet that I never wanted to sign up for.

I give my own small smile and order a pudding for dessert and have some small talk with Shin. I learned that he is a college student that wants to be a horror author, not my favorite genre but everyone has their own likes and dislikes, that he traveled to Europe before coming to Japan, and has been thinking of making his own published works soon. I even told him I would read it once it comes out, I don't like scary stuff but I want to support people's dreams and passions, especially for such a nice person like Shin.

He also told me about how he is starting to tutor people during his free time, making me withhold a groan. Being the leader of the Tokyo Mew Mews, working at the cafe, gymnastics, and spending time with my friends and fellow Mews caused my grades to change. And not in a good way.

Maybe I should consider Shin as a tutor?

'My my~ it seems that this cute little kitten deserves a reward for doing so well on the last test. And I think I know what she wants~' I toss the thought out of my head. Now I'm dreaming of Shin as a sexy teacher. Joy.

Soon enough the food arrives and we just enjoy the food and each other's company. Though there was an embarrassing moment with Shin wiped some whipped cream off the corner of my mouth when I was eating the pudding. It was just like in the mangas I read! But overall, I can say this was a nice time, I bet most people wouldn't have been as nice as Shin when someone fall on top of them. I have been told stories about people faking to be hurt to get money so I was worried that was the case but it seems that I got lucky.

After we finish our food and Shin pays the bill, we leave the restaurant with my tummy filled with fish, pleasing my mew side. We walk as we talk, with me telling stories about how Pudding tries spinning plates while being on top of a ball to how I'm basically the main waitress at the cafe. During our walk, we enter the park where Shin stops all of a sudden. I don't know why but I feel something is off, mainly because Shin's eyes widened for no visible reason.

"Is something wrong Shin?" I asked. Shin seems to snap out of whatever he was thinking, "Yeah, I just need to use the restroom. I will be back in a moment." Shin ran off before I was able to get a word in. All I can do is sigh and take a seat at a park branch, times like these I wish I brought a book but I don't think Shin will be gone for long. So I just sit here, enjoying the breeze and sound of birds.

"Hey! What is a pretty girl like you doing here all by yourself?" I turn to see two guys, both of them looking like wannabe gangsters. If I was a normal teenage girl then I would be scared, but I have fought several dozens of alien infected animals that cause an animal like a rat to grow bigger than most cars. So some thugs are honestly not that scary, if things get worse then I can just run, and with my cat-like reflexes, I doubt they would catch.

"I'm just waiting for my boyfriend to come back from using the bathroom." I told them in a polite tone. Sorry, Shin but if they think I have a boyfriend then they might just leave me alone.

"Then he might be a pretty bad one if he is willing to leave you alone by yourself~" the thug said, annoying me by both insulting Shin and thinking I'm some helpless little girl. Is it weird that I'm getting angry at someone I just met? Yes, but Shin is a good guy from what I had seen and I don't like people insulting my friends.

"Or maybe… he thinks I'm capable enough to take care of myself?" I told the punk in a dry tone and I would be lying if I said that seeing the shocked look on his and his friend's faces didn't feel good.

"Now listen here you bitch." the thug grabs my arm. "Just shut up and follow us, or we might have to be a bit… rough."

Alright, that does it! Just as I was about to knee the jerk in the dick, I realized that we three weren't the only people here and it wasn't Shin. The was a woman, with long black hair, and is wearing a dress of the same color of her hair as well had very pale skin as if she was sickly. But the weird thing is she is… wet. Very, very wet. It makes sense why as she is still in the middle of the fountain but I didn't hear a splash and I know she wasn't there when Shin and I enter the park! I would notice a woman being in the fountain in the middle of April!

Another odd thing about the woman I realize is her beauty. Her wet dress clings to her body, showing off her curves as a ping of jealousy goes through me, between her looks and her figure she could be a model, just like Zakuro. She is very beautiful… but it also feels off, like it was something unnatural.

"Oh~? And who is this?" the second thug questions as he and his friend look at the woman in the fountain. The woman in question didn't say anything, she only smiles and…

Sings?

The song is like an opera, and it sounds nice, but something in me feels… wrong. There is this feeling in me, yelling at me to get away from her, from it. Just as I'm registering these thoughts, I feel the grip on my arm loosen as the two thugs slowly move over to the woman. "W-Wait! Don't get near her!" I yell at them but they just ignore me. They slowly just walk towards her, as if they were hypnotized. I would try to forcefully stop them but I just can't move! It's like my body refuses the idea of getting closer to her!

I can only watch as one of the men gets near the woman, I can't see the thugs' faces but I have a feeling if I could then they would look enticed. The woman only giggles once the men stood roughly at the edge of the fountain.

Then she started to change. Her pale skin started to shine with scales as I hear bones snapping and popping as her jaw grows to massive sizes, her nails turn to claws, and the once beautiful face become something from a scary story. The thing let out a deep chuckle, sounding like it is underwater despite it being on the surface, before opening its mouth and…

Blood. Where once was the thug's head is now a flowing spring of blood, and the strong smell of rust invades my nose. The sicking crunch of bones fills the air as the creature unleashes a gargling laugh, its mouth still filled with the remains of the thug's head.

The thug's friend seems to snap out of his trance when his buddy died. Though he couldn't do much as the creature sweep its claws at the man's throat, cutting it open and releasing a waterfall of blood.

Then he falls to the ground.

It was probably two minutes. Two minutes. And I watched two people die in front of me and did nothing. It felt so fast and so slow at the same time. My brain is still trying to figure out what just happened!

I only snap back to reality when the fish lady points a finger at me with a cold smile and feels every cell in my body screaming to run! Forcing myself to move I yell out a phrase that I probably say in my dreams.

"Mew Mew Strawberry, Metamorphose!"

I feel my shirt and skirt disappearing as the short pink dress appears. At the same time, my hair shortens to a bob cut, and the color change from my normal reddish hair to bright candy pink. My hands are covered with gloves as I feel my cat ears and tail pop out before my tail was wrapped with a large red ribbon and a large golden ball. My shoes have turned into dark pink boots that reach below my knees as graters belts appear on both my arms and my arms and right thigh. The end of my transformation has a choker around my neck with the Mew Pendant hanging off of it.

Normally I would say a catchphrase after transforming but I doubt the thing is willing to wait. I look towards where I was once standing, seeing a small hole in the ground. Definitely not the patient type. Even after transforming I still can't help but feel scared. Is it because I just saw two people die? Most likely, after all the fights me and my fellow Mews had gone through, we have never seen anyone die. Hurt? Yes, but never die. But I think it is this nagging feeling, telling me that isn't the work of a chimera animas, meaning that there is a new and possibly more dangerous threat out there.

I really wish the others are here…

Then something whizzes past me from behind, hitting the creature! And it was…

Is that a urinal? The thing is broken into pieces but I tell what it was due to the metal handle.

"So this is where you ran off to?! You are really starting to become a real pain." I turn towards the voice and see Shin walking up with an annoyed look on his face. What is he doing here?! No important Ichigo! You need to get him out of here before he gets himself killed!

"Back away citizen! This thing is dangerous!" I yell.

"Ichigo… I saw the whole transformation thing." Shin deadpans as he walks next to me.

WHAT?! He saw the whole thing?! When I first heard him say my name, I thought he meant Mew Ichigo (a common problem when your hero name and real name are the same) but he really means me?!

"Besides," Shin's words snapped me out of my panic. "You're not the only one with a secret."

Just as I was about to ask what he means by that, Shin's own clothes change into a three-piece tuxedo. But that wasn't the only change as Shin runs his hand through his hair, turning it from the black ebony to silvery white, and his eyes went from the orange twilight to a crimson red. A golden devil mask appears in his hand before slapping it to his face, covering the upper half.

Is Shin a Mew? No… Ryou and Keiichiro said it was only the seven of us. Could that mean Shin knows what this thing is? Could it mean that he is just like me? Someone fighting a battle that he never wanted to take part in.

As my mind was filling with more questions, Shin suddenly pull me in closer and pressed me against his side. I was about to question why he is doing this when I heard a sound and look where I was standing, seeing another hole in the ground.

"I understand you have questions, and I plan to answer them, but for now we need to focus on taking this thing out." Shin comments.

He is right… I can ask questions later. We have to stop this thing before it somehow gets away. There is no telling how many people will die if we fail.

And we were having such a good time earlier too…

{Shin's P.O.V.}

The Siren is a mermaid-type monster that used its beauty and singing to lead sailors to their watery graves. And currently one huge pain in the ass for yours truly.

I was honestly enjoying my time with Ichigo, paving the way to adding her to my harem, when I felt something odd as we enter the park. I was planning on ignoring it, that was until Meta told me that was one of the monsters I have to kill to unlock a new form. So I figure that could at least check things out, maybe perform so recon. I left Ichigo and follow the strange feeling until I reached the bathroom, funny how my lie has turned into the truth, and hide as I watched two people enter the male bathroom. One is a man wearing a construction worker outfit, which made sense as I can hear the noise of a jackhammer going off nearby, and the other is a woman in a black dress.

To normal people, it looks normal, people would think it was either a wife visiting her husband and the two decide to have some fun or a streetwalker finding her next client. But for me, the woman had some weird red aura around her. Probably a means to tell monsters that look like humans from actual humans.

Then I heard the scream, though I doubt others would hear it over the sounds of the construction. I quickly storm the bathroom, I don't intend to save the man as I figure he has already died, but I figure if I attack whatever that thing is, now would be the best time. After all, you can't really fight back immediately when you are in the middle of eating. And sure enough, the angler-looking thing was tearing through the guy's guts like a starving dog.

I tried being quiet but somehow the monster realized that I enter the room, and probably has better senses than I give it credit. Then it did something weird, it just turned back to its pretty form and smiled before going into a song. I was very much confused by its action. I only realize that it tried to entrance me with its singing, which reveals what kind of monster it was when Meta told me that it trying to mind-fuck me.

And when I heard that… I might have gotten a little angry. As I might rip out the bathroom sink and chuck it at the siren. Which was a dumb move as I could have faked being mind controlled to get in an easy killing blow. The siren, seeing that I'm not going to fall for its song and that I'm a tad stronger than her last meal, decides to run away by diving into the water that the pipes that were attached to the sink were pouring. But I could feel it nearby, not sure if it can only go so far or just thought I wouldn't be able to go after it.

All I know is it was going near Ichigo is at, and that give me the idea to use it to help my conquest. Because what better way than the nice guy route is the nice guy that saves your life route. So I rush over towards where Ichigo and the siren are, speeding up when I smell blood. I swear that thing better be praying to whatever god it follows because if it hurt my Ichigo, then I will full wendigo on its ass.

Thankfully for both of us, the blood seems to come from the two male bodies near the fountain. But I was more focused on the fact Ichigo is in the middle of her transformation, with her back turned to me as she was becoming Mew Ichigo. But how was I seeing this, I thought these transformations were super fast. Around light speed, so the user won't be open to attacks.

Normally yes, but I thought you would like to watch the transformation at least once. Though you can't attack them during it either.

That can be annoying, watching your enemy transform without being able to stop them. But I'm not complaining this time as I watch Ichigo's perky backside before it was covered by the pink dress. It reminds me to make sure I get Ichigo as that butt is too nice to let someone like Aoyama, whose personality is similar to a piece of cardboard. The things I'm going to do with that ass when she is mine.

I throw the urinal at the siren. Why was I carrying a literal toilet into battle? Because I realize one glaring weakness my current monster lineup holds is a lack of range attacks. Slime whips, blood magic, and throw stuff with supernatural strength is it. So I really need to get that siren form after seeing it firing a beam of water that was strong to punch through the concrete. And that was with a few seconds of charging and probably like my blood magic, at a very low level.

After telling Ichigo I say her transform and change into my own mask self, showing her that I'm in the same boat as her. Or at least she should think I am. The siren sinks down into the fountain, no doubt moving away to somewhere else but this time it isn't running.

"Ichigo! Get you back to mine!" I order, shocking the now catgirl.

"But why?! It should be in the fountain!" Ichigo tries reasoning, summoning her weapon, the strawberry bell. A pink fuzzy ring in the shape of a heart with a golden ribbon on the top part with a jewel of Ichigo's Mew mark in the center and a golden bell hanging on the golden ribbon. I remember it can make a shield and I believe fire energy blasts, how strong I don't know as it normally is used to finish off the enemy. Like Usagi's Moon Tiara Action.

"I fought that thing in the bathroom and it dove into the water and disappear. I think that is how it moves so quickly." I told the girl. "Keep an eye on the water. No, keep it on any liquid." I don't know if it can use any liquid to jump out. I really hate going in blind in times like these. What liquids can the siren jump out of and how big does that body of liquid have to be? Can it just pull out its arm for a quick sweep? How fast can it go from one body of liquid to another? Can it drag people into this underwater space? How far can it sense someone from one of the bodies of liquid?

More and more questions flood my mind but I need to focus. My vampire form has the best senses overall, so I should know where it's attacking from. I'm just glad that neither shot hit the fountain's pipelines. If it had… we would be fucked. Though we are not close to any bodies large enough for it to appear, I doubt it is going to pop out. We have a clear view of the only places it can come from and too far away for it to use any attack besides that water beam.

We won't move until it comes out and it won't come out until one of us is close enough. We are at a stalemate. Would it come out if I approach the fountain? Probably not, I don't know how intelligent the siren is but I bet it isn't going to be that stupid.

How do I get the bastard to come out? I can take the risk and get near the fountain, tempting it by using myself as a lure. But there is no guarantee of it coming out just for me.

"Do you have a plan Shin?" Ichigo looks at me, probably thinking I'm the expert here.

"Not really. The issue is the fact I don't know how long it can stay underwater and how fast it moves." I explained. The bathrooms were roughly three hundred yards from here, meaning that the siren was fast enough to escape and kill two people at that time. I didn't time myself from going to the bathroom and back, but I would say it took around three minutes for me to cover that distance.

So a rough guess of how fast that thing is a hundred yards a minute. Then again I doubt it is true speed, maybe it is faster and just took some time to check its surroundings before it attacked. I also don't know its true strength, its claws can cut through flesh cleanly judging by how straight and smooth the cut is on one of the body's neck and has quite the jaw strength to tear a head off and crush the skull.

While I was trying to think of an attack plan, a lightbulb turns on, both literally and figurately. The park lights turn on as several lampposts turn on. The plan isn't something amazing, it is more simple if anything.

"Ichigo, I want you to attack the fountain once I get near it." the catgirl looked shocked at my request. "It isn't going to come out knowing it's at a disadvantage so we need to give it one to lure it out. I'm fast enough and I know I can take anything the siren could throw at me, especially with my slime form.

"I'm not going to let you put yourself in danger alone!" Ichigo's face tells me that she isn't going to take no for an answer. Not that I was going to. Most magical girls, especially the leader of the group, treat friendship very highly so I know trying to argue with her is a pointless fight. Plus if I don't fight against this, it will show that I'm not taking her lightly and believe she can take care of herself. People don't like being looked down on for their gender.

Besides, these girls are the ones that saved the planet from aliens, monsters, and more so looking down on them would be stupid.

"Understood, but stick close to me." I told Ichigo as we slowly start our advance toward the fountain. "I would never forgive myself if something happens to you…" I whisper out, making sure it is low enough for Ichigo to hear me without realizing that I meant for her to hear. Treating a girl as an equal while showing that you truly care for their safety over yours is a great way to win them over. And it seems to work as Ichigo's face turns red again.

One would think you would be tired of seeing the same girl blush multiple times in one day, but really it was a great ego booster.

Once we are close to the fountain, Ichigo holds up the Strawberry Bell and aims at the fountain. "Ribbon Strawberry Check." the little heart-shaped hoop fires a small blast of light, which was also heart-shaped, and destroys the fountain. We shield ourselves from the backsplash from pure reflex, watching water pour out of the ruined fountain and water not pooling around us.

Now it is like we are fishing, but only with us as the bait. And all we can do is wait, wait and be ready to counterattack.

Keep calm Shin. Remember 'A mind clouded with pointless things can't see everything'. Go through what is going on.

Ichigo is on my left, with two bodies in front of me but are slowly moving toward us with the water flow, the bodies are both male and roughly in their twenties (most likely between twenty to twenty-four), and the water is an inch-and-a-half height but quickly thinning, six lamp posts with all lights on, two benches, and two trashcans.

I feel my heartbeat quiet down a bit. The thing that makes most monsters horrifying is the lack of knowledge because once you understand how the monster works then you can figure out how to kill it. The only truly scary thing is the unknown.

But this thing is sure taking its time to-

I push Ichigo away, probably a bit too hard as I send her flying but thankful she lands on her feet, just like the cat she is. But my thoughts were soon cut off by the sharp pain quickly shooting from my arm as I watch the siren clamp her angler fish jaws down my forearm. Thank god that I can change races in a matter of seconds, maybe less, so I turn into a slime before the siren could rip off my arm. Well… it did rip it off but it didn't hurt and I now have a line towards the beast. I had to keep the red color because I wasn't sure it would drop my arm as soon it realize there was no blood.

I heard Ichigo yell out my name, something you would naturally do when you see someone's forearm and hand gets ripped off. But ignore her scream in favor of swinging my stub arm, pulling the slime string that is attached to my severed arm with the siren's jaw still embedded into it, and fling the beast toward one of the light posts.

Which in hindsight, wasn't the best move. Did it electrocute the fish? Yes, but I also got zapped in the process. It was a good reminder that, while my slime form is hard to hurt, it doesn't mean it was impossible as I feel the current flow through me. But I can't afford to stop now, there is no telling if the first shock killed it I have to keep going before it can recover from it. So I throw it at another light post, though this time I cut off the connection between my stump arm and forearm to prevent myself from getting another shock. As soon it falls, I wrap around it with another slime tendril and throw it again as I made two small slime tubes to feed me the fountain's spilling water to help regrow the missing slime.

By the time I use all six light posts, the siren's body was charred black with the smell of burnt flesh and hair coming from it. There was no movement coming from its chest so I can reason that its breathing has stopped.

But I know how a horror movie goes. Just as it seems the monster is dead, the hero will move closer to it in order to make sure that it was dead. Only for the monster to wake up and try killing the hero again, sometimes succeeding in the process.

So I change back into my vampire form and made it rain with needles made from blood magic. I watch as the siren was quickly turned into a pincushion but I kept going, only when its head rolls off did I stop.

"Is… Is it dead?" I turn to see Ichigo walk next to me, looking at the remains of the siren.

Congratulations! You have killed your first monster! The road to becoming the king of monsters has just started!

I nod at Ichigo once I saw the message. I walk up to the siren's head and pick it up, staring into the eyeless head. Guess the eyes must have popped from that electricity. But now that I'm standing here, holding the head of a monster, one question goes through my mind.

How exactly do I gain its powers?

Meta told me that this is one of my forms but never explained how to unlock them once I killed that monster. Do I have to eat it or something like that?

Just as I was wondering that the head started to crumble into dust, as did the body. The dust soon flies to me and as soon it touches my skin, the dust is absorbed. Soon enough all the dust is gone then was followed by my body getting hotter and my muscles and skin feel like they were getting pulled and crushed at the same time. Soon enough my body collapses as I feel myself starting a seizure, my body flopping around like a fish out of the water as I feel a strange power feel through.

And as soon as the seizure starts, it quickly ends with me regaining control over my breathing. I see a pair of hands on my chest and look up to see Ichigo with a worried expression on her face.

"Shin! Are you ok?! Do I need to call an ambulance?!" Ichigo questions. I give her a smile, trying to calm her down as I rather not have the paramedics or worse, the police involved. It would be really hard to explain the bodies without either of us revealing our secrets and the last I want is someone trying to make me and Ichigo lab rats.

"Nah, I'm fine." I told the catgirl. I truly am fine, shocked at what happened but fine.

"Shin! Your eyes!" Ichigo comments. I got up on admittedly shaky legs as I move towards the nearest trash can and dig up something to look at myself with, with me using a discarded makeup kit with a pocket mirror.

Now I see what Ichigo was talking about, my eye has gone from crimson red to a brilliant blue. An odd trait of my forms is that they normally change my eye color, such as slime making my eyes green and incubus being pink. I haven't checked with my other forms but they seem to affect the whole body instead of one thing so I doubt the eye thing works for those two forms. But I have a theory about what form this is.

I hold up my right pointer finger and watch a small ball of water, the size of a BB bullet, form at the fingertip, staying perfectly still despite it should be falling as there was nothing containing it. I turn to Ichigo, who was also looking at the water ball in amazement. "I think this was the cause of the seizure." I watch as the finger grows a claw and gains fish scales before webbing starts to form between my fingers. Honestly, seeing the fact I can gain more races is making me tremble with excitement.

Sure I have been told this a couple of times already but there is something to seeing it, feeling it, makes it all the more amazing. It also brings a very important question to mind.

Would it be possible to mix races? I realize some races are stronger than other by default but several might have a power or two that is hard not to use. Imagine using the siren's underwater teleport with the wendigo's strength and the slime's endurance. Or combining races to null weaknesses, such as the slime race would cover for the vampire's weakness to fire while the vampire protects the smile from the cold. And I'm just using the races on hand and not a single one is evolved yet.

While I was getting a power high from the possibilities I was thinking of, I notice that Ichigo has been rather quiet. I look at the catgirl, seeing that she was looking upset about something. "What's wrong?"

"I… I feel so useless." Ichigo mumbles. Is this one of those self-doubt moments most main characters have? "I… saw your arm… get torn off… because you saved me. And I did nothing to help beat that thing. I was frozen." Ichigo's eyes started to well up with tears. Yup. It was one of those moments. "I watched two people die and did nothing. I said I will help but I have to be protected instead. And when you were hurt… I didn't do a thing. I just… stand there."

A part of me wants to sigh at this cliche. But sometimes a cliche can be good, especially when you can use it to your advantage.

I put my hand on top of her head, right between the black cat ears, giving her head a slight rub. "Is it your first time? Seeing someone die like… that?" Ichigo nods at my question. "I been in your shoes before and you did better than how I did. You saw how I can now use that monster, the siren's powers, right? I didn't start out with all my forms. I have to fight them too." I pause to add a dramatic effect. "When I first fight against the slime… I saw someone being melted to the bone. And you know what I did? I ran." I lied, shocking Ichigo. "I ran as fast as my legs could go. I was so afraid that day that I wanted to crawl somewhere and close my eyes. Hoping that the monsters wouldn't hunt me instead." I turn to Ichigo. "It took me a long time to defeat that fear."

"But you fought that fear… and won. I'm certain that most people would have run before the bodies hit the floor, but you decided to fight, even though you were afraid of it." I stare deeply into her eyes. "Don't beat yourself over this. You did more than anyone else would in this situation." I give her the most serious tone that I can muster. "Be proud of this feat, I know that I am."

God, I feel like I'm about to vomit… but at least I got the desired effect as Ichigo's face blushed and looks at me with wonder. I'm certain that I was catching up to Aoyama's place as her crush fast, and only with our first meeting too. Plus there was some truth in my words. How many people would actually be willing to fight a monster? She even went into the puddle, knowing that the siren could jump out at any moment.

"Thank you, Shin… that… means a lot to me." Ichigo said, sounding quite a bit better than before.

"Now I understand that you have questions, and I will answer them, but I think it might be best for us to call it a day. You've probably just gone through a major shock and I bet asking questions is the last thing on your mind. Besides, someone has to take care of… that." I point to the two bodies. "We can just leave them there and if people learn that monsters are real and nearby… the streets will be pure chaos."

"Yeah… maybe that is for the best. And I should tell the others about this too. Do you have something to write with Shin?" Ichigo asks, to which I pull out a notepad and pen. The old Shin has a habit of carrying one in case he suddenly gets the idea for a story. Ichigo takes the pen and pad, quickly writing something down before handing it back to me. "This is my house number and fax, as well the name of the place I work and where the other Mews are at. Do you think you can come by tomorrow?" Ichigo asks and I nod. "Great… but how do we take care of this?" Ichigo looks at the corpses before quickly looking away.

"I will take care of them. It's starting to get late and I bet your parents will start throwing a fit if you don't show up soon. I live alone and I'm both stronger and I could fly so I would have a far easier time disposing of the bodies." I suggested, already putting the corpses of the punks on my shoulders.

"Yeah… and Shin…" Ichigo starts saying, only for me to feel something soft against my cheek. I turn to see Ichigo, who was already out of her transformation, rubbing her lips with a faint blush on her face. "Thanks… for saving me." Ichigo says before running off. Eat your heart out, Aoyama. I already got further than you in one day while you had much longer. But I'm not disposing of these bodies. After all, why throw away more info on the Niji clan?

It seems that the clan makes their lower members wear a special headband to show that they are a member. And both punks are wearing them, one wrapped around the headless corpse's arm and the one with the slit throat is wearing it around his head with his cap covering it to where only the edges show.

Why are they using headbands? Not sure, maybe they thought it would be easier to hide than a tattoo or the leaders could have seen how some gangs in America used certain colors of the clothing to tell which gang they were in. It really doesn't matter in the long run, I'm just happy to get free information about the Aka clan so easily.

But I can deal with that later. For now, I really should get home. The party massacre, me starting to build my workshop, my date with Ichigo, and the siren fight all in one day. Today has been a very productive day.

I spread my incubus wings after storing the two bodies in my inventory and fly up to the sky, making the trip back home. I was tempted to use the siren's underwater travel but I wouldn't have a way into my house, so I'm better off doing this. And I do like the cool night air as I fly so it wasn't all that bad.

Or it wasn't until a laser beam came out of nowhere!

Okay! Guess I'm making an emergency landing! This is not a drill!

I divebomb at one of the rooftops, turning into my slime form to cushion the fall. Though I did make a big splat when I land, almost like a cartoon. I was about to reform until I heard someone or something move closer to where I landed.

"Do you see it Artemis?!" a familiar voice said. Nice to see you too Minako. The blonde sailor scout of beauty and her white cat partner walk up to my crash site. "Ew. What is this gunk?"

"I'm not sure Venus. But be careful touching it. We don't know what it is or could do." Artemis advise. Artemis poked a paw at my slimy body.

"You know it is rude to step on someone, right?" I said as I rebuild myself. Minako and Artemis both jump with Minako ripping off Yusuke's spirit gun with how her fingertip starts to glow. "Hey! I'm not going to hurt anyone!" I told the girl. "If anything I should be one readying to attack…"

"Who are you and why did you follow us yesterday?" Minako questions, not lowing her finger beam of death.

"Calm down, again I'm not going to hurt anyone. To answer your first question, I honestly don't have a name for this form." gesturing to my tux-wearing self. Thank gods that I was still wearing this when I was flying. It would be bad if she learns who I actually was as knowledge is power. "And to the second question is this, the reason why I was following you was that I thought you were someone else." I lied.

Minako and Artemis' eyes widened at what I just said, realizing what that means. "Who did you think I was?" Minako questions as the charge started to lose its glow.

"A few days ago, I was going on patrol and I heard a scream coming from a jewelry store and decided to investigate. When I arrived I saw something that looked like a monstrous woman, a young girl, around your age, with a cat that can talk, and a man in a tuxedo and was wearing a mask. I helped her out as she seemed to be having trouble fighting, my guess is that was her first time fighting. After the fight, the monster turned to dust, and the masked man left, I left shortly after learning that the girl goes by the name Sailor Moon and the cat was called Luna." I explain.

"So Luna found one of the missing Sailor Scouts…" Artemis said, talking more to himself if anything.

"B-but that doesn't explain why you were following us!" Minako was able to force it out, trying to regain her composure.

"Because both of you have blonde hair and similar body types. The only real difference between you two is the hairstyles, something that I couldn't clearly tell from a distance. Just like how I couldn't tell if the cat was black or white with how far we were. All I saw was a blonde girl in the same outfit as Sailor Moon with a cat so I figured that it was her." I answer.

That seemed to be the right answer as Minako's finger stopped glowing and sighs in relief. "Sorry about that. You tend to get jumpy in this line of work." Minako apologize.

"It's fine. You didn't actually hit me so I wasn't hurt and it isn't like I don't understand where you are coming from." I shrug.

"It is good to know that you're quite a forgiving guy." Artemis compliments.

If only he knew about my plans~

"But we should introduce ourselves. This is Artemis, my partner and the one who told me about the Sailor Scouts, and I go by the name Sailor Venus, the protector of love and beauty, in this form." Minako said.

This might be good for me. Sure it wasn't the best first meeting but if I can convince Minako to meet with Usagi under the guise of helping the inexperienced girl, giving me an easy way to Usagi and start paving the way to replacing Mamoru as her future husband. I did make it so that he can't exactly jump in and help so I have to do as much as I can before he heals back up.

I should also steal that pendent of his. The fewer chances of Mamoru stealing Usagi from me the better.

"If you like I could help you find them." I offer. "I think it might be for the best to let her know that there is someone like her that she could turn to for advice. I'm certain she is stressing over the whole 'being one of the protectors of the earth' bit of the job."

Both cat and scout look at each other, debating the idea. I'm pretty sure that they are looking for the Silver Crystal at this time but the idea of leaving an ill-prepared Sailor Scout on her own doesn't sound good to them. If they believe what I said about Usagi then they probably calculate the odds of Luna finding another Sailor Scout before Usagi gets into a situation that is too deep. And they should know that it would be unlikely. I believe the time gap between Minako becoming Sailor Venus and Usagi becoming Sailor Moon was a couple of months, and during Minako's time, she didn't have to worry about the Youma. Usagi isn't so lucky.

In their mind, Usagi has a very real chance of dying if Luna couldn't find another Sailor Scout fast enough, and with how large the population of Tokyo, let alone Japan, are the chances of that happening would be reasonably low. And with how important the Sailor Scouts are, they can not afford to let one die.

"I suppose seeing Luna again wouldn't hurt… And having Venus and Sailor Moon meet and practice teamwork isn't a bad idea. But do you know Sailor Moon's secret identity?" Artemis questions.

"No, but as I'm sure you both have noticed, I'm not exactly human but that means that my senses are better than most people so I can probably identify her if I come across her." I explain a bit about my powers.

My answer caused both of them to give me a blank stare. "... Are you a bloodhound?" Minako questions, making me chuckle.

"Nah, just a vampire. And a slime and several other monsters." I said. "But the main thing is I can help you guys find Sailor Moon faster than by yourselves. And I was planning to offer a helping hand in your fight." My sentence caused Minako and Artemis to raise a brow, which was a weird thing to see from a cat. "I don't know much about whatever you guys are fighting but I can tell that it won't end well for the people of earth. And seeing as I rather keep living a semi-peaceful life, I should do something about it. It also seems that you both can use some more help as, to my knowledge, your team has two teenage girls, one that's inexperienced, and two talking cats."

My words must have more of an effect since Minako and Artemis are now huddling up and talking if they should take my offer. It would suck if they refuse but it isn't the end of the world. I do have other ways to gain their trust, mainly through Usagi herself, but this would make things easier in the long run.

Soon enough, the teenage soldier and cat separate and turn to me. "You are right. We do need more help. There isn't much we can tell you right now but the truth is we have only five Sailor Scouts that can fight this threat and we have no telling how many forces our enemy has, so we need all the extra help we can get." Artemis sighs. "Normally, I would be against ideas such as these but time is quickly running out and if what you're saying is true, then I believe we can work together as we share a common goal of protecting the planet and its people."

"Guess that means we are working together now. Hopefully, we can meet Sailor Moon soon and start working as a team." Minako gives me a small smile.

Way to go Shin. Starting a good relationship with not just one, but two magical girl groups on the same day. Guess fortune is smiling on me today.

"Well now, that is a shame. And my Queen was hoping to recruit you to our cause. Though I suppose my Queen will be happy to learn that one of those Scouts will perish tonight."

Minako, Artemis, and I turn to the source of the voice. Seeing a man in his mid-twenties with long white hair and blue eyes. He was also wearing an outfit more akin to a military uniform that was gray in color with knee-length boots and a long white cape that's flowing with the cool night breeze. To finish the look, his ears are pierced with gray stud earrings with a gray-shaped diamond attached to the studs.

Kunzite, the leader Shitennou and one of Queen Beryl's servants.

A part of me is wondering why he's here. But I really don't care to be honest. If anything I'm glad he is here. What better way to gain Artemis and Minako's trust than by helping them take down one of the Dark Kingdom's main players. I doubt it would ever be difficult. Kunzite is a villain from the first arc and he wasn't even the big bad. It is like fighting a mini-boss in Zelda. A minor obstacle in the story in the grand scheme of things.

Plus his main form of attack is cutting, something that my slime form is immune to. Meaning Kunzite has nothing he can do to hurt me. And I doubt some human can beat a monster, magical or not. Just one punch with my wendigo strength and I'm certain he is done for. The only thing that could be a problem is his shield, as it trapped four Sailor Scouts and withstand Rei and Makoto's attacks. Even then I'm certain he can't use it freely because if he traps me, then Minako will attack him and I believe that shield's strength is tied to Kunzite's concentration.

I point my finger at him, acting as if I was going to question who he is when I'm really doing is aiming for his heart. One super thin and fast slime needle to the heart that I plan on expanding to make his heart explode should do the job~

Sure there is the problem of having Minako see me kill someone but Kunzite openly threatened to kill her and I could bullshit my way out of it. Saying that I saw someone wearing a similar uniform nearby the jewelry store. I don't think it would be hard to convince them that killing the man was a tragic necessity.

I did the motion, making it seem as natural as possible and then the tip of my finger shoots out an incredibly thin string of slime, so thin that it was almost invisible to the naked eye under normal conditions. Meaning with the darkness of night, it was very unlikely for Kunzite to see it. The string also moved fast, so fast that if you blink then you would have missed it.

But somehow Kunzite dodges it. I honestly froze when that happened. How did he dodge it? Could he have seen it? No, it was nearly invisible. It's probably more likely that he senses it instead. But he shouldn't have sensed it that fast.

"You really should learn how to hold back on your bloodlust." Kunzite smirks.

Bloodlust? Was I emitting bloodlust so thick that it told Kunzite where I was attacking?

So what!? It doesn't matter if he can sense my bloodlust if I move faster than he can react!

"Minako! I'm going to give you a clear shot!" I told her, already jumping at him, spreading my wings to reach him faster. As I got closer to him, Kunzite made his own move by throwing an energy sickle at me. Which I counter by turning into slime again, but something happened when the energy blade goes through me.

Pain.

A white hot burning pain cuts through me. But that is impossible…

Could my slime form not null damage from a magical attack?

"Interesting…" Kunzite places a finger on his cheek.

Okay… now this guy is starting to piss me off! I wrap myself around him, sliding a slime tendril under each arm and then turning into my wendigo form. Oddly I feel Kunzite not fighting back as I pry his arms back, leaving his chest open wide. But I don't care, the end result still leaves him open for Minako to attack.

"Take the shot!" I yell at Minako, who thankfully didn't hesitate as she soon fires her signature Crescent Beam at the hold-up Kunzite.

Then my arms that were holding Kunzite suddenly felt empty before another burning pain hits me in the chest. But this one was far, far, far worse. It felt like someone poured a corrosive substance on my chest.

Since when could Kunzite teleport?!

Speaking of Kunzite, I watch him backhand Minako as I clench my chest, trying to ease the pain. I jump back to my feet and change back into slime form, aiming once again, this time with rapid fire. However, this time I was aiming to hurt Kunzite but rather to get him away from Minako. Minako is a ranged fighter so Kunzite being close will put her at a major disadvantage.

Kunzite jumps out of the way of my shots, and I soon take his place, making sure that I'm standing between him and Minako. I'm starting to realize that I made a mistake by looking down on Kunzite. His ability to teleport makes it so we're putting ourselves at risk of friendly fire as well make our attacks miss and give him an opening.

That is not including the fact I have no means of telling where he is teleporting to.

That is when a thought enters my mind. A thought that fills my gut with dread.

How fast and wide can Kunzite make his barrier?

Fearing the answer, I try moving away from my spot, only to hit an invisible wall which also sends a magical shock at me. Fuck… we are trapped and doubt that we get lucky like the original Sailor Scouts when they were in this situation.

And just like them, our sphere is slowly closing in on itself. Minako, realizing the seriousness of our situation, looks for a way out. Something I soon follow, trying to see if I can break through the floor, but it wasn't giving way. Could the barrier cover the floor so fast?

Amid my desperate search for an escape, I hear footsteps calmly coming closer to me. I look up to see Kunzite, looking at me with a deep gaze.

"I wasn't sure why my queen was keen on recruiting you, but now I'm starting to understand." Kunzite said. "At first I thought you were simply a mage, but now I realize that you are more than that. Vampirism, the ability to turn into a slime, and that beastly form. Perhaps my queen wanted you to join us to improve our Youmas, making them house an endless combination of powers. Shame that you won't join us, but I'm certain we can learn so much about you in another way."

Is this fucker seriously saying he is going to dissect me to see how my powers work?!

"But that is enough with chitchat for tonight. I'm very busy so let us get this over with. I know that you will survive this but her? I hold my doubts." Kunzite gives us a sadistic smile as the barrier quickly shink to the point where my and Minako's backs are pressed against each other. And the room is still getting smaller! "Now that was simple, maybe my queen was overestimating you lo-!" Kunzite was cut off by a small white body jumping onto his face, digging his claws into Kunzite's face.

"Artemis!"

I completely forgot he was here and I'm guessing Kunzite was the same. Then again which is a bigger threat, the monster and Sailor Scout or a cat? And sadly for my pride, a cat was the one to land a clean blow against this guy.

"You! Do you have a way out there and get far away from here?!" Artemis questions. If I did then we wouldn't be in this situat-!

Then I remember my fight with the siren.

"I think so but I never used it before!" I told the cat, already changing into the fish monster.

"Use it! Get Venus out of here! If she dies then all will be lost! The earth can't fall into the Dark Kingdom's hands!" Artemis yells, clinging on for dear life as Kunzite is trying to tear the cat off of him. "Venus! Find the other Scouts! Find the Princess! Find the Silver Crystal! Get away from her-!"

Artemis's voice soon was cut off, as was his body as the lower half of his cat's body falls, which was followed by Minako screaming the cat's name. The upper half soon was thrown away, revealing Kunzite's face, covered in cat blood and scratches. Now he was mad and is solely focusing on crushing us.

But I was able to fill the now floating sphere with enough water to use the underwater dive that my siren form gives me. "Hold your breath!" I warn Minako, something I doubt she heard, but we are running out of time! I pull Minako with me, entering a completely underwater world with several lights at the surface. Sadly I couldn't take the time to admire the sight as I swim as fast as I can, getting as much distance before Minako runs out of air.

I soon pull up, emerging from the water, and with a quick scan of the area to realize that we are in the river near my apartment. I turn to Minako, relieved that she is breathing but was passed out, with no doubt due to shock. I was relieved that we got out of there.

But that relief was slowly replaced with rage. Rage at Kunzite and… at myself. I thought my powers would get me an easy out of any fight when I never have been in an honest fight! My past fights were just hunter versus hunted with the hunted having no way to truly fight back.

And my ego fed on that…

Now I sit in a dirty river, while Kunzite will tell Beryl about my powers. The enemy knows more about my powers, and will make counters against me now…

I want to scream and curse out in the quiet night air but I know that will accomplish nothing.

As I sit there, feeling more and more rage boils over, I made a promise. I will never lose like this again. I refuse to run like a scared dog with my tail between my legs ever again…

I will learn from this and I will win.

Author's note

Sorry for the wait but you all can probably see why. Hopefully my next chapter will come out soon. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I will see you all later!

I'm also part of the SGO server so if you want to join and chat, here is a link

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