A/N: So I'm back a little earlier than I expected. Yay for that, I guess.

I, of course, don't own the song used in this chapter. The song is Sweating Bullets, by the band Megadeth. I also don't own Monster Girl Quest, but I think that's pretty fucking obvious. I'm using the lyrics that came with the CD, by the way. The case smells like an old book.

I don't think I'll keep doing songs, though.

Luka leaned against a tree, sighing as he slowly slid to the ground. Finally relaxing for the first time in what felt like hours, he felt involuntary tears well up in his eyes.

That fight had been the most terrifying moment of his entire life. He hadn't felt as much fear in any other encounter, even against Granberia! Sure, he'd been in life or death situations before, but none had been so… visceral.

In most fights, the biggest threat would've been getting fucked to death. Yeah, that'd kill him, but at least it would be a pleasant way to go.

The fight with the masked man had been the most painful experience of his entire life. Unconsciously rubbing his shoulder, he swore he could still feel the wound. That agonizing, ice-cold bolt of pain would haunt his mind for a long time, even if it had long since passed from his physical form.

Just remembering the fight generated raw fear in his heart. The fact that one single mistake would've ended in his agonizing death probably had something to do with that.

Still though, there was definitely something off in that fight. The masked man had seemed reluctant to hurt him at first. He'd tried to talk Luka out of it multiple times. Luka just couldn't have let the man go unpunished though, so he continued on.

When he'd hit the man with Angel Halo, it seemed to have a profound effect on him. It had truly hurt him.

He'd underestimated the man, and got grabbed because of it. Even when he was right in Luka's face, the man didn't seem like he wanted to kill him. Had Luka noticed that, he wouldn't have buried Angel Halo in the man's torso.

For a moment, Luka had thought he'd killed the masked man. Oh, how wrong he'd been.

The man changed. Gone was the reluctance, and the diplomacy. That had been replaced by a silent void of malice. It was like the man had suddenly been replaced by someone completely different.

This creature had nearly killed him. Had Alice not intervened, he would've died.

Luka vowed to be better. If he had trouble defeating that abomination, then he had no hope to stand against the Four Heavenly Knights.

*LINEBREAK*

"Why have you called us here?" Granberia asked, her foul mood clearly showing through whatever weak façade of indifference she tried to put up.

"Is this about… him?" Alma asked pensively.

Tamamo sighed as she led her fellow knights into the dungeon. Neither of them had much patience, it seemed. From Alma Elma, that was expected. Nobody was really sure what went on in her head. Granberia was also a little hot-headed, so there wasn't much out of the ordinary there, either.

Still though, Tamamo was a little worried. She knew what was troubling Alma, but whatever weighed on Granberia's mind was a mystery.

"Yes Alma." Tamamo said. "We're going to go see him."

"See who?" Granberia asked, annoyed. "Why have I been left out of whatever's been going on?"

Tamamo sighed again, muttering something along the lines of "You damned kids".

Without explanation, she led them into the dungeon. Upon approaching the cell, the masked man came into sight.

Unlike the last time Tamamo had seen the man, he was standing up, leaning against the wall.

As Granberia caught sight of the man, she felt raw anger course through her entire being. She gripped the hilt of her sword in one hand, ready to unsheathe it and bring down the fires of hell on that scourge of a man. Tamamo must have noticed her, as she grabbed Granberia's hand and told her to quit it.

"Which one of you is in control?" Tamamo asked the man.

The man, who had previously been staring at an earthworm that was inching along the ground, snapped his head up towards her.

"Jason's asleep." He said, flinching at Granberia's rage-filled gaze.

Alma Elma tilted her head in confusion.

"Who's Jason?" She asked, bewildered.

Tamamo prepared herself for the conversation that was to come. Sure, there wasn't anything really bad about it so far, but her patience today had already been stretched dangerously thin.

"Jason is the crazy fucker that's stuck in my head. Well, I guess I'm the one stuck in his head, but he's a fuckin' nut." The man explained.

A puzzled silence fell on the group. Granberia, unsure of how to react to that declaration, settled on annoyance.

"He's being truthful, although I think he could've phrased it better." Tamamo stated. "I've brought the both of you here so we could figure out what to do with him."

Granberia grabbed her sword again. The man jumped backwards, despite the fact that they were separated by magically enchanted metal bars.

"Granberia, give him a chance." Tamamo said. "I spoke with him already, but I want your opinions on him."

"He's hurt innocent people." She growled. "Just let me kill the bastard."

"Chill out." The man grunted. "I didn't hurt anyone who didn't deserve it."

"And what gives you the right to dish out justice as you please?" Granberia snarled.

The man's attitude changed immediately, as if a switch had been flipped. He turned to her, livid.

"You know what? Fuck you!" He roared, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Yeah, I've killed monsters, but I've also killed a human, too! Do you want to know why?"

He didn't give her time to answer.

"Let me give you an example!" The man continued. "I was walking down the road, when I came upon a disgusting sight. A man lay dead, drained completely dry. The perpetrator, an earthworm girl, had cornered a child and was bragging about how she was going to rape him!"

The man had stalked up to the bars, yelling at her with fury visible in his otherwise dead eyes.

"So yeah, I killed her! I did it to protect that kid and avenge his fucking father!" He yelled, speaking with such venom in his voice that it caused Granberia to step back, eyes widened at the man's fury.

"I've been attacked by bounty hunters! They would've just kept following me, had I not gotten rid of them!" He said, his tirade seeming to gain speed. "And guess fucking what? Those bounty hunters were only after me because your fucking boss put a price on my head. It wasn't even me that did anything! Jason was the one who broke your fucking wrist!"

Tamamo watched with shock as the man ranted and raved at her comrade. She considered stepping in, but ultimately decided not to. This was something he needed to let out, it seemed.

"I'm just a bystander who got roped into this train-wreck. This isn't even my own body! I just woke up in it one day, with no recollection of how I got here!" He seethed. "Who the hell are you to judge me like I'm a fucking criminal? I've done nothing but try to survive this godless world! I was ripped away from my happy life, waking up to this shitstorm of sexual assault and endless degeneracy!"

Abruptly, he seemed to lose most of the energy in his body. Tiredly, he sagged against the bars.

"I just want to see my family again…" He muttered.

A tense silence washed over the room, seeming to almost choke the inhabitants. The only noise was of the man quietly sobbing. Granberia stared wide-eyed at Tamamo, her anger forgotten. Alma Elma was also taken aback, unsure of what to say.

Sighing, Tamamo led them out of the room.

*LINEBREAK*

Granberia wasn't sure what to do. When she'd seen the man, she'd been ready to rip his fucking head off, orders be damned. It was only due to Tamamo that she hadn't. In her head, she'd pictured the man as a violent, unhinged savage.

That outburst had quickly made everything she thought about him invalid. Part of her thought he was trying to save his own skin, but that was quickly dismissed. You couldn't just fake emotion like that. If you were a really good actor, you could fool most people. However, those with a trained eye could spot anybody who was faking. There were several minute details that just didn't exist unless the person was being truthful.

The man, Jackson, had confessed to killing multiple monsters. Due to the circumstances though, she couldn't blame him.

His claims that there was another person in his head sounded insane, but it was confirmed by Tamamo, so she accepted it as true.

None of them spoke until they were out of earshot of the dungeon. Tamamo was the one to break the silence.

"So, what do we do about him?" Tamamo asked.

"He doesn't seem like such a bad guy." Alma said. "I feel kind of bad for him."

They looked at Granberia, waiting for her to speak. She stared at the wall for a while, before sighing.

"I… suppose I was rash in my original judgment of the man." She muttered. "He doesn't seem to have any malicious intentions."

Tamamo nodded.

"I thought you two would think that. I'm more concerned about Jason, though…" She said, a worried look on her face.

"He's the one that Jackson claimed was in his head, right?" Granberia asked.

"Yes." Tamamo said. "I spoke with him. He's… well, he's insane."

"How so?" Granberia asked, tilting her head.

"Well, his mother apparently taught him that murder is an appropriate response to drinking, swearing, and sex." Tamamo deadpanned.

Granberia's eyes narrowed.

"I see." She said.

Alma Elma was a little freaked out by this. It made sense, Granberia supposed. Sex was literally a daily part of the Succubus' life.

"What disturbed me was how innocently he said it." Tamamo said. "When I spoke to him, it felt like I was talking to a child. I'm not even sure if he really comprehends what he's been doing."

"Well, how are we going to deal with them?" Granberia asked. "Jackson's clearly innocent, but he's in the same body as Jason."

"Is there a way we can separate them?" Alma asked. "I want to deal with Jason."

Granberia decided to not think about what 'dealing' with the man entailed. That body was basically a walking corpse.

… Fucking succubi.

"I don't know." Tamamo said. "But I'm not so sure Jason's deserves death."

Granberia and Alma Elma looked at her, slightly disturbed. Tamamo sighed.

"As I already said, he doesn't seem to know any better. I feel we should at least give him a chance to learn."

Granberia sighed angrily, but nodded. She didn't agree with Tamamo, but acquiesced out of respect for her comrade. Tamamo was usually right about this kind of stuff, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Still though, there were some things that were bugging her.

The way he spoke of his situation… It almost sounded like he was from a different world. That was ridiculous, of course. It was just one of those thoughts that you get in your mind, but no matter how much you try to ignore it, it doesn't go away.

Granberia didn't say anything about that. Why would she? Best case scenario, they would just go "Huh, neat." Worst case scenario, they'd look at her like she was a fuckin' nut.

"Why are we even doing this? This isn't really our job." Alma said.

Tamamo facepalmed.

"Alice literally dropped him in my room." She deadpanned. "What else was I supposed to do? Release him?"

Alma wisely decided to shut up.

"Now, all in favor of giving him a chance?" Tamamo continued.

*LINEBREAK*

I leaned against the wall, physically and emotionally drained. It's not like I had anything else to do. Earlier, I tried to loosen the bars. It didn't work, of course.

I felt Jason awaken in my mind. It was an odd feeling, knowing that there was someone else in your head. This feeling was overshadowed at the sudden flash of anger that I felt upon registering that he was there. Whatever, I'd bury that for now. Still though, there were some things that needed to be said.

"Hey." I mentally called out. "We need to talk."

I could feel his distrust practically oozing from his being. Guess he didn't like me either. Considering all the stuff I said to him, it made sense.

What do you want?

I mentally prepared myself for the conversation. I didn't want to speak with Jason in the first place. He was a madman, and I heavily disliked him. I understood that the way he acts wasn't entirely his fault, but that didn't change the disgust I felt about him.

"We need to talk about the shit you've been pulling." I growled. "I don't want to get dragged down with you because of the people you killed."

Suddenly, I felt all of his white-hot anger directed at me. Thankfully, he couldn't act on it right now.

Excuse me?! I've just been doing my job!

Here we go with this shit again. Honestly, Pamela screwed this kid pretty bad. I almost felt bad for him.

Almost.

"Buddy, your 'job' is gonna get us both killed!" I mentally exclaimed. "You've gotta stop killing people just because they're doing the horizontal monster mash."

That's what my mother taught me!

"Jason, I'm not trying to be rude, but your mother was insane." I deadpanned. "She was a hyper-religious woman who went off the deep end when her son died. She's not a great role model."

Yeah, that wasn't the best thing to say.

He started screaming at me, hurling venomous insults that somehow didn't involve curses. It was actually kind of impressive. He was surprisingly quick-witted.

He was going to continue on forever if I didn't stop him. So, I said something that I knew would get his attention.

"Do you ever want to see Crystal Lake again?" I asked, attempting block any anger or annoyance from my voice.

He went silent. Knowing I'd caught his interest, I continued.

"As you know, we're in a world that isn't our own." I explained. "In this place, sex is simply a way of life for many individuals. You're just going to have to accept that."

Absolutely not!

I don't get how he's so dead-set in his beliefs. To be honest, it really pisses me off.

"Your actions have earned us the ire of some of the world's most powerful beings. I'm not sure if we can get out of our current situation." I said. "If you continue, you will never see Crystal Lake again."

I felt him recoil in horror at my words. Of course, I kept going.

"I need you to understand that actions have consequences. Murder, being one of the most reprehensible crimes, has an extreme penalty." I deadpanned.

What I do isn't murder!

… Not sure how he came to that conclusion. Last time I checked, killing someone outside of self-defense is still murder.

I'm not a saint by any means, but I still know that it's wrong.

"Yes it is." I said. "But what's important is that you've broken laws! People think of you as a criminal, and they're right to think that."

But… I have to…

I could feel his protests grow weaker. Knowing I almost had him, I brought out my ultimate weapon.

"How do you think babies are made?" I asked. "Sex is required to make a child. It's a bodily function that's existed since the dawn of humanity. How do you think your mother had you?"

That's not what my mother told me.

Well, that's… inconvenient.

"What… did your mother tell you about having kids?" I asked warily.

Well… my mom said that when a couple gets married, a stork comes and gives them a baby.

I facepalmed. Seriously, Pamela? I get that he was young, but educate your child, for fuck's sake. My mom didn't lie to me about shit like that. Granted, the subject didn't really come up until I was twelve, but still!

"That's… not true." I said. "She probably just told you that because you were too young to know what sex was."

Another thought popped into my head. Wasn't Jason mentally deficient?

It seems like I asked that out loud, because he responded.

I'm an undead spirit of vengeance. Do you really think my physical limits would carry over through death?

That was a fair point, I supposed.

"We're getting a little off-topic." I said, steering the conversation back to the correct path. "I need you to promise not to kill people just because they're drinking, smoking, having sex, etc."

He didn't respond.

"Jason." I sighed. "You don't really have an option here."

… Fine.

I was about to stop talking, when a thought popped into my head.

"Oh, before I forget," I said. "Killing in self defense is still fine. So is killing to protect someone else."

With the conversation having finished, I realized I had nothing else to do. Jason disappeared back into the depths of my mind, so I couldn't keep talking to him, either.

A particular song popped into my head, and I felt a sudden and violent urge to belt out the different verses at the top of my rotting lungs.

I looked around. From my cell, I couldn't see anyone. The dungeons seemed to be completely deserted. It was dead quiet.

So, I went at it.

*LINEBREAK*

In the end, they'd decided to give him a chance. Of course, he wouldn't be left unsupervised. They'd send someone to watch him.

Granberia still wanted him dead, but Tamamo had apparently seen something in Jason. What that might have been, she didn't know.

As a group, they walked back to the dungeon. However, as they got close, they began to hear… singing?

The voice was instantly recognizable, belonging to Jackson. The words, however, were not.

Hello me… meet the real me

And my misfit's way of life.

A dark past is my

Most valued possession.

Granberia blinked, surprised. What was he singing? She'd never heard of it before. Then again, she didn't really listen to any songs.

Hindsight is always 20-20

But looking back it's still a bit fuzzy

You speak of mutually assured destruction

Nice story… Tell it to reader's digest!

She turned to look at Tamamo with questioning eyes. The kitsune shrugged, putting her finger to her lips.

Feeling paranoid

True enemy or false friend?

Anxiety's attacking me, and

My air is getting thin.

I'm in trouble for the things

I haven't got to yet.

I'm chomping at the bit, and my palms are getting wet

Sweating bullets!

It seemed as if he was going to sing another verse. Somehow though, he noticed them.

"… How much of that did you hear?" He asked timidly.

"All of it." Granberia deadpanned.

He winced, looking down in embarrassment.

"What was that song?" Tamamo asked. "I've never heard of it."

"It's called 'Sweating Bullets'." He eventually said. "I've known it since I was a child."

Personally, Granberia thought the song was a bit dark. Wasn't music meant to boost morale? It seemed counter-intuitive.

"So," Tamamo said. "We've come to a decision."

Jackson looked up at her, apprehension clear in his eyes.

"I'm going to be here for a while, aren't I?" He asked dejectedly.

Tamamo shook her head.

"No, we've decided that you're innocent." She said. "But there's still some things we need to address."

The man seemed to brighten up at her words. Still, he seemed to already know what they were going to talk about.

"It's Jason, isn't it?" Jackson asked. "He's promised to behave himself for now, so it should be fine."

Tamamo shook her head.

"Still, we've decided that you shouldn't be left alone." She explained. "While I believe you, we still don't trust Jason."

Jackson crossed his arms.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" He asked, his eyes narrowed.

Granberia sighed. This was taking too long.

"Let's stop beating around the bush." She said, her tone impatient. "You're going to accompany one of Tamamo's subordinates until you're deemed safe."

Jackson seemed to visibly sag.

"So you're getting me a glorified babysitter?" He deadpanned.

Tamamo winced at his words.

"While I wouldn't quite say it like that, you're basically right." She said. "Please understand that this is just to be safe."

The man facepalmed, quietly muttering obscenities.

"Aw, fuck." He grumbled. "Well, I don't really have a choice, do I?"

Tamamo shook her head.

"It won't be that bad." She said. "Come on, I'll take you to her."

She opened the cell door, gesturing for him to follow.

"…How old are you, anyways?" Jackson eventually asked. "No offence, but you look like a literal child."

"It's rude to ask a lady her age." Tamamo said neutrally, as she led him out of the dungeon.

Granberia looked at Alma Elma, and shrugged, before following them.

*LINEBREAK*

Chrome was conflicted.

The man she had met was so nice. She wasn't sure why, since she'd only known him for like, a day. Still though, that was the nicest anyone had been to her in a long time.

So it had come as a nasty surprise when the fucking monster lord told her that the man was a serial killer.

That… That just couldn't be true! Why would he be nice if he planned to kill her? That just didn't make any sense!

Still though, a seed of doubt had been planted in her mind. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get rid of it. He had been a little weird, after all. On top of that, he didn't even tell her his name! If that wasn't untrustworthy, she didn't know what was.

Still, she held out hope that this was just a big misunderstanding. After all, his body was the coolest thing she'd ever seen.

*LINEBREAK*

"Yao, could you come over here for a moment?" Tamamo called out, waving at a red-haired kitsune.

I mentally sighed. Well, I supposed I'd have to make a good impression. This would be far more unpleasant if we were constantly at each others throats.

"What is it, ma'am?" Yao asked, walking up. She glanced at me for a moment, raising an eyebrow. Turning to Tamamo, she gestured to me, confused.

I just sort of waved, trying (and failing) not to be awkward.

"I have a new mission for you." Tamamo said. "It has to do with him."

Yao tilted her head.

"Alright, what is it?" She asked.

Gesturing to me, Tamamo sighed.

"I need you to look after him for a while." She said. "Report back if he does anything suspicious."

Yao crossed her arms, adopting a dubious expression.

"Really?" She deadpanned. "You need me to look after this massive… thing?"

I sighed, shaking my head.

"Look, I don't like this either." I stated flatly. "However, the powers that be have decided it best for me to be watched for a little while."

Yao turned back to Tamamo.

"…Why does he need to be watched?" She asked, clear disdain in her voice.

This was taking entirely too long. My patience had ran out quite a while ago. So, I decided to speed things along.

"I've got a serial killer trapped in my head." I answered before Tamamo could get a word out. "Me and him have worked things out, but apparently I need to be watched for some reason."

Tamamo facepalmed.

"I suppose you could describe it like that…" She said. "Anyways, don't let him out of your sight."

And like that, she left, leaving me with a very confused kitsune.

I was silent for a time, before finally turning to the woman who had the unfortunate luck of being my handler.

"So… Do you have any board games?"

A/N: So, as previously mentioned, I'm back far earlier than I expected.

This chapter was a little bit shorter than I wanted it to be, but it'll have to do. I was very tired when I wrote it, and that's probably obvious. It's fine, I guess.

The software I'm using is a little iffy. If it fucked up somewhere, let me know.