"Let me do it."

Kurumu carefully placed her hand on Nerume's back as she leaned in close. She brushed aside the ebony tresses to expose Nerume's ear. Moving her hand to a free spot of desk near Nerume's head, Kurumu puckered her lips and blew softly across the kirin's ear.

Nerume flinched, her head jerking up and smacking against Kurumu's nose and jaw. Wincing, Kurumu clapped a hand about her mouth as she backed off a step from Nerume's desk. Nerume groaned, rubbing the side of her head as Satsuki laughed at them.

"What happened?"

"Karma."

Kurumu pouted at Satsuki, whom was hovering behind Nerume's chair.

"How was that karma?"

"Divine punishment for being sexual deviants."

Satsuki had been poking fun at Nerume and her over their impromptu sleepover. They had explained the events of the night, but Satsuki enjoyed their stumbling efforts to prove innocence.

After getting out Yukari's spare bedding and some sheets, they had dressed down for bed. Since Kurumu's tank tops were too loose for Nerume, they had her change into one of Yukari's nightgowns bought for her by Ms. Hiboshi. It had been intentionally long with the hope that Yukari would grow into it within a year or two. The silky garment had been a perfect fit for the tiny kirin.

With Nerume's insistence to sleep with someone, Yukari had given Tokori the choice of sleeping in the bed or the floor. When Tokori questioned the offer, Yukari had clarified it was a question of whether she preferred sleeping with the two on the floor, or alone on the bed. Tokori had opted to take the bed.

Despite Nerume's sleeping habits, last night had been surprisingly restful. Kurumu had woken up to the smell of breakfast, the sounds of a shower and the warmth of a tiny body in her arms. The long pillow they had shared had somehow ended up between Nerume's thighs.

After returning from her shower in her suite, Kurumu had roused the sleepy girl. A little after six, she had decided it was best to take the kirin back to her dorm for a change of clothes instead of sticking around for breakfast. The drowsy Nerume helped put away the bedding and gathered up her things, getting permission to return the nightgown after a wash.

It felt like it had been forever since she had a dorm morning routine with Moka and Tora, though it had been less than a week. It had been a fun breakfast with everyone optimistic about midterms. Other than the addition of Satsuki and Nerume, it had been like so many other mornings.

"Are you okay?"

Kurumu managed a smile as she lowered her hand.

"How are you sleeping?"

"I finished my exam early."

Kurumu supposed that was possible. Due to the science exam being part lab, the exam schedule for each class matched their daily schedule. Class three would have taken their history and Japanese exams while Kurumu had just finished her algebra exam. She had spent her full two hours on the Japanese test simply having nothing better to do. It was not like breaking out a textbook for some last minute, algebra cram session would have made a difference.

"Good luck with the math test."

Satsuki smirked.

"How did you do on it?"

"I feel like I passed. You?"

"I hope I managed an eighty. It's bad enough that I have to pray my other grades will be good enough to pull up my English. I can't have two scores below eighty."

"How was the history exam?"

Nerume grinned as she got up from her desk.

"Easy. You two should do good."

Satsuki chuckled.

"Too bad we don't have that test till tomorrow."

"I'm fine with an easy test before English."

"That's true."

Nerume sighed, grabbing Kurumu by the hem of her green jacket. She cocked her head to the left side, causing her offside tail to hang even further down.

"Will you eat with us today?"

Kurumu glanced across the classroom where Yukari was handing out bento boxes to Moka and Tsukune. Tsukune had already finished turning about the desks.

"Where's Shirayuki?"

"She didn't come to class."

"But it's midterms. You can't skip midterms."

"Maybe she's sick?"

Kurumu sighed, stepping in to hug her silly friend. Very few monsters got sick to the point that their innate healing could not handle things.

"I'm worried about her."

Satsuki smirked.

"I'm worried about you."

"Why?"

"Because she's dangerous and might hurt you again. And before you get all defensive, I am not saying she would try to hurt you intentionally."

Kurumu smiled, running her fingers through the locks on the right side of Nerume's head. The girl sighed, giving her a slight squeeze.

"I'll go with you if you want to visit her after school today."

"I'll come get you."

"Fine. I'll come too since you're both crazy."

"You don't have to."

"Yea, well, figured we would study again tonight."

"We didn't really plan for that."

"Not everyone. Just Sendou and us. Might even spend the night this time."

"Can we?"

"Oh? Are you sure you want to spend the night with a bunch of sexual deviants?"

"I'm just messing with you guys. The only reason I didn't stay last night was because I didn't want to press my luck with Sendou."

"She would have let you stay."

"Maybe. More likely she would have had me sleep in your room. Which you need to. Like the whole point of you moving was for you to have your own room, not so you could move in with Sendou."

"I need to tell my mom about sending the bed. That will make things better."

"Is it big enough to sleep with someone?"

"It's smaller than Yukari's but I'm sure I could manage."

"Sounds like my bed at home."

"I still can't believe we fit three of us on Hidarimeki's bed."

"You guys were curled up tight together like kittens."

"It's strange. I've never slept with anyone before. That night at Tokori's was the first time I tried sleeping with anyone else, which was painful."

"I'm really sorry about that. I should have dithered first."

Satsuki grimaced.

"That's something you should keep to yourself."

"But it worked last night. I didn't cause any trouble at all."

Kurumu chuckled, aware that Nerume had spent a rather long time in the bathroom when changing into the nightgown. She tousled the girl's hair.

"How can you be so quiet when you do that?"

Satsuki shrugged.

"I'm quiet. Last thing I need is my brother getting curious about the sounds I'm making."

"Yea. Sharing a room you sort of get used to being as silent as possible."

"I guess."

Smiling, she hugged Nerume one last time before pushing the girl towards Satsuki.

"You two should be going. I'll see you in lab, Satsuki."

"Bye."

Nerume tentatively touched Satsuki's sleeve as the two walked out the back of the classroom.

"You're being too clingy."

"She doesn't mind it."

Kurumu chuckled, turning on her heel and crossing the back of the room to join her other friends. Yukari had set aside her periwinkle bento on Shirayuki's old desk as usual. Tsukune had not bothered turning about any other desks but his own, so Kurumu settled for the desk as it would be less obtrusive. Taking the seat, she pulled off the bento cover and smiled.

"I didn't get to ask, but did you get along with Tokori this morning?"

"I walked with her to school."

"Yea, so… what did the two of you talk about?"

"Ms. Meirowasa had nothing to say to me."

"You didn't feel like talking to her?"

"About what?"

Kurumu sighed.

"Nevermind. How have the two of you been doing on your exams?"

Tsukune laughed.

"I'm a nervous wreck."

"Nerume said the history exam was easy."

"It was."

"Maybe for you, but I feel like I messed up."

"You are worrying too much, Tsukune."

"He worries too little."

Tsukune frowned at Yukari.

"I think I'm at a healthy state of panic. I swear I'm not ready for this algebra test."

Kurumu smiled.

"It wasn't that bad, Tsukune. I'm sure you'll do better than I did."

"He can randomly guess on a test that wasn't multiple choice and do better than you, Kurumu."

"Hopefully that guide Moka gave me works out since that's all I can seem to remember."

"You'll do fine."

"So do you plan to put the moves on Kurumu soon or will you let her be stolen away by a girl?"

"What are you talking about?"

Yukari wagged her chopsticks at Tsukune.

"I am talking about Kurumu's declaration that she is bisexual."

"I made no such claims."

"You made the group aware that your body registers strong feelings from both men and women. That's a clear statement that you play for both sides."

"That's not true! I mean, well… yea, I notice but that doesn't mean I reciprocate these feelings."

"So you don't have strong feelings for Moka?"

Kurumu sighed. This troublesome banter had Tsukune's interest peaked.

"I don't know what it is I'm feeling from you guys."

"I wasn't asking about what you think you are sensing."

Kurumu smirked at Yukari.

"Yes. I have strong feelings of friendship for Moka."

Tsukune chuckled, turning his attention back to his meal.

"I think we all have strong feelings of friendship."

"Good. Moka is my lover so keep your hands off her."

"I have a boyfriend, Yukari. And you're troubling Moka with this topic."

Moka smiled graciously at her.

"I've always thought you were very pretty, Kurumu."

"You're downright gorgeous. I don't get why Kamitsuku thinks you're unapproachable."

"Well, Moka is like a perfect girl."

"And I'm not?"

Tsukune smiled.

"You're not. Everyone knows you're not smart and that you're blatantly lazy. People have seen you cry, laugh, be childish and foolish. People can relate to you before they even speak with you."

"But Moka can be silly. I've seen her nervous, embarrassed, at a loss for words."

"Yes, we have. But that's not something Kamitsuku has ever seen. The Moka most people know is this perfect girl with good grades, athletic, pretty and not to be trifled with. Koma admitted that he's a little scared of Moka."

"Who's Koma?"

"Takoshine. You know, they guy that actually owns the game system in Kamitsuku's room."

Kurumu had not seen that garish boy in some time. Most of the time it was Aku, Kamitsuku and Kinusawa whom lived between them. The Takoshine guy was annoying, not comprehending the concept that a conversation was between people. All he ever did was lecture about his interests.

"But yea, Moka is a difficult girl to approach. Even for me at times."

"But everyone has seen how drowsy she can be at breakfast. That should be something."

"I wouldn't say that. A few of us know, but that's not something anyone is going to talk about when it's like her only flaw. Heaven forbid she decides to fix it."

Kurumu paused, taking the time to finish the main course of her lunch. Before Inui she had often thought about finding Moka a boyfriend. It was always this passing thought that things would be better if Moka had someone else. It had to be someone the group got along with and then Tsukune would no longer have to worry about what happens to Moka if the two of them truly become a couple.

"Moka. Is the other you interested in dating anyone?"

"I don't think she is. Why?"

"I was just wondering if you could even be someone's girlfriend if she doesn't want you to be."

"There was a time when she said she would tolerate Tsukune but then Yukari got her all worried about his blood making us weak."

Kurumu chuckled.

"So if it was a strong monster, she would be okay with it."

"I don't know if she has thought much about it. From our customs, I knew the preferred choice was to be married to a stronger vampire. The Rite of Ascension was an alternative for situations in which vampires fall in love with a strong monster whom could survive the process of becoming a vampire."

"Is it possible that the other Moka prefers girls?"

Kurumu regarded Yukari with disbelief as Moka blushed hotly.

"She's very agitated that you would even suggest such a thing."

"It would explain why Kurumu has more feelings from you than any other girl."

Kurumu shook her head fiercely.

"I don't think it works like that. I mean, there was that whole thing with Ms. Kagome and she never gave off that sensation I feel from you girls."

"That simply suggests that Ms. Kagome was forcing herself."

"But Ms. Sasayaki told me Ms. Kagome preferred women."

"That does not invalidate my statement."

Kurumu disliked the idea that Ms. Kagome had not been attracted to her. It made her desperate act to use Kurumu as a host feel even worse. There was no doubt in Kurumu's mind that the woman had cared for her. But care did not instigate this sensation. She would feel it more often and from other girls like Asuka and Satsuki. She knew this feeling was sexual.

"I don't know. I've always assumed the feelings I get from Moka are from this Moka. I never considered it could be from the one that threatened to tear my wings and tail off."

"That was a long time ago. She also kissed you."

"When did this happen?"

Kurumu shrugged, glancing at Moka.

"Like a month, ago, right?"

"You know I don't have any memories of the things she does."

"It certainly is something worth discussing when we visit her tomorrow night."

Moka frowned.

"You know she isn't okay with that."

"But Tora wants to meet her."

"I know. I want her to meet my friends but she doesn't see the point."

"How are you going to meet her? Do you guys need me there to remove the rosary?"

"Kurumu has other ways of getting into people's heads."

Kurumu smirked, aware that Tsukune was clueless about her dream adventures.

"You know how my tail opens up and there's that little stigma in the center?"

"Yea."

"That thing allows me to pull people into my mind. Only when I do it to Moka, it pulls her other half instead of her. So we were thinking after I finish up my cheer article, we could have a sleepover at Yukari's and use this ability to introduce Tora to the other Moka."

"We also wanted to talk with the other Moka about a few things. Since you are one of the topics, it would be awkward if you were invited."

"When did you learn about this ability?"

"It was a little before the whole fight with the student police. That's also when Moka kissed me."

"It feels odd that you didn't mention either of these things before."

Kurumu shrugged. Obviously she had not wanted to mention her ability to wander into his dreams. It was not that she felt he would get angry. If he remembered anything from those dreams, he would more likely get extremely embarrassed.

"I went almost two whole months without telling anyone but you about my first boyfriend. Are you really that interested in me being kissed by Moka in my mind?"

"In your mind?"

"Yea… this is the other Moka that kissed me. So it happened in my head."

He nodded, setting his chopsticks inside his bento. He put the lid back on and leaned back in his seat.

"Okay, I was confused there. So that's why you think she's into girls."

"She's not into girls, Tsukune. She was trying to reassure Kurumu that she was not an enemy."

Yukari snickered, gesturing for Tsukune. She leaned over and picked the satchel up from the floor, throwing back the top flap while Tsukune placed his emptied bento on her desk. She promptly stored both of their bento boxes in the satchel, making Kurumu aware that she should finish hers.

"Wasn't there a better way to do that?"

Moka sighed at Tsukune.

"I don't know. I wasn't there. What Kurumu does with this ability is dangerous. It puts everyone involved in a vulnerable state. She did what she did because it was the fastest way to get them out."

"I don't understand. Did you attack Moka?"

Kurumu chuckled, supposing it could sound that way. She favored Yukari a soft smile, thankful that the girl was looking to her.

"I didn't understand what I was doing, Tsukune. I was attacked that morning when everything was stolen from the club room. I ran into this guy and he paralyzed me. I guess my tail was immune or something because it reacted to the situation and pulled Yukari and Moka in with me. It allowed me to fight off the guy."

Yukari smiled, taking Moka's empty bento and placing it in her satchel.

"And this is the courtyard, which is not a secure location. The other Moka understood the situation much faster than I did."

"So that's what happened."

Mostly. Kurumu worked down the last of her meal as she avoided mention of Nagare.

"I'm sorry, Tsukune. The other Moka did not explain what happened in that courtyard until much later. She didn't feel it was necessary for me to know."

"Which is precisely why we must speak with the other Moka. She might tell us things she is worried she can't share with our Moka."

"It seems odd that she can keep secrets from you. Can you keep secrets from her?"

Moka sighed, leaning forward on her desk and resting her cheek in her palm.

"Unfortunately not. She's always there. I have no privacy from her. She knows what I'm feeling and hears all my thoughts. There's nothing I can do without her knowing about it."

Moka groaned, glancing aside.

"But it's not fair. I never know how you feel."

Kurumu smiled, finding Moka's inner discourse amusing. Finished with her meal, she handed the bento over to Yukari. She leaned back in her seat.

"I heard Shirayuki missed school today."

Tsukune sighed.

"Yea… I noticed that. Is it possible she got sick?"

"I doubt that."

"Should I visit her? I mean… I am the class manager and I do feel like her absence could be due to Yukari threatening her."

"I will not apologize for my actions."

"I understand that but she could be too scared to come to school. You said you would kill her if she came close to us."

"I don't care if she ever comes back to this school."

Moka pressed a hand on Yukari's shoulder.

"I think we should talk with Ms. Nekonome about her. Letting the faculty handle this would be better than trying to solve this one on our own."

"You sound like Tora."

"This is different, Kurumu. Ms. Shirayuki is upset with us. An objective, neutral party, like a teacher, would be better."

"But I've tried so hard to make things easy for her."

"Maybe Tsukune could visit her, but I can't. I want to, but I know it would only make things worse."

Tsukune's desk rattled as he got up on his feet.

"I'm going to talk with Ms. Nekonome. You're more than welcome to come along."

Kurumu slipped out of her seat, aware that Moka was doing the same.

"You should wait until after exams. There's no point doing anything now."

"Come on, Yukari."

Yukari got up from her desk, slinging the satchel about her torso. She readjusted her pointed hat.

"I'm not coming anywhere. If you insist on helping that girl hurt you, I will have no part of it."

"We're just going to talk with Ms. Nekonome for now. It's not like we have time to run to the suites before our next exam."

"I'll walk with you to my class. That's all."

Kurumu sighed, falling in step with the witch as she passed by. Moka quickly hurried to join them while Tsukune fixed his desk. They had slipped out the back of the class before he could finish.

"It will be fine, Yukari. Don't worry."

"I was fine till you brought that crazy girl up again. Just because your two mothers were friends does not make you responsible for her. You have enough friends, Kurumu."

Kurumu sighed. It did not take long to reach the front door of the adjacent classroom. They paused, waiting for Tsukune to catch up before parting ways. It was a quick, gruff exchange that left Tsukune confused. As they continued down the hall without Yukari, Kurumu offered him an apologetic smile.

"She was upset about us trying to look after Shirayuki."

"She's scared. That day… I haven't seen Yukari cry like that since we rescued her from the lizards."

Kurumu smiled, glancing at Moka.

"What does your other half think about Shirayuki?"

"It's her idea to let the faculty handle this."

"Did she think Mizore would kill you?"

"No. She doubts Ms. Shirayuki understands how to kill a vampire."

"I would think if she put an ice spear through your heart, it would work."

Moka waved her hand dismissively.

"The whole stake through the heart is a myth. It would hurt and I might lose consciousness, but I would recover in a day or two like nothing had happened."

Tsukune regarded Moka with disbelief.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. If Ms. Shirayuki had tried it, I was to play dead till Yukari arrived."

Kurumu smiled. While she was pleased to hear how much faith the other Moka placed in Yukari, she noted Tsukune was disturbed.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. It's just… I always thought Moka was vulnerable because of her seal."

"Moka is stronger than I am, even in her current state."

"The seal limits my strength but not my durability."

Moka smiled softly.

"I know I told Tsukune I was happy to come to a monster school because of how badly the humans treated me, but she wished we had stayed. Humans could never hurt me the way monsters can. She hates Mother's decision to send me here."

"How long did she know about this plan to use Tsukune?"

Moka frowned.

"She never knew about it. Her whole plan when we came here was to have me drink the blood of some students. She hoped I would become strong enough to fight off any monsters that gave us trouble."

"So that's why you drank my blood when we first met."

Moka blushed as she regarded him.

"The idea was in my head and you seemed a very nice person."

"Don't fret over it, Tsukune. If you think about it, you did end up being her first after all."

Tsukune smirked.

"Yea, I recall you trying to play that down."

"She's a vampire. I assumed she had to drink blood."

"I guess that means you're the only other person she has taken blood from."

"Yea… Moka. How long have you been talking with your other half?"

Moka paused, glancing down as she bit her lip.

"Not long after I woke up. I was in a boarding home operated by a church. I had no memories and no understanding of how I came to be there."

"What about your mother?"

"She left me in the church's care."

Kurumu grimaced.

"She abandoned you?"

"Mother had her hands full with her workplace and my sisters. An empty shell like me required too much attention."

"You are not an empty shell."

"No, I was. I had nothing. Not even my name."

Kurumu sighed.

"I don't get it. My mother never abandoned me, though there were times I wished she would have."

"Mother doesn't like me. She wants the other one back."

They had finally reached the main foyer with the grand chandelier in the center. As they angled towards the winding staircase, Kurumu quickened her step realizing her short stride was forcing the others to walk slower.

"Why does she want her back?"

"Because I'm not real."

"Don't say that. You're real to us."

"I know. That's why I'm so happy to have come to this school."

Kurumu smiled as they descended the stairs together.

"What does the other Moka think about your mother?"

"She respects her, but doesn't believe Mother understands the reason why I was sealed. That's why she refuses to give me up."

"Why were you sealed?"

"To keep the world safe. She says if I'm unsealed, some terrible monster will come for us and destroy the whole world."

"That's not what you said before."

"She has been filling me in on some things due to what's happened here. I wasn't meaning to be dishonest. I only gave the answers I had at that time."

Kurumu chuckled as they quickly reached the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm just giving you a hard time. I know you weren't lying about your seal."

Moka smiled, making no movement towards the nearby door for the teachers' lounge. She smiled at Tsukune whom had a thoughtful look.

"How do you feel, Tsukune?"

"Okay, I guess."

"I know you feel like it's your destiny to remove my seal, but she doesn't want that. She's afraid if you keep doing this, something bad will happen to everyone we care about."

"Everything does make a lot more sense now."

"So you also will understand why she feels it is best for you to leave this school."

"Moka… what do you feel is best?"

Moka smiled softly.

"I believe I feel the same way Kurumu does. I don't want you to go, but I want you to be safe."

Tsukune chuckled.

"Well I can't go anywhere right now. Even if I wanted to transfer schools, I could not take any tests until summer break. Everyone agrees that I'm going to have to weather through the rest of the term, no matter what I decide to do."

"Yea… we can discuss this a month down the road. For now let's handle this situation with Shirayuki."

The teachers' lounge was as busy as any other lunch hour. Three aisles of desks divided by half wall partitions stretched down the length of the room. Kurumu paid little attention to the first two aisles which was for the older students. Most of the teachers for the first years had their desks in the last aisle farthest from the door.

Having entered through the door farthest away from the main entrance, the first desks they came upon belonged to the science teachers. The short, burly man whom absently adjusted his glasses upon the wide brim of his nose before resuming his typing on his laptop was Mr. Katai. He handled the science for classes nine through twelve. He looked like a forgettable office worker with that white dress shirt and black tie. His briefcase rested against the side of his desk.

The station across the aisle from him was vacant but next to him was the other science teacher, Ms. Sasayaki, whom handled classes five through eight. The elegant woman with long, silky black hair was holding a cup of steaming noodles and gesturing at the other ladies that sat about her. The dark, rich green blouse she wore had long sleeves and was tucked in her simple black capris.

Her audience was three of their daily teachers. Naturally the shortest was Ms. Sunao, wearing a black, short sleeved sweater over a lavender dress shirt which was tucked into a long skirt that hung past her calves. The timid woman managed a smile upon noting their presence.

"We have guests."

While Tsukune and Moka stepped ahead of her to address Ms. Nekonome, whom was picking away at a large platter of assorted chunks of seafood, Kurumu paused to regard Ms. Kagome. It had been nearly two weeks since she had seen the woman. Her dark hair was pinned up in the back as always and she was wearing a tight, black skirt with dark hose wrapped about her legs. The soft, yellow blouse was stretched about her ample bosom but was loose everywhere else. Somewhat pale, Ms. Kagome set aside her lunch.

"Is that tuna?"

Ms. Nekonome brightened up. Absently tugging up the textured gray tube top, the teacher gestured to the platter. The pink, short sleeved blouse worn over this top had been left unbuttoned. For some reason, the teacher was not wearing a bra.

"It was half price. Normally you don't get deals like this until Thursday nights but the shop had too many in stock to get rid of this week."

"Is that a treat from that fresh fish shop you mentioned a couple weeks ago?"

"Fresh from the Coast. But you can't shop there on the weekends."

A hand timidly tugged on Kurumu's sleeve. Ms. Kagome was looking aside as she tugged again.

"Ms. Kagome?"

The teacher immediately withdrew her hand as attention shifted. She managed a smile.

"How has everyone been?"

"We've been doing well. You look rather pale."

"I'm fine. I'm sorry I caused so much trouble for you three."

Kurumu felt a mix of emotions. Like Nagare, Kurumu would have been perfectly fine to never see this woman again. This woman had forced an egg inside of her. While it may not be the normal way of going about the crime, it was still rape. Ms. Sasayaki had given her more background to understand why Ms. Kagome had been so desperate to have another child, but that only made her feel sad.

"It's okay. I imagine you'll be back to teaching soon."

"Can we have dinner?"

"Ririko."

"With you of course. The three of us. I need to talk with you."

"Ms. Sasayaki has already told me everything. You don't need to explain."

"It's not about that. Please? Tomorrow night, after midterms."

"I'm busy. I have an article to finish and I'm going to spend the night with Moka."

"Then the next night."

Kurumu sighed, doubting she could use her laundry night date with Tsukune as an excuse to avoid the woman. Then again, if she was going to spend a lot of time with Tsukune on his birthday, it might be better to not have a laundry night this week. Obviously she would have to do laundry, but she could do it with Yukari for a change.

"Fine."

"Ririko. Do you really want this?"

Ms. Kagome nodded, turning in her desk. She retrieved a pen and a pad of paper.

"We can do this at your place. You're fine with that?"

"If that is what Ms. Kurono wants."

Ms. Kagome smiled, tearing off the top sheet with an address scrawled upon it.

"At seven. That should be late enough to give you plenty of time to do other things on your day off."

"Can I bring a friend?"

"Whatever makes you most comfortable."

It would feel safer if she brought someone like Tsukune along. Then again this was Ms. Sasayaki. The woman had never felt threatening, so coming alone would not be a problem. There was also the fact that Tsukune did not fully comprehend what had happened due to his lack of memory over those days when he had been receiving Ms. Kagome's special lessons.

"You want to come with me, Moka?"

"I suppose I could."

"You could come to Mr. Aono."

"No. Sunday is his birthday so I would rather let him have his Saturday free to do whatever he wants."

Tsukune smirked.

"Implying that there is something big planned for my birthday."

"Ginei did the planning without consulting us. I would have preferred something different."

Kurumu smiled at Moka. She had never found an opportunity to talk with Moka about the party, but knew the vampire had been present when they had vaguely discussed it around Kamitsuku and the others. By the way the vampire pouted, she was probably aware that it was a pool party.

"At least you're prepared for it."

Kurumu had no idea if she would even have a suit. She needed to visit that shop on Saturday to see if her ordered swimsuit had arrived. When she had spoken to the clerk last week, he had seemed quite confident that it would arrive soon.

"Since I know everyone is wanting to surprise me, I won't press for details."

"It will be an afternoon thing. Moka… you're doing your article with Ms. Sano this weekend, right?"

"Yea. Kana and I will be doing that after lunch on Saturday. I should be free for that dinner at seven."

"Will you be on campus or is that in Mononoke?"

"Her manga club has a small studio in Mononoke that they use on Saturdays. It has everything you would need to print a comic. If our printer ever breaks, Ms. Sano suggested we could use theirs."

"Cool. We could probably hang out in Mononoke for a bit before heading to this dinner. I have a few things I need to pick up and I'm sure Nerume and Satsuki have nothing better to do."

"That would be nice. Maybe around five?"

"Sounds good."

Tsukune chuckled.

"You guys really are leaving my Saturday open."

"You have other friends."

"I guess I could play video games with the guys all day."

"You have a whole free day and you're going to play video games?"

"Well… yea."

Kurumu laughed, shaking her head.

"Unusual to see a bunch of students in the teachers' lounge."

A heavy hand clamped down on her shoulder as a tall, familiar man stepped in to join them. Coach Kotsubo wore a pleated, short sleeved shirt and loose, baggy jeans. He held a notebook in his right hand.

"Good morning, Mr. Kotsubo. Or should we say afternoon."

"I think we need to address the issue with Ms. Shirayuki."

Ms. Nekonome frowned.

"Is there a problem with Ms. Shirayuki?"

Kotsubo removed his hand to tousle his tangled mess of teal locks.

"Is there a problem? Sheesh. The girl put two of my boys in the hospital last night. They're missing exams right now because she can't control her powers."

Tsukune managed a nervous smile.

"Actually she was the reason why we came to visit today. We noticed she was absent for class and was hoping you might have some way of getting her to return to school."

"Well… you are the class manager. Maybe you could help bring her back to school."

Kotsubo scowled.

"That's a dangerous task to put on a student. Her track record is nothing but multiple assaults and absences. It may be best to give up on this girl and send her home. Let her family deal with her."

Kurumu regarded the notebook in his hand. It was black and weathered from use.

"Whom did she attack?"

"The Nishimura brothers. If I had not found them in time, they could have died. I found this at the scene, so it was obviously her handiwork."

Kotsubo handed her the notebook. It was the one Shirayuki was always writing in.

"You are exaggerating the circumstances, Mr. Kotsubo. The Nishimura brothers will be fine."

"I know the policy. Nobody died so everything is cool. It's garbage. My head was on the chopping block for hurting a girl's feelings. Send Shirayuki home before something serious happens and we have to take more drastic measures."

Ms. Sasayaki took a deep breath, crossing her arms about her torso.

"You are too emotionally attached to the situation to assess things fairly."

"The girl is unstable. Read that notebook of hers and you'll understand. She needs to be home, surrounded by people that care for her. We can't deal with Shirayuki's problems."

Kurumu flipped the book open, glancing over the text. A few dark words jumped out from the pages that had her close it with concern.

"We need to talk with her."

"You have an exam to take."

Ms. Nekonome sighed.

"Unfortunately he is correct. You should return to your classes for your next exam."

"But Ms. Nekonome. What do you plan to do about Shirayuki?"

Ms. Sasayaki shrugged.

"It is midterms. Most of us will be busy with grading exams the next couple days. I suppose we could have one of the elective or gym teachers visit with Ms. Shirayuki."

"Miko makes the most sense, but she thinks the girl is a nuisance."

"Well… Ms. Hitori doesn't like doing anything she doesn't have to do. Ms. Kibashiro might do it."

"And what do you plan to do if the girl is not in her room?"

"What do you suggest, Mr. Kotsubo?"

Kotsubo backed off a step. He sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"I know you don't like it, but I know this girl better than anyone else. Since you insist she comes back to school, I will find her and drag her butt to class."

"She doesn't trust you. Go with Ms. Kibashiro. It would be safer for you."

"I find it insulting that you agree she's a threat to me but balk at the idea of expelling her. Don't pretend to care about my safety. I can handle one moody girl."

Shaking his head, Kotsubo walked off toward the doorway. He made a halfhearted gesture of farewell before slipping out of the room.

"You're going to let him go alone?"

"Nezumi, you don't have another class today. Could you go with him?"

Ms. Sunao regarded Ms. Nekonome with a nervous smile.

"I would rather not. If it's all the same, I want to start grading my exams."

"Could you check the gym offices to see if Ms. Kibashiro came to school today?"

"I could do that."

Ms. Sunao set down her lunch on her desk. She bowed politely as she slipped between them to escape the aisle. The tiny woman hurried off to complete her task.

"What about you, Ms. Kagome?"

"I can't. I'm technically not supposed to be on campus."

Kurumu frowned.

"Why not?"

"I was only here for lunch. I was about to leave."

"Ms. Kagome?"

The woman got up from her seat, grabbing the jacket on her desk to sling it over her arm.

"I'm sorry. Be careful, you three. You'll get hurt if you get into too much trouble."

Favoring them with a wistful smile, the math teacher turned and walked away. Wordlessly Mr. Katai picked up his briefcase and followed Ms. Kagome out of the room.

"It is getting late. The three of you should head back to your classrooms."

"Yea. Let's go, Kurumu."

Kurumu managed a smile as Tsukune took the lead and headed for the door. She disliked the idea that they were leaving Shirayuki's fate in Kotsubo's hands. She could tell that he was annoyed that the others had not immediately agreed to expel Shirayuki.

They exited the lounge and walked across the main foyer towards the winding staircase. Tsukune paused, regarding the front doors.

"Should we follow him?"

Kurumu clutched the notebook to her chest.

"I want to, but I have lab next. I can't ditch Satsuki and Kinzoku. Can we wait till after the exam?"

"What's her apartment number?"

"402."

"He'll probably go there first. If we don't see him, then maybe we can talk with Shirayuki about coming back to school so he won't need to get involved."

"You would have to do all the talking. I doubt she would answer her door if she knew I was around."

"That's okay, Moka. I can do this on my own."

"That's stupid, Tsukune. I won't let you do that."

He sighed, managing a smile.

"Fine. What do we do if she's not there? Where else could we find Shirayuki?"

Kurumu frowned, realizing that these two were going to head out without her.

"I suppose she might be at the tulip field. She did say she goes there to be alone."

"That's as good a place to look as any."

"Tsukune. I want to go too."

"We have to head out now, Kurumu. I'm sure they will let Moka and I take our math exam tomorrow when we explain our absence. I don't know how that works with lab, since Mr. Hakuru is insisting it will be a group grade."

Moka smiled, caressing Kurumu's cheek.

"We'll be fine, Kurumu."

She could not make everyone happy. If she chased after Shirayuki, she would hurt Satsuki. It would be easier if she knew Shirayuki would appreciate the sacrifice, or that her presence would somehow make a difference. But if all she succeeded was running around in circles without finding Shirayuki… she could not do that again.

"Be careful."

"We will."

The two headed towards the rows of shoe cubbies. Resigned, Kurumu headed up the stairs.

This setting was becoming too familiar. Tsukune was resting on a hospital bed with a white, fluffy blanket drawn over his torso. An IV was hooked up at his bedside, the fluids slowly dripping into a tube that stretched down towards the bed and vanished below the green jacket of his companion. Moka quietly relaxed against him with her head pressed upon his side. She held his hand in both of hers.

Kurumu pressed a finger to her lips with a glance at Nerume and Satsuki whom had accompanied her. Nerume nodded, clutching Mizore's notebook to her tiny chest while Satsuki placed a restraining hand on her friend's shoulder. Smiling softly, Kurumu stalked into the room alone.

A bloodied bandage was wrapped about Tsukune's neck. The splotches were parted enough to indicate a pair of punctures. Moka often left marks on his neck, but they would vanish in hours without leaving a scar. For some reason this bite was taking longer to heal.

Kurumu placed her hand on Moka's shoulder, shaking gently. The vampire lifted her head, glancing back at her with turquoise eyes. Taking in a deep breath, Moka sat up straight in the rolling stool she had scooted close to the bed.

"How is he?"

Moka caressed his hand.

"His body has recovered but he hasn't regained consciousness. She says I gave him too much blood."

It was almost seven. She had finished her lab exam four hours ago, though they had to wait another half hour before Nerume's math exam wrapped up. She had passed the time by reading Shirayuki's diary in class three with her two friends, waiting for Tsukune and Moka to return with news.

It had been an emotional read that caught the interest of her friends. Nerume had read several pages while hanging on her shoulder, often echoing her thoughts that they had to go look for Shirayuki. Satsuki had kept them grounded, certain that someone would come for them if they stayed put. Eventually Ginei did, bearing news about Tsukune's trip to the hospital.

Kurumu reached up to brush the back of her fingers through Moka's hair.

"What happened?"

"Mr. Kotsubo caught Tsukune about the throat and crushed his neck."

"Why would he do that?"

"It all happened so fast. We saw Mr. Kotsubo talking with Shirayuki at the cliff. They had a short argument and she pushed him off the cliff."

Having read dozens of entries about death and suicide, Kurumu knew Shirayuki was terrified of heights. It was something she was too scared to try.

"What were they saying?"

"I don't know. Tsukune started running to them when Shirayuki cried out and tried to reach for Mr. Kotsubo. I hesitated, not knowing if Shirayuki would be okay seeing me. Then Mr. Kotsubo must have shifted into his true form to prevent him from dying. He grabbed hold of Shirayuki and yanked her over the side. It's my fault. I should have got there sooner."

Kurumu nodded, stepping in to hug Moka's head against her breast.

"It's okay. You were there for him."

"If I had gotten there first, he wouldn't have gotten hurt. I was so scared. He wasn't moving. Shirayuki was screaming, clinging to him."

Moka cupped her mouth as her eyes watered.

"She told me to leave them. Tsukune was dead and the others weren't worth it."

Kurumu sighed, rubbing Moka's head to soothe her.

"You did what you had to. I'm not upset."

"I'm sorry. She's furious with me."

Kurumu favored the two lingering in the doorway with a smile. She made a slight gesture, encouraging them to slip away. Once the two were out of sight, Kurumu resumed her caresses.

"She would have had you abandon him. You saved him."

Moka cried against her.

"It's okay. Yukari said vampire blood has healing powers."

"You don't understand. The Rite is supposed to be spread out over time. My blood will kill him."

Kurumu nodded at first. They had been speculating for some time what the Rite was and one of Yukari's thoughts was it could be a series of vampire blood infusions from approving family members. Kurumu frowned after a moment.

"Over time? The last time was Kuyo, right?"

Moka relaxed, timidly touching Kurumu's waist.

"No. I gave Tsukune a little to fight the guy from the wrestling club."

Kurumu stepped back, holding Moka at arm's length as she frowned down at the girl.

"Wait. I thought you guys handled that fight with the vampire blood he already had in him."

"Who told you that?"

Kurumu paused, realizing Tsukune was the one that had said it. She sighed, wondering if it was possible for Tsukune to have been so caught up in the moment to realize Moka had given him blood.

"Why did you give him blood for that fight?"

"She said I should."

Kurumu shook her head.

"We really need to talk to your other half."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could convince you that you don't have to see her."

"Moka. You're a terrible go between."

"You can trust her."

"Are we talking about the same inner voice here? Because this is the one that took years to admit your mother was your stepmother."

Moka bowed her head, crying.

"You don't understand. She didn't want me to be upset."

Kurumu smiled, glancing at Tsukune. His brow was furrowed as if he was having a rough dream.

"Where is Shirayuki?"

"With Mr. Kotsubo."

That made sense. Even after things had turned for the worse, the girl had clung tightly to the belief that Kotsubo was a good man. Shirayuki believed that everything was her fault. Entry after entry was littered with comments about how Kotsubo was such a good person to put up with her and how she was so lucky to be tolerated. She felt she had no sexual value and that any man would only stay with her out of pity. The amount of self-loathing dripping in the sheets had brought tears to Kurumu's eyes.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yea."

Kurumu grinned, backing away to leave the vampire be.

"I'll come back for you in a bit."

Visiting hours only ran to nine, though Moka had a habit of losing consciousness shortly after eight. They should probably leave soon unless they wanted to carry a sleeping vampire back to her dorm. Retreating out into the hallway, Kurumu smiled at her two lingering companions.

Ginei had blown off half of his third period Japanese exam to answer Moka's whistle. His assistance had been required to get Kotsubo to the hospital since Shirayuki would not leave Kotsubo and Moka had worried about leaving Shirayuki alone. Once everything had settled down, Ginei had stopped by to inform them about the hospital situation before calling it a night.

"How is she?"

Kurumu chuckled, tousling Nerume's hair.

"About as rattled and worried as I am."

"And Aono?"

"He's not coming home tonight."

Satsuki nodded. They had been told how unlikely it would be for either Tsukune or Kotsubo being released tonight given the lateness of the hour. Tsukune had arrived unconscious but without any visible physical damage. Kotsubo had not been so fortunate, with the staff thinking it might take him days to recover from his injuries. The staff had not disclosed the nature of these injuries and Ginei had summarized the whole thing as an accident. Kurumu had her doubts.

"Did she say what happened?"

"Just that it happened fast. They were arguing and maybe Shirayuki pushed him off. I guess he nearly pulled them all over with him."

"That's a little more than what your senior had."

Kurumu shrugged.

"Where's Shirayuki?"

Satsuki gestured down the hall behind Kurumu.

"I can feel a slight chill in that direction. I'm sure she's not hard to find."

Kurumu grinned, turning down the hall. She walked a couple paces ahead of her friends, passing by several empty rooms. There was a notable chill as she approached one of the closed doors. She paused, rapping the back of her hand against the solid door.

"Mizore? I'm coming in."

The room was identical to the one Tsukune was placed in. Kotsubo was hooked up to several devices that monitored his heart rate and other vitals. His massive torso was wrapped in bandages with several squid tentacles hanging limp all about him. He was easily three if not four times broader and bulkier than he had been in his human form. There was a bed somewhere beneath that body.

Tearing her eyes off the wretched sight, she spied Mizore huddled in an armchair at the far end of the room near the window. The girl had drawn her feet up on the cushion, hugging her knees to her chest. As Kurumu made her way about the room, she noted the girl's striped panties, recalling how it was the only type she owned and how Kotsubo had thought them childish.

"Damn, he's huge!"

Kurumu coughed out a chuckle, shaking her head. She smiled at Mizore whom had taken notice of her.

"Hey."

The girl glanced aside. She did not have her usual stick in her mouth.

"It was an accident."

Kurumu stopped at the foot of Kotsubo's perch. She shivered as her body registered the drastic difference in temperature here compared to the doorway. Bringing her arms up to press tightly against her own torso while tucking her hands in the crooks of her elbows, Kurumu smiled.

"You want to move this to the elevator lobby?"

"I should stay with him."

"Can't. They'll kick you out at nine."

Shirayuki frowned up at her.

"Visitation hours. I've been through this a couple times."

"I'll stay here till nine then."

"Come on, Mizore. You're not going to feel any better about yourself staying here."

"It's not about how I feel. He didn't deserve this. He was only trying to help."

Satsuki made a sharp intake of breath. Her lower lip quivered as she forced a smile.

"She's really cold. Should we get a blanket for her?"

"Do they have any?"

Satsuki shrugged with a cursory glance about.

"Maybe I could swipe one from the bed in another room."

"It's okay. I'll calm down. I'm sorry."

Kurumu stepped in closer, shivering as it felt like the air dropped another ten degrees. She knelt down, glancing over her shoulder and gesturing for Nerume to hand over the notebook. The kirin clutched the diary closer to her chest, pointedly stepping in next to her.

"Mr. Kotsubo gave Kurumu your diary. We read it."

"You two read it. I'm not a creep."

"You may as well have read it. We told you what she wrote."

"I can't help that. If I had left, the two of you would have wandered about the campus in a panic."

Satsuki sighed.

"Look, Shirayuki. Bad things happen. Fuck I've thought about killing myself. Maybe not as hard core dedicated as you, but yea. There are days where I wake up and wonder why the fuck I even bother."

"You don't understand-"

"The fuck I don't. I'm not these two, Shirayuki. Okay? You don't get to where I am not understanding that life sucks."

"Satsuki."

Satsuki shook her head at her, gesturing to Nerume.

"Have you ever thought the world would be a better place without you? Seriously."

"Not really. But I do understand feeling like you're not worth attention. That nobody will love you. That there's nothing good for you in the future."

Satsuki nodded, wagging her hand dismissively.

"Yea, typical sadness. Everybody gets a little worried, but we're talking major depression here. Like the world operates against you and wants you to be miserable."

Kurumu sighed.

"Well, I've felt like that but I've never thought about killing myself. Maybe a passing thought but most of the time I get pissed. The way I've always seen it, is you can despair or be angry. So yea. My whole time where I hated being a succubus, I turned that on my mother. That's how I coped with it."

"You're so fucking lucky. I wanted to hate his dumb ass but I couldn't do it all the time. Were you seriously able to hate your mother for years?"

Kurumu managed a chuckle.

"No. I avoided her. Any interaction ended up in a one sided fight, but most of the time she respected my desire for solitude."

"That must have been hard on your mother."

"Have you never fought with someone in your family?"

"Nothing serious."

Satsuki sighed, clapping a hand atop Nerume's head.

"This one is innocent. Her only worry is finding a boyfriend so she doesn't end up alone. But Kurumu and I… you can't brush us off like we don't know shit about life."

"Satsuki… do you hate your older brother?"

"Yes."

Nerume bowed her head.

"I thought so."

"My parents had no business having both of us. One of us shouldn't have been born. It's not like either of us are going to amount to anything. He's fucking retarded and I know I'm nothing special."

Kurumu frowned.

"Retarded? Like mentally handicapped?"

"Yea. He's a fucking potato. My parents will be taking care of his sorry ass the rest of their lives."

"You knew this, Nerume?"

"Yea. A lot of people know in our town."

"That's not the same."

Satsuki crossed her arms about her chest as she regarded Shirayuki.

"What isn't?"

"You won't be living with your family much longer. You will be free of your misery."

"You don't stop having a past."

Shirayuki frowned, letting her knees go. She sat up in the armchair, letting her feet settle on the floor.

"It's different because you have a future."

"And you don't? What part of your future do you hate?"

"All of it."

"Why?"

"Satsuki. It's about not having a choice."

"Choice is overrated. You realize how much Nerume would value having a fiancé and a career picked out for her?"

"I would like to pick my own fiancé."

"You'd get over it."

"I guess if he was good looking I might."

Kurumu grinned, returning her attention to Shirayuki.

"How do you feel, Mizore?"

"I'd like my notebook back."

"Oh, yea. I'm sorry."

Nerume stepped up against the armchair. Her breaths came out in small white clouds as she held out the black notebook. Shirayuki forced a smile, taking it from the girl and promptly stuffing the notebook into the large pocket sewn in the front of her long sleeved blouse.

"It's Genzouyaki Nerume, correct?"

"Yes."

"Thank you."

Nerume licked her lips.

"You're pretty."

Satsuki chuckled, shaking her head.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying she's pretty."

"But why?"

"Well… she's worried that she's not."

"Get down here."

Kurumu reached up and tugged the girl by her sleeve down to join her on the floor. Nerume frowned but awkwardly shifted her legs about till she was comfortably kneeling beside her.

"That's not how it works. Random compliments from other girls is not going to make Mizore feel better about her looks."

"So these are the girls you wanted me to make friends with."

Kurumu smiled up at Mizore.

"Yea. I mean, Tora and Moka are good girls too, but they're super smart."

"I'm not dumb. I'm going to get that eighty percent and join the PSC."

Kurumu absently reached out to touch Mizore's knee. It was so cold, like touching a smooth block of ice.

"Are you feeling sad?"

"I don't feel anything at all."

"It wouldn't be this cold if that were true. You're never this cold in class."

"That is true, Ms. Shirayuki. You're much colder now than normal."

"I guess I'm trying hard not to cry."

"Why?"

"Because I don't deserve to be treated nicely. I've messed up everything. I got Mr. Aono hurt. I got Mr. Kotsubo hurt. Everyone that tries to help me gets hurt."

Kurumu chuckled.

"You are far too kind to Kotsubo."

"He was nice to me."

"He was. He was nice to me too. I read your diary. I get it. He's a good guy, but… he should have done the right thing and turned you away a long time ago."

"I guess."

"He knew from the start you were too young for him. I don't know why he let you arrange those special lunches. I give him credit for not trying anything with you for a long time."

"He cared for me."

"He didn't know what he wanted, Mizore. It's kind of obvious. You know you didn't love him. And I think you've known for some time that he didn't love you."

Feeling the temperature drop slightly, Kurumu reached up to squeeze Mizore's thigh through the skirt.

"Don't do that. I'm not trying to provoke you. He's not a bad guy for not loving you and it doesn't mean you're a bad person. The timing is wrong."

"But I don't have much time."

"Well… you'll have to find a guy that isn't a decade older than you. I have a feeling the respectable ones that are worth having would make you wait till you're out of high school."

Mizore sighed as the temperature started to creep slowly back up.

"Did you read the last entries? The ones about Mr. Aono?"

"Yea, I've doubted Aono is a vampire. Doesn't give off the same vibe as Akashiya."

"I was meaning their plans of having him transfer out."

Kurumu flinched.

"You were generic and said plans."

"That's news to us. You guys are planning to have Mr. Aono leave?"

"I'm sorry, Kurumu. I didn't remember being vague."

"Well the cat's out of the bag now. What's wrong with Mr. Aono?"

Kurumu sighed.

"Let's start with the fact that he gets hospitalized every time a major fight goes down. Look, guys. Tora and I have been talking for a couple weeks now that it might be best for him to go back to human schools. He's not used to a monster school and his constitution is horrible."

"Is he like a Tanuki or something?"

Kurumu chuckled, glancing at Shirayuki.

"Nothing like that. You were thinking of going with Tsukune. Running away."

"Yea. That little girl said she could make doorways so you could visit him anytime. I felt that if I was part of that, I could get a foothold in the human world. Maybe spend the breaks with him to avoid going home. That sort of thing."

"You're not trying to steal Aono away from Kurumu?"

Shirayuki frowned.

"The thought crossed my mind. Kurumu said it would be real difficult for her to have a long term relationship with him. But that's not why I wanted to run away with him."

Kurumu smirked at the blush on the girl's cheeks.

"But if he asked you out, you would agree to it."

"Well… yea. If that's what he wants, wouldn't you respect that?"

"Of course."

Kurumu grinned.

"But he's more likely to ask Moka out so I wouldn't get your hopes up there."

"Speaking of which, we might need to head out soon before that girl collapses on us. They're not going to be serving dinner by the time we get back to the dorms."

"You ready to go, Mizore?"

The girl regarded her with wide, sapphire eyes.

"Okay."

Kurumu smiled, getting up on her feet. She held a hand down for Nerume to clamber up next to her. The girl remained holding her arm, pressed tightly to her side.

"Are you going to give me some space?"

"I'm cold."

Smirking, Kurumu gestured to Satsuki, whom was already making her way to the door.

"I don't know if you actually have met Unari Satsuki. She's part of my new class and is Ms. Nekonome's niece."

"I've seen her around."

Kurumu nodded, shuffling out into the hall with Nerume hanging on her. Shirayuki was only a couple steps behind. The temperature about Shirayuki had leveled off dramatically. It was back to the normal state she retained while in school.

"Did you want to reach out to Bikiyama?"

"Why?"

"You mentioned her several times in your diary. She seemed important to you."

"She was my neighbor and used me to better her experience with Ms. Uchikawa."

"That's called making a bigger group of friends. I've been doing that a lot."

"I guess so."

Satsuki turned about with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Did you guys really practice moaning in the bleachers?"

Shirayuki blushed, bowing her head.

"Just that one time. It was so embarrassing."

"I bet."

"Do you think it's better if you make noises?"

"I'm sure that's how a girl fakes an orgasm."

"Why would you want to fake it?"

"I don't know. I just hear some girls do it so their boyfriends don't feel inadequate."

Kurumu grinned, aware that the wolf girls had done this with Mizore as an example of things she could do for her fiancé.

"What do you think, Mizore?"

Shirayuki shrugged.

"Bikiyama said arousal was a mindset, so moaning would make it feel better."

Satsuki chuckled.

"I guess that's possible."

"It would get you in the mood."

"If you don't die of embarrassment first."

They paused at the door to Tsukune's room. Moka had went back to her resting position against his torso. Satsuki sighed, scratching her sienna locks as she ventured into the room.

"I'll wake her up. You guys can go ahead."

"Don't blow in her ear. It really hurts."

Kurumu chuckled, aware that it did.