Chapter 7

The War Room

It was only moments after the door into the master bedroom closed that Tsukune collapsed onto the bed, allowing his muscles to relax all at once as he stared blindly at the ceiling. His bags waited beside the bed, and soon he would need to start unpacking, just as he supposed the girls were busy doing as well. Still, he didn't feel bad for resting for just a moment, since it had been a rather long day. He chuckled to think that, when he had woken up that morning, he had expected nothing more than a normal day at school, if any day at Yokai Academy could be seen as 'normal.'

And now, here he was, perhaps halfway across Japan from his home, living in a house with three monster girls who had all expressed open interest in him, with a Hellmaw within a stone's throw of where he would be sleeping and a pair of… interesting… caretakers intent on watching his every move. And, judging from his extra 'homework,' the Headmaster had special plans for him as well, and thus far his previous experiences along those lines suggested that probably wouldn't end well for him.

With a deep sigh, Tsukune glanced out of the glass doors located on the far side of the room, and realized that there was a small balcony there. Just beyond its railing, he could see the roof of the shed, and beyond that the forest. For a second, Tsukune felt uncomfortable at having an entrance into the room from the outside, but the door did have a lock, and surely the girls wouldn't do something as drastic as break the glass to get to him… Surely.

He thought back to the dinner that he and his friends had shared with the Coopers. Just as Moka had warned, Wendy Cooper was overly fond of cucumbers, and fish, but the meal had been well prepared, so he had had few other complaints. Though it was obvious that Wendy was still on edge about him staying in the house alone with the girls, Roy kept the situation defused, telling stories about his experiences with the Headmaster, often punctuated with loud guffaws. He and his wife had long ago worked alongside the Headmaster and, to the teens' surprise, the bus driver. Together they had ended a potential conflict between several groups of monsters, and had also once helped to uncover and defeat a small revolutionary group that had intended to ignite a conflict between humans and monsters. Tsukune had wondered if a group like that might have been responsible for founding Fairy Tale, or how long that organization had been operating… could they have been active even then?

After they had finished eating, and Roy had concluded his last tale, the Coopers had excused themselves to return back down the hill to their cottage. Roy had shook Tsukune's hand and reiterated his offer to drive them to the city whenever they needed, while Wendy had taken each of the girls aside and whispered something to them. Judging from her accusatory glances in Tsukune's direction and the girls' blushes, she must have been detailing ways to ward off his 'uncontrollable desires.' After that, the Coopers had left, and after a long moment of stunned silence the four friends had decided to go unpack their belongings, although Tsukune had noticed that Kurumu had lingered in the common room, shooting glances back in the direction of the computer.

Tsukune sat up in the bed, yawning loudly. He was too tired to bother with unpacking just yet, but he didn't want to go to bed either; he knew that he should at least tell the girls goodnight first. Instead, he glanced beside him, at the book that the Headmaster had sent to him. Acting on a whim, he slid his finger under the edge of the seal that kept it shut, and pulled up sharply, ripping it free. He remembered that the top assignment on the list that had been taped to the book's cover had been to read the chapter titled 'The First,' an appropriate starting point. However, glancing at the book's index, he realized that that chapter was located deeper into the tome than he would have expected. His curiosity growing, he scanned for the page the index had indicated, and once he had found it he began to skim over the initial paragraphs.

The First

Though humans and monsters have been experimenting with immortality for longer than history can record, perhaps the first successful attempt, if it can be deemed thus, occurred in Europe during the height of the Hellenistic civilization. Undoubtedly drawing on resources claimed over the course of his already unnaturally-extended lifespan, one sorcerer managed to artificially separate his immortal soul and mortal body, while at the same time preserving the soul's tie to this world through the use of an artifact known as a phylactery. By doing so, he became an undead being, thus free from most damage to his physical form; only by destroying the phylactery as well as his body could he be permanently banished from this world. At the moment he completed this ritual, he became the first lich. The name of this sorcerer was-

Tsukune squinted at the page. The ink on the page was blurred here, and only on that single word, as if it had been a deliberate attempt to conceal the name. Still, if he squinted hard enough, he could make out… was that a 'K' or a 'C'? Perhaps 'Kr…' It didn't really matter, though for some inexplicable reason Tsukune felt relieved. He allowed himself to glance further down the page, resolving to read it in depth the next morning, after he had rested.

However, even at the height of his power, he was not satisfied. It is said that his trail of conquests, his acquisition of an army of loyal monsters and mercenaries led by his three generals, were all intended to find a more efficient means of insuring that his life would never end, and that his power would continue to grow. At this time, his ruthless destruction of several cities earned the attention of powerful magicians and leaders of the monster kingdoms, who banded together to defeat him at the shoreline of-

A knock at the door drew Tsukune's attention away from the book. "Come in," he shouted, glancing down at the text one last time as he moved to close it. As he did so, a single line caught his attention: And, at this time, he was known only as Death.

"Tsukune," Moka said quietly, stepping into the room cautiously. When he looked towards her, he noticed that she was glancing around the room with a slight blush. She had been the one to suggest that he take the master bedroom, mostly because it was the most isolated of the rooms, and the fact that it had a restroom directly connected to it; that way, they wouldn't have to worry about mishaps with the Seal of Screaming if he had to go during the night. She had claimed the room in the middle for herself; it was the closest to his own, which meant that if the other girls tried to sneak into his room, they would have to make it past her first. Still, it seemed that even she might be tempted, judging from her expression once she realized that they were alone in the room he would be sleeping in.

Tsukune offered her a bright smile. "Are you sure you want me to take this one? I'm not used to a room or a bed this big, and I don't wake up much in the night anyways…"

Moka quickly shook her head. "No, it's right this way. You should have this one, plus we'll all feel safer this way, as far as you're concerned." Tsukune blushed in response when he caught her meaning. "I was just coming to say goodnight; Mizore, Kurumu and I were going to be downstairs talking, and I wanted to make sure that I got to say it before you fell asleep."

"No, I don't mind coming down. Give me just a second, and-"

"No." Tsukune stopped, and noticed that Moka was pointedly refusing to meet his eyes. "We were going to discuss some things, and talk about… rules and stuff…"

Tsukune's eyes widened as he began to realize what they had planned, and Kurumu's voice rang out from his memories: "Instead of surrendering… we've changed the rules of our war for love!" He could feel his cheeks ignite as he glanced down, and could only nod in response.

"Come on, Moka, let's go!" Kurumu stepped into the room, reaching for the vampire, but stopped and beamed at Tsukune. "Hey, Tsukune, if you get lonely tonight, I'll be in the room at the end of the hall, on the right! I'll keep you company…"

"I brought extra blankets, in case you wanted to stay with me," Mizore said, peeking her head into the room. "But there are other ways we could stay warm…"

"Okay, enough! Let's go!" Moka ordered, grabbing the other two girls and pulling them out of the room. As they left, shouting their goodnights, Tsukune offered his own farewell to the mix. Suddenly, Moka stuck her head back in, holding a piece of paper towards him. "If it's alright, I'll go ahead and put the seal on the door. If you need anything, just make sure the door doesn't close behind you, or take the seal off as you come out." She gave him another warm smile. "Good night, Tsukune. Sleep well."

"Moka, come on!"

"Coming!"

Tsukune chuckled and smiled at Moka. "Rest well." She closed the door behind her, and he assumed she had applied the Seal of Screaming to it. As he heard her walk away from the door, he allowed himself to think about how lucky he was. Three girls, all of them obviously in love with him. And, he now knew that he cared for them all, even perhaps romantically… and they were willing to accept that. For now, at least, they were content to share him…

He grabbed a pillow from the bed and pressed it to his face as he groaned loudly. What was he thinking? What was he turning into? Maybe Mrs. Cooper was right to be concerned… and, he shivered, what would his mother say if she could see him now? Or, even worse, his cousin Kyouko? They would think he was the real monster, and maybe they would be right…

It was time to sleep, and to hope he would come to his senses in the morning. He stood to change, unconsciously knocking the book from the bed. He would take care of unpacking and homework in the morning. Now, he needed to rest, because he had a sinking feeling that things would still be very busy over the next days.

But, after he turned the lights off and settled in to sleep, faces and images continued to dance in his head. He could see Moka smiling at him from the door to his room… Mizore, waking up on the bus… Kurumu, staring up at him seductively as she asked him to help carry her luggage… He could still feel Moka and Kurumu leaning against him as they had on the bus, and for some reason he wished that he had another blanket.

Sleep was not merciful to Tsukune Aono. That night, it was a very long time in coming.

"I hereby call this council to order!"

Moka and Mizore glanced at each other with an aura of bemused indulgence. While they had all agreed on the necessity of having this discussion, Kurumu had taken the idea to the next level. Even now, she marched back and forth on the other side of the dining room's table, arms clasped behind her back and an imperious tilt to her chin, the intent posture and mannerisms of a general channeling through the succubus.

For Kurumu, love is war. And she fully intends to win that war. But first, the rules of engagement…

"First matter up for discussion!" Kurumu slammed her hands onto the table, gazing seriously at one rival, and then the other. "We have agreed to a pact of mutual non-interference in terms of our relationships with Tsukune, in the hopes of him eventually being able to choose one of us. However, in order to be completely comfortable with that decision, it is obvious that we will need some basic rules in place, rules that we've all agreed to follow. That way, we can know that we can trust each other."

Glancing at Moka, Kurumu could immediately tell that the vampire wasn't entirely sold on the notion of trusting her rivals, guidelines or no. Mizore immediately set out to make that problem worse. "Rules? Why do we need rules? This is a fight to win Tsukune's heart, so why do we need something to hold us back?" The yuki-onna drew the sucker from her lips, licking it slowly with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. "Maybe you just need rules to slow me down, so that you'll have a chance with Tsukune."

Offended, Kurumu drew to her full height, crossing her arms under her prodigious chest. "I will have you know that I am a proud, beautiful succubus! If seduction were the game, there would be no way that I would lose! Now that I've been given a real chance, it's impossible that Tsukune will resist my womanly powers!" The sudden jut of Kurumu's chest made it obvious what 'powers' she had in mind. "And then, once Tsukune is mine…" It was quickly apparent that Kurumu had allowed a fantasy to overtake her, her lips pursing to meet an imagined kiss.

Mizore's eyes widened in growing horror. "Succubus… powers…" She shot an alarmed glance over to Moka, and the vampire returned her concern. Perhaps there was a real need for rules, after all.

"Alright, then, first rule," Moka offered, drawing Kurumu back out of her fantasy. "We have the Seal of Screaming, but there's another door into Tsukune's room, and the seal won't go off if Tsukune opens the door… We all need to agree that we won't sneak into Tsukune's room, and that we'll sleep in our own beds each night, so we can all rest easier."

The expressions on the faces of Mizore and Kurumu immediately soured, but a swift shared glance between them decided the matter. While Moka probably wouldn't go so far as to enter Tsukune's room by stealth, they both knew that the other wouldn't have such compunctions. Both nodded grudgingly.

Silence reigned over the group for a long moment as they tried to think of another rule, each potential entry eliminated as they realized that it would apply to them as well. Again it was Moka who broke the silence, her natural shyness giving her an edge in concocting the limitations on all of their behavior. "Well, I know that Tsukune would probably be a lot happier if we - I mean, if all of us – didn't rush things too much. So, why don't we agree not to do anything too… too…"

The other two girls watched with bemused patience as Moka tried to create the right word, her face rapidly becoming scarlet. Finally it was Kurumu that relented, offering "Explicit."

"Y-Yes! That!"

"And what would that consist of?" Kurumu asked, hiding her irritation with the inevitable by tormenting her friend.

"…I…ah…"

This time, neither Kurumu nor Mizore had enough mercy to offer a quick suggestion to rescue Moka from her embarrassment. As the silence stretched on, finally Mizore decided to hurry things on. Standing from her seat, she walked over to Moka and whispered into her ear for a couple of minutes, the vampire's eyes and blush growing by the instant. As the snow maiden straightened, Moka said nothing, still staring off into space with a luminescent blush. Seeing Kurumu's questioning gaze, Mizore walked around the table and repeated her whispering, the succubus reacting with less embarrassment than intent interest.

"Yes, I believe that's a pretty good list right there. None of that… yet," Kurumu yielded, raising her eyebrow at Mizore. "But how did you come up with such a… complete… list?"

"I just tried to think of a list of things I wanted to do with Tsukune before you get the chance to." Mizore offered her a saccharine smile before returning to her seat, ignoring the succubus' spluttering.

"Alright, enough rules! Nothing too naughty, and no sneaking into Tsukune's room; if we think of anything else, we can mention it later." Kurumu turned and walked over to a counter in the kitchen, picking up a small sheath of papers she had laid there before their conversation began. "We have another important matter to discuss. We have the rules of our war, now for the battlegrounds." She laid the papers on the table, spreading them out. "While you were unpacking, I was using the computer to do some quick research. Mrs. Cooper mentioned the name of the city nearby, so I used the internet to look at some of the various attractions within the city. I utilized my previous, extensive studies into the matters of human romance," her mind darting back to the pile of girls' manga she had acquired during one trip to the human world, "in order to compile a list of likely dating spots, and then found places like that nearby. These printouts are a collection of matches."

"Date spots…" Mizore breathed, gazing at the papers with a look of wonder. Each one held the potential for hours of personal time with Tsukune, each one a possible key to unlock his heart. Moka reached for the papers, but Kurumu quickly batted the questing hand away.

"First, my concept of how we should handle these. I propose that we each choose our favorite date spot, and then alternate after that until we have a full day outlined. We'll draw straws to see what order we'll go on the dates after that. Then, we'll each get a day alone with Tsukune on a real date, while the other two wait here at the house. After three dates, we'll decide what to do next."

"Sounds good to me," Mizore acquiesced, still staring at the papers.

"Maybe we should have a date every other day; Tsukune will need to do his homework sometime," Moka suggested, and the other two quickly consented, though with a hint of regret that they may have to wait longer for their own date.

"Now, to pick the dates, I say-"

"Wait," Moka interrupted, a wary frown on her face. "You said three dates…"

"Well, yeah, of course, there's only three of us." Kurumu stared at Moka, but comprehension began to dawn on her as the vampire reached up to her necklace, and the rosario it bore.

"What about my inner self? She'll want a date with Tsukune, too, and since we brought the Belmont, she can easily stay out for a whole day without damaging my seal. Shouldn't she get a separate day with Tsukune?"

The succubus and snow maiden both winced at that notion. While they both had confidence in their abilities, it was hard to measure up to the grace and beauty of the unsealed half of Moka's personality, even if she tended to be standoffish even to Tsukune. They both remembered the date that Inner Moka had already shared with Tsukune, and knew that any further experiences like that would only widen the gap between them and Moka in the race to win Tsukune's love.

"Absolutely not." Mizore shook her head sharply. "If she wants time with Tsukune, you'll just have to share."

"She's your inner self. Since she's not another person, I don't see why it would be fair for you to get another whole day. Anyways, she can see what you see, so she'll be there anyways," Kurumu pointed out, to Moka's discomfort.

"No, that isn't… I mean…" The vampire couldn't manage to voice her concerns, too conflicted between her friends' points and the demands of her own inner psyche.

"Let's go ahead and choose our date spots," Kurumu interjected, cutting off Moka's complaints. She eyed the papers greedily, allowing each scenario to play out in her mind. She had chosen these well; no matter which she ended up with, she would be happy. But, perhaps-

A hand slapped down onto one of the papers, the fingers all but obscuring the roller coaster and Ferris Wheel at the top of the picture. "I claim this one," Moka demanded, glaring defiantly at her rivals. While she knew she had lost the previous fight, she had decided to gain something of a victory by being the first to choose. Both of her rivals looked disappointed, but finally Kurumu nodded with a sniff.

"That one will take all day anyways. That leaves the rest for us."

"Ah, this one!" Mizore exclaimed, pointing to a picture of a couple ice skating. While she was distracted, Kurumu reached out and snatched a piece of paper, claiming it for herself. Moments later, the deliberation process devolved into a snatch-and-grab, while Moka stared at the picture of the amusement park with a bittersweet smile. As soon as Mizore and Kurumu were contented with their respective collections, the trio prepared for the next step: the drawing of straws.

Moments later, the order was decided. "Last," Kurumu moaned, slumping in defeat, while Moka stared triumphantly at the straw that proclaimed her to be first, her good spirits rekindled. A quick conversation resolved the question of when the dates would begin: not the next day, when they would still be getting settled in the Resting Place and beginning on their work for school, but instead the following day, and every second day beyond.

"Well, since that is settled, I propose that we call this meeting to an end. I wish you both the best of luck. That's because I know you'll need it; I intend to-" Kurumu began to gloat, but Mizore interrupted suddenly, an intent expression upon her face.

"One more rule," the snow maiden stated, and Kurumu rolled her eyes in response. After the succubus waved her on, Mizore raised her hand, and it immediately took the form of an icy claw. "How about this: we can't use our monster powers to force Tsukune to do anything he doesn't want to do, or to influence the ways he feels about us."

Kurumu huffed at the notion. "You're the most likely to do that, snowflake. Sounds fine to me."

"Yes, I agree with that rule," Moka stated loudly, glancing furtively towards Kurumu.

"Then you understand that means that you can't use Allure to seduce Tsukune…" Mizore began, but Kurumu cut her off, laughing bitterly.

"Don't worry, I learned my lesson on that end already."

"It also means that you cannot kiss him." Mizore leveled the icy claw in Kurumu's direction, but the cold of those frozen fingers could not match that in her eyes.

Kurumu laughed at that, but a second later her face fell. She looked at Mizore, and then to Moka, noting the deadly seriousness to their expressions. "Wait, what do you mean? Why wouldn't I- ?" The realization silenced her, but Moka answered anyways.

"'A man who is kissed by a succubus will be her slave forever.' That's how it goes, isn't it?" Moka shook her head sadly, but her gaze showed no sign of softening. "If you were to kiss Tsukune, you might charm him with your powers, whether you want to or not."

"It's the only way, Kurumu," Mizore commented. "If you don't agree to this, there's no way that we could trust you alone with him. You have to promise us that you won't kiss him."

Kurumu looked back and forth between her friends, but found no solace in their stares. She felt tears welling up in her eyes, but fought to hold them in. Finally, unable to restrain the bitterness staining her voice, she snarled, "Fine. I promise. I won't kiss Tsukune, at least until the dates are done, or he chooses me. But I'm not responsible if he decides to kiss me!" The final shout drove the other two back, and neither of them could find any way to refute it.

"Works for me," Mizore admitted, her demeanor softening as the quiet guilt from what she had done finally registered. Moka nodded as well, refusing to meet Kurumu's angered stare. The trio stood in silence for a long moment, each of them reflecting on the new developments, and disadvantages, of their pact.

Finally, Kurumu called the meeting to a close. "I'm going to bed," she announced suddenly, moving towards the stairs, her exaggerated posture from the meeting's opening replaced by an aura of defeat and impending vengeance. "I intend to get all the rest I can, so I'll be ready for tomorrow."

"Yeah, I wasn't finished unpacking," Moka noted, following the succubus. Mizore trailed behind them, turning off the light as they moved upstairs. As the three came to their respective bedrooms, each of them stood at the door for a long moment, staring down the hall at the closed door at the end of it, and the seal tightly pressed above the doorknob. Some time later, one bedroom light after another was extinguished as the three girls settled in to recuperate from their long day.

They were not granted such mercy. Each of them stared into the darkness as they considered the day's victories and setbacks, and began forming plans for the battles to come. They would not be caught unprepared again, and each of them swore that they would be the one to emerge victorious in the end.

Tsukune Aono was not the only one to find sleep evasive that night.

Author's Note: Ugh, finally. Please forgive me if this chapter is a tad rougher than usual; it's very hot off the presses, and a behemoth at that. It perhaps would have worked better as two separate chapters, but honestly I felt that Tsukune's section alone didn't deserve the distinction of being its own chapter. And, to be honest, I was growing impatient to get the 'rules and plans' complete, since it's the basic layout for the next little bit.

To those of you who prefer a complete surprise as to what's coming up, please stop reading here. I need to talk about it a bit, and since I don't have a beta reader, this is the best place for it.

First thing I will admit: While I fully intend to release the next chapter on my usual date, this coming Saturday, I don't know if I'll make it. This is because I'm playing it much more by ear for the next little bit. I know the basic layout of the coming chapters, but I'm still hashing out the details. Wish me luck, because I'm winging it for the next chapter or so… and forgive my tardiness, if it comes to that. This bulky addition should salve those wounds, coming a few days before my usual posting time.

Second thing: This chapter may be a little rougher than usual, since I usually allow myself a few days of reading over it before I post. Tonight, however, I wrapped this up and decided to go for it anyways, instead of waiting till Saturday; this way, I'll feel compelled to push harder to crank out a new chapter in the next couple of days, and I tend to work better under pressure. I'll definitely be considering this chapter for revision, however, as it's so important to the greater frame of the story. It sets up the subplot for both Moka and Kurumu, (Mizore's is yet to come) and thus needs to be pretty tight for me to be satisfied with it. Feel free to barrage me with suggestions, this chapter needs polishing.

Third thing: I'm having trouble figuring out where to place my serious sections. The major action is a good ways off, but there's plenty to keep us busy till then, including a full chapter devoted to Mori Retsu and a certain artifact. I have a main-plot outline and a dark-plot outline; unfortunately, I haven't meshed the two entirely yet. So, it's quite likely that a new chapter may find you back at Yokai Academy unexpectedly; this means I finally found the right place to put in some more serious stuff, or at least the closest I could figure.

Last thing: Just as I'm winging it on the next section, I'm flying without a solid plan in terms of Tsukune's new reading material. That thing is the key to my main plot, the one which ties together all of these stories; however, I have that back-story in my head, so what I write makes perfect sense to me. I realize that you do not, so if you find yourself getting way too lost on that aspect, please let me know; I have to walk a fine line between being too vague and giving away the meat of my later stories, and I may err on the side of caution.

Finally, as always, the louder the noise from my readers, the happier the author. While I'm vainglorious enough to chortle over my daily hits, nothing thrills me as much right now as seeing a new message in my inbox, conveying your comments to me. In short, feed me feedback, and I'll wash it down with a Pepsi Float and get to work.

Not that I won't be doing that anyways, but still. I'll be smiling more.

~Wynn P.