Chapter 24

The First Day

It was the morning after Tsukune had been supposed to make his choice, and the world hadn't ended.

Instead, Tsukune woke with a long, pleasantly-painful stretch, his mouth opened wide in a gaping yawn. He blinked groggily up at the ceiling, kicking at the sheets as he weakly fought to free himself from the bed just as his mind struggled to climb out of the haze of slumber. Mornings like this were rare, he noted; peaceful and quiet, without the shrieking cry of an alarm or knocking at his door. There was no crisis, no rush. It was wonderful, and unexpected, especially after a day like that one he had had the day before-

Tsukune's eyes shot open as he was dropped cold into consciousness. Yesterday. The choice. His realization that he was in love with all three of the girls…

He groaned, rolling over in the bed and burying his face into a pillow. What had he done? Or rather, what else could he have done? He hadn't chosen, but could there have been something else he could have said to hold up to his responsibilities to his three friends? A good night's rest had provided no more answers than the previous days, and Tsukune knew that his answer at the current moment would have been the same as when the girls had asked him the previous evening.

At least they hadn't seemed too mad at him, despite his initial impressions of their reaction. Instead, they had revealed their plans for the next 'phase' of their time at the Resting Place; a scheme that had caused Tsukune no small amount of anxiety as he had tried to fall asleep afterwards, but had also left him feeling slightly thrilled. Yes, he knew the girls enough to dread what they might put him through, having him at their command for an hour and a half, but, as they had pointed out, it was a way for him to repay them for delaying the choice. His guilt at making them wait could be assuaged by giving them the things they would ask of him, and since they had told him that they would adhere to the previous rules he knew he wouldn't have to worry so much about them going overboard.

Well, that was the idea, anyways. He blushed as he remembered the numerous occasions Mizore and Kurumu had tried a direct route to his affections, and prayed that they would be as restrained as they claimed. Especially since he suspected he wouldn't be able to resist as well after his earlier epiphany…

That thought warming his cheeks, he pushed himself from the bed, swinging his legs over the floor and standing. His troubles hadn't ended, but he still had things to do: eating breakfast, doing his homework, helping the girls finish the cleaning they had started the previous day. For all the chaos and fear of the past week, today was a day like any other, another example of the normal life he shared with his friends.

For some reason, that thought pleased him more than he could express, and it was for that reason that he left the bedroom wearing a bright smile.

As Tsukune descended the stairs of the Resting Place, there was a battle commencing outside. In the clearing behind the house, the three combatants glared enthusiastically at each other, flexing their fingers as they tensed their muscles. Two of them surrounded the third, a temporary alliance forged out of necessity and bitter experience, but they all knew that this advantage still might not be enough to tip things in their favor. No, only the skills that they had gained and honed would be enough to topple their strongest opponent, and so they could not hold back.

"Now!" Kurumu shouted, her wings flapping as she lifted from the ground, swooping forward at her enemy as she drew back her lengthened nails. Across from her, Mizore also snapped into action, her frozen claws lashing in an arc before her, icy blades snapping free to lance at their mutual opponent. Though her aim initially seemed poor, the shards soaring to either side of the third girl, it was quickly obvious that her attempt was only meant to cage her enemy, not strike her. That would be left to Kurumu, who crossed her own claws in two diagonal swipes that would have left many foes in an assortment of pieces.

Many foes, but not Moka Akashiya, or at least not her inner self. The silver-haired vampire launched herself into the air over Kurumu's attack, planting her foot on the succubus' back as she descended and using her as a springboard to distance herself from the duo. She whirled as she landed, ready for Mizore's next attack as Kurumu sprawled face-first onto the ground, but the snow maiden was nowhere to be found. Moka's crimson eyes narrowed as she scanned the nearby tree-line, certain that Mizore had chosen to stick to the advantages her stealth and ranged abilities provided her. Smart, but it wouldn't be enough.

"You're gonna pay for that," Kurumu swore, her cheek muddy from its collision with the ground as the succubus pushed herself back to her feet. Regaining her composure, Kurumu turned, tensing her shoulders as she grinned fiercely at the vampire. "Don't think that we're going to take it easy on you!" Kurumu roared, charging forward once more, drawing Moka's attention as she came.

"You take it easy on me?" the vampire muttered, shifting her stance as she prepared to sweep the succubus from her feet once more. She froze in place, however, as she felt the killing intent radiating from the trees behind her. With an alarmed glance, she saw the sunlight glint off ice beside one tree, and threw herself away as a frozen shard buried itself where she had been standing. Her retreat was halted, however, when she stood and found herself face-to-face with Mizore, and her confused stare drew a cold smile from the other girl.

"Now!" Kurumu shouted triumphantly, and Moka's eyes snapped to her wrist as a tendril of darkness shot from the ground to encircle it. Soon enough, all of her limbs had received the same treatment, leaving her entirely bound in place. She snarled as she pulled against the black ropes, her eyes darting to either side as two more copies of Mizore stepped into her field of vision, ice daggers fanning in their hands.

Illusions and ice clones; not new moves, but new ways of utilizing them. Her friends had certainly improved, Moka admitted to herself with a hunter's grin, savoring the challenge. If they kept this up, maybe someday they would pose a real challenge to her.

But not today.

The trio of Mizores acted as one, releasing their spray of projectiles toward Moka from three sides. Carefully reading their flight, Moka twisted sharply, pulling her bonds tight as she contorted to allow the icy shards to sail past her. Behind the vampire, Kurumu blinked in exasperated shock as she realized that Moka had foiled the maneuver she and Mizore had spent so much time preparing, only for her surprise to deepen as she realized the second part of Moka's intent. The vampire shot a dark smile back at Kurumu as the illusionary tendrils, sliced by Mizore's barrage, parted and gave way with a series of loud snaps, freeing Moka to enact her own assault.

She wasted no time in doing so, lunging towards the foremost Mizore before turning, lashing a kick into the side of the snow maiden on the right. That Mizore exploded into shards, but before they could all reach the ground Moka had already pounced upon the next copy of the yuki-onna, the leftmost Mizore also shattering into frozen fragments. That left only one copy, which Moka knew would be Mizore's real body; this did not keep her from diving at the snow maiden, her leg shooting skyward at Mizore's stomach.

The snow maiden's smile lasted a half-second before she exploded, a moment before Moka's foot could even reach her. As the ice clone lost its form, it reshaped, surging forward to grasp Moka's extended leg and waist, holding her in place slightly above the ground. The sound of flapping wings was the only warning the silver-haired vampire had, and she reacted desperately, lying back just in time to avoid Kurumu's airborne swipe. With her back against the ground, Moka now had enough leverage to shatter the ice that held her captive, scissoring her legs towards heaven before snapping her body straight again, throwing herself back her feet.

Once again, she squared off against her friends, her eyes scanning the nearby trees, noting Mizore stepping out from behind her cover, before returning to Kurumu, who was coming back around for another pass. The vampire's opinion of her opponents had improved, but it was time to end this. First, she would-

"Stop this!" demanded the shout from the house. All three girls paused, staring in shock as Tsukune burst out of the Resting Place and sprinted towards them, his face panicked. The trio of friends barely had time to share a guilty glance before Tsukune reached them, his eyes wide as he stared at each of them in turn. "What's gotten into you? Why are you fighting?" His expression fell as he searched their faces for an explanation. "This isn't because… because I couldn't choose… is it?"

He blinked as the three girls began to laugh. His confusion apparent, he waited for them to offer explanation, growing less pleased by the moment for being the source of their continuing amusement. Finally Moka recovered enough to offer a merciful answer to the befuddled boy, her crimson eyes lit by her humor. "It isn't always about you, Tsukune," she pointed out, the smirk on her face somewhat removing the edge of her words, but not saving Tsukune's cheeks from a deep blush of shame.

"We just wanted to spar," Mizore explained, smiling at him as she waved a frozen hand.

"Yeah, being cooped up in that house means that we haven't been stretching our muscles as much," Kurumu added, rotating her shoulder to emphasize her point.

"But… but it looked like you trying to kill each other!" Tsukune complained, boggling at the trio.

"Well, yeah, but how else are we going to stand up to her?" Mizore answered, frowning at Inner Moka. The vampire didn't comment, instead smiling smugly at the other two girls. Tsukune stared blankly at them before memories of his time training with the vampire surfaced, and after a sudden shiver was forced to yield to the snow maiden's logic. Inner Moka was not one to hold back.

"That's enough for today, anyways," the vampire stated, reaching down and lifting the edge of her skirt to unwrap the Belmont from its place around her thigh. Her eyes darted up to Tsukune, noting the expression he wore as he glanced at her bared leg, before she pulled the whip free. With a shimmer, her hair darkened as her eyes closed, and she slumped forward, Tsukune rushing forward to catch her before she fell to the ground. She rested against his chest for a long moment before opening her eyes, staring dazedly up at him.

"Good morning, Tsukune," Outer Moka said drowsily, lowering her head back to his chest. Behind her, the other two girls shared an exasperated grimace before shaking their heads.

"I'm going inside," Kurumu huffed, but her irritation seemed exaggerated. She had barely taken a step towards the house before she whirled back towards Tsukune, an eager grin on her face. "Oh, Tsukune, would you like some cookies? I was going to fix a batch, and I'd love to share them with you!"

It took only a moment of looking into her energetically-sparkling eyes for him to chuckle and nod. "Sure, I'd be happy to have some."

"Would you like some help, Kurumu?" Moka asked, pushing gently away from Tsukune.

The succubus stared at her for a moment, warily surprised, before the smile returned to her face. "Sure, but I'll make Tsukune's myself. They're special!" Hearing this, Tsukune took a moment to appreciate how far they had come since the days that Kurumu had tried to slip love potions into sweets she made for him… and, despite himself, suddenly felt glad that Moka would be working beside her as she made this batch.

Together, the two girls walked back to the house, chatting amongst themselves as they went, and Tsukune watched them go. He had been worried when he had seen the three of them fighting, but now they seemed entirely at ease with each other, in a way he hadn't seen since… well, since they had first encountered Mori Retsu, now that he thought about it. It was good that their friendship was getting back to normal, though he didn't quite understand why they seemed so much more relaxed now. After, he hadn't chosen, which meant that they were still competing against each other. But, he shrugged, it didn't matter now; as long as they were happy.

He paused, realizing that only Moka and Kurumu had stepped into the house. Where was Mizore? He glanced around him, not finding the snow maiden anywhere nearby, but a chill running up his spine told him that he was being watched. Shaking his head, he looked at the nearby trees, knowing that Mizore was probably stalking him from behind one of them, even though she was hardly making a secret of it. Smiling in pleased surrender, he turned to walk back into the house, knowing that he would be tailed until Moka and Kurumu called for him.

Everything was back to normal, indeed, he decided. And he couldn't be happier.

A short distance away, two men watched the teens return to the house, one leaning against a tree with a bright smile, the other glowering darkly at anything that drew his attention. They had watched the fight with varied levels of interest, the blond man unable to restrain his cheering while his goateed partner calmly analyzed the three girls' abilities. From his expression, it was obvious that he wasn't reassured, though his gloom was utterly unable to infect the other man. Still, Michael's concern did not escape the other guardian's notice, and finally Gabriel turned to him with a shrug.

"Hey, we could always spar with them; that'd get them, and us, some real exercise. What do you say?" Gabriel beamed at his partner, his enthusiasm contagious.

Not contagious enough. "We're here to guard them, not play with them. They're responsible for their own training," Michael responded darkly, crossing his arms. Beside him, Gabe shook his head in exasperation, the smile beginning to lose its grip on his face.

"So, how long are you going to sulk, anyways?" Gabe asked offhandedly, glancing away to avoid his partner's furious glare. "You've been pissy ever since-"

"You know full well why I'm on edge, Gabriel," Michael interrupted. "With that traitor running around, our mission is in danger. Until we have taken care of him, we cannot relax."

"And how is that any different than the past few years, hmm?" The smile returned to Gabe's face, but now it was distinctly different, almost predatory. "Ever since he killed Az-"

"Don't mention her name."

Gabe paused, his fists balling. Finally, after a heroic effort at reinforcing his restraint, he glanced over at the other man. "You weren't the only one who was close to her," he said softly, his face almost impassive.

Michael started to respond, but caught himself before the words could leave his mouth. Grunting, he shook his head, freeing himself of his building fury. "…You're right. But that's all the more reason to stay on our toes. We know what he's capable of, and that he's interested in Tsukune. It's up to us to make sure that he doesn't get involved with the fight that's coming."

"True… but why do you think I mentioned sparring with those girls?" Gabriel shrugged indifferently. "Different ways to the same goal. But don't worry, I'm sure the boss has his own plans to take care of, ah, our little problem. Trust in him, eh?"

The sentiment was one that the blond guardian had used in the past to calm his partner. This time, however, it didn't seem to have its usual immediate effect. Instead, Michael stared at the house for a long moment before shaking his head. "He told us to protect those kids. I intend to do just that."

Sighing, the blond guardian turned his own attention back to the Resting Place. For once, he was the one indulging in blind faith while his partner was favoring the practical approach. What was the world coming to, he wondered, that Michael would doubt the Hell-King? It was enough to leave him at a loss for words… which was another first, now that he thought about it.

Smiling faintly, Gabe settled in to keep up his watch over the four teens. The time would come that the matter would be out of their hands, he knew. But, for now, they were there, and that meant they were responsible for Tsukune and his friends. Even if that meant squaring off against their murderous former comrade…

Gabriel shivered, and stepped away from the tree, moving closer to the house and those he was to protect… just in case.

The lady in the red dress smiled down at the open luggage before her, eyeing the array of dresses and other components of her apparel arsenal. She had included a selection of evening gowns, bikinis, even lingerie; she had learned that it paid well to be prepared. Still, there were a few additional components that she lacked-

"I'm back, mistress," came the voice from the door behind her. She glanced back at the man, smiling as he bowed obsequiously towards her, holding before him a tightly-packed box left open to display the contents. "The shop-keeps told me these were a selection of your favorites, along with some new releases you might be interested in. When I told them who you intended them for, they declared that they would offer them to you for free, in appreciation of your business." He straightened, grinning sloppily at her with a heavy blush on his cheeks. "Did I do well, my lady?"

The woman walked over to him, taking the box from his arms without responding. She carried it over to the bed, placing it next to the open suitcase as she scanned the items it held. Yes, it was a good selection; just what her darling child would need to tip the scales in her favor. Grinning darkly, the woman turned back towards the fawning man, raising a hand to gently stroke it along his cheek, her fingertips curling down along his throat. "How wonderful. I'll be sure to reward you… later," she added sharply, seeing the lust blossom in his eyes. His disappointment was obvious, but he stepped back with a slight bow, giving her the space to return to packing. His continued presence served as a distraction she quickly tired of, and so she soon turned back to him with a smile. "Oh, and would you make certain that my tickets are ready for tomorrow? I would hate to misplace them," she asked sweetly, twirling a finger in her hair as she watched him rush to search for the tickets she had sent him out earlier to purchase. Alone again, she turned back to survey her suitcase, scanning over the collection with a keen eye, considering a few last-minute changes.

Tomorrow, she mused darkly, would see her to the place that the Headmaster had hidden her daughter. Once she was there, she could insure that things were going as intended; sure, her daughter would complain, but since she had failed to make her contribution to the survival of their race it was up to her mother to make certain this boy would not slip out of her fingers. Yes, she thought, holding up one nearly-sheer garment by its string-like straps, she would see to it that Tsukune Aono was utterly smitten.

With an eager laugh, she redoubled her efforts, eager for the hours to pass until she would see her child once again.

"Finished," Tsukune sighed, dropping the textbook onto the floor next to the couch he was reclining on. That was the last of the homework for the day, save the chapter in the Headmaster's Fundamental Varieties of Magic. He had initially considered watching television instead of rushing into his homework, but had decided that it would be better to do so with his friends than alone. Also, he could help the others with their schoolwork if they needed it, since he was finished. Plus, there was the fact that later he would be spending an hour and a half with whichever of the girls was to go first, and it would be better if he had everything finished before then.

Speaking of that, he hadn't even found out which of the girls it was that he would be spending time with this evening. He frowned, considering this, before deciding to take the easiest route to solve his curiosity. Leaning back against the arm of the couch, he stared at the armchair opposite him, which he was certain Mizore had chosen as her hiding place as she silently observed him. "Hey, Mizore," he prompted, waiting for her to pop up from behind the chair.

"Yes?" Tsukune jumped as he glanced at the other end of the couch, and the violet-haired head that had appeared over the other armrest. The snow maiden smiled sweetly at him, savoring his surprise; she had once told him that she thought he was cute when he was flustered, and it was obvious that her opinion hadn't changed.

"Ah, tell me, have you all chosen the order for the… second phase?" Tsukune asked, borrowing the terminology Kurumu had used the previous night.

They had, he realized as he watched the smile fall from her face. Instead of responding immediately, she glowered down at the couch, worrying at the stick of the sucker in her mouth. "Yes," she finally grumbled, "we drew straws earlier."

"And?"

"I'm last!" she wailed, staring pitifully at him. "But, if you don't want to wait, we can always take any time you want. Even tonight… preferably after Kurumu and Moka are in bed. You can just-"
"What order did the others draw?" Tsukune interrupted, chuckling in slight embarrassment.

"Moka's first… again," Mizore explained, her ill humor returning. "And she made us agree to give her an extra half-hour."

"Oh?" Tsukune blinked, surprised.

"Yeah, so her other half can get some time." Mizore sank slightly out of sight, but her blue eyes speared into Tsukune. "Watch out for her. She doesn't play fair. You know that."

"Right," Tsukune scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. He was pleased that he would get a little extra time with both Mokas, but he could already tell that, whatever peace had developed between his three friends, Moka's inner personality wasn't entirely a part of it. He could remember the times that she had emphasized the need for him to make a choice, and she was undeniably competitive. But, that didn't mean that she would push him again, did it? After all, of all the girls, she had shown the least interest in him specifically, so she probably wouldn't go so far as to bend the rules.

"I'll be careful," he offered, hoping to allay Mizore's fears. She nodded before sinking back out of sight. "I'll be right back; I have to get my other textbook," he explained to the armrest that hid her from his sight, though he began to wonder if she had already changed locations without him noticing. Still thinking about that, he stood and walked into the foyer, moving to climb the stairs towards his bedroom, where the tome waited.

Before he could reach the second stair, Moka rushed into the foyer, frantically brushing at bits of cookie dough that had somehow found their way into her hair; Tsukune was forced to wonder how well she and Kurumu had been cooperating on their culinary task. Spotting him, she smiled. "The cookies will be done soon," she explained cheerfully, but hesitated afterwards. Sensing her inner conflict, he paused on the stairs, waiting for her to muster the will to speak to him about whatever was on her mind.

"I was wondering…" she began, looking away from him bashfully. "Would you like to… watch a movie on the couch with me this evening? For my part of Kurumu's plan. Only if you want to, of course!" she insisted, looking up to his face.

He smiled gently back at her. "Sounds fun," he said warmly. "I'll let you pick whatever you want; did you bring some movies with you?" When she nodded, he continued. "Well, how about this evening, then?"

"That'd be great!" she beamed up at him. The two stood in awkward silence for a moment before, all but simultaneously, turning with a blush back towards their other tasks. After she had hurried back into the kitchen, he continued up the stairs, thinking about her suggestion. He liked her idea; it would be nice to just relax and hang out together on the couch. Of course, if they were going to watch the movie together, and she was going to split her time with her other half, did that mean that she would only really be watching half of it? When a dark whisper inside his mind suggested that perhaps watching the movie wasn't meant to be the focal point of their time together, red turned to deep crimson on his face, and he shook his head to free himself from such teasing images.

Still the questions persisted. While he could easily imagine relaxing together with Moka… what about her other half? How would she react to this plan? His mind darted to the concerns his conversation with Mizore had awoken, and he was forced to clear his mind completely before he took that thought further. Best not to worry about it, he decided as he stepped into his room.

Picking up Fundamental Varieties of Magic, he glanced down at the heavy book, frowning in concern. For all of the advantages that their arrangement had offered him, it had certainly gotten harder to keep his mind on his homework. Shrugging, he turned to walk back towards the stairs. Everything would work out somehow.

At least, so he hoped.

Author's Note: As I have noted before, some chapters come easily, others begrudge every word I try to put to paper and thus earn themselves especial consideration for later revision. This chapter was, sadly, one of the latter, but this was largely due to outside circumstances: my wife and I paid an unexpected visit to our families so that she could see her doctor, and our time there was extended by the death of one of her uncles. So, I have spent a week moving from house to house, bereft of quality time at a computer and, I especially lament, Pepsi Floats. But, now we have returned, and thus I can focus on the next chapter… which is the important part of this 'day,' anyways.

On that topic: Next chapter is Moka's request, so look forward to everyone's favorite vampire getting the chance to snuggle up to our protagonist. I will say that, while I've not entirely discarded the notion of including a lemon scene at some point in this collection of stories, I do not intend to do so in this story; despite this, two of the girls will get quite… comfortable… with Tsukune on their dates. Which two, only time will reveal, or me if I get too talkative, I suppose. And thus to entirely refute my previous claim, expect things to get a little… heated… during this next installment.

Ahem, moving on: we have received word to expect company soon, so the next chapter may be delayed until a week from now, unless I go absolutely crazy working on it tomorrow night, which is my intent. Wish me luck in getting it finished; it should flow a lot more easily, especially compared to this one (which was also delayed, I should add, by me puzzling for two days over the order of the girls' 'days,' and connected events). So, expect to hear from me anywhere from 2 days to a full week, with emphasis on either end of the spectrum. I shall, again, hope for the lower side of that scale.

And to that end, now I go to sleep, so that I may throw myself into chapter 25 tomorrow. Ahh… sleep…

~Wynn Pendragon

P.S.: In what is not a blatant attempt at wheedling more reviews for my ever-greedy self, I have a question for you. While some of you have been clear in your reviews as to which of the girls you prefer, or don't, I am still curious as to the rough statistics of which of the trio my readers gravitate towards. I am not the sort to change my own intents for this story based on the results of such a survey, but it would somewhat sate my curiosity about what other fans of this series, and specifically those who enjoy my story, particularly savor. So, if it pleases you, feel free to chime in as to your own favorite; I greatly appreciate the input on this, and on my story as well. My thanks.