Chapter 32

Moka Akashiya

Tsukune woke up to the sounds of birds chirping outside his balcony, the sunlight pouring in through the glass door. He stretched luxuriously, smiling towards the balcony even as he squinted against the glare. It looked to be a cloudless morning, he noted, and felt the warmth and light outside mirrored within his own mood. It was going to be a good day, he decided.

After all, why wouldn't it be? He was alone with the girl he loved, living together as if they were married. As far as he could tell, it couldn't get much better than that.

He stood from the bed, scratching at his chest as a final vindictive yawn slowed his progress. He wondered if Moka was awake, or if he would get the opportunity to start making breakfast for her as a surprise before she left her bed. The idea lent him a little haste to combat the lethargy of his awakening muscles, and he crossed the room to get dressed, already considering what he would fix for her if he was the first to rise. So focused was he that he barely noticed the sudden shiver that wracked him as he walked through the shade of the succubus.

The succubus watched him cross the room, her eyes tracking him everywhere he moved. Had this been any day prior, she would have savored the ability to see him undress, would have been unable to keep herself from touching him. Now, however, that was not an option. She had tried to shake him awake before, but had discovered her transparent body could feel him no more than the door she had drifted through in order to enter the room. She had hoped that he would be able to sense her when he woke, but her ambitions had been dashed by his lack of a reaction. Now she began to realize how hopeless her situation truly was, and let her sadness once more take hold of her, seizing the emotion in the hopes of using it as a life preserver to keep her afloat in the sea of emptiness she had felt herself gradually sinking into. She wept loudly, but Tsukune did not hear, did not even glance back towards her as he walked out of the room.

The other shade stood nearby, watching the succubus grieve. She could see the transparent form of the succubus, but it had quickly become obvious that the reverse was not true; the magic of the creature that had done this to them had not affected her when the succubus had been taken, but she was still entirely alone. She even retained her memories of the succubus from when they had both been alive, though they had begun to fade to grey in her mind… just like everything else.

Though she was alone, and had failed to save her friend from her fate, the shade felt no remorse, no sadness. She felt nothing at all, except for a nagging impression that she should, that her emptiness was unnatural. She had tried to figure out why, but the answers stayed just beyond the reach of her comprehension, so instead she silently watched the proceedings thinking that she might find her answers there. Passive observation was all that had been left to her, and so she accepted that fate, not realizing that her questions would find no answers as her essence continued to fray.

The door closed, leaving the two shades alone in the room. There they waited, knowing that there was nowhere else to go, feeling their hopes gradually fade away. United in their solitude, they waited for the emptiness to come, knowing there was nothing they could do to save themselves.

It was the second day, and Thanatos' task was already drawing to a close.

"Good morning, Tsukune!"

Tsukune smiled at Moka even as he snapped his fingers in frustration. "Aw, I had hoped to beat you down here and fix us breakfast myself."

Moka grinned back at him, letting her attention waver from the food she was preparing. "You shouldn't have slept in, then." She watched as he took a seat at the table before turning back to what she was doing. "It'll be ready in just a minute."

Tsukune propped his chin up on his hands as he watched Moka cook, a sloppy smile on his face. It had not escaped him that the life he was sharing with Moka in the Resting Place was quite similar to that of newlyweds; he had not been the only one to reach that conclusion, but fortunately Mrs. Cooper was no longer around to pester them. Now it was just the two of them, and they could enjoy each other's presence to the fullest, only slightly distracted by the demands of homework. Yes, like newlyweds indeed…the only thing missing was an apron- No, no, that was a bit much, Tsukune admitted to himself with a livid blush, though he was not able to dismiss the image.

Once again, he wondered how it all had happened. There had been the fight with Mori Retsu, of course, and the need for them to move away from Yokai Academy temporarily in case something happened that would lead to the nightmare-master being reborn, but he had never dreamed that he would be living alone with Moka, especially not at the suggestion of the school's headmaster. Here, away from the chaos and strife of the school for monsters, they could live without fear of being attacked by berserk classmates, or being embroiled in battles with evil organizations, or even worrying that his true identity might be revealed. He was lucky that that particular secret had only passed to his closest friends: Yukari, Kokoa, Gin, and… and… Tsukune grunted as a lance of pain pierced through his skull, and he fought to shake it off. He had been having headaches like that since yesterday, but had mistakenly assumed that they had begun to fade.

He had to admit that he missed his friends at school; he even missed some of the teachers. He certainly looked forward to getting to work on the newspaper again, even though he knew he would get needled by Gin for being away for so long, especially since the newspaper had such a small staff to begin with. Still… it was nice, being with Moka like this in the human world. At times, it was hard for him to remember that they weren't a normal couple, living a normal life together.

Well, other than the fact that she regularly drank his blood, of course. And then there was her other self, but even the inner personality was beginning to thaw slightly. He remembered the night that they had watched the movie together on the couch, and realized how far they had come from the days when Inner Moka had chastised him almost every time the seal was released. He didn't know if Inner Moka would ever be as open about her feelings as her other self, but that didn't bother him as much as it once did.

Of course, there was what she had said about choosing, but that still struck him as ridiculous. He acknowledged that they were two different people, as far as personalities went, but the thought of choosing one over the other would be impossible for him. They had always complemented each other too much, one strong and proud, the other gentle and kind. He admitted that, given his perspective on the divide between them, he was technically in love with two girls at the same time. However, at least for now there were considerably fewer complications with that than if he had two physically separate girls vying for his attention, or- "Ow," Tsukune mumbled, rubbing at his aching temples.

"Are you okay?" Moka asked, bringing the food over to the table. He smiled up at her, hoping to dispel the concern on her face.

"I'm fine; just more of that headache from yesterday."

"You too?" Moka sighed, taking her seat beside him. "I wonder what's causing it?"

"I don't know," Tsukune admitted, glancing down at the plate she had set before him. "Wow, this looks great!" he complimented her, shifting the topic suddenly in the hopes of distracting himself from the fading pain. He noted the satisfied grin on Moka's face as she began to eat, and he quickly discovered that the taste was a match for the appearance. It was almost as good as… as the food his mother made.

"Oh, by the way, if you want desert tonight we still have some cookie dough left," Moka pointed out.

"That sounds good. We haven't had cookies since…" Tsukune winced again, pushing away from the table. "You know, I'll be right back. I'm going to find some more of that headache medication." Moka nodded to him, her own eyes tight; it was obvious he wasn't the only one suffering from that pain. Knowing that Moka was also enduring the headaches lent him a little speed as he rounded the corner and bounded up the stairs, trying to remember where he had left the bottle of pills.

Such was his rush that it was only as he came back down the stairs, pills in hand, that he noticed the folder lying at the door. He blinked at it, stopping to bend over and pick it up from the floor. It was their assignments from the academy, but he didn't remember going out the previous night to fetch them. How did they end up on the floor in the foyer…?

He entered the kitchen, offering Moka the pills before taking his own. As he took a drink of water to wash it down, he opened the folder, dismissing the previous mystery. He had been rather out of it the previous day; he had probably just forgotten getting it. No, something else had caught his attention as he flipped through the folder: "Hunh, looks like they slipped in an extra copy of our homework by mistake. There's an extra copy of everything, but Mrs. Nekonome always writes our names at the top, and this one is blank." Moka glanced at the paper, nodding as she confirmed his observation. "Strange. I wonder why they would send another- are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Moka lied, pressing her hand to her head. She nudged her plate away from her before standing up from the table. "I think I'll go lay down for a while, until the medicine kicks in. Don't worry, I can make it on my own," she reassured him as he moved to stand up and follow after her. She offered him a bright smile before she left the kitchen. "Maybe I'll let you help me fix dinner, though…"

"I'll look forward to it," Tsukune replying, grinning back towards her. He listened as she climbed the stairs, ready to check on her if he heard her footsteps waver, but soon enough she made her way down the hall upstairs towards her room. Convinced she would be fine, Tsukune turned his attention back to the folder. He rifled through the contents, blinking as he noticed another odd addition to the usual sheath of papers: a thin book, nearly a pamphlet, with a small note attached. He scanned that slip of paper, discovering that it was to be his next extra assignment from the Headmaster. Shrugging, he opened the book and chose a page a random, skimming over the truncated lines he found there.

It was poetry… bad poetry, Tsukune noted wryly. He assumed it had been translated from another language, but even that consideration failed to redeem the work. Plus, it was more than a little morbid, relying heavily on disease imagery and references to death, and a glance at the next page proved the next poem was similarly themed. Tsukune winced, putting the book on the table and pushing it away from him; that assignment could wait until his headache subsided somewhat.

He stood from the table, deciding to go check on Moka. He would have all day to work on his homework, since he hardly had anything else to keep him occupied. For some reason, that thought struck him as odd; hadn't he been pretty busy over the past few… Tsukune winced, rubbing at his temples once more. Perhaps the homework could wait until he laid down for a bit as well.

He didn't know why, but he knew that the headaches would go away with time. He could only wait until that happened, and then everything would be back to normal.

"How boring."

The soldier looked dolefully at the corpse, realizing that his enemy had not escaped the shootout unscathed. Instead, the man had made it into this narrow crevice and had expired, still clutching his automatic rifle, his face turned skyward as if in a final prayer. The front of the other man's uniform was stained red, and his hand was still pressed over the wound that had claimed his life. He had died backed into a corner, ready to fight until his final breath, but his adversary had found him too late for that.

"Tch," the red-haired soldier snapped, shaking his head. "Couldn't you have held out till I got here, at least? So disappointing."

He was still scowling at the corpse when the wind carried to him to shouts of his comrades. He stepped away from the body, moving to the mouth of the crevice and almost walking into one of his fellows, who jumped from the surprise. Clutching his chest, the other man shook his head in disbelief. "What the hell, rookie… No going haring off like that, hey? In these hills, you're just as likely to get shot by one of our trigger-happy pals as you are to run into the enemy, but either way you're just as dead. I know we hit the bastard, so he won't make it far from here."

"Not far at all," the redhead grumbled, jerking a thumb back towards the body. "He's dead."

The glum tone of his comrade made the other soldier blink. "Why'd ya sound so sad about it? Better him than us, I say." He reached down for his radio transceiver to report to the others that he had found their missing comrade while the 'rookie' glanced back towards the crevice one final time. This wasn't fun anymore, he thought mournfully, already beginning to mull over his options.

It had not been long ago that the two nations had enjoyed a tense sort of peace. What had started as a simple border conflict, however, had turned decidedly ugly, and now both sides were rushing troops to the scene in order to gain the upper hand. At the first, one side had a marked advantage, but in the past few days the tide had turned, mostly due to the lopsided casualties they had suffered. Now they were being forced back, and the previously-overwhelmed forces of their rivals were beginning to entrench themselves in preparation for a counteroffensive.

The red-haired soldier, one of those serving the now-superior force, had been there from the beginning, even though his comrades knew him as 'the rookie.' He had been in some of the fiercest fighting, had joined his current unit after the previous one had been all but annihilated, and had joined that one after the one before had suffered a similar fate. His fellows had begun to whisper that he was bad luck, but anyone that saw him fight began to wonder if it was just the opposite: if he was just too good at killing to die. Either way, his regret that the fighting was dying down was not shared by the others, who were not experienced much in the way of actual combat before this conflict, and were looking forward to returning to their homes and families in one piece.

For a second, the redhead lamented the fact that the opposition was now at such a disadvantage, but a high-pitched giggle escaped him as he remembered how much he was responsible for that fact. If his comrades knew the amount of fatalities he had personally accounted for, they would probably avoid him even more. No, he consoled himself, it was just hard to find a decent fight these days.

"Come on, pal. I'm sure the sergeant will want to have a few words with you, and the quicker you get it over with the better for us all." The other soldier paused, glancing back to where the rookie stood still. "Are you coming or what?"

"I'm tired of this," the redhead blurted. "This is too easy."

"Too…? Are you crazy?" The other soldier rolled his eyes. "You should be thankful you're not on the other side, where they're dying in droves. I'll take 'easy' over 'dead' any day of the week."

"Hunh…" The red-haired soldier seemed to consider this, and a brightly-lit smile gradually spread across his face. His fellow blinked at this odd behavior, but his dubious frown did nothing to restrict the open glee on the other's face. "You're right! I hadn't thought of it that way. Thanks, pal!"

The rifle came up in a smooth motion, and the shot echoed across the hillside. The soldier rocked back, barely managing to keep on his feet, before looking down at his chest and the crimson stain blossoming there. He looked back at the redhead, his mouth fighting to form the question, before he fell forward onto his knees and then slumped to the ground. His radio buzzed with questions from those nearby, and the murderer stepped forward, leaning down to switch off the transceiver.

"Good idea," he murmured, smiling down at the body. If the other side was having it so rough, then the fighting would probably be way more interesting over there. Plus, there was a uniform nearby he could swipe, and no one would know the difference. Inordinately pleased with himself, the soldier turned to put his plan into action, already imagining how much fun he would have turning the war back around.

He froze in place when he saw the other man. Despite the slight chagrin at the thought that someone had witnessed his treason, he forced a brilliant grin onto his face as he looked at the man appraisingly. The newcomer did not look to be a soldier; instead of either side's uniform, he wore a black suit and sunglasses, with his dark hair pulled back into a long ponytail. He leaned nonchalantly against one of the stones at the crevice's opening, taking a long drag off of his cigarette as he watched the soldier with a smirking calmness. "Nice work," the man in the suit offered, motioning towards the most recent fatality. "Indiscriminate slaughter; I'm glad to see you haven't changed."

Though the soldier had been subtly edging his rifle into line with the other man, those words gave him pause enough to reconsider. "Eh heh heh, thanks. Sounds like we have similar tastes." His smile grew wider, and he tilted his head to the side questioningly. "Do I know you?"

"We met, a long time ago. A very long time ago." The black-clad man took a final draw from the cigarette before flicking it off into the distance. When he glanced back to the soldier, his own smile grew sharply. "I knew your boss, too. You can call me Sam."

This was enough of a hint for the soldier, and he started laughing uproarishly as if the other's words were a particularly good joke. "I recognize you! We fought once!" He stared at Sam, and his eyes held an ocean of madness. "You were good! Let's have a go at it again, for old time's sake, what do you say?" He shifted the rifle, pointing it away from the other man. As he did so, the metal began to shift, as if melting, an impression reinforced by the red glow that began to infuse the metal. In moments, the gun was gone; in its place, the soldier held a massive broadsword, still glowing a fiery red. "I've been waiting for a real fight for far too long."

"No thanks." Sam shrugged, ignoring the dangerous glare the other man was directing his way. "Maybe some other time. I'm here on business, and I have places to be. So do you, as a matter of fact."

"It can wait. Draw your sword and-"

"Death is coming back."

This was enough to make the red-haired soldier pause, doubt temporarily painted on his face. "No he ain't. I know that for a fact." His grin returned, and he took a threatening step towards the former guardian.

"Yes, he is, within a few days. And when he does, I'm sure he'll want to have a chat with you and the others. To that end, I've already contacted one of them, and the third is already there, trying his hardest to keep the resurrection from happening." Sam chuckled, shaking his head.

"That coward," the soldier commented, sharing the traitor's humor. "He's been running scared for centuries, afraid the boss would make it back somehow. Not that it was supposed to be possible." At this, he eyed Sam warily. "Where is Thanatos, then? And the phylactery?"

"Japan. If you want, I can give you a ride there; I've got a private jet that will see us there before dawn." Sam turned to walk away without seeing if the other man would follow him. "Of course, you'll be on your own from there, but I can get you fairly close to where he'll be resurrecting."

The red-haired soldier watched him for a moment before shrugging and starting to follow. He could tell, thanks to the powers of his sword, that the connection between the guardian and his former master had already been severed, so it wouldn't be a trap on that end. And, either way, it was sure to lead up to a good fight… and for him, that was enough.

Sam, on the other hand, had to struggle to conceal his anxiety. He had been forced to leave Japan to come here, but since he had only recently discovered the location of Death's last general he knew that he would be cutting things close. Thanatos seemed hesitant to overextend his powers, which showed a surprising shrewdness for a soulless wraith, and that meant that he would probably wait a day between taking Tsukune's friends. The first had been taken two nights ago, which meant the last of the girls would be taken tonight, before he returned to Japan. That would leave only Tsukune… and everything hinged on him. If Sam's plan was to be successful, things would have to go just right, and he wanted to be nearby to make certain that it did. Nothing could interfere, lest his ambitions go to waste. He would not have that, and so he moved with slightly more haste than he intended; a fact that, fortunately, escaped the attention of the man behind him, who was giving the surroundings a fond glance in farewell.

And so the two men left the battlefield, intent on reaching the next.

"Tsukune…"

Tsukune jerked awake as he heard the knock at his door, quickly shoving himself up from where he had slumped onto his bed. Staggering slightly, he rushed to the door and pulled it open, revealing the girl standing on the other side with a concerned look on her face. "Oh, Moka… is something wrong?" He smiled weakly at her, rubbing at his eye, still not entirely conscious.

"No…" she answered, the lingering tone in her voice suggesting the response was far from accurate. She looked away from him nervously, clutching her hands together in front of her. "Something doesn't feel right," she finally commented, still not quite meeting his gaze.

"What's wrong? Do you mean your head is still bothering you, or is it something else?"

"No, not that…" Moka frowned at the floor, as if finding it impossible to put into words the feeling that had compelled her to leave her room and seek him out. "I just…" Frustrated, she clenched her hands tightly. "Can I stay in here with you for a bit?" She raised her eyes to his, and he was surprised at the plea he found there.

"Oh… sure, yeah, come on in," he offered, motioning her forward. He moved over to the bed, gathering the homework that he had been working on before he had dozed off, piling it into a stack that he lowered to the floor. "If you want, you can sit there, and I'll…" He glanced around the room, quickly realizing that there were no other seats.

"Thanks." She sat on the bed, noticing his search and patting the space beside her. Shrugging, he accepted her suggestion and sat next to her. Even though he was now completely alert, he found that he had little to say, and sat awkwardly, his eyes now the ones meandering about the room. One detail, almost hidden by the long shadows of evening, caught his attention: when had he unlocked the door to the balcony-?

His thoughts were interrupted as Moka leaned closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He stiffened slightly, but relaxed as he heard her sigh contentedly. "Thanks, Tsukune," she murmured, her eyes closed as she let her tension dissipate.

"For what?" he asked, trying to subtly maneuver himself to make their position more comfortable for the both of them.

"I don't know… for being here. I just felt… alone, all of a sudden. Like something important was missing, and I didn't know what it was. My other self tried to reassure me, but something tells me she was feeling the same way. I didn't know what to do, since the feeling wouldn't go away…"

"Don't worry," Tsukune commented, resting his cheek against the top of her head. "I'm always here if you need me. Whatever, whenever, you can depend on me."

The angle at which her head was tilted kept Tsukune from seeing Moka's smile, but the way she snuggled closer against him told him enough, as did her quiet "Thanks," a few moments later. The two sat like that in silence for a while, the awkwardness they had felt earlier replaced by a comfortable satisfaction. It was the soft sound of Moka sniffing the air that finally broke the silence, and Tsukune knew all too well what would come next.

"Go ahead," he relented, preempting her question as he tilted his head away from her. "I don't mind."

Moka beamed up at him, licking at her lips slightly. "It's been a while, and I was getting thirsty… I really appreciate it!" She gently pulled him closer as she twisted towards him, opening her mouth to reveal the twin fangs that shortly would be buried in his neck.

"Ouch!" Tsukune yelped as he felt her bite pierce his skin. There was a faint feeling of suction as Moka moaned all but imperceptibly, savoring her meal. Tsukune swore he could feel the blood leaving him, a draining feeling a lot like when… "Ouch…"

Moka pulled back, wiping a wrist across her mouth as she gazed at Tsukune worriedly. "Is something wrong?" She frowned as she saw him gripping his temples, her suspicion affirmed. "You know, these headaches are really beginning to worry me."

"I'm fine," Tsukune lied, trying to force the pain away. "I thought that I was feeling better, but I guess we both need some rest still to recover from… whatever it is that is causing these."

Moka nodded, her hand sliding up his back to rub his shoulders in an effort to distract him from the pain. At first, he only smiled in gratitude, but soon enough he managed to allow the feeling of her hand roaming over his back to take precedence over the headache, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the sensation. His reaction did not escape Moka, and she scooted farther back onto the bed, maneuvering herself to have greater access. Soon both her hands went to work, kneading at his muscles as he slumped in relief as the tension he had been feeling gradually bled out of him.

The backrub continued for several minutes, until Moka's hands arched over the peaks of his shoulders and brushed against his neck, and the blood still collected at the place where she had bitten him. "Tsukune, are you still bleeding?" she exclaimed, sliding closer to that side to examine him. "I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it, it doesn't hurt-" Tsukune gasped as he felt something brush against the twin wounds; had she just licked the blood away? Her quiet giggle answered that question for him, but she drew closer once again, and this time it was her lips that brushed against his skin, a kiss offered in apology. It was followed by another, and a third, her lips making their way closer to his ear…

"Moka…" he murmured, moaning in appreciation. He forced himself to move away, only to turn and face her, reaching out to cup one of her cheeks with his hand. He smiled at her, her hunger mirrored in his eyes, and the two leaned forward, the kissing now mutual.

While they initially took their time, pressing their lips together gently and all but hesitantly, it was not long before their passion took control. They clutched to each other desperately, the haunting feelings that had been circling around them driving them together with increasing need as their pace increased. Moments later they both fell back against the bed, but this did not interrupt them. Instead, they now let their hands roam across each others' backs, fingers caressing skin through the fabric of their clothes, travelling back and forth aimlessly. Somehow their legs had become intertwined, and they occasionally broke apart only to steal a quick glance at each other before returning to their kissing.

Tsukune's hand moved to Moka's side, hesitantly wavering there. His actions did not escape her attention, and she reached over to pull that hand forward, placing it directly above her heart. Tsukune paused, as if realizing he was drawing closer to taking a step too far, and his eyes opened to gaze at Moka as if to ask permission.

That was when he saw the two faint forms standing at the foot of the bed, watching him and Moka with impassive expressions.

"Tsukune, what's wrong?" Moka asked, feeling Tsukune stiffen, no longer responding to her kissing. She pushed away, then turned to try to follow the line his gaze was locked upon. She found nothing in the direction, and when she glanced back to Tsukune he was rubbing at his eyes, glancing again and again in that direction as if seeking something.

"It's… nothing. Nothing at all." His face bore a tight grimace, and he sat up on the bed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I don't… I don't feel right about…"

Moka watched him for a moment, her disappointment fading into a resigned patience. "It's probably for the best, anyways," she commented with a blush. "My other side was getting more than a little jealous, I think."

"Tell her that I'll spend time with her tomorrow. Will that work?" Tsukune's distracted frown broke, and he smiled reassuringly at Moka, who nodded with an odd quirk to her grin; tomorrow, it would be her turn to be jealous, though she couldn't avoid the irony of envying herself.

"Just, try to feel better, alright?" Moka asked compassionately, resting her hand on his shoulder for a second before rising from the bed. "I'd better get back to my room; I still have some work to do, and it's getting late. Don't worry," she added quickly, cutting off Tsukune's concerned question. "If I start feeling weird again, I'll come back and tell you, I promise."

"Alright," Tsukune yielded, his smile carrying a slightly-embarrassed edge. "I'm sorry that I, ah…"

"It's fine… this time," Moka commented, mischief in her eyes. With that said, she opened the door and stepped into the hall, offering him one final grin. "Good night, Tsukune."

"Sleep well, Moka."

The door closed, and Tsukune was alone once more. Sighing loudly as he buried his face in his hands and fell backwards against the bed, he wondered what had gotten into him. First headaches, and now he was seeing things… Despite himself, he spread his fingers enough to glance back towards the foot of the bed, checking once more for the apparitions he had seen there. No, there was nothing; he was really alone. And what a crappy time for his imagination to overwork itself, he grumbled, remembering what he and Moka had been doing at that moment.

Still… he stood from the bed and walked over to the balcony door, snapping the lock back into place. Perhaps the Headmaster's morbid homework could wait till tomorrow; he was already seeing ghosts, so his imagination hardly needed more encouragement. Now, he decided, it would be better just to finish up what homework he had left and then go to bed.

Tomorrow would be another day, and a chance for him to redeem himself. He smiled as he imagined what would await him, the time he would get with Moka's inner side. He could hardly wait.

Moka walked back down the hallway, her fingertips trailing along the wall as she remembered how it had felt to be held by Tsukune, how warm his lips had been. She had to struggle to resist the urge to go back to his room. If he wasn't feeling well either, perhaps the company would do him more good than being alone. She chided herself for her selfishness, realizing that was hardly the real reason she wanted to return; no, she wanted to pick back up where they had left off. Tsukune needed to rest, and she needed to cool down, especially since her other side had been grumbling nonstop since she had left Tsukune's room.

"It's my body, I have a right to protest."

"Like you won't be doing the same thing tomorrow," Moka pointed out sharply, pausing as she reached the door to her room. "You're just being competitive."

"No I am-!"

Moka wasn't listening to her other side's rebuttal, her attention elsewhere. She stared down the hall at the other two doors, trying to remember what they contained. Really, the Resting Place was too big of a house for just her and Tsukune; the Headmaster must not have had a smaller one for them to use. Still, her curiosity, and her lingering memories of how uncomfortable she had felt in her room earlier, compelled her to walk down the hall towards one of the other rooms. She opened the door, peeking inside. Another bedroom, with clothes and stuffed animals draped here and there. Whoever had stayed here last had left their stuff, it seemed. She noticed a picture frame on the nightstand, and moved to pick it up, intrigued.

Her eyes widened as she discovered that the picture was of her and Tsukune, their faces in embarrassed smiles. Oddly, the picture seemed out of line, as if it had been intended for a third person to be-

"Ouch!"

Moka groaned in pain, clutching at her head as she lowered the picture frame back to the nightstand, and her inner self echoed that sentiment. She turned to leave the room, staggering against the doorframe as she made her way back to her room. Lying down would help, she told herself. It had the other times, at least. Her earlier discomfort forgotten, she entered her room and closed the door behind her.

By now, the pain had mostly subsided, and she hesitated before she could fall onto the bed, glancing over at her reflection in the nearby mirror. She chuckled as she noticed how tight her eyes were; it was a good thing that Tsukune couldn't see her now, or he would worry himself to death.

"This isn't right."

"You're just jealous that I've kissed him more than you have," Moka joked, massaging her temple as she stared at the reflection of her rosario. Her other hand rubbed at her bare arm, trying to warm it; the air conditioning must have kicked on, because it was suddenly very cold in her room.

"You know that isn't what I mean. These headaches, something is triggering them. It isn't normal." Inner Moka paused, mulling over their situation. "At the least, I shouldn't be feeling them the way I am."

"I guess you're right, but what could be causing them? I can't really tell anything in particular that would be-" Moka paused, noticing that the light in the room looked considerably dimmed, as if the light bulb in the nearby lamp was going dead. She glanced away from the mirror at it; no, it was still-

"LOOK OUT!"

"Moka Akashiya."

Moka whirled, trying to find the source of that chilling voice, but jerked as something stopped her in place. She glanced down at the ivory blade that had impaled her, and then up at the massive shadow standing before her. The skull-mask the thing wore tilted down towards her, and she stared into the emptiness of its eye sockets, fighting to overcome her paralyzing shock.

It was too late. Moka faded from existence… only to reappear a second later, still impaled upon the blade. She flickered in and out, as if fighting to resist the wraith's power, and he watched her intently. "I see. You… are two." The wraith, incapable of surprise or concern, merely watched as her flickering began to slow. "But no matter." As if the words were a condemnation, Moka disappeared once more, this time not to reemerge. She, too, had been erased.

Thanatos stood still for a moment, considering his options. Both the vampire and the boy had proven surprisingly resistant to his powers; he had felt them struggling against his magic again and again, and had wondered if they would be the first to overcome it. He now understood part of the reason why the girl had been so resilient: as a vampire, she was powerful enough to prove problematic, and his magic had been forced to subdue two sets of memories. The boy, however…

He watched as the girl's shade walked away, passing through the door to her room with a dazed expression. Now, there was only one. He had been forced to use a considerable amount of his power to erase three people at once, but he was regaining his strength faster and faster now that he had three essences to feed upon. Soon enough, he would be able to feast upon the first, devouring her entirely, and then he would be strong enough to reveal his success to Fairy Tale.

"You haven't won."

Thanatos paused as he noticed the second ghostly form in the room. There, a girl that looked identical to the one that had just left, save for the silver hair and crimson eyes… the second personality. He stared at her silently, considering what this meant. Since she had not been physically manifested, had she not been erased by his powers?

"You are right," Thanatos replied. "I have not won yet. But I shall. And, without a body, you can do nothing to stop me." The words were offered as cold fact, and Moka glowered at him. "He cannot sense you. He probably won't even be able to remember you." Thanatos turned towards the window, the shadows trailing from his body stretching up from the floor to grasp at the frame, opening the way to the outside. "Tomorrow, it shall all end."

Inner Moka watched him leave, seething with rage. She wasn't entirely certain of what had happened to her other half, but she knew this monster was right; she had no way of reaching Tsukune. She would try, but without a physical form she didn't know how she could communicate with him. Still, she refused to surrender; this would not be how it all ended.

Yet, for all her determination, no answers came to her. Tsukune was alone, and defenseless, and there was nothing she could do. It was all up to Tsukune, now… and he didn't even know he was in danger.

Inner Moka screamed in frustrated anger, but the Resting Place remained silent, and soon after Tsukune fell asleep with an oblivious smile on his face.

Author's Note: Sorry this is a bit late; I decided that a more polished version would be worth the wait, and I hope you agree. Just one more chapter in this section to go; I can hardly wait! Ah heh, I wonder if you all feel the same way. Don't worry, the big action is on its way, I promise. Soon, soon.

Also, yay, the last of the character introductions for this story is complete! I'm sure some of you have figured out his true name, but for those who haven't, answers… will be rather slow in coming. I awkwardly admit that I take unwarranted glee in prolonging such revelations; consider yourself warned (So sorry, couldn't resist the puns!).

In other news: I will yield that part of the delay with this section was due to an unfortunate fact of fanfiction writing, which I will term "Ferret Syndrome" (Ooh, shiny!). As an anime fan, as should be obvious considering what I write, I am always on the lookout for a new series to capture my interest. Those that do are devoured all but instantly, which has the tragic side effect of wrapping up my mindset in the characters and mechanics of that particular series. In turn, this usually means I spend time concocting half-finished plots for possible fanfiction, and manage to thoroughly distract myself from the works that I have already on the table. This past week added a new entry to my most recent list, which goes something akin to: Love Hina (fic in progress, if somewhat stuck at the moment) – Nagasarete Airantou – Zettai Karen Children – and the latest, Umineko no Naku Koro Ni (God help me). So, yes, I have been stuck in a horror/mystery mindset, much to my lady's ire; I do believe she might strangle me if she hears "Oh DESIRE!" one more time, and I don't know if I would necessarily blame her. I believe I have managed to forcibly shelve any further fanfic concepts/ distractions for the moment, save for my impending due date for the next installment of Toren, so I hope to have the next chapter of this tale out on time Wednesday morning. I am sure you tire of trusting me on that, however. ^_^;

Anyways, to get this released sooner I believe it best to cut this note here, and go ahead and post this section. As always, thank you for reading, and especially for reviewing; I shall hope to hear from some of you soon! Until then…

Well, until then, I intend to sleep.

~Wynn Pendragon

P.S.: I was an idiot to presume that I would make my usual deadline, considering the annual family-related obligations tied to Memorial Day weekend, as well as the fact that this chapter calls for a tad more research and, ah, bad poetry. Instead, expect the next chapter to be released on Thursday; I ask for your forgiveness, and shall strive to make it worth the wait.