Wow . . . I was seriously amazed to see an actual six reviews! I'm really just a newbie, you know . . . Now I think I know why writers on FFN are want reviews so badly. They just make you feel awesome :-) Ah, and to just add here, I may not update for a long, long time (by that, I mean a month or a little over that). Damn, the final exam is approaching . . . Seriously, if I meet the guy who invented tests in hell, I'll kill him again. But be sure, I'll definitely update after the tests. Oh, and I was wondering about the timeline of this fic . . . Should I place this thing after Touhou Fuhai fixes Moka's rosary? I just love the idea of a Inner Moka in Outer's form beating the hell out of Touhou . . . (fufufu) But of course, that would mean some patchy explanation for how Moka had got out of Fairy Tales' hands. Should I just set it before all that? Please put your opinion as a review, or PM me or something . . . I'd love a lot of opinion.
Ah, that was an awful lot of ranting up there. Sorry 'bout that. Anyways, enjoy!
Tsukune panted as he ran on continuously, unaware of why and to where he was running away to. His black hair was wet with trickling sweat. He panted as he was forced to slow down to a slightly fast jog. Why am I running away? he wondered. From what?
"You are slow, Tsukune."
He turned back slowly, looking over his shoulder. It was then that he noticed that he was in a dark forest of some sort, with the gleaming moon lighting little patches of the ground. Someone-something-was standing beneath one of the biggest tree, that obscured all the light streaming down to the ground. I'm on some sort of path that was made through the forest, he realized.
"Have I been too lenient on you so far?" the voice said, and he/she emerged from the trees. Tsukune was speechless for a moment.
"M-Moka-san?" he stuttered.
The vampire looked at him with crossed arms and an unreadable expression. No, it wasn't totally unreadable. Tsukune could read one emotion off that face-distaste. And a whole truckload of it. He felt a shiver crawl down his spine, and gulped nervously at the pink-haired, green-eyed Omote.
"Uh . . . did I do anything wrong?" he asked cautiously. It felt so wrong, so out of place to see his usual cute and smiling Moka putting on such an expression that only her-Tsukune gulped-inner side would pull out.
Tsukune flinched when she barked a short, harsh laugh. He looked at the girl, whose green eyes no longer had the sparkling light they usually retained, which hardened as soon as they met his rusty-brown irises.
"You naughty boy," she muttered as she lunged.
"AONO!"
Tsukune woke up with a start, finding himself in his classroom. His shirt was saturated with sweat (yet another perfectly fine piece of clothing to go to the laundry), and his hand was shaking violently. Before anybody could see this, he took his other hand and slapped down on it and pressed down, restricting any movement.
He laughed nervously as he apologized, "Sorry, Nekonome-sensei."
The cat-eared women pouted. Kurumu, in the seat to his front, leaned backwards and whispered,
"What have you been doing last night? Nekonome-sensei called you ten straight times and you didn't wake up,"
Ten times . . . ? No wonder she was so angry.
"Though you may have been tired from that brief fight in the morning, please take care, Aono-kun," Nekonome-sensei sighed. "Your grades are screaming for you to pay more attention in class."
Most of the students snickered at this comment, taunting the boy. Meanwhile, the boy was spacing out again. I had the oddest feeling that I had sawn the exact same scenario from before.
"Ow!" he yelped as a piece of chalk appeared out of nowhere and hit him bulls-eye in the middle of his forehead. His classmates laughed out loud as Nekonome-sensei gave him a deathly glare.
"Do. Not. Space. Out. In. My. Class!" she growled, her cat tail bristling, and returned to her lecture.
Tsukune sighed as he fingered the small bump that was rising in the middle of his forehead and picked up a pen to start taking notes.
"Hey, Tsukune! Let's go back to the dorms together!" shouted the blue-haired succubus, attempting to take hold of the 18-year-old male's hand.
"Shut up, boob monster," muttered a cool voice as an ice kunai embedded itself into Kurumu's head.
"I believe that you just said my line, creepy stalker girl," hissed the succubus as she got into yet another fight with the yukki-onna.
"I shall stop those stupid teenagers!" Yukari announced cheerfully as she jumped into the fight, conclusively adding fuel to the fire.
"Stop!" shouted Tsukune. Kurumu froze in action while snaring Mizore into a deadly headlock. Mizore was holding Yukari by the ankle, as the flustered witch was preparing her tarot cards to swoop down and plant themselves into the succubus.
He smiled as he said, "Let's all go visit Moka."
Yukari quizzically looked at Moka, who was in deep slumber, sleeping quietly.
"Why did she faint?" she asked Tsukune.
"The school nurse said that she had fainted after exerting herself without drinking blood first," he replied. "She said that she gave Moka some blood packs, so she'll be waking up any time now."
"No way! That sinister Moka would have definitely tackled you on the first signs of her thirstiness!" Kurumu protested.
"Now, now," the black-haired teen tried to calm down the furious girl. "She was about to do so when one of the Fairy Tale people attacked us."
"Wait," Mizore uttered, grabbing Tsukune's left arm. He winced unconsciously. Before he was aware of it, she had pulled up his sleeve, revealing the thick bandages that covered his arm and continued upwards. "Where did you get this wound?"
"Umm . . . I got into a fight with one of the Fairy Tale guys."
"I heard from a couple other students that they were looking for 'a pink-haired, green-eyed' girl," Kurumu said with a stern face. The three girls looked at her with wide eyes, realizing that Tsukune had gotten hurt after trying to protect Moka.
Shit . . . I didn't want them to know about Moka being wanted by those Fairy Tale guys . . .
"You, Tsukune," she continued, jabbing her finger at the boy, "have no need to get yourself injured just because of-"
"If you're angry at me, you should shout at me instead of letting it out at innocent Tsukune," muttered a deep, husky voice.
"Moka-san?" the young witch's pupils dilated. "But your rosary is still-"
"Why is Onee-chan in the infirmary?" roared Kokoa as she burst through the door. "Ah, you're awake. That means that you're ready to battle me!" she exclaimed as her trademark bat turned into a vicious-looking spiked club. "You better be ready!"
"No, Koko-"
Moka actually surprised Kokoa by jumping off her bed and landing nimbly on the ground, as graceful as a gymnast.
"Whoah, when did you learn that, Onee-chan? You must have prepared-"
"From when did I allow you to call me Onee-chan?"
Kokoa's eyes widened, but before she could reply she found herself reeling back from the power behind a well-packed kick.
"Know your place," Moka spoke, her green eyes powerful and obnoxious at the same time.
"Wh-where is the surface Onee-chan?" stuttered Kokoa, badly shocked at what she had just witnessed. "And what is with that pitifully weak kick that is totally not like Onee-sama's powerfulness?"
"What?" Moka's emerald eyes seemed to waver for a moment. She then noticed the long, pink tresses that trailed down to her waist. She picked up one lock, examining it intently.
"I am in Omote's form?" she half asked and half exclaimed in disbelief, and snatched up a mirror on a table next to the bed. Her jaw dropped as she stared back at her own face. "I-Impossible!"
"So, let's get things straight here: Inner Moka is now in Outer Moka's body, looking from the fact that Moka has pink hair but is talking like an aristocrat and lacks her usual overwhelming power," Mizore tried to clear things up by explaining them word by word.
"But then what has happened to Outer Moka?" asked Kokoa, her eyes blank, merely dusting her uniform off as she stood up. The others silently pondered mutually over the question. Tsukune wished that he had just left the girls to fight amongst themselves and came alone after all.
"There's only one way to figure out what has happened to Outer Moka," Tsukune finally managed to bolster his courage. Determined, he walked up to Moka, who was staring back at him. Wordlessly, he tore of the rosary. Once more, supernatural light burst into the air, making all onlookers grimace and shield their eyes. After a few seconds, the light cleared up, and everybody gazed intently at the now silver-haired vampire. Her closed eyes opened to reveal crimson eyes. Four girls and one boy gulped to await her next words, all imagining the worst ever scenario in their heads.
"Tsukune . . . " a soft, feminine voice spoke up. Everybody sighed in relief. That was old Moka all right.
"This is odd," Moka muttered, experimentally holding up her arm and letting it fall according to the laws of gravity. "Every part of me seems to be coursing with an odd power, like a pulse of energy. Oh, and why am I holding a mirror? Guess I'll put it-"
Just as Moka extended her arm to replace the mirror to its original place, she looked back at her own reflection. Her arm froze as she looked back, unbelieving her own eyes. She touched her hair, face, and pulled back an eyelid to observe her new eye color even better. Speechless, she turned back to Tsukune and the others, her expression asking her question in place of her mouth.
"Moka," Tsukune started as he approached the shaken girl, "It seems that as your Inner Self reattached the rosary, something went wrong and you two literally changed places."
"So . . . that means Ura-chan is in my body?" she asked quietly.
"Yes," he replied gravely. Heavy silence crushed the group for a few more seconds.
"Moka, this little disruption doesn't mean that you think you can steal Tsukune away with your dashing new looks," Kurumu suddenly declared, and pushed the unsuspecting boy's face into her ample chest. "Nighty-night, Tsuku-"
"Kurumu, manners please."
The succubus cried out in surprise as she was slapped away violently, tumbling on the ground. The blue-haired girl looked up in shock, holding her raw cheek. Moka looked as equally shocked as her.
"I-I'm sorry Kurumu, I suddenly got angry and my hand went out before I could stop it."
And that was just a slap. A mere hit, Tsukune thought. His eyes narrowed. I'll have to be extra careful from now on just in case those Fairy Tale dudes show up again . . .
Suddenly, the ayashi burst into tears, wailing as she rushed out.
"Uh . . . I just made Kurumu cry, didn't I?" Oddly enough, Moka looked less sorry than she would have normally been. The girls quietly looked at the changed vampire with mixed expressions. Finally, Tsukune just couldn't stand it anymore.
"Please, please everyone just go out! Leave Moka-san alone for a day, she's very tired and needs rest. Please all return to your dorms!"
He quickly turned away, finding it impossible for him to look at their hurt expressions. He retained that position until he heard the door click shut and the small, dejected footsteps completely faded away.
The silence was deafening. He looked up cautiously, eye-contacting with Moka. He felt himself slipping under that peculiar, almost odd feeling. He sighed and ruffled his hair. Any more of this Inner and Outer mix-up and I'll go nuts!
"I'm sorry, Tsukune."
He stared at the silver-haired vampire, finding her face cast in a way that he would have never expected.
"I'm sorry for being such a trouble. You must hate me now, considering that it's probably from when you met me that your life became such a hassle."
"Wh-what are you talking about, Moka-"
"You don't need to deny me," her tone suddenly turned sharp, and for a second Tsukune found himself confusing her with Inner Moka. Oddly, Outer was starting to act like Inner, and Inner . . . He cocked his head a bit, considering this. He would have to watch more closely the next time Moka was sealed.
While he was pondering like this, Moka was getting closer and closer to the door, reaching out for the handle.
"You don't have a single thing to apologize over."
Moka stared in shock at the two arms that clamped her waist tightly, prohibiting her from moving forward. She tried to move forward nonetheless, but her body refused to move, in some sort of entrance from being hugged by the boy she loved. Unable to progress, Moka resorted to merely standing in her place, her cheeks the same color as her eyes. The arms around her waist loosened, only to grab her by the shoulders and turn her around. The vampire was stunned-Tsukune, the kind boy whom always seemed to lack a sense of seriousness or power, was now proving himself to be a far stronger existence than she thought of him of. He held her like that, his rusty-brown eyes intent on her own.
Unknown to Moka, Tsukune gulped himself, wondering what his crazy hands had managed to accomplish this time. He was very close to Moka, and he found himself examining the girl's face. The time he had spent with Inner Moka was a puny mere hours compared to the Outer whom he saw almost every day. Yet now, his face was mere inches from hers. Impeccable, pale skin that almost glowered . . . A flawless nose . . . Full, reddish lips . . . Tsukune also observed the blush on her, and his mind blushed along, once again noting how remarkable cute she was with that look.
"Moka . . ."
"Tsukune . . ."
Unconsciously, Tsukune found himself leaning forward. His lips were screaming for the lips of the beauty in front of him. He leaned down, and she inched upwards.
Ah. Finally my first kiss, and with-
"TSUKUNE!"
The ward's door burst open, crashing into Moka. Yelping, she was forced forward into the black-haired teen's arms, and the unsuspecting man was toppled over by her momentum.
"Tsukune, the girls' dorms have-" Mizore stopped in the middle of her own words, frowning. "What are you two doing?"
"Huh?"
The confused human and bewildered vampire finally realized what an awkward position they were in. Moka was on top of Tsukune, her silver hair spraying out in all directions.
"Tsukune, you gotta-"
Kurumu nearly tripped over herself when she saw the couple.
"T-that evil vampire has ju-just-"
Gagging, she coughed madly. Yukari also bounced in, only for her jaw to drop to the ground.
"Sister, something terrible has-"
Kokoa rushed in to crash into Yukari, and the two tumbled. Kokoa was numb, unaware of the pain from the crash as she merely gaped at the sight of her beloved "Onee-sama" in a massively degrading, embarrassing position.
"Hey, Moka . . ." Mizore was enveloped in a suffocating, dark aura. "What are you doing, not getting off Tsukune quick?"
"S-Sorry," she stammered, jumping off him quickly.
"Don't think of getting off easy this time," growled Kurumu, emitting the same negative energy as Mizore. The two monsters approached the vampire with a menacing air.
"Wait, you two," Yukari called out, having just recovered from her entanglement with Kokoa. "We have a more important thing at hand."
The two stiffened, and straightened up. Tsukune had gone past his embarrassment, and had risen, dusting his uniform.
"What were you about to talk about the girls' dorms, Mizore?" he asked.
"Apparently there was an explosion in the girls' dorms," replied the purple-haired girl, crossing her arms.
His eyes widened as he realized that the explosion he had heard in the morning must have been from the girls' dorms.
"The bomb that caused it was installed in front of Moka's room," she continued. "It caused a large sound and huge shaking, but it wasn't really a bomb for 'blowing-up' purposes."
The girl stopped for a moment to take her lollipop out of her mouth and twirl it around once before reinserting it.
"Its purpose was to knock out."
"Wait, how do you know all of this?" exclaimed Moka.
"The bus driver told us," Kurumu answered in place of Mizore. "Deducing from these facts, it's obvious that you, Moka, are desperately wanted by Fairy Tale, and they wanted you alive, not dead. Plus, there is the fact that they were asking for your whereabouts all morning. It's a miracle that you weren't caught up in it."
"Did you think of all of that?" the vampire asked.
"Duh," Yukari interrupted. "Of course it's me, the genius witch, not that dumb succubus."
"What did you say?"
The two were soon involved in a brief brawl, ready to rip each other's necks out when the door slid open.
"May I be rude enough to interrupt this little group here?"
Six pairs of eyes widened to see the figure that stood by the door.