There you go, people! I tried to write this chapter as fast as I could, because Exams season is coming and I will need a lot of time to study, so (if we're lucky enough) I think I'll be able to update just one more chapter before taking a break to prepare my exams. Now, as I explained in the prologue, even when in the prequel of this story I wrote that the group had already travelled to China, forget about it; that never happened. So the story begins here, at the athletics carnival. I'll try to fix that chapter in D to V when I have some time.
Anyways. Thank you for your reviews and you Miss Megz for your help. Now, enjoy the chapter!
All the students were gathered in the school grounds, wearing their PE uniforms and listening to the Cat Woman's speech.
"Autumn is for reading, it is also when people mysteriously gain weight," the cat demon spoke, facing the students, "and autumn is for sports. That beautiful time has finally come to our school." Sesshomaru and his classmates were at the end of the crowded area, mostly because the silver haired man hated crowds and the rest of them decided to keep him company. "So, without any further ado…!" Nekonome-sensei continued, getting some applause from the nearby students, "let's start the 9th youkai academy's athletics carnival!" The students cheered, laughing and yelling happily.
Tsukune and his friends remained apart, waiting for the competitions to start as they warmed up. "Ahhhh… This is so lame! Ever since becoming senior students, there's just no point in things like the athletics carnivals anymore." Kurumu commented, stretching her legs.
"Everything will be over if you say that, Kurumu-san, desu," Yukari said.
"That's right," Moka opined, smiling, "and think of all the people in the galleries that came today." A sudden, flaring youki called for their attention, making them to turn around.
"But be careful…" Mizore warned, showing them a pile of ice that had several persons trapped inside, "there are some strange guys mixed with the people in the galleries…" Moka, Kurumu and Yukari jumped when they saw that some of the parents were frozen inside the pile of ice.
"Wahhh, Mizore-chan!" Moka yelled, stepping back from the surprise.
"Just now these parents kept on snapping photos," Mizore explained, "they just wouldn't stop so I froze them." That comment made the girls to look around, scanning the multitude of adults that was surrounding them.
"Now that you say it, there are some suspicious people mixed in with the parents," Kurumu observed, looking at the lecherous faces that stock out from the crowd.
"Those are pervert youkai that came to see us in our bloomers," Yukari explained, "it's because they are an extremely endangered species in the human world."
"I wish they wouldn't look so much…" Moka commented, being a little scared.
"Anyway, I'm against athletics carnivals!" Kurumu shouted.
Sesshomaru just kept his eyes closed, trying to block his mind from that foolish conversation until his human classmate spoke. "There, there. Athletics Carnivals aren't that bad," the brown haired boy told them; he really seemed happy, something that really called for the Daiyoukai's attention, "let's just work together and try our best." The girls turned to face him. "Athletics carnivals are for sports, and sports are a symbol of peace…" he continued, looking up at the sky with a big smile on his face, "yeah! Love and peace!"
"What's wrong with Tsukune?" Kurumu asked.
"He sure is high today, desu," Yukari opined.
'Love and peace, huh?' Sesshomaru thought, closing his eyes again, 'well, it really has been a while since the atmosphere was so carefree, especially for him with all the training and the fight against Fairy Tale.' He then smelled someone they knew, who was approaching them, and guessed that today wasn't going to be as peaceful as the human wanted.
"That's right… I'm gonna do my best too, Tsukune," Moka spoke, walking towards the human, "let's have a nice day together today, okay?" Tsukune smiled at his pink haired of a sudden, the blue haired Succubus, the Yuki-onna and the young witch flew against the vampire and tackled her out of the way.
"Wait! Then I'm gonna do my best too!" Kurumu yelled.
"Stop drifting into your own world the moment we leave you alone," Mizore ordered.
"I wanna join in too!" Yukari chirped, laughing. Sesshomaru was about to fly away when the girls began to fight over the human again, but stopped himself from doing so when the owner of the scent he had sensed a few minutes ago finally reached the group.
"You're too soft… all of you are too soft," Fong Fong, the heir of the Chinese youkai mafia said, "sports are bloodless battles. Miraculously, Tsukune-san is in the red team and I'm in the white team…" The silver haired man knew where that was going. "This is a battle, Tsukune-san! And if the white team wins, you and Sesshomaru-san will join the Wong family!" No one answered, which made the Chinese yasha discover that none of the second graders was paying him any attention. "Ignoring me!" The girls were still with their "fists" fight, "that's mean! That's cruel! That's so unfair!" His screaming finally got the attention of the girls, who stopped fighting and turned to face him.
"Be quiet…!" Kurumu ordered, "why did you come by again, Wong Fong Fong? You're a guy, so stop clinging onto Tsukune and Sesshomaru-san."
"I refuse! I will do anything to get them to join the mafia!" Fong Fong said, "since today is the athletics carnival is the perfect chance for a battle."
"Don't you have anything to do other than battling?" Tsukune asked, sweat dropping. The Chinese was about to answer when he felt a cold breath on the back of his neck and a cold, sharp piece of ice on his cheek.
"Anyways, aren't you missing the point? Battles are where both teams carry some kind of risk," Mizore spoke, making the Yasha to tremble, "either way, you'll never be able to get Sesshomaru-san to join the mafia if he doesn't want to, but if you want us to risk Tsukune, then you need to risk something similar in value…" Fong Fong turned around, trembling, and looked at the snow woman, "so, if the red team wins, what will you give us? Your life?"
"Errrr… that's…" the Chinese mumbled, almost crying. Sesshomaru felt something powerful coming from the sky and looked up, furrowing his brows and making Tsukune, Moka, Kurumu and Yukari to look at him.
"Something wrong?" Tsukune asked.
"Watch out," Sesshomaru warned. The students didn't get what he meant until something fell from the sky, crashing against the dirt between them. The force of the impact sent them, except Sesshomaru, to the soil.
"That was dangerous!" Kurumu said, standing. The silver haired man watched closely as a figure appeared as the cloud of dirt settled. He smelled death coming from the figure… something very similar to that dead priestess that used to love his brother.
"Someone came falling down from the sky!" Tsukune asked, surprised, "what is it this time!" The figure stepped closer to them and revealed itself, showing it was a woman dressed in Chinese, black clothes.
"Hmmm. How disrespectful of me… It's in my personality that my blood gets all excited whenever I hear about battles," the woman said. She had long, black hair wrapped in a ponytail and a golden bell hanging from her neck, a very revealing cleavage and various sutras perched to her skirt. "But I won't reflect over it, because I'm already dead."
"What!" The teenagers exclaimed, but the woman turned around to face Fong Fong.
"Hello, my little brother. I came to watch the athletics festivals," she informed and then turned around to face the members of the red team, "I'm Wong Ling Ling. You don't need to treat me as your elder. I may look like this, but the truth is that I died from an illness long ago."
"You're dead?" Yukari asked, "but that means…"
"How's that even possible?" Kurumu asked, a little freaked out.
"She's a zombie," Sesshomaru said, looking at the woman seriously, "although ones that can move freely around like her are very rare." The woman looked at him and smiled for a second, then the effect Sesshomaru had on all women took effect and she was visible intimidated by his appearance.
"Exactly, you're a smart and very… handsome man," the woman responded, turning to the girls, "indeed, I'm a moving corpse, a zombie," then she held her head and ripped it out from the rest of her body, startling the teenagers, "and I can do this too, because I'm dead."
"Don't do that!" The girls screamed, stepping closer to Tsukune and Sesshomaru. Ling Ling stared at the silver haired man for a few more moments before she spoke.
"You must be Sesshomaru-san. You're just like Fong Fong described you," she said, "you're getting really famous in the underworld, the heads of the mafia are very interested in you," the demon lord narrowed his brows, "and that's expected for the one that defeated the legendary creature known as the God of Destruction." Ling Ling switched to the human. In less than a blink, she was in front of Tsukune, scanning his face. The brown haired boy trembled nervously, trying to say something but being unable to do so. "And you're Aono Tsukune, huh?" Ling Ling said, "feeling" Tsukune's body. "I heard from Fong Fong that you're very strong. I see… You have a good body that's nicely shaped."
Kurumu jumped in and pushed Tsukune out from the zombie's grasp. "What are you doing to Tsukune!" She asked, standing in front of a totally blushed young human.
Ling Ling laughed, ignoring the Succubus. "And your face is cute, you're just my type," she said, "I want to kill you and Sesshomaru-san and turn you both into ones of my zombie friends." Sesshomaru furrowed his brows at the menace; she had said it so lightly and without any malice but still, to think that such a disgusting creature like her could kill him? Ridiculous…
Sesshomaru finally got tired of the situation and turned around to leave, unnoticed by the group.
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"Look at that," Morioka Ginei pointed, "I guess they're going all out again this year," Sesshomaru had detected him and his companion long time ago as he waited, but he decided not to pay attention to them and he just focused on the explosions that were destroying the play grounds from his spot on the roof.
"Aren't they going a little too far? There's so much smoke that I can't even see down below clearly," Haiji, the captain of the wrestling team commented.
'It really is a surprise that these two show themselves worried about the situation…' the demon lord thought; those two were known for just worrying about one thing.
"Yeah, now that's troubling…" Gin opined, "I mean, athletics carnivals are festivals held to admire the "bouncing" of a pretty girl's breasts."
"Pffff… who cares about bouncing breasts?" Haiji asked, "Breasts are just the right size when they don't bounce, Gin."
'Of course… what was I thinking?' Sesshomaru asked himself, shaking his head mentally as he closed his eyes, focusing on ignoring those two perverts.
"Don't be stupid, Haiji," Gin told the wrestler, "big breasts, and big breasts combined with bloomers are the ultimate combination." Haiji stepped closer to the werewolf, pissed.
"You just don't understand, do you! Little girls are the number one choice for bloomers! Big breasts and bloomers are the evilest of the evil ways!" Haiji discussed.
"But everyone else prefers big breasts!" Gin defended, "little girls wearing bloomers are just normal children!" That was enough for the silver haired man, who raised his hand and turned around. The two senpais looked at him and paled, knowing very well what was coming. A glowing energy whip flew against them and hit their chests, sending them flying down to the explosions. They disappeared between the smoke of the last bombs and Sesshomaru turned around to watch as the students were called for lunchtime.
He was already enjoying the silence when he perceived the scents of three new monsters. He had sensed hundreds of them, but only those three called for his attention. A new Succubus, Yuki-onna and Witch, and he hadn't smelled them before because of the strong smell of gun powder. The mothers of three of his classmates were also there. He followed the scents and found the women down there, sitting with their daughters, enjoying their meals. He rapidly made a comparison between the women and their respective daughters; it was like looking at the future. If the girls were destined to become just like their progenitors… well, he couldn't avoid feeling sorry for Tsukune if he decided to stay with one of those three teenagers. Now that the human appeared in his thoughts, he wondered where he was.
Looking around, he perceived his scent at the other side of the building, so he walked to the opposite edge he was standing on and found him. The human was taking a walk with the pink haired vampire, and he used his sharp sense of hearing to listen to their conversation.
"Mmm… what should I say?" Tsukune asked, he really sounded depressed, "the athletics carnival sure has gone crazy."
"Yeah," the girl opined.
"But thanks to everyone's mothers we're saved," the human continued, smiling a little, "although it was against the rules. I guess they're like the strongest helpers, then?" The silver haired man felt the change of attitude in the pink haired vampire when she looked down for a moment, gaining a light blush on her cheeks before she looked at the human again.
"Hey… actually I also want to be of help for Tsukune so…" the human boy turned to face her as she showed him a lunchbox wrapped in a flowered bandana, "and I prepared this earlier…"
"Ahhh! A lunchbox!" Tsukune pointed, excited, "you made this for me, Moka-san!"
"Yeah," the vampire answered, blushing a little more and smiling brightly at his reaction, "your parents couldn't come to cheer you, right? So I thought this could be some kind of replacement," the human literally had tears in his eyes.
"Thank you!" He said, "this is definitely the strongest helper!" The silver haired man looked as she was about to feed him, thinking that, if he was intelligent enough, he would pick Moka to be his mate. He then remembered that that was the way for demon lords back in his era; a male youkai would pick the strongest female demon in order to give birth a new, stronger generation of Daiyoukai. Then a new point appeared in his mind.
'Love?' he asked himself, remembering his father and half brother's human wives. He then sensed danger and saw how a group of zombies ran over the couple, ruining the lunchbox the vampire had made.
"Awww… That was harsh," a feminine voice said from behind him, and Sesshomaru smiled lightly, turning around, "hi, Sesshomaru," Kallen greeted, smiling brightly at him.
"You came," he observed, pleased with her presence.
"Yep, I just got a little late in my way through the dead forest," the lavender haired woman walked until she stood by his side, "there was a huge army of zombies waiting there." Sesshomaru furrowed his brows.
"It seems that that woman has something big prepared for the last event," the silver haired man observed.
"That woman?" Kallen asked.
"Wong Fong Fong's elder sister," Sesshomaru answered, turning around and walking over the other edge of the roof, Kallen followed him and located Ling Ling after Sesshomaru signaled her. "Just like her brother, she is trying to get Tsukune and the girls to join the mafia," he explained, "she has used her zombies and a lot of dirty tricks to gain points at the competitions. She is determined to win this because of the bet she made with the human, saying that if her teams wins, Tsukune and the girls will have to join the Wong family."
"So… that means she's probably planning to use that army of zombies to win the last event…" Kallen deduced, and then turned to look at him. "I saw at least a hundred zombies waiting in the forest; Tsukune's team will never be able to win against them. What is the last competition, anyways?"
Just in that moment, Ruby's voice announced the beginning of the last event, which consisted in a simple game where the parent and child ride piggyback while trying to steal each other's hats.
"God, I have to do something," Kallen said, sensing that the army of moving corpses was moving towards the school grounds, "I can't let that woman to have my sisters joining her family," Sesshomaru looked at her and then at the first zombies coming out from the forest at the front of the school's building, where nobody would see them until they had completed their way towards the back of the academy, where the play ground was.
"The only way would be to win the competition," Sesshomaru pointed out, "that was the bet they made." Kallen looked at him and nodded.
"Fine, then I need to find a partner for the event," she said. Sesshomaru thought about it a moment, why didn't she ask him? He then concluded that it was because she probably thought he wasn't interested in that. And that was true; he wasn't interested in those foolish games, but he was willing to help her, although he didn't know why.
"I'll do it," he announced, making her to look at him with a surprise filled expression.
"Really?" She asked, her eyes glowed with hope. When he nodded, the smile she gave him was the cutest thing he had ever seen. "Thank you!"
"Let us go," he said, walking over the opposite edge of the roof again, with Kallen by his side, and jumped down the building. They picked up a hat from a pair of zombies they found in their way and then waited for the army to come out from between the black trees.
"Uhm… Sesshomaru," the silver haired man turned to face the lavender haired woman, "I ha-have to sit on your sh-shoulders," she explained, turning bright red.
"Right," he said, and walked behind her. For a moment she thought he had changed his mind about doing that, but then gasped when she felt a head coming front from between her legs. With no effort, the demon lord stood, lifting her from the ground. Kallen, red as a tomato, made herself comfortable on his wide shoulders. "We would look ridiculous the other way," he commented, making her laugh. Sesshomaru handed her the hat, which she put on her head, and then waited until the competition was started.
"Now, it's time for the decisive battle!" Ruby's voice announced, "remember that any kind of violence and the use of special abilities are prohibited! It is started!"
The sound of the gun marked the beginning of the game, and the zombies Sesshomaru and Kallen had in front of them began to run against them. The silver haired man held Kallen's legs tight against him to protect her from falling before he charged. For him, Kallen was as light as a feather, so he could use all his speed, and since he was just using his physical abilities, it didn't matter that they literally became invisible for their enemies.
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After a few minutes, Kallen jumped to the ground from her spot on the demon lord's shoulders, holding a tower of a hundred hats on her left hand.
"Easy as pie," she said, smiling. Sesshomaru hmphed. "Oh, come on. It was fun, right?" The silver haired man looked at her and smiled lightly.
"A little," he confirmed. Kallen laughed and then looked at the zombies, who were crying for their defeat.
"Don't feel bad, guys," Kallen said, smiling at them and making them to look at her, "we're two S-class monsters, there's no way you could have defeated us," with that said, both Daiyoukai turned around and began to walk to the building. Just then, a powerful youki ascended towards the sky, making them stop. "That's Moka's youki," Kallen noted. Sesshomaru wrapped an arm around her waist and jumped, landing on the roof. They walked over the edge and looked down, watching as the silver haired vampire, who was sitting on Tsukune's shoulders, sent various kicks around, knocking the various players of the white time out. "Oh no… Moka," the lavender haired woman sighed.
"That's a clear violation of the rules; violence and use of powers!" Ruby announced, "Akashiya Moka-san, get out," the silver haired girl took off her hat and threw it to the ground.
"Hmph! I didn't care about the athletics carnival from the beginning," the silver haired teenager informed, pissed, "more importantly, I haven't finished cooling my anger. I need to riot some more. Go, Tsukune!" The anger spread around the contestants.
"That's cheating!" A guy from the white team yelled, growling.
"You guys cheated first!" Kurumu pointed out.
"The hell with the rules!" Another guy shouted, "THIS IS WAR!"
All the students and parents that were still on their feet collided against each other, forgetting about the rules, they just fought with all their power.
"Well… I guess all we did was for nothing," Kallen sighed, throwing the hats away.
"At least the bet was cancelled," Sesshomaru said, looking at her. Kallen thought about it and laughed.