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Rosario + Vampire: Angel of Death
Chapter 15
Youkai Academy. Teacher's Lounge. Morning.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Tsukune said, waving his hands in the air. "You want us to do… what?!"
Haru rubbed his eyes. "For once, I'm with Tsukune on this. It seems like a bad idea, especially concerning this person in particular."
It had been a few days since Shirayuki attacked Tsukune and tried to take him all for herself, while trying to kill Moka. Since then, things had settled down, the ice fairy hadn't been seen since the fight, and yet, as Nekonome-sensei implied, it was a big concern for her and most other teachers, which led to Tsukune, Haru, and Moka being summoned to the teacher's lounge and being asked to bring her back.
Tsukune's face turned pure white, the memories of recent past still haunting him. Since that day, he kept looking back every time he was alone, just in case Shirayuki decided to attack yet again.
Nekonome-sensei rubbed her head. "That girl hasn't been coming to school since most of the first semester, and now, after only being back for a day, disappeared. If she's absent any further, it may only trouble her." She looked up, smiling. "That's why, Tsukune-kun, Haru-san, Moka-san, I think you three should go to Shirayuki-san's dorm room and convince her to return."
Tsukune gulped, then turned around.
Haru leaned up to him. "Should we even bother?" he whispered. "This girl tried to take your life, and now Sensei wants us to bring her back?"
Tsukune faced the angel, whispering. "You think I don't know that?! I still have nightmares about what happened, and I keep finding myself looking behind every step I take just to see if she came back!" He then noticed Moka getting close, joining the conversation. "What should we do, Moka-san? There's no way I can do this! After all, Shirayuki-san and I had a big fight that day, and she probably hates me for it…"
Moka shuddered. "Same here," she said quietly, "she hates me so much that she tried to kill me then. If it weren't for Haru-san, I would be dead now."
Haru looked away. "Considering the facts of the other day, if she ever saw us, there's a chance she'll turn us into ice on our way back…"
Tsukune and Moka looked at him, then their faces deadpanned at the thought of becoming chunks of living ice. The thought sent shivers down their spines, giving them more reason not to go.
But Nekonome-sensei, who seemed to be ignorant of their conversation, didn't heed any excuse given by the three, only picked up a pen, and wrote down a number and directions on a slip of paper, handing it over to Tsukune. "That's her room number. If she's not in her room, there's a chance she may be at the cliff hanging over the ocean near the women's dorms."
Tsukune looked at the paper, still feeling hesitation in his heart.
"I'm counting on you all!" Nekonome-sensei said, smiling. "After all, it IS your job now, Tsukune-kun."
Tsukune looked up, blinking. "What?"
The sensei beamed. "You ARE the Class Manager now, right?" she said.
Tsukune freaked. "Whoa, whoa, wait a minute! Since when did I become Class Manager? I thought the results weren't until later today?!"
Nekonome-sensei paid no mind, only continued congratulating him for his newfound title. As Moka and Haru looked on, Tsukune kept trying to talk his way out of his position.
"The teacher is going over board…" Moka said.
Haru grunted. "It wouldn't be the first time this happened." he replied.
Moka shrugged. "I guess so…"
She then felt a presence behind her, and felt a man, possibly another teacher, walk by the vampire and angel, and stopping in front of Tsukune and Nekonome-sensei.
He spoke up. "Sensei, do you have a minute? I like to discuss with you about Shirayuki-san."
Tsukune looked at the man. What?
Nekonome-sensei recognized the man. "Oh, Kotsubo-sensei! It's been a while! Is there something wrong with Shirayuki-san?"
The man, Kotsubo-sensei, rubbed his head. "What, you haven't heard? Jeez, this is a serious matter." He placed his hands inside his pockets. "Last night, two of my soccer team players encountered Shirayuki-san, and she nearly killed them."
Haru raised an eyebrow. Seriously?
Kotsubo-sensei continued. "Those poor kids were found almost beaten to death and frozen in ice. Both were seriously injured and are now being treated in the hospital right now. If nobody had found them in time, it's possible that they could've died."
Nekonome-sensei began to sweat and Kotsubo-sensei went on. "It's unfortunate, but a scene like this would lead her to expulsion from this academy, since this is the second time she caused trouble, if you don't forget her numerous absences. Our school cannot deal with her and her troubles any more. It's for the best that she be expelled."
Tsukune's heart raced. Expulsion!? he thought. Shirayuki-san…
The sensei then noticed Tsukune. "Oh, you must be Tsukune-kun, right?"
This caught Tsukune by surprise and confusion, in which Kotsubo-sensei took notice and left with Nekonome-sensei, wanting to talk more about further details.
Tsukune and Moka stood there, aghast about what they had heard. Haru clenched his fists. Damn, he thought, guess Shirayuki's causing more trouble even after having lost to Other Moka. Still, he looked at the direction Kotsubo-sensei and Nekonome-sensei went, something about that man seems off. Like he has a personal stake in this…
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by a woman's voice from behind, calling out to Tsukune and Moka. The three turned around to see Ririko-sensei, the math teacher who caused trouble for Tsukune before the summer break, walk towards them. Haru lowered his bag, readying himself for the one called a lamia to make her move.
Not paying any attention to the angel, however, Ririko-sensei got close to Tsukune, whispering something to him that made him blush bright red. Haru was confused, while Moka fumed.
Ririko-sensei turned away. "You know, you'll get hurt someday if you get into too much trouble. After all, our teachers here are not as nice as I am, especially Kotsubo-sensei." She smiled as she continued. "After all, he's famous for making fast moves on girls, and he's very strict. If he sets his eyes on a girl, he'll never let her go. I heard a rumor that during the first semester, a girl got suspended from school all because of him. If I were you, I wouldn't make him an enemy."
She then walked off, leaving the three puzzled and confused.
* * * * * *
Youkai Academy Grounds. Not long after.
"Seriously?!" Kurumu said. "Shirayuki-san did all that to some male students?!"
Haru nodded. "It's what we heard. Why? You don't believe us?" he asked.
It had been a few minutes since Tsukune, Moka, and Haru left the lounge, and caught up with Kurumu and Yukari. They told them what had happened, leaving the succubus and the witch feeling uneasy.
"No way…" Kurumu murmured. "Why would she do that?"
Yukari smiled. "Maybe it's because of the lack of love she's been given. I mean Shirayuki-san DID get dumped by Tsukune. Maybe she did it to blow off some steam."
Kurumu reached out to Yukari, and proceeded into their usual moment of fighting and disagreeing.
Tsukune lowered his head. "So, it's all my fault…" he said.
Kurumu looked up, her face being stretched by Yukari. "Don't worry about it. Weren't you getting annoyed with her all because she kept following you the whole time?"
"That's right!" Yukari said, despite receiving double stretches on her face from Kurumu. "Shirayuki-san deserves this. Sucks to be her right now, huh?"
"But…" Tsukune said, "do you really think she'll do something like this?"
Haru looked at him. "Are you serious? You're questioning whether or not someone who almost ended your life is capable of hurting others?" Tsukune looked at him, small glints of anger in his eyes. The angel continued, shouldering his sword-hidden bag. "As much as I don't do this often, I have to side with Kurumu and Yukari on this. It may be better for everyone if she no longer resides in the Academy with everyone here."
"How can you say that, Haru-san?!" Tsukune asked. "I'll admit, her ways of communicating with others may not be acceptable, but that's because she's really lonely. She may have done wrong in the past, but I don't think she's someone who could've done something like this!"
Moka and Kurumu looked at him, while Haru shook his head. Believe what you want, idiot, he thought, because last I checked, you have no grasp on the reality of true monsters…
Suddenly, a man's voice popped up from behind, causing Tsukune to turn around and see Kotsubo-sensei walk up towards them.
"Even if you believe it or not, I know Shirayuki did all of this." he said, holding up a book. "Here's the proof that she did it. This notebook was left at the scene of the crime."
Tsukune's eyes widened. In the sensei's hands was the scrapbook Shirayuki showed Tsukune when they first met.
Kotsubo-sensei opened the book. "Forgive me," he said, "but I couldn't help myself and read all of what's inside. Tsukune-kun," his eyes shifted from the book to Tsukune, "you must've been troubled. She's been bothering you this time, correct?"
Tsukune was shocked. Not of what he already knew, but of how bluntly the sensei described the contents of the book itself.
"At the beginning of the first semester," Kotsubo-sensei continued, "she fell in love with a teacher. Obviously, that love was not accepted. In her desire for revenge, Shirayuki had the teacher turned into ice. For that reason she was suspended from school, and so she stopped going. This shows what kind of girl Shirayuki can be." A small smile formed on his face. "It's like your friend said before: don't you think it's better if she doesn't exist? Tsukune-kun, this kind of girl won't make a difference even if she is in this school. Don't you also believe that she's annoying? Even though you have no feelings for her, she sticks to you like mud. Trust me, I know exactly how you feel."
Tsukune was mad. "You…" He stepped up, only to be blocked off by Haru.
The angel spoke. "Now it all makes sense. At first I had no idea what your interest in Shirayuki's expulsion was, but now the pieces fall in place: The teacher that you spoke of, the one frozen by Shirayuki, it's you, right?"
The sensei smiled, Haru could feel his aura grow. "You are correct. But you shouldn't worry about it, any of you." He covered his face with a hand, which seemed to turn a shade darker, as he walked off. "I will do whatever it takes to release her from this school."
As Kotsubo-sensei left, Haru turned around to see Tsukune clench his fists tightly. "This guy…" he said, "something about that guy I don't like about. He seems driven to see Shirayuki-san leave this school, or maybe, this world…"
Moka looked at him. "What are you saying? You think he wants her dead?"
Yukari clung to Tsukune's waist. "That man," she said, trembling, "something about him scares me. It's like Shirayuki is the only thing he cares about, and he doesn't care about anything else around him…"
"The attributes of a pure creep." Haru said. "Even though I agree with some of what he says, I don't think Shirayuki deserves what he's implying." He looked at Tsukune. "You need to get to Shirayuki's ASAP. Right now, you may be the only one that can help her." He then turned around, and walked off.
"Haru-san!" Tsukune called out. "I thought you didn't care."
Haru stopped in his tracks. "I don't." he said, "but I do believe in fair judgment."
As he walked off, he could feel his heart racing. It was true, he couldn't care less about what happens to Shirayuki, but seeing what Kotsubo truly is, and seeing his eyes, it reminded Haru of another bastard from long ago, the one who started Haru's path.
Youkai Library. Later.
Placing the book down hard enough to nearly break the table he sat next to, Haru finally had his answers.
Since Kotsubo-sensei came t odeliver a warning to Tsukune, Haru had left the others, and went back to the school library, searching for answers other than what he was looking for the last time he came. Answers to who Kotsubo-sensei really was.
Placing the book back where he found it, he left the area, quickly making his way to the Newspaper Club's HQ. Inside, he found Kurumu and Yukari, who seemed to be deep in conversation before he entered.
Haru looked around, somewhat surprised to see no trace of Moka.
"Something wrong?" Kurumu asked.
Haru looked outside. "You two see Moka after I left earlier?"
"Of course!" Yukari said, raising an arm in pride. "After you left, Tsukune went to Shirayuki's just like you told him to, and Moka-san came with us back here. She recently just left to check on Tsukune, so you must've just missed her."
Haru clenched the door frame tightly. "I see. Thanks."
As he left, Kurumu and Yukari looked at each other, shocked. "Did…" Kurumu said, "did Haru-san just THANK you?"
Yukari nodded. "Y-Yeah. I guess wherever he went to helped him in some way…"
* * * * * *
Outside.
Haru searched through the area, still seeing no sign of Tsukune or Moka anywhere. He couldn't believe, that for such an inconspicuous duo, they were hard to find.
As he kept running, he felt a small hint of relief as he saw the two standing not far from him. Tsukune noticed the angel when he got close.
"Tsukune." Haru said. "Where is Shirayuki? What happened?"
Tsukune turned away, his expression saddened. "I… I managed to find Shirayuki-san, and I told her what had happened. About the two students, how she could end up expelled, just about everything."
Haru was impatient. "And?"
Moka spoke up. "And Shirayuki-san told him a different story." Haru looked at her, confused. "Tsukune was just finishing up telling me everything about what happened. According to Shirayuki-san, she did freeze those male students, but she didn't hurt them. All she did was lose her temper, and then thawed them. She didn't hurt anyone at all."
Tsukune clenched his fists. "Shirayuki-san… she hates me more than ever now. She thinks I betrayed her by assuming that she hurt those students. And it's all because of that damned Kotsubo-sensei!"
"Well, it's about to get worse." Haru said, catching the two's attention. "I think Kotsubo-sensei's going to kill Shirayuki."
Tsukune's eyes widened. "What? Why?"
"Because he's a kraken." Haru replied. Tsukune and Moka looked confused. "It's a monster version of an octopus. They're ancient beasts that have been known to drag anything to the bottom of the ocean when they're pissed. If he gets to Shirayuki, he'll do just that. And last I remembered, snow fairies don't breathe underwater."
Tsukune was lost in thought. No way… Shirayuki-san…
"W-We have to help her!" Moka said.
Haru nodded, clutching his duffel bag. "Okay then, but where could he go? Where would Shirayuki go?"
Tsukune, taking in their words, quickly raised his head. "The cliff. The curled-up cliff that overlooks the edge of the ocean. Nekonome-sensei said that was a place she likes to go when she's alone."
The three nodded, and then ran off towards the cliff.
* * * * * *
Shirayuki was scared out of her mind.
Not long after she left Tsukune, she arrived at her favorite place, reliving the recent conversation she had with Tsukune, and how his words hurt her.
As she was caught up in her thoughts, Kotsubo-sensei appeared from behind, trying to force her off the cliff and into the ocean. Shirayuki fought back, accidentally pushing the sensei off the edge. As she looked over to see where he was, a slimy, purple tentacle appeared from the edge, wrapping around her leg, and proceeded to drag her down. As Shirayuki fought to hold on to a nearby root, she saw the sensei's true form, and it terrified her to the core.
As she held on for dear life, she could hear the beast beneath her laugh. "Look at yourself, Shirayuki. During the first semester, you tried to freeze to death, remember? A dangerous student like yourself should be dragged down to the ocean floor."
"N-No!" Shirayuki said. "That's not what I… You were trying to harass me back then! I only protected myself because I was desperate!"
"You said that you liked me, right?" The sensei said, shutting Shirayuki up. "You said that you loved me, remember? Then," his eyes eerily shining as he licked his lips, "you shouldn't complain about whatever I do to you. See, I was just playing around back then, but you just took it all too seriously and at the exact same time you were also being too protective. I couldn't handle crap like that. Besides, it'll be too troublesome if you start spreading wild rumors about this, perhaps it would have been great if you don't go to school forever. After all, nobody cares for you more than I do…"
Shirayuki looked back, letting the sensei's words settle in her mind. So, she thought, that's why the teacher framed me and tried to get me expelled. I was such an idiot. If I knew that he was like this, I would've never fallen for him in the first place. Tears began to slowly fall down her face. I hate this… In the end, I still can't trust anyone. Feeling regret in her heart, she took a deep breath, and slowly let go of the branch that was keeping her alive. I guess, she thought before closing her eyes, I've been a loner all along…
Suddenly, a hand grabbed on to hers, and she opened her eyes to see Tsukune calling out to her, while Haru and Moka held on to him to make sure he didn't fall with Shirayuki and the kraken.
"Hold on, Shirayuki-san," Tsukune said, smiling. "You're alright now! I'll help you, and I'll save you!"
Shirayuki smiled. "Tsukune…" she said, slowly reaching for his other hand.
All of a sudden, one of Kotsubo-sensei's tentacles reached out again, and wrapped itself around Tsukune's neck.
"You fool!" The kraken shouted, "Don't get in my way!"
With a sickening snap, the tentacle flicked all the way to Tsukune, severely injuring his neck, making him cough up blood.
Haru's eyes widened as Moka screamed, running to Tsukune's aid. The kraken laughed. "Now that you've seen my true form, I have no choice but to drag you all down with me now!"
As the tentacle uncoiled from Tsukune's neck and onto his arm, slowly dragging him to the edge, Haru pushed him away, brought out his sword, pierced the tentacle and the ground without hitting Tsukune, and took the human's place in keeping Shirayuki from falling to the ocean.
"GRRRRAAAAHHHH!" Kotsubo-sensei screamed. "You bastard! How dare you! I'll take you to the pits of the sea you son of a-."
"Shut the hell up, you overgrown squid!" Haru replied, seething rage from his eye causing the kraken to stop. "You try to hurt Shirayuki for your own damned reasons, and now you try to kill Tsukune for it! You don't give a damn about anyone but yourself, and that is unacceptable by any means! You want someone to kill? Try yourself, bastard!"
Suddenly, the tentacle Haru pinned with his sword rose up, freed from the blade but now severely bleeding. Kotsubo screamed in pain, but then felt someone yank him from the air and back to the cliff, stumbling. Haru grabbed Shirayuki's free hand, hoisting her up from the edge. The angel then looked at Tsukune, shocked.
During the confrontation, Moka got close to Tsukune's body, and once again, bit his throat and gave some more of her vampire blood to heal him and give him strength he hadn't had in a long time.
The kraken got up, pissed. "What?! Who?! Who just pulled me up to the surface?!"
Tsukune slowly got up, his eyes changed to vampiric irises.
Kotsubo-sensei was shocked. No way, he thought. Who IS this kid?! How did he survive?!
Moka rushed to Shirayuki's aid, as Haru got up, leaving his sword where it was.
Tsukune cracked his neck, enraging Kotsubo-sensei. "Don't you get cocky, you annoying bastard!" He lunged at Tsukune and Haru, each of them did not flinch. "Why don't you two bastards just die already?!"
But before he could land a punch, Tsukune sent a hand in the kraken's face, which was joined with Haru's foot, and the two kicked and punched the sensei with all their might, sending him flying in the air, and crashing in the ocean.
Tsukune stood down, as Haru peered over the edge. "Next time, don't just selfishly follow your own desires, unless you want to lose your life." the angel said.
* * * * * *
The next day.
News of Kotsubo-sensei's hospitalization spread through the grounds like wildfire. Some said he was sent flying into the ocean, others said he was pushed. Either way, no one had any idea what really happened.
Tsukune shrugged as he, Haru, and Moka stood near small crowds of students murmuring about yesterday's ordeal.
"Well," Haru said, "Guess that's over. Finally."
"Yeah." Moka said. "I'm all glad for it." She then turned to Tsukune. "Hey, any idea what happened to Shirayuki-san?"
"Uh-huh." he said. "According to Nekonome-sensei, her case was clarified and her expulsion was cancelled. That means she can stay here for as long as she wants!"
"Well, that's good, I guess." Haru said. "Still, I can't help that she'll be back soon to haunt us again."
Just as he said this, Tsukune felt shivers run down his spine. Then, out of nowhere, Shirayuki appeared from behind a nearby tree, surprising the three.
"Good morning, Tsukune." she said.
Tsukune turned around, and was surprised at what he saw.
Shirayuki's hair was shorter than yesterday, and given a new hairstyle.
"Wh-What's with the hair?" Tsukune asked.
Shirayuki blushed. "I… I tried cutting it, I got tired of all that long hair, so I shortened it. What do you think?"
"It looks cute!" Moka said.
"Yeah." Haru said. "I think it looks great, too."
Tsukune agreed, making Shirayuki happier. "Thank you, Tsukune." she said, "Now I feel less burdened about everything."
As the four went into the school, Shirayuki-san creepily following Tsukune by peeking around corners, Haru paid little attention to the insanity. Something else occupied his mind ever since he noticed it yesterday.
Tsukune's wounds, the ones Moka gave him when she bit his neck, had not healed right like they were supposed to.
Haru was concerned. Damn, he thought. What could this mean? If he's not healing right, then… No. It can't be happening right now! There's no way it can happen now, right? Haru looked at Moka. Tch. Thanks to Shirayuki, I'm running out of time faster than I anticipated. I think I've delayed this for too long now. Very soon, Moka Akashiya WILL die! Then, Tsukune can be saved.
To be continued…