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Rosario + Vampire: Angel of Death
Chapter 23
Youkai Academy Grounds. Afternoon.
Tsukune was in a daze.
It had been a couple of days since his run-in with Hyakushiki and Haru, and things had gotten a bit worse. It all began yesterday when he was brought to the Headmaster's Chambers, only to find out the identity of the mysterious exorcist. Apparently, there was this group called Antithesis that was spreading chaos all over the academy, most of it having to do with them posting fake newspapers that looked just like actual papers, showing that they had plans to target the Newspaper Club next, which led to the Headmaster expelling Tsukune from the academy. As he tried to make sense of what was going on, he was attacked by a member of the rogue group, the one responsible for placing the faux newspapers all around the school. Moka got involved, which resulted in Tsukune using his vampiric powers once again, with out the help of the vampire, to defeat the agent that tried to harm his friend. At that point, the exorcist appeared, revealing an ultimatum for the human: Join the Youkai School Festival Planning Committee, the reasons why never explained, or be expelled from the academy and never see his friends again.
Seeing very little choice on his end, Tsukune agreed, and on the next day, walked towards the area where the Planning Committee met, joining their ranks. At first, he was terrified about the atmosphere around him, most of the members looking less human and more terrifying than anything else, but he was put to ease when the leader, named Hokuto Kaneshiro, showed his leadership and confidence throughout the meeting, talking about the Antithesis and their damaging antics, and how they would not stand for such chaos, and show the rouge group of monsters that they were unafraid of them.
As he walked towards the dorms to rest, his thoughts were interrupted by someone calling out to him. He turned around to see one of the Planning Committee members, one he had briefly met before the meeting, run up to him.
"Wait up, Tsukune-kun!" the man said, catching up to the human. "We're going in the same direction, looks like. How about we walk together?"
"Uh…" Tsukune said. "Yeah. You're the guy from before, right?"
The man smiled. "I'm Ueshiba Mizuki. It's nice to meet you, Tsukune-kun."
As the two resumed walking, Mizuki spoke up. "So," he said. "after attending your first meeting with us, what are your thoughts? You have any problems so far?"
Tsukune shook his head, thinking back to earlier. "Well, to tell the truth, I never thought a guy like Hokuto-san existed in this school. He desires peace, and proves it with his actions. I'm a little touched." He lowered his head, his voice dropping to a slight whisper. "I… only fled whenever trouble came… what a big mistake, eh? Maybe I shouldn't have joined the committee in the first place."
Mizuki looked at him, confused as the human raised his head, his expression changed. "But, after seeing what Hokuto-san is like, I think I want to try and maintain the peace in this academy along with the school committee. Like there's some strong force encouraging me to go on."
Mizuki kept quiet after a while, then smiled once again. "You seem like a pretty good guy. Have you heard the rumors, though?" Tsukune looked at him, confused. "See, there's this rumor that there's a 'mole' from Antithesis amongst our members!"
Tsukune's eyes widened. "Wh-WHAT?!" he shouted. "What do you mean, a mole from Antithesis?!"
Before he could answer, Mizuki's eyes cut sharply to the right, as he grabbed Tsukune's arm and pulled him into a nearby tunnel underneath a bridge. "It's inconvenient for us to talk here. Follow me."
As he protested at first, Tsukune agreed, as he and the man left the area, as two figures walked towards where they stood. Had Tsukune kept his ground, he would've ran into both Kurumu and Mizore, who were intent on finding him.
The succubus looked around. "Didn't I hear Tsukune's voice before?" she asked.
The snow fairy shrugged. "I dunno." she said. "You sure you aren't hearing things?"
Kurumu shook her head. "I'm sure I heard him. He must be near."
Mizore looked around. "Are you sure this is what we should do? I mean, what with the witch girl and what she said, I would do the same for Tsukune, but for all we know, those Anti-whatever may be around. You know what Moka said about what happened yesterday."
"I don't care!" Kurumu snapped. "All I want is to find Tsukune, and hopefully figure out a way for his to stay without being in these new dirtbags' radar any longer. It's bad enough he has to deal with his new form and the fact that Haru wants Moka dead, but right now, he needs me!"
Her mind raced back to earlier, when Rubi had dropped by, overhearing the Newspaper Club's conversation about the earlier attack by Antithesis and how the Headmaster was forcing Tsukune into some strange plan. The elder witch tried to reassure them that everything was fine, but when she let slip that Tsukune was actually bait for a trap laid out by the new threat, Kurumu stormed off, Mizore following behind, as she hoped to find the man she holds close to her heart.
A few minutes later.
After a short walk away from the underpass, Tsukune found himself and Mizuki in a junkyard, almost identical to the one he was in when Keito of the PSC attacked him and Kurumu a long time ago. Mizuki had spoken little since the detour, leaving Tsukune with a feeling of uneasiness.
"Mizuki-san," Tsukune said. "What you said earlier, is it true? That there's someone from Antithesis in the Committee?"
Mizuki was confused. "You mean you really didn't know? No one told you about it when you joined? No one warned you to be careful?"
Tsukune shook his head. "No, I wasn't told." he said. "If I knew, I probably wouldn't have joined." He then thought back to the Headmaster, remembering his laugh after being sent to the Committee HQ. So THAT'S why he wanted me in the group, he thought. Just what in the heck is he planning?
Unbeknownst to Tsukune, Mizuki shifted his eyes. "So you don't know what's going on, do you…"
The human looked at his companion, confused. "Mizuki-san?" he said.
As he felt his heart begin to race, he suddenly felt shocked as he saw Mizuki smile in his strange, goofy way as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's OK if you don't know, Tsukune. I'm really sorry for suspecting you. And hey, don't get obsessed with the whole thing. For all we know, it may just be a rumor, nothing else."
Tsukune felt his skin crawl. Jeez! he thought. What's with this guy? Is he trying to make me have a heart attack or something? I almost freaked out…
Mizuki went on. "And even if it were true, I'm sure you're pretty strong. If Antithesis does show up, I'm sure you'll get rid of them like you did before."
As he said this, Tsukune's eyes widened. Wait, what? he thought.
Mizuki then walked past him, waving and saying good-bye to his companion as Tsukune kept his ground.
"Hey, Mizuki," the human said. "How did you know that?"
The man stopped in his tracks "Eh?" he said.
"I never mentioned anything about me facing Antithesis before." Tsukune went on. "Why did you say, 'Get rid of them like you did before?'" He then turned around. "Don't tell me, YOU are-."
His sentence was cut short as he saw the spot where Mizuki was show no sign of him, only a strange mound of dirt that Tsukune knew wasn't there before.
The human turned around, searching for the man. What?! he thought. He vanished? Where did he-?"
Suddenly, a voice from below interrupted his thoughts. "Ha ha…" it said, "what a headache. It was just a slip of the tongue on my part."
Tsukune looked down to see a horrifying spectacle.
Mizuki appeared from the ground, his face disfigured and stretched as his hands, which grew claws, wrapped around Tsukune's leg.
Tsukune screamed as the monster emerged from the whole near where he stood, wrapping his arms around the human's leg some more. "I had planned on getting more information from you about the school before I could end your life."
As he said this, Mizuki began pulling the human into the ground, wrapping his arms around Tsukune's chest and giving him little movement to escape.
"N-no way!" Tsukune shouted, trying to break free. "You're one of Antithesis, aren't you?!"
Mizuki smiled as he clamped onto Tsukune's head. "That is correct, Aono Tsukune."
Suddenly, Tsukune felt himself go beneath the ground, a small amount of blood where he was dragged into as the only proof he was there.
Not long after, Kurumu and Mizore, hearing Tsukune's cries, ran towards the area, looking for any sign of the man they care for.
"Wh-what the?" Kurumu said. "I was so sure I heard him from over here. Where did he go?"
Mizore looked around. "I heard it too. He must be close." she said. She then noticed the small crater where Tsukune stood earlier, seeing the blood in the middle. "Hey, there's some blood stains in the hole."
Kurumu was shocked. "Blood?! Oh no," she said, "please don't tell me… that it's-."
She was unable to finish her question as two bony hands shot out from the ground, grabbing hold of Kurumu's and Mizore's ankles.
"Yyyyou guys are dumb." A man's voice said from the ground. "Since you've seen the evidence, I suppose you have to die just as well."
Kurumu screamed. "Wh-What is this thing?!" she said.
The voice laughed as a part of the earth between the places the hands, now with elongated arms emerging from beneath the ground, rose. "My body can be elongated like an earthworm, tunneling through the soil. With these abilities, I dragged your precious Tsukune to the ground and finished him off." Out of the ground came a strange beast, Mizuki's true form, a molebeast.
Kurumu and Mizore screamed as their lower halves went underneath the earth, the beast slowly rising as he dragged the girls closer and closer to their tombs.
"You killed him?!" Mizore said. "No way! You couldn't have…"
The mole laughed. "It's the truth," he said. "And now, you shall join him, and be dragged underground and buried alive, just as he was."
As Kurumu could only move her head, the rest of her body submerged in earth, she cried out Tsukune's name as the beast kept laughing.
Suddenly, he stopped, as he felt someone tugging at him from the ground. "Wh-what the hell?" he said, trying to fight off whatever was pulling him back into the earth. "What's going on?! Who in the hell is pulling me under?!"
With their claws out, Mizore and Kurumu sat in astonishment as Mizuki was dragged underneath, letting go of his prospective prey. As he traveled down against his will, the mole's mind raced for answers. How is this possible?! he thought. The only one that I dragged down here is Aono Tsukune! But he couldn't be doing this! I snapped his neck when I dragged him here! How is this possible?!
Suddenly, he felt a hand on his neck as Tsukune, alive and in full vampire form, looked at him without fear.
As the mole was beside himself with shock, Tsukune sent a fist at Mizuki's jaw, sending him tunneling back to the surface, the blow so powerful is rendered him weak and unable to move as he landed a few feet from where the succubus and the snow fairy were pulling themselves out from.
As he grew unconscious, Tsukune emerged from the ground, staying close to the place he was dragged into. "Not only did you try to kill me," the human said, "you also tried to kill my friends. Don't think I would let you off after doing something as unforgivable as that…"
As he said this, he fell to the ground, exhausted from the power he used as Kurumu and Mizore ran to his aid.
Tsukune felt his heart grow light as he was carried by the girls towards the school infirmary, finally believing in the strength he now has.
Not long after, Mizuki woke up, quickly remembering what had happened and looking around for his prey. Unfortunately, Tsukune and the girls were nowhere in sight.
Slowly getting up, the mole swore. "I was so close to killing that bastard and completing my mission! But, how the hell did he manage to defeat me when I know I snapped his neck?" He looked around once more, seeing that he was alone. "Well, either way, I need to hurry. If I don't kill Aono Tsukune soon, the leaders will send someone to kill me and finish the job-."
He was swiftly interrupted when he heard something from behind, turning around to feel a strong blow hit him, sending the moleman flying and landing a few feet from where he stood and a long cut go down his chest. As he turned around to see who attacked him, he felt a sharp pain in his leg as what looked like a sword went through his leg and into the ground beneath it.
He looked up to see someone he had heard about, someone he was afraid to ever cross paths with: Uematsu Haru.
As his wings went to his side, the angel grasped his masamune, and slowly twisted it, making the mole let out a bloodcurdling scream of pain.
"I saw the whole fight from afar." Haru said. "And to tell you the truth, I'm actually glad that I tailed you and Tsukune, because I finally have a chance to capture an Antithesis dog and make it tell me what it knows."
Mizuki trembled. "N-N-No way!" he said, struggling to speak through the pain. "What makes you think I would talk to someone like you?!"
He screamed as the angel brought the blade closer to his waist, a small pool of blood quickly growing underneath his leg. "E-E-E-Even if I talked," the mole said, "I can't! Do you have any idea what they'll do to me if I talk?"
The angel knelt beside the man, and grabbed his throat, slowly choking him. "Do you have any idea what I'LL do if you don't speak?" The mole didn't respond, only to try and find some air to breathe. "I want to know everything. What is Antithesis? Why are they targeting this school AND Aono Tsukune? And where can I find them?"
Mizuki shook his head violently, his face slowly turning blue. The angel did not loosen his grip. "I'm waiting." he said.
Suddenly, he heard someone clapping from a distance, as he turned around to see another man, this time a tall, short blond haired man in a uniform that was different from the academy's, smiling at what he saw.
"I knew the rumors were true." the man said. "You really are as ruthless as they say…"
The angel let go of Mizuki, who gasped for air, as he pulled his blade from the mole's leg. "Another dog from Antithesis, I presume?" Haru said as he turned.
But when he faced the direction the mysterious man was, Haru was surprised to see no one there, as if the man had disappeared as soon as he reappeared.
He then heard Mizuki cry out in pain as he turned back to see the man stomp the mole in the chest, making him cough up blood. "You weren't really supposed to kill Aono Tsukune, moron." he said. "All you had to do was play your role as our 'mole'. Nothing else."
Haru pointed his blade at the man. "Who are you?" he said.
The man closed a book that Haru didn't notice before and place it in a jacket pocket, sighing. "My name is Yoshii Kiria. Pleased to meet you, Uematsu Haru."
The angel grunted. "So you know who I am." he said. "I take it you're with him?"
Kiria laughed as he removed his foot from Mizuki's chest. "Yes and no." he said, walking slowly around the angel, his strange, lizard-like eyes looking at him. "He's with us, but he's just a subordinate. His only job was to play a role he seemed good for, and now he's let his arrogance get the best of him. Thankfully," he stopped in his tracks, smiling, "he hasn't done anything to ruin our plans, so I suppose he can live for now."
Haru didn't budge. "How comforting." he said. "Then perhaps you'll tell me what I want to know, unless you want to end up like your comrade there."
Kiria chuckled once more. "And to think Mizuki was the only arrogant one amongst us." he said. "Perhaps it is because of your haste to end Akashiya Moka's life?"
Haru's eyes widened slightly, only to be swiftly followed by him moving his masamune to Kiria's throat. "Shut up. I'm the one asking the questions here, not you. I don't know how you found out about that," the angel's eye glistened, "but I suppose I should not be so surprised."
Kiria stood where he was, strangely calm despite having a sword on his neck. "Quite right." He placed a finger on the red blade, slowly pushing it away with ease. "But to answer your question, we were 'after' Aono Tsukune, as you put it, because he was once an enemy of ours. No doubt you remember the Outcast Ayashi?"
Haru nodded, thinking back to the conversation between him and the Headmaster.
Kiria went on. "To put it simply, we feel that Aono Tsukune is a threat to us once more. Not as much as he used to, but undoubtedly so now. We're merely taking care of anything that will stand in the way of our goals. I'm sure you understand that, correct?"
Haru did not respond at first, only to lower his blade, yet still hold it in case the man attacked. "I do. But there's still one thing that I'm not entirely sure of, despite my suspicions: Why did the Outcast Ayashi target Aono Tsukune? Even though he's not like them, they had all that time to attack what they called a 'purebred.' Why then?"
Kiria shrugged. "In truth, the man wasn't even in our radar. At least, not until the late Saizou Komiya tried to fight him, resulting in such action."
Haru grunted. Just as I figured, he thought. Once again, the giant's desire for attention started all this crap.
"Of course," Kiria continued, "Tsukune would have been a target of the Outcast Ayashi, had it not been for my actions…"
The angel looked up. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
The man looked at him. "You mean you haven't figured it out yet? The reason that the Outcast Ayashi have been quiet recently is because I gave the order for them to desist any action against to Newspaper Club, and to turn their attention to our goals. It's a long boring story, so I won't bother you with the details."
Hearing this, Haru realized something. "You mean to tell me," he said, "that you're the leader of Antithesis?"
Kiria clapped his hands. "Bingo! You truly are as intelligent as they say you are! Yes, I am the leader. Actually, ONE of the leaders. Other than my self, there is also a man who's closely working with the Planning Committee as of this minute. His name is Kaneshiro Hokuto."
Haru didn't move. Hokuto? he thought. I think Tsukune mentioned him earlier when he talked to that mole… He looked at the man. "Why are you telling me this? If you and this Hokuto are in charge of Antithesis, then why speak of such things to one who was a part of the group you're targeting?"
Kiria smiled. "Because I' ve been eager to meet with you for a while, Uematsu-san." he said. "I would like to extend a hand of friendship between you and our group, and am willing to ask you to join our ranks."
Haru was taken aback, but only slightly. "You want ME to join you?" he said. "And just why in the hell should I accept such an offer? For all I know, your group will just get in my way."
"If we wanted Akashiya Moka dead, she wouldn't be alive right now." Kiria responded. "We took notice of your determination not long after the attack in the hospital caused by Yakumaru-chan, and decided to only target everyone with the exception of Akashiya within the Newspaper Club. Plus, we can help you get the chance you need to finally fight and kill her as you have wanted for so long. We have something planned for this school, something that will finally tip the scales in our favor, and put things back as they should be. All that we ask is your cooperation, nothing else. It may go against the angel's oath to protect the monsters in this world, but if you think about it, what is right: To finally kill a vampire with your own hands and only sacrifice so little, or do what you were told to do by your 'Hallowed Father', and lose another chance to get back at the race that did you so much wrong. The time is now, Uematsu-san." he then raised his hand towards the angel, as if he wanted to shake his hand. "What is it going to be? Your way, or His way?"
Haru looked at the man, then at his hand, repeating the offer in his head, contemplating his next move. After a few minutes of thought, he looked into Kiria's eyes, and took his hand, shaking it.
Kiria smiled. "You have made the right choice, Uematsu-san. Welcome to Antithesis." he said.
To be continued…