I do not own Rosario + Vampire.

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Time ran different for them. It was the same as everyone else's but to them it felt different. They had no real since of time anymore. Kokoa reasoned that it was because of what they had lived through. Tsukune thought it might have been the effect of time traveling. In the end they didn't know and didn't care enough to try to figure it out.

It had almost been a whole year since they came back in time. Tsukune decided to take the day off and go to the human world. It had taken him almost a year to realize it all. His mind was finally defogging. He hadn't even thought about his parents and cousin.

He was a coward and had run away from it. He knew he was trying to fix it now, but he felt like something was stuck in his throat. He finally felt it. He was hitting the bottom. He had frozen his heart and mind so that he could do this, but Ageha, Akasha, Kahlua, Moka, Kurumu, and Kokoa were reawakening all his sense of caring for someone.

He walked to the house he used to call home. He hid as his parents came out with a younger him. He was in his mother's arms.

"I love you so much my little Tsukii." His mother whispered.

His father smiled, "Remember family is first, Tsukune! All of us will be together as an unstoppable group forever."

Tsukune held his mouth and tried his best not to cry. He was a fail of a son. He lied to them, he left them in the dark, and all they did is care for and love him.

"You know what your problem is Tsukune?" Kokoa had yelled at him earlier, "You love to make yourself suffer! Do you think if you suffer you'll become a supreme hero? If you throw your body out on the line you don't help anything! You make those around you suffer more!"

Tsukune just started to run. It seemed like he was great at that, he bitterly thought. Why was his world crashing down now? Tsukune heard a nasty yell. He looked over at the house across the street from where he had ended up.

"You are a mistake now and forever!" A man yelled, "Worthless, pathetic. I don't care how young you are! You are nothing and I see it now that means you'll forever be nothing. Your whole existence is a crime!"

Tsukune felt like the words slapped him in the face and squeezed his heart. Out came a man with a little boy. He was yelling at the little boy all of that? And now he was hitting him. Tsukune saw red.

He used his ghoul speed to reach the drunken man and little boy. He punched the man out cold with one hit to the jaw. He turned over to the boy. The little boy was crying and Tsukune could see the bruises on his face and arms.

Tsukune got on his knees and hugged the boy, "I won't let him hurt you again. Cry all you want because this is the last time you'll ever cry because of him."

The boy hugged Tsukune tightly. Tsukune didn't really know what he was doing, but he picked up the boy and walked away from that horrible house. The boy stopped crying after an hour or so. Tsukune got him something to eat and he ate it like he was never going to eat anything again. Was he also being miss fed?

"What's your name?" Tsukune asked.

"Hokuto." The boy said softly.

Tsukune rubbed his cheek because of the food that he had there. Hokuto flinched at first, but smiled as Tsukune didn't hurt him. Tsukune had always thought that if he and Hokuto had met any other way they'd be friends. Of course in Tsukune's actual time, Hokuto was on the opposite team, but here he was a fragile boy. Tsukune suddenly got an idea.

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He didn't know how he really did it, but he had gotten his younger self to 'accidently' meet Hokuto. Hs parents took one look at the boy and quickly asked if he needed help. Hokuto could barely talk, but he said enough that the Aono's wouldn't take him back to his house. Tsukune had walked away hoping for the best. He hoped, and was ninety percent sure, his parents would adopt him.

No way would a judge allow Hokuto to go back to the environment he was before. Even if the judge did, he knew his parents well enough that they'd treat Hokuto like a son. He hoped that that'd make up for the fail of a son they had now.

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Hmmm, this chapter wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. *sigh* well I'm almost half way finished with this story anyways. ^.^ I'm about four chapters ahead of you guys. All my other projects are put on hold until I finish this story. There is roughly thirteen more chapter from here until it ends, you know, give or take. Thanks for reading.