They made their way slowly back to their house through the thick fog. Nothing was on Tsukune mind except for Rubi's words he dreamed about.
"That's not what happened!" Tsukune thought, "She sacrificed herself to save me! She died instantly, without a word!"
They continued to walk towards their house and Tsukune could faintly smell smoke in the fog. Tsukune focused on his senses, even through the thick fog Fong-Fong had summoned, he could still sense six strong ayashi. Their killing intent grew stronger the closer they got to their house. He knew that they were waiting at his house and figured they had started the fire. Before they got any closer Tsukune and pulled her off to the side.
"Tsukune, what is it?" Kurumu asked and she could smell the smoke but not sense the other ayashi.
"There are six strong ayashi waiting to ambush us at our house." he told her quietly using his senses to keep track of them and search for others.
"How do you know that? Fong-Fong's fog is supposed to prevent that." Kurumu looked at him but he was distracted.
"It does, they won't be able to sense us. Let's go." he told her and pulled her down an adjacent street.
He had circled them around so that they were down wind of their house just in case one of them had a good sense of smell. The smoke was a lot stronger now and Kurumu was getting worried.
"Stay here. I'll take care of them." he told her and vanished before she could retort.
He ran through the fog towards his house and it abruptly ended. His house looked like it was in the eyes of the storm. It was surrounded by a very thick circle of fog and in the center was a giant pillar of flame that was once his house. In font of the fire stood six strangers he had never seen before but assumed that they were here for him. Even though he shared no attachment to the house, it was still Kurumu's home. Tsukune didn't ask questions when they were obviously hostile. He went straight for the first man he could reach. He punched him in the side of the head sending him flying into another.
"The Silent Reaper has arrived." said one of them presumably the leader.
The man he had punched slowly stood up and the six of them stood unaffected by Tsukune's actions.
"These must be at least S-class monsters if he wasn't knocked out by that punch." Tsukune thought.
Instead of continuing his attack he decided to play it safe and let them make the first move. They each introduced themselves but Tsukune didn't bother to remember their names, he never did. No one made a move and Tsukune was getting impatient. He had to finish this before Kurumu caught up with him.
"What do you want?" Tsukune asked them coldly.
"So he can talk." one of the others said and the leader waved him off.
"We have come to. . .collect you, for the upcoming war." he told him calmly.
"The vampire lords have decreed that every vampire will be summoned to fight. You are a vampire, are you not?" the man asked him and flashed him his fangs.
"So they are vampires, they must be very serious or very desperate to summon all the vampires to fight with the werwolves." Tsukune thought.
"So you can't defeat the werwolves on your own?" Tsukune said mockingly and visible anger spread throughout five of them but the leader remained calm.
"The situation is under control. We just need. . .insurance." the leader told him calmly.
"So you burned down my house?" Tsukune asked him.
"We didn't want you to have any. . .'attachments'. We are in quite a hurry." The leader said looking over his shoulder at the house.
Tsukune looked at the leader, he seemed smart and clever and not likely to reveal anything useful that would help Fong-Fong.
"So I will just have to beat it out of them." Tsukune thought still mad that they burned down his house and Kurumu's home.
The leader suddenly got very serious as if he knew what Tsukune was thinking.
"If you will not come peacefully. The six of us could easily overpower you." he told Tsukune threateningly.
Tsukune was done asking questions, he flared his energy and so did the others. One of them lugged at him. Tsukune ducked under punch and peppered his chest and stomach with punches. The man doubled over and Tsukune roundhouse kicked him, sending him flying through the air. Before Tsukune could recover another one was upon him swinging for his head. Tsukune quickly put up his arms to block and the force sent him flying back several yards. He landed on his feet but a third man grabbed his arms from behind him. Another one lurched forward and punched Tsukune several times in the stomach and face. Tsukune reached up and straight kicked the man in the chest sending him soaring across the courtyard. He then threw his head back catching the man in the face and Tsukune was freed from his grip, then threw him over his shoulder. Immediately afterwards Tsukune barley caught three throwing daggers in his arm thrown by one of the vampires.
Tsukune was faster and stronger than them but they worked well as a team. They also clearly had advance training were else Tsukune only relied on brute strength and what little training Moka and Touhou had given him. The daggers had gone deep and penetrated the bone but Tsukune didn't filch as he pulled them out. Five of the vampires circled around him, one was seriously injured. The leader stayed in the background observing the fight before him. The five of them rushed him at the same time. Tsukune knocked one to the ground with his fist and sent another flying into the ground as his foot landed on his shoulder. One of them had wrapped his arms around him and lifted him off the ground. Tsukune felt something stab into his chest and the injured vampire threw a fist sized ceramic ball at him. It exploded on his chest spraying water all over him and the vampire holding him. The one holding him screamed and Tsukune and him fell to the ground. They circled around him and the other vampire again.
"How does it feel, Reaper!" the man behind him said and they all started laughing.
Tsukune stood up unaffected by the water.
"Stay down!" the one in front of him yelled and he lunged forward.
Tsukune reached up and easily caught his fist.
"What! You can't be that strong! We stabbed you with a rosary and splashed you with water!" The vampire was clearly in shock at Tsukune's immunities.
Tsukune squeezed his hand breaking all the bones in the mans hand. The vampire screamed in pain and fell to his knees.
"Who are you?" he asked. He looked into Tsukune's eyes and became afraid.
Tsukune looked down at his chest and there was a silver rosary embedded into his chest. He ripped it out and looked at it. It had a very sinister looking barb on the back of it and looked nothing like Moka's rosary. Tsukune stabbed the rosary into the chest of the man before him and he screamed in pain. He let go of his hand and he fell to the ground. The three left standing were shocked and couldn't understand how he wasn't affected.
Before Tsukune could move to attack the other three, he sensed an all to familiar presence enter in from the fog. Tsukune tried to reach Kurumu first but the leader was closer and got to her first. The held her with a knife to her throat.
Kurumu stared wide eyed at her burning house. It had been her home for three years with Tsukune. Even though it was a house filled with painful memories she still loved it. She loved it because it was the place she had spent the most time with Tsukune and it had helped them heal.
"Don't move Reaper or she will die!" the leader said.
Tsukune had stopped dead in his tracks. The vampire could easily kill her before he got to them.
"Oh, does she mean something to you?" the leader said as he saw Tsukune staring at Kurumu.
"She is quite beautiful. I think I'll keep her. . .you know, to make sure you don't do anything. . .rash." the leader said with a wicked smile and Tsukune growled.
"You may be strong, but not strong enough to protect her." the leader said and it struck the very core of his heart.
Tsukune pain had awakened Kurumu from her daze and she took in her surroundings.
"Who says I need protecting?" Kurumu said coldly.
Kurumu extended her tail and it stealthily inched up behind the vampire.
"AHHHHH!" the leader screamed as her tail latched onto his head.
He then collapsed onto the ground unconscious. Kurumu let out her wings and she walked towards the three remaining vampires. The ground around her was ablaze with a murderous black fire. It swirled around her with a vicious intent and an intense power. Before they could make a move Kurumu's fire lashed out and grabbed the vampires. They hung before Kurumu unable to excsape her wrath.
"You will know the true meaning of pain." Kurumu said in a dark calm voice.
She brought them down to eye level and they couldn't tear there gaze from her. The other vampires could see the fire in her eyes and could feel her overwhelming pain, sorrow and despair. The fire burned through their skin but was nothing compared to the hell Kurumu's powers put their minds through.
Tsukune had observed the fire that Kurumu had summoned. It was an illusion so powerful it took physical form. It burned everything it touched and was clearly more powerful than the other vampires. The fire lashed out viciously and swirled around Kurumu as if was an actual representation of her pain. It surrounded Tsukune but it didn't harm him, almost as if it was protecting him. The three vampires screamed in pain and agony before they passed out. Kurumu dropped them to the ground but the fire still surrounded her. Tsukune tried to approach her but the fire slightly burned him. He ignored the warning and slowly began to walk towards Kurumu. The fire burned him again but this time much more serious.
"Kurumu. . ." Tsukune said gently and continued to walk forward.
Kurumu turned viciously towards Tsukune. Only then did he hesitant when he saw the anger in her eyes.
"Kurumu. . ." he said again sadly.
"YOU LEFT ME! AND I PROMISED NEVER TO LEAVE YOU!" she screamed and advanced towards him.
"WHY? WHY WOULD YOU TRY AND MAKE ME BREAK MY PROMISE? DOES IT MEAN NOTHING TO YOU? WHY?" she yelled at him and smacked him hard across the face slightly burning it.
Her sudden and overwhelming power did not
"Because Kurumu, I also made a promise. I promised to never let anything happen to you. I promised to protect you till the end." Tsukune told her looking into her eyes.
"I DON'T NEED YOUR PROTECTION! NOT ANYMORE!" Kurumu screamed and pushed him, burning him again.
Those word stung him harder than any physical blow ever could. It was the only thing he lived for, to protect his one and only friend he had left. It was the only reason he hadn't died with the rest of them that day. Tsukune didn't even know if he could continue living if he couldn't protect Kurumu.
"I'm. . .I'm sorry Kurumu." he said as he looked at the tears in her eyes.
Kurumu was still so angry and her fire kept burning with her anger. Then without warning the fire around them vanished and Kurumu collapsed on the ground and the last thing she heard was Tsukune screaming her name and everything went black.
[~][~][~]
"No! You can't die Yukari, you can't!" Tsukune cried as he held a dying friend in his arms.
"I shouldn't have brought you! You are to young to die!" he told her as tears fell from his face onto hers.
Yukari stretched out a weak and feeble arm and with a soft and gentle hand brushed away his tears.
"I may be to young to die, but I am old enough to know what love is." Yukari said sofly and Tsukune looked her in the eyes.
"Let go Tsukune. I'm not the one you love. . .not anymore. Let go." she told him with her dying breath and Tsukune could see the life in her eyes fade away.
"NO! I CAN'T. . .YUKARI!" Tsukune screamed as he bolted upright in the bed.
He woke up alone in the first time in three years since they died. He felt cold and the room he was in was much darker than the one he and Kurumu shared. He never realized until now how cold life really was without Kurumu. She had always been there for him and always keeping him warm. The pain of reliving the past and the absence of Kurumu was to much for him. He hated the world, he hated his cruel fate and he hated himself for how helpless he was and had always been.
Kurumu no longer needed his protection and Tsukune no longer had a reason to keep going anymore. He would have walked off the edge of the world leaving all his hate behind him in a path of destruction, but he knew Kurumu would have followed him to the end. Now Kurumu was unconscious and hurt somehow and it was all his fault. He had betrayed her and it had cost him dearly.
After she had passed out he brought her immediately back to Fong-Fong but they were unable to do anything so they flew them to Hong Kong to treat her there. Fong-Fong sent men to gather up the vampires but they were already gone. It was only the next morning but Tsukune couldn't bear to be without her. He always stayed by her side since she passed out but it wasn't the same. Tsukune had been sleeping in the room next to Kurumu's room, trying to stay as close as he could.
Fong-Fong's medics had no clue what was wrong with her. She didn't show any treatable symptoms but just slowly. . .died. Her heart beat was getting weaker and weaker and her breathing was getting shallow. The most noticeable sign was that her hair was loosing its color and turning grey. Without anyone else to turn to Tsukune had no choice but to call in another succubus and he only knew one other besides Kurumu. He waited there for a long time always at Kurumu's side. Fong-Fong came and went and someone brought Tsukune food. He was sitting in a chair next to Kurumu laying his head down on the bed when he heard the door burst open. He lifted his head up and looked at the very voluptuous succubus, Kurumu's mother. She took one look at Kurumu then at Tsukune.
"What have you done?" she whispered softly and fearfully.
Before Tsukune could say anything Kurumu's mother, Ageha Kurono, rushed towards him.
"GET AWAY FROM HER! YOUR KILLING HER!" she screamed at Tsukune and grabbed him by the shirt and threw him through the door.
He hit the wall outside of the room and collapsed. He stood up and tried to walk back in the room but she slammed the door in his face. Tsukune didn't know what to do, he couldn't do anything. So he ran, he ran as fast as he could trying to put distance between himself and Kurumu. Tsukune had no idea where he ran to and he wasn't even sure he could find his way back. Tsukune had slowed down to a slow walk as the sun began to go down. He just kept walking figuring that Fong-Fong would find him sooner or later. It hurt to much, he couldn't bear to be without Kurumu but he was the one killing her. He kept walking in and out of alleys not paying any attention to where he was going. He couldn't stop thinking about her and how he had let her down, just like he did with the others. Before he knew it, hours had passed by and it was already dark. He stopped by a park and laid under a large oak tree. He looked up at the stars and they sparkled like Kurumu's eyes used to. Tsukune fell asleep under the tree, the darkness engulfing him.
[~][~][~]
"Tsukune. . ." a voice sounded through the darkness.
The darkness once again surround him, emanating from his heart.
"Tsukune. . ." another voice sounded through the endless abyss as a drop of water.
"Tsukune. . ." a third voice rippled through the darkness.
He could only feel the weight of the oppressing darkness surround him. Each voice was like a sharp knife that would pierce his heart, but the next one hurt the most.
"Tsukune. . ." Moka said as her and the others appeared before him.
He stared at the beautiful pink haired vampire in front of him. He was completely overwhelmed by the sight of her. Seeing Moka and the others in their full beauty, made his heart ache painfully.
"Moka. . ." Tsukune said painfully.
He looked at the faces of his friends, Moka, Mizore, Yukari and Rubi. They were all so beautiful, but so sad.
"Tsukune. . ." Moka said again with tears in her eyes.
"Moka. . ." he whispered and gazed into her eyes.
"Tsukune. . .its time to let go." she told him and his shattered heart fell into pieces.
He hadn't felt pain like this since the day they were taken from him.
"No Moka. . .please no." he said feebly begging with her.
"Kurumu needs you now." Moka whispered through her tears, Tsukune collapsed to his knees.
"I. . .I can't" he wipered looking at each of them.
"You can. . .do it for me. . .do it for all of us. Do it for Kurumu." Moka told him and he felt felt the wight of the darkness press harder down on him.
"Goodby. . .Tsukune." she whispered and she started to fade away with the rest of them.
"NO MOKA! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! NOT AGAIN. . .PLEASE. . .please don't." Tsukune cried as the vanished in the darkness.
He was trapped. Trapped forever in the cold darkness with no escape. Voices ran through his head and old memories floated by. It was too much, so he gave into despair and he started to fade away with them. He opened himself to the darkness and sank deeper and deeper. His last thoughts were of Kurumu and he could hear her crying.
"Kurumu. . .I'm sorry." he whispered to the darkness.
She had always been there for him all the way to the end, but he couldn't mend his heart.
"You have always been there for me. . .always." he said softly.
Then something happened, something in his heart had stirred.
"Kurumu. . ." he said out loud to the darkness.
He could hear her crying getting louder and more fearful.
"Kurumu!" he yelled out to the darkness trying to find the one who had stirred his heart.
The darkness around him cracked and shards of light shined through.
"KURUMU!" he screamed and the darkness around him shattered into a blinding white light that engulfed him.
Honestly. . .this story is emotionally hard to write. I don't even know what inspired me to write it. When I looked back on it though, it surprised me. I have never written anything longer than a three page essay, but here are the makings of a beautiful and sadly tragic story (in my opinion). So for being a first time writter and this being my first FanFic ever, I think I did a pretty good job so far.
Two songs that really influence this chapter: One, My Immortal By: Evanescence, it fits perfectly from Kurumu's point of view. Two, Hello By: Evanescence, fits perfectly from Tsukune's point of view. I usually listen to random songs on Pandora while writing and they both came on while I was writing this chapter. That's when everything got so, "heavy".
Also as for a warning, next chapter was the hardest chapter I have ever written in all of my stories. If you have read the whole story up to this point, then you probably expect it, and no, it is not the ending.
Thanks for reading and reviewing, favoriting and following me and my stories!