It was early morning. The monsters of Yokai Academy were starting to wake up. Some had accidentally lapsed partially or fully back into their monster forms. All were filing out of the washroom. All except for one.
The sound of sparks flying bounced off the walls of the workshop. The headmaster, taking a walk around the school before anyone was around to see him briefly stopped.
'Ah, it looks like Piers has already started on a project. I did happen to supply a hefty amount of scraps for any ideas that come to his head.' Tenmei thought with a smile, 'I'll make sure that the Public Safety Commission doesn't go snooping in your business, young lad.'
Inside the shop, Piers was welding what looked to be a horn of some kind, made up of small scraps of metal, screws, and gears.
'So, rumor's going 'round that Tsukune beat up Komiya. How the hell did that get started? If you're not gonna see that it was clearly Moka, you could at least say it was me and Lucas. Then again, everyone but me, Lucas, and Tsukune don't know about Moka's 'inner' self.' Piers thought as he added another screw, ''Spose it doesn't matter since Komiya was taken care of. A sizable amount of the student body generally disliked him. Not hard to see why.'
He turned off the welding torch and stepped back to look at his unfinished project.
"Coming along quite well. Been at this since 5 this morning. The rest of the rhino's gonna take a while though." He said. He then glanced at the clock, "7:45, huh? Almost time for class."
"Hello Piers!"
Piers turned to the door, lifting up the welding mask, and saw Miss Nekonome, his homeroom, "Oh, hey teach. Come to get me?"
"Yep! The headmaster said you'd probably be in here. It's almost time for class!~" She said in a singsong voice. Piers nodded.
"Alright, just let me turn the gas off and put the stuff away and I'll be there." Piers said.
"Okay, see you there!" Nekonome said as she turned and walked out. Piers huffed out a laugh.
"Never met a teacher as energetic as her." He said as he shook his head. He turned the gas to the welding torch off and check to make sure it was all the way off. He put the mask up and headed out of the shop. As he exited, he caught sight of purple hair. He walked over to where he saw it and found Mizore, sitting on a bench.
"Morning Mizore." Piers said as he waved. She simply waved back, "Skipping again?" She nodded, causing Piers to sigh, "Mizu, you can't keep skipping everyday."
"Why not?" She asked, genuinely confused. Piers crossed his arms.
"Well if not here to learn, then why come here at all? If you're not doing anything, you're just wasting money, be it the school's or your parent's." Piers said. Mizore kept quiet for a moment before responding.
"I'm not here to learn."
"What?"
"Piers, do you know what I am?" She asked.
"It's a general rule here that people don't know that anybody else is, but please, enlighten me." Piers pointed out.
"I'm a Yuki-onna." Mizore said. Piers face went blank.
"My international monster knowledge is a bit rusty so forgive me if I don't know what that is." Piers deadpanned.
"A snow woman. And there's a unique fact about our species." Mizore said. Piers tilted his head.
"And that is?"
"Our species can only give birth from ages 17 to 25." Piers took a second to process that before nodding.
"I think I get it now. You're here to look for a suitable partner." Piers said as he sat down next to her.
"Before one is arranged for me." Mizore said, slightly saddened.
"Shit, that happens?" Piers said, crossing his arms.
"It's more common than you think. Our race is slowly dying out, so those measures have been taken to prevent us from going extinct. If I don't find one before I'm 17, and arranged partner will be given to me." Mizore explained.
"And you're, what, 15?" Mizore nodded, "That means you have a 2 year time limit to find someone of your choice."
"It's more like a year and a half."
"Well, you think you found someone?" Piers asked. Mizore started to blush.
"Not yet." Mizore said, sounding slightly dejected.
"Well, I won't happen quickly, so in the meantime I'll just give you luck. Here, hold out you hand." Piers said as he took off his key necklace and put it in her, pleasantly cold, hand, "Have this."
"A key?" She asked, confused.
"It always gave me luck when I had it, so maybe it'll give you luck to find 'Your Chosen One'." Piers said with a cheesy smile.
"You must love Star Wars." Mizore said.
"Ah, how'd you know?" Piers asked in mock surprise.
"The Force told me." Mizore said causing Piers to break into laughter. Mizore joined him. When they calmed down, Piers stood up.
"I'll be heading off to class. You should really consider joining sometime." He said, putting the offer out.
"I'll think about it." Mizore said. Piers nodded as he walked away. Mizore watched him leave before looking back at the key in her hand, "My Chosen One..."
Piers was walking towards the classroom when he saw a peculiar sight. Tsukune was walking next to that Kurumu girl he sat next to in class. And Moka was nowhere to be seen.
'Something about this doesn't seem right...'
- Earlier with Kurumu -
'Hmph, that pink haired bitch thinks she has the right to try and be more beautiful than me?! Acting all nice and innocent. Just watch, I'll make every boy in this school fall head over heels for me. Starting with that guy that's always by her side, Tsukune.' Kurumu thought, thinking up a master plan to get Tsukune to follow her. It would be relatively easy, considering she's a succubus, but there's one small problem...
'Piers. Who the hell does he think he is?! He doesn't like me? Yeah, we'll see about that! Maybe I'll take my anger out on him first before enslaving him.' She thought as she came to a clearing with a pond and few scattered benches. It was a park of sorts. The sound of stones being skipped over water was heard, drawing Kurumu's attention from her thoughts. Someone was already there.
Kurumu saw Piers and Tsukune's other friend, Lucas, sitting on a bench, skipping stones across the water.
'Actually, I'll start with him.' Kurumu thought as an confident smile stretched across her face. But as she got closer to the Canadian, her confidence waned as she saw his face. He was... sad, dejected? Kurumu didn't know how to describe it. He heard her footsteps as she walked over, looking over his shoulder at her.
"Ah, hey, you're Kurumu, right?" He said. When the succubus heard his voice, she pieced together how he was feeling. Depressed. She responded in kind.
"Yep, that's me. You're Lucas, right? What are you doing out here so early?" Kurumu asked as she sat next to him on the bench. Lucas let out a sigh.
"It's only been a few days, but I feel like I should go home." He admitted. Kurumu was surprised.
"What? Why?" She asked. Lucas turned his head to the side, facing away from her.
"Can I let you in on a secret?" Lucas asked. Kurumu nodded and he continued, "I'm human."
That shocked Kurumu. Lucas is a human?! Why and how is he here?! Before she could ask questions, Lucas continued.
"I've been thinkin' about my dad recently. My mom died when I was young, so I've been in my dad's company ever since, and vice versa. I feel like I should go, not because I'm scared of monsters, but when I came here I left my dad all by himself. I guess I feel guilty."
Kurumu was stunned silent. Lucas wasn't afraid of monsters, but wanted to go home out of guilt. And he trusted her with this information, "You feel guilty of leaving him behind?"
"Yeah. Dad doesn't have many friends, so it was always just us. And now that I'm here, he's by himself." Lucas said.
"Did your dad want you to come here?" Kurumu asked, curious. Did his father somehow know about this place?
"Yeah, he did. He pushed for it."
'I'll have to think about that later.' Kurumu thought as she comforted Lucas, pressing a soft hand to his back.
"Then he wanted you to succeed. He knew that you would have to leave to succeed, and was willing to bear being alone." Kurumu said, rubbing slow circles into his back.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Besides, I won't be gone forever." Lucas said as he slowly perked up.
"Exactly."
Lucas stood up and turned to Kurumu, looking her right in the eyes. Surprisingly she was too stunned to try and control him and instead just lightly blushed at his smile, "Thanks Kurumu, I needed that. I gotta get going. Piers might already be at class. I'll see you later!" He said as he ran off. She waved at him before putting her hand over her heart, which was beating faster than normal.
'What was that? His smile was so... bright. It made my heart race. What's going on with me?' She thought as she heard someone else come into the clearing. It was Tsukune, her target, 'Well, whatever. It's time to go fishing for a vampire boy-toy.'
Seeing as the boy likely didn't see herself or Lucas, she enacted her plan, "Ah!" Kurumu cried as she 'fell over' from being 'hit'. Hearing the cry, Tsukune's attention was drawn to her, 'He took the bait.'
"Are you okay?" He asked as he walked up to her. She smirked, face hidden. He fell for the bait. She then put on an innocent face.
"It just hit me... I'm so dizzy." Kurumu said as she looked up at him, 'Caught him!' Seeing a blush form across his face. She made sure to squish her breasts together to draw him in more, "I'm really sorry, but would you mind giving me a hand, please?"
He slightly perked up and knelt down to help her, "Oh, sure, of course."
He helped her up, asking, "Will you be alright?" However, after he asked, Kurumu rubbed her chest against him, making him freak out slightly.
"What, is something wrong?" Kurumu asked innocently, 'Let's reel him in.'
"Uh, no, nothing at all!" He said, trying to remain calm, "Let's get you to the nurse's office!"
"Aw, thanks so much." Kurumu said, then giving a devious smirk when he wasn't looking.
Walking under the overpass section, Kurumu turned to Tsukune, "Sorry to put you out like this, Tsukune."
"Don't worry about it. Wait, how do you know what my name is?" He said with a blush, before it disappeared when he started his second sentence.
"Oh don't be silly! We are in the same class after all." Kurumu said, waving off his skepticism.
"Oh, really, we are?"
"Yeah, of course."
Tsukune looked at her in thought while she started giggling. Suddenly, she fell forward, making him catch her.
"Woah, you okay?" He asked in concern.
"I'm so sorry. It's because of this weird condition I have with my body. Every now and then, my breasts sort of cramp up." Kurumu explained.
"Your breasts?!"
"Yeah, you see, they just get all tight like they're being squeezed or something." Kurumu said rubbing her, admittedly large, chest on Tsukune, making him tense up and silently freak out, "It feels like they're gonna pop open!"
"They just get so swollen... and they get so tight; don't you see how full they are? They... feel like..." Kurumu trailed off.
"I don't know what they feel like, but it sounds like bullshit."
Kurumu grimaced at the sound of a certain someone's voice. Tsukune and Kurumu looked towards the origin point and saw Piers.
"Piers!" Tsukune said in surprise, "What are you doing here?"
"Mornin' Tsukune. Just came from the shop. What're you doing out here?" Piers asked, seemingly ignoring Kurumu's presence. This irritated her.
"I was just-"
"He was just taking me to the nurses office!" Kurumu interjected. Piers lightly scoffed.
"Hm. That so? Well, I don't know if they can help with any... breast problems, and you seem fine to me, but I suppose I don't know what you are in the first place, so I can't have an expert opinion on that." Piers said, closing his eyes and lifting his arms into a shrug. Before he could continue, someone else appeared.
"Tsukune?"
Kurumu internally groaned, 'Oh, what now?!'
The three turned their attention to Moka, who appeared concerned.
"What's going on? Who is that?" She asked. Kurumu then got smug.
"She's in our class."
Only for her smugness to turn sour and groan when Piers spoke.
"Yes, I'm in your class." She said, before turning smug again, "Me and Tsukune here? We're friends now. Right?"
"Uh... yeah, yeah sure." Tsukune didn't sound to sure about that.
"Well, we should get going Tsukune, because class is about to start." Kurumu said as her eyes flashed and she hypnotized Tsukune, an action that Piers caught. Tsukune's eyes went dull before he was led away by Kurumu, leaving Moka and Piers behind.
"Wait up, Tsukune!" Moka cried out.
"No... I don't wanna wait for you. I'm tired of being used as a substitute for your breakfast." Tsukune said, voice also dull. This made Moka flinch back and Piers narrow his eyes.
"That just awful!" Kurumu said as she cast another smug look at Moka, "To think she'd use you as breakfast! Let's go before she has you for lunch, too."
"Yeah, that's a good idea... Wait, no it's not!" Tsukune said as they disappeared into the school building, leaving Moka and Piers to stare after them.
"As much as I hate to admit it, he's kind of right." Piers said. Moka whipped around to him.
"What?!"
"You do go a bit overboard when you suck his blood. But other than that, you saw what happened right?" Piers asked, confusing Moka.
"What happened?"
"When he looked into her eyes, her eyes flashed, and suddenly he started agreeing with her." Piers explained. Moka put her hand to her chin in thought.
"Did she hypnotize him?" She wondered aloud. Piers shook his head and shrugged.
"I don't know. We don't know what she is, so we don't know what really happened." Piers said as he walked past Moka, "Either way, we shouldn't be late for class. We can figure this out later."
Moka nodded and followed him.
After class ended, Kurumu followed Moka out of the classroom, then waited at the top of the stairs to make a dramatic entrance. She wanted to catch Moka off guard.
"So apparently you're a vampire, huh?" She said, sitting on the banister, drawing Moka's attention, "Well, that's what people are saying... So is it true?"
She jumped down in front of the vampire, and when she did, she happened to catch the attention of all the guys around.
"Woah, dude, did you see that?!"
"Yeah, and they were totally white!"
"What's even better: look at the boobs on her!"
"Damn! Those are some fantastic tits!"
"Those're amazing!"
Kurumu relished in their attention. As a succubus, she didn't care if someone was looking at her 'assets', as they were supposed to. That's how a succubus does things. But right now, there are more important things, "See, I came to make a declaration of war."
"A declaration of war?" Moka asked, confused
"Yeah, that's right. I've got this big plan, but you keep getting in the way and messing it up, Moka." Kurumu explained.
"What plan?" Moka asked.
"Oh, let me explain: my plan is to turn all the boys in the school into my personal love slaves." She said as she spin and then posed, "And it's been working thanks to my Booby trap!"
"Eh?" Moka was dumbfounded. Kurumu continued.
"Plenty of guys were falling into it. And why wouldn't they? I'm a succubus, after all..." She said.
"Hey-"
"I knew there was a reason why I didn't like you."
Kurumu soured, 'Him. Again.'
"Now that I know your plan, and what you are, it all makes sense now." Piers said as he emerged from the crowd. He was wearing a smirk that pissed Kurumu off even more.
"Piers!" Moka said.
"You..."
"Hello Kurumu. You can fool them, but you can't fool me." He said, pointing towards the crowd.
"What are you talking about?" Kurumu growled.
"Earlier? When you dragged Tsukune off to class? I saw your eyes flash. You hypnotized him, or something like that." Piers said, shaking his hand in a 'whatever' motion.
"Oh yeah?" Kurumu challenged his deduction.
"Yeah. And I think I know why you are targeting Tsukune. You're using him to get to Moka." Piers answered.
"Get to me?" Moka asked, confused.
"Yeah. She feels threatened by you. I'm not ashamed to say this, but you're hot, Moka," Piers said, still looking at the succubus but catching the vampire's blush from the corner of his eye, "And that's why she's threatened."
"I guess you're not as dumb as I thought you were." Kurumu said, provoking the American.
"I just don't have any patience for people like you." Piers responded. The two were right in front of each other, Piers slightly looking down at Kurumu, intensely glaring at each other.
"But that's stupid. Tsukune has nothing to do with this!" Moka interjected. Kurumu broke the glare to turn to Moka, but before she could respond, Tsukune and Lucas walked up.
"Oh, there you are! I've been looking for you all over Moka." Tsukune said as he jogged up to the three.
"This'll be good."
"Major cat fight."
"Oh, baby..."
Piers grit his teeth in irritation at the comments from the crowd, but held back from telling them off.
'Damn perverts.'
"What Tsukune?" Moka asked, still upset at Tsukune. She kept in mind her and Piers' theory of what happened, but she was still bitter.
"Listen, I want to talk to you about those things I said-"
"Hey, Tsukune!" Kurumu interrupted him while jumping at him. Lucas meanwhile walked up to Piers.
"Hey man, what's going on here?" He asked. Piers crossed his arms.
"Nothing major, just our class' succubus is getting jealous of Moka." Piers summarized.
"She's a succubus?" Lucas asked, surprised. Piers nodded.
"She's being pretty bitchy about it too." Piers grumbled. Lucas scratched his head.
"Really? But she was so nice earlier." Lucas said, making Piers look at him.
"Wait, you met her? When?" The American asked.
"By the lake this morning. I... was being all homesick and stuff, and she helped me through it." Lucas explained. Piers looked back that the others in thought.
'So is this some sort of act then?' He thought.
"I'm sorry but I need to talk to Moka right now." Tsukune said, pushing Kurumu off of him.
"Love Charm." Kurumu said, looking into Tsukune's eyes, hypnotizing him again.
"Uh... but... but now that I think about it, I guess I really don't have to..." He said dully.
'She did it again.' Piers thought, sighing. In his peripheral, he saw Lucas' eyebrows scrunch up in confusion.
"Tsukune, get away from her now!" Moka demanded. Tsukune dully looked at her.
"Huh..? Why would I do that?"
"You have to believe me! She's dangerous!" Moka pleaded. Piers remained still, not looking to interfere.
"...I think she's sweet." Tsukune said, looking down towards the succubus.
"Hey, there's something I just noticed. Tsukune... smells really good, doesn't he Moka?" Kurumu asked, looking back at Moka, "Yep, almost like a human does."
'I'll step in if she says anymore. A good portion of the student body is here, and I can't let them know what me, Lucas, and especially Tsukune are.' Piers thought, gaze hardening. He noticed that Lucas' eyes widened as well.
"His blood must taste really good. That's the only reason you hang around him, isn't it? So you can use him as a substitute for breakfast?" Kurumu said, her words jabbing at Moka. Piers could tell that Lucas was struggling to believe that this is the same person who helped him earlier.
"That's not true! And I don't 'use him' either!" Moka said, trying to defend herself.
"Yes, you do. The only reason you wanna be my friend is because you wanna suck my blood." Tsukune said, hurting Moka.
"Dammit Kurumu, this is going too far." Piers said under his breath.
"I see. All I am to you is a substitute for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Moka." Tsukune said, reaching some sort of delirious epiphany.
"That's not true, Tsukune!" Moka shouted, before going silent and tearing up. Soon enough she ran away, Tsukune's words cutting too deep.
"Wait, Moka!" Piers shouted as he took off after her. As he ran after her he heard the sound of Kurumu's smug laughter, making him scowl.
Back at the scene, it seemed like Tsukune snapped out of his trance as he stared after Moka and Piers.
"Yeah, run away, you loser!" Kurumu shouted after Moka before continuing to laugh. However, her laughter was cut short when her eyes met Lucas' devastated ones.
"Kurumu... What are you doing? What is this?" He asked, heartbroken that the person who helped him earlier was acting so mean to one of his friends.
"Lucas, I..." Kurumu started to say, but was cut off by Lucas.
"So that earlier, was that you just trying to manipulate me?" Lucas asked, to sad to be angry.
"No! That's not what I-"
"Save it. I can't stand to listen to you right now." Lucas said, before he turned and hurriedly walked away.
"Lucas wait!-" She tried reaching out to him, but he was already gone. It hurt watching him walk away, but she didn't know why.
Soon enough, Tsukune and Kurumu were sitting in the nurse's office, both feeling dejected. Kurumu couldn't enjoy her victory over Moka due to the expression on Lucas' face when he saw the way she acted.
'Why do I feel so... sad? I won right? I made Moka run away and Tsukune's here, all mine for the taking. But the way Lucas looked at me. He looked so... hurt. And that hurt me.' She thought, before shaking her head and looking at Tsukune, 'What do I care how he feels? I've got Tsukune here with me.'
Tsukune slowly stood up, drawing Kurumu's curiosity.
"What are you doing?" She asked innocently.
"Moka, I have to apologize to her." Tsukune said.
"No wait!" Kurumu shouted, once again shoving her chest onto Tsukune, this time on the poor boy's face.
"Huh?! Kurumu, what are you-...!" Tsukune tired to exclaim, but was drowned out by Kurumu's bust. Kurumu gently held his head.
"Aw, you're feeling down in the dumps, aren't you? Well don't worry, your bosom buddy will make it all better." Kurumu said, trying to soothe Tsukune.
"They're so huge!" Tsukune exclaimed, muffled, "What's this feeling? Oh no, what's happening?! Uh oh!"
"Tsukune, is she right? Am I only friends with you because I want to suck your blood?" She asked, not expecting an answer. She sighed and hung her head.
"It's not that at all."
Moka quickly looked to her right and saw an out of breath Piers, bent over and panting, "Piers! Did you... run after me?"
"You're fast, so I almost lost you, but yeah." He said, breathing eventually slowing down.
"Are you gonna abandon me too? I might suck your blood." Moka said, hanging her head again. Piers straightened up and put a hand on his hip.
"That's not gonna change anything. And I came out here after you, right?" Piers asked before sighing, "You're my friend Moka, and I don't leave my friends behind. I hate seeing my friends sad, and it wouldn't be cool of me if I didn't cheer you up."
"Really?" She asked, looking up. Piers nodded.
"Yeah. Listen, that stuff Tsukune said isn't completely true at all. It was Kurumu controlling him. Sure he might get a little annoyed at you frequently taking drinks from him, but he doesn't hate you or dislike you in any way. That goes for me and Lucas too. You don't drink from us, but nothing you do will make us hate you." Piers said, comforting his vampiric friend. His eyes caught something around the corner ahead of him. It was Mizore, leaning in on the conversation. He made a 'be quiet' gesture with his hand, to which she nodded.
"Enough of this." A voice suddenly said with authority. Moka and Piers' eyes snapped to Moka's rosary, which was glowing now.
"What the-!" Piers exclaimed, taking a step back in shock.
"We don't have time for this. Tsukune fell prey to the succubus' magic. It's called 'Love Charm' and now she's got him eating out of the palm of her hand."
"You're talking... through my rosary?" Moka asked... herself? Inner self.
"When a man is kissed by a succubus, he becomes her prisoner, and she'll proceed to suck the life out of him until he dies." Inner Moka explained, making Piers' eyes widen in alarm.
"Oh shit, if that's the case, then we gotta hurry!" Piers said.
"Tell us where! Where are they?! Where?!" Moka asked, but the rosary had stopped glowing. Piers groaned.
"Dammit, and we don't know where they are. Tsukune is screwed." Piers said, dragging a hand over his face.
"Um."
Piers and Moka looked up to see Mizore come out of her hiding spot.
"Who are you?!" Moka asked as Piers got in between the girls.
"Calm down Moka, she's my friend, Mizore." Piers said before turning to the yuki-onna, "You look like you have something to say."
"I do. They went to the nurse's office." Mizore said, pointing in it's general direction. Moka's eyes lit up before she stood up, bowed as thanks, and ran towards the nurse's office.
"Thanks Mizore, I owe you one." Piers said as he took off after Moka. Before he turned the corner, he turned back to Mizore, "By the way, the key looks good on you." He said before he ran out of view.
Mizore blushed at his compliment before she grasped the key necklace Piers had given her earlier.
"...Chosen One."
Lucas was sitting against the wall, looking up to the sky. He was pondering all that happened today.
"First she helps me, then she attacks one of my friends. What the hell am I supposed to think?" He asked no one. He put hid head in one of his hands.
"What do I do?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"...There has to be a reason." Lucas said standing up.
"I have to find her." He said as he took off. What he didn't notice was his shadow rippling as he ran.
Back in the nurse's office, Tsukune was on one of the beds with Kurumu on top of him.
"Kurumu... um?" Tsukune asked with a small blush on his face.
"Don't move, okay?" Kurumu instructed with a similar blush on her face.
"My heart." Tsukune said.
"Yeah, mine too. It's beating incredibly fast right now." Kurumu said. They both stared at each other before Kurumu continued, "You'll be my first, you know. The first boy I've used this magic on." When she finished, she charmed Tsukune again.
"Please Tsukune, don't run away."
After a moment, Kurumu moved in to kiss Tsukune, but before she could, Lucas flashed in her mind. Her eyes widened as she stopped dead. Tsukune's eyes cleared up and he looked in confusion at Kurumu. She was going to kiss him, but she stopped herself for some reason.
'Why... did he flash in my mind? Right before I was about to make Tsukune mine. Why? Why is this happening?' Kurumu thought as she straightened up, grabbing at her head.
"Uh... hey Kurumu, are you okay?" Tsukune asked, but she didn't hear him.
'Why can't I stop thinking about him?! Why did the way he looked at me earlier hurt?! Why? Why? WHY?!' Kurumu thought as she slouched down, '...Why do I want him here instead of Tsukune?'
Just then, Lucas burst into the nurse's office, panting, having running all the way from where he was, "Kurumu, I..."
"Oh, why do you have to come in NOW?!" Kurumu angrily shouted. She jumped off Tsukune and the bed, her succubus wings sprouting out of her back and her tail appearing. It was because of him that she couldn't go through with seducing Tsukune.
"I'm through with doing all this! I'm gonna take everything Moka likes and smash it all to pieces! Starting with you two!" She said, rushing Tsukune. Lucas saw this and reached out.
"Kurumu, wait!"
"Don't do it!"
Everyone stopped and looked towards the door, where Moka rushed in, followed by Piers. Tsukune reacted first.
"Moka, run!" He yelled. Piers ran over to Lucas.
"Get away! Now!" Moka demanded before she ran and pushed Kurumu away and surprisingly, out the window. Tsukune managed to get off the bed when Moka turned to him.
"Go, before she recovers from that!" Moka told him. Tsukune was awestruck.
"Moka... why did you save me?" Tsukune asked.
"Why wouldn't she save you?" Piers asked in return, "Besides, Kurumu's a succubus."
"And a strong one. She can bewitch men just by looking at them." Moka finished.
"Most men." Piers cut in.
"So that's why I said all those terrible things to you!" Tsukune realized. Just then, the four heard Kurumu's laugh before she suddenly swooped in and grabbed Tsukune around the neck with her tail, then flying out again.
"Tsukune!" Moka yelled as she jumped and grabbed on to Tsukune.
"Ah shit!" Piers yelled as he jumped too and grabbed Moka's ankle. Lucas followed suit and grabbed Piers' waist. They remained in the air for only a few seconds before the strain on Kurumu's tail proved too much and she let go of Tsukune, causing the other three to fall. The four were scattered on impact with Tsukune on her rear, Moka on her knees, Piers on his back, and Lucas on his front.
"Ow..." Lucas grumbled, slowly picking himself up.
"Second that." Piers said as he stayed down.
"Tsukune, are you okay?" Moka asked. Tsukune nodded.
"Excellent!" Kurumu said as she descended, "Now I get to kill all four of you at once." She said, her nails elongating. She then laughed and sped towards them.
"Watch out!" Moka said, tackling Tsukune.
"Down!" Piers called, then lied back down along with Lucas. Kurumu flew by them before flying upward. A second later, the trees she passed by were all cut down diagonally.
"Jesus-! Goddamn!" Lucas exclaimed, wide-eyed.
"She cut through those trees like they were butter!" Tsukune said, voiced laced with fear.
"Anyone hurt?" Piers asked everyone.
"I'm fine." Tsukune said.
"Me too." Moka said, smiling at Tsukune.
"All good over here." Lucas said, getting up to a knee.
"If we don't do something quick, we're all gonna get killed." Moka said.
"Yeah, we gotta do something fast." Piers said, standing up and looking towards the skies.
"My rosary... hurry... please pull it off!" Moka pleaded. Tsukune looked towards Lucas, who nodded towards him.
"Yeah, we could really use Other Moka right now." Lucas said. Tsukune nodded and tried to pull the rosary off, but it wouldn't budge.
"Damn! It's not budging!" He said.
"Oh no!" Moka said.
"But it came off so easily the other day!" Lucas said. Piers then spoke up.
"Guys, incoming!" He said as Kurumu came in for another sweep.
"Well well, Moka, I guess the stuff about you being a scary vamp was just talk. If you were a vampire, you could've fought me off, but since you're not, you and all your friends will die!" Kurumu taunted. Moka hugged Tsukune to her chest in desperation while Piers and Lucas prepared for the worst.
"No! You can kill me, but please spare them!" Moka pleaded. Kurumu scowled.
"Are you seriously prepared to go that far?! I mean, come on! All he is is your food!" She sneered. Piers grit his teeth.
"Like how you're a manipulative bitch?!" He asked, catching her off guard.
"And I'm not doing this because of his blood! It's because I care for him! For all of them! They're the world to me, especially Tsukune! These three are the first friends I've ever had, and I'll gladly die for any of them!" Moka yelled, defending herself.
"What the hell is with all this stupid friend crap?! There's only one use for men and that's as slaves! They're just playthings to bend to your will!" Kurumu shouted, closing in.
"Is that what you really think? If so, then what the hell was that earlier?!" Lucas yelled, drawing Kurumu's attention.
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
"If that's what you think, then there was no point in helping me earlier! In fact, you could've just hypnotized me, but you didn't! Why?!" Lucas asked, making Kurumu falter.
"Because... because..." She stammered.
"Because why?!" Lucas demanded.
"Because I couldn't bring myself to do it! That's why!" Kurumu screamed. Lucas' eyes widened and Piers was shocked. Tsukune turned around to defend Moka with his body, unknowingly taking her rosary with him. Then, everything was bathed in a red light.
A sudden large shard of ice stopped Kurumu's advance. Piers looked around and saw Mizore hiding behind a tree. He nodded to her and turned back to Kurumu, who in turn was looking around.
"What's going on? What happened to the sky?!" She frantically asked. Down below, she saw Moka, but she looked different. Slightly enhanced hips and breasts, silvery white hair, and blood red eyes now showed as her appearance.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." She said with a smirk.
"Are you one of those rare S-Class Supermonsters? Is this the true power of a vampire?" Kurumu asked, frightened.
"Why don't you come down here and find out? What's wrong, you afraid you'll lose, Little Miss Succubus?" Inner Moka taunted.
"You must be joking! I'm not gonna lose! No, I can't! I'm on a very important mission. The fate of my race is at stake!" Kurumu said. Piers shook his head and put his hands on his hips.
"Take my advice: Forget pride and bow out. Your mission won't be in danger of ending early if you run away and live. Count out losses and leave." He said. From her spot in the tree line, Mizore nodded.
"Shut up jackass! I can't afford to do that! The reason we succubi seduce men is so we can meet our destined one. My kind are few in number, so in order for our race to survive, we must carefully choose our destined one from a large pool of men that we bewitched with our Love Charm. I'd almost done it too..." Kurumu said before she swooped in for an attack, "But you got in the way of that, Moka!"
Moka dodged the attack and it's follow up while Kurumu continued, "That's why I can't let you live!"
Kurumu had a sudden feeling and looked up to Moka as she spoke, "So that's it? That's why you picked a fight with me?" Moka smiled, "Big mistake."
Kurumu yelled out and tried to attack, but Moka dodged again, "You're fast!"
"And you're slow!" Moka said landing behind Kurumu and grabbing her tail, "Now you'll experience the power of an S-Class monster first hand!"
She threw Kurumu up and kicked her when she came back down, sending her through some trees before she slammed into a thick tree, stopping her painful journey. Lucas winced as he watched it happen. Piers simply sighed and looked back to Mizore, who gave him a thumbs up. Kurumu fell down to her knees when she touched the ground.
"I'm sorry I'll stop I promise!" Kurumu pleaded. Moka walked up to her.
"I've got no guarantee of that. So to be safe, I'm going to tear them off. Your wings and your tail that is." Moka said menacingly. Piers looked back and noticed Lucas was running towards the two girls.
"Oh, what the hell is he doing?" He asked as Mizore walked up to him. She simply shrugged in response. He shook his head and started to walk towards them, Mizore following.
"No! Please! Don't do that... I'm begging you!" Kurumu pleaded. Moka's eyes hardened.
"Begging won't be enough." She was about to move closer, but Lucas stepped in the middle of them, blocking Kurumu from Moka, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Stop. She's beaten. She won't do it anymore." Lucas said, face determined. Kurumu looked up at Lucas with tears in her eyes.
'He's... defending me. Even after all I did.' Kurumu thought, her vision getting blurry. She wiped her eyes and looked on.
"You can't be sure of that." Moka said.
"I know, but I... I trust her not to do it." Lucas said, shocking Kurumu.
"...Then I'll just have to go through you." Moka said. Lucas' eyes widened, but didn't falter.
"Lucas go! She just wants me! You don't have to do this!" Kurumu pleaded. Lucas looked back at her.
"No way. You helped me earlier, now it's my turn to repay the favor." Lucas said as he looked back to Moka. She swung her leg at him and he braced for impact, but none came. When he heard Kurumu's gasp, he opened his eyes. Moka was in front of him, but her leg was caught by... his shadow?
"What the hell?" Piers exclaimed. Mizore's eyes were widened, and Tsukune's jaw was dropped. Lucas' own shadow stopped the kick.
"What are you playing at?" Moka demanded.
"Oh it's not him. It's me." A voice said as the shadow threw Moka's leg away. The shadowy mass had two points on it's head and what looked like red dots as eyes.
"And who are you?" Moka asked.
"I'm Raz, Lucas' shadow. Don't blame him for not telling you, he didn't know himself. I recently just woke up from a decades long nap." This 'Raz' said. Lucas was staring in wonder at his shadow.
"What are you?" He asked.
"Ain't it obvious? I'm a familiar. I've been in your family for generations. In fact, your father entrusted me with you before you left for here. A parting gift, sort of." Raz said. Lucas' breath hitched as Kurumu's eyes widened.
'If his father gave Raz to Lucas, he had to have known this was a monster school. He cares so much for his son.' Kurumu thought, a warm feeling flooding her chest. She noticed Lucas' eyes watering.
"So, he was looking out for me all this time." He said, wiping his eyes before looking back at Moka, "Back on topic, you heard what she said. And she didn't have any true malicious intent. She just wanted to save her race."
"Be that at it may, I still can't let it slide." Moka said, hardening into a glare. Lucas took a breath before looking into Moka's eyes, eyes steely.
"Then you'll have to go through me." Lucas said.
"And me." Raz said, red dot eyes glowing. Piers and Mizore looked on in shock, as did Tsukune. Was Lucas really standing up to Inner Moka?
"Come on you two, there's gotta be a better way." Piers said under his breath.
"Can't we be friends with her, like you and me?" Tsukune asked. Before they could worry any more, Moka sighed.
"Fine, but keeping her in line will be your responsibility. Do you understand?" Moka asked. Lucas nodded.
"Yeah, I understand." Lucas said, Raz moving behind him. Moka then walked to Tsukune and took the rosary from him.
"Friends? Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not like the other Moka. I only saved you so your blood wouldn't be stolen from me. That is all." Inner Moka said before placing the rosary back on. As soon as she did, she turned back into the other Moka, falling forwards onto Tsukune, who caught her. Raz faded back into the ground under Lucas as he helped up Kurumu.
"You alright?" He asked, not noticing the blush on her face.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Thank you." She said, looking away.
"Hey, you helped me, so it's only right if I helped you. Besides, I knew you weren't bad at all." He said, making her blush intensify and her to sputter. Piers let out a sigh of relief now that everything was over.
"Hey, thanks Mizor-..." He started to say, but stopped once he noticed she had vanished, "Guess I'll thank her later."
He looked up to the bright sky with a smile, "That turned out alright in my books."
The next morning, Moka, Tsukune, Lucas, and Piers were walking to class.
"The rosary spoke to you?!" Tsukune asked, surprised.
"Yep, I was there. It glowed and everything." Piers confirmed.
"It's weird, huh? Maybe the seal's getting weaker or something." Moka said.
"Possibly." Lucas said.
"Really..." Tsukune said, looking up. He looked back down at Moka and smiled, "She may not think it, but you're both my friends. I couldn't bear to be without either Moka. And you know what, if you guys wanna suck my blood it's fine my me."
"Tsukune!" Moka said, blushing.
"I wanna apologize about yesterday." Tsukune said, but Moka shook her head, saying he doesn't have to. They then stared dreamily into each other's eyes, making Piers scoff and Lucas chuckle.
"Ugh, not cool." Piers muttered.
"Morning! Hi, Lucas. I made some cute little cookies for us. How 'bout you and I eat them together?" Kurumu said, suddenly appearing.
"Sure, but why are you asking me?" Lucas said with a smile. Piers raised an eyebrow as Moka and Tsukune's gaze centered on the succubus.
"Oh, come on, I already told you that I was looking for my one-and-only destined partner for life, didn't I?" She asked bashfully.
"Uh, yeah?" Lucas asked, wondering where she was going with this while Piers sighed.
'Uh oh.' He thought.
"Well... I've decided that it's you!" Kurumu said cheerfully.
"Wait, seriously?!" Lucas asked, stunned, as were Moka and Tsukune.
"Well of course, after the way you protected me yesterday, I'm totally in love with you!" She said, quickly moving up to Lucas and pressing her chest against him, "Take one!"
"W-well they do smell good." Lucas said as his shadow sprung up.
"Congratulations on getting a girlfriend, Lucas. and so quickly into the school year, too!" Raz said, sprouting arms and leaning on Lucas' shoulders.
"G-girlfriend?! Well... maybe not that far yet." Lucas said shakily.
"What, you don't like me?" Kurumu asked, forcing tears to show. It worked as Lucas started to panic.
"N-no I do! Just, maybe we could go on a few dates before we make it official!" Lucas said, panicking. Kurumu's tears instantly vanished as she lit up with joy.
"Oh you fool." Piers whispered with a smile.
"Oh, I'd love to go on a date with you! We can go whenever you want, okay?" Kurumu said, hugging Lucas.
"Yeah, s-sure!" He said, looking to Piers for help.
"You're on your own, man." Piers said, putting his hands up. Tsukune and Moka looked at each other, smiling. Today, they made one more friend.