AN: Sorry that its been so long since I updated. And sorry that this update is so short. The next chapter will be way longer. And I promise that I'll wrap this story up before the end of March 23rd, 2018. Sorry. Also, Thank you so much for reading this story!

Kurumu Kurono opened her eyes. She was flat on her back. She felt like some one had hit her with a jackhammer. Everything hurt. Above her there was a celling she didn't recognize. It was an unfamiliar celling.

The room was so bright. She tried to shield her eyes but . . . pain. Searing pain raced up her unresponsive arm. She tried the other one. No response.

"Owwwww", she groaned.

She tried to sit up. Lower body was unresponsive too. Huh, that wasn't normal. She hadn't felt this way in years. Not since her mom first tried to show her how to fly. Her mom threw her out a window.

Now, there was a mattress beneath the window. It was supposed to catch her fall. Kurumu missed the mattress. Her wings didn't flap fast enough. She wasn't strong enough. She failed. And hit the ground with an ignominious crash.

That happened years ago. Yesterday, Kurumu thought that she was so strong. That she'd never have to experience anything like that ever again. She was the Succubus her mom wanted her to be. And yet, here she was. Lying motionless in pain.

Helpless.

Her eyes flicked down. She was in a girl's uniform. She was wearing the actual school uniform? Ugh, the color scheme on those things was terrible. Who thought that mint green was a good school color?

And . . . hold on. Where was her Cardigan?

She didn't have her cream colored cardigan. The one her mom had bought her in Paris. Nor did she have her red bow. And this uniform was too big for her.

There she lay. In a uniform that was not hers. In a dorm room she didn't recognize. With no memory of how she got there. No proof of victory. No dignity.

Alone.

Some of her hair fell over her eyes. She tried to blow it out of the way. But it kept on falling back over her eyes, "oh come on!"

Her hairpins must not be in place.

'This is ridiculous', she thought to herself, ' what did I do to deserve this?'

Images, memories, bits of blurred action came racing back. She'd brainwashed half the school. And she finally tried to fight that stuck up girl Moka, the pretentious vampire that all the boys loved.

' Did I lose the fight?', she wondered.

No, that's not what she remembered. She was about to fight that stupid stuck up vampire when . . . something happened. And now she was here, blinded by her own hair. And she didn't even know where here was!

A door opened, some one said, "You're awake!"

The person that spoke, they had a timid voice. It quavered. It was a little high but definitely belonged to a boy.

Maybe, the voice sounded a little concerned. But that was ridiculous. Must've just been her concussion playing tricks on her. Only one person really cared about her. Only one person protected her.

Kurumu heard a set of rapid footsteps. Like, some one was running towards her. And then some one pushed the hair out her eyes.

Some one with . . . brown eyes watery eyes, not purple ones. And this person had dark hair. It wasn't blue. Didn't look anything like her moms mom. No, their hair was short. Unremarkable.

And they were crying.

"I was worried you wouldn't wake up", the boy whimpered pathetically.

Kurumu remembered him. He was the boy that was with Moka. The boy she'd used as a proxy in her endless war against that stuck up pretentious pink haired goody too shoes.

Why was the boy here? Why was he wiping away tears? Why did he care if she was awake or not?

"I found you lodged into a wall", the normal looking boy explained.

Then he turned beet red.

"Your clothes were . . . I had to borrow some new ones for you. Kyo put them on. And Kyo is my cousin. She is a girl by the way and I um . . .", he smiled sheepishly, "I'm just glad you're all right"

'So', Kurumu concluded with a frown, 'I did lose a fight. And he pulled me out of a wall. Why would he do that?'

Kurumu knitted her eyebrows together. It didn't make sense. She was the second most popular girl in the school. That would normally explain it. But that dull boy had been with Moka, the most popular girl in the school. So why would he come back for her? Unless . . . he liked her more the Moka.

Kurumu's frown changed into a grin, a most devious grin.

Maybe she could use this. She could hurt Moka using him. She could . . . she could . . . no, that wouldn't be right. To use him like that, twice, it felt wrong. It felt too easy. Almost like cheating. And a proud Succubus like herself shouldn't have to cheat. She could beat Moka fair and square. That ditzy vampire had nothing on her.

Her arms might be broken. And her legs might be out of commission. And maybe she had a concussion too. But none of that mattered. She was going to win!

-000—

The Class room was huge. It made Hotaru feel small. Its cavern like celling was covered in glowing runes. Against the dark rock they stood out like stars. Braziers filled with green fire lined the walls. Going from the wall adjacent the center stage all the to the upper most row of seats. The class room resembled an lecture hall. But it was, for the most part, utterly empty.

There was a woman standing on the stage. She hard dark hair, and she wore a black robe. Little animal bones were tied into her hair. And she had a necklace made from wolfs teeth.

Hotaru looked into her eyes and knew, beyond a shred of a doubt, that she wasn't human. Pure hatred, malfeasance, and anger flooded the room. Hotaru could feel it. And she could tell that she was just feeling part of this pure dark energy. Most of it was directed at some one else.

"You're late Gin"

The flames went out. Every rune on the celling turned blood red. This cast down an hateful light on the entire room. And the woman leapt off the stage. She landed with a bang much too large for some one her apparent size. She ignored Hotaru, and she grabbed Gin by the ear. She was two heads taller then him. She lifted him up to her level effortlessly.

"Why, are you late Gin?"

Gin closed his eyes. He frowned. "I . . . I was busy"

"Busy doing what?", the woman asked

Gin gave a wolfish grin. He opened his eyes and told her, " I was with Miss Nekonome. Helping her put boxes away"

The Dark haired woman lifted Gin up a little higher. He jerked in pain, and yelped.

"This week it was Miss Nekonome. Last semester it was your Math Teacher, and the Cooking teacher. Your behavior is reckless Gin. If this continues then you will fail my class again"

"And then I can spend another semester with your lovely face"

The teacher blushed. She dropped gin. He landed in a rather undignified manner.

"I'd rather see you graduate"

The flames burst back to life. And the runes on the celling reverted back to their natural blueish silver cover.

Gin got up off the floor, and dusted himself off. Gin took a seat. Hotaru also took a seat. There was a loud boom. It sounded like a thunder clap. Hotaru looked up. The teacher had just landed on the stage. Each step she took made a somewhat less pronounced thundering sound.

"That isn't her real form, is it?", she whispered to Gin.

"I Haven't seen her real form", Gin whispered back.

"Welcome to introductory Runes", the Teacher Thundered, " I am Professor AngrBoda. But you may call me Professor Anger , or Boda . . . if you're nasty"

The Dark haired Teacher shifted her gaze from the mostly empty room to Gin, "Perhaps you have already taken this course". Then she shifted her gaze to Gins Left, and then his right, where she found Hotaru.

"Perhaps", she said with an raised eyebrow, "You are a new student."

Her wolf tooth necklace became weightless. Her hair blew in every direction as if it were struck by some great wind. A flurry of glowing symbols dance around her. Casting: Red, and dark blue, and green, and yellow, and aquamarine light into the room.

"I expect you to pay attention. Because ancient runes are not something you can toy with. Some have paid an eye for the knowledge that I will teach you. I expect you to arrive on time"

The Green runes vanished. Her necklace was no longer weightless. It fell back down to its previous position.

"To bring your curiosity"

The Blue runes vanished. And a set of white boards appeared behind her. They were covered in lines and lines of writing. At several spots there were strange shapes that Hotaru had never seen before.

"Mastering runes takes passion, sacrifice, and resolve"

The red and yellow runes disappeared. Now the teachers hair settled down. And the fire, stored in the braziers along the wall, changed from green to red. Any hatred in the room vanished. It was replaced by warmth. The sort of warmth that lifted spirits. The kind that you'd find around a well tended hearth.

A smile formed on the professors lips. "It's a pleasure to meet both of you. But Please, try not to be so late. If you are then I will burn you alive. Till theirs nothing left but your beating heart."

"Now then", The Professor bellowed, " Lets begin!"