Tomorrow Could Be Normal?
Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario Vampire or any part of its franchise. I would also like to thank lord of the land of fire for giving me permission to write this.
This is a sequel to The Unsealed Vampire story by lord of the land of fire and The Unsealed Vampire: Moka's Revenge by yours truly.
Attention. I would like to inform you that from this day forward, I will limit my updates to no more and no less than one per week. To compensate for this, I will try and build up the size of the chapters I will be releasing. My final goal would be to reach 10 000 per chapter. Let's see how long I can keep this up. Wish me luck, dear viewers.
Also, thanks to a number of you viewers taking the time to tell me that you don't understand why I chose Moka's Revenge as the title for the first volume of the Unsealed Vampire Sequel, I have come to a realization: My choice of a title was way off. I have therefore renamed it Tsukune's Revenge. If anyone is curious as to why they couldn't find it anymore or just wants to read through it, now you know how to. Thank you.
Now that I am done wasting your time with author's notes, let us move on to the main attraction.
Enjoy:
The embrace lasted for several more minutes. Moka wasn't even trying to hold back her tears in front of the prestigious company now watching the couple. What did it matter whether they saw this moment or not? Both knew of the nature of their relationship to each other so why bother trying to hide it behind a hollow facade of restraint? Though Moka knew the Chairman had never been openly told about it, it would be hard to imagine that the great Dark Lord Mikogami Tenmei had overlooked such an important detail. After all, he had exploited it so easily when he sent her over to the Snow Village. Even if that betrayal warranted a bit of suspicion on behalf of the young vampiress along with a nice long chat with the elder monster, she promised herself to keep her curiosity and anger to herself until after this precious moment.
Akasha had a small smile that replaced the somber look she wore during the last few hours. Seeing the two was a truly heartwarming sight that nearly brought a tear to her eye, it had been too long since she last was witness to such a display of affection between two people and the fact that one of the interested parties was her only daughter made it just that much more special. After all, a few earlier, she would have believed that she would never she her daughter go through such a beautiful moment with someone she loved so. But her happiness did not render her blind to the look present on the now very much awake boy's face, he came back... wrong. What else should she expect, she suspected the ordeal was more than anyone could take, this simply confirmed it.
The Chairman kept the eery grin on his face, the boy was out of his self inflicted Hell. Now came time for phase two. In order for it to work out, Tsukune was going to need to be healed extensively then be put back into the somewhat normal atmosphere that Yokai Academy's student life offered before any real work could be done towards achieving the dream. Tsukune's next reaction was enough proof that he would need some serious help.
Moka attempted to pull herself away from Tsukune for only a moment to get a good look at him, her action elicited a deep growl on behalf of the brown haired youth. The action momentarily stunned Moka who gazed with a bewildered look at two eyes that were much more wild than she remembered. He also looked quite scared, like someone was going to beat him repeatedly. What had happened to him that made him act like this?
Tsukune's thought process was nowhere near as developed as his soul mate's. Being tortured for centuries had a tendency to rip out one's standing as a sentient being and make him regress to the state of wild animal. Up until now, his thinking had been rather primitive to say the least. Something felt good, or more accurately didn't hurt, therefore he wanted more. Feeling the pleasant sensation and contact slip away from his grasp, he tries to voice his disapproval the only way he remembers how to. Taking advantage of her confusion, he pulls her arms back around him and continues to enjoy the embrace. He didn't want this moment to end. If it did, that meant he might go through more pain, he couldn't take that.
Moka merely let herself be pulled back into the warm embrace before looking up at the two powerful beings still watching the scene. Mikogami kept smiling, what had they done to him? She looked over to her mother who went back to a slightly saddened look, this was going necessitate her telling her daughter the truth, Moka was going to get it out of her one way or another.
"Trust me when I say he needs this more that you can imagine, Miss Akashiya." The Chairman suddenly spoke up. "Let him have a few more minutes of comfort before you go get yourself cleaned up." His last comment caused a massive blush to appear on the pink haired youth. When she was waiting for him to wake up, she really didn't care about her appearance. Now that he was awake, her thoughts wandered to the sight that had greeted her lover, she wished she had put a little more effort into looking presentable for him. After all, a blood mate always had to look good for her soul mate. Wait, had she just thought of him as her blood mate? Her Inner self had told her father but she never had the subconscious reflex to call him that within her mind until now. That realization only made her blush darken on her already greatly colored cheeks. It certainly didn't help at all that the company that was observing her at this moment was of such a prestigious rank. Yes, the hardwired code of conduct for Shuzen family members had stuck with her for many years after first leaving the comfort of the family castle.
When Moka pulled back again a little while after, Tsukune didn't protest and try and hold her back, he was observing the lock around his arm. It consisted in a silver chain linked to a locket with a red gem incrusted into it, it had the near exact same motif as the girl's strange cross she wore around her neck. Sensing his curiosity, the Chairman was only too happy to inform Tsukune of the lock's purpose.
"I see you have noticed the newest addition to your wardrobe." His grin was ever persistent and extremely unsettling for the young amnesiac. "It is called a Holy Lock, and suffice to say that it will prevent your darker side from emerging while you wear it."
A darker side? Who was he talking about? What was it doing to him? His body felt tired, almost as though it had been drained of most of its energy. He could sense something deep inside himself, a restlessness that spread throughout his limbs. It was dying down just as the gem in the center of the lock shined brighter. This reminded him of something, the word power repeated itself in his mind. Power over what? What power? And what was this about a dark side?
'You most probably remember an unpleasant creature." Time to see if Tsukune could be persuaded that everything was alright. If he could be, that would be a very good sign for the future. The Exorcist proceeded to describe the individual. "Brown hair, black markings on his face and neck as well as slitted red eyes."
The reaction was instantaneous, Tsukune cowered into the softness of his bed once he recognized the description of his captor and looked around frantically, most probably afraid that he might emerge and end this moment. Seeing the boy distressed in such a manner, Mikogami wasted no time in explaining while pointing at the lock the young boy now possessed. "This Holy Lock will prevent him from taking control of you as he did before. You are free of him for now."
The reassurance seemed to be enough to calm the boy down. He let go of the sheets he was holding with an iron grip and continued to examine his lock once again. Moka couldn't help but cringed when she saw his reaction. Granted, it hadn't lasted long but it still pained her to see him in any bit of pain when she could do nothing for him whatsoever. Her Inner self was following the exact same line of thinking as her Outer personality. Alas, before she could go back to comforting the boy, her mother ushered both herself and her daughter out of the room, leaving Mikogami and Tsukune alone to continue their one sided conversation to which only brute emotions and primitive sounds replied.
Tsukune still possessed the ability to talk, mostly because Reaper always liked to talk to him during their sessions. He simply didn't want to speak, a bit like a child that has gone through a dramatic event would just stop talking. It wasn't like he didn't have a reason to be so profoundly distressed. After all, he had just spent what felt like three centuries inside his own head being tortured by a figment of his own imagination.
There was no way the Chairman could break that truth to him now, the revelation would undoubtedly send him into shock and cause his mind to shut down. To think Tsukune already had a hard enough time accepting he was Reaper. The Dark Lord had to correct his mental mistake, Tsukune was under the impression that Reaper was a separate entity, a bit like Inner Moka and Outer Moka. That was not at all the case, Moka had a case of two souls inside a same body, two widely different minds that had come to live in harmony.
Tsukune suffered from a mental breakdown. His prolonged stay within the Snow Village was what drove him to the edge of sanity, the blood injected into his body pushed him over the brink and his mind was forced to create a separate identity for him to use whenever he was utilizing his ghoul abilities. Whether it was Tsukune or Reaper, it was still Tsukune.
But no matter what, Tsukune always stayed the same caring and kind soul. The Chairman had known Tsukune's mind would inflict this scenario upon him in order to make him feel like he had paid enough for all the destruction he had caused. The boy may know the truth on a subconscious level but it would be impossible to bring it out without significant healing beforehand. Even now, the very fact that Reaper still existed meant that Tsukune hadn't forgiven himself for doing what he has done. The only way for him to completely heal would be for him to fix his mistakes such as nearly wiping out an entire civilization and creating the HLF.
The advantage of this link in Tsukune's psyche between Reaper's alter personality and his ghoul power was that, as long as his powers were sealed, he would believe Reaper to be sealed within him. When in reality, if Tsukune were to ever think that Reaper could come out regardless of the seal, he would. So all the Chairman could do now was lie to him, make him think that the creature is contained and then it will be. The power of suggestion was indeed very powerful.
When the white room had been vacated or all other onlookers, the Exorcist pressed his cross against Tsukune's forehead once again and began chanting in a language unknown to Tsukune. It was mostly just for show, a way to add another layer of comfort to the mentality annihilated boy. Having done so, the headmaster's grin turned into something resembling a satisfied, yet equally creepy, smirk.
Now came time to heal the boy. He pressed his right index finger to the boy's head and they both disappeared to somewhere more secluded where Tsukune would be better able to receive suitable treatment. Leaving an empty infirmary in their wake.
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Meanwhile, both Moka and Akasha proceeded down the large hallways of Yokai Academy, it seemed from the direction they were taking that they were leaving the building. So she was planning to leave the Academy soon? They were alone and this was certainly the last time she would have a chance to do so. Now was the best time to get the information she wanted from her mother. Without a word, she halted and held on to her mother's dress, the result made her spin around due to the combination of her daughter's iron hold on her dress as well as the speed at which she was trying to get out of the Academy in order to avoid such a situation only to end up facing her daughter. To any person who would have by chance wandered the school halls despite the Academy's strict regulations concerning circulating during class, it would have looked as though two clones were confronting each other. Akasha's expression was one of surprise, her daughter's was one of determination. Her daughter's intensive gaze mixed with her crushing guilt made her squirm under Outer Moka's stare despite her standing as one of the strongest monsters in all of Creation.
Every bit the concerned lover, Outer Moka demonstrated that her mood depended on Tsukune's well being. If she so much as suspected that he was in any kind of harm, and at this point, she was way past assumptions, she could go from being the normal kind and gentle Outer Moka to becoming something vicious enough to give her Inner persona a run for her money. Akasha was left to deal with the all penetrating glare of her only daughter, this was most unnerving.
Akasha was never really any good at interrogations, whether she be the one answering or asking the questions, her kind and soft nature always got in the way whenever she wasn't confronted with a world threatening evil. Perhaps it was the wordless accusation she was receiving from Moka, maybe she just didn't really want to keep it to herself. In any case, Moka got some answers, answers to questions she never even thought were on the table.
Akasha finally let it slip before covering her mouth in shock at the horrible mutiny had led against her. "Tsukune's going to become a vampire!" The speed at which she said it would have made anyone else ask her to repeat what was just said. Moka, on the other hand, caught everything the first time around. The look on her mother's face was confirmation enough in the event she hadn't.
Awkward silence ensued, nobody dared break the silence. Moka was too busy trying to understand. Tsukune? Become a vampire? She could have sworn that the little stunt he pulled on the ship would have been enough to bar any chance of that happening. Her father's reaction was as one would expect, his family had been shown to lack the ability to protect itself. The only redeeming factor about this was that most other vampire clans had been taken down a notch along with the Shuzens. But still... Issa Shuzen would have understood if the brown haired boy had had the decency to fight him one on one instead of using such a dirty and underhanded trick, it was just dishonorable. Needless to say, any prospect of him becoming a vampire after that was most assuredly out the window at this point. And that judgment wasn't even taking into account the fact that any vampire was obligated to kill him sight by vampiric law. Receiving confirmation from a Dark Lord that her fondest dream was to come true was more than she could ever hope for.
Wait a minute... Her Inner alter ego was quick to point out an inconsistency in this scenario. Under normal circumstances, even the Dark Lords would never go to such lengths to save one single person when it could lead to such a fiasco. A human becoming a vampire wasn't going to sit well with the other families, they could even call out for a war over this. What could they be planning that was worth risking a war between the families? If Tsukune was this important in their machinations, she would have to talk with her mother, now.
Akasha was silently observing the wheels that turned inside her daughter's head. At first, she was relieved she had only let that part slip, but after watching Moka process that information and come to a conclusion she dreaded, her relief was short lived. Moka resumed her walk to the exit, her mother was following in toe. The weather outside was a perfect metaphor for the mood that had set in: It was dark and menacing, with a good chance that a storm would start up soon. Dear oh dear, Akasha really didn't like interrogations, and it looked like her daughter was getting ready for one as they walked.
The two finally reached a limousine that was waiting outside the school grounds for them. Moka felt like this was the shortest walk to the bus stop she had ever experienced. And to think that most times she had to go there, she was running either away from something or towards someone. The someone she usually ran after had brown hair but you most probably already knew that tidbit of information.
Both Moka and her Dark Lord mother climbed into the limousine and told it to head for castle Shuzen. This was going to be one hell of a long drive, Akasha just had that feeling in her gut. Sure enough, Moka started asking question after question in an accusing tone that would have made the Inquisition both proud and look like boy scouts. The old saying went like this: Hell hath no fury like a women scorned. I would like to propose an amendment to that saying: Hell hath no fury like a worried Moka, no matter who thou art.
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Tsukune was feeling a little sick to his stomach right now, being crammed full of magic through your cranium could do that to a person. After being magically transported out of the infirmary, Tsukune found himself lying down on a stone bed that looked like it had been used in ritualistic sacrifices judging by the bloodstains on the stone. The room was big, dark and humid. It was, for all intents and purposes, the perfect little dungeon. The whole place was built from stone, columns that apparently supported the infrastructure of the dungeon was testimony to how unsafe it looked from Tsukune's perspective. He was smack dab in the middle of a long, stony, hallway that was lit on either side by torches put up at seemingly random intervals. It somehow just fitted the Exorcist's personality so well. A good part of the perfect match was no doubt the incredible creepiness both place and owner shared.
And speak of the robed, creepy Headmaster. He was standing right next to Tsukune, peering down at him with that same scary grin he sported before he pulled the Houdini act. Just as the Exorcist noticed his favorite test subject waking up, a circle full of arcane symbols started to glow a bright and fluorescent blue around the stone bed.
Then, the headache started. At first, no more than a minor annoyance, they quickly took on a much more bothersome dimension as the headache persisted. Pretty soon, he started seeing images, countless images running through his mind. The memories from before his incarceration were coming back to him at a rather rapid pace. Mikogami could have let the memories come back to him on his own but he was anxious to get the boy back in the game as soon as possible. What was a little migraine in the grand scheme of things?
As Tsukune progressively remembered who he was, after several hours of screaming for a Tylenol, he was suddenly overwhelmed with a burning desire to punch the Exorcist in the face. Yup, his memories had all come back. But the Chairman didn't stop there, oh no. Once Tsukune remembered the basics such as his own name, that kind of knowledge was usually useful to a person, he started cramming all the classes he had missed while stuck out in the world playing savior of Humanity. New topics concerning Japanese, English and even the dreaded Algebra started to replace the images from his past. They faded and Tsukune was now stuck trying to understand the square root of 144 was and why it mattered. The latter question, oddly enough, never was answered.
By the time Tsukune was allowed to leave the dungeon, it was nighttime at the Academy. He could have walked but the Headmaster was insistent on using his magic trick to transport the boy back to his dorm room, causing a massive bout of throwing up once he located the integrated bathroom his room possessed. The youth knew at that point his headmaster was enjoying this more than he should, praying to the porcelain god always granted insight into one's own life. At least, that was the case between the occasional moan or groan he would have. To top it all off, his migraine was back with a vengeance.
The Chairman could have kept him a few more days in the dungeon but that wouldn't have done him any good, his mind needed to heal itself on its own and try and put the past behind it, for now at least. The best way to do so was for him to immerse himself back into the student life for a little while, it would be sure to help him out in the long run. On top of that, it would be the perfect opportunity for a few laughs.
Sensing he had been defeated by his own body, he plopped himself down unto his bed and started snoring the minute his face touched the soft and inviting form of his pillow. Nothing mattered but getting some sorely needed shut eye. On the plus side, he was finally free of that Hell he was subjected to.. Now that that was over and done with, things could go back to have a semblance of normalcy. However, needless to say that this was Yokai Academy, normalcy was a very subjective concept here and never lasted very long before something unexpected happened. But for now, his bed beckoned and he was too exhausted to refuse its allure. His dreams were in equal measure either nightmares that featured him back in Hell or very pleasant dreams involving his favorite split personality vampire. And so, for the first time in over 300 years, Tsukune Aono, was back at school. Who knows, maybe Fate would go easy on him now that she got her fill of messing with him.
Not by a long shot...
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Out of the dimensional tunnel pass came the Shuzen limousine, aboard it sat Akasha Bloodriver, fearsome Dark Lord, along with her daughter and inquisitor, Moka Akashiya. Akasha had a dejected look on her face, she hadn't wanted to tell her daughter all about the plan just yet but Moka still managed to make her confess to a few secrets. She was extremely thorough in her questioning, it was downright scary how effective she was at this. Despite being grilled over for a couple hours, she had kept a few things secret from her concerned daughter. But even if she wasn't told everything, the information she already obtained was substantial, it could even allow her to connect the rest of the dots.
The limousine halted at the bus stop and dropped off Miss Akashiya before driving back towards the tunnel and disappearing in the darkness. It was past dusk and the school grounds were just as creepy, if not more so, than they were during the day. The scarecrow pumpkin stood ever vigilant before Moka but she paid no heed, she was satisfied with what she had learned and nothing could ruin her moment. No that the scary scenery would while she was in her normal mood, she, along with the rest of the student monster body, thought it added personality to the place.
She began to walk back to her dorm at a brisk pace, she knew that if she was caught breaking curfew, all charges would be dropped on account of who she was with but that still didn't mean she felt like getting into a misunderstanding at this hour. Besides, she wanted to get back to her dorm as quickly as possible, a warm shower and the promise of a soft bed awaited her. She had to be fresh and pleasant to look at for Tsukune tomorrow, it was going to be his first day back and she wanted to let him know that she could help him out in any way he may need.
That last thought brought a blush to her face due to the double meaning behind her thoughts Was she turning into a pervert? Nonsense, they were going to get married soon, that was a given. Besides, they had already slept together, it was only natural for her to want to be ready for him that way. Her Inner personality wholeheartedly agreed with her usually softer side, they had to be presentable for him at all times, this would be good practice for, say, the rest of eternity they were going to spend together. Outer Moka was still blushing though, any viciousness she might have had during her little talk had been wiped away as soon as she set foot back on Yokai grounds.
As promised, a soothing herbal bath was drawn and was followed by a good night sleep. She was restless at first because she had resisted checking in on him before heading to her dorm and also because she couldn't help but imagine him next to her in bed. She finally fell asleep once she confirmed with her alter ego that it would happen soon. She dreamed of herself and Tsukune together, both of the Mokas dreamed it. It was a beautiful dream, one that would be reality very soon.