Redemption
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.
Urgent: Please read the author's note at the bottom of the page after reading this chapter.
Tsukune's Redemption is now concluded. I would like to thank you for sticking with me this far and hope that you will keep on reading, whether they be my stories or stories from other authors.
This is a sequel to The Unsealed Vampire story by lord of the land of fire and The Unsealed Vampire: Tsukune's Revenge by yours truly.
Enjoy:
Getting blown up was not his idea of a good time. Getting filled with debris and shrapnel, even less so. Needless to say this decisive showdown wasn't going off the way he planned it would. A little trouble was anticipated, a one on one fight with a few dirty tricks here and there orchestrated by a criminally insane Ayano Sato was what was supposed to happen. Being tricked by a cellphone before he even got to face her in person was a little more than simply an unfair advantage.
Breathing was a difficult task for the teen now lying down on his back, his vision had been blurred too. He could feel that fighting in this condition would be a hard thing to pull off. So far, he guessed that a few ribs and other bones had been broken. He was also willing to bet that he had a punctured lung. And finally, deep gashes and cuts made by pieces of glass sticking out of him was not a good sign either.
He struggled to get up, only managing to provoke a few coughs that forced him to spit out some blood. In his state, he would be amazed if he could one round with a hamster. Dealing with a single grown person was out of the question, let alone a psychotic woman like the one who'd just booby-trapped her own officer to give her an edge.
And speak of the devil. Who else but said psychotic woman would walk in on this mess right at that moment and laugh hysterically as she came closer to the scene. He could hear her approaching but was powerless to keep her from approaching him. All he could do was try and move his unresponsive limbs as she took in the carnage she had brought upon him.
Sadly, her passivity was short lived as was determined by the boy after he felt a sharp blow to his side that forced a pain ridden gasp out of him. She had kicked him while he was down, that was a new low, even for her. Honorable combat must have been the last thing on her mind at that point, true to her dirty ways to the very end.
He then felt her poking his shoulder. "Hey, you okay there, pudding?" Pudding? That was a new nickname, he already hated it with every broken and unbroken fibber of his being. "Hmm, no answer. I guess the patient is going to need to be revived. Area clear!" Area clear? What was she going on about?What was she...
He felt a painful jolt that brought out a weak yell of agony. She had just shocked him with a cattle prod. Where did she get a cattle prod to begin with. If she was this resourceful when dealing with him, he had a hard time imagining what the dead guy over there had gone through. He succeeded in turning his head towards the half charred inert form still attached in the chair. What had she done to them all?
She noticed his interest in the poor, dead sob in the far side of the room. Naturally, that was her cue to start up a one-sided conversation. "Oh, that's Joe over there. He joined up a little while after you left, hoping to save mankind and all that nice stuff. Say hi, Joe!" Her introduction was met with a silence she didn't quite like as evidenced by the pout now present on her face.
"How rude, introducing yourself is the least you can do when meeting a real life legend!" She screamed out at the inert form's attention. The worse part was that there was no trace of sarcasm in her voice, she had genuinely expected the corpse to start talking. She sighed before she turned her attention back to the pain ridden Tsukune struggling to get up.
"They just don't make lackeys like they used to, huh? That's why I miss the old days. Back then, the boss man knew how to get idiots like him to obey. So... what have you been up to?" She inquired as she got to her knees and eagerly started playing with cuts and bruises on his chest, she was thoroughly enjoying this.
He didn't bother to respond, not that he believed he had the ability to do so even if it had been his intention to give an answer. Instead, he weakly grunted in pain as he felt her move her index finger around the inside of one of his cuts. The blissful look on her face was a good indication that she would be doing a whole lot more of this if she had the opportunity to. He had to figure out a way to incapacitate her long enough for him to recover. He might have incredible regenerative powers but his wounds wouldn't close up if a foreign force was intentionally keeping the skin and muscles from mending themselves by obstructing the process.
In other words, as long as he had those pieces of shrapnel stuck in his stomach and Ayano playing around with his other cuts, he was useless. If only he could move his hands, he would have a chance to get her of him. He felt a jolt of pain as Sato apparently got bored with the silent treatment and decided to dig a little deeper into his muscles tissue with her fingernail. He could feel his nerves being scratched up expertly one by one, she knew how to make the pain last.
"Since you're not very talkative, I guess I'll start. I've been making due with what you left me. Not a whole lot of brains in this outfit by we've gotten by. Until now." She emphasized the last part by taking her index finger out and introducing her thumb to the cut, effectively expanding it in the process. "But now that you're here, we can start fresh."
She allowed a little pause to pass, probably to properly assess his response. The confusion at her words seemed to have been what she was looking for and promptly started talking again soon thereafter. "Oh yeah. All I have to do now is work you over a bit, get you all mad and grumpy. And... Poof... Enter stage Reaper."
Foolish girl. She thought that torturing him was going to bring out Reaper? Well, it might, but that was besides the point. He was simply a figment of his imagination, yet she treated him as though he were an entirely different entity, forced to coexist with Tsukune in the same form. Was he as insane as her only a few days ago? It was hard to believe that one could fall so deeply into a delusion. He had been just like her at one point, he had to try and help her.
Mustering all of his willpower, he was able to spit out a few words that almost formed a complete sentence. "Y-you... don't under...stand... Reaper...doesn't...exist." His painful attempts at communication were halted by an increase in pressure in his cuts that forced him to focus on something other than speaking. She was shushing him just as she pushed down on the rogue pieces of glass and other materials lodged in his abdomen.
"Bad boy. No talking nonsense in your condition." Her tone had become one of a mother scolding a young child. "How dare you deny his existence. He gave you, he gave all of us, a purpose and you would refused to acknowledge he is real? Shame on you." That look in her eye when she spoke of him, the way she seemed to go off in her little world for a fraction of a second every time he was mentioned by name, there was no doubt she held him in high esteem.
High esteem? That was an understatement, she more accurately worshiped the ground he walked on, her total devotion to him was sickening. She was different from him. He always felt remorse for the death and destruction, Reaper was simply a safeguard to keep his mind from pining all the blame on himself. It had taken him time to come to terms with what he did. She, on the other hand, reveled in the mayhem and carnage. She was a willing, yet mad, participant in every horrible and barbaric act that was committed under her watch. He couldn't reach her, odds were no one could now. Not with the limited amount of time that was allocated to him.
A tear streamed down his eye as he committed himself to doing something he wished he didn't have to: Ayano Sato had to die so that the world would be safe. He strengthened his resolve in anticipation of the moment and, with an otherworldly display of will, raised his hand just high enough so that he could do what was required.
He may not be able to use Blood Magic in his condition, but he had other weapons in his arsenal. Namely, he was now a sorcerer as well as being a mage. As such, he learned a few tricks from Touhou Fuhai, like the spell he was about to use. With a small surge of power, he enabled a technique that sent Ayano back a few feet, a weak version of Touhou Fuhai's explosive circle technique.
That was all that was needed to surprised Ayano and give Tsukune the precious seconds he used to get the bigger and more obstructive pieces of shrapnel out of his abdomen. He had very limited mobility but it would be enough to finish the job he had been entrusted with.
While she was recovering, he got his feet and stumbled over to where she stood against the wall in a daze. By the time she came to comprehend what had just taken place, he was able to hold her in place with a hand to her neck and a hand ready to fire a blood bullet into her chest. That should be enough to keep her from doing something stupid.
Once again, he was unhappily surprised by her reaction. Rather than realizing that she had lost, she began to break down laughing at the idea of him killing her. Clearly, she didn't believe he had it in him. "Well, well, well. Look who's finally grown a little. You gonna do it?" She smiled with her excited eyes gazing into his own. "You gonna pull the trigger and put little bad me to sleep? Come on, I want you to do it. I want you to end me."
She could see hesitation plaguing his face, he was struggling between letting her live and killing her on the spot. She expected that to be his response. Now, to mock him for being so weak willed. "How disappointing. At this rate, you'll never be like Reaper, no matter how hard you try." Her laughing frenzy went on, uninhibited by the hand around her throat.
Her words echoed inside his mind, the clarity he gained was beyond measure. For the first time in a very long time, he felt absolute peace. He would regret killing her for the rest of his life. He would regret not being able to save her. But regardless, he would accept it as being his burden and come to terms with it. He was not like the facade he had put on, the mask that was his alter-ego shattered with those last thoughts. Forever was banished the darker side of Tsukune Aono, aka Reaper.
"You're wrong." He whispered with a sad smile. And with that, he fired off a bullet into her heart. She cut off in the middle of her laughing as her heart exploded within her chest. There she died with a mad smile on her face and a thousand mile stare that froze her expression as he allowed her body to fall to the floor.
It was done, the HLF was now gone. He was free of both his madness and the personality born of such madness. Bu the regret he felt hadn't left. Perhaps it would always be there. Alas, he secretly hoped that he would feel better. But now, he was enlightened as to what the purpose of this had been. He had saved the world of monsters and humans. He had faced his worst sins and atoned for them. He hadn't gotten rid of his guilt, he had accepted it. It somehow made sense now.
And as he walked sat down next to the body of his former second-in-command, Tsukune could feel the last bits of Reaper's own consciousness fade into his own. He was free of his past, he was now complete. A single mind inside a single body. And the knowledge Reaper once possessed? All of it was now lost within the confines of Tsukune's own mind.
Including this one:
XXXXXXXXXX
Reaper casually strolled down the darkened halls of the Academy. Most of it's inhabitants were sound asleep, completely unaware that their greatest threat was walking among the very corridors they frequented day after day. Every last one of them was within his grasp. With the power he had, he could squash them with a flick of his fingers.
Therein lied the problem: The powers he had absorbed from Alucard were dormant within him. He could feel the unlimited strength within him, begging to be used. Despite that, he couldn't quite take it. No matter how hard he tried to tap into it, it remained elusive to him. The teasing was unbearable, it haunted him.
The very thought of so much power so close to him was torture. He felt very much like a starved man surrounded by food, unable to reach out and take it. That had been why he willingly came to the school, accompanied by the Bus Driver who now walked a few steps in front of him with a cigar in his mouth and a large grin upon his face. The Bus driver offered to take him to the Headmaster, the only person who could tell him why he couldn't tap into his powers.
It may take some honeyed words or some bargain to get him to talk but he was confident he could find a way to get the information he desired out of him. If he wanted to succeed, he would have to be mindful of who he was talking to and be on his best behavior. Dealing with a Dark Lord was always risky business, he nearly lost his head a few hours ago when Akasha awoke from her slumber. A repeat of that incident was not on his to do list.
He was finally brought to the door of the Chairman's office. Realizing that he was now alone, Reaper made his way inside to find the Exorcist sitting behind his desk with that same creepy grin he knew him to always have plastered on his face. The yellow eyes pierced the dark and seemed to be examining Reaper's very being.
"Welcome, please take a seat." The Chairman beckoned with a wave of his hand that went back to forming the shape of a triangle with his other hand. Somehow, that pose made him look even more calculating that usual. He must have had something good to share if he was feeling that manipulative this late at night. Or was it morning now?
It hardly mattered now. Reaper graciously bowed and returned the smile by contorting Tsukune's features into a smirk and plopped himself into his designated seat while uttering the words: "Don't mind if I do." The two went on a staring match with large smiles adding to strangeness of the present scene.
"I trust you know why I have asked for you to be brought to me here today?" The Exorcist pleasantly asked after the staring match was finished with, it ended as a tie. Still, the Headmaster's words sounded no less polite. He was playing around with him, was he? Oh goody, for a second there, he thought he was going to get bored with this whole nice business.
"Nope, not all." He openly lied. He was planning on being nice and all that but the idea of messing around was simply to tempting to pass up. Whatever great announcement the Chairman wanted to make would come out either way, so why not sit back and enjoy a little back and forth before they got to the real topic at hand.
The Chairman didn't bother to call him out on his lie. Instead, he pressed on as though nothing had been said. He used on of his hands to support his chin and went about speaking his mind. "I'm sure it must be incredibly frustrating to feel so much strength, so much power. And yet be denied what now is yours by right. Am I correct in that assumption?"
Reaper laughed. Touche, old man, touche. It seemed talking about the weather was no longer a possibility. As for openly mocking the Exorcist, he would simply retort with an equally touchy subject in retaliation. Fine, this suited him just fine. "You know me too well. Now, pray tell, why is it any concern of yours? I'm pretty sure you're more interested in your... ahem... "colleague's" reawakening than my life story. So..." He paused. "...What are you after?"
The Chairman's smirk grew bigger, the false personality in front of him was quick to understand and adapt in discussions. If an imitation of Tsukune Aono was capable of such political savvy, then he could say with the utmost confidence that the original Tsukune Aono, the consciousness now fast asleep inside the body before him, was to exceed all his expectations once this conflict was over with.
"What if I were to tell you that I could help with your problem. Tell you how to obtain the powers you so desperately seek. What would be your response to that, I wonder?" Now he peaked his interest. Of course, if this weren't also a perfect opportunity for him to slip in a witty comeback, he didn't know what was.
"Four words." He raised up his hand and propped up a finger for every word he pronounced in his show of wit-filled caution. "What... Is... The... Catch?" He replied before adding one last word to his enumeration as though it were an afterthought. "Sir?" He was making it obvious that he held his authority in low esteem and knew he could get away with it.
And with good reason. Common good sense and law-abiding principles dictated that he should have been executed the minute he set foot on the property. His continued survival was proof that the Headmaster did not view him as expendable quite yet. His position as a respected monster carrying the crowd pleasing title of Dark Lord exacerbated that fact, though he was almost positive Tenmei Mikogami did not pay that title much reverence to begin with.
The Chairman chose to ignore that last attempt at getting under his skin. It was practically a laughable notion than to imagine it would work. However, considering the characteristic this creature before him was known for, it was likely that he tried anyway because it was a laughable idea. At least he was amusing himself without resulting to murdering innocents.
"You're quite right, there is a catch. Only a born monster may hope to access the full potential of those powers locked inside their body. In other words, no mere ghoul can use them as he pleases." He stopped talking to gauge his audiences reaction. The ghoul was listening intently, trying to come up with the solution to the conundrum he was presented with. "But there is a way to trump that prerequisite."
"Becoming a vampire..." The teen whispered thoughtfully, all traces of malice gone from his voice. It was the perfect outcome. In doing so, he could further insult the ego of born vampires by showing that even the lowliest scum could reach the top of their ivory tower. And the power he would then have would be an even greater offense. He would go beyond all of them and show them that their ego was based upon nothing. His whole reason to see the world burn, his whole reason to want to cause chaos was to show that boundaries set up by those in a positions of power could change.
He, who had once been a slave, could become his slavers' master by striving to be more than what they thought he could ever amount to. Real power was not inherited, it was earned. And he would be the one to show that no matter who you were, you could obtain the power in you were willing to take the appropriate steps to do so. Birth did not matter, all that mattered was the force of will and desire one had.
"Precisely. Unfortunately, there is a slight problem in your case." Reaper immediately snapped out of his contemplation to pay more attention to the announcement of the setback he was dealt with. "The ritual itself requires a healthy body and a healthy mind for the subject to not be obliterated by the radical changes brought on by the transformation. "
The insane boy smiled at the implied meaning behind those words. "You're saying that I have to chose between existing and living as a separate entity. For a second there, I thought it was going to be a difficult decision. But now comes my rebuttal: Why should I trust anything that you tell me here today. For all I know, you could be bluffing just to get me out of commission and play mister hero of the people."
"If you think I am lying, then please." he gestured towards the door. "By all means, leave and forget all about what we have discussed." He halted, waiting for reaper to decide himself. "Ah, but you won't leave, will you? Because you know that my words are all true. And that obtaining power, you will gain the chance to have something you only dreamed you could have. Isn't that right, Tsukune Aono?"
Reaper was visibly shaken by the words that came forth from the Chairman's mouth. Upon hearing what the Exorcist had called him, however, he saw a way to divert the conversation from a very uncomfortable topic for him. Funny how that worked, here he was trying to get under his skin, and it was the headmaster that finally broke through his defenses. With his most dangerous smile, he went about attempting the diversion. "Look, I already told a few others but it seems I'm not getting the message across. Do you really think that good ole little boy scout could actually pull off something like..."
He was abruptly cut off by the Chairman's raised hand, a sign that he wasn't quite done yet. "You cannot fool me. In some respects, I know you better than your own self. Far better than your normal self, that is." Reaper did not like where this was going at all. Alas, he could do nothing to keep his most well-guarded secret from spoken for all to hear. "We both know what you are: a voice given to Tsukune Aono's subconscious. Created so that he would not shoulder all the guilt for the misery he perceives he has inflicted on the world."
Presently, Reaper was now nervously tapping the desk with his fingertips, it appeared he was more than a little unnerved by what was being said. "All you truly want is what Tsukune Aono wants. Power so that he may present himself before the vampire community, show himself to be superior to them so that they may see him worthy of being granted the one thing you prize above all else: Being betrothed to Moka Akashiya."
It felt like he had been dealt a blow to the chest. He visibly winced as his most secretive and ulterior motive was found out. He dawned the mask of a laughing psychopath for Tsukune Aono had been miserable: First as Moka's slave, then as Mizore's husband. He endeavored to hurt others whereas Tsukune Aono would seek to help the people around him. In order to better disassociate himself from his original persona, he had to become his polar opposite. Despite those radical changes in behavior, though, Tsukune's hopes and dreams remained those of the shell standing in his place. A different method and mentality, a same goal.
He wanted to refute it. He wanted to rip open the Headmaster's skull and drain him of his blood. He wanted to see the only person capable of harming him being silenced before he could do any damage. He had never felt such rage before. Yet, at the same time, a glimpse of hope was to be found in this dialogue. The Exorcist knew exactly how to make sure Tsukune Aono would achieve the power he was owed. As such, the selfish, animalistic, cruel and traitorous beast that was Tsukune Aono's subconscious, Reaper, could not ignore this.
"What do I have to do?" He solemnly inquired as his two red eyes stared back into the two pools of yellow that grew brighter by the second. He despised the world, he despised the order of the world. In his opinion, all that lived within had to suffer and die. All, save for himself. He was the essence of Tsukune's darkness. Unrestrained by his natural goodness, he was also his irreconcilable inverse.
"You must make him hate you. Hate you with all his heart. Doing that will set off a chain of events that shall lead him to try and get rid of you, thus leading him down the path he must take to heal himself." Make him hate him for his own good? He could do that. After all, it hadn't been so long ago that he was able to horrify Moka in order to put on a proper act. Surely, if she fell for it, his nicer self would be easy to fool in comparison.
But, if he was to inflict pain upon himself, he would be sure to inflict just as much pain, if not more, upon the rest. Whether they be human or monster, they would suffer while he was around. And when time finally came to receive the power, he knew the vampires would become curious and learn of the subterfuge the Dark Lords were trying to pull off after a time. In the end, regardless, his master plan would be a success.
"How do you propose I do that?" The Chairman no longer bothered to smile as he went into specifics about a trap being set by Fairy Tale to catch, meet and possibly kill Tsukune. He made sure to specify what had to happen to Tsukune after the trap had been sprung. After that, he would have to goad, ridicule and indirectly push the boy to go on as he would be faced with a suicidal mission.
So long as he followed the plan and played his part when it counted, Tsukune;s subconscious would be rewarded with a saner mind and, eventually, a ritual that would make Tsukune a vampire. His own existence would be forfeit, true, but he accepted that. He would accept all of it, so long as his selfishness was sated with the power of Alucard and the hand of Moka Akashiya in marriage. Eternity in her company, even if he weren't aware of it, was better than this gig.
And so, the framework had been set. He would be subjected to a literal Hell of his own making to ensure both his hatred for his alter-ego and his desire to do penance and rid the world of the HLF. For him to learn the secrets of Blood Magic, to undergo the Body Alteration procedure and to strive to unknowingly set the stage for lasting friendship to be made in between two monster races that couldn't have cared less for each other prior to the negotiations. Finally, this was to lead Tsukune Aono down the road to becoming a vampire, saving the Snow People and revitalize the noble goal of Coexistence.
Unfortunately, the memory of this interaction was lost to him forevermore...
XXXXXXXXXX
The mission had been a success. The surviving members of the HLF, seeing their leader dead, surrendered and were treated fairly before they were given a chance to live among monsters in secrecy or to return to the human world with their memories of the HLF and monsters wiped from their mind to ensure no upstart would try and relive the glory days of monster hunting.
The Succubi and Incubi returned to their ancestral home and made good on their promise to deliver a piece of the Fertility Stone to the Snow People. Now in possession of their saving grace, the Snow People returned to the charred remains of their home where they began to rebuild their bustling city. The natural barrier that once protected the city had been undamaged by the fire which made the reconstruction effort a lot easier to undertake.
As for the Huang, not much to be said about them really apart from one notably positive aspect that came from the assault. Having experience real-time war, the majority of the Huang agents were now hardened veterans that were more capable when faced with other enemies such as the Miao Family or Fairy Tale.
A few other rumors had come up over the following weeks, most concerned Fairy Tale. It was said that, following a botched attack on the Mountain, Miyabi Fujisaki and the totality of his lieutenants had been decimated. The power vacuum that ensued saw the various disgraced branch leaders who were dismissed after Gyokuro's fall from power return to their former positions after swearing allegiance to the new head of Fairy Tale: Kahlua Shuzen.
Those rumors were the very least of Tsukune's worries right now. After all, in a few minutes, the ritual designed make him into a vampire was to take place. He was now standing in the Chairman's office, inside an arcane circle created by the Three Dark Lords that now surrounded him who made sure not to set foot inside the newly formed barrier. The Mokas were nearby and rooting for him to stay strong during the procedure.
He gently smiled at them before he turned to the Dark Lords and nodded for them to commence. In response, the ink lines that had been drawn on the ground glowed red before a burning sensation hit the boy. He buckled over in pain as layer after layer of his flesh melted away quite slowly. Luckily for him, the school uniform he was wearing didn't seem to be affected by the heat he was experiencing..
He had been assured the ritual had no risk wasn't going to kill him. Still, the pain was excruciating as he could see the muscle tissue on his fingers come into view as liquified flesh dripped down to the floor and evaporated away. He screamed in agony as he felt the last bits of flesh drip off his body, leaving him a mass of muscle and bones contorting in pain on the floor of the arcane circle.
Soon, the pain subsided as his flesh began to grown back now that his vampire blood was free to reshape him as it saw fit. The process had been made. And now, Tsukune the Ghoul was no more. Just as he had replaced Tsukune the Human, he, too, had been replaced. This time, by the newest incarnation of Tsukune Aono: Tsukune the Vampire.
He rose to his feet, breathed in as he felt power coursing through his veins and opened his now slit eyes to take a better look at the world. Thus ended Tsukune's road to Redemption.
Stay tuned for the next installment of the Unsealed Vampire Sequel: Tsukune's Reinsertion. To be published January 1st 2014.
Sequel to The Unsealed Vampire: Tsukune's Redemption. Tsukune has finally vanquished the terrorist organization he created, healed his mind and become a vampire. So why is it that he can't get a break? He is now confronted with all manner of evil things, including politics, polygamy and rise in social status to name but a few. Not to mention that he is now back in school... Story not yet rated.