Hi, how are things with you all? Hope you're feeling grand. We've got ourselves another chapter for this tale. So far, we've seen the newspaper club face a fair number of bewildering challenges, and none of them very pleasant either. However, as we move back into the cannon, we will see Ethan will start going against one of his most difficult challenges as of yet. The big question, I reckon, will he be able to handle it?
Let's find out.
"So… how do you feel about this?" Tsukune asked.
"I don't know. I kind of got used to this world already." Ethan said. He looked over at his friend, who looked like he was about to explode with joy. "And yourself?"
"I couldn't be happier. I mean, I don't mind this school anymore, but… it'll be great to go home, even if it's only for a little while." Tsukune admitted.
Ethan shook his head at how emotional his friend was getting. Personally, he could say with certainty that he was getting more emotional than his dad… which would be quite the feat, to say the least. This all started after Miss Nekonome told the whole newspaper club that she had organised a trip to the human world.
Ethan had been indifferent to the news, Tsukune was over the moon at the chance to be in his world again, but the girls were decidedly less enthusiastic at the idea. Kurumu, Mizore and Yukari had never been to the human world before, so they were less than comfortable with the idea. While worried about them all, Tsukune couldn't help but be mostly worried for Moka.
Her time in the Human world was nearly debilitating for her. He was afraid that this could only cause Moka to be nothing but afraid when they all went there. But, thankfully, she said that she was willing to do it. So long as he was by her side the whole time, she could make it through.
Since then, they had all taken the liberty of getting ready for the summer or, more specifically, the beach. Now that the time had come, the ordinary human and the not-so-ordinary human were staring out into the crimson sea.
Tsukune was wearing a black t-shirt under a short-sleeved jacket, while wearing a pair of jeans and sneakers and had a backpack hanging off of his shoulder. Ethan, on the other hand, was wearing a black, long sleeved shirt underneath a white t-shirt, blue long shorts, sandals and a pair of sunglasses on his head. He also had the guitar ca that he kept the staff in, just in case he needed it.
"So, when we get to the beach, what's the first thing you're going to do?" Ethan asked.
"I say I'm going to lay around in the sand a bit." Tsukune answered. He raised his fists up to his own face and wore a look of determination on his face. "I want to make this the best vacation, not just for me, but for the girls. It's the perfect opportunity to show them that there's nothing to fear in the human world."
"… Sure." Ethan said. he debated in his mind quickly as to whether or not to point out the MANY dangers of the human world, but seeing how determined he was, the pyromancer decided to but that on hold. As he looked at Tsukune a thought occurred to him.
"Hey, Tsukune?"
With his fists still raised, Tsukune turned his head towards Ethan. "Yeah?"
With that, Ethan used his speed to rush underneath Tsukune, push his arms up by the elbows and caused Tsukune to hit himself. He went back to his normal position and watched his friend fall onto the ground in a heap, causing Ethan to laugh. Tsukune, on the other hand, was ticked off.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" he asked angrily.
"Oh, I knew I was going to have some fun with these powers." Ethan said to himself.
Tsukune sat up cross-legged and folded his arms, now pouting. He was like this for a few seconds before a thought came to him. "Do you think that you can unlock some more powers? Or is that it?" he asked.
Tsukune saw Ethan looking at him with a look of curiosity. "Why?" Ethan asked. "Thinking about getting some yourself?"
Tsukune shook his head. "Nah, I'm happy the way I am. I'm just thinking… it would be great if we could figure out what you are and how you got these powers. To be honest, I'm getting a little annoyed from being in the dark like this." Tsukune admitted.
"You and me both." Ethan said. He stayed silent for a moment before speaking again. "Actually… I think I know someone who can help me out with that?"
This caused Tsukune to look up at Ethan with great surprise written on his face. "You do? Who?"
Ethan knelt down and whacked Tsukune across the back of his head, thankfully he didn't use his strength and he only tapped him lightly. "Well, aren't you a nosy little fella?"
Tsukune laughed a bit and rubbed the back of his head. He got back onto his feet and looked towards the academy.
"I'm going to check on the girls. I'll be back in a bit." Tsukune said.
"Fine with me. See you in a bit." Ethan replied.
As Tsukune walked off, Ethan's calm expression turned sterner as his eyes moved towards the ocean. He sat down cross-legged and rested his hands on his knees. He wouln't admit it to Tsukune right off the bat, but he wasn't overly fond of returning to the human world.
The main reason being that, since he came to the academy, it acted as a distraction from the emptiness that he felt on the inside. An emptiness that he found could be filled by nothing. The constant 'life or death scenarios he went through certainly did well in taking his mind off of it.
However, he knew that he couldn't just avoid the strongest reminder of his past. Running away from your problem never solves the problem in the end, it only makes it worse. As such, he was willing to go out there.
He waited for a few more minutes, wondering where Tsukune could've gone off to find the girls. "Maybe the girls knocked Tsukune out cold again." He thought with a chuckle. His smile remained as he looked behind him. "You going to stay hidden there forever?"
To respond to the question, the air shimmered ten feet away from Ethan. When it finished, the hooded figure appeared. However, instead of mouthing off as he usually did to annoy Ethan, he stayed silent.
"Nothing to share?" Ethan asked.
The figure didn't respond. Instead, he walked over beside Ethan and sat down beside him. The pyromancer had no objections to this, or at least he didn't voice any opinions on the matter. They both sat in silence for a few moments before the hooded figure spoke.
"I heard you messed up that new shopping center that they opened up for the academy." He said.
Ethan shrugged. "Tends to happen when people try to tear my head off."
With that. They remained silent for s few more seconds. The figure turned his hidden face towards Ethan and smirked. "So… you know who I am now?"
Ethan turned his head towards the figure. The pyromancer turned his head towards the figure, but he still couldn't see the face underneath. It irked Ethan slightly, but he didn't let it show. "What makes you think that?"
"I saw you studying an old book. I also happened to see a picture of one of my ancestors in there as well."
At this, Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Ancestor?"
The figure nodded. "Yep. The darkest, vilest of our kind. All that my family ever knew of him was his title. 'The Bloodletter'. The rest of my family back then weren't too fond of his methods." The figure laid his back on his ground and rested his head in his hands. "The Shinigami aren't as dark as you think."
Ethan couldn't help but smirk at the fact that he had gotten it right.
"So… if that's the case, then why did you kill the class rep?" Ethan asked.
"Well… I guess I would be counted as an exception as well." He admitted. "However, that kill was because that it was the only option. Nothing else would've worked, and believe me, I've been in enough scenarios to know whether or not it's the best option." The figure shot a hand up, extending his index finger. "Granted, I've never hurt an innocent before, man or monster ."
Ethan slightly shook his head. "And yet, I still think you're the biggest asshole in any world you would go to."
The figure said nothing. Instead, he stood up and stared out into the ocean. "Well, in any case. Hope you have a nice trip. Maybe I'll see you there."
"Oh, please don't tell me." Ethan said straight after.
"I've got a case to investigate. An old friend calling in a favor, so to speak." The figure explained. He turned and walked off. Ethan waited a few more seconds before he turned around, thankful to see that the figure was out of sight.
"HEY, ETHAN!"
The pyromancer looked to his side and saw Tsukune walking over to him, the girls and Miss Nekonome right beside him.
"Glad to see you made it, you had me bored waiting." Ethan called out to them.
"Don't you know it's rude to say that to a lady?" Kurumu asked.
Ethan held in a chuckle, knowing that it would only irritate her. He scanned the crowd and saw that they were wearing summer attire. He couldn't help but notice the sundress that Moka was wearing. IT suited her down to the ground. Kurumu and Yukari's attire were nice as well, but Moka somehow managed to pull it off. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea for Mizore to be staying in that hoodie in the warm weather.
"Looks like we're all set." Ethan said. However, his eyebrows were raised when he saw something was amiss. "Where's Gin?"
"That pervert messed up in his exams and has to take make-up classes. Serves him right." Kurumu said with a proud face.
"Don't get all high and mighty, mount tit-more." Yukari pointed out. "You did just as badly as him. I even helped you study!"
Before anyone could say anything else, the bus appeared from the tunnel and parked right in front of them. The door opened, allowing Kurumu to lift Yukari up off her feet and throw her in with as much force as she could into the bus. After the Succubus hopped right in, the rest of the crew stepped on board. As he passed him, Ethan gave the bus driver a grim smile and a nod, to which the driver responded in kind. They all took their seats and allowed the driver to turn and drive through the tunnel.
….
About five minutes after they had gone through the tunnel, they emerged through the other side. Tsukune was looking out through the windows, practically tearing over the fact that he was finally home. The girls, however, seemed less comfortable with being in this foreign land, even Kurumu was a lot more quiet than usual.
Ethan, on the other hand, didn't give a crack of a rat's backside. He thought that he would feel something after returning to the realm of his kind, but instead… there was nothing. Ethan simply sighed as he stared out the window.
"Talk about Anti-climactic." He thought.
"Finally, I'm home," Tsukune cried.
This caused Moka to gasp with fright while Ethan shot up from his seat and slammed his fist on top of Tsukune's head like a sledge hammer, knocking him out cold.
"TSUKUNE!" Kurumu cried as she raced over to him and cradled him in her arms like a new-born. "Oh, don't worry, Tsukune. I'll keep you save from the big, bad man." She then looked over towards Ethan with a heated glare. "WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU!"
"And why did you knock Tsukune out after saying that he 'was home'?" Mizore asked.
Ethan gritted his teeth, realizing his mistake. He eyed Moka for a split second, seeing that she was trying to come up with an explanation. He sighed and answered "The thing is… Tsukune and I were raised in the human world."
That statement alone caused Kurumu, Yukari and Mizore (the latter accidently letting her lollipop fall out of her mouth) fall into a brief moment of silence. After a few seconds, Ethan was about to say something, but was interrupted when said girls rushed up to him, looks of awe and curiosity in their eyes.
"YOU GUYS WERE RAISED IN THE HUMAN WORLD!?" Kurumu cried.
"OH MY GOD, THAT'S AMAZING!" Yukari cried
"Nice." Mizore said in her usual tone, but she was just as amazed.
Ethan had to blink a few times to make sure that he was actually seeing this. Tsukune and Moka were also shocked to see that they were taking it so well.
"You're… not upset?"
Yukari spoke first. "Of course not. We think it's amazing. There aren't many monsters being raised in the human world these days."
"You guys can help us out along the way." Mizore commented.
Ethan smirked. "Who said we wouldn't?"
…..
Eventually, the bus came to a stop outside a nearby bus stop in the town, to which the group quickly got off. Tsukune took in a deep breath of fresh air, Ethan stretched his muscles, Miss Nekonome looked around excitedly, but the girls still looked decidedly nervous. Tsukune comforted them telling them that all they needed to do was take it one step at a time.
"Hope they'll be okay." Ethan thought.
After a little bit of walking through the town, the girls had garnered a lot of attention. Since they were from the monster world. They had this 'other Worldly charm' that was drawing them all in, however it was the girls 'assets' that was getting the spectators views most of the time. At this, Ethan gritted his teeth and glared, half tempted to tear them limb from limb.
"Fecking perverts." He muttered under his breath.
Suddenly, one of the members of the crowd broke free from the masses and approached. Kurumu. Straightening the collar of his shirt, he went up to Kurumu.
"Hey, babe. How about spending a little alone time with yours truly?" he asked with a sickening leer.
Kurumu turned away with her nose sticking up in the air. "No thanks. I'm not into cunts like you." She stated.
Angered, the man reached out to grab her wrist. Instead, he was met with her foot in his face, sending him flying back. One of the benefits of being a monster was the enhanced physical strength they had compared to humans, which certainly helped to send him flying into a can of garbage cans.
"And THAT'S how it's done!" Ethan exclaimed, giving Kurumu a round of applause.
….
After that little fiasco, the group made their way to a nearby beach. When they arrived, they found some nearby changing rooms to get changed into their swim suits. When they emerged, Tsukune actually felt the air get sucked under his body. Moka was now wearing a white, one piece swim suit that was hugging her curves, Kurumu wore a black bikini that only just managed to coceal and hold her breasts, Mizore wore a striped, purple and yellow bikini while Yukari wore a pink sun dress.
No doubt about it, these girls were pulling out all the stops to try and get Tsukune attention. The question, however, is if Tsukune could handle it all or not.
"O-Okay, I guess we're all ready for the beach." Tsukune said while trying to fight back a blush.
The girls smiled, knowing that they had mamaged to attract his attention. Yukari, however, snapped out of it when she noticed something.
"Huh? Why aren't you getting your swimsuit on, Ethan?" she asked.
"I'll join you guys later. Just something I want to check out while I'm here." He said. he turned around and waved at them with the back of his hand. "Later. Try not to kill yourselves."
The group was slightly disappointed, as they all wanted to have fun at the beach as a whole group. However, at this stage, they knew better than to try to convince him to do anything outside his current interest. As such, they left him at it and went to the beach. Fortunately, there was a volley ball court. As such, they wasted no time in putting it to good use.
(five minutes later)
"MINE!" Kurumu roared as she went for the ball.
She spiked the ball as hard as she could. However, Mizore proved to be quite agile, as she just managed to intercept the ball and bounce it back into the air. It would landed on her side still if Tsukune hadn't jumped and bounced it back to Kurumu's side. Kurumu wasn't fast enough this time and missed the ball, watching it hit the sand with a soft bounce.
Tsukune and Mizore high fived each other for their victory in this round.
"Nice one Mizore." Tsukune said.
"Same to you." Mizore said.
Kurumu was less than pleased with the outcome, hoping to make herself look superior to Mizore. However, Yukari was the most disappointed out the lot.
"It's not fair. Every time I go for the ball, you're always getting in the way." Yukari complained while pouting.
Kurumu gave her a cocky grin. "Well, since size isn't one of your strengths, how can you hope to play properly?"
This caused Yukari to glare at her. She took off her hat and pulled out her wand. She would've summoned a basin and smashed Kurumu over the head, but before she could Tsukune saw what was about to happen and intervened, pushing the wand just as she was about to cast the spell.
"NO. Yukari, you can't use magic here." he said. He looked behind him to see if anyone noticed. Thankfully, no one noticed, allowing himself a sigh of relief.
Yukari blushed and put the wand back in the hat, apologising for being so careless. This only caused Kurumu to inwardly laugh at Kurumu.
Seeing how much she was struggling, Tsukune thought of an idea. "Alright, let's switch partners."
"Aww." Mizore said.
"YES!" Kurumu yelled.
Tsukune looked at Tukari and pointed to the side that he was on. "Let's go, Yukari."
This caused Kurumu to look at Tsukune with shock and horror, thinking that her 'Destined One' betrayed her. Mizore, however, managed to get a good laugh, curtsy of Kurumu's expression. When the new team was formed, they got back to playing instantly. Kurumu had first serve, throwing the ball to Tsukune. He bounced it back to her side, to which Mizore managed to hit the ball over the net.
The ball was headed straight for Yukair. She was nervous at first, afraid that she might mess it up. However, Tsukune got to her, grabbed her by the sides and lifted her up higher into the air. Yukari was surprised at first, but after seeing the ball fly towards her, she took the opportunity and spiked the ball as hard as she could, striking th ground right next to Mizore's feet.
"Alright! That was amazing!" Tsukune said.
"I GOT IT! I GOT IT!" Yukari cried.
Mizore smiled at the two, happy to see Tsukune being so caring. "Great job."
Even Kurumu wasn't immune to the adorable sight. "Oh, he's so nice."
Some few metes away, Moka was lying under the shade, reading a book that she brought along with her. It was a recently written adaptation of the tale 'Romeo and Juliet' that she found in Mononoke Arcade. While she had been engrossed in the book, her attention was drawn to the sound of Yukari's screams of excitement. She also saw Tsukune giving her loads of encouragement and kind words, instantly melting Moka's heart.
"he's a lot better with children than I thought." She said under her breath.
She looked at the scene for a moment longer before she went back to her book. However, as her eyes met the pages, she felt a sudden chill do down her spine. She raised her head and looked around, her eye catching a figure that stood out among the crowd.
He wore a black, opened hoodie that covered his face, digital camo pants and sneakers. As he walked, many of the people on the beach looked at him with odd stares, but he seemed oblivious to them as he walked with a small grin on his face.
Moka could tell that there was something unusual about this individual, but she couldn't tell if he one of malice or good nature. This irked her, as she usually had a good instinct for telling this kind of thing. Now seemingly interested in what the figure was, she tried to think of a way to draw his attention. She looked around her, hoping to find some way of drawing his attention.
"Ahem."
Her head perked up. She slowly turned her head towards the sound of the cough, only to see the figure, squatted in front of her and looking at her square in the eye. They stayed silent for a moment, leaving Moka unsure of what to do next. However, the figure let out a small laugh and sat on the ground, crossing his legs.
"Sorry. I'm told that I can be a little intimidating off the bat." He said.
"Uh… that's fine." She said, still a little confused by his behavior. In a few seconds, however, her curiosity overtook her and she asked "Hi, um… might I ask what you're name is?"
The figure grinned and lowered his hood, revealing him to be a boy around their age, a head of spiky, grey hair that was sticking out at shoulder length and was grey around the tips. He had pale skin and yellow eyes. Despite the intimidating appearance, he seemed rather calm and relaxed. Likable even. This caused Moka's brow to raise and tilt her head to one side.
"The name's Mathias." He said. he held out a hand for her to shake. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."
…..
While the rest of the group had been doing their own thing, Ethan had taken the liberty of exploring more of the area that they were in. One of the many things he had grown to hate during his time is surprises, so he liked to know more about where they were exactly, in case there was a hidden threat.
His exploration had brought him to a rather surprising place. Before him was a field of sun flowers, all gently swaying side to side in the breeze. With the sun shining as much as it possibly could today, it helped to further enhance the visual quality of the field.
"Well, this was unexpected." He said to himself.
After considering the idea for a moment, he decided to go into the field to see what it was like.
"Hey, WAIT! STOP!" came a voice from behind him.
Ethan swiftly turned around and had clenched his fists, the sudden surprise from the yelling engaging his fighting instincts. Fortunately, he calmed after seeing that it was just a young couple standing there. He relaxed his hands and breathed an unnoticeable sigh of relief.
"Touya!" the girl said before smacking him in the back of the head. "You can't just yell at people like that!" the woman yelled.
The man rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment. "Right. Sorry, Yukki." The man said.
"It's not me you should be apologizing to." She said while pointing towards Ethan.
To respond, Ethan held up a hand to stop them. "No need. You were just trying to warn me." He said. "But I would like to know what could be so bad that you had to warn me not to in there."
"You mean you haven't heard about the legend of 'The Witches Hill'?" the man asked.
"The what now?" Ethan asked.
"They say that this hill once belonged to a group of witches that practiced magic in peace and stayed away from humans. However, after some modern companies tried to expand their development here, the witches fought back to defend their home. Since then, anyone who entered the hill have never come out. Some believed that there are monsters in the field that eat people up the moment step foot in there." The woman explained.
Ethan remained silent as she told the story. At the end, he slowly nodded his head and grinned at the couple. "Thanks for the fairy tale. But if it makes you feel any better, I'll stay away for now."
The man and woman grinned and thanks him for understanding. With that, they made their way to their own destination. Ethan stayed behind and watched them go. When he was sure that they were gone, he looked back at the field with a grim, but inquisitive look. He clicked his fingers and summoned a small flame. Sticking his hand out from where he was standing, he waited for some kind of reaction.
He was met with the sound of a low, sinister hissing noise from beneath the innocent looking flowers.
Ethan extinguished the flame and formed a blade-like smile on his face. "Well… this trip will be a lot more fun than I thought." He said. He turned around and made his way back towards the beach, hoping he would find the rest of the club there if they hadn't already moved.
…
"And that's why I'm more of an 'Othello' fan, myself." Mathias said to Moka.
After the two had gotten talking, the figure known as 'Mathias' had proven himself none threatening to Moka. He had admitted right off the bat that he was a monster, but he had chosen to take his education outside of school. He felt that it was best, considering the type of creature he was.
Moka had tilted her head at this. "What kind of Ayashi are you?" she asked.
Mathias raised an eyebrow. "Ayashi?" he asked back.
"It's the term for monster here." She explained. "You didn't know?"
"I'm from Wales. While I mean no ill will by saying this, there aren't many people there racing to learn Japanese." He said.
Moka smiled. "That's fair. I never really thought of learning Welsh myself."
"Take my advice. Don't. While I do respect the language, you'll do your head in sixty seconds into your first lesson." He pointed out while making a face as if he was reliving an unpleasant experience. This caused Moka to laugh involuntarily. However her smile faded as she asked her next question.
"Why did you want to talk to me?" she asked.
"Two reasons that started off as one. The first and original, simply, because I saw you looking at me earlier and was curious as to what it was that had you eyeing me." He said.
This caused Moka to blush a little, having been caught so easily.
"My second reason, after I learned that you're a monster, is to warn you to be careful over the next couple of days."
This caused Moka to look at him with a look of confusion. "Why would I need to be careful?"
"Well, you see… Ah, hello, you a friend of hers?"
Moka's eyes widened as she turned to see a stunned Ethan. She didn't really notice that Ethan was shocked, instead jumping onto Ethan and trying to crush him in a bear hug.
"YAAAY! Ethan's back!" she said.
Mathias couldn't hold back a grin as Ethan's face slowly morphed into a look of seething hatred. When Moka released him, his face went back to looking calm and peaceful. Putting on a convincing smile, he held out his hand for Mathias to shake, who gladly took it. Unknown to Moka, both were using their respective strengths to try and crush each other's hands.
"Nice you meet you… Ethan was it? The name's Mathias."
"Likewise. Always good to meet new people."
They both released their grips on each other and took a step back from each other. Mathias clapped his hands together and rubbed them briskly before saying "Right. It was great meeting you both. Sadly, I need to get going."
Moka seemed a little sad that her new friend was leaving so soon. Noticing this, Mathias gave her a thumbs up. "Don't worry. I reckon we might see each other before you have to leave."
This helped increase Moka's positive mood. With that, he turned and walked away from the two. Moka turned towards Ethan.
"So, how was your walk?" she asked.
"Hm?" Ethan muttered, only half paying attention to Moka. "Oh, um… it yielded more results than I was expecting."
"What? What results?" Moka asked, now confused.
Instead of answering her directly, Ethan looked over to the rest of the group and whistled in their direction. This caused Kurumu to receive a spike to the head via Yukari, which had the witch laughing out loud. After a brief chuckle from Tsukune and Mizore, and a minor grumble from Kurumu, they made their way over towards Ethan. They noticed that he was a little more tense than before.
"Is something wrong, Ethan?" Kurumu asked while nursing her forehead.
Ethan nodded in response. "We seem to have a situation." He said before pointing up towards the top of a cliff, where the field of flowers rested. "That field up there is home to monsters that've been snacking on humans like sweets. The locals have been saying a witch is responsible, and if so-"
"Well, well, well." Kurumu interrupted, looking at Yukari. "So you're kind likes to kidnap and kill humans, huh? Well, here was me thinking that you guys had more honour than that."
"What that supposed to mean?" Yukari asked.
"I mean that-" before Kurumu could say anymore, Ethan had taken out his staff and held it up to her throat. The air seemed to leave her lungs as fear took her over. Ethan's eyes met her own, and she saw his glare practically burrowing into her soul. The last time Ethan looked at her like this he was about to put her down with the very same staff.
"Choose your next words carefully… Kurumu." He said, his voice taking a cool, icy tone that put Mizore up against some stiff competition.
"I… uh…"
"You become good friends with Yukari and then suddenly turn on her because of some rumors. Furthermore, you seem to think that you can say some pretty hurtful things about her race despite the unfair rumors that have basically labelled your kind as 'Black Widows'." He said. He lowered his staff, but continued to glare at her.
"I… I'm sorry. I didn't think-"
"No." he stated. "You didn't think. And it's not me that you should be apologizing to."
There was a tense silence followed by this, with Tsukune, Mizore and Moka unsure about what to do. In the end, however, Ethan sighed and put the staff away.
"Lastly. I said that the 'rumors' said that witches were responsible. I'm going to use my brain and get the whole truth before making any accusations. And whether or not witches are responsible…" he quickly looked at Yukari, who had a look of hurt and worry on her face, afraid that someone form her race was causing all these problems, "Then we will hear the culprit out. We are getting the full story, like it or not."
Yukari looked up at Ethan, smiling at the fact that he's wanting to give the culprit a fair chance to explain themselves. She also felt great gratitude towards him for defending her race. Ethan rubbed this temples, as this whole argument had given him a headache, and sighed.
"Hey, how about we find a place to set up camp?" Tsukune suggested, hoping to change the subject.
"Best idea I've heard all day." Ethan replied instantly.
"Let's get going." Moka said.
With that, the group made their way off the beach, planning to find a place to rest for the night. Unknown to any of them, a crow was perched on top of the cliff, staring down and observing all their actions. It let out a loud squawk before it flew away.
….
After having decided to set up camp on the beach, as there was no other place to place their tents, they got to work on setting up the tents and preparing food for the night. While Tsukune was carrying buckets of water over to Moka, who was boiling some vegetables, he saw Miss Nekonome sneaking off.
"Uh, Miss Nekonome? Where are you going?" he asked.
The feline teacher 'eeped' as she was discovered. She looked back towards Tsukune with a nervous expression. "Uh, well, I'm just planning to get some fish." She said.
This confused Tsukune a little. "But we already brought tons of fish. Ethan nearly passed out from the smell."
"Oh, I know, but fish from the human world is way better. Its by far the most delicious treat in the world."
Tsukune grinned as he made a sudden realisation. "Miss Nekonome. Did you organize this trip just so that you can eat fish?"
At this, the feline teacher froze, realising that she had been found out. "I, uh, well, you see… I'm off." She said as she dashed off.
"Looks like were on our own." Moka said.
"I'm pretty sure we were on our own form the start." Mizore stated.
He group nodded in agreement. As they got back to cooking, Yukari asked each member of the group if they wanted her to help out with anything. However, each person said that they had it handled, and they didn't think it would be okay for her to do any work.
This slightly annoyed Yukari. Just because she was a kid, it didn't mean that she couldn't help out in any way.
"Hey, Yukari!" Ethan called out.
Yukari looked towards the pyromancer, who was making some adjustments to the tents.
"Mind helping me out? I need someone to hammer the nails in. I'll hold the strings down." He continued.
At this, Yukari beamed, at last feeling like she could help out somehow. She rushed over and kneeled down beside Ethan. He gave her the hammer and told her to hit down on the nail as hard as she could. Following his instructions, she hit the nails as hard as she could, helping to secure the tents.
"Perfect. Thanks, Yukari." Ethan said.
Tsukune and Moka had watched Ethan and Yukari at work. They couldn't help but smile at how happy Yukari was now. They could tell that she was wanting to help somehow, and felt a little guilty that they left her out. It faded when Ethan eyed them and shook his head, silently telling them not to worry.
When Yukari went off, Ethan got onto his feet and walked to the centre of the camp, where Mizore had, ironically, set up the fire for the food. Ethan sat in front of it and stared, losing himself to his thoughts. As he did, thought back to Mathias. He couldn't believe that he had to appear here of all places.
"Did he know about the situation with the hill as well? Is this the thing he said that he was investigating?"
"Ethan?"
The fire user lifted his gaze from the fire and looked around for a moment, his eyes meeting a concerned looking Moka.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Ethan stated silent for a moment, trying to think of a good answer. In the end, he said. "Moka, I need you to be wary of that Mathias guy."
This surprised Moka. "Really? Why? He's a nice guy."
"I'm sure that there's more going on with him than he's letting on." Ethan said back. "Think about it. Another monster appears at the same time we're here, who knows that you're one as well. Furthermore, it's in a place where there's a man-eating field on the rise. Don't you find that a little suspicious?"
Moka was silent for a moment as she put on a thinking face and pose as she pondered on what Ethan said. "Um… I guess you have a point." She admitted. She looked back at Ethan. "But what if he's a nice guy after all?"
"In that case, then you can say you told me so." Ethan answered back. "But for now, just be wary."
Moka nodded. She didn't like it, but given that Ethan's instincts were usually right, she didn't question him anymore. Instead, when she heard Tsukune that the food was ready, she asked him if he wanted something to eat. A smile formed on his face soon after hearing that.
"Sure. Let's eat."
….
An hour after having eaten, the group decided to turn in for the night. They were a little concerned when Miss Nekonome didn't return, but soon dismissed it as a night-long hunt for fish. After that, the group slept rather well.
All except for one.
Yukari didn't show it, but she was still troubled by what she had heard about Witches Hill. She didn't believe that her kind was capable of such atrocities, it wasn't possible. If anything, they make sure to stay as well away from the humans as possible. Although… considering the treatment they had received in the past, Yukari couldn't put it past her that some would want revenge.
She shook her head, trying to get the negative thoughts out of her head. Seeing that it wasn't working, she decided to go for a walk to clear her head. Making sure that she didn't wake anyone, she exited the tent and made her way to the field that had gained such a dark reputation.
At first glance, it didn't seem like much of a threat. However, Yukari was able to sense a strong surge of energy flowing through the patch of land. It wasn't nearly as strong as Moka or Ethan, but it was close.
"Fellow Witch." Came a voice form behind.
Yukari jumped, her hat also flying off her head before landing back in place, and gasped fom the surprise. She looked behind her to see someone in a tattered cloak, an old, gnarled hand that looked similar to a branch off of a tree sticking out and holding an old tome. Beside her was a girl in her early twenties that had black hair tied into numerous pony tails, wearing a corset and long skirt that was coated in frills and carried a staff in her left hand that had a crescent moon on top.
Yukari honestly couldn't believe her eyes. The only other witch she had ever seen was her mother, so it was a shock to see other, vastly different looking witches standing before her.
"Please do not be alarmed. We mean you no harm." The cloaked witch said.
The younger of the two stepped forward. "Hello. My name is Ruby. This is my master. We have come to greet you, fellow witch."
"Yukari was still reeling from what she had seen, but she managed to speak all the same. "Uh… hi. I'm Yukari, it's nice to meet you." She managed to say.
The elder nodded. "I understand if it is a bit of a shock seeing us. Not many witches tend to interact with each other in this day and age. However, we hope that you would become our ally."
Yukari was slightly surprised to see this. "Ally?" she asked.
"Yes. We are on a mission to save our home. This hill. With your help, we may be able to save it." Ruby explained.
Yukari looked over at the field. She had to admit, it was a beautiful sight. She couldn't imagine why anyone would want to damage or build anything over it. She looked back to the two, seeing an eager look on Ruby's face.
"Uh, well… I don't know about a war or anything… but if you want, we can become friends." Yukari said.
Ruby dashed towards her and pulled Yukari into a bear hug, a look of pure joy on the frilled witch's face. "Oh, Yukari, that's wonderful. We're going to be the best of friends."
"I wouldn't get your hopes up."
All were startled after hearing a voice that none of them recognized. They all turned towards the source of the voice and found a boy around the same age as the fellow members of the newspaper club, his face hidden beneath a black hood.
Mathias grinned at them from under the hood. "You really want to befriend a couple of mass-murderers, little witch?"
At this, Yukari's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She looked back at Ruby, who was looking at Mathias with a look of stone. She released her hold on Yukari and walked towards Mathias, he staff pointed towards him.
"Murder? There's nothing wrong with killing a few humans if it means protecting our home." Ruby said back, which only worked to frighten Yukari.
"Wow. I've heard some rubbish in my time, but that takes the biscuit." Mathias said, doing his best to hold back a sadistic laugh.
At this, Ruby charge up some energy in her staff, causing the crescent moon to glow pink. "You will not get away with such an insult, human!" she exclaimed. With that, she pointed towards the field and fired the pink energy into the soil. A few seconds later, roots the diameter of tree trunks shot out from the ground, the tops morphing into heads that resembled Venus fly traps.
"Yes, my child. End this pitiful human's live. Protect our home." The elder witch said.
With that, the creatures shot towards Mathias. They slithered around his and wrapped themselves around him, trapping him and preventing him from moving. Yukari was in total shock from what she was seeing. They had wasted no time in ending the life of that person. It made her sick to her stomach.
This sickness quickly faded, however, when she heard a maniacal laugh erupt from within the trap. This surprised Ruby and her master as well.
"Human? Me?" Mathias asked from within his prison. In seconds, a sphere of black light appeared around the creatures trapping him, grey sparks dancing around it. Within seconds, the creatures trapping him began to thin and lose their color. By the time that it had finished, the monsters had disintegrated into piles of ash, some of which landed on Mathias, but he didn't care.
He did, however, enjoy the looks of shock written on all their witches faces.
"Wh… what? Impossible. You… you can't be human." Ruby stated, panic causing her to take a few steps back.
"THERE YOU GO!" Mathias roared while clicking his fingers. As he did, a scythe appeared in his right hand, which he grabbed onto and twirled it around a few times, making sure he still had a feel for it. When he was finished, he rested it on his shoulder, pushing it back until the blade was past his shoulder. He grabbed onto the handle, just below the blade, and smiled.
"So, either of you two feel lucky now?" he asked. As he spoke, the scythe became coated in an aura as black as the attack that killed the plant monsters. Yukari and Ruby were confused by what they were seeing, but the master glared as she realised who their new opponent was.
"That skill with a scythe. That black magic." The tome glowed in her hands as her anger increased. "So it's true… the Shinigami still exist."
Yukari looked back at the master with shock after hearing her say that.
"Shingami? As in… the Gods of Death?" she thought.
"Glad to see we're not completely forgotten." He said. He squatted close to the ground, tightening his grip on the lower part of his scythe, as his ready to pounce. "Now, seeing how you guys, excluding shorty there, attacked me first… everything I do from now on is self-defence."
With that, he dashed towards the witches, swinging his weapon as he looked forward to this evening's harvest of souls.
Okay. I'm going to leave it there for the time being. Granted, I would've liked to add more, but I didn't want to overload it ether. Hope you understand.
Well, looks like one question has finally been answered, the hooded figures identity as well as his race. In case anyone asks, I've always had this in my back pocket for the story, although I had originally planned for the Shinigami to appear in another way. Although, in the end, I thought this way would be cooler.
All the same, I hoped that you guys liked it. If you did, or if you didn't like if for any reason, leave a review of use the PM to voice your opinions.
Well, that's it for me for now. Hope you're all having a nice day. Bye.