Disclaimer: I don't own Rosario+Vampire, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. Simple enough, ne? Just don't copy from this story and we're all good!
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V^^ To Name A Familiar ^^V
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There were some situations no one wanted to get into. Be they bank robberies, jury duty, the other end of a weapon, or perhaps face to face with an angry S-class monster; generally, the list was around the same no matter who was being asked. On the other end of the spectrum however, there were the situations those of a certain gender—either human or monster—would give their left arms to get into. Among those was the highly unlikely happening of being pinned beneath five beautiful women.
Under normal circumstances, that might have been the case. Unfortunately for one Tsukune Aono however, he was anything but 'normal' anymore. Granted, that fantasy would generally involve a lack of external coverings, but for it to happen at all was something only one with his kind of luck could get into in the first place. It also had to be taken note of that one of those women barely qualified as such yet, but he had seen what she would turn into in a few years. When that happened…he didn't want to think about it.
He'd be lying if he so much as thought that the fantasy hadn't crossed his mind at some point, but currently discomfort was hindering any kind of impure connotation to his present predicament. His beloved new familiar had jumped ship the second vertigo had begun setting in on his body, and was now nudging his head in fright, wordlessly asking his condition. All he could do was roll his eyes, because he couldn't move any other part of his body.
"You missed," he coughed blandly as he struggled to escape from under them. The last thing he needed was to be reminded of his body's desires, and as it was, a very soft body—he didn't know which one at the moment—was directly over him. The pressure that was putting on his groin was far from unbearable, but it would be before long if something didn't happen soon. Present company severely restricted what that 'something' would be, and since nothing explicit could come of it anyway, he naturally went for the most charitable path.
Various apologies were spouted almost instantly in the clamor that followed, and he gasped in relief when the weight on his body was lessened considerably. It wasn't gone completely though, and when he looked up he saw who had been second from his unfortunate position at the bottom. Moka Akashiya was staring back at him, her whole body pressed flush against his. Her gorgeous emerald eyes were darkened to a deep forest green, which told him beyond doubt she too was well aware of their position. He had seen that look before too, but it was under far more pleasant circumstances. Gulping heavily, he could only fight to keep his arousal down. It might have worked too, had they both not been leaning closer to each other in an effort for their lips to meet.
Needless to say, the battle was lost before it was even started.
His pink-haired lover smiled not unlike her white-haired counterpart would when she felt the onset of his physiological reaction to her closeness. Thankfully she wasn't completely evil, or unaware of their surroundings, but the decision apparently wasn't hers to make. That was shown because a disgruntled succubus pushed her off of him rather quickly after that.
"Nuh uh! Don't even think about it! There's no way you're getting more of that before me!" Kurumu exclaimed as she crossed her arms over her bust.
Tsukune shot up to a sitting position in an instant, glowing a bright florescent red. The headmaster was shaking his head in amusement while Lilith went back to snickering unashamedly on his shoulder. Mizore looked conflicted between glaring at Moka or the wyvern, and Yukari was…Yukari. Anything that hinted at romance between her two vampires sent her into hormonal glee. Surprisingly, Ruby was the only one that remembered their original goal, and had since reached down and scooped the newborn dragon into her arms.
"Hello there, cutie! Aren't you just the cutest little dragon I've ever seen! Yes you are! Yes you are!" Tsukune chuckled as the witch cooed at his familiar while rubbing the soft, leathery skin under its jaw, and it responded by rubbing its head on her neck pleadingly. It was clearly enjoying the treatment, and Ruby just laughed as the soft, blunt spikes and scales on its head chafed her skin ever so slightly.
"It's hard to believe that thing'll be as big as a small mountain in a couple hundred years when it's acting like a kitten right now," the succubus joked with a smile.
"Hey, don't say that. Kittens are only cute once, might as well enjoy it while it lasts. Isn't that right, cutie?" Ruby crooned to the silvery legend she was holding as she rubbed its head with her nose. "Soon enough you'll be breathing fire and flying around with Tsukune-san!"
Said male coughed violently as he picked himself up off the ground, now that it was safe enough for him to do so. "B-Breathe fire? That's real?"
"As real as holy rosaries sap the strength of vampires," she responded simply. "What? You thought that was a myth too? The destruction a grown dragon is capable of was used to scare children way back when, but it was very, very real. Most just didn't think it was worth their time to leave their hoards. Trust me, when a dragon got angry, you knew about it." Something changed on his face as she spoke, and she noticed that quickly. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's just, speaking of rosaries…" He reached into his shirt carefully, and the girls all became curious when he sighed in visible relief before he pulled the cross from its hiding place. "Mine's been…acting up…lately."
The elder witch instantly locked eyes with the Exorcist for a short moment, in search of some kind of confirmation, which was given in the form of a raised brow and a nod of his head. She had to keep herself from smiling, though there was a good deal of consternation also present in her body. So soon? "Acting up, how?"
"I've been having these weird dreams almost every night. I can't remember them, but I get bits and pieces that make me sure I'm having them, and when I wake up this thing is so hot it literally burns. I figured I should probably bring it up since I've got both you and the headmaster right here anyways."
"It's nothing to worry about, Tsukune-kun," aforementioned headmaster allayed those around him. "Unlike normal vampires, who generally gain more strength the longer they live, you're a special case. While that will happen, you also borrow the strength of others, if they have it to give, when you feed. You're just experiencing the aftereffects of it compensating for whatever growth might occur because of that."
No one noticed the way Moka's eyes narrowed, and the one person who might have was currently unconscious.
"Ohhh, I get it. Kinda like friction burns, right? The use generates heat. Huh, never thought of that. Why do people look at it strange though? I had it out the day Kurumu, Mizore and I went to the Arcade, and some people reacted pretty oddly," Tsukune noted as he held the ornate cross in front of his face and scratched the back of his neck.
"Again: nothing to worry about. You and your club have gained quite the reputation over the years, and with all the rumors going around for the past few weeks, it's not surprising they would be looking at you differently. They probably just pictured you with silver hair and red eyes. Not all monsters are dumb enough to assume a rosary is a fashion statement you know, and word travels quickly."
Lilith's smile was downright deadly. "And some might see the resem—mmff!" She was cut off quite hastily by the Exorcist's gloved finger, even though his facial expression betrayed nothing. Moka's thoughts were confirmed by that though, seeing as how hers had been along the same line. While she suspected why her lover wasn't being told, she wasn't about to voice her opinion. She had had her concerns, and judging by what had just been said, she had been right in keeping them to herself. She wouldn't dwell on it, in any case.
"Don't mind her. Now, are you going to give your familiar a name, or will she have to put up with 'cutie' for the rest of her life?"
"Of course I'm giving her a name!" the young vampire retorted defensively. Then his mind actually thought about what was just said. "Wait, her?"
"Why of course. Asexual reptiles are generally referred to as females unless the case deems otherwise, which this particular time is more than likely, but even then it's probably a girl."
"This is Tsukune-san we're talking about here," Yukari conceded thoughtfully.
Kurumu nodded. "You're right about that."
"He has attracted both genders before…" Mizore countered, and Tsukune shuddered just at the mention.
Moka was the one that took the logical route. "How about you, what do you say?" she asked the newborn, who seemed enamored with the emerald orbs looking at it. "Are you a boy?" It looked at the blood red crystal set in the center of her rosary as if entranced, before finally shaking its head. "Oh wow, it's actually pretty smart! So you're a girl?" The small head nodded her confirmation, and just like that Tsukune's familiar had a gender.
A paw set with small, sharp talons reached out curiously, swatting playfully at the silver cross set between her breasts, and Moka backed up. "Aw, you want to come over to me? C'mere!" She held out her arms invitingly, and the dragon wasted no time in jumping from Ruby to the pinkette, oblivious to the witch's objections. The bonded creature kept pawing at the rosary she obviously found interesting, and Moka just seemed captivated by the tiny beast she was holding. "I never thought I'd actually get to hold a baby dragon! She is so cute!"
Meanwhile, as most of the group was caught up watching the vampiress play with the dragon, the headmaster of Youkai Academy had quietly made his way over to the mistress of illusions. Kurumu nearly jumped when he put his hand on her shoulder, but she calmed fast enough upon seeing his look. "So, I take it your training with our young friend is going well?"
She would never get used to feeling like those eyes were seeing right through her every time they were set on her, like he knew everything she—or anyone else—was trying to hide. "Y-Yeah, well enough I guess. Why the sudden interest?"
"Nothing really, I suppose I was just curious as to who designed that…unusual schedule."
It wasn't stated as a question, and the way he was looking at her told her all too well that he knew already, but it also tipped her off to something else. She dropped her voice to a near silent whisper, casting a suspicious, dangerous look at one of, if not the most powerful man in Youkai Academy. "Wait…you knew he would be able to use our powers even after he was sealed, didn't you? You knew the rosary would start acting weird!"
"I plead the fifth, as they would say overseas. If it will calm your nerves, it's nothing dangerous, I can assure you. I would advise against trying to remove his rosary in the foreseeable future, just to be safe. It would seem you are more aware of his situation than he is though; does he know about that?" he replied pointedly, and watched the now impotent fury burn in her violet eyes.
"I don't know what game you're playing at, but I know there's more to this than what you've said," she hissed, and just barely restrained herself from poking him in the chest to emphasize her words. She had to keep in mind just who she was speaking to. She had seen him skewered completely through, then no worse for wear hardly any time afterwards. He was a Dark Lord, and though she was an extremely powerful high-class monster, she couldn't claim the same.
"Ah, but what if my goal is the same as yours?"
That stopped the succubus dead in her tracks. Her romantic dream with the vampire was known to everyone, but the ulterior goal she had developed with Mizore was known only to them. The thought that it wasn't just between them, and hadn't been since the beginning, made her limbs numb. "But…then you…"
The Exorcist was already gone. She huffed indignantly as she made her way back to her friends, and saw that Yukari had now joined Moka in playing with the miniature magical creature in her arms. While she had never expected him to gain a familiar, she couldn't deny that the dragon suited Tsukune like he had always been meant to have it. If it hindered any of her attempts to get closer to her destined one on the other hand, oh there would be hell to pay.
Of course, the small dragon was none the wiser to any of the thoughts going through the various females around her, and was thoroughly enjoying the attention. She kept her focus on the glimmering silver cross in front of her for the most part, more often than not missing and pressing innocently against Moka's ample chest. "Geez, those aren't playthings you know!" Moka scolded as she swatted the nosy dragon's paw away from her breasts. Her eyes happened to lock with Tsukune's however, and he flushed scarlet. She almost laughed aloud at what instantly came to mind, and she could have sworn she heard her inner self lick her lips. At least, not yours.
Kurumu always did have the best timing, and she immediately jumped in and said the thought out loud. "Tsukune can play with mine all he wants!" she exclaimed happily as she squeezed her generous bosom invitingly.
Tsukune looked like he was about to spontaneously combust. That, or suffer one of the biggest nosebleeds to date. "W-We should really get back to class! It's probably started without us already!" he stuttered as he shot forward to grab his new familiar from his lover's arms. "B-Besides, s-she's p-probably hungry. I-I should try to get her some meat from the cafeteria!"
She was picked up easily enough, but at that moment her paw finally managed to catch a talon on the rosary she had been trying to get at ever since she had jumped into Moka's arms. The look of surprise on Moka's face as she was suddenly pulled forward was priceless, and as she was tugged into Tsukune and their lips met, the rosary fell free. Seeing the surprised expression on Outer Moka was amusing enough, seeing the same on Inner Moka was downright comical. She quickly realized what position she was in though, and eagerly wound a hand into her lover's hair as her youki flared around them. Being awoken to this was definitely something she could get used to.
Rather than be crushed between the two bodies, the small dragon had hastily crawled up her partner and was once more wrapped around his neck, innocently watching the two vampires kiss. The pleased hum that escaped the white-haired woman sent the others into varied degrees of both arousal and fury, but the husky groan that came from Tsukune's throat as they pulled away from each other sent nothing but the former through their bodies.
Ruby-red reptilian eyes stared down into the mercury orbs of identical make, vampire and dragon each looking at the other fearlessly. Finally, Inner Moka smiled slyly. "Oh yes, you will do nicely. It shouldn't surprise me that Tsukune's familiar can remove my seal as well." She gazed back up at her lover lustfully. "And as for you…" She was about to go back for another kiss when the dragon nipped out protectively, likely responding to the sharp fangs she saw. Moka would have none of that, and bopped the newborn on the head just strong enough for her to get the message. "Know your place."
Sufficiently cowed, the familiar lowered her head, and the vampiress went back to her lover's lips.
When at last she pulled away, she flicked her hair back with a wave of her hand and licking her lips sensuously. Amusement danced in her eyes as she saw the irritation on both Kurumu and Mizore's faces, and just as she was about to reach down and pick up her fallen rosary, a small rumble caught her attention. Intrigued by the noise, she noticed the dragon rubbing her head on Tsukune's cheek just as she had earlier, but this time there was another need clearly expressed on her reptilian face.
"You were right, she is hungry. To be expected of one so young." She ran a pale hand down the myth's neck lightly, almost like she was in awe of what she was seeing. "You never fail to amaze me, Tsukune. I can't wait to see what our future holds. For now, we should return." Casting one last glance over her shoulder at the annoyed black and white duet, she smiled as she picked up her seal and kissed her lover before clicking it into place. "Good luck."
Back to her outer self, Moka flushed a deep red as she parted from Tsukune and detected the animosity sent her way. Inwardly strangling her ever-loving inner self for goading their friends, she could only rub the back of her neck sheepishly. "Umm…we should probably go, huh?"
Kurumu glared at her before doing exactly what she had done before, and of course that involved grabbing her destined one's tie and pulling him down for a heated kiss that killed any thought he might have had in his head. As Tsukune stumbled back, trying to recover from the experience, the succubus merely turned to her vampire friend and stuck her tongue out at the jewellery around her neck. Mizore had walked up to him by then, and he smirked slightly before he gave her what she wanted. It wasn't like it was a chore; the farthest thing from in fact. Her fingers curled in his blazer as heat coursed through the snow woman, and her mind briefly registered how talented his tongue had become before they pulled away.
By that point Ruby's skin was matching her shirt and eyes, and she was doing her best not to look. Failing horribly, but still doing her best. When Tsukune walked up to her, she almost panicked. "D-Don't feel obligated! I really don't ca—mmmmhhh…" She had never been interrupted so pleasantly before, and the fact that Tsukune was actually taking the initiative made it all the better for the masochistic witch. There was no helping the look on her face when he let her go, and Yukari was in full-blown pout mode now.
"This just isn't fair ~desu! Is a kiss too much to ask?"
His friends almost blew a fuse when he started walking over to the youngest member of the Newspaper Club, but to their relief he simply bent down and gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek. He put a hand to the side of her face and smiled. "I know, Yukari, but this is the way it has to be. Just be patient, alright?"
They watched as red crawled up from her socks, up her shirt, over her face and to the roots of her hair until it looked like smoke would fly up from her hat. Then she fell over unconscious. Whether it was from the kiss or that he had called her by only her name was hard to decipher, but the end result was the same. Kurumu cackled in perverse glee and rubbed her hands together when she saw the young witch faint.
"Oh-ho! So she can dish it out but she sure can't take it from the looks of it! Oh little witchy you are in so much trouble now!"
Tsukune simply sighed. Now they had two unconscious members to deal with, a newborn who had every right to be hungry, and they were already late for school. It had its redeeming qualities, but for the most part the day had started off terribly.
Oh well, he thought lightheartedly, when life gives you lemons…
Striding over to where Kokoa still lay in her pleasure-induced coma, he picked up the small vampire easily. Considering the weapons she wielded at the smallest provocation, she really was just as light as she looked. It was only because of what she was that she had so much strength despite that. "Would one of you mind picking up Yukari? We've got to stop at the nurse's office for these two before I go get some food for this little guy."
"Little girl," Ruby corrected instantly. "Speaking of which, what's her name going to be?"
"You say 'Gin' because she's silver and I'm going to hurt you," Kurumu threatened playfully, and Tsukune laughed. One Gin was certainly bad enough, they didn't need another.
"And 'Latte' because of the weird drink fetish Moka's father seems to have and I'll do the same," Mizore added.
He pouted as best he knew how. "So I guess Reishu's out of the question then?" he joked lightly, and they all nearly choked on the sudden laughter that evoked.
"'Cold Sake?' Oh boy, we've really been corrupting you, haven't we?"
"How about just Rei?" the elder witch suggested honestly, and Tsukune thought about that for a second.
"Beautiful, lovely child? It does sound better than 'cutie', that's for sure. How about it?" he asked the dragon still laying limp around his neck, "Rei sound good to you?" She squeaked her affirmation, and the first dragon to be seen in centuries had a name. "Well then, Rei-chan, we'd better go get you something to eat! We've got a long day ahead of us."
From Paradise they walked, back into the realm of Youkai Academy.
V^^^V
The academy's cafeteria cooks stared at the young man that had come into their kitchen. They all knew who he was; there wasn't anyone in the whole school that didn't know who this particular man was. After watching his battle with a fellow vampire, he was a celebrity in his own right. Even that paled in comparison to what they were seeing now, and there had been more than a few that had instantly rubbed their eyes, just to make sure that what they were seeing was real.
A glittering silver dragon was draped over the back of his neck, sniffing hungrily at all the scents in the air around them. They had been informed by the headmaster that someone would drop by soon after him for some leftovers, and that they were to oblige them, but they had never suspected they would be catering to the revival of a myth. As the vampire told them what he was doing there, their eyes just kept on widening.
"So…yeah, that's the story," Tsukune finished awkwardly as he tried to keep Rei from jumping into the rows of food being made before her. "My familiar just hatched, and she's pretty hungry. If you've got any meat or anything you can spare, I'd really appreciate it."
The entire kitchen was in motion in the blink of an eye.
Rei must have consumed three times her body mass under the adoring gaze of the kitchen staff, not counting the water she drank to wash it down, and in record time. When she was finally full, she belched contently and waddled back to Tsukune with her belly distended comically. Tsukune simply continued getting redder as his Familiar kept eating more and more, far more than he had ever thought possible for such a small thing to consume.
"I-I'm really sorry, I guess she was hungrier than I thought! Thank you so much for the food, and again, I'm really sorry for her! Rei-chan, can you thank the nice people for giving you all that food?" The small dragon, once more limp around his neck, opened an eye sleepily and squeaked at them in what they could only assume was gratitude. Soon after she had nestled down again, and Tsukune almost laughed when he heard tiny snores coming from his shoulder.
"It was no problem, Aono-kun," the head chef—a middle-aged woman with a flawless human disguise—answered politely. "Just to say that we fed the first dragon seen in ages is honor enough, but to say that same dragon was also a vampire's familiar…that's almost too good to be true. You better make a good name for yourself once you're done school, young man, otherwise no one will believe me when I tell them."
Tsukune scratched his ear in embarrassment. "Tell me about it. I'm sure the headmaster will work something out once she's big enough to get food on her own, but until then would you mind if I…" It almost seemed like too much to ask after what he had just seen Rei do, and Tsukune hated being an inconvenience more than anything.
"…Kept coming by?" the head chef completed with a smile. "It would be our pleasure. Take these, they'll tide her over for a little while when she gets hungry again." She handed him a plastic bag filled with what looked like beef jerky, and he smiled and bowed thankfully, careful not to disturb the sleeping baby on his shoulders.
"Thank you again. I'll pay you back when I can, I promise."
She smiled again. "Don't worry about it, really. You should get going, I'm sure you're late enough." She nearly laughed when she saw his eyes widen, and with another bow he had taken off out of the kitchen, unmindful to all the conversation that had instantly started once he and his familiar were gone.
The chef could only shake her head as she chuckled, still looking down the hallway he had taken off through. "That had to be the strangest vampire I've ever seen. Guess you can't believe every rumor you hear around here."
She turned back to her staff and snapped them into line. They still had lunch to prepare.
V^^^V
It was only after a profuse apology, and what he could only suspect to be the Exorcist's handiwork, that he was allowed back into class with little objections. Then again, Shizuka Nekonome had always been one of the more lighthearted teachers of the academy. That was probably shown most in her seemingly involuntary transformations, and more so in that she actually chose to live in the human world when at all possible. Though many monsters did so after graduating, there were still more than a few that had sanctuaries restricted to them and their brood. The hidden city of the Snow People was the most known example of such.
Not very many people seemed to be aware of the special addition to his apparel, but he thought he had seen one of his teacher's perpetually-squinted eyes open for just a second. The thought that she was more observant than people often gave her credit for made him ill at ease. Youkai Academy had enough people that apparently had the ability to see through him, another was not something he needed, especially at this time. If Rei was bothered by his steps she didn't show it, and the reason she was being overlooked so much was likely because of the fact that she was still sleeping soundly.
He took his seat as quietly as he could, and smiled back at his friends as they did the same when they spied the newest member of their group, resting comfortably on her partner's shoulders. The look they were giving him was generally reserved for a man with a puppy, or perhaps a father holding his child, but when he thought about it he really wasn't that different from the latter, seeing as how the hatchling wasn't even a day old. It definitely triggered their cuteness radar, and he didn't mind being on the other end of those looks one bit.
It already felt like they had gone through an entire day though. From waking up to her call almost as soon as he was able, to talking to Ruby, to finding the source, to hearing various explanations, and of course, Rei's hatching, he already felt exhausted. School was the last thing he wanted to do, but that wasn't a new thing either. He knew taking care of his new charge shouldn't be too hard; he had seen the intelligence glittering behind her gray eyes. She would have many things to learn, and he knew that, but the trial and error leading up to what she did and didn't know was one thing he wasn't looking forward to.
Then his eyes would trail back to his love interests, and another concern would make itself known. He had been able to ignore it for the better part of the week—his dreams excluded—but feeling Moka's body on top of his again did nothing to help calm his libido. Then with the tension growing ever tighter between him and his recent trainers, the hormonal young vampire was between a rock and a hard place—almost literally. Now he had another responsibility to boot, and that didn't bode well for trying to soothe that tension before the break became too volatile. Knowing him, it almost certainly wouldn't matter. Luck he may have, but it always seemed to come after an excruciatingly long wait.
The experiences of the day may have already left him emotionally drained, but his body was anything but. Kokoa's blood was almost as good as her half-sister's; key word being 'almost.' His hand still tingled from where Moka had bitten him, and he knew it wasn't because of any lingering pain either. Now every time she bit him he was instantly reminded of a glowing red moon, shining crimson light over a perfect pale body straddling his. A smile with fanged teeth, a kiss with crimson lips, and making love until the world revolved solely around them. The memories were practically as vibrant as the time they had been created.
Red eyes, green eyes; silver hair, pink hair; it didn't matter. When that vision became blue-eyed his fingers dug into the wood of his desk, and when violet eyes appeared beside them yet, he was sure he heard the metal of his small table protest. It really became bad when rose colored eyes intervened as well, and suddenly, repeatedly banging his head against a hard surface seemed like a good idea. He was only thankful Yukari was still so young, because if she started appearing in his fantasies he'd be the first to give himself to the authorities.
Still, he and Moka's first experience together was something he would never forget, and he knew the boiling point would eventually be reached with the others that occupied his heart. He could still feel the static tension that had sparked in the air around them that night as they cooked dinner, and the resulting explosion was unforgettable. He wanted theirs to be just as special, but how to make that possible consistently eluded him. That same tension was there every time he sparred with Mizore or Kurumu, and sometimes it worried him what would happen when they finally gave in. Actually, what worried him more was where. His impressive restraint was beginning to fail him, and if that was happening already it didn't take much to guess where both of them were. Mizore had always been able to hide more behind her expressions than Kurumu, but he would never be able to erase the feeling of that strain in the air. It had become ingrained in his memories too far for that.
Sometimes he really hated his chivalrous nature. Right then he really needed to blow off some steam otherwise it felt like he would explode! Maybe he would ask for a joint session with his self-proclaimed trainers. Fighting one of them was hard, but both of them at the same time would be practically impossible sealed as he was. In other words: it was perfect. He wanted impossible; that meant he would have to use everything he had, and hence have nothing left for something like hormonal fantasies. Say, like the kind he hadn't been able to get rid of since he felt Moka's body on his again.
At least Rei was still sleeping, completely ignorant of the thoughts overtaking her partner's mind. With her yet another dynamic was added to the romantic equation between him and his heart's desires. She was still so young it probably wouldn't be practical to leave her alone, unless it was in his room, and he didn't know how quickly she would develop either.
He had already known it, but as his thoughts went around in circles, he came to the same conclusion he had come to once before.
He was so screwed.
V^^^V
Lost in his thoughts, the fledgling vampire didn't notice the underlying emotions in the looks he was receiving, and it wouldn't have been too hard either had he been paying attention. Others might not have noticed it, but they had long become attuned to their Tsukune's moods and expressions. What made this one so easily recognizable was because it was one of the few most of them hadn't been exposed to yet, and labeling a new look was no trouble with the small amount of his emotions they had left to discern.
One person knew it without doubt though, even if technically it was two people that knew. The smoldering lust in his eyes sent her back to another time, and the only thing that made it any different from the gaze he had fixed on her as they made love was the confliction within it. She knew nothing had happened between him and any of his other would-be lovers, because Kurumu would be the first to tell her when they crossed that line. Hell, she would almost certainly shout it from the rooftops if she was allowed.
Moka Akashiya might have once been bothered by the idea of having to share Tsukune, but that all changed when he did, and his lifespan was no longer restricted to the small blink in terms of eternity. She might have once been selfish enough to desire all of his eighty or so years to herself, but now that didn't matter, she had something much better. They could live their lives out with him, and she would too. It just so happened that her life was a bit longer than theirs.
It was almost embarrassing how close she had come to tearing off his clothes again when she felt him react to her, and had they not been surrounded by people there was little doubt in her mind she would have done so. If she had thought the sexual pull had been hard to resist before they had given in, it was positively nothing compared to after. Fantasies can only go so far, but having something real to compare them to was another matter altogether. It had only been a week, but it felt like so much longer when she found herself on top of him again, even if it had been a complete accident.
There was an upside, if it could be considered that. Summer Break was coming up in a month's time, and then they would have no school obligations other than the usual homework. She had always imagined them as lovers, but now that they were, going to his home had whole new meaning. Certain things would be hard; they were difficult as a ghoul, and she knew they would be all that and more now that the only thing left of his humanity was his relatively human mindset. But still, all that time with nothing to do was a dream come true, and there was no way she was going to waste it.
Sometimes it amazed her how deeply she was in love with him, and every time she was reminded of that she couldn't help but think of how much he had changed. Each change made him stand out more, and yet every time something new appeared she knew it was meant to happen. A single human sent into a world that wasn't his own had changed it even more than it had changed him.
She knew that solitary image of him that morning would forever lay in her memories. It wasn't their failure of a tackling, or even their kiss. Instead, it was his back. She had been walking by his side, in the perfect position to see his profile, and one of the planets in the sky had momentarily darkened his features. As the light set his brown hair aglow, Rei's silver scales came to life, glittering like white jewels around his neck as he carried the unconscious Kokoa with ease. There stood the kindest human she had ever met, turned into one of the most powerful vampires she had ever met, carrying another in his arms as a dragon laid around his neck like it was an everyday occurrence. Flanked by a snow woman, a succubus, and a witch while she herself carried Yukari, she knew this was a force that could even give her father pause. She hoped it would too, because once word got out things were bound to get ugly.
Even when he was human, there had been something about him that was special. Now, now that was simply visible. As a human he had conquered a vampiress' pride with love, and as a vampire he had forced her to acknowledge that. As a human he had protected as many people as he could with his friends; as a vampire he didn't need to rely on his friends anymore, but did anyway. He didn't think of himself as all-powerful, he knew he had faults and weaknesses, and he trusted his friends to cover for them. It had taken a while, but when Moka's inner self had grasped that, it had changed the way they fought together. All because of one human.
She wouldn't have it any other way.
Now she just needed to plot a way to have him again.
V^^^V
The only plot in Tsukune's mind was how to keep his newfound familiar hidden for the foreseeable future. There was something to be said for small mercies, and one of them was that Rei remained sleeping for the entire class, despite all of Shizuka's numerous vocal acrobatics. The cat woman defined 'carefree', which was likely why she was one of the favorite teachers in the school. Kagome Liliko was ahead of her only because of the many boys that had voted for her, but if they knew what Tsukune did they'd never be able to see the math teacher in the same light again. Well, some of them might. Who knew what everyone was into?
He shuddered.
It was an absolute miracle when the day passed by totally with no one the wiser to the newborn dragon's existence, and needless to say Tsukune was ecstatic. All the buzz about him had finally started to die down, he was in no rush to get to the top of the gossip loop again. It was as he opened the door to his room that Rei woke up, having deemed the many classes her partner had to go through not worth her attention. The only class she actually stayed awake for was English, which was odd since it was one of his worst subjects. He had been understanding it more as of late, but he wouldn't bank on a long-term trip overseas anytime soon.
Bending down to make the descent to the ground smaller, he gestured to the floor. "Come on, Rei-chan. This is my room, which I guess means it's your room too until you get too big."
Whether she understood his words or just the motion was unclear, but she hopped off his shoulder all the same. He had to smile as he watched the small creature patter around his room, and eventually decided curling up on his pillow was the best thing to do.
"Yeesh, if sleeping was a sport you'd be unbeatable," he commented jokingly, and one of his familiar's eyes opened in a very recognizable glare. He knew it should have unnerved him because he had only seen its likeness on his female friends before, but for some reason the thought of her being more intelligent than she seemed didn't seem too farfetched. She probably was glaring at him. He held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. You're a growing girl, I understand that."
She squeaked her approval of his words before nestling down again, and Tsukune chuckled as he walked to his closet for his training clothes. He had already ruined enough uniforms over the course of his years at Youkai Academy, and had learned a long time ago that if one is going to train with monsters, they'd better be prepared to sacrifice some clothing in the process. He muffled a groan when his mind instantly equated that with a different act that often demanded that same prerequisite.
How do you tell your mind to get out of the gutter when your body's already there?
Mindful that he was in the presence of a member of the opposite gender, however aware the other party might have been of that fact, he stowed away to the washroom to change. Rei must have opened her eyes again in that time, because he stumbled back into the room as fast as he could when terrified feedback suddenly started clawing at his ears. He quickly made his way over to the scared infant, shushing her soothingly, and that was truly when he realized that was exactly what she was. For all intents and purposes, she was only a child. He had gotten so caught up in the myth and legend speeches about her that he had never thought that he was more of a lifeline, or even a parent, than a partner at the moment.
His shirt was undone haphazardly and his belt was still in the process of being loosened, but nonetheless he relaxed beside his pillow and let the small reptile crawl onto his stomach, undoubtedly seeking out his presence. He cradled his shivering familiar and ran a couple of fingers over her fragile wings, and thankfully she was calm within minutes. With a deep sigh, he ran a hand through his hair.
Well, this is going to be more interesting than I thought.
V^^^V
Kurumu was delighted when she saw their new friend wrapped around her destined one's neck as he approached where they trained. She laughed, naturally, when he relayed the tale of a near-broken bathroom door because of the dragon's panic, and pet her head lightly.
"Don't worry. From what I heard from Ruby, dragons grow really fast in their first few months. This stage shouldn't last long, but it's not surprising. She's barely a day old and she can almost do enough to survive on her own! Jeez, dragons are pretty scary even when they're little! Guess their reputations aren't for nothing, huh?"
"The more time I spend here the more I wonder what's real and what's not," Tsukune replied as he shook his head. "I mean come on, if I believed half the things humanity thinks about succubae I'd be running away from you screaming. God knows what's actually true about Rei-chan!"
At that Kurumu's smile turned predatory, and she strutted towards her prey seductively, swaying her hips all the while. He gulped heavily when she pressed herself against him and slowly ran a finger down his jaw, pulling his gaze to her vibrant amethyst eyes, hooded darkly in lust. "And how do you know what they say isn't true?"
His body temperature must have jumped twenty degrees, and he was sure the look he was now giving her was nowhere near that of a friend. He nearly growled as his heart hammered in his chest, and brought his head down just centimeters away from hers. That magnetic attraction was building, demanding he get closer, and his voice came out in a near silent whisper. "Something tells me I wouldn't care."
Her bluff called, the succubus felt her cheeks heat up. True, he didn't know half of what the original succubae had used their illusions—and most of their abilities in general—for, but the way his hot breath was crashing down on her in tightly-held restraint made her want to do her ancestors proud. Then she noticed the dragon still curled around his neck, and remembered the conversation they had just had. Suddenly strangling the small creature came to mind, myth or no.
So, reining in her lust, she willed her breathing to calm and smiled normally. "One day I'll show you, you can count on that." She hadn't counted on him not moving away however, and as he bared his teeth she noticed his fangs were fully extended. She stood stock still, not out of fear, but out of anticipation, as his lips brushed her neck ever so softly, and she no longer knew if his deep breaths were to calm himself, or to inhale as much of her scent as he could. The desired pressure started, the prelude to his beloved ability, and then just like that it was gone.
Suddenly strangling him came to mind, destined one or no.
He drew back, and she had to admit Tsukune pulled off a smirk surprisingly well even though she wanted to clock him. "I wouldn't want you too weak to train me, right?"
If it wasn't for his deliberately teasing tone she might have thought he was sincere, and her eyes glinted dangerously as she smiled back at him. He had not only called her bluff, he had also upped the ante at the same time. All her lessons on cunning and confusion were being taken to heart at least, she could certainly see that. Illusions were always easier if the victim was unsteady mentally, but of course the biggest factor in their effectiveness was the amount of youki both parties had.
"Just for that, you better start running. Today we'll be practicing illusions during combat!" Her nails shone before springing to their full length, and Tsukune gulped before hastily removing Rei from his neck.
"C-Can't we talk about this?"
Her smile was sickly sweet. "Nope!"
Rei was left to wonder if her partner was masochistic, or if maybe his friends were just sadistic.
V^^^V
Similar thoughts to the reverse were percolating in those close to him as time went by. That one day had become two, then three, then four even! Needless to say Mizore Shirayuki was not a happy camper. She wasn't alone in these thoughts either; Kurumu had been none too happy over the past few days, and even the ever-compassionate Moka was getting exceedingly irritable. Not even Tsukune was immune to the effects. Their training sessions had often become mock brawls just to relieve some of the practically palpable tension in the air around them. Of course, whenever things got too heated Rei would decide to voice her presence, halting any further action, and thus making the tension worse.
The small dragon had grown by leaps in just four days. Where once she was barely the size of a football, she was now the size of a large dog, and almost came up to Tsukune's waist. She had managed to avoid notice the second day after her birth as well, but by the third day she had become big enough to walk on her own beside her partner. He would have left her in his room if it was possible, but she still liked having as much time around him as she could, even if she was simply sleeping beside his desk.
Unsurprisingly, those inside the school that hadn't known about her had had a fit. Seeing a real live dragon was even more of a shock than seeing a classmate they had known for years unsealed as a vampire. For it to be his familiar yet was almost too much to take. Obviously, some still reacted normally, or as normal as Youkai Academy ever got. Rei had almost been dog-piled by the excited girls around her, and Tsukune had been privy to looks of respect from his male peers, with not a few looks of jealousy thrown in too. He just tuned out whatever other rumors got started, because honestly enough he didn't care. More like he was too distracted to care, but it served the same purpose.
As Kurumu walked to school on the fifth day since Rei's joining, something unexpected happened. Usually Mizore was off hiding by now, or already at their meeting place, but today she walked out of her room at the same time and met the pace her friend was setting.
"Wow, you're up late today. I thought it was physically impossible for you to sleep in on a school day," the mistress of illusions commented smartly, and the snow woman merely rubbed her eyes.
"I like my dreams more than reality lately," she responded simply, and Kurumu's smile faltered. "I've always watched, I've been content doing that, but now I want to touch so badly and I can't. It's…it's…maddening!"
Her friend nodded her understanding, even though the display of even mild irritation was uncharacteristic for the blue-eyed woman. "I know what you mean. Every time Tsukune and I get somewhere, Rei gets in our way! I always have to stop our lessons after that! Have you ever tried fighting in ruined panties?" To her shock, Mizore nodded, and she put her face in her palm. "Of course you have, you're in the same mess."
"It's gotten to the point where I'm almost scared of him biting me. Getting new panties is no big deal, but jumping him in the middle of the school? I swear…"
Kurumu's grin came back full force. "Dang, I never thought you'd have it in you. I've thought of doing it a few times already too."
"And then your dreams start playing games with your body," she muttered bitterly.
"Alarm clock, huh?"
Mizore scowled. "How'd you know?"
The blunette shrugged. "Same here."
Her shoulders sagged, suddenly bereft of any misplaced anger. "This is getting ridiculous. It was bad last year, but it's barely been two weeks since we heard Moka and Tsukune doing their best to break down the dorm, and now…!" She would have completed her sentence, but she had been caught up in her imagination for the nth time that day already.
The succubus' eyes lit up. "Hey, what if…" She leaned over to her friend's ear and whispered the rest conspiratorially, and Mizore's smile turned positively evil.
"Have I told you you're a genius lately?"
She beamed. "No, but I love hearing it!"
V^^^V
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Author's Notes: Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or just want to talk, send me a line. I wouldn't object to you filling in that review box either.
'Til next time!
Sabr