Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Rosario Vampire. I am merely twisting the creators vision into my own dream. If the supernatural, sexuality, or violence is offensive to you, then you should not read this.
Chapter 50
Tsukune felt trapped in darkness. He was in a strange nowhere place as he struggled to gain some sense of control. He hurt all over and felt sick inside. He couldn't see what held him, but he could feel it. It reminded him of some kind of thorny vine. It was wrapped about his body and limbs. The more he struggled the deeper the thorns stabbed into him. Tsukune knew he had to fight, he had to resist. The one time he tried to relax, tried to keep from hurting from the thorns in his flesh, he felt his strength, his life draining out of him through the same thorns.
He did not know why he was trapped in that nowhere place. He didn't fully understand why he had to keep fighting. Tsukune only knew that if he did not fight he would die. In the darkness, surrounded by pain, Tsukune concentrated on the one idea that he could grasp. He needed to be stronger.
It was a thought that had spurred him on for almost two years of his life. He needed to be stronger so he would be safe. He needed to be stronger so he could protect his friends and family. He needed to be stronger so he would be worthy of Moka. He needed to be stronger.
Pain was a thing of the living, Tsukune remembered stray bits of Buddhist teachings. Life was pain. Only when one gained enlightenment in the hereafter would he be free from pain. Pain was proof of being alive. If life was pain, Tsukune reasoned, then pain was life. He fought against the forces that attempted to hold him and drain away his life. Thorns of pained stabbed into him, and he welcomed them.
Tsukune remembered the Thurst he had felt when he first wore the holy lock. He remembered that hunger for life. He reached for that Thurst now. He called upon it to drink in the pain that wanted to control him. He drew in that dark pain until it became a fire within him. As the burning pain burst into existence in his center his youki responded. Tsukune would not give in. He would not yield. He summoned up his youki and drank in the pain. He made it a part of his strength and threw it back at the darkness that tried to smother him.
I. Will. Become. Stronger!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The hospital room was filled with tension. Moka, Kurumu, Mizore, Yukari, and Ruby had all of their attention focused on Tsukune. His youki was building. It was like the time he had lost control of his temper in front of the dorms, and it was growing stronger.
Moka was filled with alarm. She could feel her inner self responding to Tsukune's youki. Both sides of Moka were worried about Tsukune, but the danger of what might be happening frightened them.
Mizore felt caught in the storm of Tsukune's youki. She longed to feel his strength, his Warmth, but it was too much like trying to stand before a forest fire. She was frightened, but refused to abandoned the one she loved.
Kurumu was focused on Tsukune. She felt his youki as the others did, but she could also feel the burning power of it within herself. She felt as if some kind of diseased thing was being burned away, leaving some kind of stain behind. She could tell that something was changing inside Tsukune, but was afraid of what it might mean.
Yukari was clinging to Ruby's waist as if she was afraid she would be swept away by the storm of Tsukune's building youki. As much as she tried to act brave and tough, this level of power always frightened her. Witches could spend their whole lives in pursuit of this much power and never come close. For Tsukune to hold so much power defied any rules the little witch had ever known.
Ruby was anxious. She would have been pacing if Yukari had not been holding on to her. Tsukune was alive with so much power it was frightening. That by itself was enough to make the witch worry. But there was something that she did not like to admit. The taint of hatred that her first master had instilled her with, had nearly consumed her with, had left Ruby sensitive to the energy of dark magic. It was that energy that Ruby could feel within Tsukune. The youki from his inner ghoul was like that of the vampire that had created it. That was primal energy, driven by base desires. This new energy that was within Tsukune was dark and twisted, in conflict with primal nature and consciousness alike. Ruby did not know what this would do to Tsukune. She hoped that he would survive, and still be the Master she loved.
XXX CCC XXX
Tsukune wanted to yell out in pain and anger. He had reached an awareness of himself, He knew that he was alive, and safe in a limited way. He recognized that he was within himself, and that he could wake up at any time. If he woke up he would be able to escape the pain that thrust deeply into him, for a little while at least. Tsukune also knew that to wake up, to allow himself to see Moka and hold her close, would be to surrender to the darkness that was trying to consume him. He wanted to be free of his prison, but did not dare let himself go.
XXX XXX XXX
The girls were surprised when the door opened suddenly. From there places around Tsukune's bed the looked towards the door. The board Chairman entered the room, gliding quietly in his white robes. Behind him came a figure dressed in black.
It was a massive shape dressed darkly. A cap and long coat, that appeared to be made out of patches and scraps of black leather, were worn over black shirt, trousers, and boots. Beneath the cap was a face the students recognized.
"Lord Gray," Ruby bowed as best she could with Yukari clinging to her.
The tall foreigner acknowledged Ruby with a curt nod as he passed her. He went directly to Tsukune's bedside, shouldering Mizore out of his way. He paused for a moment, holding his hand over the bed as he scrutinized Tsukune. The girls were all silent as he performed his examination.
"Hmmm," Brone looked up from Tsukune and eyed each of the girls in turn. "Mmm hmm," He nodded when he looked at Moka. "Hmmm," He scanned Mizore. Ruby and Yukari only received brief looks. "Well this is something new," Brone said as he looked at Kurumu.
He stepped over to the succubus to look at her closely. Kurumu was keenly aware how big the man was as he raised a hand up and held it over her head. Brone took his measure of her.
"Strange," He said. "Interesting, but strange." He turned his attention back to Tsukune.
Brone performed a closer inspection of the boy on the bed. He went down on one knee and held his hand over Tsukune's chest. As Brone slowly passed his hand over Tsukune's body, the man's face shifted expressions. It was as if the man was holding a conversation within his mind. He occasionally made monosyllable sounds while frowning or raising his eyebrows. Minutes ticked away quietly in the room.
Brone finally finished his examination and stood up. Reaching up he pulled off his cap and scratched his head. The he turned to face the Board Chairman.
"What do you want me to do?" Lord Gray asked.
This brought a collection of small noises from the assembled girls.
"What are our choices?" The Board Chairman asked in return.
"We could seal him," Brone said looking back at the bed. "I could purify him, or I could just kill him and end his suffering now. Those are the simplest answers."
"No!" Moka protested loudly. The others vocally supported her.
"Perhaps if you explained the options a little more clearly," The Board Chairman encouraged.
"Alright," Brone turned back to him. "I can seal Mr. Aono, so that the powers inside of him are contained. That would be the fasted way to get him up and around. But if I do that he could become a time bomb. If he is placed in a situation where he tried to use even a small part of his youki, it would probably kill him on the spot. As I understand it, you would have to send him back to the human world and pray for the best.
"I could," Brone continued. "If I though it was worth the risk, purge his body of the energies that are burning him up inside. It would be a type of high level healing. If he survived, he would be restored to his natural state. There would never be any chance of him losing control and becoming a ghoul and he could give up the Holy Lock. He would be just another human again, and just as weak."
Lord Gray turned to look down on the bed. His face was firm but his eyes were sad.
"Ether choice could kill him if I try it. On the other hand, if I succeed, he would become an easy target for his enemies and it would only be a mater of time before he was killed. I could just end his suffering now. He would never have to know. He would not have to return to the mundane world, knowing his friends were left to fight on without his support. He would never have to feel weak or defenseless." He took a deep breath and blew it out.
"Those are the three easiest things to do," Brone explained. "Beyond that, it gets harder." He looked around the room. "Because after that it becomes dangerous for whoever is willing to help him."
"I'll do anything," Ruby declared.
"Yes!" Moka added her voice of commitment.
The others also committed themselves to helping Tsukune.
"Are you girls really ready to risk your lives for this boy?" Brone questioned them in a firm voice. "You all have an aspect that is greater then a human's. You have potentially much longer lives then a human can ever know. Are you willing to risk all that?"
A chorus of voices insisted that they were willing to do all they could for Tsukune. All of them had firm commitment on their faces. Brone looked each one of them over briefly.
"Fine then," He grunted. With a flick of his wrist a length of steel chain uncoiled itself and flowed out of his coat sleeve. He lay the chain out on the bed, all the way around Tsukune's resting body. When the ends of the chain touched, they joined together, making a continuous loop. Finally he stepped away from the bed.
"If you want to help him," He said. "Take hold of the chain."
The girls all moved in close to Tsukune's bed and reached out to grip the chain firmly. Their faces shared a mix of fear and determination. They looked towards Lord Gray expectantly.
"The next step," The big man said with a grim face. "Is to find the reason within yourself why you are willing to do this. I will only tell you what to do when I am sure you are ready for it." He hardened his gaze. "And I will only tell the person who has the most commitment."
"He is my Master," Ruby blurted out without any embarrassment. "My life belongs to him. I need him."
That started it off.
"I love him," Mizore said in her direct manner. "I want to have his children."
"He is going to marry me," Kurumu insisted. "He is my Destined One."
"I love him too," Yukari chimed in, finding strength to overcome her fear from her friend.
"He is my most precious person," Moka said softly, looking down at his sleeping face. "I don't want to be separated from him."
"So who is the most committed?" Brone asked in a flat voice.
The girls were soon arguing. They stood around the bed, holding on to the chain, arguing loudly about who was the most committed to saving Tsukune. Each one voiced over and over again how important Tsukune was to them. Brone's face was a hard mask as he resisted the urge to smile.
XXX XXX XXX
Tsukune struggled with the pain and the darkness. He knew that he had no true body inside his inner self. He fought by choosing to fight with the strength of his determination. His anger at what was happening reached to his primal self. He wanted to bite and claw at the enemy he could not see. Tsukune continued to draw the pain into himself, feeding it to his youki. It was like feeding a living vine into a fire. The heat and light of the fire supported the life of the vine right up to the point that it touched the flames, then the vine gave it's life to the fire. The fire needed to be stronger. Tsukune needed something more.
Distantly, Tsukune became aware of his friends. He could feel their auras around him. The shining brightness of Moka called to him. Tsukune needed to be stronger so that he could be worthy of her, and to protect her. And then their were the others. Ruby had sworn her life to him. She needed his protection from her fears and loneliness. Mizore, as fragile as ice in her own way, she looked to Tsukune to protect her from men that would abuse her kindness. Yukari was still a child and needed someone to watch over her who could accept her strengths. Kurumu…
Tsukune remembered how hurt she had appeared when he had gone to rescue her. All the strength he had been building had almost not been enough to protect his friend. That made Tsukune angry in a new way. All that he had been through would have been just a joke if he could not help one friend. What if it had been Moka that had needed him.
Tsukune refused to lose this fight. He refused to let himself be too weak to be there if Moka should ever need him. The idea of failing Moka was more painful then anything anybody could ever inflict upon him.
Life is pain, the old saying went. Pain tells us we are still alive. Tsukune hardened his determination. If he was in pain, then he was alive. If he was alive, then he could fight. If he could fight, then he would win!
Tsukune stopped trying to force the pain into the fire of his youki. Instead he drew in his youkai and the pain all together as if inhaling it all. He made himself into the fire. He made the pain a part of himself. The pain was no longer something outside trying to consume him. It was now a part of himself, a part of his inner world. The pain could no longer consume him because now it would consume itself.
Tsukune let himself relax. He could feel his youki ebb and his natural strength returned. His inner awareness faded and he felt himself drifting in comfort. If only everybody would stop yelling he could get some sleep.
Tsukune didn't understand what his friends were arguing about. That was normal for his life though. They would argue and he would watch them. He opened his eyes with a sigh, only to see his closest friends standing around his bed yelling and pulling back and forth on a loop of chain.
"What's going on?" Tsukune asked.