Prologue

"I met this six-year-old child with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and… The blackest eyes. The devil's eyes." - Doctor Samuel Loomis to Sheriff Lee Brackett, 1978

Yokai Academy

October 31st, 2014

Tsukune Aono's left hand wrapped tightly on the academy roof's wooden guard rail. His friends were behind him, his best friend included. He could hear them calling out to him but he could not hear what they were saying. He wouldn't have been able to care at the moment if he could.

He yanked the piece of the guard rail he'd been holding out with ease. Both ends of the piece were splintered and a massive crack formed. It sliced his hand open, and he could feel the blood drip out of the new cut. He gazed down at the weapon he now held. His expression was blank as he studied the improvised weapon. He looked back up to his target: his would-be killer.

Fires raged all around the roof from the fight his friends had been having with the killer. The fires didn't concern him as he began to walk forward. His movement was slow, methodical… relentless. He caught a glimpse of his reflection briefly in a piece of window glass that had shattered when the fight had begun.

His skin was so pale. It was almost as white as paper. His eyes were completely devoid of life or reason. It reminded him of a mask a man that he'd seen in some newspapers from a pair of places in America wore. One was a town called Haddonfield in the state of Illinois, and the other, a city known as Summer Glen in California.

That man was dead, of course. He'd been dead for sixteen years. Yet Tsukune knew there was a connection between him and the man, besides them sharing blood, of course. The man had been his granduncle after all. His grip tightened on the piece of wood, drawing more blood. He was utterly silent as he kept approaching his would-be killer.

The killer, a tall teenager, utterly naked save for the blue fire that surrounded him, was grinning at Tsukune. He raised his hand and fire began to engulf it. He began speaking, and this time Tsukune could hear the voice.

"So, it seems your little human pal wasn't totally human after all, was he? Being a lowly human was bad enough but being a Shi no Ō… that's quite the serious crime, Vampire. Concealing one is tantamount to treason in the Monster World. Once I've dealt with him, you will all share in his fate."

Tsukune didn't know what a Shi no Ō was. He didn't really care, either. He began to raise his left hand, the improvised stake in his hand coming to a perfect stabbing position. That was when the fire that was engulfing the killer's hand shot toward him.

Chapter One

Death Comes to Yokai Academy

"Death has come to your little town, Sheriff," – Doctor Samuel Loomis to Sheriff Lee Brackett, 1978

Six Months ago

Tokyo, Japan

April 8th, 2014

Tsukune awoke with a start, his heart pounding in his ears. He frantically looked around while trying to remember where he was. He began to calm down as he realized where he was. He was on his way to the new school his father had discovered. Perhaps there he could start fresh. He'd been expelled from his high school due to… a rather violent fight from all accounts. He couldn't remember it, of course. He could never remember the fights he got into.

He gazed out the window of the bus, watching a pair of trees roll by. He felt the bus stop and looked through the bus's windshield. It was a red light. He frowned at the light, annoyed at the fact that the driver and himself kept getting them. He went back to looking outside and froze. There, standing by one of the trees they'd been driving by, was a man.

Tsukune could tell the man was tall. He was somewhat thin and was wearing a mechanic's coveralls, black boots, and a white mask. He didn't seem to be breathing as he stood there. The most disturbing part about the man was the grisly wound around his neck, almost as if he'd been decapitated, and his head was attached by his spine alone. His hands were empty. Tsukune let out a shallow breath. Why was no one reacting to the man's presence? He couldn't be the only one seeing him, right?

He turned sharply in his seat to look at the driver. The man was also looking out but was as calm could be while smoking his cigar. Tsukune looked back at where the man was, but he saw nothing there. Had he imagined it? He felt the bus start moving and glanced forward again. He caught a glimpse of a green light before they were on their way to the school again.

"Get a grip, Tsukune!" he berated himself while shaking his head. He looked back out at the landscape, fishing for the MP3 he'd gotten as a gift from his father on his sixth birthday.

"Hey, kid," the driver started, drawing Tsukune's attention, "You a new student to Yokai Academy?"

Tsukune nodded in response, "Yep. Hoping it'll be a fresh start!"

"I see… Better be prepared then. It can be quite the scary place, but I get the feeling you're more prepared than you or I think you are."

"What do you mean?"

"Ah, nothing," the driver replied as Tsukune's phone began to vibrate.

He pulled out the phone and saw that his dad was calling him. He wouldn't be surprised if Kiyoko called him after. He answered the call and held the phone to his ear.

"Hey dad," Tsukune began, his eyes once again focusing on the landscape.

["Hey, just checking up on you, Tsukune. I know going to a school so far away is hard."]

"Nah, it's alright. I'm sure a change of scenery will be just what I need. Maybe it'll help with the nightmares."

["Speaking of… you haven't had any recently, have you?"]

Tsukune thought about lying about the dream he'd had only a few minutes ago but his dad could tell when he was or wasn't lying easily. He sighed before answering.

"Actually, I did have one about five minutes ago."

["Are you alright? How bad was it this time?"] his father asked, causing Tsukune's thoughts to travel back to the nightmare.

It was dark, as far as Tsukune could tell. He was standing in the corner of what he believed was a garage. There was a maroon car in front of him. He heard someone coming and watched a teenage girl walk toward the car. She was wearing a blanket, a white button-up shirt, and nothing else. She was singing to herself as she opened the driver's side door of the car. She got out seconds later, leaving the door open. He heard her mention not having keys. He climbed into the car as soon as she left. He lay down in the back seat of the car and waited.

The girl returned only a minute later. He waited for her to sit down in the driver's seat before he sat up. He snaked his forearm up against her throat. The girl started to beat and scratch him but it did nothing. She then pressed the car's horn and the knife that he hadn't realized was in his hand came flying up and stabbing into her belly from behind the seat. It didn't take long afterward for the girl to die, her body pressing into the car's horn. He pulled her back from the horn and pinned her to the back of the seat with the knife.

He opened the passenger door and climbed out. He then turned to the driver's door and opened it too. He placed his arm in front of the girl's body before savagely yanking the knife back out. He pocketed the knife before reaching in with his other hand and hoisting the girl out of the car and into a bridal-style carry. He turned once more to the open garage door and began to walk out. What scared him the most about this entire ordeal was how he felt nothing during the entire process.

["Tsukune, are you there?"] his father asked into his thoughts. Tsukune shook himself before answering.

"Yeah, still here, sorry. Got lost in thought. What were we talking about again?"

"The nightmare, Tsukune."

"Right… right," Tsukune replied before he explained the latest in a string of nightmares he'd had since he was six years old.

["I wish I could do more to help, Tsukune. Did you… remember to grab your medicine?"]

When he'd first told the doctor he'd gone to see, when he was about twelve years old, about the nightmares, the man had written a prescription for sleeping pills. His parents were reluctant at first to let him take them, but now they'd become accustomed to it. The pills helped him keep the nightmares away. It was the only real way for him to get sleep now. Otherwise, he'd be greeted by nightmares every time he closed his eyes.

"I did. I'll need to get refills every now and then, but I should be fine. How are the guys from school doing?"

["Better, but still not one hundred percent just yet. I heard they're releasing one from the hospital today. Apparently, his leg wasn't as bad as they thought. The others will need to stay a little while longer, but they should make full recoveries. I'm still not sure about the others. They're not under my care after all."]

"Well, tell them I hope they'll be okay? And that I'm sorry for what I did, even though I don't remember what I did?"

["I will. Oh, and Tsukune? Be safe, alright? I love you."]

"I love you too, dad. Bye."

["Goodbye."] his father answered just as the bus passed into a dark tunnel.

Yokai Academy

The bus came to a stop beside a gnarled old tree. Tsukune heard the doors of the bus open and stood up. He hoisted his bag onto his back as he walked off the bus, coming to a stop just in front of a pumpkin-headed and decrepit looking scarecrow. He looked over its shoulder at the water below, which was a dark shade of red. That couldn't have been natural.

"Watch yourself up at Yokai, kid. Like I said before, it can be quite the scary place…" the driver said before closing the door. Tsukune turned and watched the driver go before he started heading to the building that he could see off in the distance.

Tsukune found himself going into the forest as he moved. He started to feel uncomfortable as he walked, glancing around and swearing to himself that he heard something following him. He looked back once to see if he could see what it was. There had been nothing there. He continued forward but kept his gaze back there for a good thirty feet before turning to look ahead. He wished fervently that he hadn't done that.

It was that man again. He was much closer this time, only fifty or so feet from Tsukune. The injuries were different this time, from what Tsukune could tell, and the man wasn't unarmed anymore. He was holding a scalpel this time, and the eyeholes in his mask had streams of blood falling out of them. There were dark splotches all across his coveralls, and Tsukune thought he could faintly smell gas on the air. The mask the man wore was also slightly different. It looked… older.

"Who are you?" Tsukune asked nervously, getting himself ready to run from the man. The man didn't respond to Tsukune's question and simply tilted his head to the right.

"What do you want with me?"

Again, there was no response. No sign of movement at all. Nothing to indicate the man clearly standing in front of him was even alive. Tsukune heard something creak behind him and spun to face it. There was still nothing there, and when Tsukune turned back, the man was gone again. He wasted no time and sprinted over to where the man had been. He wanted to see if he could find out where the man had gone.

There were no tracks. No signs of movement on the ground. There was nothing to indicate that the man had been there at all. Tsukune lowered his head into his hands, breathing shallowly.

"Someone is messing with me. That has to be it. It can't be a fucking ghost. It just… can't," he thought as he began to calm himself down. When he took his hands off his head, he could see them shaking. He started to will himself to calm down when he heard something behind him again.

Tsukune frantically searched for something he could use as a weapon, his mind at its limit. He spotted a large stick and hefted it with both hands before turning back to the forest behind him again. He gritted his teeth before angrily calling out "Enough fucking games! Come out where I can fucking see you, asshole! You think I'm fucking scared of you?! Come on!"

He waited for whatever was behind him to make its appearance for a good three minutes before a small bat fluttered above. He sagged in relief and let the stick fall from his fingers. He laughed nervously as he flushed red from his outburst.

"It was just a bat. That nightmare is making me go nuts. First, that guy that I keep seeing and now I just threatened a bat. What's next, someone's actually going to show up?"

He was just about to start his trek to the school when out of nowhere, something slammed into his back. He went flying and reached for anything that could stop his flight. His eyes were shut so he had no idea what it was he grabbed before he hit the ground.

"Agh. What was that?" he muttered as he sat up and reached down to help himself up. That was when his hand landed on something soft, and he heard a girl groan in disorientation.

His eyes snapped open and saw his hand resting on a girl's thigh. He quickly yanked it back before the girl he'd grabbed opened her eyes. "I'm so sorry. My eyes were closed and something hit me from behind and…"

He stopped speaking when he got a look at the girl before him. The girl had long, pink hair which cascaded down her back and ended just past her knees. Much like Tsukune, she was dressed in the same school uniform of a green blazer, a white button-down shirt, and instead of slacks a short khaki skirt in a gingham pattern. A pair of navy blue socks and brown loafers completed her look.

Another difference between them, besides the skirt, was a large silver cross with a round ruby-colored gem in the center. It hung from a black leather collar around her neck on a short thick chain in the center. It was a very odd accessory considering the girl's appearance. The girl opened her eyes, and he was struck by their beauty. They were emerald green and utterly enchanting. He stopped himself from staring too long.

"It's not your fault. I got all dizzy from my anemia while riding and lost control. Are you ok?" she asked and Tsukune nodded in response. He didn't trust himself to speak just yet. He felt a stinging pain on his cheek and touched the area the pain was radiating from. His hand came away with a little blood.

"Oh no, you're hurt!" the girl cried before digging in her pockets for something. Her hand came out quickly with a handkerchief. She started to reach toward the wound before halting. Her pupils dilated slightly as she reached for the cross with her other hand.

She was muttering to herself and Tsukune only caught the word "smell". On a whim he sniffed the air. The air smelled like strawberries, and it dawned on him the scent was probably coming from the girl so close to him. He closed his eyes and sighed contentedly before he felt a pair of hands clasp his cheeks.

She lifted her head and leaned in, almost as if to kiss him. "Sorry about this, but I can't help it. I'm a Vampire after all!"

"Oh yeah, perfectly understandable… wait… what?"

Without any other warning, he felt a sharp prick in his neck from the tiny fangs he'd seen in her mouth just before the bite. It was an odd sensation. He also found it somewhat funny when he heard the girl utter a little "nom". It was only a moment before she quickly darted back, looking aghast.

"Oh no, I'm so so sorry!"

"Ow," Tsukune grumbled as he felt the part of his neck where the girl had bitten him.

"(Doesn't look that bad, actually. Still though not sure how I feel about being bit). Don't sweat it. You didn't really hurt me, I was just surprised is all."

"That's great! By the way, are you going to Yokai Academy?"

"Yeah. I'm a first year. My name's Tsukune Aono. I guess you're going there too?"

"Yep, and I'm also going to be a first year! My name is Moka Akashiya. Say, I know this is sudden, but do you want to be friends?

"Sure. I don't see any reason for us not to be."

"Yay!" Moka cried before embracing Tsukune in a tight hug. Tsukune began to urgently tap her on the shoulder as his lungs desperately begged for air.

"Moka, I can't… breathe!"

"Oh! Oops…"

"Thank you. Here, let me help pick some of this mess up. We don't want to be late to the entrance ceremony, right?" Tsukune asked as he started picking up Moka's bag. She nodded as she righted her bike, and the two started on their way.

Homeroom, Yokai Academy

Tsukune found himself once again looking out of a window. He was sitting in homeroom, waiting for their teacher to arrive. He didn't know where Moka was as they'd split up during the entrance ceremony. It hadn't taken him long to find his homeroom. When he'd gotten in, he picked the desk that was closest to the window in the middle row of desks. He heard the classroom door open and watched as who he assumed was their teacher entered.

She was young by teacher standards. She seemed to be in her early twenties. She wore a happy expression that seemed to make her eyes almost look like they were shut behind her glasses. Her hair was blonde and had a pair of tufts that made Tsukune think of cat ears. She walked up to the large desk situated at the front of the class and picked up the pointer that had been lying there.

"Hello everyone, and if you're a new student, welcome to Yokai Academy!" she said quite cheerfully, "My name is Shizuka Nekonome, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for this year!" Tsukune smiled as she spoke, feeling utterly calm from the aura of pure kindness she projected.

"The teacher seems really nice. Maybe this place won't be so bad, given that it looks like it came straight out of a horror film?" he thought as Nekonome spoke again.

"As you all already know, this is a very unique school! One that caters exclusively to monsters. Now, like it or no, humans control the world and we must learn to coexist with them. That is this school's purpose; to help young monsters learn to coexist with the human race."

"…What?"

"Teach," a student sitting right next to Tsukune began, "if we find a human here, can't we eat 'em? They ain't good for much else."

"Let's see, you are… ah, Mister Komiya! That would be impossible since there's a powerful barrier put around the school to protect it from humans. Even if one managed to find their way to the grounds, they would be immediately put to death."

"Put to death? Are you fucking kidding me?! I've gotta keep a low profile until I can get out of here!"

"This brings me to the first rule of Yokai Academy: you are not allowed to reveal your true forms to anyone, even to your fellow students! That would be counterintuitive to the goals of the academy after all! Next rule is-" she was cut off when the door to the class opened and someone ran inside.

Tsukune saw Moka standing in the doorway, breathing hard. "I'm sorry that I'm late! I got lost!"

Every guy in the classroom was checking Moka out, quietly muttering praises about her looks and just what they'd give to spend a night with her. Tsukune tried to glare at them all but to no avail. He couldn't see all of them.

"Don't sweat it, happened to me too. Go ahead and introduce yourself!"

"Hello everyone, I'm Moka Akashiya! I hope we can all get along!" Moka stated happily, standing in front of the class. She scanned the room, looking for available seats, and happened to spot one… right behind Tsukune.

"Oh no. There goes any chance of me keeping a low profile…" Tsukune thought as he saw Moka's smile grow even wider.

Moka leapt toward him with a happy cry, enveloping him in another hug, one that was almost twice as strong as the first time she'd hugged him. "Tsukune, I can't believe we're in the same class!"

"Y-yep, can't believe it either… but could you… maybe… ease off a little? You're crushing me!"

"Oops, sorry…" Moka replied, poking her fingers together. Tsukune laughed before noticing the looks the other male students and some of the female students were giving him.

He glared back at them in annoyance, unaware that as he did so, his eyes flashed to a pure black color. None of the students had ever seen that before and found somewhere else to look. All but one, that is. One Saizo Komiya kept his gaze on Tsukune and Moka, particularly on Moka.

A pair of taps on the desk from Nekonome brought their attention back to her. She continued her talk about the rules of Yokai Academy as Moka sat down behind Tsukune. He smiled back at her before focusing on the teacher again, not noticing the third appearance of the man or ghost that had been stalking him since the bus was standing down below, outside the window he was sitting next to.

Main Hall, Yokai Academy

Tsukune felt sweat start to drip down as he was pulled along by Moka. He couldn't help it since the glares seemed to have followed him out of his homeroom. He was fairly certain any one of these students, if they could and thought they could get away with it, would actually kill him. He glanced down towards the hand that was currently being pulled by Moka.

As soon as they'd been released from homeroom, Moka dragged him out to explore the rest of the academy, since the rest of the day was a free day. He thought that this was all a dream as they moved at first. That was quickly shot down when Moka accidentally dragged him into a wall. He'd been able to avoid that issue for a good while until his attention was grabbed by something else.

They'd been passing by one of the school shops. It, like most of the other ones in Yokai Academy, was horror-themed, in a kid-friendly way. That seemed at odds since these monsters were high school teens. That was when he caught sight of another familiar face, of a sort.

It was that mask he'd kept seeing on that man or ghost or whatever it was. It was in far better condition of course but he couldn't distance it from the ghost. All he could see whenever he blinked was the blood coming out of the eyeholes or surrounding where the neck would be. The accidental wall hit brought him out of staring at the thing.

Moka had made sure he was alright before they continued on. The glares then further pushed the mask out of his mind. For a short while, anyway. As he got used to the glares, he found himself thinking back to the mask he'd seen. The thing had a name: "The Shape". What it was doing in school for monsters, Tsukune had no idea.

"Tsukune?" Moka asked into his thoughts.

Tsukune looked up after he realized they'd stopped moving. "Hm? Sorry, did you say something, Moka?"

"I was asking what you were thinking about…"

"Ah, it's nothing."

"Are you sure? It doesn't have anything to do with what happened with the wall, does it?"

"It's fine. Hey, you want to get something to drink? I'm kind of thirsty," Tsukune said, diverting the topic away from the mask.

Moka could tell he was deflecting but decided to drop it for now. "Sure! There's a vending machine outside."

Just as they were about to start heading to the vending machine, a massive shadow loomed over them both. Tsukune and Moka both looked to the source of the shadow. Tsukune frowned when he recognized Saizo Komiya.

"Your name's Moka Akashiya, right? We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Saizo Komiya. Mind answering a quick question?" the large teen questioned in a nonchalant tone. Moka didn't get a chance to answer as Tsukune was suddenly lifted off his feet.

"What are you doing?!" Moka cried, alarmed at the sudden violent act.

Saizo simply gave a wicked grin before speaking again, "What's a sexy piece of ass like you doing hanging out with this fuckwit?"

Tsukune began to panic as he felt the large bully begin to squeeze his neck. It was just enough to blackout, but unbeknownst to him, he didn't go unconscious. Instead, his face grew utterly blank while he simultaneously reached up with his right hand. He encased the bully's forearm in a tight grip and squeezed with far more strength than the bully.

"Gah! What the fuck do you-" Saizo began before stopping as his eyes stared directly into Tsukune's own. The large bully didn't like what he saw there, not one little bit.

What Saizo saw was an utter lack of life in those eyes. Sure, he'd seen people broken to that point before and he'd caused it most of the time, but this? The lack of life was not from someone who was broken. No, this lack of life was from something that couldn't be reasoned with. It was the look of an experienced killer. He let go of Tsukune and got into a defensive stance.

"You want to go, then let's fucking go motherfucker," Saizo threatened, his wicked grin turning into a furious scowl.

Tsukune's face never changed as he started walking toward the large teen. Moka then got between them and somehow missed the change in Tsukune. In that same instance, the light returned to Tsukune's eyes. He was back and somewhat confused.

"I only like nice people, so leave us alone. Come on Tsukune."

"Uh… ok," Tsukune replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. As he followed after Moka, he blinked. That wasn't what Saizo saw. What Saizo saw, on the other hand, was the return of the emotionless Tsukune, who just gave him a side-eye.

The side-eye was a warning: "Touch me again and you will die."

Once again, unnoticed by all, the ghost had returned, standing behind Saizo and following Tsukune and Moka with his eyes behind his mask.

Rooftop, Yokai Academy

"That was kinda scary, huh?" Moka began after taking a sip from the tomato juice she'd gotten from the vending machine.

Tsukune glanced her way then back down to his own can of green tea before answering. "Yep."

"I know I keep asking this, but are you ok, Tsukune?"

"Yep."

"How's the green tea?"

"Ye- I mean it's fine. Sorry, lost in my head again. You'll notice it's a common thing with me."

Moka gave a slight giggle at that. "I have noticed that, yeah."

"Is that what most of the monsters here are like? Crazy strong?"

"What do you mean? That was pretty normal. Nothing crazy about it, aside from Saizo."

"I see. I grew up around humans so my baseline might be off…" Tsukune lied, gazing off to the side.

"You did? I… I'm so sorry."

"Huh? What for?"

"Humans are quite cruel. I attended only human schools before I came here, so I'm speaking from experience."

"I feel like you might have had bad examples. Human schools, and especially school children, are known for their cruelty. You shouldn't judge humans solely based on school kids…"

"I know I shouldn't, and yet I haven't met a single human that's been kind to me."

"You already have…" Tsukune thought sadly and opened his mouth to speak again, turning to face her. All thoughts on what he would say immediately left his brain as he caught sight of the ghost again.

The injuries the ghost had this time were much lighter than his previous ones. At least the ones Tsukune could see were. He was sure there were others he couldn't see. He still took a step backward toward the door regardless.

The injuries this time consisted of six gunshot wounds in the man's chest. The only other difference was that the man was carrying a kitchen knife this time. Other than that, he looked the exact same as the other two times he appeared. Tsukune took another step back, causing Moka to look up at him.

"Tsukune, what's the matter?" she asked with concern, looking back at whatever he was. She saw nothing of course.

Tsukune looked to her and then back to the ghost. The ghost did the same, glancing at Moka then back to Tsukune. He once again tilted his head at Tsukune. Tsukune couldn't take it anymore.

"Why can't you leave me alone?! What did I ever do to you that made you haunt me?! Tell me! Tell me, damn you!" Tsukune ranted as he pointed at the ghost. Moka once again looked to where he was pointing and again saw nothing.

"Tsukune there's no one there! Who are you shouting at?"

"The man in the mask!"

"What 'man in the mask'?"

"Go downstairs and take a look at that fucking shop we passed with that white mask on display! That's the same mask this motherfucker is wearing!"

"Tsukune, wha-" Moka started before Tsukune bolted toward the stairwell.

He gave one final shout before disappearing from view. "Leave me alone!"

Later that day…

Main Hall, Yokai Academy

Tsukune was walking the halls, bag on his back. He couldn't stay at Yokai Academy. Not after all of what was happening. If it had been the monsters alone, maybe he could do it for Moka, but the longer he stayed the more his already fragile sanity started to break. He was currently trying to find that shop with the white mask. He thought that if he took it from Yokai and destroyed it he'd be free of the ghost. It didn't make sense, not the slightest bit, but he didn't care. At least he could control that.

He found the shop easily enough. That damn mask was still on display too. Almost goading him to take it, the way it was displayed. He began walking toward the shop with a fire in his eyes. Little by little, as he got closer to the mask, he faded into a blackout. His blank-faced self returned as he got within ten feet of the mask. He got as close to the window as he needed to before breaking the glass window of the shop and taking the mask.

He stuffed the mask into his pocket and turned to leave before catching sight of a set of kitchen knifes in a wooden block. Without much thought, he grabbed the Chef's Knife and associated knife cover before pocketing them as well. He then started walking away from the shop. The light in his eyes didn't return for a while. It only returned as he neared the outside.

The gate to the outside was there. He would leave the academy grounds and head down to the bus stop to wait for the bus. After that, he would be heading home. He already had a lie lined up and everything. He was about six or so feet out of the academy when a familiar voice called his name.

"Tsukune, wait!" Moka cried as she came running up behind him.

It took every bit of his willpower not to turn around and face his friend. At this point, she was his best friend, considering he never had any in school until her. If he turned around… saw the look on her face… the possible tears in her eyes… his plan would fall apart. "I can't stay here, Moka."

"Why not? So you're haunted by a ghost! Who cares? As long as it's not doing anything-"

"It isn't just the damn ghost. It's… all of this. Maybe… maybe if I was in a better mental state, I could handle it. Monsters, I mean. But I can't. I should at least tell you the truth though. Being my first and probably only friend deserves that at least; the truth is that I am a human teetering on the edge of sanity, and not just because of the ghost or the monsters. I've known this since I was fucking six. Years. Old. When I had my first nightmare," tears began to well up in his eyes as his voice cracked slightly, "do you want to know what I saw in it?"

Moka was silent for a moment. It was a lot of information to be thrown at her: being Tsukune's first friend, him being human, and the fact that he was close to being insane. Despite her dislike of humans, which she was becoming increasingly aware of was silly, she couldn't find any reason to hate him. He was like her in many ways. She'd also been on the brink of sanity and insanity and alone for most of her early life. She came closer to him as he began to shake from crying.

"It's ok. I'm here. Let it out."

Tsukune nodded and began telling her about his life up until they met. He told her about the nightmares he had of killing people, his blackouts, the loneliness. As he did, Moka led him to a nearby bench. They sat close together, Moka knowing that he needed the contact. She held him as he spoke and sobbed. When he'd finished, she began her own tale. When it was all said and done, Tsukune was giving her a small smile.

"I guess we've both had kind of fucked up lives so far, huh?"

"In a way, yeah, we have. Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah. I… I think I can try staying here. Mind showing me to the dorms? I never looked for them."

"Of course."

The pair stood up from the bench and began walking toward the dorms. The ghost, one Michael Audrey Myers, returned once more behind them, though this time much younger. He was no longer a man but a young boy in a clown costume. He was smiling happily at the pair, happy that his grandnephew found someone before he ended up like he had in life.

He was about to go away again when he noticed the large shadow of Saizo Komiya following them. He didn't think Komiya had heard anything, but either way, from the way the large bully was following them… he worried for his grandnephew and just what he might do if he was pushed too far.

Forest Outside Yokai Academy

The dorms were in view as Tsukune and Moka walked through the forest that surrounded Yokai. Tsukune noticed a distinct lack of graves that the forest even further out from Yokai had. He had assumed that it was a ubiquitous thing here. He was happily surprised that that wasn't the case.

More than that, to his surprise, he hadn't seen the ghost since his outburst on the roof. That helped his mental state a good deal. Maybe it was due to Moka?

"Well now, isn't that cute?" a voice asked, causing the pair to freeze.

They turned simultaneously to look at Saizo Komiya, who was casually leaning against a nearby tree. He was grinning wickedly as he looked at them. His gaze was more focused on Moka and Tsukune got in front of her, shielding her with his body. Saizo scowled and got off the tree.

"You're blocking the view, fuckwit. Move," Saizo growled while taking a step forward.

Tsukune held his ground, his eyes dimming slightly. "No."

"Fine then. I wanted to do this the easy way, but if you insist…" Saizo replied as his body began to change.

He became a hulking beast with veins as thick as a garden hose and bony plates running over his skin. His teeth were now razor sharp and his tongue had elongated to the point where it reached the start of his chest. His eyes turned entirely green with black pupils.

"Then let's go. I'm an Orc so I don't expect this to take long. When I'm done with you, I'll make the bitch behind you mine!"

Tsukune tried to keep his fear hidden as he stared up at the now utterly massive bully. He tried to take a step forward but was stopped by Moka, "Tsukune, no, he'll kill you!"

Tsukune was sent flying by a punch from Saizo before he could reply. He smashed through several trees before coming to a stop in the graveyard. His vision swam as he saw Moka start running towards him. Saizo followed after her, his tongue snaking out of his mouth and about to dart for her. Moka reached him just in time for him to push her out of the way of the tongue.

Instead of wrapping around her leg, it wrapped around his before he was swung towards the cliffs by Saizo. The Orc smirked as he saw the obstacle between him and his prize go sailing away again. He turned to grab Moka but she was already gone. She was sliding down the hill toward where she saw Tsukune land.

Tsukune had crashed into the ground hard enough that he heard something crack in his leg. He managed to sit up and take a look at it. It wasn't a pretty sight. He was fairly certain his right foot shouldn't be facing his left foot. Oddly he didn't feel any pain from that though. It was probably just adrenaline. He glanced up when he heard something running towards him. He smiled when he saw it was Moka.

"Oh my God, Tsukune, your leg!" Moka cried as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"It's nothing," Tsukune started before coughing out a little blood, "Ok, maybe not nothing. Still, I can take him."

"No, you can't! We have to go-"

"You ain't getting away from me that easy!" Saizo called out as he landed across from them. Tsukune tried to stand as Saizo approached but didn't succeed as the Orc grabbed him by the throat.

Moka started beating on the Orc, and with a look of annoyance on the Orc's face, was swatted into the bus stop scarecrow. Tsukune looked back in horror as his only friend was hurt. He turned back to the Orc with a look of total rage. He unconsciously grabbed the knife he'd taken from the shop, flipped it around in his hand to let the cover fall off, and plunged it deep into the Orc's forearm.

With a roar of pain, Saizo tossed Tsukune again, this time toward Moka. He smacked into the tree next to where the scarecrow had been hard. After that hit, he finally blacked out. Moka was even more horrified at the state of her friend as she crawled toward him. She reached a hand out to check and see if he was alive.

"…Tsukune?" she questioned fearfully, watching blood start to leak from the corner of his lips. She was then relieved when he saw his eyes snap open. When she looked closer, though, that relief turned to dread.

Tsukune was unconscious. His blank-faced self was the one in control at the moment. She watched in mounting horror as Tsukune's leg snapped into place on its own. He went to stand, and in the process, his hand clipped the rosary. Shock overwhelmed her fear as the rosary snapped off.

"The rosary… came off?" Moka asked in astonishment before she was engulfed in a bright light. It was bright enough that even the blank-faced Tsukune had to shield his eyes.

As the light dissipated, Tsukune took the mask out of his pocket and slipped it over his head before beginning to stand. Moka was already standing next to him while Saizo looked between the two of them. He had pulled the knife out of his forearm and had been glaring daggers at Tsukune before the rosary had come off.

"What the fuck did you do to Moka? She's… different. Scarier!" Saizo said with dread. Tsukune didn't answer as he began walking toward the Orc, a sharp scrap of wood from the scarecrow's remains clutched firmly in his hand.

He stopped as something flew across his vision. He turned to watch it go and saw that it had been one of the black bats that had completely covered Moka. He tilted his head at that before looking back to the girl in question. He tilted his head again when he saw her new appearance.

Her hair was no longer bubblegum-pink, but a kind of white silver. Her fangs were much longer than before, now quite easily seen. She was slightly taller too, and if he wasn't mistaken, she filled out her uniform just a little more. The already short skirt seemed to have grown shorter. She exuded a dangerous and confident air that was at odds with her aura of kindness from before.

When she opened her eyes, he could see that her eyes were now different too. Her eyes were now the color of blood and slit like a cat's. She glanced around before landing on the Tsukune.

"So you broke the seal, eh?" she asked in a much deeper tone, one eyebrow raised at what he guessed was his appearance. His head tilted even further in response.

They both turned back to Saizo when they heard the knife clatter to the ground. "Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck! You're a fucking Vampire! Shit!"

"And you had the audacity to try and touch me. That will not stand, Orc."

Saizo growled and got into a fighting stance, ready to attack Moka. He no longer paid attention to Tsukune as he was deemed a far less dangerous threat. That would be a mistake.

"Bring it on bitch, I'll beat the hell out of your skank ass and be famous!"

"Will you now?"

"You bet y-AGH!" Saizo gasped in pain as Tsukune had somehow gotten close enough to stab the scrap into Saizo's armored thigh. "I'm gonna… what the hell? Where did you?"

Tsukune was gone. As Saizo searched for him, Moka charged and lined up a kick that sent the Orc flying into a nearby cliff face. She glared triumphantly at the defeated Orc before feeling someone walk past her. Tsukune was back and was holding the chef's knife that Saizo had dropped earlier. He paid her no attention as he stalked forward, his target clearly being the downed Orc.

Moka studied Tsukune, feeling an overwhelming aura of danger. She wasn't affected by the aura thanks to her being an S-Class monster. She could tell that Saizo wasn't immune though and could see the look of utter fear replace the anger that had been there from the cheap shot Moka had delivered. There was also something about the mask that he wore. It was almost… familiar. Like it was from an old memory.

Tsukune was even closer now, taking his time in approaching Saizo. The bully had brought this fate on himself. He should have learned from the first time they'd had a confrontation with each other. Perhaps death would be a clearer warning to others. He raised the bloody knife in his hand as he got within five feet of the Orc.

"W-wait, you don't have to kill me!" Saizo started to beg as he saw the knife go up, "I'm beaten! I won't bother you or her again, man! I-I swear! I'll never cause you a problem again!"

Tsukune wasn't listening. He continued to approach the downed Orc until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look and saw Moka staring directly into his eyes.

"While it does pain me to say this, he is right. He is beaten. You don't need to kill him," she began, causing him to tilt his head for a third time, "Let it go. You've already given him two scars. He'll forever be reminded of this day."

Tsukune's knife arm, which had still been raised to stab the Orc, lowered as the aura of danger disappeared. He began to waver before falling into Moka. Moka glanced at him before looking down at Saizo, who had passed out from the fear of being killed by Tsukune. She reached over and took the rosary back, which had miraculously landed in Tsukune's breast pocket.

She then pulled the mask off of him and began carrying him toward the forest, though not before plunging the bloody knife into the cliff face. As soon as she found a secluded spot in the forest near the main road to the academy, she reattached her rosary and her other self collapsed next to Tsukune on the bench she'd found.

The two wouldn't wake up for a short while. Tsukune would later say that in the time he'd been sleeping, he hadn't had any of his usual disturbing nightmares. Moka, or Outer Moka as he would come to learn, would be concerned for Tsukune after seeing what he'd become during the fight with Saizo. Her inner self, on the other hand, was concerned for a different reason. That concern had to do with the mask he'd been wearing.

She had seen it only once, in her father's library. It had been in a forbidden book, which contained information on monsters that were so dangerous that they were to be locked away for others' safety. From what she had read, they were nearly as terrible as ghouls, unfeeling and utterly evil. For one to not kill when given the opportunity to do so? That was anathema to them.

They were known as "Shi no Ō" or "Lords of Death". They were unique in that they could only be born from humans. There was no reason as to why this was the case. Perhaps it had been a way for early humans to try and gain an edge over monsters? They were quite rare in today's world, the last one having only been sighted in America, in nineteen-ninety-eight.

For one to be at Yokai Academy could only mean dark things were on the horizon. How long would it be before Tsukune killed somone?

Author's Note:

Had a writing bug. Not sure if this will go anywhere or if it'll be a one-shot. Kind of depends on other people's reactions Will be getting back to my other fics when I'm able. Also, in case it isn't obvious from the hints I subtly gave, Michael Myers is dead, and has been since H20 (Because I refuse to acknowledge the existence of Halloween Resurrection)... but his body might be walking around, still.