Chapter 2
Amidst the falling cherry blossoms, on a day where the sun shined bright and looked down upon the Earth, Shirou watched as many different foxes ran about the land. It was a day like many others, spent without worries and a sense of satisfaction. The few servants milling about mostly kept to themselves.
Laying beside him on the porch was a rather large white fox, curled up in a ball. The young Shirou could have rode atop the fox like a horse if he so wished. Overall, the surroundings gave off a sense of peace and warmth. He stood up and decided to head back into the building he was sitting in front of.
When he turned around, he noticed the building was decorated like a shrine. The moment he walked into the building, a young girl dressed like a shrine maiden proceeded to bow towards him in greeting. He then walked up to the altar, where a beautiful sword was resting on a stand along with a magatama jewel.
As he looked at the two objects, he felt a hand gently be placed atop his head. The moment it did, Shirou looked up and saw the outline of a woman. Unfortunately, he couldn't make out any features, only faintly recognizing pink hair and a pair of fox ears atop her head. However, he couldn't help but feel a warmth come from her.
He knew she was smiling brightly at him. 'This woman, she has to be my mother, right?' He then noticed her begin to speak, however, before he could hear any of the things she was about to say, his vision went black.
He opened his eyes and was looking up at the ceiling of his dorm room. He sat up and couldn't help but think about what had happened recently. Joining a school that was filled with nothing but monsters was already quite a shock, but that wasn't even the worst part. Needless to say, Shirou couldn't help but feel like he didn't know who he was.
From what he could remember, no one ever made any mention towards him being something other than human. Only to find out that he wasn't purely human, he was a yokai, a kitsune to specific. Then there were his magic circuits. That was the one thing that didn't make sense to him.
He had vague dreams of them, ones that he barely remembered when he awoke. However, they were never something he used, as his specific brand of spell casting, yōjutsu, was centered around using yōki and the world's mana. In fact, he hadn't ever heard of a mage using magic circuits, not even Kiritsugu.
All of these things only served to give him a headache, as he now had to reevaluate everything he knew to be true. With his memories missing, he had no answers, only questions. Ever since entering the Monster World, he felt the change in himself. He wondered if it was the reason for his yokai traits manifesting.
Admittedly, there were upsides, as his yōjutsu was stronger here. Actually, he was stronger here. The fight he had with Saizo proved that. Whatever had woken up inside of him, had definitely changed him. The one annoying thing about it, was figuring out how to get rid of his ears and tails.
It took some time, but he managed to figure it out. He couldn't help but sigh again. He looked down at his arm, inspecting the charm he made to act as a makeshift seal. He realized that all he had to do was seal his yōki down to a manageable level and then reign in his yokai traits. Mizore's explanation on how it was done was a little odd, but he managed.
Then again, it likely had to do with the fact she was a snow woman and not a fox. Speaking of said snow woman, he was able to witness a certain quirk that refreshed his memories regarding her eccentricities. Wherever he was, he knew that Mizore was likely close by. He felt like this should have bothered him, however, he couldn't help but find it a bit endearing.
Unfortunately for him, while she had seen his mother, she didn't actually know her. She did say that her mother likely knew, but didn't know for sure. Apparently the pink in his hair was a trait from her and was the reason why she began following them.
He let out a small sigh, before deciding to get on with his day. He still had to take care of Tsukune after all. Luckily, with his current abilities, he'd be able to figure out a way to increase his survival rate. After changing and making sure he wasn't walking around with tails and ears, he headed out for the day.
As he made his way out, he actually ran into Tsukune. The boy still looked as nervous as ever, though Shirou could understand. "Shirou, how are you feeling today?" Shirou would admit to being a bit surprised at his concern. Tsukune was obviously terrified of the yokai, but he guessed that Tsukune saw his surprised expression, as well as him asking how to turn off his transformation.
He was a good guy, just in over his head, and unlucky. "Better than yesterday. I still have to get used to the fact that I'm not completely human." He answered, rubbing the back of his head. "It could be worse I suppose. Then again, I should be the one asking you that. Unless you have some yokai blood we don't know about?"
Tsukune immediately shook his head and waved his hands in front of himself. "Oh no, I'm definitely human. But that's kind of the problem isn't it? I spent all night wondering what I'm going to do. I really don't want to end up a monster's food, no offense."
Shirou let out an amused huff at his words, "It's not a problem, besides, I'm pretty sure not all yokai are like that. I mean, I haven't felt any weird impulses, so I'm sure you'll be fine if you stick with Mizore, Moka, and myself. Though, we should probably figure out a way for you to defend yourself, just in case." His words seemed to calm Tsukune's nerves a bit, as a small smile made its way onto his face.
"I don't know, I'm not the most coordinated person. Not to mention, I've never been in a fight in my life." Tsukune replied with a nervous laugh. Shirou hummed in response to his words, before beginning to think to himself. He was pretty sure that he could come up with something. Despite Tsukune's words, he was sure that he could at least teach him a few things that could save his life.
"Well, until we figure something out, it'd probably be a good idea to not stick out too much." Shirou replied, deciding that he needed to try and think up other things. 'Well, it wouldn't hurt to teach him about monsters and how certain things work.'
Considering everyone had to maintain a human form, it wouldn't be a problem. At least, as long as he kept a low profile. If he was at home, he could ask his family for advice, but that wasn't possible. Then again, he could call Irisviel and ask her.
As Shirou continued to think about possible ideas, the two made their way out of their dorms. Tsukune was still pretty nervous and jittery, but it appeared as if he felt safer than he did the other day. "Uh, Shirou, you knew about Moka being a vampire and about Mizore even though you thought you were a human. So, how did you meet Mizore and other monsters?"
Shirou let out a small sigh. He knew that question would come up sooner or later. "I suffer from amnesia from some sort of accident. My father saved me and adopted me right after. When he adopted me, he told me that he was mage." Shirou explained, before seeing Tsukune's surprise expression.
"Wait, you mean like magic and stuff? That's a real thing?" Tsukune asked, obviously never having believed such a thing was real. Then again, he realized that he didn't believe in monsters either but they were real. Plus, he saw Shirou create a his wooden sword when he fought Saizou.
"It's not magic in a usual sense. It's actually called Yōjutsu, and it works by using yōki, the spirit energy of monsters, to cast spells or whatever else. There are other ways, or at least my father was sure there was, to use it. A human can learn it, but they'd have to do something to give them a way to access yōki, since humans don't naturally have it. This process is what makes one a mage. Most mages are descended from monsters, which allows them to use it, but others undergo a process."
"There are a few mage associations in the world, but I don't know much about them." Shirou finished, before wondering what his situation was on magic. He had access to his magic circuits, yet, he still also possessed yōki as well. Admittedly, he hadn't had time to figure it out, plus he wasn't all that knowledgeable in magic, since he was still learning.
However, he did have some knowledge of spells that had to do with the 'magecraft' from his dreams. It was all very confusing for him. He just wanted to be a high-school student and make his mother happy, yet here he was being confronted by the fact that not only was he a yokai, but that he had memories and dreams of a life he never lived. 'When did my life get so complicated?'
He wanted to sigh, but held it in and decided to continue. "Back to the original question, my father is the only mage in my family. There are four others in my home, my mother, my sister, and two maids. They are the reason I knew Moka was a vampire."
Tsukune actually stopped walking for a moment, making Shirou stop to allow him to digest the information. His face paled slightly, before looking at Shirou with a strange expression. "You live with a family of vampires?" Shirou tilted his head questioningly, since he just said that he did. It wasn't that big of a deal, as least, not to him.
"Alpha vampires, to be specific. They are the remainder of one of the last clans of Alpha vampire. My sister, Illya, she's a half vampire, able to live as a human or a vampire. They're the reason I was able to tell Moka was a vampire, though she doesn't feel the same as they do. I'm not sure if she's a lesser vampire or not, mainly because of her limiter."
"Limiter?" Tsukune asked, with Shirou realizing that he likely didn't even notice. Then again, why would he. He realized that educating Tsukune was going to be a long process.
"Her rosary, it acts as limiter. Some monsters have them to help them blend in with humans, or help them control their power." He looked down at his mirror pendant, 'I wonder if that's what this was supposed to be?' It made sense to him, but he didn't understand why. "As for other monsters, I've sensed them but never interacted with them, and Mizore I met before I lost my memories."
"Man, all this time I've thought monsters were just stories, now I'm in a school surrounded by them. It really makes you question everything, like what if all the stories we heard growing up were real? Next thing we know, we'll find out that the gods are real and just hiding like the monsters." Tsukune spoke in a defeated tone, sighing as he finished.
Though, Shirou couldn't help but empathize somewhat. He thought he was a human, but now he had to face the fact that he was a monster. This made him wonder why his family didn't tell him, as well as wonder who his real family used to be.
It wasn't long afterwards that the pair was joined by Moka, whose bubbly and sweet attitude was enough to cause Tsukune to forget all his worries. Shirou would admit that there was something about her that was rather relaxing to be around, it was enough to actually get him to drop his guard. Honestly, he didn't know why it bugged him. It was like some part of him wanted to be on edge around her, but he didn't get why.
He let out a sigh as he continued on his way. However, he quickly forgot about that when he heard Tsukune let out a yelp. He looked up and saw Tsukune holding onto his neck and exclaiming, "You can't treat me like I'm breakfast, you know?!" Shirou raised a brow, as he walked away. He wanted to try and talk to him, but he suddenly felt like something was tearing him in one direction, while he wanted to go another.
It only lasted a moment, but it was gone just as quickly. Especially when he felt the cool sensation of someone on his back, as well as the naturally cold aura surrounding her. Shirou turned his head and saw Mizore, who slipped off his back and grabbed onto his arm. "Good morning, Shirou. What happened with them?"
Shirou hummed, before shrugging. "I think Moka may have sucked a bit of Tsukune's blood and he freaked out." He answered. Mizore looked at Moka, who seemed to be upset at Tsukune's words. "I'm sure he'll get over it. He seems to like Moka and drinking blood isn't anything harmful."
"Do you think he'll be okay? You know, because he's a human?" she asked him. Shirou's eyes widened a bit, before he thought about it a bit more.
"Well, as long as he doesn't draw too much attention to himself, he should be fine. Besides, class is about to start, so I doubt he'll run into too much trouble." Though, Tsukune did seem like the type that seemed to be caught up in trouble.
Mizore hummed in response, before she looked towards the direction Tsukune had run off too. "Yeah, I'm sure you're right. Though, you should probably talk to Moka about sucking blood without asking first." Shirou nodded, especially since it could become a problem in the future.
The day continued like normal, though there was some weird tension between Tsukune, Moka, and a strange girl who sat near them. Mizore, however, knew that the girl was a succubus. She had made sure to learn about the other students in the class, for multiple reasons, but now it was because she wanted to be sure to keep her away from Shirou.
After the class, Moka had left earlier than Shirou and Tsukune. Naturally, Shirou and Tsukune were worried, but Mizore reassured them that she'd check on her. Now, if Mizore was being honest, she wasn't all that invested in Moka and Tsukune, but that was also because she only really cared about Shirou and was a loner at heart. But, she knew Shirou, amnesia or not, was someone who liked to help others and make friends.
Though, she could see them becoming good friends as they spent more time together, plus they were growing on her, so she decided to help by doing what she did best. She silently followed after Moka. It was then that she found Moka being confronted by the succubus girl, Kurumu.
Mizore didn't get what was so great about trying to show off for everyone, but it must have been important to Kurumu. 'Trying to get all the boys of the school under her charm? What's so great about that? Well, it seems she's just focusing on taking Tsukune away from Moka, so there's no need to physically intervene.'
She didn't know how succubi worked, but snow women married young and stayed with them for life. So, it was weird that someone would try to bind multiple men to her. As she thought about it, Tsukune came walking up, trying to clear up things with Moka.
It was then that she was able to see how succubus powers worked. She wanted to intervene when she noticed Tsukune was being charmed, but he was too close and she may have ended up hitting him too. It was kind of scary how much control she had over Tsukune, with him even saying things he likely didn't mean.
Unfortunately, even if Moka knew that Tsukune would never say such things to her, the words he said still hurt her. Specifically the, "You only care about me as a source of food.", line which was spoken in a rather dead tone. Seeing Moka's sad face, as well as the tears welling up in her eyes, was enough to cause Mizore's patience to snap.
She threw multiple ice daggers into the ground near Kurumu and Tsukune, scaring both of them. Though, Kurumu made sure to keep Tsukune's arm sandwiched between her breasts. Mizore glared a bit, but she knew that her chest was just as good, since it was able to get a reaction out of Shirou.
"Hey, what the heck was that for?!" Kurumu exclaimed, glaring at Mizore who revealed herself and stood in front of Moka. Moka seemed surprised, but actually seemed to feel a bit better now that she was here.
"Mizore, she charmed Tsukune." She informed her, though she already knew that. She hummed in response, with Kurumu narrowing her eyes a bit, before seemingly recognizing her.
"Wait a minute, I know you. You're that stalker who was hanging all over Shirou." Kurumu said, with Mizore's face slightly blushing. "What's your problem?"
"Yeah, that's me, and the problem is you hurt my friend's feelings. Apologize." She said while moving some stray strands of hair out of her face, with her tone not really changing that much. Kurumu simply laughed in response.
"You're kidding right? Apparently you didn't hear what I said to her, this is war, and Tsukune here is mine now." She then smirked at Mizore. "It's only a matter of time before I have Shirou wrapped around my..." before she could finish, an ice dagger flew an inch away from her face.
Even though Mizore didn't change her form, the air around her was filled with an icy haze, with Moka having to step a few feet away since it was so cold. Even her eyes were slightly glowing and she had a cold expression on her face.
"You stay away from him. Shirou's mine." It was a simple warning, but her tone and gaze was very in line with her lineage. Anyone who knew about snow women would have known better than to threaten their chosen partners. But, it seemed Kurumu didn't know about this.
Luckily for her, she was saved by the very person who she was speaking of. "Mizore? What's wrong? I could feel your temperature drop all the way down the other hallway." Shirou's voice called out, causing Mizore to quickly turn around to face him with an embarrassed expression.
Moka ran over towards him and grabbed onto his arm. Shirou raised a brow, before she began to speak. "Shirou, you have to help Tsukune. That girl charmed him or something!"
Shirou appeared a bit confused, before Mizore walked up to him. She was about to tell him about what happened, when she noticed that the succubus must have made her getaway when Shirou caught their attention.
"A succubus charmed him because she was jealous of the attention Moka she was getting, but she must have left when you got here." She informed him, with Shirou making a troubled face.
"A succubus?" He asked, obviously still a bit perplexed, however, Mizore wasn't sure if they had time to stand around and explain everything. Moka seemed to space out for a moment as she was looking down at her rosary. The action was a bit odd, but wasn't too concerned.
"She can bewitch men, so it probably isn't smart for you to be the one to save Tsukune." Mizore stated, seeing Shirou become a bit torn on what to do. When they were younger, Shirou was often the one who went out of his way to help everyone and always came up with ideas. He seemed different now, even though he still wanted to help, he seemed a bit inexperienced.
When she saw him interfere with Saizo, it was like seeing Shirou when he was younger. Though, she couldn't imagine Shirou coming up with something here since he could get turned against them just as easily and that would be a nightmare. "We'll have to separate Tsukune from the succubus and deal with her after. If we can get an opening, we could manage it."
Moka then looked up with a panicked expression, "We can't let Kurumu kiss Tsukune, otherwise he'll become imprisoned by her charm forever. We have to hurry!" She quickly said, before getting ready to run off. Mizore was a bit surprised that information. She didn't know about that ability, but if it was true, then they really did have to save him fast.
"You two take the top floors, I'll search the lower ones. Once you find him, Mizore can release her power and I'll come right to you." Shirou suggested, though Mizore wasn't sure about that idea, since it would leave Shirou by himself with the succubus. However, they didn't have enough time.
"Can't you pinpoint them with your sense of smell?" She asked, trying one last time to make it less dangerous for him. However, Shirou shook his head.
"I haven't acclimated to all the scents in the school yet. Even now, a lot of the scents are giving me a headache. This is the only way, Mizore. Don't worry about me, just focus on Tsukune right now." He responded, before making his way down the hall. She knew he was right, and that she should've had more faith in him, but she still remembered him getting hurt when they were younger.
Before she could think about it, Moka surprised her by grabbing her hand and running up the nearest flight of stairs. She would admit that it wasn't uncomfortable like other people's touches. Thankfully, it got her mind off of her earlier thoughts and allowed her to focus on the current job.
The pair of girls ran through the top floors of the school, being sure to check everywhere they thought the two could have escaped to. Thankfully, Moka guessed that they likely went into the nurses office, especially if Kurumu's plan was to seduce Tsukune. It was an educated guess, but one that ultimately paid off.
"I'm going to destroy anyone that has anything to do with her!" They pair heard Kurumu's voice yell out in anger from the hallway, along with a girlish shriek. Moka didn't hesitate to throw open the door and barge inside. They saw Kurumu, no longer concealing her monster form, and Tsukune sitting on the bed defenseless.
Kurumu's bat-like wings were allowing her to stay afloat in the air, while her elongated nails seemed to be razor sharp. Mizore guessed that her tail was likely also able to be used if she really wanted to. Moka had a moment to take in the scene, before she rushed forward with surprising speed.
However, it seemed that Mizore's appearance put the succubus on guard, since she used her tail to pull Tsukune between Moka and herself. Thankfully, Moka was able to switch from pushing the two out, to essentially tackling the two. To Mizore's surprise, the three went flying out of the window, breaking through it and out into the woods by the school.
Mizore couldn't help but find the whole series of events rather bizarre. Even the succubus's expression showed surprise from the slight moment Mizore was able to notice it. She guessed that it was because of a combination of her vampire strength and Moka never actually using said strength.
Moka seemed like a very sweet and kind girl, as well as naive, who wouldn't hurt a fly. Which meant that Mizore couldn't just let Moka handle the situation by herself. She quickly ran forward and used her powers to create an ice slide down to the ground, being sure to slightly change her form to let Shirou know where she was.
A few trees fell in the distance, with Mizore seeing Tsukune and Moka dodging the attacks from Kurumu's claws. Moka appeared to be telling Tsukune something, with Tsukune appearing to grab her rosary, but whatever was supposed to happen didn't.
Kurumu appeared to be diving back down from the air to attack the pair, but Mizore was able to interfere in time. Using her powers, she created spikes of ice that raised up from the ground surrounding the two and aiming towards Kurumu. Her eyes widened, before she managed to turn and dodge the spikes.
Mizore heard her click her tongue in annoyance, before looking at her. "Why do you insist on getting in my way?!" She exclaimed, before rushing towards her. Mizore decided to fully transform, her hands turning into long claws of ice and her hair fully following suit. The area then began to grow colder, with wind and snow becoming wilder.
Though, it didn't seem to deter Kurumu, who used her own claws to cut through some of the ice. She was heading right for her, with Mizore even trying to attack her without harming her too bad, but Kurumu managed to dodge. Mizore quickly turned and saw she was heading for Tsukune and Moka. Even though they were covered by ice, they were hastily made and not all that strong.
Unfortunately for Kurumu, Mizore had expanded her range by changing the temperature and using snow, creating her own little boundary. She began to create ice spikes from the ground in-between Kurumu and her new pair of friends. "I won't let you hurt them." The spikes spawned quickly, with them even coming up faster than Kurumu could handle.
They managed to slightly hit her a few times, slowing her down and throwing her off, but Mizore knew that Shirou wouldn't want her to harm her too badly, but she was debating on just freezing her and freeing her afterwards. To her surprise, it seemed that she wouldn't even have to do that, once a large burst of yoki filled the area.
It appeared to be coming from Moka, whose rosary seemed to have been removed. Her pink hair slightly lengthened and transformed into a silvery white color, her eyes into blood red, and her body even grew, becoming more filled out and beautiful. The power even blew away the ice around them and was actually interfering with her domain.
"No way, an S-class vampire?!" Kurumu asked in shock. Moka, or who used to be Moka, simply looked at her with confident smirk. Unlike the timid Moka, this Moka was confident and exuded strength. Even with her domain, Mizore wasn't confident in facing a monster like that. If she couldn't face her, then Kurumu definitely wasn't going to be able to face her.
She had a feeling this Moka wasn't someone who was merciful and their only hope was someone who could match up to her. Another S-class.
Shirou blamed himself. After class, when Mizore went to check on Moka and Tsukune, Shirou was going to follow soon after, but got caught up chasing off some perverts and bullies who were messing with a young girl dressed up like a witch. He guessed she was likely a witch from the smell of nature she exuded and the wand she carried around. There was also the stereotypical witch outfit she wore.
He digressed, it ended up taking up his time and caused him to arrive late to whatever happened with Tsukune. He was honestly surprised there was a succubus at the school. He didn't know much about them, but from what Irisviel and Sella had taught him, they were a rare race of yokai who were few in number.
He was surprised when Mizore told him the succubus was jealous of all the attention Moka was getting, mainly because Sella said they were one of the few races who had a destined partner or something to that extent. Then again, he was still applying human logic to monsters, so maybe there was a reason.
Mizore did have a point when she mentioned the possibility of him being controlled, but he had a strong feeling that he wouldn't be affected like she thought. At this thought, he peered down at his pendant. He knew it was more than a simple pendant, but just wasn't sure what it was.
He knew that it would come to him eventually, since he had a feeling that he was slowly regaining his memories from before whatever happened to him. Still, that wasn't what was important at the moment. After Mizore and Moka informed him of what happened, he knew that they had to get to Tsukune quickly.
Love charms were a hassle and he was honestly not confident in removing one with his current knowledge. As he thought that, the image of a strange ritual dagger flashed into his mind before disappearing. A pang of discomfort hit him, before he shook it off. It wasn't important.
He quickly searched the lower level of the school, but found nothing. He was about to head up to the top floors when he noticed the scent of Mizore's ice, as well as a slight chill coming from behind the school. Without wasting time, he ran through the hallways and outside of the school.
Yokai Academy was not small, so it did take time to make it to his designated destination, mainly because he was still unfamiliar with the layout. He noticed the weather change and snow beginning to fall inside of the forest, meaning that Mizore was likely inside with Tsukune and Moka.
He ripped the seal from his arm, allowing his natural yoki to run free, though he noticed that he didn't transform. He groaned a bit, but decided to ignore it. He imagined hammer of a gun in his mind again, activating his magic circuits. He felt the circuits activate, creating an uncomfortable pain for a few seconds before he acclimated to it.
This time his circuits remained blue, which was surprising, but he felt like he could figure it out later. Just as he reinforced himself, a large swirl of yoki exploded from the forest. It was powerful and the aura felt like his polar opposite. It was familiar, though he only felt this a handful of times in the past, which meant his earlier conjecture about Moka was likely true.
Shirou was able to see Mizore from where he was, seeing her monster form of icy hair and claws. The look on her face caused by the aura being released jogged a memory in his brain. He remembered her in that same form when they were young. It was the first time he had met her.
A creature resembling a bear was about to attack her. She had fallen back onto the snowy ground and had a terrified expression on her face. He protected her by standing in front of her. A large flash of light blasted it away, but he remembered turning around and looking at her for the first time.
The memory faded and he quickly dashed forward, almost feeling like he flashed there, and grabbed her with one of his arms, while placed himself in front of her just as he did when they first met. The specifics were still spotty, but the information about Mizore was crystal clear, as was who protected him.
The only thing different in this situation, was that his mother wasn't there to protect him from his enemy this time. However, he wasn't a child anymore, and now that he had a good look at Moka, it wasn't his first time around an alpha vampire.
Her silver white hair and blood red eyes were a dead giveaway of her heritage. Her rosary was also gone, meaning that it was a limiter as he had thought. Tsukune was sitting next to a tree a fair distance away with the rosary in hand, in awe at Moka's transformation. However, Shirou couldn't share in this awe as he saw the succubus girl on the ground in a small crater.
Moka stepped towards her causing her to flinch and try to crawl back away from her, "That attack was too straight forward. Even though you put up a tough front, you're just a naive little girl." Kurumu had tears in her eyes and was obviously scared from whatever beating she likely took.
"I'm sorry, I'll stop. I won't go after you again, I promise." She managed to choke the words out, but Moka kept taking steps forward.
"Shirou, s-she destroyed her l-like it was nothing. T-That's not the same Moka." Mizore stuttered out, likely shocked by what she saw. Shirou had to steel himself. It was Moka, but a different facet altogether. In a way, it was like being inhabited by two people, though he had never seen it to this extent. What he saw from his family was more a personality shift, but it was still them.
This was too drastic. He had to take a breath, before beginning to move, only to feel Mizore tighten her grip on his shirt. Shirou looked down at her face and into her eyes, seeing the worry present within. "Don't worry, even if it doesn't seem like it, that's still Moka." He said with a small reassuring smile.
Thankfully, she had loosened her grip, even though he was a bit unsure if that was true. Shirou looked back to Moka, who looked down at Kurumu.
"I have no guarantee that's true, so just to be safe, I'm going to make it so that you never stand up to me again. Taking your wings and your tail should do it." Moka spoke in a cold tone, with Kurumu's eyes widening from terror. The aura around her likely didn't help matters. 'I'm going to hate this.'
"That's enough, Moka. She's already beaten." He yelled out, causing Moka to stop and turn her head towards him. She looked at him for a moment, before her eyes narrowed and a smirk appeared on her face. 'Crap.' Luckily, or unluckily for him, Tsukune appeared in front of her, causing her to raise a brow.
"Come on, Moka, let's just stop this. Kurumu apologized and wasn't doing this purely out of bad intentions. We can just stop and be friends without anymore fighting." He said with a small chuckle and smile. Moka looked at him before letting out an amused huff.
"I don't care about the succubus girl anymore. This no longer concerns you, Tsukune, only him." She said gesturing towards Shirou. Tsukune looked back at Shirou for a moment, though it was clear he was trying to see if he had an answer, but explaining it now wouldn't do any good. "Now, move." She said, gently pushing aside, though Shirou noticed she was eyeing the rosary carefully.
"Did you really intend on stopping me without using your full power?" She asked with mocking tone. "I thought you were different from these other lesser yokai, but it seems that wasn't the case." She actually sounded a bit disappointed, which was surprising.
"I didn't want to fight. I only wanted you to stop from going too far." He replied, being sure to reinforce himself as much as he could. Moka seemed amused at his words, as she was only a few feet from him. 'If she's like Leysritte, then...' Shirou then leaned back, narrowly avoiding a kick to the head.
However, he didn't have time to think through any further actions. He focused inwards on what he remembered from his family. Though, it seemed like Moka was very different. Her kicks were fast and accurate, likely from martial arts. He only managed to dodge three, before he brought his arm down to block a kick to his midsection.
The kick was enough to throw him into a nearby tree. Even with reinforcement, he still felt like he was hit with a battering ram. Even with reinforcement, she was a monster. He knew that he could match her with a weapon, which was his current strategy. He had already started to trace his wooden sword the moment she attacked and it was about finished.
"Trace..." Moka then appeared again, throwing another high kick, with Shirou rolling away. Her kick splintered the tree, causing it to crack and begin to fall. The whole time a smile was plastered on Moka's face. "...On." His right hand began to emit arcs of magical energy, with it taking the form of his weapon, though to his surprise a shinai began to form in his left hand.
He was shocked for a moment, especially when noticing the small tiger strap under the guard. He didn't have time to worry about it, as Moka was on him once again. This time, he was able to parry and block her attacks with greater ease. In fact, he noticed that using two swords at once was actually more comfortable for him. It felt right for some reason.
As he continued to parry and block, he began to counter-attack on reflex. Moka seemed a bit surprised, before her smile seemed to grow. She was able to bob and weave around his attacks, while Shirou was being sure to make sure none of her attacks reached him. At least, none that were serious. A few managed to graze him and throw him off-balance, but he quickly recovered and even managed to land a hit on her once or twice.
It was after that, that he noticed Moka's yoki began to increase and her speed began to increase by a lot. It was obvious that she was actually putting in more effort, getting more and more serious. It was even hard to keep up, with him simply predicting where an attack would land and moving in accordance. It was as if he had experienced similar attacks and he was able to keep up by using that experience.
He guessed it was from sparring with his family, but it felt like there was more to it than that. Then, Moka put enough force into her kick that even when he blocked it, it went through his guard, throwing him very far away and hitting multiple trees.
It was here that he saw a familiar sight. The dream version of him, only this time, he seemed to be gaining his second wind while fighting in a wasteland of swords. He then heard a soft, but rather seductive voice call out to him. "Remove your pendant. Your heritage is no less than hers. Ours is greater in fact."
Shirou could hear her voice, but didn't know who it was. Just as she spoke to him, he saw a red figure throw two weapons at the dream version of him. His other self didn't show fear, he simply refused to give up the ideal he fought for. Arcs of magical energy appeared in his hands.
The girl spoke again, "Her bloodline belongs to one of those that reside in the dark. We are of the heavens, divine. Embrace who you are." Her words resonated with him for some reason. Shirou felt himself reach up to his pendant, just as he began to hear his other self speak out, with him mimicking the words.
"I am the bone of my sword." Shirou opened his eyes and pulled his pendant from his necklace. Similar to the time with Saizo, yoki swirled around him. The circuits on his body turned to gold and he could actually feel his ears and tail. This time, he was in control. He had no need for three tails, nor to push his limits. His soul felt like a forge had been lit after laying dormant for a long time.
He then heard another voice, this time, it was warm and bright like the sun. "Shirou, my little sun, I will always watch over you." The words were clear and he knew that it was from his dream last night. In his hand was the mirror. He opened his hand, as the mirror began to float around his hand in a slightly larger size.
He looked up and saw Moka, who was looking at him with wide eyes, though her smile still remained. This time, her smile was different from usual. Shirou raised his sword up in a stance, the kendo sword being banished away. Moka seemed ready to fight, but suddenly frowned, before dropping her guard.
"It seems our time is up. That's a shame." She said, before raising up her fist and licking up some blood on the knuckles of her hand. Shirou raised a brow, before he raised a hand to his cheek and felt a cut there that he hadn't noticed. "Your blood really is as special as I thought." She smirked at him, before turning to Tsukune and grabbing the rosary from his hand.
"I'm different from the other Moka, remember that." She spoke looking directly at Tsukune. She then turned towards Shirou, before letting out a small huff. "Until next time, Shirou Emiya." The rosary then reattached, causing Moka to return to her pink haired self, though she appeared to be sleeping.
A look of relief crossed over everyone's faces. Shirou couldn't help but look at the mirror that was floating above his hand. He willed it into his hand, with it following his order, before placing it back onto his necklace, where it fixed itself into position. The moment it did, he felt his power return to normal and his monster features disappear.
Though, he felt incredibly exhausted, along with some pain and soreness from Moka's attacks. He couldn't help but take a seat where he was. He didn't understand why his pendant was acting as limiter now, despite it not doing so before. Unless it was more of a trigger, like his magic circuits. He let out a groan, before deciding to worry about it later. He needed to rest for now.
Two figures were watching from the roof of Yokai Academy. One had ears similar to a fox and was dressed in the school uniform, albeit modified, while the other had two horns, and wore a purple and red kimono loosely over her outfit. The horned one couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
"I told you it was him. I felt him earlier, but you just had to be sure." She said, before taking a drink from her cup.
The other sighed, before smiling. "Well, at least we know for sure now. It's better for us to be near each other, especially with the others on the move. Though, we'll let those 'dark whoever they are' come up with something." She placed her hands behind her head and spun around.
"It was entertaining while it lasted, and I got to see something interesting. 'I am the bone of my sword.' How poetic." The other replied, looking down at the group of friends with an amused look on her face.
And finished chapter 2 of this story. Sorry it took long for this one. I apologize alot, I know. This wasn't supposed to be so long. I just wanted to get this how I wanted with some character stuff. Like how Shirou isn't acting quite like himself but also wanting to show that he's there, just not all the way. It's hard to do and I'm still not sure it was done good. I don't know, but I wanted it to be a Shirou that was more like Fate/Kalied Prisma Illya Shirou who was normal and going to school, but maybe was taught magical stuff from his family. Shirou in that world is pretty much a romcom protag, so yeah. Then there's the bit where I want UBW to leak out at times, while also leaking out the Shirou who was before his memories were lost, who has his own stuff going on. Anyways, I wanted to hint at a lot of stuff here at the end. Specifically, what Shirou's mom is a part of. Some guessed that she was a Dark Lord and that is a no, but she is part of something similar. I wanted to add another layer on top of this, because I'm also adding in other elements like mages and stuff. There will be more going on with that, as well as some of the story taking place outside of the school. Basically, I want this to go faster than my other stories to get to the action bits. There are two kinds of witches in my version, but both are powerful. Had to hint at a certain witch in this. I also wanted to show off Mizore's power, without making her just stomp, which I hinted she could likely do, but didn't want to hurt her too much because Shirou. Basically, I buffed some characters, well most characters, but that's to make it a bit more balanced. Moka and Shirou's fight, I want to make clear, neither were going all out. They were steadily raising their level as the fight went on. Shirou in his form at the end could fight Moka if they were just going at it. Remember who Moka is and how powerful she is as the story continues. Shirou's similar, but he has magecraft on top of that that enhances him. Of course, he's kind of stunted because loss of memories, but he's steadily gaining them back and getting better control of his yokai power. Also, Tsukune won't be useless the whole time, if you read the manga, he does also get pretty cool. The anime just didn't do that well. The manga was more clear with him getting his moments. Also, Shirou and Tsukune will kind of have split in the female characters probably. Though, Mizore is Shirou's main pairing. So yeah, anyways, I think that's all there is too that. I'm going to try and put out a few more soon. Lost Hero of Chaldea is something I'm excited to write, just saying. Thanks for reading and I really hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I appreciate all the feedback and reviews, they all really help a bunch. Feel free to ask questions, I usually try to answer them when I can. Once again, thanks for reading and, as always, until next time.
Edit: Before I get comments on Moka being a Shinso, I know. In the manga and other stuff, Alpha Vampires and Shinso Vampires are the same. I used Alpha Vampires because the Einzberns don't identify as Shinso, since they come from a separate line of Shinso. They are technically Shinso vampires, but not really. Their blood won't affect the story like Moka's and her family's blood would. Though, they have other issues, like Illya being a half-vampire. Future story stuff, just thought I'd point this out.