Rosario Vampire: Magical Encounters

by AverageGamer1

All his life, despite being not like his own kind, Elijah Everett dreamed of bringing peace between the worlds of humans and monsters. Life at Yokai Academy is not exactly easy, but with the help of his new friends, just maybe he can make that dream a reality. Maybe even find some love on the side? Who knows?

34. Volume 34: Parents' Day

Tsukune...

Well, today's the day... Parent's Day.

I woke up this morning feeling like it was any normal school day, only for my fellow dorm dwellers to remind me of today's events thanks to their open conversations in the halls. So many are already getting calls and letters from their parents saying that they're either coming or they won't be able to make it. Many students were either relieved or simply annoyed with the fact that they would be hovering over their heads during a school day.

I myself am feeling a little...a bit of both.

I'm relieved that my mom doesn't have to come here, Kyoko could barely hold it together when she saw the truth about Yokai Academy, I can't even imagine how my Mom would react. But at the same time, I really wish one day that she can see what kind of school this truly is. Maybe one day when humans and monsters are finally at peace. As for now, I just hope that today won't turn out like every other...

I internally slapped myself in the face. Way to go genius, you might've just jinxed yourself. I felt a yawn coming on as I got closer to the school. "Hey, morning to you, Tsukune."

A guy from a pair of friends calls to me, I recognize him from my dorm floor. "Oh, morning, guys."

"So, are both of your parents showin' up today or just one?"

Right, forgot to make an excuse in case anybody asked that. "Oh, well, neither..."

"Huh?!"

I felt my hand subconsciously scratch the back of my head as I think of one on the fly. "It's only because my parents are way too busy to come Plus the school's really far away for them too."

"Dude, that rocks!"

"Huh?"

The taller friend looks at his buddy. "This guy's parents trust him so much that they don't need to come see him at school."

"I wish my parents treated me like an adult..."

Well, that's not exactly what I said, but at least they're buying it. "Yeah, well, I'm really lucky." And a human with human parents, that's also why I didn't tell them about today.

"I really would've liked to have met your mom, though," The taller one remarked, making my eyes jolt open.

"Wait what?"

"Yeah, me too," His buddy added.

"You wanna meet my mom?!" I say with an accusatory tone, but I'm immediately calmed when I hear Moka's voice call out from behind me.

"I sure would've," I face her, her smile immediately brightening my day. "I would've loved to see your mom again, Tsukune. It would've been so nice."

"..." Moka's words ring through my head as my mind goes to...a very far future scenario. I can see Moka with my Mom in the kitchen as clear as day, she's wearing a light pink apron and holding a ladle in her hand.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll take care of dinner, Mrs. Aono."

"Quit it, Tsukune, you're making me blush!" Her giggle echoes through my head. "Please don't look at me like that in front of my future mother-in-law!"

I could even see the inner Moka in another even more unlikely scenario.

"You shouldn't have to trouble yourself for my sake, Mrs. Aono. I'm more than willing to oblige, besides, I can show you how it's really done!"

"You better stop looking at me like that," Her scowl slowly turned into a smirk. "Or else I'll have to show you your place...again."

"Tsukune?"

"Oh!" Moka brings me out of my daydreaming, making me laugh nervously. "Yeah, that would've been nice, huh?"

"Are you alright? Tsukune?" She says as she brings her hand to my cheek, making my stomach all fuzzy inside. "You got some rings around your eyes, did you not get enough sleep?"

She's right, I didn't get much sleep at all last night...

I guess my...date with Moka yesterday kept me excited throughout the night. We didn't do too much so I don't know if it was technically a date, all we did was just walk around the market district and enjoy each other's company. I definitely didn't call it a date to save myself from the embarrassment, but I just couldn't stop thinking about how we just stared at the sunset until it went past the horizon. I swear, I wanted to stay in that moment forever...

"Yeah," I nodded, unintentionally nuzzling my cheek into her hand. "I'm fine. And..." A warm smile snuck its way onto my face. "I really had a great time with you, Moka."

My words made her blush, her own smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I had a great time with you too, Tsukune," Moka brings herself closer to me, I imagine she wants to have a quick bite before our eventful day. So to silently agree to her plea, I allow my head to lean slightly to the left.

"Moka..."

"Tsukune..."

"Hey, losers!"

A voice followed by a sudden force nearly sent Moka's fangs deep into my neck. Luckily, such an injury didn't occur, but someone's arm was wrapped around my neck. After a few seconds of readjustment, I found that the culprit behind it all was my Succubus friend, Kurumu. She had her other arm wrapped around Moka, she smiled brightly at both of us.

"How are my second favorite people doing?"

I chuckle before I release myself from her grip, I can hear Moka mutter 'second favorite' in confusion. "We're alright, Moka. Glad to see you in a better mood."

"Well," She tilts her head and brings her hands behind her back. "that's because I feel like everything is finally gonna go right for once!" Kurumu brings me into another warm hug, she holds me tight but I don't mind it. I'm glad to see her in high spirits. "Thanks again for what you did for me, Tsukune," She whispered before breaking away.

"You're welcome, Kurumu."

"Welp!" She skipped away, looking back at us and waving. "I'll see you guys inside!"

"What was that all about, Tsukune?" Moka asked me, I could hear a little bit of jealousy in her voice but I offered a smile to reassure her.

"Kurumu just needed some reassurance is all, as for the rest..." I brought a finger to my lips and I smirk. "That's a secret, at least for now."

---

There were a lot more parents than I expected, many couples and single parents alike bearing their human disguises took the time to come see their kids. It honestly made me happy to see many fellow students pleased with their parents' presence. Although...I couldn't speak for the rest of us. Saizou looked even more pissed off than usual, at least we're on good terms with him. But why is he so upset?

"Shit..."

"Wow," Moka whispered over to me, sharing my same concern. "Saizou's even grumpier than usual. Do you think Parent's Day could be upsetting him for some reason?"

"I don't know," I whisper back. "maybe no one from his family is coming today."

"Ha!" Saizou laughed in mockery. Crap, he heard us. "Who gives a crap about parents, anyway?!"

"Oh, Saizou!" An older woman's voice rings out through the classroom, shocking the three of us. The voice belonged to a heavy-set woman, another equally heavy-set man followed close behind her. "Hi, sweetie!"

Saizou sees the couple...and his eyes sparkle like a little kid's. "Mommy! Daddy!" He shoots up from his desk and rushes over to the couple.

"'Mommy'?"

"'Daddy'?"

"You're here!" Saizou cheered. "I thought you'd gotten into an accident, I nearly cried my eyes out!"

"Ha ha!" The older gentleman laughs. "Sorry about that, son."

Moka and I share a laugh at the sight of Saizou's child-like attitude. Guess even tough guys have a soft spot for their parents. "Who's coming from your family, Moka?"

"...It's gonna be just me today so I better get to Kokoa's classroom and spend some time with her."

"Just you?"

"Yeah," Moka nods at me, bearing a sad smile. "you see, the truth is, I've never once had anyone come visit me on Parent's Day...It's the same for Kokoa, so I thought I'd go visit her."

"Oh, Moka...I'm sorry about that. But-"

"I don't need your charity!"

"Whoa!" I narrowly dodged an oversized mace that was aimed right at my head, thank God that my reflexes are faster than usual. It turns out the person behind the attack was Kokoa herself. When did she even get here?

"And you!" She points a finger at Moka. "If you even think about coming to my classroom, you're gonna meet the business end of my little bat friend here and you're so gonna regret it!"

"How did you miss, Ms. Kokoa?! Whee!" A small face formed on the weapon. "He was right there!"

"He was quicker than I thought, okay?!" She argued, making her way out of the classroom. "And who are you to question how I hit my target?!"

"Are you okay?" Moka expresses her concern once Kokoa's voice fades into the distance.

"I'm fine, just glad I was able to dodge that."

"I'm sorry you almost got hurt because of me."

"It wasn't your fault," I shook my head. "Kokoa's the one who ran in here and started a fight, no need to go blaming yourself for that. Anyways, you really never had your parents come to visit you on Parents' Day?"

"Yeah..." Moka sits down at her desk, and I sit on my own and turn my chair around to face her. "It was like that ever since I was little. But don't worry, I'm used to it. I'm always the only one nobody comes to see."

"But moka...that's not true."

"Huh?"

"Nobody's coming to see me, either. So..." I rest my hand on top of hers, I gently rub the back of her hand with my thumb in a small circle. "We're in the same boat..."

My kind gesture makes Moka blush, she smiles at me and makes my own heart skip a beat or two. "Oh, Tsukune..."

"Oh, Moka..." Here we go again.

"You know..." Her emerald-green eyes slowly drift down, she stares at my neck and her blush only grows redder. "I haven't had some of your blood in days, I'm feeling quite...parched."

The way she said that sends a spine-tingling chill down my spine, and if I'm being honest...I miss the way she would take my blood. "Then..." I tilt my head to the right and Moka leaned herself closer to me. "I guess I shouldn't let you go thirsty, I don't want you passing out on me."

"No," She shook her head slowly, her eyes fluttering shut as well. "we wouldn't..."

"You know PDAs are against school regulations."

"AH!"

One of these days, Mizore is gonna give someone a heart attack!

"Jeez, Mizore, you scared the heck out of us!"

"You can just say hello like a normal person," I add.

"But where's the fun in that?" She teased. "Either way, have either of you seen Elijah? I've been looking for him all morning."

"Sorry," I smile sadly. "I haven't seen him."

"Come to think about it," Moka brings a finger to her chin. "I haven't seen Elijah either, Mizore. Aren't you and him the first ones here in class, Tsukune?"

"Yeah," I nod.

Actually, looking back, I haven't seen or even heard from Elijah since Friday. I know that he hasn't shown up in the mornings for our PT session but I just figured he wanted to relax on the weekend for once. I think what's even more strange is that Archimedes hasn't been around for a while, a part of me kinda misses his snarky remarks.

"Why are you looking for him, Mizore?"

"It's my mother," She sighed, bringing her left palm onto her face. "She won't stop bugging me about seeing him again today."

"Oh..." Well, this is sure to be an eventful day. At least Mizore's mother is more tame compared to...another mother I've met. "Well, when is she getting here? I'm sure Elijah will show up by then."

"Well..." Mizore's hand drops to her side, revealing a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. She takes a small step to the left...revealing what left her feeling embarrassed. Tsurara had been here the entire time, and Moka and I were slightly shocked by this revelation.

How long has she been there? I guess stalking runs in the family...

"It's okay, Mother," Mizore turns and says to her. "You can come out now, Elijah is not here anyway."

"Ah, now that's a shame." Tsurara stands up straight, makes eye contact with Moka and me, and smiles warmly. "It's a pleasure to see you two again. Moka and Tsukune, if I remember correctly?"

Yep, she's just as polite and elegant as I remember. "Yes, ma'am."

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Ms. Shirayuki," Moka smiled sweetly at her.

"Please, Dear," Mizore's mother tilted her head and giggled at Moka's kindness. "You can call me Tsurara. And I must say," The lollipop resting in the corner of her mouth twirls as her sweet smile turns into a teasing smirk. "You two make quite the couple."

"What?!"

"H-Huh?"

Our embarrassed cries only made Tsurara giggle a little louder. "It reminds me of my days here at the Academy, a much simpler time..."

"Mother, please stop."

"And Tsukune and I aren't-"

"Tsukune!" Moka's words were cut off as Kuurmu ran into the room screaming my name, she made a beeline right for me and grabbed me by my shoulders.

"K-Kurumu? What's wrong?"

"Have..." She tried to speak in between heavy breaths. "Have any of you guys...seen Elijah?! I've been calling and looking for him all morning and I can't seem to get a hold of him! I even asked Yukari and Ruby but even they haven't seen him!"

"You haven't seen him either?"

"No!"

"Why do you need to see him so badly all of a sudden?" Mizore crossed her arms with jealousy gleaming in her eyes.

"Well, if you must know," Kurumu grew more annoyed. "My mom wouldn't stop pestering me about seeing him today."

She's here? "Well," I clasp my hands together. "I don't think I'm feeling all that well today so I'm just gonna-"

"Wait!" Kurumu pulls me by the back of my shirt collar, keeping me from leaving. "I know what you're thinking but it's not that!" She whispered to me. "It's about...you know what, involving you know who."

"What are you...Oh." It took me a second to figure out what she was talking about.

"Trust me, I'm just as annoyed. I just wanted to give Elijah a heads up so the stress isn't so bad for him, I know the last time he had to deal with my mother wasn't exactly...ideal. It wasn't that way with you either."

"No kidding," I get an instant chill from thinking about the last time I spoke to that woman. "So...she's here now?"

"Kurumu!"

"Unfortunately, yes," She groaned at the sound of her mother's voice.

"There you are!" My heart drops in my stomach once I see the familiar face of the woman who basically sexually assaulted me, Moka offers me a comforting hand on my shoulder to ease my rising tension...and I wish it was working. "I swear, I don't know why you bother fraternizing with-"

"Mom!" Kurumu cuts her off in a huff. "Please, not in front of my friends."

"Fine," Ageha rolled her eyes...then they immediately landed on me. She offered a smile, but I could only react by getting a cold chill down my back. "Tsukune, it's lovely to see you again."

"Uh," I clear my throat. "It's...nice to see you again, Ma'am," I lie through my teeth.

"I see that look in your eye, sweetheart," She says to me with a smirk. "But unfortunately for you, I'm not fascinated by you in particular today. So you can wipe that cute worried look off of your face."

Wait, what?

"Oh? And whom particularly are you fascinated with today?"

"Well, I..." Ageha's smile instantly fades into a frown once her gaze meets Tsurara's. "Tsurara..."

"Agheha."

If the tension wasn't already bad enough, it definitely is now. I think I remember some slight anger whenever these two were in the same room, but this was something else. Tsurara didn't show it, but I could feel the resentment from behind her warm expression. As for Ageha...she refused to hide her resentment for the woman, I could count all the wrinkles she made on her forehead as she scowled at her.

"Meow!" Ms. Nekonome steps into the classroom with a perky attitude. "Is everyone having an enjoyable Parents' Day?" Her upbeat attitude suddenly changes when she sees the two mothers. "Now, now, let us all be on our best behavior today, shall we? We wouldn't want anything bad to happen on this special day! Now with everyone here, let's get started with class!"

"But, Ms. Nekonome," Moka speaks up. "Elijah isn't here yet."

"Meow? He's not?" Our teacher takes a few seconds to scan the classroom for our friend. "Now that's strange, he's usually the first one here. But we can't delay class time, I'm sure he'll turn up sooner or later!"

"But..." Kurumu wanted to speak up but she decided to keep quiet.

"I was hoping Luna would be here today too..."

Well, there's no point in just standing around so I take my seat and grab my notebook from my bag. The rest of the classroom prepares for the day as well, but only now, with a lot of parents in the back of the classroom. I kinda feel bad that they have to just stand there, the school could've at least offered them some chairs to sit in.

A few minutes have gone by since class has started and it almost feels like any other normal day, well... I looked over to my right and stared at the empty desk beside me. Where the heck are you, dude? You're never late... I try to come up with any rational thought as to where he might be...

SLAM!

But my thoughts came to a halt when the classroom door slammed open...and my best friend walked right through it. I sighed in relief as I saw him...but my worry immediately came back when I saw his disheveled appearance. Elijah wasn't wearing his blazer or even his tie and he looked like he had just run a marathon. Is that where he's been all morning? But I noticed that he looked a lot...paler than usual, and there were even dark rings growing around his eyes. Did he not sleep last night?

"Oh! There you are, Mr. Everett!" Ms. Nekonome cheered. "Glad to see you finally join us. And by the way, will either of your parents be showing up today?"

"..." Elijah stared at our teacher but offered no response before heading straight to his desk, he took out his earbuds and placed them in his pocket without saying a word.

"Hey," I whispered over to him. "Are you feeling alright, dude? You don't look so good..."

Elijah slowly turned his head at me, his eyes glared into my very soul. "...I'm fine." He said, but the monotone way he spoke concerned me more than anything.

"Why didn't you return any of my calls?" Kurumu whispered from behind him. "I've been meaning to-"

"Because I had nothing to say, now shut up and pay attention..." Elijah didn't even bother looking back to Kurumu when he responded.

"..." Okay, something is definitely wrong here. Maybe I can ask him when I have the time. I don't want to make him angry...well, any more than he probably already is.

---

Class went by in a flash, now it was time for gym. Everyone and their parents gathered themselves to leave and head to the back of the school. As for me and my friends, we stayed behind so we can talk about the uneasiness between Kurumu and Mizore's mom...and maybe about why they need to see Elijah again. I just hope he's up for that conversation.

"So, what exactly..." My sentence falls flat when I look to the back of the classroom and see Tsurara and Ageha tripping each other over as they try to leave. What is their problem? "So what exactly is going on here with your moms this time, you guys?"

"Yeah, exactly," Mizore glares at Kurumu with an accusatory tone. "What's the deal with your mom wanting to see Elijah crap?"

"Like I told you," Kurumu got equally as annoyed. "She wouldn't stop pestering me about today and I just want to get it over with! And you pretty much did the same thing!" She pointed a finger at her.

"I suppose so," Mizore shrugged with a knowing grin. "But you should really stop pestering my Elijah with your bullshit, right, Elijah?"

"..."

"Elijah?"

"You okay, dude?"

"Huh?" He looked back at us after I shook his shoulder. "Did you say something?"

"...We've been talking this whole time."

"Well, excuse me for not paying attention to what potentially is a waste of our time."

"What's your problem?" Yukari asked. "Are you gonna be this crabby when your folks show up."

"I don't know if they're coming or not, I just want to get today over with so I don't have to waste any more time," Elijah grabs his bag and stands from his desk. "So for fuck's sake, don't drag me into whatever...this is."

"Wait, dude, just..." He leaves before I could say another word. "Dammit..." Well, we'll just seen him in gym so we don't have to go on a full chase scene. "Anyways..." I face the others. "Haven't you guys told your mothers that no one here is really dating anyone? I thought we cleared that ordeal after the festival."

"Well..." Kuurmu spoke up first, she twiddled her thumbs as she came up with her response. "Yes...and no. Okay, Look, my mom is very traditional about how my love life should be so explaining my whole ordeal is just complicated for her and she barely sees reason in my choices."

"And what is your choice, boobs for brains?" Mizore frowned. "Don't tell me that you're pursuing my Elijah after what you've put him through."

"You're one to talk you stupid snow skank!" Kurumu shouted with a hint of red flushing her cheeks. "And it's not of your damn business anyway! And since when is he yours?!"

"Guys!" I intervene. "Shouting at each other won't get anywhere. How about instead of being at each other's throats, we just act like today is another normal day? From the looks of things...I don't think Elijah is okay."

"Tsukune's right, you guys," Moka agrees. "I'm worried about him, I think he's under a lot of stress and we shouldn't do anything to make it worse."

"I can practically feel the anger dripping off of him!" Yukari adds. "So how about you two just shut up for once and let's just enjoy ourselves!"

"...Damn," Kurumu sighed. "When the youngest of us all is being reasonable, you know we've messed up."

"For once, you and I agree."

"So you guys will just act normal today?" I ask.

Kurumu nods with a smile. "Promise!"

"Mizore?"

"...Fine."

I feel my shoulders relax when Mizore agrees, she was pouty about it but she agreed regardless. "Well then," I smiled. "let's get going, we don't want to be late."

---

Kurumu...

For their next period, everyone had the option to participate in playing tennis or they were free to spend gym class however they pleased. Most students paired themselves with their friend groups to play together or simply talked amongst themselves to pass the time. Moka encourages the other girls that they should have a little contest to pass the time. The teams consisted of Moka and Kurumu on one side while Mizore and Yukari took the other. So far, it was a friendly competition and everyone seemed to be having a good time, Tsukune watched from the sidelines since he had no interest in playing.

"Heads up, Moka!" Yukari served the tennis ball across the court.

"I got it!" Moka swings her racket and the ball heads directly for Mizore.

"Ha!" The Snow Fairy hits the ball back and it flies in Kurumu's direction, it was coming at her a little faster than she anticipated.

"HA!" But the Succubus was fast to react, Kurumu hit the ball back and managed to score points for her team. "Yahoo-hoo!"

"Nice shot, Kurumu!" Tsukune cheered from the side.

"Way to go!"

"Ha! Beat that, Mizore!" Kurumu mocked.

"Don't confuse your dumb luck with skill."

"Oh, yeah?" She smirked. "Yukari, what's the current score?"

"That just tied the game, next point takes it all!"

"Then let's do this!" Kurumu readied herself as it was Mizore's turn to serve the ball. Alright, we got this! A blur of brown caught Kurumu's attention, breaking her concentration from the game. "Oh! Hey, Elijah!" she called out to the boy as he was running by. But Elijah didn't stop; he only offered an unenthusiastic wave as he sprinted away without even looking back at her.

What the heck? That's the second time he's brushed me off today... It didn't take too long for Kurumu to realize that Elijah had been acting...a little off today, but she could not for the life of her come to a reasonable conclusion. Maybe he's just stressed about seeing my mom again?

"OW!" Kurumu is brought out of her inner turmoil thanks to the tennis ball hitting her directly in the head. "What the hell, Mizore?!"

"Okay, that was actually an accident."

Moka drops her racket and checks on her friend "Are you okay, Kurumu?"

"I'm fine," She groaned. "Just need to-"

"Oh, kurumu!"

Oh, god, what does she want now? "What is it, Mom?"

"Could you come over here for a minute or two?"

Seriously? Right in the middle of our game? Kurumu sighs and looks to the others with an apologetic bow. "Sorry, guys. I'll be right back." They nod and Kurumu follows her mother away from the court, away from any prying ears. "What is it, Mom?"

"Tell me," Ageha crosses her arms over her oversized chest. "Just how far have you exactly gone with this Elijah friend of yours?"

"W-What?"

"'Cause from the way I'm seeing things, he doesn't seem to have the slightest bit of interest in you. After hearing your praises of your so-called 'new Destined One', I really expected more."

"Mom, stop! You just don't know him the way I do!" Kurumu argued. "Besides, he's just a little stressed is all, I'm sure he's just worried about his own family showing up today."

Ageha scoffa at Kurumu's explanation. "Well since they're not, I suggest you take this opportunity to claim him before someone else does."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's simple," Ageha smirks, planting her foot on top of a nearby tree stump. "Do it with him."

"What?!" Kurumu's face glowed bright red.

"Right here and right now, alright, honey?"

"MOM! We're literally in the middle of gym right now! And I promised myself that I wouldn't resort to such methods to win his heart, I even promised my friends that I wouldn't use my Succubus powers like that and I would just act normal today. And..." Kurumu's voice grew softer, and a small smile formed across her lips. "I haven't even told him how I really feel, I was waiting for the right moment to-"

"It sounds like your relationship with him is over before it even started," Ageha interrupted.

"Mom!"

"I honestly don't know why you bother going after someone like him anyway, I swear, a Wizard of all people. I think it's best if you stop wasting your time with this and go back to your first choice, you should know that there are no second guess-"

"Elijah is more than just some 'Wizard', Mom," Kurumu cuts her mother off. "And this isn't some 'second guess'."

"Excuse me?"

"Mom, I love you, I don't want you to think otherwise, but Elijah is someone I care about more than I even care about myself. He's done so much for me than anyone ever has in my entire life, and I would do anything for him just to even begin to repay him..." Kurumu's eyes glared up at her mother. "So I would appreciate it if you wouldn't insult the boy I love and try to see him for the kind, sweet, brave, strong, and loving person that he is!"

"..."

Crap... Kurumu began to panic in her head. I can't believe I just yelled at her like that! She closed her eyes and waited for any form of punishment to come from her mother...but she opened them once again when she heard her mother...chuckle.

"I see," Ageha smirked, a challenging look twinkling in her eyes. "If that is how you really feel for him, then I suggest you claim what you think is yours. You wouldn't want to lose him...now would you?"

"..."

---

Mizore...

"Jeez," Yukari winced as Kurumu walked away from the tennis court. "Did you really have to hit her like that, Mizore?"

"I said it was an accident!" She retorted. "I'm already melting out here as it is, it's bad enough that I'm running around in this stupid gym uniform."

"Mizore, sweetie," Tsurara calls to her from the sidelines. "Could you come here, please?" Despite how sweet her mother was smiling at her, Mizore could only sigh in annoyance.

"I'll be back..." Now away from the tennis courts and no longer in the presence of any other student or parent who could hear in on their conversation. "What is it, Mother?"

"I want to talk to you about the relationship you have with Elijah."

"I thought we already discussed this. We're only friends right now but he will fall for me, Mother. It's just a matter of time, is all."

"Oh, really?" Tsurara didn't exactly believe her own daughter's words. "Because from where I was standing, it seems to me that boy has no interest in you whatsoever. He didn't even look in your direction as he passed."

"He's just going through some issues right now, you don't know what's going on inside his head!"

"And you do?"

"..."

Mizore's mind goes back to...what she considers one of the worst nights of her entire life, the night she and the others stayed at Tsukune's home. Mizore couldn't find herself falling asleep that night, her head was riddled with guilt thanks to everything that had occurred; Sneaking herself into Tsukune's home, starting a fight with Kurumu, causing destruction in the human world...and hitting Elijah on accident. She tossed and turned for what felt like hours until she heard the sound of the front door opening, without revealing herself to be awake, she saw the boy she thought highly of carrying the unconscious body of her rival through half-lidded eyes.

And Mizore could hear every word he said to her...

"I really wanted to tell you. I had it all planned out, too. I would ask you to the dance just like I did, we would enjoy the festival, we would go to the dance and just enjoy each other's company. Then when it was all over, I would take you to where we first met, the little pond just outside of Yokai Academy. It's quiet...we'd be alone...so I would take you by the hand, look you in the eye...and say that you, Kurumu Kurono, are the most beautiful, kind, wonderful, loving, funniest, badass, and most awesomest girl that I've ever met in my entire life."

"The truth is, Kurumu...I love you. I love you more than anything in the whole world. And I think I've felt this way for a long time, probably since the day we met...It just took me way too long to realize it since...you're the first person that's ever made me feel this way."

"It doesn't matter," Mizore says to her mother. "Elijah is someone important to me and I'll make him learn to love me."

"Then why not claim him as yours right now?" Tsurara's right hand turns into ice crystals, her reflection glistens as she smiles at herself. "Why don't you freeze him, dear?"

"What?"

"Mizore," Tsurara's malicious smile turns to her daughter. "if you freeze him right now, Elijah will remain yours forever."

"But, Mother, I made a promise to him and my friends that I wouldn't do stuff like that anymore, especially today."

"Really? In that case..." Tsurara closes her ice claws in a sudden flinch of her hand, shattering them as if they were nothing. "Don't be surprised he ends up with that Succubus friend of yours. I've seen the new way she looks at him, it's clear that her feelings for him are growing stronger by the day."

"It won't come to that, Mother!"

"There's only one way to make sure that it doesn't...and that's by freezing him and keeping him close. That's the proper form of love for a Snow Fairy."

"..."

---

Kurumu...

"Who does she think she is?" Kurumu groaned as she stepped away from everyone, she wanted a moment of peace to herself after hearing what her mother suggested she should do. "How can I just do that with Elijah out of nowhere?!"

If Kurumu was being honest with herself, the thought of doing anything intimate with Elijah at this point was enough to make her heart flutter against her chest, even something as simple as holding hands made her feel all warm and tingly inside.

Speaking of him... I wonder what he's up to right now? I know I'm supposed to be on my best behavior today and act normal...so just talking to him wouldn't hurt, right? Kururmu saw no harm in just having a simple talk with her best friend, so she searched the courts for him. I just hope he doesn't shut me out again...

Kurumu didn't find Elijah, but she did manage to find Tsukune standing off and away from the tennis courts. "Hey, Tsukune. Why are you just staring off like that?"

"Look up," the young man pointed up at a nearby tree. Kurumu didn't have to look any further for Elijah; he was hanging upside down on one of the branches and pulling himself up over and over again with his hands behind his back. "That's why."

"How long has he been doing that?"

"You know when you left to go talk to your mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, he's been doing that for a solid five minutes."

"Have you tried talking to him?"

"Yeah, but I don't think what I've been saying is getting through to him. Either that, or he's got his headphones on way too loud."

"Yeah," Kurumu chuckled. "He usually has his headphones on full blast. Let me try," the aqua-haired girl marches closer to the tree, smiling as she watches her friend exercise endlessly. "Elijah? Can you hear me?" His only response was a few grunts as he kept up his workout. "Elijah!"

"Huh?" He stops his movement, leaving him hanging upside down. Elijah takes this involuntary cease of his exercise and removes his earbuds from his head. "What?"

"That's...quite a workout you got yourself going there."

"I honestly don't know how you do that for so long," Tsukune adds.

"Can't keep doing the same old thing if I want the results I need," Elijah counterargues. "What do you guys want?"

"Well..." Kurumu steals a side glance from Tsukune, silently asking him to give her and Elijah some privacy. Tsukune nods and leaves and Kurumu looks back at her friend, feeling a little silly for having a conversation while he's hanging upside down from a tree. "Could you come down first?"

"Fine," Elijah swings his upper body backward and his legs lose their grip on the branch, He lands perfectly on the ground and turns to face Kurumu. "What's up?"

"It's just..." Red takes over Kurumu's cheeks as she twiddles with her hands behind her back. "We haven't really spent time together in forever."

"We see each other every day, ain't that enough?"

"But..." A familiar stinging feeling in Kurumu's heart came from Elijah's slightly harsh tone. "I miss you...and me."

"..." Kurumu watched the journey that Elijah's face went through. Annoyance, thoughtfulness, weariness, fear, and most of all...pain. Just what exactly was going on in his head? The Succubus thought.

"Are you alright?" Kurumu places the back of her hand gently against Elijah's forehead. "You're not running a fever, are you?"

"No," Elijah pulled himself away, he turned his face away from her...mumbling to himself.

"Elijah?"Kurumu takes him by the hand, causing Elijah to look back at her and meet her concerned gaze. "You know you can talk to me, right? Please?"

"...There's-"

"So, that's how it's gonna be, huh?" Mizore speaks up, scaring the living daylight out of Kurumu. "I should've known you'd pull something like this."

"What are you talking about? We were just talking, Mizore!"

"And I've had enough of it."

Mizore swipes her hand in a horizontal motion followed by a sudden frostbiting wind that froze not only Elijah but Kurumu as well, encasing them both from the neck down. Kurumu struggled in place as Elijah scowled at the Snow Fairy.

"Mizore!"

"For fuck's sake..."

"What are you trying to do, kill us?!"

"What's going on over here?" Tsukune comes at the sound of shouting along with Moka and Yukari. "Mizore?!"

"What are you doing?"

"Jeez, we can't leave you two alone for five minutes!" The young witch exclaimed.

"Hold on, we'll get you guys out."

"It was all for love," Mizore explained.

"In what universe?!"

"If I hadn't done it, I might've lost him."

"Hang on, I got you, Kurumu!" Yukari raises her magic wand and a golden tea kettle appears, warm water pours down onto the ice and melts it away, freeing Kurumu from her frozen prison. "Now you're next, Elijah."

"I don't," Yukair raises her wand, only to stop when she hears the ice start breaking. "need your help!"

SMASH!

Elijah shatters the ice with unbelievable strength. "Just what I needed today..."

"Guys," Tsukune addresses Mizore and Kurumu in a calm but firm tone. "I thought we agreed that we'd just act casual today."

"I was!" Kurumu shouts. "I was talking to Elijah when Frosty the Snow Skank came in and froze us!"

"I knew what you were scheming, you balloon-tit sex demon."

"I think both of you need to learn a lesson!" Yukari goes to wave her wand to pull her signature move, Kurumu and Mizore shield themselves from the coming golden washtubs...but they never come down from the air. "Huh?"

Everyone looks up and sees Elijah holding both washtubs in his hands. "I've had enough..." He throws one of them across the field, nearly hitting a few students in the process. "of your insolent squabbling!" He lifts the other above his head...and begins to crush and fold it until it is merely a golden disc, Elijah then throws the disc toward a three...cutting it in half with his throw. "...We're done here, next period is starting soon."

"But-"

"Silence!" He boomed...and a faint hint of green gleamed from his eyes. "No more time will be wasted on such...insolence, now get moving and listen for once in your lives."

---

Tsukune...

Well, gym didn't exactly go as planned, but at least math will be uneventful. So far it's just a case of simple equations. Well, simple for a few of us.

"Now for this equation," Miss Kagome spoke. "who here could solve it? Miss Shirayuki?"

Mizore stands from her desk with a shy frown and an embarrassed blush. "I don't know how to..."

I sighed a little, I thought she was getting a little better with math. A small snicker made me turn my head to the back of the classroom, I guess Ageha found some amusement in her rival's daughter's inability to solve the problem. Tsurara could only sneer in slight disappointment.

Is it really a big deal that she doesn't know?

"Then how about you, Miss Kurono?"

My friend stood with equal embarrassment. "I don't know how to either..."

Now the tables have turned with Tsurara snickering and Ageha could only stand there with her mouth open. "Well, then, how about you, Mister Everett?"

"..."

Elijah stood from his desk, silently marched to the chalkboard, and started writing. The only audible sound was the chalk clamping down on the board, the problem was easily solved before our eyes.

"There," He faces the classroom. "Diophantine equations can be really simple once you put your mind to it, sometimes they can end with a repeating answer. It's like one of those annoying songs like the worst song ever that you can't help but whistle it or sing it that just repeats itself, repeats itself, repeats itself, repeats itself, repeats itself, repeats itself!" Elijah turns back to the chalkboard and writes the answer down again frantically.

"Mr. Everett?"

"Point three, three, three, three, three, three, three, three! Repeating of course," Elijah slams down the chalk and faces all of us again. "See? Don't freak out. Don't freak out. Easy fix, problem in my head, now it's on the wall, everything is good."

"Alright, that's enough, Mr.-"

"Shh! Shh! Shut up! Just shut up!" He shouts...but he stared inetnsly at the classroom door, Elijah isn't even looking at Ms. Kagome.

"Mr. Everett?"

"...Okay, what were you saying?" Elijah asks as if he did not just have an outburst.

I looked at all the chalk writing on the wall, there was something past the answer. I squinted my eyes to see that... What the fuck? Elijah had written...three dots, three dashes, and three dots again. I may not know a lot...but I know Morse code when I see it. What is going on? I need to get to the bottom of things...I just wish I knew where to start.

---

Mizore...

Music wasn't much to Mizore Shirayuki in her younger years. She would sometimes think of it as a simple pastime and never give it more than a minute of thought. But as she grew up, she was fascinated by the classical arts of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Claude Debussy. One thing a lot of people didn't know about Mizore: She actually has an amazing singing voice. Not even her friends knew.

For their music history class today, Mizore will show them all what she's capable of. As she stands with her book in hand, the music swells with the soft and slow sound of a guitar. Taking one last deep breath, Mizore clears her mind and focuses only on one person who will act as the heart of her performance. I hope you're listening to my words, Elijah...

Close your eyes, look around my frozen heart...
Start to melt with the warmth of your desire...
Can this be love I feel for you now?
Please don't tell me you can't take it.
Since the day our stars first aligned...
My whole world's been frozen in time.

Mizore wrapped her mind back around that eventful day she met the Young Wizard, closing her eyes and smiling to herself. The Snow Fairy couldn't stop thinking about how Elijah saved her from Mr. Kotsubo that faithful day, how strong he was even before he knew what he truly was, and how...handsome his smile was.

I love you so much, I could die...
and I can't sleep at night...

A number of students found themselves swaying their heads side to side to the sound of Mizore's soft, compelled melody. Some were even impressed with how she sounded so clear even with a lollipop in her mouth. The words rolled from her lips as she had known them her whole life, the crowd sat mystified by her surprisingly hypnotic voice as she kept going.

There is a snowstorm, there is a snowstorm...
It's blowing through the walls of my heart...

Unbeknownst to the Snow Fairy, she seemed to get a little too lost in her own performance. As she repeated those words, snow began to softly fall down from the ceiling of the classroom. The peculiar change in weather was a surprise to the students and Mizore's friends but it would not stop her performance.

There is a snowstorm, there is a snowstorm...
And your chills to the depth of my emotion...

The snow picked up with Mizore's rising notes, now turning into a small blizzard. Students and parents held themselves to keep warm as Mizore finished the final verse of her song with an ironic fire roaring in her heart.

Now I'm yours...a prisoner of passion...

"W-W-Well done, M-M-Mizore," The teacher spoke up despite his chattering teeth. The only other audible applause came from her mother who was unfazed by the cold, being a Snow Fairy herself. Tsurara clapped like she had been watching the opera.

Thank you, Mother. Mizore nods at her before looking at the boy she has been singing to for this whole time, but her small smile fades as she sees Elijah shivering with a pile of snow on his head. Oh, no. I think I got a little carried away...

SNAP!

With a snap of the boy's fingers, all of the snow had been evaporated and cleaned away from everyone's desks and clothes. "Thank you, Mr. Everett. Now then," The teacher readjusts his glasses. "Who's next? How about you, Kurumu?"

"Yes!" The Succubus cheered in a whisper, she stood up straight without her book.

"Which song will you-"

"Actually," Kurumu cuts him off. "I'll be singing one that's off-book if that's okay?"

"Oh? Then please, by all means, the floor is yours, Miss Kurono."

"..." What are you planning, Succubus? Mizore sneered as she laid her head down on her desk.

---

Kurumu...

For Kurumu, music has been a small portion of her childhood. Often, her mother would play the great works of Ludwig van Beethoven to help her sleep, and Kurumu would even find herself humming his familiar tunes out of habit. However, she never explored music beyond what her mother would expose her to...until she met a boy who had a love for the arts that outshone her own.

From that day forth, Kurumu discovered many forms of music. Rock and roll, hip hop, pop, blues, punk, folk, and Kurumu could count the endless possibilities when it came to the melodic arts.

But for today, she would only need to focus on one song in particular...

I really hope he listens to me...

Kurumu takes out her phone, scrolls for a few seconds, and places it down on her desk with the volume all the way up. The soft piano brings everyone to attention, capturing their ears with its gentle notes and dance-like melody...

I know they say that the space between...
Can make it stronger than we've ever seen.
They might be right, but I disagree...
'Cause I've never felt stronger than we You're with me.

Kurumu allowed her eyes to entrap her vision in darkness, allowing her mind to go back to happier days... Ones where she would simply be with the boy she loved and enjoy his company without another care in the world. For the past few days, Kurumu cursed herself for not realizing just how special those moments with Elijah were, she longed for the day she could have another day like that with him.

Sometimes I wonder why you even care...
'Cause even when I leave, You're always the-ere with me.
And like a candle makes a brighter place...
This mark You've made on me can't be erased.

Kurumu missed his smile, the way he would talk to her, being around him, and most of all...she just missed him. She was silently hoping that she would get the chance to sing today, Kurumu hoped that this song would spark something within Elijah.

I wanna be so far gone in You...
So far nothing else will ever do.
I wanna be so far gone...in You...
In You.

As of now, Kurumu is no longer in the classroom as far as she's concerned. Instead, she was back in the human world underneath a starry night sky. Along with her was a taller boy with dark brown hair and eyes, his smile alone was enough to make her heart dance in her chest...and Elijah would ask her to do the very same thing, his words practically echoed in her head.

"We never had our dance."

I've stood alone and I've fallen down...
Your hands were there to pick me off the ground.
Sometimes I cry 'cause I can't believe...
Your love is big enough to cover me.

Sometimes I've wondered if You're even there...
But when I feel far away, You mee me the-ere.
And like a candle makes a brighter place...
This mark You've made on me can't be erased.
Yeah...

Entrancement seemed to fall upon every student in the classroom due to Kurumu's angelic voice, even some parents found themselves captivated by the Succubi's performance. They took in each note of her song and it reached even the darkest parts of themselves and shone a light of hope, It's as if her song was washing away all of their troubles by simply letting her voice fill their hearts.

I wanna be so far gone in You...
So far nothing else will ever do.
I wanna be so far gone...In You.
In You.

I wanna be so far gone in You...
So far nothing else will ever do.
I wanna be so far gone...In You.
In You.
I wanna be lost...

Kurumu gently places her right hand over her chest, she can feel her own heartbeat rising as her voice crescendos into the most emotional part of the song.

I wanna be lost in You...
Like a ship in the night.
I wanna get lost in You...
Underneath Your sky.
I wanna be lost in You...
Like a ship in the night.
So far gone tonight...

I wanna be so far gone in You...
So far nothing else will ever do.
I wanna be so far gone...in You.
In Youe.

So far gone in You...
In You...
In You...
So far gone in You.

The piano and Kurumu's voice fade out as the song comes to an end. She opens her eyes and takes a calming breath. The Succubus smiles as she witnesses how her song affects her classmates. Some even find themselves tearing up and sniffling after hearing her beautiful voice, and a number of the boys squint in jealousy. But none of their reactions mattered to the young lady—all except for one.

"That was so beautiful..."

"Does anyone have a tissue?"

"Wish it was me she was singing for..."

"Well done, Kurumu," The teacher wipes his eyes using is sleeve. "Very well done."

"Thank you," she nods and takes a small bow. I really hope you were listening, Elijah? When she looked over at the young man, his eyes were glued to his desk, and his eyes were twitching all over the place. "Elijah?"

"Huh?" His gaze returned to normal once he looked back up at Kurumu. "What?"

"..." Okay, that was freaky. What the heck was that? A familiar sharp feeling poked at her chest as she sat back down. Was he even listening to me...?

Kurumu spent the rest of class thinking to herself, carefully and silently stealing a side glance at her best friend. She already had a feeling that something wasn't quite right with Elijah, she just wished she could pinpoint the reason why. Kurumu steals another glance at him, she sees the way Elijah was opening and closing his fist on repeat as he stares out the window.

Please...just talk to me, Elijah.

GONG! GONG!

There's the bell, which means it's time for lunch. Everyone started packing their school bags and prepared to leave the classroom, Kurumu slung her bag over her shoulder and smiled at Elijah...only for it to open in slight concern. Elijah had his head in his hands, wincing in slight pain.

"Elijah? Are you-"

"Kurumu!"

"Mizore!"

Ageha and Tsurara spoke up before Kurumu could express her concern, both mothers spoke in unison as they had the same idea come to their heads. "I think the best way to wrap up my visit is by having lunch together, and with Elijah, too, of course."

"Huh?"

"What?"

It seems that both mothers were perplexed by each other's words, they glared daggers at each other, making their daughters and their friends worry.

"While that's such a kind offer," Tsurara smiles sweetly...but the corner of her left eye starts twitching. "but unfortunately, Elijah is going to have to turn it down because he already promised to eat with Mizore and I."

"Uh, Mother, we didn't-"

"I'm afraid you must have him confused with someone else," Ageha stopped Mizore from speaking up. "because Elijah promised to have dinner with me and Kurumu today."

Seriously, Mom? "Mom, we didn't say anything like that."

"I'm quite sure it was him;" Not Tsurara nor Ageha cared for what their daughters had to say. "I know who my dates are," Tsurara's kind eyes now lose their glimmer as they turned as cold as she was. "I don't pick up random men, unlike some women that I know."

"Mother..."

"It must be nice to have so few dates that you can actually remember them all," Ageha retorts with a knowing smirk. "As for me, I get so many offers from men, I can barely keep track of them."

"Mom!"

"How about we all just calm down and-"

"You stay out of this!" The mothers shout at Tsukune.

"If I may intrude..." The boy in question speaks up from his desk, turning his head back with an annoyed scowl. "I have a solution that will make everyone shut up..."

---

Tsukune...

I'm glad someone was able to calm those two, I don't know what I would do if Elijah wasn't here. Then again...I don't even know what to do as he is here. We all gathered in the cafeteria, I sat down with Moka and Yukari, Kurumu and her mother sat on one side of the table while Mizore and her mother sat on the other side. As for Elijah, since he was the center of attention for today, he sat at the end of the table.

It's been nothing but silence for the past few minutes as we silently ate, the tension in the air was so thick that someone could cut it with a knife. "Geez," I whisper to Moka and Yukari. "This is way too tense."

"I agree," Moka nods sadly.

"These cats just need to get a room and hash things out," Yukari adds.

"Not helping, Yukari."

"Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood."

"So, Elijah," Ageha took it upon herself to break the ice. "I would like to discuss exactly how far along you've gotten with my daughter."

"MOM!" Kuurmu screeched, her face turning red with anger and embarrassment.

"What?" She feigned innocence. "Isn't that what you want from him? I mean, you said so yourself that you could see yourself marry- Ouch!" A sudden thump came from under the table.

"Mom. Seriously. Stop."

I don't think you have anything to worry about, Kurumu. I looked over to the end of the table, Elijah wasn't even paying attention to the conversation. He's been scarfing down his plate full of food for the past few minutes. His workout earlier must've made him quite famished.

"So, Mr. Everett," Tsurara kindly grins at him as he chows down his tempura shrimp. "I believe a lavish wedding would be best fitting for you and Mizore. What do you think?"

"Mother..."

"Of course, you and Mizore are just dating right now," She continued. "but I'm sure a charming young man like yourself knows what that eventually leads to."

"I never said we were getting married, Mother!" Mizore spoke up more firmly this time.

"Quiet, Mizore, please."

"Look, I hate to break it to you like this," Ageha speaks with an unapologetic tone. "but unfortunately, there's just no way that your daughter can marry a boy like Elijah. Even if he is just a Wizard, he's far too much for her."

Alright, I don't like where this is going...

"Mom, don't say things like that..."

"Hush, Kurumu!"

"Since your breast size is bigger than your brain size, let me explain something," Tsurara's kind smile turns to a malicious grin. "There's no such thing as a love affair when there's no love involved at all. You clearly don't see beyond what he is and only care for what he has and so does my Mizore, so the only one Elijah can truly love is my daughter, not yours."

"Don't we get a say in this?" Mizore and Kurumu speak up...but their words only fall flat on deaf ears. Ageha slammed her hands down on the table as she stood up, her anger clearly showing.

Oh, boy...

"He's marrying Kurumu!"

"No," Tsurara does the same, her kind demeanor completely gone. "he's going to be my son-in-law!"

"No, mine!"

"No, mine!"

"No, He's mine!"

"No, he's mine!"

I could only watch as both mothers stood ready to tear each other's heads off, everyone else was equally as baffled as I was. Other than Elijah who only now looked up from his food, he swallowed and cleared his throat as he turned his head to Tsurara and Ageha.

"Uh...did I miss something?"

You have no idea...

"You just don't get it do you, Tsurara?!"

"No, you don't!"

Ageha growls and extends her claws right toward Tsurara. "Chaos Claw!"

"Ha!" She mocked as a swirling blizzard started to form around us all. "That's no match against my Dancing Blizzard!"

"Everyone! Get down!" I jump out from my seat, blocking Moka from what's about to come.

BOOM!

Their attacks leave the cafeteria in a cloud of dust, smoke, and rubble. I cough from the initial blast. "Is everyone okay?"

"I'm fine!" Yukari shouted in my ear.

"I'm okay," Moka grips onto my arm. "Thank you, Tsukune."

I take a look at the damage around us, I see that most of the tables are already broken and there's even a hole in the wall of the cafeteria. As for the others, Kurumu and Mizore were huddling themselves behind a broken table while Elijah simply looked down at all the food spilled onto the floor.

"Mom! Cut it out!"

"Chill out, Mother!"

"My shrimp..."

"I'll cut you down with my Ultimate Claw Attack!"

"Mom, seriously!" Kurumu shouts again in the hope that her mother will get through to her. "You're gonna hurt someone! Just look at what you're doing! Please, stop this now!"

Tsurara sets herself on top of an ice pillar, raising her arms. "Transcendental Ice Pillar Array!" Sharp, spike-like ice pillars form from the ground and smash everything in their path.

"Mother, I promise I'll make Elijah love me one day, so please stop this fighting before you hurt somebody!"

BOOM!

Their words don't reach them, they can only focus on each other. Everyone else in the cafeteria had run away from the destruction, leaving me and the others here to deal with it. Crap, how are we supposed to deal with this?!

"Elijah!" Moka calls to him. "Do something!"

"Huh?" He looks up at her with confusion written all over his face. "Me? What do you want me to do?! I don't even know what's going on!"

"What?!" Kurumu got close to Elijah's face, clearly angry with him. "Are you telling me that you seriously haven't been paying attention this whole time?!"

"Well, your mother isn't exactly on my list of top priorities, especially with how she treated me back at the festival! So excuse me for not wanting anything to do with her for today!"

"Are we seriously gonna argue about that now?!"

"Guys!" I shout. "If you keep arguing, those two are just gonna destroy everything in their path!"

"AGH!" Elijah groans in annoyance. "Fine!"

"Tsukune! Watch out!" Moka pushes me out of the way...my hand instinctively grabs onto her Rosary and it tears away. When the blinding light fades out, my eyes are met with the overwhelming presence of Inner Moka.

"Shoot, I didn't mean to bring you out for this. Sorry, Moka."

She sighed at my words, flicking a lock of her silver hair behind her shoulder. "As it's good to see you, it's sad that I have to be the one to clean up this mess as usual."

"I'm sorry, you clean up the mess?" Elijah laughed, finding irony in Moka's words. "Last time I counted, I've done more than you can count on your fingers, Akashiya. And just like those times, it's up to me to clear up someone else's mess. So how about you just stay there and...know your place." Before any one of us could say anything to him, Elijah faces Ageha and Tsurara as their fight comes to a momentary pause.

"You haven't changed a bit since high school, have you, Ageha?!" Tsurara shouts from atop a pile of rubble. "You're still trying to swoop in and steal someone else's man!"

Wait, what?

"You can't call it 'stealing' when he was never yours to begin with!" Ageha points an accusatory finger. "All you ever did was hang around poor Gonzo and bother him, but he never even gave you the time of day, did he, Tsurara?" Her cocky tone causes Tsurara to sneer.

"You're one to talk! you came on to him like a hussy, but he never even looked in your direction!"

"...You've gotta be kidding me." I sigh.

"All of this..."

"Over some stupid rivalry?" Mizore finishes Kurumu's sentence.

"That only happened 'cause you screwed things up and got in the way!"

"You were the one who got in the way!"

"I hated you then and I hate you now!"

"I think this Gonzo guy dodged a major bullet!" Elijah's shout caused the mothers to cease their fighting for just a little longer. "I mean, seriously," He crosses his arms. "What normal man would want to deal with all of this? You two are already too old enough to act like children let alone attract another man in your life."

I couldn't believe what I was even hearing. I watched as my best friend insult Kurumu's and Mizore's mothers, the others stood equally as shocked at Elijah's condescending tone, even Moka didn't see this coming. I don't understand...he's never like this...

"Tch...who do you think you are?"

"Moka?" I saw the look in her eyes...she's definitely getting pissed. "Hey, just calm down, I'm sure-"

"Think you can talk to me like that and get away with it?" She ignored me and marched right up to Elijah, he wasn't aware of her presence as she rose her leg up. Oh, no... "I think you should know your place!"

"What? Gaugh!" Moka kicks him in the back, sending him flying right into Ageha and Tsurara...his hands unintentionally grab onto...one of their breasts.

"Oh, Elijah..." They mutter in unexpected arousal.

"...Oh, my god."

"What. The. Fuck?"

"He's gonna be mad..."

"Whoops..."

I watch in pure shock and bewilderment as Elijah falls to the floor, accidentally groping Ageha's breast while his face is planted in Tsurara's...snowflake.

"If things don't work out with my daughter, how about dating me?" Both mothers say in unison.

"...We should get him out of there."

"Yeah..." We were about to go over and help out our friend...but a pair of squeals stopped us in our tracks.

"Ah!"

"Ouch!"

Elijah had risen to his feet, he held Ageha up firmly by her breast and Tsurara by her thigh. "...I've had enough of you two insolent women," His head twitched as...a familiar black substance grew from his back and arms, it covered his upper body entirely and left only his head exposed.

What? Elijah told me that he would never use that spell again, he gave me his word!

"You two wanna act like children? Then fine!" Elijah sneers, bringing Ageha and Tsurara's faces closer to his. "Then let's take this outside then, shall we?!"

"Elijah! No!"

SMASH!

He doesn't listen to me and throws Ageha and Tsurara through the hole in the wall and outside into some nearby trees, the black substance on his body grows into two large tentacles and he uses them to walk himself outside.

"Guys! Come on!" I ran outside and the others followed me...just in time to watch Elijah grab the pair of mothers by their throats using his black tendrils. "Elijah! Stop!"

"What are you doing?!"

"Tell me, Ageha," I couldn't quite make out his face, but I could hear the grin forming on Elijah's face. "How does it feel to be at my kind's mercy? Isn't it sad that you've been subdued by a lowly wizard of all creatures?" She tried to speak, but only a small croak came from her throat. "Honestly, you call yourself a Succubus? Just how close are your tits close to sagging? And you, Tsurara, tell me how long it's been since a man last touched you? My guess is sixteen years. How sad." An extra tendril grows from the middle of Elijah's back, it grabs a nearby tree and raises high above him...

"Elijah! No!"

"What does he think he's doing?"

"Elijah! That's enough!" Mizore yells. "I think they learned their lesson!

"Just stop!" Kurumu pleads. "I know she's being unreasonable today but she's still my mom! Please! Stop hurting her!"

"..."

Our words seem to get through to him, he looks back between us and the mothers...and his shoulders slump down. I sigh in relief...but I did it too soon. Elijah throws the tree back toward the school using the tendril and it goes right into the bell tower, the concrete crumbles and the bell from inside falls to the ground not too far from us, creating a loud gong sound.

GONG!

"AAAAHHHH!" Elijah screams in pain, he drops Ageha and Tsurara as the black substance around his body begins to spazz out. "AAAAUUUUGGGHHH!"

"Elijah!" Kurumu is the first to run over to Elijah's fallen body, the others and I soon follow after. Elijah clutches his head and sucks in air through his teeth as the ringing bell fades out, the black goo on his body seems to absorb itself back into his body.

"What's wrong with him?" Mizore asks.

"I don't know!"

"Why did he go all crazy like that?!"

"Ngh..." Elijah sits up, his left hand remains on his forehead. "The hell...?"

"Elijah," Kurumu looks over him, checking for any trace of that black stuff. "Are you okay? What the heck got into you?"

"You told me that you wouldn't use that-"

"I'm fine," He stood up and began dusting himself off, he didn't even look at us. "For once, how about you clean up this mess yourselves, I'm outa here."

"But-" I go to grab his hand...but he hits it away before I could even get close.

"Don't fucking touch me...stop acting like you care," Elijah walks away, leaving all five of us in complete and utter confusion and shock.

What happened to him? I thought everything was finally alright with us...so why the heck is he being like this? And why would he be silently crying for help if he clearly doesn't need it?!

I groan internally at my failure to find any sort of logic to the situation. "Guys?" Yukari's small voice brings me back to reality. "...I think there's something seriously wrong with Elijah."

"I think that's putting it lightly," Inner Moka quips.

"But what's happening to him? He's never taken his anger to this level before."

"Something very bad, I think."

"Could it have something to do with Merlin?" Mizore asked.

"I don't think so," Yukari shook her head and brought her finger to her chin. "The last time that part of Elijah got involved, he only subdued us to stop any more destruction from happening, he didn't even hurt us. But here...it's like Elijah had no regard for any of us or any destruction caused in his path."

"So what is happening to him?"

"...I don't know," Yukari's shaky voice only made me feel worse. "But I know this can't be good."

"So what do we do?" I ask.

"I'll ask my parents and Ruby about the 'spell' he used, they may know more about it than I do."

"Good idea," I nod. "But before that..." I look back over to Ageha and Tsurara, they've been on the ground for the last few minutes groaning in pain. "I think we should at least help them."

---

"Aaaaaaand done!" In the aftermath of all the chaos, Yukari's parents have come along to help fix up the rubble with their magic. Now everything was fixed and Yukari smiled proudly up at her parents.

"I knew you could fix this up, Mama and Papa!"

"This was nothing, sweetie."

"Your old man still knows a trick or two."

I feel a warm sensation in my stomach at the sight of Yukari's loving family, I'm glad at least someone had normal parents to visit them today. As for the other two...

"You used us to carry out your stupid fight!" Kuurmu scolded her mother in a twist of fate.

"What were you thinking, Mother?" Mizore was equally as ashamed, she had her hands on her hips as she too scolded her mother.

"...I'm sorry," Ageha seemed apologetic with her bow, at least on the outside.

"Well, what about you, Mother?"

"Yes," She nods and takes a bow as well. "I'm sorry, too."

"And we're both really sorry that Elijah got so...out of hand, we don't know what got into him today."

"I feel like we should apologize for his outburst," Tsurara corrects Kurumu.

"For once, I agree with you," Ageha adds. "We pushed too hard and look what happened. And I must say, that boy is stronger than he looks. I can imagine what he could be like with you, Kurumu"

"Mom!" Kurumu rolled her eyes, I don't think Ageha will ever really change. "Anyways, as for Elijah. I want him to fall in love with me naturally and not in some underhanded way, I'm sure Mizore wants that too. Even if you managed to somehow force Elijah to become the husband to either of us, it wouldn't be right and that's not the way we want him."

"Hey, I'll take him that way."

"Mizore!" Moka shouted. "No!"

"I'm just kidding," Mizore nervously grinned.

"Hahaha!" A familiar voice coming in the form of a laugh grabbed my attention, I saw that it was Saizou coming out of the Academy building with his parents in tow. "I hope you have a safe trip home, Mommy and Daddy."

"You be a good boy now, Saizou, and make the Komiya name proud!"

"You can count on me, Daddy!"

"Wait..." While Saizou's father laughs proudly at his son, Tsurara and Ageha seem like they have Deja Vu when they hear that last name. "'Komiya?'"

"You don't suppose..."

"Actually I do suppose it..."

"Then that would make his father..." Both ladies gasp in shock and light disgust when they seem to come to the same solution. "GONZO?!"

Wait, so that's the guy those two were fighting over? Man, he's really let himself go. I wasn't the only one to think that since both Tsurara and Ageha seemed they were close to fainting, they managed to find their footing before they addressed their daughters.

"Kurumu, you've got a good hunk so you better not let him go, do you hear me?"

"Uh...okay?"

"And Mizore.." Tsurara smiled...but even I could feel the malice behind it. "Next time, I want you to bring Elijah home as your real boyfriend, do you understand?"

"Yes!" Mizore answered with slight fear shaking her voice. "Just please, stop doing that, Mother!"

"Man..." I sighed as they carried on their conversation. "I'm just glad that Parents' Day is only once a year."

"Tsukune?" I turn my head at Moka's voice calling to me. "Would you rather I had parents like that who did crazy stuff for me...or would that bother you?" She asks the last part with a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Actually," I smile warmly at her. "it doesn't matter to me what kind of parents you have, Moka. Not at all."

"Really?"

"Really really," I nod. "How they behave won't change how I feel for you."

"Tsukune..."

"Moka..." She leaned in a little closer to me, I already knew exactly what she wanted from me. And who am I to deny the girl I love what she wants? I tilt my head slightly to the left to give her easier access to my neck, I could already feel her warm breath-

HOO! HOO!

"There you all are! Finally!"

Oh, you gotta be kidding me!

I pulled away from Moka and saw my feathered acquaintance flying in circles above all of us, Archimedes swooped down and perched himself on a nearby tree branch. "I say, what's with all of you galivanting about outside the school grounds?"

"Archimedes, what are you doing here?" Moka asked with curiosity. "We haven't seen you in a while."

"Hmph!" The owl puffs out his chest feathers in a huff. "Ever since Everett threw me out of his living quarters, I've been fending for myself in the forest. I say, that boy has gone mad I tell you, mad indeed!"

"He threw you out?" Yukari tilted her head. "But why?"

"I do not know, Young Witch...something bad I fear."

"How bad?" Kurumu asked with worry in her voice.

"On a scale from one to ten... It's not good!" Archimedes shook his each with each word. "But never mind that for now, I have rather interesting news. That is why I am here."

"Oh? And who's this? A magic bird?"

"Or perhaps a spirit or enchanted animal?"

"Bird? Enchanted? Spirit?!" Archimedes seemed offended by Tsurara and Ageha's choice of words for him. "I am a highly educated owl, foul wentches!"

"Don't mind him, Mom," Kurumu says. "He's just a little sensitive."

"Sensitive? Sensitive?! Who?! What, what?!"

"Archimedes!" I speak up. "What 'news' do you bring?"

"Right, right," Our flying colleague clears his throat. "May I present, Madame Luna and Sir Arthur!"

"Thank you, Archimedes," A gentle woman's voice, the familiar kindness and warm smile is a nice change of pace today, but it also confuses me a little. When did Elijah's folks get here? "It's quite a pleasure to see you all again."

"Mrs. Everett!" Kuurmu rushes past me and practically jumps onto the Witch, hugging her tightly. "I didn't think I would see you today, hi!"

"Hahaha," Luna laughed as she pulled away from my friend. "Hello to you too, Kurumu. It's always so wonderful to see you. And please, call me 'Luna'."

"L-Luna?"

"Hmm?" She looks past us and her smile widens when she sees the pair of mothers behind us. "Oh, my! Tsurara! Ageha!" Luna scurried over and hugged them both, their bodies stiffened and trembled when she wrapped her arms around their necks. "What a surprise! I know it's only been a short time since our last encounter, but it feels like ages!"

"Yeah..."

"It has..."

"Oh, goodness," Luna releases them both and moves her gaze over to Saizou's father. "Is that Gonzo? My, my...he surely let the years get the worst of him."

"Gonzo?" The man who looked strikingly close to Elijah asked her. "Oh! The guy your friend Shizuka dared you to try and date, right?"

Luna nods. "That's right, darling. Shizu wanted to see if I could get the boy every other girl fancied to go out with me, little did she know that little Gonzo had a thing for intellectual girls."

"A man with taste, I can respect that."

"But he wasn't you, my love."

I smiled at how affectionate they were with one another...but Tsurara and Ageha weren't exactly pleased themselves. I saw them both sigh in defeat, I suppose old wounds have trouble healing.

"Oh, where are my manners? Ageha, Tsurara," Luna addresses them both with a proud smile across her face. "This is my husband, Arthur."

After being introduced, Arthur brushes a lock of his light brown hair out of his face and smiles at the ladies. "It's a pleasure to meet you both, Luna has told me how much fun you would have together back in Yokai Academy."

"..."

"..."

I could just feel the jealousy radiating from them. I think I understand it too, but in a different way, I wish I had a beard like his. "It's so nice to meet you, sir," I greet him with a reached-out hand.

"You must be Tsukune," He smiled at me, I only now realize that he has green eyes. "Hellava grip you got there, son."

Right, he's a human. But how did he get past the barrier and all the other monsters here?

"Where's Elijah?" Luna asks. "He's usually-"

"LUUUUUUUUUNNNNAAAAAAA!" A familiar cry from our Neko teacher made all of us jolt a little in surprise, she was running straight for us with a huge smile on her face and waving her hand. Ms. Nekonome pulls Elijah's mother into a tight hug, nearly making her fall over. "Oh, my gosh! It's really you! I missed you so so so so much!"

"Shizu," Luna returned her hug with equal affection. "I missed you too, but you can let go of me now. You're crushing my neck."

"Oops!" Ms. Nekonome quickly releases Luna from her hug. "Sorry, just couldn't help myself. But I'm afraid that you and..." She takes a quick glance at Arthur, immediately grinning. "Hubba hubba! I always knew you might've had a handsome man at home, but I never imagined he be this good looking!"

"Please," Arthur waved a hand dismissively. "You overexaggerate yourself, Ms. Nekonome."

"That's 'Shizu', to you, Mr. Everett!" She corrected him with a proud smile. "Any friend of Luna's is a friend of mine!"

"Um, Mrs.- I mean, Luna?" Kurumu speaks up in a shy voice, she fiddles with her arm before she looks up at her. "You're here to see Elijah, aren't you?"

"Yes, my dear," She nods. "Where is he? He's usually right here with you."

Luna's words made her blush a little, but Kurumu's usual smile did not spread across her face. "He's..."

"I think he went back to his dorm room," I say so Kurumu doesn't have to think back about how her best friend was acting earlier.

"Oh? Is he not feeling well?"

"...In a way, I guess."

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked.

I try to think of a better way to phrase my words so I don't freak them out. "He's just been acting really...different lately. It's like he's turning into a completely different person."

"If I may intrude, Mrs. Everett."

"Mom?" Yukari tilts her head when her mother comes along to join the conversation.

"Forgive my intrusion. I am Fujiko Sendo, Yukari's mother. I was fixing up the damage around the school with my husband when I noticed a faint trace of...Dark Magic."

"Dark Magic?" Yukari's voice squeaked when her mother spoke.

"Go on, Mrs. Sendo," Luna brought a quizzical finger to her chin.

"Of course," She nods. "and you can just call me Fujiko," Now taking the lead, we all follow Mrs. Sendo to the repaired wall of the cafeteria. She points to the ground where a peculiar imprint has been made. "As you may see from the eyes of any ordinary creature, someone or something had made this depression into the ground."

"And yet in the eyes of magic folk, any novice can see the faint traces of Dark Magic here."

"Yes," Mrs. Sendo nods. "But I wonder what could have caused this? Surely Yokai Academy hasn't been infiltrated by the dark forces of the world."

"With the Blessed Child here, that is a possibility," Mr. Sendo adds. "These children have encountered the likes of such sorcerers before, and I fear that it won't be the last."

"Should we report this to the administration?"

"That won't be necessary," Luna shook her head before turning her curious gaze to us. "Tell me, what exactly happened here?"

"Well..."

"That's...um..."

"Maybe it's best if I explain things, okay, guys?" I say to them with a small smile, I think I should at least try and put the whole situation into better words. "Basically, Miss Ageha and Tsurara got into a fight that broke the wall," Luna looks to the women with an intimidating glare, I continue with my explanation. "Moka and Elijah tried to break it up and..."

"And?"

"...Elijah sort of went out fo control." I casually skip over the part where Moka accidentally kicked him into the women and practically forced him to be...in a vulgar position. "He managed to get them to stop, but he did it in such a violent and destructive way...it's like he wasn't himself."

"...Describe it to me, what exactly did he do?"

"Honey," Arthur places a gentle hand on Luna's shoulder. "You don't really think that Elijah would do such a thing, would you?"

"Of course not, Darling. But I also don't see why Tsukune here would have any reason to lie to me," Luna turns her head back to scowl at Tsurara and Ageha. "Unless you two somehow provoked my son, again."

"W-Wait!" Kurmu got in between Luna and the other mothers before she could take another step further. "Yes, they went a little too far with their fight but it wasn't on purpose that they made Elijah react in such a way! It was all because of...stupid reasons and it's over now."

"..."

Kurumu lowers her head after Luna offers only silence and a condescending frown. "Please don't be mad...Mrs. Everett."

"...I told you," She gently lifts Kurumu's head up by her chin. "Call me Luna, dear. I'm that whatever happened, it wasn't something that you had control over."

"..."

If only she really knew...

"Anyways," Luna looks back at me. "Please, continue, Tsukune."

"Right..." Where was I again? "Elijah used a...spell of sorts to give his body strength."

"What kind of spell?"

"This black goo just grew out of his body and covered him, it formed tendril-like arms that were able to pull a full-grown tree out of the ground like it was nothing."

"Black...goo? I've never heard of such a spell."

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with such a spell myself," Mrs. Sendo adds. "Are you, honey?" She asks her husband but he shakes his head in response. "Yukari, sweetie?"

"No, I'm sorry."

"That's quite alright, dear," Luna reassures her. "Perhaps it's best if I go talk with him. You said he was heading to the dorms, right, Tsukune?"

"Yes, ma'am," I nod.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"That's alright, Darling," Luna smiles back at Arthur. "You handled things last time Elijah was not feeling well with himself, I can take it from here. Why don't you get to know everyone here better? I won't be too long."

"Wait," Kurumu voiced her concern, she looked up at Luna with her twinkling violet eyes. "Just...be careful, Luna."

"I'll be alright, dear," She smiles warmly. "I've seen Elijah's bad side more times than I can count, I'm sure I can talk some sense into him."

---

Elijah...

I've been dragging my feet across the hallow earth for I don't know how long, and I didn't care. All I could feel right now was my rage burning inside me like a roaring fire...they dare question my methods?

Who do they think they are? looking at me like that...like some sort of monster. I did them a favor and this is the thanks I get? I mean, what the fuck were those two bimbos even fighting over? And why did I have to get involved?!

This day has been one screw-up after the next. First, I'm late because of...I don't remember what, then gym went to shit thanks to Mizore being her usual self and freezing me again, then my head just went to shit during music class, and now I had to put a stop to two dumbass mothers! Why does everything for me have to go like this?!

"Everything is going exactly the way you truly want it..."

"..." No...not you again.

"Oh, but it is... You have done very well so far...but you and I are just getting started."

"No!"

I smack myself in the face, no wonder everything has been so foggy today and having these thoughts. This...thing has been taking control. I knew my actions weren't somehow my own, besides me writing that code during math class or Kuru trying to check on me. It's like my true subconscious was crying for help. What else has this thing made me do?

"I told you to get out of my head!"

"Hahaha..." The voice mocked me with its laugh. "Since when were you the one in control here? We still have many great things to accomplish."

"What did you make me do?" My voice breaks when I ask that question, I fear I may not like the answer.

"Not 'me', it's what...'we' have done."

"There is no 'we', you hear me? You're getting out of my head one way or another!"

"Elijah?"

"Huh?" I turn my body around...and my eyes widen in shock when I see teh kind and loving face of the woman who brought me into this world. Oh, no. Mom?! What is she-

"Perfect. Allow me to take it from here for you, Blessed Child."

I felt a sharp ping in the middle of my forehead alongside with an eerily familar euphoric-like sensation, it's as if I was undergoing my Merlin's Might transformation where he would take control...but it wasn't him nor me in control anymore. All I could do is watch helplessly as this...thing spoke to my mother.

"What are you doing here?" I could feel the venom dripping from my words.

"I ran into all of your friends, they seem really concerned about you, sweetheart. Are you feeling alright?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm great," I spoke with sarcasm. "Stopping a cat fight was just what I needed today, I can see why you gave those bitches a run for their money back in your youth."

Mom let out a small gasp at my, no, its choice of words. "Don't use that tone of voice with me, young man, you know better than that."

"Please," I scoffed. "Shouldn't you and Dad be hidingout somewhere while the dark forces of the world are doing heaven knows what?"

"If you must know," Mom grew more annoyed with my attitude. "your father and I knew you must have wanted to at least see us today and we decided to drop by to check on you. We haven't heard from you in a while and we were starting to worry about you."

"Well, you're here, you see that I'm fine, now you can go."

"Excuse me?"

"I mean," I crossed my arms as I felt my anger rising through my body. "Why should I believe that you and Dad actually care? It's not like you've both lied to me before."

No...stop it...

"But it's how you really feel...am I right?"

"Elijah, you know that-"

"And dad?" I laugh in mockery. "He's never once understood a thing about me, and now all of a sudden he gives a damn? I know he thinks I'm a freak just like all the other humans in the world."

"What are you-"

"Don't bother giving me some half-assed excuse of how I 'needed to be raised right,' I've been doing just fine on my own without you or dad."

Stop it!

"And now...the final calamity..."

"All you ever done for me is hold me back from what I really am. I don't need you, I don't need Dad, I don't need anyone. I've done it on my own for this long and I don't need anyone else ever again."

"...Elijah," Mom couldn't believe the words that came out of my mouth, and neither could I. My mind tried to break free from the infernal grip of this monstrosity to no avail, I could only watch as a lone tear fell down my mother's cheek. "What's happened to you?" She spoke as if she wasn't looking at her own son.

"I am the Blessed Child, mother. I simply embraced what I was always meant to be...better than you," My body turns around and walks away, ignoring the calls of my pleading mother.

No... No... NO! STOP THIS! I WOULD NEVER SAY THAT TO HER! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!

"So naive. This is who you really are, Elijah Everett. All your life, you've been alone. I'm simply returning it to how it suppose to be. Once it's done, you and I are going to do many extraordinary things together. We'll make this world...a Fairytale."

No! Get out! If you even so much as lay a finger on my friends...

"Hahaha... Again, since when were you the one in control? From here on out, allow me to take care of your problems."

No! My vision started growing weaker and I was slowly falling into unconsciousness, it's feeling like my entire mind's going numb...and someone else was puppeteering my entire being.Tsukune! Kurumu! Moka! Yukari! Mizore! Help me!

"Hush now, Blessed Child. We will soon be back where you truly belong."