A few days later...

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I slap my alarm clock off with a loud thud.

YAWN...

Ah, that's a good night's sleep for the third day in a row ever since I came back. I lean up in my bed and throw my covers off of me, stretching my arms over my head. I better get to my morning PT if I'm gonna-

HOO! HOO!

Oh, yeah...that's right. Ever since Archimedes showed up, he took it upon himself to make my dorm room his living space. I didn't really have a place for him to sleep so I just gave him one of the 'too many' pillows I had. His words, not mine. Archimedes has just been sleeping in the corner of my dorm room for the past few days, he's given me plenty of complaints, but I can't exactly make a birdhouse out of thin air...well, I still need to work on those kinds of spells. Especially if I want to give Kurumu-

"Why must you always wake up so early in the morning?!"

I sigh as I swing my legs out of bed. "Like I said for the third time now, I haven't been in this good of shape in my entire life. I intend to keep it that way with my morning routine."

"Hmph!" Archimedes puffed out his chest. "I'd prefer if you save it for the afternoon and allow me to get my beauty sleep!"

"Sure, Archimedes," I roll my eyes as I put on my blue tracksuit. It was strange this was the only thing I ever received from Fang Fang during my time in Hong Kong, but I'm grateful for it. "I'll be back soon so I can get ready for school."

"Whatever you say, I'm going back to sleep!"

I laughed as I grabbed my phone and earbuds. "Sleep tight," I slip out of my dorm room and head downstairs. Once I'm outside, I pull out my phone and... "Tsukune?" I'm surprised to see my friend out here wearing shorts and a sleeveless T-shirt. "What are you doing out here?"

"Hey, man," He greeted me with a smile. "I've noticed you coming back from a run or something each morning, what the heck are you up to?"

"Just my morning PT. I've been doing this ever since my time in Hong Kong, keeps me in shape."

"What do you do?"

"Oh, you know, just the basics. I stretch for a bit, run a few laps around the dorms, do some push-ups and sit-ups, stuff like that."

"And you do this every morning?"

I nod. "Yep!"

"...Mind if I tag along?"

I tilt my head at him. "Really?"

"Why not?" Tsukune shrugged. "I mean, we sparred with each other all the time before, this could be just something we add to our routine."

"Huh... I guess you got a point there. But I'm telling you, dude, what I went through in Hong Kong..." I sigh. "Don't say I didn't warn you, man."

"Come on," Tsukune punches me in the shoulder. "How bad can it be?"

"..." He is so gonna regret saying that... "If you say so," I put on my earbuds and turn on the new album I saved onto my phone. Thank you, Spotify. "Try and keep up, Aono!"

To be more than a conqueror...
You have to learn...to enjoy the pain...
If you want to survive...the game.

Survivin' the game!
I can be unstoppable...
Gonna walk through Hell, Gonna shake the walls!
Survive, survivin' the game!
Livin' the impossible, I'm the champion, indestructible!
Survive, 'cause I'm survivin' the game!

I can be unstoppable!
Gonna be indestructible!
I can be unstoppable!
Gonna be indestructible!

Later...

Morning PT wasn't so bad, at least not for me as always. Tsukune though... The guy's tough, but I swear I thought he would have a heart attack when I told him I do one hundred sit-ups and push-ups at the end of my run. But, hey, he managed to pull through. Well, he did half of what I did but he did it nonetheless.

Now with that out of the way, and now that I have my uniform on and my school bag over my shoulder, I head out with a smile on my face, ready to take on a new day. I know I'm repeating myself here, but It feels so great just being back here. And to make things better, we haven't heard high nor tail of the Monstrels ever since I...wiped that guy's memory. I still need to get my shit together. Even Archimedes laughed for five straight minutes when I told him.

You try and alter the mind of some punk-ass Monstrel!

"Hey! Elijah!" I smile to myself as I hear the familiar voice of...

"Oh, no. Wait, Kuru, not aga-" Kurumu leaps onto me and wraps her arms around my neck...forcing my face into her chest. "MMFF! MMM!" I pat her shoulder repeatedly in hopes she'll let go.

"Good morning, how'd you sleep?" She finally lets me go and I gasp for air, and I feel the heat rising to my face.

"What did I tell you...about...doing that?" I swear, Kurumu has been smothering me for the past few days. I appreciate the gesture and all, but I feel like I'm back to when we first met.

"Sorry," She giggled before tilting her head and smiling. "It still feels so surreal to have you back."

"Well, I am. There's no need to suffocate me to be sure of that."

"Sorry, guess old habits die hard."

"Speaking of..." I reach into my pocket for my earbuds, I hold them out and Kurumu practically beams with her smile. "What do you say? Just like old times."

"I thought you'd never ask." She takes the left earbud and sticks it in her ear. "So, what's on the menu this morning?"

"I'm glad you asked," I smile. "Remember how I said that Skillet came out with a new album?"

Kurumu's eyes sparkled as she looked at me with anticipation. "You don't mean..."

I smirk. "Oh, I mean."

I see the world around me start to darken.
Resistance makes me stronger...
So make me stronger.
Whatever comes...

I'm standin' in the storm like never before!
The pressure builds around me,
Let the winds surround me!
Whatever comes, I'm not givin' up!
Fearless as a lion!
Not afraid of dyin'!
I still got some life in me!
You can try to shake me!
I still got some fight in me!
But you can never break me!
I'm standin' in the storm like never before!
The pressure builds around me,
Let the winds surround me!

I'll stand in the storm!
I still got some life in me.
I'll stand in the storm!
I still got some fight in me.

"Damn..." Kurumu smiles once again once the song is over, she hands me back my earbud as we approach the front of the Academy. "A fine choice as always."

"I thought you'd like it."

"Oh, Elijah didn't you hear?" I tilt my head, indicating that I don't know what she's talking about. "The school festival's coming up soon!"

"School festival? What's that?"

Kurumu looks at me in shock. "...You've never been to a school festival before?" I shake my head. "What?! Seriously?"

"Yeah, my old schools weren't exactly...'traditional', I guess?"

"Well, you definitely have to go now! There are so many fun things to do, Gin even said there'll be a bazaar and everything! And there'll be a lot of things for the Newspaper Club to report on too!"

I smile at her. "You seem really hyped about this."

"Well, of course, dummy!" She punches my arm. Man, it feels good to have her call me that again. "So...when the festival comes along, do you want to...I don't know, interview a few of the stands together?"

"You have to ask? Of course, I would. I honestly missed being a reporter."

Kurumu hugs me again, this time she doesn't smother me. "Awesome, you're the best." She releases me and we head inside I see Tsukune...on his knees and holding his chin in pain. This wouldn't be too strange for us but I notice that Moka is running off in the opposite direction of him.

"Uh...did we miss something, dude?" I help him up to his feet. "I thought you and Moka were all right now."

"We are! I mean...I thought we were."

"What happened?"

"Well..."Tsukune looks away from the Succubus' question "It's kinda hard to explain."

"Then how about we just talk about it in the Club?" I suggest. "We'll be late if we just continue standing here."

"...Alright." I really hope this isn't some sort of big issue that can't be resolved over a simple talk with everyone. I don't think I can take-

I stop and turn around suddenly, and I look at... What the hell? I got a sudden itch in the back of my mind...like there's someone watching us. "...Hmm."

"Elijah, you coming?"

"...Yeah, right behind you."

After School...

"Tsukune, I don't care how 'hyper' you feel," Moka crosses her arms at the human boy. "That's still no excuse for being so touchy!"

"Moka, you've got it all wrong!"

"Woah, woah, woah!" I try to calm things down "Let's just start from the beginning, alright? Tsukune, you start off."

"I was just walking with Moka, talking about how this Holy Lock on my arm has been helping me feel like myself again, and I noticed that she looked tired. She was trying to sound pumped up for the school festival coming along but she looks exhausted."

"I told you, I'm fine!"

"Moka, Tsukune has the speaking ball."

"Speaking what?"

"It means please be quiet until it's your turn to speak. Tsukune, go on."

"Okay," Tsukuen sighed. "Moka didn't like it when I got close to check on her, and she ended up tripping and hurting her knee. I tried to help but...something happened."

"What happened?" Kurumu asked.

"Tsukuen practically put the moves on Moka!"

"He what?!"

"Yukari!" I snapped at the young Witch. "Not helping!"

"Everyone saw it too!" Yukari just ignored me. "He pushed her down and got closer...and closer..."

SNAP!

I snap my fingers, making a piece of duct tape shut Yukari's mouth. "MMPH! HMM DMM MM DM DMMT?!"

"I learned that just in case I need someone to shut the fuck up, like now for example!" I sigh seeing that this is already getting us nowhere. "Moka, why don't you...Moka?" And just like that, the vampire was gone. "Oh, come on!"

Tsukune shares my annoyance, groaning as he plants his face on his desk. "What is wrong with me?"

"Come on," I pat his shoulder. "I could use a drink."

"Yeah, me too."

"We'll be back soon," I tell the others, I hear muffling from the Young Witch trying to speak up. "Kuru, you can rip off the duct tape whenever you feel like she's had enough."

The Succubus smirks, resting her hands in her hands. "Let me think about it..."

"MMFF! MMM!"

Tsukune and I leave the club room and head downstairs, outside are a few vending machines. I buy myself a bottle of apple juice and Tsukune buys...at least three bottles of water. Before I could even take the first gulp of my beverage, Tsukune finished two of his bottles.

"Jeez, dude. Did this morning's workout wear you out that much?"

Tsukune finishes the last bottle before he answers me. "No, I've been like this all morning. What the hell is wrong with me? Why won't Moka let me explain?"

"Well, when you 'got close', what exactly happened that could've provoked her?"

"...I can't really remember; it's all a blur from when I saw..." He stops himself from finishing.

"When you saw what?"

"...Moka's blood."

"What?"

"...When I saw Moka's blood, it felt like I was being pulled in."

"..." What the hell? Could this be a side effect of being turned into a ghoul? Is the Holy Lock not working for him? If not, why would the sight of Moka's blood entrance him?

"Moka?"

Speaking of... Tsukune and I turn a corner to find the Vampire girl leaning against a concrete beam with a can of tomato juice in her hands. We slowly approach her so as not to provoke her any further. "Hey, Moka."

"Look, I'm sorry about..."

As the both of us got closer, we noticed something was...off about her. Moka's hair is disheveled and her skin looks more pale than we've ever seen. Well, Tsukune was right about something. She definitely doesn't look good.

"Moka!" Tsukune catches her when she slips and nearly falls, he holds Moka by the shoulders.

"Oh, crap..." I set the back of my palm on her forehead. "She's not running a fever, so what the hell is wrong?"

Moka weakly looks up at us. "Ts...Tsukune?"

"I knew you weren't feeling well this morning, Moka!" He said. "What's wrong?"

The Vampire sheepily looks away from us. "It's...It's nothing, really. Please, just...let me go...before..." She tries to pull away from Tsukune to no avail.

"That's not how it works, Moka," I say. "We're all friends here and we can just talk things out like they should. Now, just tell us what's going on so...we can..." My sentence trails off as I see Tsukune leaning in closer to the Vampire girl. "Tsukune?" It looks like he's leaning into her neck...ready to take a bite. I pull him back and shake him on his shoulders. "Dude, snap out of it!"

"H-huh? What are you...?"

"..."

We look at each other in shock, what the hell was he trying to do to her? Okay, this is definitely not normal. I need to see if Ruby can get in contact with the headmaster so we can see if the Holy Lock is weakened. Tsukune looks the most shocked as he looks down at his hands...and they begin to shake.

"...What did I just try and do to her?"

"Tsukune," Moka tries to stand on her own two feet, but they tremble as she tries to step closer to the human. "...listen to me...I..." But before she could even finish, Moka passed out. I caught her before she could hit the floor.

"Moka!"

"Shit..." Seeing that I have no choice, I slip her arm around my shoulder and Tsukune does the same with her other arm. "Come on, let's take her to the nurse." We carry her, but as we walk...I get the same itch in the back of my head. We're being watched, but the real question is...who?

"Hmm. Looks like a touch of anemia. Nothing too serious," The nurse finishes up checking on Moka, I gathered the others from the club after Tsukune and I brought her here. "She's probably just exhausted. Sleep and better nutrition is all she needs."

I nod. "Thank you, nurse." She leaves the five of us alone to watch over our unconscious friend. I sigh as I sit on a nearby chair. "What the hell is up with her?"

"I'm sure she's fine."

"Eh, maybe one of my old curses finally worked?"

Okay, I'm not even going to question Mizore about that.

"...This is all my fault."

"Tsukune, hold up!" I groan as he leaves before I can even stop him. "Dammit, what the hell am I gonna do with these two?"

"Hey, don't stress yourself too much," Kurumu places a hand on my shoulder. "I don't know what's going on with Moka either, but she better snap out of it. I don't like seeing you and Tsukune upset."

"I'm just annoyed, I thought things could finally go smoothly but here we are."

"Oh, come on," Yukari exclaimed. "This is practically like old times, we're getting ourselves into high jinks like we used to."

"Yeah, but it wasn't us that was causing them!" I retort. I take a breath before I try to form my next sentence. "I'd look into Moka's mind and see what she's thinking, but I don't want to risk damaging anything," Again...

"I could always interrogate her," The Snow Fairy suggested.

"Absolutely not, that's not how friends work, Mizore."

"But you and I are more than friends," Mizore rests her head against my shoulder, looking up at me with a slight pout. "Wouldn't you agree?"

"Please, Mizore," I shake her off of me. "Now's not the time for that."

"Hmph...fine, but you can't treat your little Snow Bunny like this forever."

I don't even acknowledge that. I try to think. Okay, Moka is anemic, we knew this already. But that's only when... I internally slap myself in the face at the obvious answer. Of fucking course! I thought I didn't see a bite mark on Tsukune. So she's trying to cut back on drinking his blood, of course, that's what this is.

HOO! HOO!

The sound of an owl grabs my attention at a nearby window, Archimedes is flying outside trying to get our attention. Kurumu opens the window and Archimedes flies straight to me. "Everett! That...That human friend of yours! He's gotten himself into a great deal of trouble!"

"What?!"

"How do you know?" I ask.

"I saw him with an unearthly gentleman, he doesn't even look like a student!" The owl puffed out his chest. "I'm beginning to question the security of this Academy!"

Shit... I stand, ready to take on whatever or whoever is giving Tsukune trouble...but I stop when I find an empty bed. "Where the hell is Moka?!

Tsukune...moments before...

The young human had seen himself out of the nurse's office and back outside to the vending machines, Tsukune had bought himself three more bottles of water and downed them all in record time. He leans against the wall, allowing himself to slide down and sit on the ground.

It's no use, no matter how much water I drink...I'm still thirsty. He takes a few deep breaths, his throat sounding hoarse as if he was suffering from dehydration. Tsukune tries to think of any logical explanation of what could be happening to him...and his eyes darken at one theory Maybe because what I'm really thirsty for...isn't water. Tsukune thinks back to how he saw the scuff on Moka's knee, and how he could see her veins from being so pale... What I'm craving...is Moka's blood!

SLAM!

Tsukune hits the wall behind him, leaving a few cracks and a small dent in the concrete. Am I turning into a Ghoul?! This wasn't supposed to happen! The headmaster put this Holy Lock on me so this couldn't happen, things were supposed to go back to normal! Tsukune shakes his head and gets to his feet. No, there's gotta be a better explanation. Get yourself together.

"Hehehe... Feeling sorry for yourself, Tsukune?" A voice calls to him, Tsukune looks to the source and finds...an older man who appears to be in his twenties. He has long black hair and a brown leather jacket, and he has a lit cigarette in the corner of his mouth. He sneers at the human with yellow teeth. "Well, I can hardly blame you. After all...missing a fine meal like that one would make any guy crabby."

"...What are you talking about? And who the hell are you?!" Tsukune demanded, his guard is now up and he readied himself for whatever came next.

The mystery guy stepped closer, opening his arms. "Honestly, I feel your pain. Because every moment of every day I suppress my hunger," He says...his lower body moving in a strange way. Before Tsukune could question him further, he barely managed to dodge an incoming attack. Tsukune was inches away from getting his shoulder slashed by the man's growing tendrils. "But you must satisfy your craving sometime, don't you?"

"What?! What the hell are you?"

"My name's Hyakushiki," He answered Tsukune...his lower body morphing into a centipede-like one. He reveals himself to be a Centipedia, a giant centipede-like monster that can grow to be over one hundred feet in length and have a voracious appetite. They can devour humans and cows whole to satisfy their hunger. "This ain't nothing personal, but they told me I could eat you. Don't be mad, Tsukune."

"..." Tsukune watched as the centipede began to tower over him. Shit...what the hell is he?!

"Heh, there's no use trying to escape. You're food. And food is for eating, so hold still," Hyakushiki licks his lips with desire. "'All you can eat', they said. That's why I took this job."

"..." 'This job'? Someone sent him to kill me?! "Who put you up to this," Tsukune demanded to know. "Was it the Monstrels?!"

Tsukune dodges another centipede attack, but it still scrapes his leg, causing it to bleed. "Feed me a nice meal, and I'll be a polite guest," he sneered. "But don't ruin this by asking questions! I know you feel me!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?!" Tsukune has just about had it with this stranger. "Don't give me that! Your desire to eat that girl is driving you mad! That makes you just like me."

"..." What? Images of himself getting close to Moka flash through Tsukune's head, of when he...tried to bite her.

"So have a little sympathy for a fellow hungerer," The centipede continued on. "I graduated from this Academy but I live in the human world now. You have to be so careful over there," He mocked. "When I'm with a girl I like...I feel like I'm going crazy. I want to eat her... Tear out her guts and suck on her bones... Gorge on her glistening crimson blood!"

"..." Tsukune couldn't believe what he was hearing from this...monster. Taking an unknowing, innocent woman... His stomach started churning at the thought. But the centipede wasn't finished.

"You know what I mean, right?" The monster sneered once more, his words dripping with venom. "I can smell it on you, Aono. We're kindred spirits."

"...Shut up."

"Don't bother denying it. I can read you like a fucking book, so why not give in to your desires? Satisfy that hunger growing inside of you like a cancer."

"SHUT UP!" Tsukune boomed. "You and I are nothing alike!" His fists grew tighter by the second, and without him even knowing...the Holy Lock on his wrist began to rattle. "So get the hell out of here before I-"

"Tsukune? What's going on?"

The sound of Moka's voice causes Tsukune to internally groan. Not now! "Moka! Get the hell out of here! Stay away!"

"...Heh, perfect timing," Before Moka could even react to the reality of Tsukune's situation, she's ensnared by the centipede's legs, trapping the vampire.

"Moka!"

Hyakushiki laughed. "We were just talking about you - or should I say...about the menu?!" He whispers into Moka's ear. "Your little boyfriend here wants to devour you."

"..."

Rattle...

"Surprised?" The centipede holds Moka's face, forcing her to look at Tsukune. "Such an innocent face, but inside...he hungers."

"Shut the hell up! I'm nothing like you!"

He responds by using his sharp-ended legs to stab Moka in multiple spots. Enough to cause her to bleed, but not enough to leave any permanent damage. "Don't fight it, Aono," The centipede sneered. "Be true to your nature...like me." In a swift flick, the blood from Moka is scattered across the area...some had even gotten on Tsukune's face. "Look at it dripping..." Hyakushiki licks some of the blood off of one of his legs. "Excites you, doesn't it? Makes you wanna suck her dry, right?"

"..."

Rattle...CRACK!

"Well, it's too bad, 'cause this girl is mine now. Or maybe...I should eat you both? At least you'll be together...in my belly!" The centipede attempts to strike Tsukune with the end of his body...but he's stopped as Tsukune delivers an attack of his own. his punch manages to rip off a few of the centipede's legs in the process, causing him to drop the vampire girl onto the ground. "...Huh?"

Tsukuen doesn't stop, the centipede retreats back, his face contorting into a more centipede-like state. Pincers for at the corners of his mouth as Tsukune's aura grew darker and colder by the second. This wasn't any normal monster that the centipede was facing.

"Your aura...so dark...so monstrous! Finally showing your true self, are you?" The centipede laughed mockingly. "I knew you were my kind! Don't even try to pretend!" He goes in for another strike, this time using his pincers...but he's knocked back onto the ground before he even realized what had hit him. When he looks back up at what he thought was his meal...he sees the red glowing of his eyes. Before the centipede can even begin to guess what Tsukune is, his eyes roll into the back of his head and he slips into unconsciousness.

"..." Tsukune, now with his prey dealt with, he goes over and scoops Moka up in his arms. The young man carries her away from the scene, he feels himself coming back to his normal state. Moka remained in his arms as he walked away.

After a few minutes of walking, Moka wakes up, her eyes meet Tsukune's "Tsukune? Where...where are we? Where's that centipede guy go?"

"Moka! I'm glad you're awake," Tsukune set Moka down on her feet, making sure she can keep herself upright. "I...I'm not sure what happened, but that guy won't be bothering us anymore. You don't seem to be too injured though, thank goodness."

"..." Moka couldn't look at Tsukune, she could only fiddle with her fingers.

"...Moka. I've been getting the feeling that...you've been avoiding me."

"Huh?"

"Is it because I touched your leg?"

"What? N-No, that's not..."

"...Then is it because I've been kind of weird today? I'm sorry, I don't know-" Tsukune us cut off mid-sentence as Moka hugged him close, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and she nuzzled her face into the boy's shoulder.

"No. It isn't you, I'm so sorry, Tsukune. I'm the one who's acting weird. I've just..." She squeezed him tighter. "I've been trying to cut back on drinking your blood, but it drives me crazy whenever I'm near you! I just get this overwhelming urge and it feels impossible to resist. But you seemed so happy to have your wounds finally healed, I just...I just don't want to hurt you anymore. I don't want to avoid you at all."

"..." So she was staying away from me for my sake? "Moka..." All day...and I was only thinking about myself... "Don't you remember what I told you?"

"Huh?" Moka pulls away to look up at Tsukune.

"It's okay if you suck my book, I really don't mind it anymore."

"W-What?!" The girl blushed at his statement. "N-No, I can't, I-"

"It's okay, really." He smiled. "I can't have you getting anemic and passing out all the time. At the very least, you can tell me when the craving hits you, I'd be happy to help."

"...Tsukune."

"...Moka."

The Vampire's cheeks flushed with red as she leaned in closer to Tsukune's neck. Carefully, and gently, Moka sinks her fangs into his neck. Tsukune slightly winces at the initial pain but it fades in seconds.

I promise...I'll try to hold myself back, Moka

As she enjoyed the rich taste of Tsukune's blood, another thought popped into the back of her mind. Something that she couldn't say to him right now...but she knew it was something that was more than true. I love you too, Tsukune.

Elijah

"Are you sure this is where you saw him?"

Me, Kurumu, Yukari, and Mizore had followed Archimedes to where he claimed to see Tsukune talking with some 'unearthly stranger', as he called it, but the only thing we are seeing is a big field of nothing. I notice some empty water bottles and...a few droplets of blood.

HOO! HOO!

"Of course, this is where he was!" The owl puffed out his chest at me. "Do you doubt my sight?"

"Then where the hell are they now?"

"Guys!" Yukari shouts at me and the owl. "You two can argue later, we have to find out what happened here!"

"Hmph! How is it that the witch is telling me what to do? Not to mention she's a child!"

"That's enough out of you!" Kurumu says. "You're not her friend so you have no room to step in and make fun of her!"

"H-Hoo, hoo! What, what?!"

I ignore the others as they start bickering, I'm honestly getting tired of Archimedes' attitude but he did warn us. I look around the area, only finding more blood and... "What the hell is this?" I pick up what I can only guess is some sort of giant insect's leg off of the ground. Well, at least we know who's blood this is.

"Eugh! What is that?"

"What could only be a giant centipede's leg," I chuckle. "Now we know at least something happened here. The real question is, where are our human and vampire friends?"

"Perhaps over there?" Mizore mutters pointing off to the distance. We follow her finger and we see our so-called friends. I chuckle at the sight.

I Bet anything they're doing their whole 'Moka and Tsukune' thing. I think I can even see Moka biting on his neck, glad to see that the issue is resolved. I notice Kurumu slightly scowling at the sight.

"She's gonna suck him dry one of these days, I swear..."

"Easy, Kuru," I rest my hand on her shoulder. "I know it's not exactly normal, but let's just leave 'em be, huh?"

"...Fine."

I noticed that Mizore couldn't look away from the human and Vampire...I think the sight of them like that is hurting her. I mean, she does like Tsukune and all, even me. "You okay?"

"H-Huh?" She looks at me with a faint blush rising to her cheeks. "Oh, I'm...I'm fine."

"..." Now I know that isn't true. I offer my hand on her shoulder and give it a reassuring squeeze. "You don't always have to be fine, you know?"

"I am," Mizore retorts...wiping her eyes with her sleeves. "I just...gotta accept it. I still have time..." I don't really know what she means by that last part, and I still don't know how I'm going to deal with her, but I know I can't ignore it for much longer. "...Thanks, Elijah."

"It's no problem."

HOO! HOO!

"What does that boy think he's doing?!"

I sigh. "That's something I don't even think Merlin could explain, Archimedes."

After everything settled down, we decided to call it a day with the Club. Tsukune and Moka went off to do their thing, we figured they'd inform us tomorrow about what happened. It's honestly good seeing Tsukune handling things. Yukari and Mizore went back to their dorms, and Kurumu decided to keep me company as I went back to mine. Archimedes decided to fly back to my dorm ahead of me, saying that he'd had enough of our 'antics' for one day. If he thinks this is what we deal with on a daily, this is only just the average for us. I'm just glad to be back regardless of any new shit that comes our way.

"...Where did that guy go anyway?"

"Hmm?" Kurumu tilted her head when she heard me talking to myself. "What'd you say?"

"I was just thinking if Tsukune or Moka beat the centipede guy, then where the hell did his body end up? We know they wouldn't kill 'em, at least Tsukune wouldn't."

"Mm-mm" Kurumu shrugged. "Maybe he got scared and ran away like a little girl."

I chuckle, the idea of some oversized monster running away from Tsukune is amusing to me. "Sounds like Tsukune has been taking care of business ever since I've been gone."

Kurumu chuckles at my words. "Yeah, he's really stepped up a lot. But still, it's good to have you back here."

"..." I know it's probably not the best time, but I have to at least know if she's made up her mind about him. "...Hey, Kurumu?"

At the sound of using her full name, Kurumu stops and looks at me with worry rising in her violet eyes. "Yeah, what's wrong?"

I shake my head. "Nothing. It's just...I've been wondering," God, what am I doing? "...Have you given it much thought, about...you know? Tsukune being your Destined One and all? I know the last time we talked about it, you said you weren't sure anymore. It's been a month now, so..."

Kurumu sees my rising blush, causing her to do so in return. I really am bad at this, probably even worse than Tsukune at this point. "...Well, I still need to-"

"Hang on..."

I cut her off as I felt that itch in the back of my head. I look around the area...finding nothing, but I still feel that someone is watching me. Didn't Tsukune take care of that guy? Unless... more than one person was watching us.

"...I know you're out there!" I call out, my voice echoing through the woods. "Don't make me drag your ass out here so I can kick it!"

"...So it's true what they say," A slender figure appears from the thick brush of the dead forest, his dark red eyes don't leave mine as he steps closer. "You really are a perceptive one, Elijah Everett."

Okay, red eyes, dark grey hair... This guy definitely isn't a vampire but he's still likely to be dangerous. I look to Kurumu...and she looks like she's ready to kill him. "...Kurumu?"

"I thought I warned you last time!" She grits her teeth in anger, and her wings and claws extend. "I told you to stay away from me!"

Wait, she knows this guy? Wait...this has got to be that Wendigo mother-fucker that she told me about. I step in front of her, practically getting in between her and the Wendigo. "I'm gonna say this one time and one time only. Get the fuck out of here if you know what's good for you, otherwise..."

He scoffs at my threat, flipping his hair out of his face. "'Otherwise' what? I know all about you, you're just a human who's only considered a monster because of a technicality. All that stuff about you taking down the Security Committee is just bullshit, slander to make the rest of us real monsters look weak in comparison to you."

"..." Oh, he has no idea how fucked he is. "My brother in Christ, how wrong you are. How about we skip your little...speech here and just get this over with, shall we? I'm sure you have your reasons for wanting to pick a fight for me but I simply don't have enough fucks to give you. An ass-kicking? Abso-fucking-lutely. A fuck? I'm all out."

The Wendigo sneers angrily at me. "Tough talk from a guy who was too chicken shit even to show up. I was promised a meal and it's time my payment is due!"

I hear Kurumu growl in anger behind me, I stop her from moving any closer. Believe me, I want to put this guy in his place for what he did to her. "I got this, okay?" I say reassuringly. Kurumu looks at me in concern, but she knows more than anyone that I can handle myself against most. If I'm being honest with myself, I kind of want to show off what I learned from my time with Fuhai. It won't take a lot to bring this guy down to his knees, I still can't manage to keep myself in that transformative state where I have seemingly endless mana and power...I should come up with a name for that. But in all seriousness, I still need to be careful.

"...Just be careful, okay?"

"I will," I say, taking off my uniform blazer and button down. I don't want to get them all filthy from the upcoming fight. All that's left on my upper body is my sleeveless black shirt, which I usually have on. I look back at my opponent, his body is already changing into his true self. A tall, thin, skeletal creature with a deer's skull for a head, and his eyes have been pulled back deep into their sockets that I can't even see them anymore.

Alright, let's see. Wendigos are nocturnal predators, they have heightened senses including hearing so acute that they can detect panicked heartbeats from miles away. Despite appearances, they have exceptional eyesight and a strong sense of smell. I think for a moment...and I know exactly what spell I need.

"...Fists of Fire," I muttered under my breath, and the symbol on my left arm began to glow a bright yellow. I bring my hands out in front of me...and a roaring fire comes from my palms. I close my fists and I feel my knuckles turning white. "...Let's fucking go."

The wendigo winces at the sight of the fire at the end of my upper limbs, just as I knew it would. Fire like this won't be enough to kill him, but it will hurt a lot. Wendigos are repulsed by heat, especially fire. Not to mention that they can be flammable. Regardless, the wendigo in front of me screeches at me before getting down on all fours.

"I can't wait to pick your bones out of my teeth." In seconds, the ravenous beast lunges at me, his claws only missing me by inches. He's fast, but not fast enough. I outmaneuvered him and punched him in his solar plexus, leaving a noticeable burn mark. "Augh!" The wendigo doubles over in pain before looking back at me. He growls as he tries to slash me again, this time he manages to cut my right shoulder. It hurt, but not enough to get my guard down or to leave a permanent mark.

I retaliate by punching him in his abdomen, the fire grows hotter with each hit. The wendigo screeches in pain...but he grabs me by my shoulders, pinning me to the ground. The Wendigo lunges its deer head at me and tries to take a bite out of my face. My hands latch onto his lower and upper jaw, pushing his head back. I can smell his breath and feel the moistness, even some drool drips onto my face. He even tries to lick me...just how many people have this mother fucker eaten?

"...Incinerate!"

A blast of fire ejects from both of my hands, engulfing his skull and setting it on fire. The wendigo is off of me in seconds and tries to put out the fire in his hands, eventually resorting to switching back to his human form to try and extinguish the flames. He screeches at the top of his lungs, his voice returning back to normal.

"AUUGH! YOU BASTARD!" He looks back at me, his face halved burned and his hair nearly singed off. But I wasn't done with him. I pinned him on the ground, reversing our earlier roles. I punched him in the face over and over until all that remained of his ugly mug was a busted lip, a black eye, a few broken teeth, and burnt muscle tissue.

I stand back up, looking down at my opponent defeated on the ground. I won with barely a scratch on me. "Don't ever come near me or her ever again, or next time...I won't be so gentle." I leave him to soak in the pain I've caused him and I walk back over to Kurumu, she looks at me with relief and slight worry.

"Are you okay? You're not hurt too bad, right? That cut on your shoulder doesn't look too bad, do you want me to-"

"Kuru, I'm fine," I interrupt, raising my hands and spinning around. "See? I'm right as rain." She doesn't look so sure, but she hugs me regardless.

"One of these days, you're gonna get yourself hurt."

"Don't worry so much, I'll be-"

"I'm serious!" Kurumu pulls away, gripping my shoulders tightly "I don't want you to get hurt again, I thought I lost you once I'm not going through that again! I really thought you were...dead in that moment."

"..." Goddamn it, I really am such an arrogant bitch, aren't I? "I promise, I won't take any unnecessary risks without your permission, okay? If I know I can make it out unscathed then I'll jump in, otherwise, only if you think I have to."

"...You promise?"

I nod, holding her in my arms again. "I promise." Kurumu returns my gesture, rubbing her hand up and down my back.

"...Elijah?"

"Yeah?"

"...He's gone."

"What?" I let go of her and turned around...and she was right. The wendigo...he's gone. "Where the fuck...?"

Alright, first the centipede guy, now him? What is going on?

?

"Hahahaha..." Standing above the academy, in the bell tower, the Headmaster of Yokai Academy carries the unconscious bodes of a centipede and Wendigo. "Ah, yes. Seems everything is going according to plan. The Holy Lock is doing its job, helping Young Aono master his new power. As for you, Young Everett, you trained him well, Fuhai. And it was quite the idea I had...using these boys to test your strength. But this...is only the beginning."