Rosario + Vampire 1. Chapter 1

"So, you going to get on the bus, kid, or what?" Said the bus driver with a gleam in his eye.

The man looking back at the driver felt his ire rise, scoffing as he looked upon him with his hardened, steely gaze, sizing up the age of the being before him. As his logic quickly estimated, he scoffed at the man. This was no new face, far from it. But he was still relatively young in the overall swing of things, at least in the man's eyes.

The Driver's eyes narrowed at the other man's dismissal of his address. "I'm sorry young lad, but what's so funny?" He said, putting a little extra into the evil gleam.

The other man turned and gazed upon the other, sizing him up for a moment before replying: "You're about 600 years old, correct?"

The driver was silent. _How did this little brat guess so close to my actual age!? And what's with the air of superiority? I might be spending too much time at the academy…_

The other man took the driver's silence as a confirmation that he'd at least been relatively close. Of course, he'd been doing this for millennia, it just so happened that he was living in a separate lifetime; _once again. I swear, if my parents were to make it any more obvious, they'd already be pushing female demigods onto me. I swear…_ He let a small smirk come across his face as he narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him.

He then continued; "surprised? Good, it means I've done a good job then."

The driver's curiosity was now piqued. This young man didn't seem to be all that he was letting on, at least not yet. He needed to know further… "So," he asked, swinging open the doors, "what brings you to Yokai Academy, _sir?_" He asked, a slight bit of malice entering his voice. The only person that ever talked down to him was Mikogami, and he had earned that right as being one of the three demon lords of the monster underworld. There was no one held above that as those three were all-powerful here on Earth, rivaled only by each other in sheer power. This being said, it made the driver wonder why this man standing before him was able to talk so nonchalantly as if there were no threat to him whatsoever.

This was soon revealed.

"My mother and father have decided that it's about time that I entered school once again to make sure that I'm up to date with the current times and generation at large. Otherwise, trust me, there wouldn't be any necessity to my presence here."

"Although you were briefed about this earlier, may I ask what you are? You seem to be rather comfortable going to an all-monster school, if I may say so myself."

The other man looked to the driver in front of him, and the smirk on his face widened as he realized that he'd captured the attention of the youngling before him. _Now, what to actually tell him… Hmmm, this presents an interesting dilemma. I want to tell him just enough to keep him guessing, but not so much that I blow my cover here. Can't have people knowing my true nature, after all._ In all, his thought process took less than a second, and he decided on telling the driver two things. His parents' reputation. _That'll give him a good scare, if he knows anything about mythology…_

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't tell you what I am, because that would be breaking school rules. However, I'll let you in on a little secret." The other man finally boarded the bus, taking a seat in the front, across from the driver. "You might want to get going, this isn't for mere mortal ears to hear after all…"

"Good." With that said, the driver got the bus rolling forward and started off towards Yokai Academy. About a minute later, the Driver then asked; "So, what were you going to tell me..?" He asked the other man aboard his bus.

"It'll have to wait until we are within the portal. I can't risk having anyone overhearing this. Besides, that way, I can ensure that only you hear it." The driver shot him a quick glance. The other man laughed inwardly a little at this as he continued; "Yes, I'm fully aware of the contract and limitations that go with your position. Trust me, I've come _very_ well prepared."

"Well then, why didn't you say so?" The driver asked, flipping a switch on the dashboard, opening a horizontal pit of red-tinged darkness that the bus entered almost immediately.

The other man grinned widely at this. Finally he'd be able to flip this young man's world on top of itself.

"Well, you kept up your end of the bargain, so I'll tell you the one thing only you can know. Do not misunderstand me; this stays between you and me. That means no telling Mikogami or any other dark lord for that matter. I trust that you'll honor my request?" The young man asked the driver, boring his gaze into the back of the driver's head.

It took a moment before the driver could answer the young man as his request surprised him. "Sure kid, whatever tickles your fancy." He finally replied, curiosity overcoming his prior nervousness. He didn't have to wait long before the young lad honored him with a reply.

"There was once a pair of beings trusted so greatly by god that they became his war generals, taking on his enemies with honor and decimating those aligned with the pure darkness of old. However, after many battles and many days' meditation over the nuances and actualities of the universe, they realized that they couldn't remain aligned with god in good conscience. They had realized that if they were to remain with god, that there would be too much light in their existence, and the monotony of everlasting peace would someday lead to unrest among those in god's domain. These two entities came to the conclusion that they must part ways with god and establish their own realm wherein they could maintain a balance of both light and dark in equal measure, neither overpowering the other; the two forces instead feeding into one another rather than fighting each other for control, and allowing both chaos and harmony to coincide with each other with minimal conflict.

These two entities then made to play a role in the ensuing battles between dark and light, maintaining balance throughout so that their universe could remain in existence. Neither ally nor enemy of light nor dark, they have maintained this dimension of existence for seemingly endless amounts of time. These two beings are named Bathin and Sitri. You've heard of them before, I presume? At least in mythology, if nothing else." The driver nodded his head, paying sharp attention to the young man behind him, listening closely. "Believe me when I say this: the most you need to know is that I'm well acquainted with both individuals, hence my apparent lack of concern coming to this school."

_Well, that _would_ just about do it…_ the driver thought to himself, gaining a new respect for the individual in his midst; _having friends like that will give you a lot of sway no matter where you go. Ooo, the end of the tunnel._ "Well kid, looks like we're here," the driver told the young man, pulling out of the tunnel, slowing the bus to a stop in the clearing next to a sheer cliff. Lifting the handle release and swinging the double-doors open, he swung his head back towards the boy re-acquiring his luggage from the adjacent empty seats and moving towards the exit.

As the boy faced the door, he swung both of his arms, tossing his luggage out the door and onto the dry earth beneath. He walked down the steps and off the bus, bending back down to retrieve his previously chucked luggage, turning to face the driver as he stood, fully laden with his things, looking at him as if expectant of more conversation. He wasn't disappointed.

"So kid, I never did catch your name."

"Oh, how rude of me. All this talk and you still don't know my name. With all due respect sir, my name is Thane, but here and now I must be known by my alias Tsukune Aono. Trust me, it's much more human-sounding than my true name. Besides, speaking my true name has some pretty bad consequences… Hehehe, that's a story for another day, I'm afraid. Well, sir driver, I wish you well until we should have the good fortune to meet once more." Tsukune finished, bowing his head politely to the driver before making his way in the direction of the campus.

"Well wishes to you too kid; though for some reason I don't think you'll need them. Heh, funny… I don't remember a time where I didn't wish my kid good luck before… Who knows, maybe he'll be the one to survive this place…" the driver said, mostly to himself; closing the doors of the bus and returning to the interdimensional tunnel once more, not to be seen for quite some time.

**Later…**

Thane was calmly strolling through the current spread of dormant ground, appreciative of the somewhat barren trees surrounding him, hands in pockets. _All they need is a little more time and a little effort, and they'll be blooming again. Besides, with Sakura trees like this, it'll be a beautiful sight once they're in season. Granted, that doesn't mean they're an eyeful in their current state, but still… _ he thought to himself, getting lost in his thoughts while enjoying his little stroll. It was peaceful and quiet. Tranquil, even. Raising his head a little, he saw the entrance gates to the campus starting to come up; he'd be upon them within the mile. Smiling to himself, he slowed his pace slightly, wanting to enjoy his walk a little longer before reporting to the school he'd supposedly spend the next three years in, learning as much as he was supposed to about monster society. Which was a cause for his scrutiny at one point, raising a legitimate question; why go to a human integration school for monsters only to learn about the monsters attending that were trying to integrate themselves into human society? Didn't that seem to grind against the whole purpose of the institution? But, of course, so far it wasn't his place to defy his purpose simply due to that relatively small technicality.

Taking a breath, Thane took in his surroundings once more, thinking to himself whether he should take it upon himself to revive the surrounding trees. But, just as he finished the thought, he heard something coming towards him from the rear, quickly approaching. Closing his eyes for a scant moment, he concentrated on the sound. _Sounds like a pedal bike, and if I may say so, one whose chain hasn't been maintained as regularly as it should. Hmmmm…_ Thane thought as he opened his eyes once more. The sounds was getting progressively louder, and it seemed that it was heading directly at him, showing no signs of stopping. Either the person behind him wasn't paying attention or had it in for him on some degree. _Of course, coming to a monster school of all things, it would make sense for someone to attack me out of the blue to test the waters and see where a new student like me stands. Let's just see how this works out…_

Focusing on the sound alone, he waited until the absolute last moment to juke just outside its trajectory and watch said pedal bike pass right by him, right towards the- _tree root sticking out of the ground. Uh-oh._ Thane thought, wondering if the astride patron knew of the obstacle that lay ahead. Apparently they didn't, as the bike rode head-on into the tree root, high-siding and bucking its rider off too quick for their reflexes to recover from. _Hmmmm… someone's a klutz._ Thane thought, resuming his walking pace, aimed towards the remains of the incident, a small chuckle escaping under his breath.

He called out to the individual ahead of him, who by the skirt they were wearing was presumably a female, but hey; who knew? He'd known more than his fair share of cross dressers and others who indulged in an alternative lifestyle (which he had no qualms with). "Hey, you alright? You kind of hit the root there." He asked, tilting his head to the side in an attempt to try to get a better glimpse at the (supposedly female) student ahead of him.

She turned to look at him, a pained smile on her face as she replied; "I'm fine. I just wasn't paying attention to where I was going…" she finished with a sheepish look on her face.

"Obviously, or else you wouldn't be on your ass right now, would you?" He replied, starting to chuckle again. He finished waltzing over to her and extended his hand out to her, not regarding her pouty expression, no doubt a reaction to his remark. "Funny thing about riding a bike in the forest is that there's more things on the ground that can trip you up. Gotta watch out," He said, still holding his hand out to her.

She turned her head away from him slightly, replying; "Well you don't have to make it out like I'm an incapable idiot. I already knew that… I was just thinking about other things, that's all."

"I know, I was just giving you a hard time. Come on," He gestured with a grin and his hand again, "let's get you back up and running again otherwise you'll be late on your first day." Thane perked his head up slightly, taking in a precursory glance at his surroundings. _Good, nothing's come up yet._ He continued; "As far as I've heard, that's not something you want to do here…" As he finished, she turned back to him, finally extending her hand out to him, pulling herself up. It was then that he finally had a good look at her, and as he caught his first full glimpse, something tickled the back of his mind. She had eyes the color of jade, and long, flowing pink hair. Along with those traits, she was of good stature, with a well-rounded physique and trim tone. One thing that struck him as odd though was the choker she had around her neck with a rather large cross dangling from a chain connected to the choker. _Must be a youki limiter. Interesting. She's strong enough to require one to subdue her youki, so she must be strong, at least for a monster, but just how strong is she I wonder?_ Thane thought to himself, saving that observation for a later time. He took a second to reflect upon himself, remembering quite clearly that he'd required _seven _limiters to lower his aura to imperceptible levels. She strode over to where her bike lay on the ground, a few yards away from her. Pulling it up, she began to walk towards the school, toting her bike next to her. Thane resumed his gait once more, keeping in line with the girl he'd just met. _Oh, wait… I don't even know her name yet… that'd probably be a good thing._ He turned his head towards the girl, speaking once more; "I'm terribly sorry ma'am. I seem to be very lacking in my manners today." _Seriously, I'm forgetting formalities left and right… I'll have to meditate on this tonight and figure out what's wrong with me. _"My name is Tsukune Aono, and it is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss…?"

The girl stopped and turned to face him. "Oh, I'm Moka. Moka Akashiya. And I, uh, it's nice to meet you as well." _Akashiya… pretty. Languid, rather easy to flow off the tongue. Very nice._ Thane regarded the girl that had resumed her pace alongside him, matching his walk as they made their way towards the front gate of the campus. _Well, no time quite like the present to invest in a friend. Might as well strike while the iron's hot._ "So, you a freshmen too?" He asked, partially shifting his gaze towards the school, but keeping the girl in his peripherals as well.

She replied; "Yes. It's my first year here, and I'm kind of nervous. I'm not too sure of what it'll be like here, and to tell the truth, I'm kind of scared." She admitted to him, not entirely sure why she was telling him these things.

"Hey, it's alright to be a little apprehensive of new things; it's only natural. But hey, if you want, I'd be more than willing to tag-team the whole new-school thing with you if you want." Thane replied, not really wanting to suffer through the administrative process on his own, knowing how long and dragging it could end up being. There it was… that tickling feeling in the back of his mind once again. Something about this whole situation was reminding him of something that he couldn't recall at the moment. Setting that thought aside, he noted the slight relaxing of her posture, continuing; "If you're really nervous, I could try and be your first friend here. I mean, I know how much it sucks going through the first few- ooof!" he exclaimed as Moka suddenly lunged towards him letting loose of her bike and instead concentrating her grip on enveloping him in a great hug.

"Oh would you really!? That'd be so wonderful! I was so afraid of not being able to make any friends here, but here we are!" She hugged him tighter as she spoke, happiness pouring out of her so greatly it was almost palpable. _Disregard the curiosity about how strong she is. This hug frigging hurts… _Thane thought to himself_. _But then suddenly, just as he thought her hug couldn't get any tighter than it already was, she suddenly let go and backed off, a wary look in her eyes. "But wait, how do I know you're being sincere? Not less than five minutes ago you were making fun of my misfortune," She exclaimed suddenly, slight hurt and apprehension seeping into her previously joyous expression.

_Of course it had to come to this. _He thought. He'd been hoping to avoid this type of situation, which is why he was kicking himself mentally for simply being his smart-ass self earlier, which had a bad habit of biting him in the ass when it came to forging relationships. Thane knew he had to clear her misunderstanding quickly if he wanted her to be his companion in the upcoming months he was here.

He stopped, fully turning towards Moka, causing her to subconsciously stop next to him as his gaze took on a new intensity as his hardened resolve started to show through. "Miss Akashiya, I will admit that I did find amusement in your little mishap earlier, but let me tell you a little something about myself. Everything that I say, do, think, feel and believe is genuine. I do not fake, and I don't tolerate it from myself or others. I refrain from lying under all circumstances except those warranting a lie's very existence beyond a shadow of a doubt. I live by no false pretenses, nor do I expect my peers to do so either. What you see in front of you is the real me, all the time, every time. If I laugh, it's because I truly find something funny. If I'm angry, it's not going to be over something trivial or temporary. If I am holding something back, it is because I have good reason to do so, and is not meant as a means to keeps those close to me in the dark. I remain unwaveringly loyal to those who truly deserve my loyalty, and I most definitely take care of my own. So know in your heart and mind that when I ask you to be my friend, there is no falseness or reason to doubt my request. I truly mean it." It was at this point that Thane intensified his gaze, hoping that she could feel the sincerity and meaning behind what he was telling her. Did she know how far out on a limb he was putting himself willingly right now? Regardless, he continued; "So, Moka, would you find it within you to consider being a friend of mine?" he finished, hoping his words had reached her.

_Wow…_ Moka thought to herself. _So he really does mean that he wants to be my friend after all…_ After the past few years being completely friendless, now seeing someone who so irrevocably wanted to be friends with her shocked her, if nothing else. Resigning herself to her current situation, she acquiesced with his request, and decided that it might not be so bad if she had a friend walking into this strange new environment she now found herself walking into. A genuinely happy smile once again breaking uncontrollably across her features, she once again loosed her hold on her bike and leapt towards Tsukune as she gave him his reply.

Now expecting her bone-crushing squeeze, Thane readied himself and caught her embrace as she replied "yes, Tsukune Aono, I would be honored if you would become my friend."

The two held the embrace for a moment or two before letting go and separating, distancing themselves slightly while staying close to one another. Moka retrieved her bicycle once again as they started off once more, Thane speaking up, a mischievous smirk adorning his features; "I'm seriously starting to pity that bicycle. I mean, really, look at the poor thing. It keeps getting thrown so violently to the side…" He teased Moka as she let go of the bike once again in an attempt to knock his shoulder, Thane slipping just of her reach before her hand could connect. Thanks chuckled as he continued; "See? You keep letting it fall, it's not gonna last the semester if you keep dropping it like that!"

"Well if you stopped giving me such a hard time I wouldn't have to let go and chase you down, now would I?" Moka retorted sharply, the frustration apparent only in her voice as a smile slipped across her lips as she started to laugh with Tsukune, both of them slowly finishing their approach towards the academy grounds as Moka regained a grip on her bicycle, truly happy she'd gained a friend so early in the game.


	2. Chapter 2

Welcome back readers! Hoped you enjoyed the previous installment of **Post-Mortem.** I hope that as I get through the rest of this story arc that it consistently leaves you satisfied at the end of each chapter; for however many chapters that may end up being.

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I insinuate in any way, shape or form that the original story, characters, locations, ideas, concepts, licensing rights created under the entitlement of **Rosario & Vampire **are under my jurisdiction in any conceivable way. However, that said, any new ideas, concepts, characters, character interrelations, situations, and locations created through my own mental process strictly not generated prior to this story's birth shall be and shall always remain exclusive property of me, Motofan713 as the author and sole creator of **Post-Mortem.**

Guest: I apologize for not being clear as to my intentions with the Tsukune character. If you see him as OC due to my interpretation, so be it, and please feel free to move on to the next story in line. However, I do feel that this needs further explanation: Tsukune is still himself. He was still born and raised in the human world, lived through the same scenarios and life lessons in canon, but simply has a different outlook on life due to his condition. Thane can be seen as a sort of alter-ego or seamless split personality that retains a symbiotic relationship with the Tsukune conscience in the fact that he is there mainly as a guide to help Tsukune deal with circumstances. The best way to describe this situation is something very akin to Shuichi Minamino and Youko Kurama in Yu Yu Hakusho. While Shuichi is entirely his own person, he shares conscience with Youko and act in the same embodiment. If you see this as OC, please feel free to ignore any further progress I make in this story as it may only upset you. Really, the choice is yours to read this. Whether or not you do isn't my concern; that lays with the continuation of this story in a timely manner.

Getter B. Rabbit: It's interesting because although his real name reflects Thane, it's not his full name, which may become rather important later on. On another note, yes, snarky is something I've always wanted to see in a male character. I just thought it might be interesting to read a supposed harem story where the central character has more important things to worry about.

Without further ado, here's the next installment:

The two new friends continued their meandering pace towards the administration office, which by Tsukune's map was the building directly ahead of them, but by no means the closest building to them. Moka's bike clinked as she continued to push it alongside her, maintaining a firm grip on the handlebars lest give Tsukune yet another reason to poke fun at her. Yet at the same time, her mood was light and carefree. She'd already made a friend and she hadn't even entered the campus grounds yet! She was currently carrying on a conversation with Tsukune, one which was intriguing her much more than she'd anticipated. They were currently discussing the different possibilities for how the dimensional field currently providing a slightly distorted sky above them was able to operate, and Tsukune had offered up some very credible possibilities so far. He was currently in the middle of an explanation for his third theory. Speaking of which…

"… which would mean that there's most likely some sort of limiting device that's capable of suppressing all the auras of the current students residing within its reach so as to retain it within its domain. However, I'm not too sure it'd be able to hold up if every single entity here were to suddenly revert to their true forms all at once," Tsukune exlained on the fly, speaking almost as quickly as his line of logic was traveling. As he took in a breath to continue, Moka interjected.

"But if that were the case, why don't we feel it actively suppressing our states as we are right now?" she asked, her eyes continuing to gain in their luminosity. Tsukune had begun to notice her increasing interest and enthusiasm in their current topic, and was becoming more and more reassured in the fact that he'd chosen well for a first friend. _She really is bright and cerebral, and willing to put herself out there to learn, isn't she?_ Thane noted on the side, continuing the conversation by replying to her; "Well, for starters, we both wear aura limiting devices."

Moka's hand suddenly whipped up to her collar, enclosing upon the Rosario resting there in a protective manner, her eyes narrowing slightly as she countered; "How did you know this was a youki limiting device?"

Thane turned his body slightly to face her more fully as he replied; "I've seen my fair share of limiting devices, and had much experience in recognizing them quickly regardless of their size or shape." He gave her a half grin as he continued; "I guess you could say that I've had enough experience over the years of my existence that it's become one of my second natures, considering how long I've been at it. And before you ask, I truly am only sixteen years old just in case you're curious," He interjected, seeing the change in her expression and guessing that might be a question that had popped in her head from his previous words. But, fortunately, it seemed that his answer appeased her, and was waiting expectantly for him to continue on his original explanation.

"As for why we can't feel the central limiter's affect on us as we are might be due to its inherent nature of its construction. It could be that it was designed to be intrinsically prioritized to protect the secretive existence of this establishment, of which youki suppression acts as a subservient function when a loosed amount of Youki is released to the point which it can become a potential threat to the barrier's existence and quite possibly cause interference with the barrier's construction, causing it to fade and collapse in upon itself." He stopped, there, his own thoughts starting to race as the possibilities presented themselves in the forefront of his mind. What if what he was saying was true? And if that was the case, how was he supposed to go about his integration mission? These questions and others flooded his conscience as he began to exert himself, running mental simulations of possible scenarios and their likely consequences afterwards. He became so engrossed in his thoughts that he completely forgot the outside world for a moment, letting his subconscious take over his external interactions until outside stimuli overcame its operating capability and he was forced to return to the present, which was currently filled with a pink-haired irate girl raising her voice at him and placing herself in a rather tight vicinity to him. He started to pick up what she was saying quick enough though…

"… you do this all the time? I mean really, you're completely ignoring what's around you and , well," her voice dropped slightly, "people are looking at us funny…" she finished as she discreetly observed the flow of people around them, a fair few of them staring at the duo that had suddenly stopped in the middle of the pathway, drawing the attention of others around them.

He placed a hand on her shoulder as he faced her, saying; "don't mind them, we don't know them yet, so as of right now what they think of us in this moment is inconsequential. Let's go." He began to usher Moka towards the building in the near distance, taking sharp note of the stares and body language of everyone within visible distance, his mind slipping into a much more analytical state. He was more than aware of the fact that this place was full of those who'd strike first and ask questions later. He had to be careful here. _Or else the nail that sticks out gets hammered down, huh…_ He thought to himself as the duo finally approached what Tsukune believed to be the administrative building.

As they came upon the building, Thane noticed a bike rack set off to the side of the entrance, and began to make his way there, Moka at his side the entire time. He gave her a sidelong glance, hoping she'd understand his silent message. She returned his gaze for a moment, her face showing her slight confusion until she looked at where they were going. Then her eyes shot back to him, understanding showing. Glad that she'd understood, Thane walked with her to the bike rack, pulling out a standard bike chain from his pocket, a slight grin on his face. _Just wait until Moka sees this. She'll be so confused…_

Moka pulled her bike up to the rack, shimmying her front tire into one of the open slots. Then Tsukune circled around to the other side before Moka could retrieve her bike chain and wrapped his own around her front tire. Moka grew perplexed as she thought _Ok, now just where was he holding _that_ thing? It's HUGE!_ She noted, seeing the sheer size of the bike chain. The links of the chain had to be almost as large as her fist, and there were at least twenty of them by her quick count. "Um, Tsukune, where did you get that bike lock from?" She asked, slightly perplexed still, her genius level intellect failing to come up with any viable options.

Thane's smirk only grew at that point, happy that he had her thinking hard and it wasn't even the first day of school. He faced her and replied; "In my pocket. I have some pretty deep pockets…" He started to chuckle at his own words, knowing full well that while they were true, his otherworldly influence wasn't really all that effective in this small realm. Granted, that didn't factor in the massive monetary support he'd accrued in his short time on the Earth. But that was besides the point, as Moka was about to retort to his reply.

"So you think you're funny, do you?" She asked, a snide look on her face, unconvinced of his antics. This only made to make the situation that much more entertaining for Thane as he immediately formulated his reply, his features changing into a steeled resolve and his tone taking on a serious tone; "No. I do not think I'm funny."

"Oh, that so?" She replied, an eyebrow lifting questioningly.

Thane continued with his serious air as he continued; "Absolutely. Because as it turns out, I know I'm funny. I don't have to think about it," Tsukune finished as he flashed Moka a self-assured smile, exercising his flare, and striking a pose reminiscent of an award winner.

No. Now Moka was absolutely sure. There was no way in hell that she could ever truly take this guy seriously, what with his dry sense of humor so far prevailing. But she knew that she couldn't give in yet. She mustn't give in to the tremors she felt in her belly attempting desperately to get out and have a good laugh at Tsukune's antics. _I can't let him win. Otherwise I'll never live this down in his eyes, and that's unforgivable._ But, it seems that fate was being rather cruel to her today with a side of humor as well. She wasn't able to hold it in anymore. And it seemed that Tsukune was also aware of her inner turmoil, as well as its ridiculousness.

"You know, it _is_ okay to laugh when something's funny. Holding it in is only going to give you ulcers later on down the line." Tsukune remarked, flashing her a face, egging her on to laugh at least once. And so far it seemed that she was still right on the edge of her control, barely able to keep it in. Then he decided to go in for the kill. Whisking behind her suddenly, he tickled her sides as he blew a rather wet raspberry right next to her ear.

_No. I can't hold it in anymore. What am I going to do!?_ Moka thought to herself, hoping beyond hope that she had the reserves of willpower necessary to stifle her laughter before it became out of hand. But it seemed that she wasn't capable of that just yet, so she slowly watched herself lose control as her belly began to shake and the choked noises began creeping up out of her throat.

"mmmpfffht… eheh… ehahAHAHAHAH…" It was over. She couldn't hold it in anymore as she began to fully laugh out loud, the hilarity of the situation finally getting to her as she continued to reluctantly enjoy the feeling of a good hard laugh.

And so was Tsukune. He stood there next to her as she began to lean over slightly, hands on her knees in order to steady herself, still laughing with a wide grin on her face the entire time. _Yeah, that felt good. It's nice to know that I can still make people feel better and laugh when I want them to…_ He gave her a minute for her to calm herself down as he returned his gaze to the map in his hands, all the while remaining observant of his surroundings, watching, documenting, memorizing faces and expressions as the steady traffic of students passed the pair by on their way to the first day of the new term.

Finding what he was looking for, Tsukune folded up the map and calmed his expression immediately. Looking over in Moka's direction, he noted that she had started to recede from her laughing spree and was regaining normal awareness of her surroundings. She glanced back at him, an expectant expression reflected towards him. He spoke.

"Well then I guess we'd better get going. Don't want to be late for the first day, no matter how hilarious it may be…" He smirked.

Moka scoffed at him, rolling her eyes, but nonetheless fell back into step with Tsukune as they continued to head towards the administrative building for their dorm assignments and class schedules.

**30-ish minutes later…**

Tsukune took the old skeleton key and inserted it into the slot above his door's handle, twisting it clockwise and feeling the tumblers slide out of the way, unlocking the door. Swinging it open, he traipsed across the threshold and received his first look at what he would most likely be calling home for the next few years. Granted, it was quite Spartan in its openness, but it didn't turn him off as much as he'd thought it might. Actually, it gave him a sense of ease as he set his duffle bag down next to him, going over to the window to see what kind of view he'd get to enjoy. However, he was not exactly pleased with what he saw. Instead of overlooking the surrounding forest as he would've liked, he'd instead gotten a room where half of the view was obstructed by what was an opposing dorm building. And, judging by the few glances he shot towards the windows, it seemed to be the residence hall for the girls attending the academy. Albeit, he still got at least half a view of the forest, which in his opinion was much better than nothing, but he'd still prefer if he'd gotten more of it to look at. _Oh well, I guess I can't be choosy as a student here… maybe I can file for a transfer next semester or something of the like…_ he mused, letting out a barely audible sigh. Turning away from the window, he pulled off his backpack that he'd been lugging around all day and gingerly set it down, opening up the main pocket with care, a gentle expression adorning his face as he looked within its depths to his currently most prized possession, and his greatest companion.

In a soft and caring tone, he spoke; "My dear, are you awake? We've finally arrived at our new home, and you did tell me that you wanted to be woken when we got here." His eyes narrowed slightly, taking a closer look at what lay within. After a few moments the contents started to move, and he let out a contented sigh, knowing that she'd finally awoken. A pair of intelligent, piercing amber eyes opened slowly, blinking a few times before fully opening; their gaze settling on Tsukune with a lidded passion adorning their depths. Its head turned towards him.

_Good morning Sir Thane. I thank you greatly for the gentle rousing. It was a much more preferable method of awakening then you usually subject me to._ The thought echoed in Tsukune's mind with an alluring alto tone.

"Well, considering that you've been much more compliant to my requests as of late, it's the least I could do to return the favor. Besides, I do need you awake for what's still upcoming today." Tsukune replied, his gentle gaze still lighting up his features.

The pair of eyes looked away bashfully as a thought came to Tsukune's conscience; _Please cease looking at me that way; it's too intimate an expression for me to undertake so openly._

"But you are still my fair one, and I'm still grateful." Tsukune replied, extending his hands towards the inside of the backpack.

He didn't have to wait long for his desired reaction. Within seconds, a smooth, reptilian paw swept out from the depths and grasped his hand for purchase as Tsukune's 'fair one' slowly extricated itself from his pack. As it made progress further up his arm, now with both arms and legs firmly grasping his extended arm, he withdrew himself from his backpack, extending to his full height and watched as _she_ climbed up to take her place perched on his shoulder.

She was a pygmy water dragon. Her smooth, almost glassy scales gave off a pearlescent sheen that absorbed and reflected the sunlight in a very pleasing manner, adding to her deep topaz coloring. She had a set of spiked fins that came off of her snout, arching over her eyes, and continuing on to end just over her shoulder blades. She had a set of spiked dorsal fins, with the same webbed skin between them that extended nearly to the small of her back where her hips and hind legs sprouted from her frame. Her tail was just as smooth as the rest of her body, but shaped much like a very thin and elongated spade, the sides of which extended out into a horizontal rudder shape, giving her an ability to maneuver quite exquisitely once submerged. She looked around, her head swiveling in multiple directions until it finally settled upon her place of origin for a few seconds. She then turned to look atTsukune with what could be considered a cross and expectant expression, communicating to him; _are you not going to adorn your shoulder holster? Or am I going to have to dig my talons into your shoulder for the rest of the day?_

Tsukune chuckled for a moment at her benign question, at which she silently scoffed and turned her head in the air in an act of supreme comeuppance. _Well don't blame me when you're bleeding tonight…_ She turned her head back towards Tsukune, a different expression lighting up her eyes; _unless that's your goal and you _want_ me to help you recover…_ She then leaned in towards him, nuzzling her head underneath his neck, stroking it in what could be interpreted as a loving manner.

"Thanks for the offer, but that wasn't my intention." He saw the droop in her expression and replied immediately, saying, "But the sentiment is sincerely appreciated. But don't worry, I haven't forgotten about your holster." Reaching into the backpack once again, he pulled out his polished leather shoulder holster and immediately began to strap it up on top of his new school uniform. Once he was done adjusting it for maximum comfort, she re-oriented herself to his right shoulder and took her place upon the holster, which had been specifically crafted for both their comfort, so it fit her body's contour rather well. Straightening once again, Tsukune moved over to where he'd set down his school briefcase, picked it up, and promptly left his room, checking his pocket for his room's key once more before he left.

As he headed down the hall towards the doors that would lead him towards the schoolhouse, he glanced around himself and noticed a lack of students around him. _They must all be within the schoolhouse by now. I take that as a positive sign that we're late for class?_ She remarked, casting a bemused expression at Tsukune.

"Astute observation, Luca. Perhaps I should take this as a reason to increase my pace to- wait, gotta check my schedule once more. Heh, didn't even bother to look at where I'm supposed to go. What a rookie mistake." He laughed inwardly at his own lack of foresight.

_Yes, a very rookie-like mistake for someone of your stature. Seems stupidity still lives on strongly within you._

Tsukune continued to look at the sheet of paper he was holding, committing the room number to memory as he passed through the outer doors of the dormitory and crossed the courtyard towards the schoolhouse, replying; "Even at my age, I believe I am still allowed to have my shortcomings, no matter how small they may be."

_I agree. However, your capacity for simple error still astounds me._

Tsukune glanced at Luca for a moment before replying. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. I really needed that right before walking into a room full of teenage _monsters_. If I didn't know better, I'd think you're trying to jinx me before I even get started."

_Oooo, does that mean I get to place a wager on how long you're alive? Because I'm willing to put down a hundred grand on you barely making past the first year._

Tsukune now showed a sheepish expression as he replied; "You know, you're being a real dick. You know that?"

Luca glanced down at herself a moment before replying sarcastically; _Last I checked I didn't have one._

"I can have that changed."

Luca shot him a cross expression, replying; _You wouldn't dare._

Tsukune smirked at her as he spoke; "Try me."

_No. Absolutely not. Now how about we just get to the class?_

Tsukune shot a confident smile back at her, "Well, if you weren't quite so engrossed in the conversation, you'd realize that I've just arrived outside the destined classroom." His eyes suddenly narrowed as his gaze quickly returned to the door in front of him. She sensed his tensing and immediately changed her demeanor. _What is it?_

Tsukune's eyes never left the door in front of him where he could easily hear the sounds of classroom introductions taking place. "I apologize Luca, but for your sake and for mine, until further notice, unless it's just you and me let's keep the conversation between us telepathic, alright?"

_Fair enough Sir Thane. I shall miss the sweet melody of your voice, though._ She replied.

'_It'll have to do for now,'_ came Tsukune's reply a moment later, simultaneously sliding the door open, thus announcing his presence to the class and the teacher, who it seemed was in the midst of her own introduction. There was a brief silence as both teacher and students turned their attention to the new arrival.

"Sorry for being late. I had a very important matter to take care of prior to my coming here." Tsukune walked in, carrying with him a presence of authority and self-assuredness.

The teacher continued to look at Tsukune, as well as the rest of the class, for a moment or two before answering. "Well most of the class has already undergone their introductions, so if you'd like, please take a seat and introduce yourself in turn," She replied, gesturing to the three remaining seats in the classroom, apparently leaving it up to him in order to pick where he was going to be seated.

"Fair enough, and thank you Ms.-"

"Nekonome, dear. You'll get to know all about me soon enough."

With that said, Tsukune ventured to the far side of the classroom, to a seat in the far left row, which gave him a great view of the courtyard and the forest beyond. Granted, he also took the seat due to the fact that there were open desks both in front and behind him, so he wouldn't be disturbed. He needed the ability to let himself take a reprieve from his classroom setting, considering how simple-minded and immature classmates from previous years had proven to be. However, it seemed that he'd be hard-pressed for time to himself considering the rather numerous amount of glances and stares thrown in his direction

Just as Ms. Nekonome had implied earlier, the classroom introductions were still taking place as planned, with a male student currently introducing himself. His name seemed to be Komiya, or something like that. _'Komiya… haven't we heard that name before?'_ Tsukune thought, wondering why he felt the name was familiar. _Yes, _you_ have. I didn't hear about it until after we met all those years back…_

'_Wait, was this some past-life memory of mine? I can't quite seem to recall why I know it.'_

_Yes, it is, and not to put in any specifics, but I believe you were involved in stopping this boy's father from completing his tyrannical reign in Southern Africa back in the late seventies._

'_Ah, yes. I do remember now,'_ Tsukune thought back as the memories started to flow once again, remembering his exploits against Konzou Komiya and his supposed reign of terror he was to bring down upon the local African populace. _'Good times.'_

Komiya finished up his introduction, which while being somewhat disturbing, wasn't very surprising when Tsukune thought back to the boy's father. Orcs were known for being brutal, one-track minded, and being rather strong for a c-class monster. However, they weren't exactly known for being bright, or having a very tactical mind. But, at least in Tsukune's case, he did have to applaud them on their ability to remain loyal to a common goal, and sticking to their guns no matter how outmatched they may find themselves.

But that was besides the point. Apparently it was now Tsukune's turn for introductions. Shaking his head in exasperation, he lifted himself out of his chair, moved forward slightly and then leaned on the side of his desk with both his arms and legs crossed, staring at Ms. Nekonome with an unamused expression. "Alright. What do I have to say?"

"Well dear, please introduce yourself. It doesn't matter how much you say as long as we get to know the basics of who you are." She returned with a practiced smile, most likely to potentially appease him.

"Very well." Tsukune replied, delving into his inner thoughts for a moment. _'What do you think I should reveal about myself, my sweet Luca? I don't want to say more than I absolutely have to, considering how much of an impact it would create if others became aware of my capabilities.'_

_Well then, give them just enough information to placate their curiosity for now. I'd say name, age, safe hobbies-_

'_Safe hobbies? What's that supposed to mean?'_

_Things you like to do that aren't associated with your ulterior purpose._

Tsukune paused for a moment before answering; _'Fair enough. I guess I'll stick to that for now and hopefully they won't ask any hard questions.'_

_I agree completely._

Good morning classmates. I am Tsukune Aono. I am sixteen years of age and am currently from Gunma prefecture, Japan. My hobbies include motor sports, American football, welding, fabrication, and engine mechanics. If you couldn't already figure it out, which I do believe you can, I am a gearhead, and a proud one at that. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask now, otherwise know that I won't be answering them again any time in the near future." Tsukune finally lifted his gaze and looked around the room, noting that many people had unsure looks on their faces, and uncertainty tainting their eyes. However, soon enough, one of the boys in class, from the far side of the room garnished enough courage to ask him a question.

"So what's up with the lizard on your shoulder? I thought that the school information pamphlet stated strictly that no pets were to be allowed in classroom settings."

Tsukune's gaze quickly targeted the other boy and his eyes narrowed slightly before he replied. "Alright, given your confusion I'll make sure to clarify my situation. First, it's not a lizard, it's a water dragon. Second, she is not a pet, nor has she ever been. She is my familiar, and thus both a life partner and an extension of myself. Third, she has a name; Luca. Make sure to remember it well. Oh, and if you're wondering, familiars are allowed in these settings, _if_ you had bothered to actually read the full list of commandments inscribed upon the stone walls of the schoolhouse gate. Besides, even if someone has a problem with Luca, it is their responsibility to take it up with a higher authority to ensure that the situation gets remedied as painlessly as possible. Otherwise, for the time being, accept the fact that she'll be with me in cla-"

The classroom door shot open once again, revealing a female student who also seemed to be running rather late. She bowed at the entrance, an apology already forthcoming from her lips.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I got lost in the campus and wasn't able to fully locate where I was supposed to go until the last minute, and well, now I'm here."

Tsukune quietly chuckled at what he saw before him. _Let's see, pink hair, nice figure, sweet voice… yup. Gotta be Moka. Who knew the fates would throw us together in the same class. Must just be chance then… _"Welcome to class 1-C Moka. Didn't expect to see you again quite so soon." He waited until her head perked up to look at him before continuing. "However, you interrupted my introduction, so if you could be a dearie and take your place in one of the remaining empty seats, I'd much prefer to continue."

"Tsukune? You're in this class too?" She replied, a hint of excitement showing through her vocal tone.

"Why yes my duchess of simple facts. But please," he gestured to the two empty seats both in front of and behind him, "May I continue my introduction? There were still a few students that wished to ask me about myself, and if we dawdle for much longer they will soon forget the questions they were so eager to ask."

Moka, now with an exasperated look on her face, started to move towards the implied desks, warily noting the number of looks that were being sent her way. Deciding to ignore them for the time being, she instead chose to address the man who was watching her like a hawk, all of his attention seemingly on her movements as she made her way towards Tsukune, replying; "Full of yourself much?"

Tsukune shook his head. "No. It's just that there were people wanting to ask questions and I would much prefer giving them the opportunity to ask them before they forget." By this time Moka had stopped at the desk directly in front of Tsukune, and was hanging her briefcase on the side of her new desk when she finally noticed the creature perched on his shoulder. "Who's this?" She asked, curiosity overcoming her disdain for Tsukune's antics, at least for the moment.

"Moka, this is Luca, my familiar. Luca, this is Moka." '_The young lady I was referring to earlier in the day.'_

Moka was currently gazing at Luca, eliciting a cute expression. "Oh, she's so pretty."

"I know." He dropped his tonal volume as he spoke privately with Moka for a moment. "On a more serious note, I didn't want you to continually stay standing up there where everyone just sits and gawks at you. I know how uncomfortable that can become."

Understanding flooded Moka's conscience as she realized that Tsukune had done nothing more than masked his own attempt at making her more comfortable in a way that wouldn't jeopardize wither of them, nor cause any unnecessary gossip. "You still could've worded it better. It sounded like you were mad at me entering when I did."

"That was only because I don't want people starting rumors about shit that isn't true." He raised his head back towards the class, continuing on as Moka situated herself into her seat. "Any other questions?"

Now a female student from the front portion of the class piped up, asking; "What's your view on the humans? What do you think of them?"

Before Tsukune could answer, another male student interrupted; "Well we all know the answer to that. Of course he hates them. All self-respecting monsters do, which is why I'm not entirely sure why my parents even sent me to this school in the first place. I mean, come on. Human integration? What a frickin' joke." Tsukune looked towards the owner of the voice. It turned out to be none other than Komiya. _'Figures. It seems that his father's views have been properly passed down another generation…_ Komiya continued, his tongue slithering out slightly. " I mean come on, why don't we just eat the humans and then the problem goes away? Well, except for the good-looking females. They might be nice to have for a time or two before we eat them, right?"

Tsukune's gaze hardened and his countenance grew cold and bitter. He knew what type of person Komiya was, and it was beginning to get under his skin little by little. It was time to teach this youngling a thing or two about knowing his true place in the world. "Is that what you truly believe Komiya?" he asked, looking directly at him, waiting for the answer he knew would come sooner or later.

Saizo looked at him for a moment, an arrogant smirk lighting up his face before replying; "Of course, you idiot. We're monsters, therefore we're more powerful, and as such should rightfully use our dominance to send them back into the dark ages."

"So it is true. You really are just as much of a short-sighted dipshit as your reputation puts you out to be." _And a grade-1 asshole to boot, _Luca added for good measure.

Komiya puffed out his chest a little and stood up, posturing in front of Tsukune and challenging him with his eyes as he replied; "What'd you say you little punk?"

Ms. Nekonome, noticing that her students were clearly forgetting the fact that this was a classroom setting and that she was the one in control, spoke up in an attempt to regain control over the two arguing in the back of class. "Excuse me, but right meow we're still doing introductions, and we still have a student left over to get to know."

His eyes never leaving his opponent, Tsukune replied in a calm manner; "Sensei, everyone already knows that she's Moka Akashiya, and will get to know her in due time. However, this right here is a matter that needs to be remedied immediately if the purpose of this school is to actually be seen through instead of skirted around like it has been." Tsukune switched gears internally, and addressed Komiya in a voice that was saturated with authority and malice. "Now, Komiya, I believe we have a few things to address about your argument that I know to be invalid. First, I hold no ill-harbored feelings towards the humans; actually, I know quite a few that are already aware of what I am and have not shied away from me, or shunned me for being what I am. Second, in actuality, and self-respecting monster would acknowledge the sheer capability that the human race is known for, and not admonish them so easily. Trust me; they are quite capable of dealing with your sorry ass, and quickly. Actually, I can guarantee that it would only take two of them to bring you down without you ever laying a hand on them."

Komiya scoffed at Tsukune's reasoning, replying; "Bullshit. There's no human alive who could touch me before I kill them."

A rather sinister expression wormed its way onto Tsukune's countenance as he smirked at the boy in front of him. "I can name them right now. Senior chief Michaelangelo Baldwin and Lieutenant Robert Cross. Seal Team two, Naval special warfare, United States Navy. Trust me when I say that they are more than capable of dealing with your pathetic ass." Tsukune watched as the desired effect came about on Komiya's expression. He was getting angry, and his logic was slowly slipping from his grasp. "And if you don't believe me, I can personally prove they're more than capable."

Komiya suddenly charged him, crying; "Then back it up you bastard!" What happened next shocked many people in the class. Komiya threw a wild right haymaker, aiming directly for Tsukune's face, but it never connected. Instead, Tsukune casually reached out his hand and simply blocked the punch directly, absorbing the entire impact as if it were nothing. After a moment of watching Komiya struggle against his might, Tsukune slowly raised his head even with the enraged boy, his face completely devoid of any emotion except for extreme annoyance. "I'm sorry, was that supposed to hurt me?" Tsukune waited for a reply from Komiya, but seeing as none was forthcoming, he continued; "Now Komiya, I'd like you to take a look at the wrist of my hand now holding your failed attempt at striking me. See the bracelet?" Komiya's eyes jittered slightly, taking in the sight of the off-silver bracelet that clung tightly to his wrist. Noting that Komiya had indeed seen the bracelet, he continued; "This is an energy limiter, and a very powerful one at that. Now if you had any sense, you'd know with at least one limiter, and you in your presumably unlimited state right now, this means that I'm at least a good single class above you as we stand right now. However, I'd like for you to take a closer look at my other wrist and my neck, if you will…"

Komiya did this, and noted that on Tsukune's other wrist was a limiter of the exact same fashion as the one on the wrist that was currently holding him back from striking Tsukune. He then chanced a glance at Tsukune's neck, and saw a necklace with a topaz stone at its end with an engraving of some sort.

Meanwhile, all this time Tsukune had been watching not only the boy in front of him, but the reactions of not only his surrounding classmates, his sensei, and Moka as well. It seemed that they were all in shock of what was transpiring. _Seems that Komiya has a sizable reputation among the freshmen here for being rather powerful… But either that reputation is giving him too much credit or the rest of the monsters within these halls must be very low-class beings. Either way it doesn't make any difference. I'm just here to make sure that the integration finally occurs._ His thoughts snapped back to the surface as Komiya began his retort.

"So what? All that means is that you're three levels stronger than I am in my current human form, which is weak in comparison to my true form. I can easily take you."

At this statement Tsukune let out a hearty laugh at the severe lack of knowledge this fledgling before him was showcasing to the open. Apparently Saizo wasn't clued in on what was so funny as he came to say; "What's so funny? Realized that you're finally screwed? Giving up? Laughing because it's the only way you can save what's left of your sanity?"

Tsukune flashed him a smile and shoved Komiya back towards the back wall of the classroom, exuding a loud thud from the impact. Tsukune walked towards Komiya who was now showcasing his first signs of panic. Leaning down to Saizo's level on the floor, he spoke very quietly; "No, it just seems that no one ever bothered to inform you how these limiters actually work. See, when two or more are working in tandem, their powers and capabilities increase exponentially due to the fact that they reinforce one another at levels much greater than they'd be able to achieve if they were left all by their lonesome. So, in fact, my powers are not only three times larger than yours, but are immensely greater than that. See, two limiters are what's required to contain an s-class monster's aura, and a rather powerful one at that. It takes exponentially more power to actually require a third limiter, which means that at the very least I outclass a high-powered s-class monster. Now do you really think that you can win in wither of your forms, _orc?_" Komiya's eyes shot up, unadulterated fear shining out of them, wondering how the hell Tsukune had already figured out his true form without even seeing it. "Don't worry Komiya, I won't tell anyone, or bother to use that information against you, unless you decide to do something foolish and cause me to take action against you. Now, if we could please go back to the whole class thing, I'd like to actually learn something today." With that being said, Tsukune turned and slid into his seat, a calm expression once again returning to his eyes. _Well done Sir Thane. I think that might just leave an imprint on the poor boy. How unfortunate though that you didn't properly put him in his place…_

'_No, if I did that then I'd become no better than the people who oppose my ideals with violence and force.' _Tsukune thought, his gaze returning to Ms. Nekonome. "By all means, sensei, please continue teaching us. I believe that's the reason we're all here." Finally seeming to snap out of her daze, Ms. Nekonome once again reclaimed her happy-go-lucky attitude and began to draw up on the board an outline for the class to follow. Grabbing his notebook from within his briefcase, he set it down on his desk, opening up to his first page, and began copying down what was already written on the board, noting that Komiya was finally sliding into his own seat, looking as if he'd seen a ghost from his past.

As he continued to copy down notes, he noticed the apprehensive expression on Moka's face as she shot a quick glance in his direction before returning to her frantic note-taking. _'Well, I guess I'll have to clear some things up with her when we get to lunchtime…_'Tsukune thought to himself, confident that he could re-instill her trust in him.


	3. Chapter 3

Welcome back readers! Time for chapter three, or whatever. I don't know, I'm just appeasing you and my imagination at this point. Oh, and a little btw, If y'all are wondering what Tsukune looks like right now (due to his being sixteen instead of fifteen) just look in the manga's later chapters. I'm thinking something along the lines of when he and Moka finally finish the Anti-Thesis arc.

Disclaimer. I don't own anything that isn't my own creation.

The bell signaling both the end of fourth period and the beginning of lunch rang aloud, rousing Tsukune from his musings, and snapping him into action. He quickly vacated his seat and headed for the door. On the way, he peripherally watched the rest of his classmates, most stapled with a look of apprehension; stay glued to their seats, most likely waiting for him to vacate the room before making a move of their own. As a last resort, he glanced towards Moka, who quickly turned to look out the window, preoccupied with something else. Letting out a near-audible sigh, he shook his head slightly, a melancholic expression adorning his face as he left the classroom, heading towards the only guaranteed solace and solitude; the roof. As he traipsed his way there, he sent a thought to Luca, _'Did you see the expressions on their faces?'_

_ Yes, and what about it? They have a healthy respect for you, as they should. You're a powerful being who deserves the utmost respect from all creatures sentient or not._

Tsukune's expression worsened and his gaze dropped further downward, now looking not quite as much in front of him as below him. _'But that's the exact opposite reaction that I was hoping to generate on my first day here. Instead of making good relationships to surround myself with, now I'm faced with a wall of fearful faces that would much quicker cower in fear than reach out and get to know me. This is precisely the opposite of what I'm trying to achieve.'_

Luca's head snapped around to face his, lighting up with a quizzical expression. _But why would you desire companionship such as theirs when you're as old as you are? From what you've told me of your life so far, you've already seen these kinds of relationships through to their very end more than a few times, so I'm wondering why on earth you'd want to go through all that again… It just doesn't make sense to me is all…_

Tsukune's expression softened as he turned his head towards Luca, a small smile creeping at the edges of his lips. _'When you've gone through life as long as I have, and have known as many great people as I have, you tend to crave the fleeting interactions of mortal beings. It's both like a comet and a snowflake when put in comparison. Granted, the relationships don't last all that long, but they're vibrant, exciting, and lively. They make me feel more alive than when I interact with those I call my own. They will always be there, no matter what happens._ Tsukune had reached what he believed to be the roof access door. He twisted the handle down and pushed. It didn't budge.

_ Perhaps it's meant to be pulled…_ Luca thought as Tsukune gave her a look personifying the expression of 'you don't say?' very accurately, now pulling the door open on its hinges, crossing the threshold out onto the open rooftop, his gaze searching for a place to populate while he was there. Finding nothing quite suitable, he looked above him at the raised ledge above the doors, and gave a sigh of contentment. _'It may not be what I want, but it will suffice for now.'_ Giving it no further thought, he took a quick step towards the wall, using his momentum to transition his forward momentum into upward momentum, causing him to scale the wall easily enough to kick off the wall and drop down to the ledge, which was now beneath him. Landing softly, he quickly repositioned himself and sat down on the reinforced ledge, dangling his legs over the edge in innocent abandon. "To continue from before, creating and maintaining relationships with mortals such as these are just so much more fulfilling than doing the same with those that live as long as I do. Doing so gets rather dreary very quickly, as nothing really ever happens of consequence between us. In actuality, I'm the only one that gets action on a regular basis, and even that gets tedious after a while. I mean, I can only guide so many people before it becomes mundane to even try to get to know those that pass by." Tsukune looked up towards the sky, which was a different shade of blue than the Earth atmosphere he'd become used to for the past sixteen years, and continued. It's much like the difference between growing a willow and growing a lotus. Although the tree will far outlast the flower, it doesn't require much effort, and will not change much day to day, if not year to year. In fact it takes almost two decades before it's a full-fledged tree. A rose on the other hand, is something that starts out as a small, insignificant seed, and quickly starts to grow. The difference between one day and the next is astounding. One day it might barely have an extended root, and the next it has almost two inches of stem reaching through the soil to begin to reach for the sunlight it desires. And the next day its reach has extended almost twice as much as it had the day before." Tsukune's eyes had subconsciously lit up with an excitement and happiness that Luca hadn't seem very often from the mostly calm and collected young man before her. "It's never boring to watch, and it has a sense of excitement with it, as if you'll miss something important if you look away for too long. And then, when it blooms, it explodes into an array of deep beauty that never quite stops taking your breath away, no matter how many times you go through the process. It is that ultimate blooming effect that is the reason why I continue to strive for making these kinds of relationships with others, especially mortals. They make my life worth living, and give me all the more reason to continue existing as I am. Once I lose them, if I ever do, that will be the time that I finally step down and lay myself to rest," Tsukune finished with an air of finality, a far-off look in his eyes.

Luca continued to look at Tsukune, her eyes showing a contemplating expression as she asked; _You speak of this as if you have had personal experience._ Tsukune gave her an unamused look as he replied, "Who else do you think has been living _my_ life?" She returned his look. _I mean you speak of this as if you've gone through a serious relationship with one of these mortals before. Care to give me the details?_

Tsukune returned his far-seeing gaze to in front of him, saying; "All in due time, Luca. When it becomes relevant, you'll become privy to more of my life; for now be satisfied with the knowledge that that day shall inevitably come to pass, and you'll most definitely be here to witness it." He kept his gaze in front of him as he reached into his pocket to unwrap his pair of pork buns he'd bought from the vending machines during third period break, and began to eat them, occasionally pulling off a sizable piece and handing it to a gracious Luca, who immediately downed the morsel as soon as it was offered.

They stayed in this relative calm state of silence, simply enjoying the tranquil calm of their surrounding for awhile before heading back in to class for the second half of the day. However, about halfway through the break, their silence was cut off as they heard steps approaching them from the stairs underneath. As they both prepared for whoever may be coming, they hurriedly finished up the second pork bun. And then, they waited. It didn't take long for the set of footsteps to crest the top of the stairs and make the identity of their owner known. However, it certainly wasn't who the pair had been expecting once the patron stepped onto the terrace, obviously looking for Tsukune.

**Meanwhile…**

Moka hadn't meant to become so distant with her first school friend so quickly, but she had been unsettled by his display of authority, and the ruthless undertone that his words had carried, nor could she forget his passionate expression as he'd drilled into Komiya. He'd been adamant about quelling Komiya's views on the human race, and seemed to take Komiya's comments on a much more personal level than she thought they should have been. Perhaps he had human acquaintances back home that were worth his time, and Komiya's words had been an indirect insult to their existence? Or was there something deeper that Tsukune wasn't letting on? Shaking her head, she thought to herself; _No, I'm just looking into this too much. I'll just make sure to talk to him after school today and apologize for ostracizing him the way I did._ Thinking back, she remembered seeing the forlorn look he'd been emanating from his entire being when he left for lunch, looking as if _he'd_ been beaten instead of Komiya, who had also left at the onset of lunch break, most likely to go to the nurse's office to see whether or not Tsukune had done anything permanent. That look had caused her to wonder just what was going on inside his head to make his get so down so quickly. Granted, her own actions may have caused part of his grief, but still… he shouldn't have been looking so down if it was just her fault. Filing those thoughts onto a backburner for the time being, she pulled out the box lunch she'd made before arriving, opened it, and began picking at it, apparently oblivious to the stares of her fellow male classmates. However, just as she began to dig in, she saw another classmate, this one female suddenly get out of her seat and leave the classroom, heading in the general direction of wherever Tsukune had gone off to. _Oh I do hope he's okay…_ Moka thought, glancing out the window at the grounds below, her mind meandering as she continued to eat her lunch.

Elsewhere, a blue-haired female student was wandering the halls, searching for something, or rather someone, but having no luck so far. Keeping her head on a swivel, she retraced her steps and completed yet another circuit of the schoolhouse, but still no luck. _I wonder where he could've gone…_ she thought, wondering just where the exceptional male youth had decided to vacate to. She paused, standing at the edge of the staircase, bringing a finger to her pouting lips as she wracked her intelligence to come up with an area that she obviously hadn't explored yet. _Okay, let's think… We've tried the cafeteria, every first, second, and third year classroom I can think of, the courtyard, and even the administrative building. Where is this guy?!_ She thought, looking up into space, beginning to feel hopelessly lost as she began to accept the fact that she had exhausted all of the available options. But as she began to accept the loss, her eyes widened in realization at the fact that she was currently_ staring_ at the one place that she hadn't even bothered to consider before, which now seemed almost ridiculously obvious. Heading off with an extra swing in her gait, she headed towards the stairwell that she knew lead towards the school rooftop, and hopefully out towards the male student that had caught her attention in class earlier in the day.

However, upon reaching the rooftop, her mood sank, realizing that she couldn't see him up here either. She squinted her eyes to try to get a better look at the far reaches of the blacktop, but it seemed that her efforts were in vain as she still couldn't see him, even at the edges of the fencing. Conceding to her seeming defeat, she turned with a disappointed shoulder to return down the stairs and therein the classroom. But before she could even take a single step down the stairs, a voice piped up from overhead, sounding curious.

"Looking for someone?" It asked, seemingly from above. She turned her head directly above her, and saw nothing but the ledge above her and… wait… those were definitely legs overhanging the side of the ledge, swinging freely. She backpedaled a few paces until she could see over the rise of the ledge so that she could match a face to the voice that had addressed her. As soon as she saw who it was, she wasn't disappointed. It was him; the boy from earlier that had all but stomped Komiya in his tracks. The boy who was obviously the most powerful out of the entire freshman here. And who she should definitely add to her collection. _But how to go about it…_ She thought, _I guess I might just have to make it up on the fly…_ She answered quickly. "Yeah. I was looking for you. I don't think I ever got to introduce myself properly during class." She watched as he took a step forward and dropped off the ledge, landing softly in a practiced crouch before promptly rising to his full height. He slowly drew his gaze to hers, taking in her appearance.

_'A rather mature body for one so young.' _As he went through his casual observation of the female in front of him, he stopped for an infinitesimally small fraction of a second on her breasts, noting how abnormally large they were before continuing. _'I may be calling it early, but that poor girl is in for some severe future lower back problems if she doesn't get a reduction, and soon.'_

_ Agreed. Those seem just a bit _too_ large to even be natural._ Luca added.

Soon enough, Tsukune's eyes met those of the girl in front of him, and he noted that they were a rather enticing shade of lavender; a color that he found complimented the maiden's azure hair. Granted, he'd been aware of the female genome for quite some time, and had all but immunized himself from female wiles for quite some time, but he could still appreciate a well-maintained body when he saw one. And, considering what he was looking at, he could tell that this girl was serious about keeping her body healthy and strong, if the toning of her thighs was anything to go by. His thoughts returned to the conversation at hand, dismissing his previous thoughts completely.

"Then by all means please, introduce yourself to me, milady." Tsukune replied with a sidelong glance, awaiting an answer from the girl in front of him.

_Ooooh, you're _really_ laying it on thick._ Luca commented, an unnoticed grin forming on her snout.

_'There was a time that I was known worldwide as the biggest player of them all. In fact, I was the supposed inspiration for Kennedy's little escapade with one Marilyn Manson._' Tsukune replied, chuckling inwardly, noticing that he'd gotten a rise out of Luca as well.

On the other side of the conversation, the girl was more than happy with her choice to meet him; she was ecstatic. _Not only is he powerful, he's quite the gentleman to boot._ She gave Tsukune a quick once-over within her peripherals before continuing her train of thought; _And something tells me that he's probably a damn good looker without that uniform shrouding his body._ Letting the thought escape the forefront of her mind, she answered; "I'm Kurumu Kurono." She flashed him what she hoped to be a bright smile.

Tsukune smiled in return, replying; "And if you hadn't already figured out, I am Tsukune Aono. Though, this makes me wonder; how exactly do you know me?"

This question caused Kurumu to grow just a slight bit irritated. _And here I thought I made a pretty decent introduction. Hmmm, apparently I must not have. How did he _not _notice me..?_ "Well, I sit behind you in class. It was kind of hard not to know you when you introduced yourself so grandly." She said, trying to appraise him, trying to get closer to him.

At her words, Tsukune broke eye contact with her and looked away before speaking. "Grand, huh? Somehow I don't think that's the case."

Now Kurumu was confused. Any other monster would have immediately considered what she'd just said as a compliment; something to stroke their ego with. But, it seemed that her comment had almost the complete opposite reaction in him, making him seem to shrink away from her. And if she was going to see her plan through, she needed to do some damage control to at the very least lift his spirits into a better mood. "Okay, so maybe grand wasn't the right word." She spoke, tying to gauge his reaction.

Tsukune returned his gaze back to her, his expression less dark than before. "No, that's not it. Don't worry, you didn't say anything to upset me; I've just got a lot on my plate right now." As if on cue, the five-minute bell rang, coercing the two youths back to the classroom. Gesturing towards the still-open door, Tsukune spoke up; "Well, I guess we'd better get back to class. God knows what'll happen if we're late…" He rolled his eyes, knowing that no matter the consequence, he'd be more than capable of taking care of himself. Miss Kurono, on the other hand, he wasn't entirely sure about.

Accepting his gesture, Kurumu began walking towards the door. "Yeah, you're probably right. It wouldn't look good to be late on the first day…" As she crossed the threshold of the doorframe she paused, looking back at Tsukune, speaking once more. "Hey Tsukune, you want to continue this conversation after school?"

He considered it for a second, scrunching his eyebrows minutely before answering. "Yeah, sure. I wouldn't mind." He began to move forward, ushering Kurumu further into the school's depths.

The rest of classes that day passed in relative peace, Komiya not making an appearance second half, making the other students that much more precarious about Tsukune than he'd been expecting, which served only to shoot down his mood further. However, there was a saving grace throughout the period. Moka was back to interacting with him at least, and now that he knew who Kurumu was, he was able to send and receive glances from her as well. However, it didn't bode well for his reputation among the other male students in his class, who were all grumbling about his current situation. During break he'd heard them mumbling.

"…Who is that Aono guy to think that he can just snatch up all the hot girls and leave none for the rest of us?"

"…Yeah, who died and made him king?"

"…But he did beat the hell out of Komiya. He might be too powerful to attack."

The list of complaints went on and on, and thanks to his rather adept skill set, he was quite capable of overhearing their hushed conversations even with their voices hushed. It just served to fuel his frustration further as he realized that his idea of integrating monsters wasn't going to go as smoothly as he'd hoped. _'But when has anything ever gone as smoothly as planned before…?'_ He thought to himself, not entirely sure why the fates felt the need to throw monkey wrenches in his plans over and over again. Knowing that the path his thoughts were going, he steered them towards blankness and tried to enjoy the simple peace that the view of the courtyard offered him.

However, it seemed that the fates were giving him the rest of the day off, as throughout the rest of the day, no incident occurred, and soon enough the final bell of the day was dismissing students back to their dorm. Tsukune, remembering his deal with Kurumu, immediately rose up to meet her as soon as the bell rung and spoke to her. "Hey Kurumu, do you think that I could just go and put my stuff back in my dorm room quick before we meet?"

"Yeah, sure. Just make sure to meet me by the pond around 4:30, ok?" She replied with a cheery smile.

"I see nothing wrong with that. 4:30 it is then." He replied, turning to head out of the classroom, but not before stopping next to Moka, speaking in quiet tones with her. Kurumu's eyes narrowed, wondering if there was something going on between the two. _Hmmm. This deserves investigating…_ She thought sneakily, a plan to follow them already forming in her mind.

Nearer to Moka's desk, the two were carrying on a slight conversation.

"Hey Moka, I'm sorry for scaring you like that earlier in the day. I didn't know that my actions would have that profound of an effect on your opinion of me." Tsukune said, looking Moka in the eyes, meaning the words he was saying with an intense sincerity.

Seeing that he meant the words he was saying, Moka relented, realizing that she didn't want to alienate herself from her first friend she'd made on campus. "It's alright Tsukune. I was just surprised, that's all," She replied, getting up and grabbing her briefcase from the side of the desk. Glancing behind her, she saw a female student looking intently in their direction, and she realized that it was the same student that most likely went looking for Tsukune earlier in the day. As soon as they made contact, the other girl smiled politely and waved, getting her things and heading off out of the door. This reminded her of something that she'd wanted to ask Tsukune earlier in the day after lunch.

"Tsukune, I have to ask… Who is that girl that you came back from lunch with?" She gazed up into his eyes with an inquisitive expression.

He took his eyes off of her for a moment to see Kurumu exiting the classroom. Even though she soon left his sight, his eyes remained on where she'd left, replying; "She's someone who wanted to introduce herself to me today, but apparently didn't get the chance due to my incident with Komiya earlier. Her name's Kurono Kurumu. And, as far as I can tell, she seems alright." His eyes returned to Moka, returning her with a calm demeanor. "On another note, we should probably vacate. It seems just about everyone else has done so," Tsukune gestured to the rest of the classroom, where only two students were left packing up their materials, and hurriedly exiting the classroom.

"Yeah, we probably should…" Moka replied with a sheepish grin, standing up and following Tsukune out the door in the general direction of the dorms. However, they weren't alone. Soon, a pair of lavender eyes peered around the corner, watching the two silhouettes grow ever smaller in the distance. After a moment or two, the figure finally crept out from around the corner and began tailing the two at what she believed was an unsuspicious distance, making sure to concentrate whatever skill she had towards eavesdropping on their conversation, and see what information she could gather.

As Kurumu strained her hearing, she began t hear their conversation clearer and clearer…

"So what do you think of this place?" Moka asked Tsukune.

He took his gaze off of her to take a quick look at the buildings around him before answering. "It's interesting at the very least. It's not every day that you pick a fight with the supposed 'tough guy' of the freshman class and come out on top." His gaze narrowed as it returned to what was in front of him. "I don't know Moka. I guess I just haven't really seen enough of it to really give you a proper answer. Take a raincheck on it and ask me again in a few weeks when I've finally got an idea of what this place is really about…"

She looked at him with a flustered expression and asked him; "Are you just saying that so you can avoid my question?" She wasn't just going to let him off the hook so easily. It was about time that she dug into him for a change.

He shrugged a non-committed shoulder, replying; "well, don't ask a question that I can't honestly answer. Like I said, give me a few days to try to figure this pl- rock." He noticed a plight directly in front of Moka, and she was headed on a crash-course with the thing.

"Huh?" Was her only reply, keeping in step with Tsukune the whole while.

"Rock. Watch out, otherwise you'll- well shit." Tsukune replied, watching the event happen almost in slow motion. Moka's shoe caught on the upturned rock halfway through her stride, causing her body to swing over her feet and pitch her forward. Too late to stop her forward momentum, she braced out her arms to catch herself as she fell.

"OOOF!" was the noise made as she got the wind knocked out of her. Meanwhile, Tsukune looked on in disdain, not entirely believing that he'd seen what had just transpired. But, of course, there she was, sprawled out on the ground, spread-eagled as she lay there, trying to gather her wits. However, he couldn't help the fact that he found the whole situation laughable. She'd been so absorbed in his reply that she couldn't make out his plain warning, and now was suffering the consequences. He found that he was once again chuckling at her misfortune, and her…_ 'hmmm. Not that I'll ever admit it, but I didn't peg her as the type of girl to wear panties with bear cubs on them… more ammunition for the sarcasm cannon I suppose…_ He thought as he leaned down to her level. "You know, you might want to get up before you broadcast to the entire academy that you're fond of young bears…"

The blush and accusing glare that lit up Moka's face had Tsukune laughing harder than before as she retorted; "You pervert! You looked at my panties!" She gathered herself up and returned to a standing position before fully glaring at Tsukune, whose simple reply was; "Hey, it's not me being the pervert when it's you broadcasting for the rest of the world to see, now is it? Actually, I think that's called exhibitionism." He leaned back away from Moka, his gaze scrutinizing, before continuing; "You sure have some weird hobbies Moka." And with that said, he only laughed harder.

"But… but I…" Moka looked on at Tsukune in abject defeat. Technically he was correct, and even if he was, it still didn't feel all that great. That's when she felt a small pat and something razzling her hair. Turning, she saw that it was none other than Tsukune, who wore an apologetic smile on his face. "Hey, don't worry about it. I was just giving you a hard time. Again." She gave him an agitated expression, replying; "That seems to be the only thing you do around me. As far as friends go, you're definitely failing at it right now."

"Eh, you'll get used to it soon enough." He replied, removing his hand from her head, setting off once again for the dorms, Moka in tow. "I mean, come on, have any of my comments actually hurt you?"

"Well, no." Moka said sheepishly, her eyes slightly downcast.

"Then don't worry about it. I don't mean any harm by what I say unless there's no room for misinterpretation."

With that grain of knowledge now in her possession, Moka strode back up until she was even with Tsukune, and continued their conversation all the way back to the dorms. At that point, Kurumu had heard and seen enough. There was no doubt about it. In order for her to gain full access to Tsukune, she would need to not so much eradicate as she would have to remove whatever competition for Tsukune that Moka presented. _If I'm going to know who my destined one is supposed to be, perhaps the addition of a strong guy like Tsukune could help draw him out._ She reasoned. _Besides, he seems like a genuinely nice guy. Maybe he'll be able to help me in my search later on._ Realizing that she herself needed to go back to her dorm room and get ready for her meeting with Tsukune, she hastily booked it back to her room as fast as she possibly could, anticipation driving her to get there.

**20 minutes later…** Tsukune was walking towards the direction of where the pond should be, at least if the grounds map was to be considered accurate. He was dressed in a plain red shirt covered by a red and white sports hoodie, and was sporting his favored pair of Levi's which were tailored to give his legs the athletic look he'd always liked, and finishing off the look was his black and white Supra shoes that he simply hadn't ever been able to part with. All in all, he believed he looked presentable.

He raised his gaze to what was ahead of him. He saw what he believed to be the edge of a body of water, and a park bench set close to the water's edge. On said bench he saw a figure seated there, overlooking the water's edge. As he grew closer, he saw that it was Kurumu. But upon further inspection, he realized that she looked different than she had back at class. Her hair was done up in a very elegant high ponytail, accentuated by a corsage with an assortment of blue and white flowers within. She was also wearing a deep purple halter top dress which accentuated her body's curves in a way that downplayed her true size, making her seem both beautiful and not quite so remarkable in the way that her dress was fashioned in a rather modest sense, keeping all but the uppermost part of her cleavage concealed. Looking at the way she was dressed, Tsukune wasn't quite as sure about his being presentable as he'd been moments prior.

He was nearly upon her before she turned her head to address him, standing up as she did so. Rising to her full height, he let out a low wolf whistle of appreciation as he got to see the dress in its full glory. To say that she looked stunning in it was severely downplaying it as Tsukune took a moment to consider what words he would say to Kurumu as he reached her. Fortunately for him, he was saved of making the first point of conversation as she spoke up first. "Why hello Tsukune, you're just on time. How nice of you to be punctual."

Nodding his head towards Kurumu, he replied; "I didn't intend on keeping you waiting for me. Although it seems my efforts to do so were in vain. I apologize for not being here earlier." '_In all my years of existence, there are not all that many who can stack up against her in the beauty department and come put on top. Just wow.' _He thought, looking her over thoroughly while keeping his eyes on her face.

_He really is a gentleman,_ Kurumu thought, overjoyed at the fact that for once she'd finally chosen a harem member worthy of her time. _It almost makes me sad to think that I have to do this to him, but if I'm going to ensure the survival of my species, I have to do what I must. I just hope that after this is all over I can make it up to him. If my brief meetings with him are anything to go by, he definitely deserves preferential treatment._ With that thought firmly in place, she spoke up once more. "Where's Luca? I thought she was your familiar?" She asked, wondering where the rather beautiful dragon had gone off to.

"She's currently enjoying a little peace and quiet back in the room." Was Tsukune's short reply.

"Oh." She said, not entirely sure what to say to that. Deciding that it would be best if she just kept the conversation rolling, she continued; "You're probably wondering why I've asked you out here of all places…"

Tsukune nodded, replying; "Yeah, considering how far out of the way it is, it did cause me to wonder for a moment. So what did you want to talk about?" He asked, an inquisitive look in his eye.

She gestured towards the bench behind her, soundlessly beckoning him to join her in taking a seat. She continued. "Well, I really came here to fulfill a purpose that is a part of my life."

Tsukune immediately recognized her reply as cryptic, and immediately went on the defensive, preparing himself physically and mentally for whatever she might spring on him out of the blue. _Gotta remember that these _are_ monsters within the barrier, and who knows what they deem as acceptable?_ Tsukune thought as he continued to listen to her explain further.

"My species is one that isn't on the immediate brink of extinction, but considering how much trouble we've been having finding suitable mates to reproduce within the recent past, we've been experiencing declining numbers for some time now, and we've come under the fear that we might not be able to dig ourselves out of the hole we've created for ourselves." Her admission immediately sent Tsukune's mind into analytical overdrive, eliminating possible species that she could be from. '_Hmmm… she's not really all that violent or arrogant, and add that to the fact that she's not wearing any youki limiting device, and it seems that she's at least not a vampire by any means. That leaves three blaringly obvious choices, which would be Incubus, succubus, or snow woman. Considering the fact that she's a female as far as I can tell, I'm guessing incubus is out of the question, but I'll have to see.'_

"And in order for our species to find our mate, we need to select them from a pool of potential suitors that we meet along the way. However, in order to make this pool of men, we need to have a way of controlling them, in a way." _'Definitely succubus then…_ Tsukune thought, setting himself on edge, awaiting her next words. "So, I hope this doesn't offend you, but I think that you'd make a great potential suitor, so Tsukune?" She looked intently at him, an expectant expression on her face.

He looked at her, a neutral expression on his in reply. "Yes, Kurumu?"

"_Please be mine._" Kurumu replied, sending out her charm aura, reaching into his mind to override his conscience so that he could become a very important part of her harem. She felt the tendrils of her power start to seep into the inner workings of his mind, and although she couldn't read his mind, she could still see how complex it was. It astounded her, seeing just how capable his mind was, and just how much sheer intellect he was capable of. But she couldn't sit and marvel at the inner workings of his brain as very quickly things went horribly wrong. Instead of her power slowly smothering his conscience, it was slowly starting to back off and return to her. So, in response, she forced more of her energy into the mental assault, attempting once again to drive her will into his mind. However, it proved just as fruitless as before, and her tendrils once again began to slowly return to her against her control. Now starting to pant with the effort required to maintain the connection, she gave one final push, trying with all her power and might to penetrate his mind and make him hers. But, try as she might, it seemed that her tendrils of power were still withdrawing against her will and being coerced back within herself. Once almost all of her power had been returned to her, she finally noticed the hands on her shoulders, and their gentle but firm grip on her. But what really garnered her attention was the look that now overtook Tsukune's semblance. Disappointment. Disappointment and slight hurt. Kurumu was severely confused. There wasn't a being on existence she knew of that could fully resist her charm technique, and while she was no master at it, she more than made up for it in sheer power that she brought with her attacks. However, seemingly with no effort on his part, Tsukune had not only stopped her mental advance, but had reversed it and caused her own efforts to become worthless and futile. She was at a loss for words, while it seemed that he was about to say a fair few. To her chagrin, he was.

"So is this the real reason why you asked me out here, near the outskirts of the grounds, to mentally enslave me to be part of some male support group? Are you really that desperate to find this 'mate' of yours that this is what you have to resort to?" Tsukune asked, a firm tone edging into his voice.

"Look," Kurumu retorted defiantly, anger starting to bubble under her calm countenance, "This is the way that it is for my species, and if I find my mate of fate by these means, then it'll have all been worth it." With that, she stood up and backed away slightly, and Tsukune watched as her body underwent a transformation. He retorted. "So what about all the other guys in your group that don't make the cut? What about them? You just going to control their lives and control their fate just to throw them back out into the world when you no longer need them? Because that's cruel, Kurumu. Real cruel." Tsukune also rose from the bench, still watching as Kurumu finished her transformation. _'Yup, definitely a succubus.'_ Tsukune thought to himself, preparing for what he knew would be coming.

Kurumu suddenly raised her head at him, a feral snarl emanating from her angered lips, apparently livid. "Tsukune, you're not one of us, so how can you judge us for how we do things?" She asked with the same anger-laced tone, taking to the air, and spreading her hand's raptor-like talons before she began her downward descent towards Tsukune, claws extended, arms in an attack position. "We've been doing this as a species for far longer than you've been alive, and it's worked so far." Kurumu exclaimed, earning herself a snide remark from Tsukune under his breath that she didn't notice; "…That's only what you think." As she shot further into the air, she continued; "You deserve to know your place before you dare judge me for being who I am!" She cried, abruptly changing direction and racing down towards him. At the last second, just before being sliced to ribbons, Tsukune, faster than the naked eye could see, moved just far enough to the left that Kurumu's strike completely missed him. He looked up at her retreating figure that was most likely gathering height before resuming the attack and replied.

"And this is who you truly are? A manipulative killer with the intent of destroying everything that might make life just a little bit difficult for you and enslaving everyone else?" He dodged another attack, watching her strike as if it was in slow motion, deftly moving just outside her reach, and watching as the trees surrounding where he'd been standing quite literally _slid _off the now-present stumps and fell over. _'I guess their talons are still as sharp as ever.'_ He faced Kurumu once again, "Don't you think that's taking the easy way out?" Letting out a cry of frustration, Kurumu dived towards him again, where she again missed and retorted to him; "How the hell would you know about taking the easy way out on life? You've only been alive as long as I have. There's no way you know what I'm going through." Tsukune cocked his head towards her, with a cocky and self-assured smirk. "You're right, For all I know, you could be one of nature's grand mysteries, or some bullshit like that," he replied, raising his arms for emphasis as she once again tore down on his position, which he once again evaded with relative ease. "You know Kurumu," Tsukune said, his smirk growing, "you're going to have to start taking me a bit more seriously if you actually want to hit me. Unless this actually is your best, which in that case, you're hopelessly outmatched." _'No use telling her that no matter how powerful she becomes she'll still be outclassed by an insurmountable measure…'_ She let out a cry of frustration in response, once again attempting to strike him just to meet empty air once again.

"Do you not know how to deal with adversity without directly resorting to violence? Do you have no room in your mind for diplomatic solutions, or is this just another 'trait' of your species that you've grown to accept?" Tsukune interjected, his gaze keeping on her as she continued to move about in the sky above him.

_Just who does this guy think he is to keep making false assumptions about me and my kind?_ Kurumu thought to herself angrily, her rage driving her evermore to just hit the man at least once. "Just shut up!" She replied, trying to find a way to stall him as she figured out a way to twist the direction of the conversation in her favor. However, it seemed that Tsukune he had other ideas.

"Is that really all you can retort with?" He asked incredulously, surprised at the immaturity showcased by the succubus above him. "Or is it the fact that I finally said something correct; is that it?"

"No!" She replied, her emotions continuing to run higher and higher.

Tsukune finally stopped moving, and turned to fully face Kurumu as she gained altitude for another attack. "You know what, I think I might just have you figured out."

Kurumu scoffed from on high as she answered; "Oh really? How do you figure?"

Tsukune looked at her with a calm expression, "You know, you really are a piece of work, Kurumu. You say that you're looking for this mate of fate of yours, who's supposed to be this great person that you love with heart and soul, and cherish for the extent of your life. But in order to find him you have to put him through a serious torture test which could take months if not years to finish, in which he could have been making something of himself in the meantime. If I had to describe you as anything, right now I'd say that you are the textbook description of a hypocrite." She took another dive towards him, in which he simply made her miss before continuing to speak. "Kurumu, this has to stop. You're on a self-destructive path that is going to take its toll on you sooner or later and spit you out as a shell of your former self. Look, I know this isn't the real you. The real you is compassionate, and more than capable of caring about others. If earlier today was any indication, you could easily be a great, caring and likable person who doesn't need to charm every guy she sees to find a mate! If you could find it within you to stretch outside your comfort zone and put yourself out there for others, you'd find that there are a lot of people that would be more than happy to befriend you. But no!" Tsukune raised his voice another level in pitch, making sure that she could hear every syllable pouring forth from his lips. "You still insist on working within the made-up confines you've set on yourself that count for what?" He paused slightly, giving her a chance to respond to his inquiry. When none came, he continued; "What do they count for Kurumu?" He said, his own anger and desperation finally starting to show in his voice.

"I don't know! They're what I've been raised to do, and I'm going to do it!" She cried, finally folding her wings and plummeting towards the boy who she'd just met earlier in the day. As she finally came close, she saw that for once, he wasn't moving. Now it was too close. There was no way that he'd be able to dodge at that distance. Swiping out her talons, she reached for his soft skin underneath the clothing he wore. But, before she knew it, her talons were grasping for nothing but air, and found herself on the ground faster than she could recall getting there. As she gathered her wits and tried to make sense of her surroundings, she realized that not only was she stuck on the ground, Tsukune had her pinned down in a hold that wasn't so much painful as it was extremely uncomfortable for her. Realizing that she was now at his mercy, and that he'd be justified in his execution of her, she couldn't help but weep at the unfairness of it all, and how she'd never get the chance to finally find her love and live the rest of her life in the happiness her mother had told her about countless times.

Seeing Kurumu cry, Tsukune was torn as to how he should approach what came next. He knew he didn't want to maim the girl, and he had a feeling that it was more her desperation to fulfill the purpose she'd been brainwashed into believing than actual murderous intent that had caused her to act out as she did. With that in mind, Tsukune began to talk to her.

"Kurumu. You need to let go of this idea of yours that you must enslave others in order to find your mate of fate. All that this will have you end up with is just heartbreak and sad regrets. Trust me on this: if you don't fight for the one you love with all you've got, then you're not worthy of loving them." This caused Kurumu to break out into more sobs as her efforts to struggle against his hold were decreasing in their intensity. "Look, Kurumu, it doesn't have to be this way. You can still be happy even without this mate of fate of yours. The only person that actively controls your happiness is yourself. Never forget that." With that said, he released his hold on her, noting that her wings, tail, and even her talons had receded back into her. As he backed up a bit, he watched as she turned over to face him, tears still streaming down her face.

"But this is all that I know." She looked so downtrodden and defeated that if it wasn't for the fact that this very scenario had been used against him multiple times, he might actually feel pity for the young girl. "I guess that this means that I'm not worthy of someone's love, is that right?" Kurumu asked, her eyes returning to his, searching for some kind of answer to her dilemma.

Tsukune's answer was short, sweet and simple. "No, you're still worthy of someone's love, but unless you change yourself, you'll never experience the kind of love that you really want." He turned to leave. "Oh, and about the other thing; if this is all that you know, then I believe that it would behoove you to learn something new. Who knows, you might come across a new outlook that's more appealing than the one you find yourself in right now. The choice is yours." With that said, he took his leave, giving Kurumu something to think about now that she realized that he wasn't going to kill her. _So I have to change myself in order to finally experience the love that I've been longing for? Am I truly in control of my own happiness?_ Kurumu then did something that she wasn't used to doing very often; she thought long and hard about her choices up until then, sitting there where Tsukune had left her, picking apart what had been said, and what it meant for her and her future. She thought about all that she'd been taught up until this point about what was expected of her as a member of the succubus species, and whether or not any of it actually applied to her, or if she should even bother with it in the first place.

Well after sunset, almost three hours later, Kurumu finally snapped out her self-induced funk and got up off the ground. "Whoa, where'd the sun go?" She asked herself, realizing just how much time had passed in her self-imposed meditation. She shot off and ran across the ground towards the dorms, intent on changing out of her now-ruined dress and getting some good sleep so that she could really think about what Tsukune had told her. However, regardless of her change in demeanor, it seemed that fate wanted to be cruel with her once again today. She sensed more than saw a threatening presence a short distance off to her left, and immediately went into a defensive posture with talons, wings and tail out and at the ready. Something moved to the left, and she immediately sprang into the air, only to be snatched by something that she couldn't see, and thrown violently to the ground. Dazed and slightly disoriented, she was in the middle of picking herself up when she was hit with something heavy as she toppled back to the ground. The heavy object never moved off of her back no matter what she tried. That was when she heard the serpentine voice issue out from the darkness to say; "Well, well Kurumu. It seems like the tables have finally turned, haven't they? Besides, now it's my turn to make you feel how horrible it is to have things torn from you without your consent." The voice went silent, and her mind went into overdrive. She was simultaneously contemplating how to get out from under whatever it was that she was stuck under, and also trying to piece clues together to figure out who her attacker might be. If she were given a few more moments, she might come up with a decent answer.

But that seemed not to be the case as out of nowhere a searing pain came from both the joints of her shoulders and the base of her spinal column, giving off the feeling as if she were being ripped apart. The sheer amount of pain was so tremendous that even as she started to scream, midway through her scream was cut off from her fainting. Then everything turned black…

**Back at the dorms…**

Tsukune had just lay down on his impromptu bed and just gotten comfortable as he lay his back against the wall when he heard the short burst of a scream. Immediately jumping off of the bed, Tsukune ran to his closet and flung open the doors, an array of odd clothing pieces staring him in the face. Disrobing from his rather minimal sleep attire he'd just put on, he started to put on the hanging clothing with a practiced ease and quickness. Whilst in the middle of this, Luca looked on at Tsukune as he fully garbed himself, an inquisitive look tingeing her voice as she spoke to him.

_And just where do you think _you're_ going Sir Thane? _ She asked, pondering why the noise had excited him so severely.

Tsukune didn't even bother to look behind him at Luca before addressing her question; "Someone's out there getting attacked, or in some other sort of trouble, and considering the company I now find myself in-" he fastened the drawstring of the pouch that was then slung over his shoulder, "I don't think anyone else is going to bother to lend a helping hand." Finally done with donning his garb, he looked under the bed for his most trustworthy weapons; dual kodachi made of a magnesium-silver alloy, giving them the properties of being ridiculously strong, ridiculously light, and very powerful force conductors. Slating them into the belt around his hip, he took one last look in the mirror. _You know, if it wasn't for the fact that I pretty much __**invented**__ the uniform, those guys at Assassin's Creed would probably be suing me by now…_ And it was true. His uniform did greatly resemble that of a completed assassin, decked out with mythril protection everywhere from his gauntlet to his chest armor, and everywhere else. His pure white threads were made of high-spun cotton that was made in very few places in the world, and had the relatively trademark red stripe adorning the center and down the back. Fully satisfied with his appearance, Tsukune headed towards the door about to open it when Luca interjected at the last moment; _But Sir, won't you be needing me?_ She asked, a little vexed by his complete disregard to her presence. His reply was quick; "No Luca, I need to be fully capable to handle this threat, whatever it is on my own. Bringing you with in this case would only jeopardize the mission and us as well. All I can say is ready the cauldron for a full-power healing brew; we might have to rescue someone from myself tonight." _Clever as always you are, _was Luca's sweet reply as Tsukune was already pounding carpet underneath his feet, running at speeds that made vampires crawl in comparison. Of course, she was already whisking out said cauldron, and ransacking Tsukune's ingredient chest to make the brew that they'd become affluent with over the past few years.

Down at the entrance to the dorms, Tsukune whisked off into the night in the general direction of where he'd heard the scream from, and activated the IR version of his goggle set to take account of his surroundings. Noting the relatively recent footsteps left on the grass, he backtracked them for as far as they were available, always keeping a keen lock on his senses for anything that might be springing a trap for him. Once they started to peter out into the ambient temperatures around him, he switched over to NVG mode so that he could see his surroundings in more detail. Moving forward at a relatively steady, but cautious pace, Tsukune withdrew his kodachi, keeping himself on high alert, and straining his ears for any sounds out of the ordinary. However, it wasn't for almost two hundred slow, cautious paces before he heard something out of the ordinary. It sounded very reminiscent of labored breathing, and it didn't sound like it was coming from something very large. Rather, it was a bit too high pitched for something like that, but he continued towards the noise, wondering what he might see. As he came past a tree, he finally saw what had been obstructed from his view for so long.

The source of the labored breathing was from a body strung up about three feet off of the ground, held in place by the bonds that had been tied firmly around its wrists. Leaping into the air, Tsukune performed a 360 degree turn, lashing out with his kodachi to cut the rope that had been holding its captive in place. As he landed, he returned the kodachi to their place among his belt, and brought up the victim of whatever assault he'd been too late to prevent. It was then that he caught a glimpse of a ponytail with a corsage in it. The same one he'd seen earlier in the day, which could only mean one thing.

"Kurumu…"


	4. Chapter 4

Welcome back to all my readers. Here's the next installment of Post-Mortem. If you have the time, please read and review, as I do enjoy reading your thoughts and ideas on my little pet project so very much.

Disclaimer; Don't own Rosario Vampire, but I do own my own made up shit. Don't sue me.

He reached down and patted away the mop of hair that covered her face, and looked down upon his would-be attacker from mere hours prior. Granted, while he did wish for her to be knocked down a peg or two and learn some humbleness, he'd never intended for it to get this bad, or wished it upon her for that matter. No, this had been someone else, an isolated circumstance that had nothing to do with him.

He took a quick glance at his surroundings, noticing as much as possible before he deemed that there was no other creature in the near distance to present a threat to Tsukune. With that thought in mind, he adjusted Kurumu until she was laying bridal position in his arms, turned around and immediately began sprinting towards the dorm buildings paying no heed to his surroundings, as he was simply moving too fast to be caught by anything other than himself. However, he did pay heed to the footsteps he'd traced earlier, switching back to IR readings to see where they lead to. But, as fortune would have it, those same steps lead straight to the male dorms of all places, and then got lost upon dorm entry. _'Well, at least this can narrow down my target group.'_ He thought to himself, wondering irately as to who would have the gall to attack a freshman girl on the first day of school.

Sprinting up the stairs, he reached his dorm in record time, easing the door shut as he casually observed the progress that Luca had made upon the healing brew. Noting that it was looking to be in its final stages of production, he looked down at Kurumu laying in his arms without his goggles on, and let out an audible gasp of shock.

She was bleeding, and badly. Looking further, Tuskune noted most of her body was left in relatively okay condition, only suffering minor contusions, cuts, and bruises. But what really concerned him was the very apparent absence of her wings and tail, which just so happened to coincide with where her continual blood loss was currently coming from. He looked at Luca, a very serious expression gracing his features. "How long until the brew is ready?"

_Only about two minutes, then it'll be ready for direct application._

"Good. Can you hand me the cauterizing agent we have in stock?" He asked Luca, waiting for her reply. She immediately delved into the chest, pulling up a vile of off-white liquid that she quickly tossed in his direction, which he subsequently caught. Popping the top off of the vial, he very gently moved Kurumu so that she was lying on her back, and with great care let several drops of the solution fall directly onto the oozing wounds near Kurumu's shoulders, wherein the effect was near-immediate. As soon as the drops landed, they quickly stopped the blood flow out of the wounds, but did not close them. Tsukune then lifted the hem of Kurumu's dress, wondering which part of her body was violated, and subconsciously also wondered which one would be worse. He had to keep in mind that most monsters weren't above adding rape to their repertoire of violent acts. As the hem finally came above her hips he saw that although the blood had stained her legs, panties, and nether region, its source was clearly not from a broken womanhood, but from the removal of her tail. Noting this, he continued to pour the drops onto the base of her spine, causing the blood flow to stop, but again not closing the wound. He then leaned over and tried to feel her pulse from her neck. It was weak at best. She'd suffer anemic conditions for at least a month unless he could get her blood supply back to her within the night. He looked back over at Luca, nodding. Luca, cradling a ladle, a basting brush, and a bowl full of the healing brew, immediately began the short trek over to Tsukune, being overly careful not to spill a drop of the precious solution. Once within his grasp, Tsukune traded her brew for the cauterizing agent and ever so gently dipped the basting brush into the solution, making sure that it was thickly coated before removing it from the bowl, and slowly lowered it to the wounds on her back. Using slow, languid strokes, he brushed the pasty solution directly onto the wound, causing it to cauterize over and seal up after a generous lathering was applied. He did this for all three wounds, and waited for them to cauterize over before removing the excess from her body as it wasn't necessary for healing purposes. Then, ever so gently, he turned her over so that her chest side was up, and knelt behind her so that he could take her head and upper torso onto his raised knees. Once that was accomplished, he carefully opened her mouth and slowly fed her the solution, making sure that she took even, full gulps of the viscous fluid without spilling any, constantly beckoning Luca back and forth between the cauldron and himself, until he had coerced Kurumu into drinking the brew in its entirety.

Once that was complete, he finally set her back down on the floor, taking great care to not move too quickly. He then stripped himself bare of his armored garb, hanging each individual piece in its place within the armoire, and closed the doors. He motioned for Luca to help clean up the remains of the potion-making, and dispose of any unused remains that couldn't be salvaged. After that task was finished, he slowly raised Kurumu up to the bed, paying keen attention to the way he held her and not making any sudden movements. Realizing that she couldn't sleep well in her blood soaked clothing, he braced himself and went directly into his own dresser. First, he reasoned that he himself ought to be covered in her presence, and pulled on a black t-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. He looked back at Kurumu's prone form, wondering just what had happened to her to cause such severe damage to her body. _'I won't say that I'm notorious for being territorial, but I'll be damned if she leaves my sight anytime soon.' _Tsukune thought to himself, realizing that he actually meant it, and wondered why that was. However, he soon relinquished himself from that train of thought as the sight of Kurumu once again reminded him of what his original mission was; getting her dressed out. Tearing his eyes off of her, he resumed his search within his drawers to find something suitable for her to wear until she became capable enough to take care of herself once again. Finally deciding on an oversized sleep shirt and a pair of boxers that were always just a little too large for him, he went to work. Before beginning, he removed the corsage that had accentuated her ponytail, letting her hair float down to cover her choulders. _'Hmmm,_' he noted, _'she looks drastically different with her hair down. Perhaps she should wear it like this more often._' Shaking his head, Tsukune wondered where the random thought had come from for a moment, then dismissed it as a casual observation. He returned to his task. First, he removed the dress, which revealed that under it she wasn't wearing a bra. _'She really should get a reduction, these things __**cannot **__ be healthy for her in the long run…'_ Tsukune thought to himself. He then slipped the sleep shirt around her frame and pulled it down until it was well below her waist. _'Alright, now time for the real fun…'_ Tsukune thought to himself sarcastically, making quick work of removing her panties and donning his boxers on her without looking directly at her nether region. The task now complete, he straightened his frame, taking a deep breath and slowly blowing it out to relax himself. _'No need to get any more stressed about the situation,_' he rationalized, _'the brew is already well into working its magic within her, and soon it'll have helped her heal enough to resume normal activity; just without the flying and the tail…_' Taking his eyes off of Kurumu for a second, he looked down at Luca with an apologetic expression, who shrugged her shoulders in return. _I get it. She's the one that needs the bed, and more important, she needs your protection as well. You're not gonna hear me complain about it._ She replied, an accepting tone in her voice. Tsukune watched her as she slowly meandered her way across the floor, towards what had, up until very recently been her makeshift bed for years past. Still feeling bad for her, Tsukune placed a hand on her shoulder blade, causing her to pause for a second as he moved her makeshift bed, which resembled an overstuffed and oversized pillow, to the sill at the head of the bed, where there was just enough room for her to be situated comfortably. Squatting down momentarily, he extended his arm as he allowed Luca to climb on and wait until he could redirect his arm towards the new location of the bed. _You didn't have to do this, you know…_

'_But I do. It's my own way of saying thank you for your immeasurable help tonight. It was greatly appreciated.' _Tsukune thought in reply, his eyes shifting towards the girl who now lay in his bed.

_Oh go on, she's not gonna bite._ Luca replied, giving Tsukune an exasperated look. _Besides, she needs you, regardless of whether she knows it or not._

Tsukune nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, but the real question is, how much?" He replied as he quickly walked over to his door, double-locked the deadbolt, then shut the shades, thankful for the fact that the school's first day was on a Friday of all days…

He climbed into bed, still giving Kurumu a wide berth, not entirely sure how to broach the idea of 'protecting' Kurumu, and all that it entailed.

Of course, as if on cue, Luca chimed in from her comfortable perch above him, saying; _hey, you don't have to be a prude on my account; by all means get close and personal. Who knows, it could be fun…_

_ 'I swear to god Luca, sometimes…'_ Tsukune thought in reply, finally giving in. He wound his arms around the now noticeably small figure that was Kurumu Kurono, drawing her close to him, and nestling her head into the nook between his head and his shoulder. _'I hope nothing bad happens because of this…'_

_ Even if it were, Sir Thane, it's the weekend. We have the entire spanse of the next two days to figure things out._

"Yeah, you're right." Tsukune replied, drawing his body closer to Kurumu's as she involuntarily pressed herself ever so slightly in towards him, instinctively molding herself to fit in his embrace. As he felt himself drifting off towards sleep, he could hear and feel her heartbeat finally begin to calm down and take on a steady thrumming, making his slumber ever the easier to fall into.

**Saturday, around 9:30 in the morning….**

She slowly began to become aware of her surroundings. First off, she could tell that she was experiencing a slight deliriousness, but it was currently being staved off by whatever it was that was making her extremely comfortable. Deciding not to question the nature of her comfort, she instead focused on gaining a better bearing on her surrounding using her other senses. The first thing she noticed was the gentle sound of trickling water, accompanied by the distant noise of chirping birds. _Nature's doing a great job of waking me up today…_ Kurumu thought, now not entirely sure that she was in her dorm room after all. Testing the rest of her senses, she soon reasoned that she was, in fact not in her room at all. She smelled the slightly spiced scent of a northern spruce tree, along with the damp scent that would normally accompany the shoreline of a meandering stream. But interlaced within those scents was a much more subtle one, one which immediately garnered the greatest amount of her intention. That scent was the unmistakable musk of a clean, well groomed male, and in close proximity to her position, wherever she was. That was when she finally pieced together the comfortable feeling she was having into something tangible. The slight weight resting lightly on her hips and the feel of a hand gently cupping the back of her head lay merit to the delightful sensation. She felt that she was currently being embraced tightly by another being, but not in an uncomfortable fashion. As far as she could tell from what her skin's nervous receptors were telling her, she was bound in the embrace of someone with a rather powerful and toned build. However, it seemed that this other person had molded themselves to allow for her maximum comfort, and for that she was grateful. And that's when she finally opened her eyes. And almost shrieked from sheer surprise. Laying down directly in front of her, fully encompassing her frame was none other than Tsukune himself, eyes still closed, breathing steadily, one of his arms fully encompassing the small of her back, keeping her as close to him as possible, while the other was gently cradling the back of her head into the nook between his head and shoulder. All in all, her positioning was a lot more comfortable than she would have given it credit for outside her current situation. Not entirely sure what to make of this new development, she took a quick look at her surroundings, and her jaw slacked slightly.

She was most definitely not in her dorm, but most likely within Tsukune's realm, and boy did he have it decked out. Adorning the far wall was both the small spruce sapling that she'd smelled earlier, as well as an electric water fountain, spanning the entire length of the wall it was pushed up against, which would explain the trickling sound she'd identified earlier. But her attention didn't remain on the water feature for very long as her gaze was attracted almost against her will to the wall directly opposite her. Adorning it was a vast array of pieces of tactical origin, ranging from what she could obviously tell were swords down to what looked like metal arm protectors and chest armor that had a jade tinge to it that she'd never seen before. And looking further, there were tools that looked like axes, but were too short, and too thin to be called that. Along with the handle that seemed as if it was made out of some cross-layed hardened substance holding the thin but wicked blade on one side, and an equally wicked looking spike adorning the other side. And further down were things that she'd never seen before in her life that looked just as capable of ripping apart foes with ease. Pulling her eyes away from the wall of death instruments, she once again focused her attention on the boy in front of her, who was still holding her rather close given their conflict not too far off in the past. As her eyes settled upon his face once more, she realized that his were now wide open, and devoid of any remnants of sleep, his keen focus attuned to her. She froze up, unsure of what to do. All she could do is watch as his eyes silently roamed over her, a clinical look in his expression, as if he were assessing her for some illness.

He looked at her, slowly, making sure to regard every inch of her skin that wasn't covered by his own clothing. As he took it all in, he had to give her credit for her kind's natural adeptness at being resilient. It seemed that most of the small cuts and bruises had all but healed over completely, and her skin had just about taken the same color and tone he'd seen them as when he'd interacted with her the previous afternoon. Soon, his gaze returned to hers, which held insecurity and apprehension within its depths. _'She's probably confused as hell as to why I have her in my room, in an embrace that is best associated with intimate lovers…'_ he thought, cursing his temporary lack of foresight on the matter, mentally berating himself for being so impulsive the previous night. He saw the beginning of her struggles to get out of his embrace, and he immediately tried to rectify the situation.

"Please don't move, Kurumu." He told her, maintaining direct eye contact with her the entire time. However, he could see the first fingers of fear begin to creep into her as she was no doubt remembering their confrontation yesterday, and apprehensive about his intentions. He chose to continue at this; "I know you're most likely apprehensive at being here, what with all that transpired between us yesterday afternoon, but know this: I mean you no ill will right now, so please stop squirming before you hurt yourself further than you already are." With that said, she ceased her attempts at removing herself from his grasp, but still wore an apprehensive expression that utterly broadcasted her unease at her current position.

Mentally, Kurumu was severely unstable. On the one hand, she was most definitely in a position that she'd originally intended to be in with Tsukune even before she attempted to charm him, and to have it happen so soon was better than her grandest expectations. But at the same time, she couldn't become comfortable with her surroundings due to the confrontation that she had initiated between herself and Tsukune, against his will. _Oh god, what do I do now?_ She thought to herself, wondering how she'd even gotten into this in the first place. She knew that after he'd left her yesterday, she'd sat all by her lonesome and taken time to actually contemplate what the young man had told her, and then well after the sun had gone down, she'd finally pulled herself out of her reverie and headed off back towards the dorms. But after that, she couldn't tell exactly what had happened, or if she'd even made it back to the dorms the previous night. Granted, her being in Tsukune's room laid credit to her actually getting there, but she couldn't for the life of her remember how it'd come to be. And why was he worried that she'd injure herself further? _Did something happen last night that would cause me to be injured?_ She wondered, not sure why there was such a gaping hole in her memory. _Perhaps he can help me figure it out…_

Tsukune watched as she opened her mouth and tentatively began to speak. "Tsukune, not that I mind, but why are you and I together in your room like this?" She asked, a lack of confidence clearly evident in her tone. However, instead of answering her, Tsukune immediately deadpanned, causing Kurumu to wonder why his countenance had changed so suddenly.

"Are you serious right now?" Tsukune asked, disbelieving what was happening right in front of him. _'There's no way she's that forgetful, is she?'_ he thought, bewildered at the apparent lack of memory Kurumu was showcasing. But as the seconds ticked on and Tsukune waited for some sort of joke to make its presence known, all he saw was Kurumu still quite confused, and the beginnings of discomfort as she began to shrink away from him, replying; "Yes," with a tentative voice, continuing; "Am I supposed to already know how and why I'm in your room?" Tsukune, still unsure, replied; "Do you honestly not remember?"

She shook her head. "The last thing I remember is leaving the forest edge after thinking over what you'd said earlier. After that, it's fuzzy… The information's there, I think. It's just, it feels like there's something preventing me from remembering…" she dropped her gaze. _'Wait…'_ Tsukune thought to himself, not entirely sure how she could manage to forget the previous night almost in its entirety. _'Is it possible that the trauma she incurred during her incident caused subsequent memory loss?'_ Tsukune thought to himself, considering how best to approach the subject at hand, given Kurumu's apparent lack of memory. He decided that the best route to take at the moment was the direct one, and see where he should go from there.

"Well, Kurumu," He started, making sure to watch her intently to see just how she'd react, "Let's see if any of what I say jogs anything in that mind of yours. Last night, at some point after our confrontation, you were still out on the grounds, and seemingly were attacked, if the injuries you sustained are any indication of what occurred." He watched as Kurumu absorbed the information he told her, and wasn't surprised when she made a move to relieve herself from his embrace. He quickly relinquished his hold on her, straightening up to a sitting position as he watched her give herself a quick once-over, checking to make sure that she wasn't missing anything important. _'I wonder how she's going to take it when she realizes that she's been parted with the things that truly make her one of her own species.'_ Tsukune thought. Then realizing the implication of his thoughts, he immediately reached forward and gently grasped Kurumu's shoulder just as her gaze began to return to him with a worried expression.

"Kurumu, listen to me. You cannot attempt to revert to your monster form at all." He figured that if she hadn't already, she would soon sense that she was missing something elemental to her, and would grow into an uncontrolled panic and potentially re-open her scarred wounds without realizing it if he didn't calm her down first. "Look, I can't let you hurt yourself so soon after sustaining such a serious injury. If that happens, we can't count on you making a full recovery." He tried to emphasize his words' importance through the sheer intensity of the look he was giving her, but he wasn't sure if it would be enough to still her for the time being.

Kurumu was growing increasingly more on edge, knowing that something was terribly wrong, but not knowing anything more than that. "Tsukune," she asked, apprehension showing through her question; "What's going on? Why don't you want me to change into my monster form? It's not as if you don't already know what it is, and as far as I know, no one else will know if I change within your room, will they?" she asked, not entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer, but her curiosity got the better of her.

Tsukune's expression darkened as he took on a somber mood. _'I can only hope that she doesn't act out when I tell her the news… I am __**not**__ looking forward to using tranquilizer on a friend of mine…_' "Well, Kurumu, the injuries that you incurred last night were rather drastic." He broke eye contact with her, not knowing the best route for explanation. Kurumu picked up on this, and leaned her head over in an attempt to meet his eyes once again.

"How drastic?" She asked, wondering why her injuries had the young man so shaken up. She'd seen him quite literally put her in her place without breaking composure even once, much less bat an eye. If that was any indication of his capacity to deal with adversity, then whatever he was about to say had to be serious. But she had to know what exactly was going on. "Please Tsukune; I need to know what happened to me last night."

He returned his gaze to her, speaking urgently. "I will tell you on a condition, which may be subject to change further down the line. Are you willing to comply?" He asked, dead serious. She nodded, slowly. "I suppose. What's the condition?"

He replied; "You must remain calm, regardless of what I may tell you, and under no circumstance are you to return to your monster form until _**I**_ deem it safe to do so…" He turned slightly away from her before uttering under his breath; "...you wouldn't want to end up being your own undoing…"

She paused for a second, considering what he asked of her. Granted, while it would help her with maintaining within the school's policy of keeping in human form, it also would leave her incredibly vulnerable if she were to get attacked as she had supposedly been the previously night. She wasn't very privy to intentionally leaving herself vulnerable for others to toy with at their leisure.

"Tsukune, you know that if I do that, I'll be leaving myself open for attack once again, and I'll become helpless," she said, wondering why he seemed to want her to sign off her own death ticket. Then he surprised her.

"You just let me worry about your well-being for now. Do we have a deal?" He was still trying to coerce her to concede to him, trying to portray the gravity of the situation with only his words and expression. If she were to attempt to change before her body was ready…_ 'It would become an ugly, bloody, and drawn out suffering episode for her that would last for an hour as she slowly bled out from the tears in her skin…_'

Kurumu, still on edge, was having a severe emotional crisis. On the one hand, he was basically putting her neck out on the chopping block to be devoured, but on the other hand, it seemed that in the same way, he was the one holding the gun to the executioner's forehead preventing that from occurring. In this situation, he was asking to be both her savior and her personal harbinger of death. Although her gut feeling was telling her that it was clearly the latter that was the case, she decided for once to go against said feeling and allow him to say his piece. "Alright Tsukune, you have my word. I will do my best to remain as I am. Now can you please tell me what's going on?" She asked, fervor evident in her posture and the way she spoke.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Tsukune relented. "Well, now that I have your word, I can tell you. However, remember that you must not panic or lose sight of yourself. Am I perfectly clear?" He asked, his tone brooking no argument. "Yes, Tsukune." Kurumu replied demurely.

He rose up and got off the bed, walking over to his wall adorned with weapons before continuing. "To be completely honest Kurumu, I myself am not entirely sure what exactly happened to you last night. All that I can really contribute is the aftermath I found once I heard your scream." He paused slightly, his head lilting to one side as he slowly ran his index finger along the edge of one of the swords. "As soon as I heard the scream, I jumped from the bed you're currently on, and dressed out in preparation for whatever opposition I might come across."

"You mean you brought all these weapons with you?" Kurumu asked, amazed that he would go so far to defend a fellow student, who for all she knew he didn't know when he set out. "What if instead of me the victim had been someone else?" She asked, wondering what his response might be. She didn't have to wait long.

"That little detail wouldn't have changed a damn thing..." _Well there goes my 'knight in shining armor' image of him…_ Kurumu thought, miffed that he hadn't done it just because it was her. _However, _she contemplated, _there was no real way that he would have known it was me until he saw me…_ "The difference between one person and the next loses its importance when someone requires dire assistance; much like the assistance you required last night." _Well, when he puts it that way…_ "Under those sets of circumstances, it doesn't matter who they are, I will make sure I am at the top of my game so that I can do my best to help that person, no matter who it might be. But we're getting away from the real point of discussion." He replied, moving towards the window, opening the shades and casting his gaze on the outer grounds visible outside his window. "After I dressed out, I notified Luca to prepare a healing agent in my absence so that I could immediately swing into damage control as soon as I returned. Once I was assured that she would do so, I departed the room in the direction I heard the scream from. A few minutes later, after searching the grounds, I came upon your form, which had been strung up among the trees, your hands tied together, holding you above the ground. Not knowing who you were at that point, I jumped so that I could gain better access to the rope and cut you down. Once both your form and mine had returned to the ground, I turned you over so that I could figure out who you were. That's when I saw that it was you." He broke off; his eyes closing for a long moment, making Kurumu wonder just what he had _seen_. "To say that you were a mess wouldn't be doing it justice. You were bruised everywhere and there were cuts all over the parts of your body that I could see at the time. It was an ugly image. And on top of that, you were bleeding profusely from somewhere that at the time I couldn't locate. Knowing that I didn't have much time before you would bleed yourself dry, I rushed back to the room as quickly as possible. Once I got you in here, I set you down and helped Luca finish up the healing agent that she'd prepared in my absence." He turned once again to look at her before continuing. "Then I took a good look at you." Immediately after uttering those words, he noticed that Kurumu began sporting both a slight blush and a steadily growing indignant expression. "Before you ask, no. I don't enjoy partaking in perverted bullshit unlike many of my brethren who dwell within these halls." Kurumu was quick to retort.

"Oh really? Is that so? Then would you mind explaining why you had me trapped in a bear hug in _your_ room with the door locked shut?" she asked, pestering him, wondering how that _wasn't_ perverse at all. _Oooohh_, _She's got you there…_ Luca piped in, awoken from the bickering between her master and the hot start who'd taken her bed spot the previous night. _'I wouldn't worry Luca,_' Tsukune thought back, _'I can easily dance logic circles around her words and argument. All it will take is a little time, that's all…_' Tsukune replied. Luca shot a skeptical look his way before saying; _Oh really? Should I get some popcorn ready in the meantime?_ The look that Tsukune briefly shot her way was more than enough to confirm her thoughts and quiet her for the moment, content with simply watching the proceeding in front of her. Tsukune's next reply then quickly shut down Kurumu's retort entirely with just a few words. "Well, I couldn't have you just sit in your room ill-protected just asking for seconds, now could I? Besides, it'd be troublesome for me to sit there and stand watch over you all night long, not to mention uncomfortable as all hell. Personally, I like to sleep in a place that is meant for that kind of activity, not a cold, unsupportive floor." He replied, garnishing a self-satisfied expression.

But Kurumu wasn't done just yet. "That still doesn't explain why you had to cuddle with me the entire night, let alone hold me so very close to yourself…" She shot back.

"That can be explained by delving further into my explanation of last night's preceedings. Now would you please hold off the game of twenty questions until I've finished?" He asked, slightly peeved.

In reply, Kurumu crossed her arms upon her chest, puffed for a moment, and then very reluctantly replied; "Fine. But it better be damn good."

"Oh trust me, it will be." Tsukune said as he walked over to his desk. Taking a seat in the chair that was previously tucked underneath, he turned once again to face Kurumu, legs crossed and his arms interlaced within his lap. He continued; "As I was saying earlier, I confirmed with Luca the status of the healing agent I'd left her with upon setting out, and immediately began work upon locating the source of your bleeding. Suffice to say that it took me a rather long moment to actually find the source, or should I say _sources_, considering how much was already smeared along your entire frame. But, soon enough, after a slight bit of cleaning you up I found them." He paused, already knowing that Kurumu was likely to interrupt at this point, and what she was going to ask.

"…So where was it?" She asked, minor trepidation lacing her vocal chords as she spoke.

"Although that is an interruption, I suppose it is only natural that you'd want to know, so you are forgiven for the time being. The origins that I found were located on your back, near the junction of your shoulders, and at the small of your back." He watched Kurumu as he saw the predictable change in appearance present itself, already knowing her line of thought as she was thinking it. He continued; "It seems that the root source of your bleeding was due to the rather vicious removal of both your wings and your tail whilst still in your monster form. Once I knew where it was coming from I- Kurumu? Kurumu, are you still listening to me? KURUMU!" Tsukune yelled slightly, noticing the now vacant look that had her eyes glassed over, the shock of his revelation something that she apparently couldn't quite handle at the moment. Tsukune rose abruptly from his chair and rushed towards Kurumu, whose face, while still glassed, was now showcasing heavy amounts of unshed tears pooling in her eyes.

He gently took hold of her shoulders and made sure to get up near her face so that he could snap her out of her self-induced funk. "KURUMU! You have to snap out of this! There's nothing you can do about what's already transpired, so it's pointless to grieve whatever loss you've gone through. All that's going to do is make your life miserable if you make that your life's focal point." At least now Kurumu's eyes had gotten their life back in them, but her expression still remained defeated, with the tears threatening to spill over onto her cheeks. "But, but Tsukune," She replied, her voice choking on her involuntarily, "My wings and tail… they're what makes me a succubus. Without them…" she dropped her gaze, letting her hair cast over her eyes. "…Without them, I'm no better than human trash, and just as weak as they are." Her shoulders drooped, her whole body broadcasting abject defeat and sadness. "Now I can't complete the mission I came here to do…" Tsukune heard her start to sniffle and watched from beneath her bangs as the tears started to trail their way down her cheeks in large quantities. Tsukune bent down so he could look up and see Kurumu's face. She was most certainly already crying; if the constant stream of tears was any indication. At this point, all that was required was for her to voice her despair as well. Knowing the feelings she was putting herself through right now, Tsukune decided that for once, tact might be the better part of valor as he continued to look on at Kurumu. He then began to speak, slowly.

"Kurumu, do you want to cry right now?" He said in a gentle voice that would normally betray his rather ruthless and dry disposition that he portrayed so often. But none of that mattered right now, as someone who'd somehow become important to him was hurting hard. _'My whole mission here was not only to assist in the final step towards integration, but to also make at least a few good, worthy friends to call my companions and share this portion of my life with. If I can't comfort a friend when their time of need comes, then what the hell am I doing?'_ Tsukune thought to himself, already knowing what he needed to do. He continued to look at Kurumu, waiting for her eventual reply. But, before she could, he decided to coerce her slightly to get the ball rolling. "Kurumu, it's alright if you want to cry. It's not a sign of weakness and can be therapeutic. Besides, if that's what you want to do, I'll make sure to be here as long as you need to come to terms with this. So how about it Kurumu? Is that what you want right now?" He asked, staring intently into Kurumu's tear-laden gaze, waiting for the reply that came almost instantly. Instead of a verbal reply, it seemed all she could do was nod, her jaw twitching slightly from her efforts to keep her emotions inside. "Alright then…" Tsukune said, twisting himself so that he was sitting at the head of the bed, his back against the headboard, lifting his arms in an inviting gesture, beckoning her to find whatever comfort she so very needed at the moment within his embrace, just as she had not less than twenty minutes prior.

Kurumu looked at him for a second, still slightly apprehensive, the memory of the previous night still clear in her mind. Tsukune noticed this and immediately said, "Kurumu, disregard whatever happened last night. Right now, you and I are just two people who need to be comforted, and I'm sure as hell not going anywhere." He didn't have to wait long.

Seeming to finally get through to Kurumu, she quickly sprung into his embrace, holding onto him for all she was worth, using him as an anchor while she finally let loose her frustration, despair, and sadness all in one choked wail that she screamed into his chest.

_'I forgot how nice this feels…'_ Tsukune thought to himself as he felt his arms naturally close around Kurumu as they had the previous evening, once again giving solace to the troubled youth who was pouring out her soul into him at the moment, and crying at her loss. He moved his hand so that he was once again cupping the back of her head, slowly massaging the back in a gesture of giving comfort to her, saying; "That's right, Kurumu. Just let it out. Let it all out. There's no one here to judge you, or make you feel like you're less than what you are." He continued to rub the back of her head as she cried, trying to make her feel better in the way he knew best.

Kurumu cried harder than she could remember doing so for a very long time. But, her crying wasn't entirely based upon the loss of her appendages. No, a part of it was the fact that she was mad at herself for not noticing this side of Tsukune, and being too full of herself to even try to befriend him normally. No, now she'd had to pay the price of her loss in order to see him like this, and she now knew that it wasn't worth the cost. How had she been so blind to this? This is exactly what she'd been looking for in a potential mate; someone who stood by their convictions, someone who wasn't afraid to stick up for what they believed in, someone who was capable of seeing past her façade and see her for what she truly was, and accept her. Someone she could look up to so she could make herself a better person, and make her want to be better all on her own. The fact that Tsukune was much more powerful than her was at this point just a technicality, something that she'd have to look into further once she was able to fully understand just what Tsukune was. But until then, she resigned herself to crying in his arms.

Tsukune on the other hand was being rather quiet, both vocally and mentally. For the past few minutes, he'd been sitting rather comfortably, comforting Kurumu's trembling form, keeping his attention mostly on her, and the other portion trained hard on the door, making sure that no one was loitering just outside the door, waiting to jump in and attack them in their vulnerable position. Fortunately, it seemed that no one had any clue that anything out of the ordinary was occurring in his room, partially thanks in part to the silencing spell he'd placed on his room, allowing sound to only flow in through the walls, but not out.

After a few minutes, Kurumu's crying began to taper off as her cries dropped in intensity to sniffles and the occasional hiccup, but still holding onto him rather tightly. He dropped his gaze to look at Kurumu. She wasn't shedding any more tears, but her face was still pink and puffy. She had turned her eyes off to the side, staring at the fountain continuously, but not really looking at it. _'Hmmmm… wait. She didn't let me finish. She might be in for a slight surprise…'_ "Kurumu, I don't think you let me finish…" She turned her head towards him, exasperated.

"Wait, there's more?" She replied, not sure just how much worse her day was going to get with the bomb he'd already dropped on her today.

"Yes, of course there is. I still haven't explained how you ended up in my boxers, after all…" He said, a small smirk creeping its way up one side of his lips.

"Uhhh…" Was Kurumu's response as she turned her head south, looking at her legs for a moment, noticing that she was, in fact, wearing boxers. "Huh. How about that?" She said, returning to Tsukune, an eyebrow raised in question. He still wore the half-smirk in response.

"Shall we continue then? The story does get more interesting." Tsukune replied.

"Does it have me feeling worse than I already am?" Kurumu replied, apprehensive of what she may hear.

Tsukune shook his head. "No, I'm afraid that the worst I could tell you has already been said. All I have left is the events leading up to this morning." Kurumu eyes narrowed slightly, evaluating what he'd just told her. _Well, _ she reasoned, _since I've already heard what he believes is the worst, there couldn't be any harm in hearing the rest, could there?_ "Alright. I guess I'm all ears then." Kurumu replied, an expectant expression on her face.

Tsukune's smile turned from a smirk into a genuine one as he realized his trick had just worked. She'd completely stopped crying, and was now looking at him expectantly much like a child would when waiting for their bedtime story. "Well, after I'd figured out where your blood was coming from, I knew that I had to get the bleeding stopped pronto. I had Luca go into my equipment and pull out a cauterizing agent to seal off the bleeding so that I wouldn't have to worry about you bleeding out on me before I could help you heal. Once I had it, I applied it to where it was necessary and stopped the bleeding in time to make sure that you had enough blood in your system to keep you alive. This is where the healing agent came into effect. See, it works multiple ways. It can be used to quickly heal over scarring by direct application, or fix internal injuries by consumption. I had to use both methods on you, seeing as how I had to not only seal up your wounds, but give your body extra help in regenerating the massive amounts of blood you lost." He was about to continue until Kurumu interrupted.

"Tsukune, just how much did I lose?" Kurumu asked, being gifted with the one grain of knowledge about blood loss and its effects on someone. She knew that massive amounts lost would equate to her being so lethargic that she'd barely be able to move under her own power. _But if that's the case, then why do I feel fine? _Kurumu wondered, not sure how she was able to move as she currently was.

Tsukune grew into a distant expression, replying; "Although I'm not entirely sure, if I had to guess, I'd say you lost between fifty and seventy percent. Suffice to say it was enough that your life was in impending danger of being lost within minutes if I hadn't done what I did. Anyways, after applying the agent to your wounds, I made sure that you ingested the entirety of the rest that was left over, which was quite a large sum. More than likely it did its job and replenished most of your blood supply overnight. However, since it had to replace so much, that doesn't leave a great amount to help heal the wounds from your lost appendages. However…" Tsukune said, beginning to lift the back of Kurumu's shirt, about to look down it. Kurumu froze.

"Tsukune, what are you doing? I thought you weren't a pervert." She said accusatorily.

Tsukune chuckled slightly upon hearing this, shaking his head in disagreement. "Kurumu, you should know by now that, just as you said, I'm not perverse. I'm simply checking to see how far the agent has taken effect on your wounds, nothing more."

Kurumu looked away, slightly downcast. "Oh. Okay. Then by all means, continue." She replied.

Tsukune's arm, which had ceased its movement just outside the collar, now continued its trek down into the depths of the cloth, feeling its way towards the area he remembered that was the location of her scarring. As he felt further towards their location, he began to notice the breathless expression that was stealing its way upon Kurumu, her eyes becoming heavy without her apparent notice.

_Oh, _Kurumu thought to herself, _this feels heavenly._ She was already sinking into his touch to the point that she wasn't aware of her very genuine reaction to his touch, nor the way she was clearly showing it on the surface. Tsukune chuckled inwardly, finding the whole situation rather funny, considering the day prior. _'Just goes to show you can never really call anything just because it seems to be over.'_

_You seem to be enjoying this a bit much, don't you think?_ Luca asked him, still watching over the interaction between the two, glad that her master was successfully forging his first deep relationship already. In her mind, that other girl, Moka was just an acquaintance that chance had thrown in as the first encounter, whereas this was the first real meeting that Tsukune had come upon by his own power.

'_Am I not allowed to enjoy time with companions that I've made?' _Tsukune replied, still laughing inwardly.

_I suppose. _Luca relented. _But I'm just saying, from an outsider, it sure looks different than what you say._

'_Oh, and what does it look like to an outsider, if I may?' _Tsukune thought in reply, finally finding the spot on Kurumu's back and feeling it meticulously, making sure that it was at least in good repair. Of course, his actions were very capable of being misinterpreted for a gentle caress, of which Kurumu was currently basking in, enjoying the feeling very thoroughly.

_How should I put this… _Luca replied, still looking on as Tsukune's hand continued its roaming under the fabric, _you appear as a young man, who is currently in the company of a fertile, attractive young female who's just poured her heart out to you, not to mention she has her rather ample chest very obviously pressed up against you, while you're comfortable caressing her in return. If I had to call it, you two look like a pair of well-versed lovers who're basking in the afterglow of a lovemaking session._

'_I'll have to keep that in mind. That image does have quite the appeal to it, I can't deny that.'_ Tsukune replied, returning his attention to Kurumu. Finding the tissue under his digits satisfactory, he withdrew his hand, much to the disappointment of Kurumu, who up until then had been enjoying the feeling of his touch rather immensely.

"It seems that the agent is doing its job rather nicely. Don't worry too much Kurumu, you'll have your wings back soon enough." Tsukune said, smiling upon her.

Kurumu did a quick double take. _Did I just hear him right?_ She thought, not entirely sure she was hearing him correctly. "What, Tsukune? What are you talking about?" She asked, a perplexed look in her eyes.

"Well, the healing agent wouldn't really be doing its job if it only healed a portion of you, now would it?" He replied, happy that Kurumu was catching on.

"What are you saying?" Asked Kurumu, hope starting to come to the surface, but she beat it down just in case he said something that wasn't what she was hoping it'd be.

"I'm saying that even as we speak, your wings and tail are being regenerated, just like your blood, all thanks to the agent I used to heal you. Sure, it's going to take some time for it to come to full effect, but they'll be around soon enough. But until then, you have to make sure to stay close to me, otherwise I can't ensure your safety whilst you recover," Tsukune finished, looking directly at her.

That was it. Kurumu's decision, whatever it may have been, had now been made for her. There was no more reason for her to be shy around Tsukune anymore, what with his help and support, regardless of their little scuffle. He was now going to become the center of her time here while a student at the academy as long as she had anything to do about it. With that thought in mind, she jumped at Tsukune, grappling him into a bear hug, squealing with excitement that not all was lost as it had seemed. "Tsukune, why didn't you tell me this before? I could've saved myself from crying my eyes out for a whole ten minutes otherwise."

Tsukune chuckled as he received Kurumu's brutal embrace, happy that her mood had been lifted. "Well, if I had told you that from the beginning, we wouldn't be such good friends, now would we?"

Kurumu shrugged, replying; "I suppose so." She now noticed the toll that her violent mood swings had taken upon her, and her eyes starte4d to flutter closed all on their own. "Tsukune?"

"Yes?" Tsukune replied, noting her rather tired expression. "What is it?"

"I'm kinda tired. I'm gonna go to sleep now." Kurumu's eyes shut for a few long moments before barely reopening.

"Well then fuck it. I'mma go back to sleep too. Today was already stressful enough as it is."

_You brought that upon yourself, you know._ Luca chimed in, causing Tsukune's smile to grow slightly wider. "Yeah, sure. Whatever. Good night, or morning, or… you know what, I don't fucking the care." With that, Tsukune slumped back down to a prone position, his head once again on his pillow, now covered not so much by the bed sheets as he was with Kurumu, but he thought nothing of it. All he knew was that he was comfortable and he'd done his good deed for the day.

He soon heard Kurumu mumble; "You're comfortable Tsukune." It seemed that she'd finally run herself into the ground and was fast approaching slumber. _'I guess I should pick up the pace and beat her there.'_ Tsukune thought, letting the tendrils of sleep finally overcome him as he drifted off to nothingness.

Luca looked on at the two, deciding that for now they had the right idea, and resumed her curled up position on the bed, reflecting on what she'd just seen as she too wandered off into the realm of dreams. _You know Sir Thane, for all your age, experience and wisdom, you sure act just like a teen at times, you immature little prick._

'_I heard that.'_

Luca slammed her head in Tsukune's direction, panic arising in her system as she saw Tsukune's smile grow into a smirk even as he drifted off.

_Well, fuck._


End file.
