Rosario Vampire Fan Fiction ❯ He Who Fights Monsters ❯ Trial By Fire ( Chapter 2 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: hawker_748 
Anime/Manga: Rosario Vampire Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Hentai | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.20.2013 | Pages: 4 | Words: 8.3K | Visits: 597 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Rosario Vampire Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Hentai | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.20.2013 | Pages: 4 | Words: 8.3K | Visits: 597 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: See Chapter One
Rosario + Vampire:
He Who Fights Monsters…
Chapter Two: Trial by Fire
Written by: Hawker_748
Tsukune made his way over to the equipment shed behind the school, adjusting his stride a little when his gym shorts rode up on him and wishing he was confident enough to simply adjust them. He recognized Ichiro, but there were several other young men and women that he didn't remember seeing in his classes. The gathering looked friendly enough, and Tsukune returned Ichiro's wave, but he kept his guard up; the smaller gym uniform and lack of a bag made it impossible to bring along any of his makeshift weapons, something he hadn't considered. He decided to rig up a scabbard for his dinner knife, but he hadn't had time to get one ready, and rather than skip the run and draw attention, Tsukune reluctantly attended unarmed, sincerely hoping it didn't cost him his life.
"Welcome to the first meeting if the cross country club," Ichiro told everyone after a few more stragglers arrived. "It'll be a short run today, just five miles." Someone gave an exaggerated groan, making everyone chuckle. "The course is through the forest, marked out, and ends over there." He gestured to a sign marked 'Finish'. "This is just for fun, so don't kill yourself trying to win."
"Do we get anything if we win?" a girl next to Tsukune asked.
"Satisfaction," Ichiro deadpanned. "Take ten minutes to stretch and loosen up, then we run."
Tsukune located an empty spot and began to stretch, giving his fellow club members an once-over. They all looked normal enough, but that didn't mean a thing based on what he'd seen so far. Placing his right foot's toes to the ground, he rotated it to loosen up his ankle, giving the woods a careful look as he repeated the action with his left ankle. The trees were bare, and a forbidding, dangerous air hung over them; if someone had been commissioned to design them with the intention of making them appear threatening, they couldn't have done much better. The fact that it was still light out, and there were no howls or snarls emanating from the woods were the only consolation.
Quitting right now and seeing if the light music club needed a tambourine player was starting to sound like a good idea, but Tsukune knew he needed to get himself into shape if he had any hope of surviving. As long as he spent as little time in the woods as possible and kept moving (stationary targets were always easier to pick off) he should be okay If it turned out there was something threatening prowling in the forest. Tsukune decided to stay close to a group, and hope that he was faster than at least one of its members.
He didn't need to be able to outrun all monsters; he just needed to be able to outrun ONE of them.
Stretching his legs, definitely not wanting to pull up lame in the middle of the course, Tsukune tried to narrow his focus to the other club members, seeing if any of them were displaying any signs of hostility. They all looked like the care-free high school students they were pretending to be, but that might not mean a thing. As far as he knew, they might have worn the same expressions while ripping out his intestines with their teeth as they would asking about the time. When Ichiro gestured for everyone to get ready, the warm up seeming to pass in the blink of an eye, Tsukune got back to his feet, noticing that his heart was already racing, 'Least I won't have to worry about getting my pulse up,' he mused with a ghost of a smile.
"Ready?" Ichiro called out, getting into position. "Get set… Go!"
The start reminded Tsukune of a marathon, a slow collective jog, with no one sprinting off into the lead. That made sense to him, sprinting now would only make someone tired, and there were still five miles to go. Keeping his stride loose and easy, he let himself get carried away by the pack, not taking the lead, but not bringing up the rear either. As they cleared the first hundred yards and reached the edge of the tree line, Tsukune experienced a swell of second thoughts, but he suppressed them with effort, continuing along the path, yellow flagged stakes acting as course markers.
The run continued steadily, the sounds of footfalls and breathing almost being lost in the stillness of the forest. The runners began to spread out, Ichiro taking the lead, with some of the smaller students beginning to fall behind. Tsukune fell into pace alongside a guy with shaggy brown hair, who seemed to be as unused to running as he was, reasoning that he needed to put someone between him and some feral beast, and this guy seemed like a good candidate. If he heard any commotion behind him, Tsukune was going to just sprint ahead, not even bothering to look back, and hope that whatever the threat was, it wasn't interested in a second course.
Trying to keep from noticing the slight ache that was forming in his legs, and the way his throat was starting to hurt, Tsukune took a few moments to observe his surroundings. It was darker than he'd expected it would be, not like after sunset, but it was as if dusk had come early. The sounds of footsteps appeared to be absorbed by the dead trees, like they had once absorbed sunlight, casting an eerie silence over the forest like a blanket. They fed the silence much like sunlight would have once fed the leaves. There were headstones scattered here and there, with a few skulls for good measure, and Tsukune wondered if he was running over the bodies of previous humans who'd come to Youkai Academy.
Tsukune had already run further than he ever had in his life previously, and there was still no sign of the finish line. He was pretty sure he hadn't even passed the halfway point, and under other circumstances, or even at any other school, he would have simply slowed to a walk, trying to get his second wind. But Tsukune kept up the pace, pushing himself through the pain in his legs and his ribs, forcing his body far past its former limits. He was terrified that faltering this early, or even letting up a little, would be seen as a sign of weakness, and be like throwing a steak into a pool of hungry piranha. It was one thing for a borderline sadist gym teacher to yell at you if you slowed down; the prospect of being eaten alive was a much better motivator to force yourself forward. He wasn't even sure if it would be dangerous to ease off, but he had no intention of finding out the truth the hard way.
Tsukune's form was starting to falter, his strides becoming less sure, as his body threw away any notion of form for the sake of endurance. He was starting to rasp, his throat raw as he gasped for breath, his muscles demanding more oxygen than his lungs could deliver. Glancing up, he was surprised to realize that he could still see Ichiro ahead of him on the path. Tsukune wasn't sure if he own pace had picked up, or if the club president's had fallen off. A look to the left revealed that the club member he'd selected as a decoy seemed more exhausted than Tsukune felt, and was slowly fading back. He tried to tell himself to ease off, keep close to his 'human' shield, but Tsukune couldn't bring himself to slow down, even if it left him more exposed.
Waves of pain hammered their way up Tsukune's legs as his feet pounded along the path, his heartbeat audible in his ears, beads of sweat rolling down his face. He was panting heavily, his chest starting to burn from his exertions, but Tsukune clenched his fists in determination, vowing he'd drop dead from exhaustion before he'd let himself show any weakness. A not too distant howl from behind him just hardened his resolve even more and he dug deeper, finding reserves he didn't know he had. Tsukune pushed himself harder than he ever had before, refusing to accept his old limits, believing that his life depended on it.
Slowly, gradually, Tsukune crept up alongside Ichiro, wondering if he was simply conserving himself before making a final sprint at the finish. When they were side by side, Ichiro looked over at the new member, giving him a respectful nod. "Nice work…"
Managing a nod, not able to spare the oxygen to reply, Tsukune struggled to keep going, feeling an almost orgasmic relief when he saw the finish line ahead of him. It couldn't have been more than forty minutes, but he felt like he'd been running for a week. 'Just a little more…' he told himself. He almost didn't hear the approaching footsteps behind him, mistaking them for his heartbeat, but something about the rhythm made him glance over his shoulder. Tsukune hadn't been able to spare a breath to reply to Ichiro, and he certainly didn't have enough to scream. He wasn't exactly sure what was charging towards him, he hadn't bothered giving them a long look, but he'd seen fur, scales, claws, and teeth, especially teeth. They were all long, pointy, sharp, covered in saliva, and getting closer. Tsukune had thought he'd given everything that he could, but he found reserves he'd never tapped before, breaking into a dead run, moving like it was a hundred yard dash.
Tsukune's stomach lurched, and he felt everything he'd eaten come surging up his throat, the bile rising fast. Without slowing down even a hint, he turned his head to the side and vomited, the rancid fluid spewing through the air. Some of it splashing on his clothes, the dry heaving after his stomach was empty sending new agony through his body. Spitting to clear his mouth and airway, not wasting the time to wipe his face, Tsukune kept running, the sounds of rapid footfalls and wet snarls pushing him onwards.
Racing out of the forest, the welcome openness of the clearing no longer a sanctuary, Tsukune could see what looked like a werewolf over to his left, a pair of lizard men on his right, all of them getting closer. He was less than fifty feet from the finish line, but Tsukune frantically kept going, knowing he was doomed, his body mere seconds from shutting down, but he kept struggling to survive, not willing to lose even a seconds worth of life. With one last spurt he accelerated through the tape and stumbled, too exhausted to catch himself, crashing forward in an uncontrolled tumble, his taped ribs screaming in protest, ending up on his back, staring up at the overcast sky in a haze of pain.
As he gasped, desperately trying to catch his breath, struggling to keep conscious, his heart thundering in his ears, Tsukune saw a ring of monsters form above him, staring down as he suffered. He decided not to beg for his life, deciding to show some bravery in the face of death, demonstrate that humans weren't complete cowards. He looked up at his executioners, wondering who would be first, and silently sending off both apologies and curses to his parents for sending him to this fate. Tsukune hoped with all his heart that they would at least be decent enough to grant him a quick death.
Then something unexpected happened. The monster he'd guessed to be a werewolf gave a rather canine grin and spoke in Ichiro's voice "Nice going Tsukune!"
It took the exhausted human a few seconds to spare enough air to reply. "P-pardon?" he croaked out.
"You stayed in human form," Ichiro explained, his form shifting back into the timid looking upperclassman Tsukune had first met. "You're the first club member to do the initiation run and not cheat." He extended his hand and waited expectantly for the exhausted human to take hold of it.
Tsukune's breathing was still frantic, his throat raw, his muscles screaming in agony as he accepted the outstretched hand, nearly crying out when Ichiro almost dislocated his shoulder helping him to his feet. As his head spun from the surprising turn of events and oxygen deprivation, Tsukune found himself wondering how the werewolf's clothes had reappeared without damage. Giving everyone else a quick once over as he bent at the waist, the pain only just starting to fade, he noticed that everyone else had returned to human form, their clothes unripped, despite the fact they'd all been much larger, and in one case, not even bipedal "We-we're supposed to stay in human form," he forced out.
"Yeah, but not everyone does that while running in the woods," Ichiro replied. "I admire your commitment," he added with a grin, giving Tsukune a good natured slap on the back.
Tsukune had to bite down a scream as the friendly gesture gave his healing ribs an unwanted reminder that they were still knitting. "I'm a stickler for rules," He rasped out, his face a rictus of a smile, greatly relieved he was sweating enough that his tears wouldn't show.
"Great run," Ichiro complimented him, "especially for a rookie." The werewolf waited until the last club members crossed the finish line, each of them returning to human form, looking tired, but nowhere as bad as Tsukune did. "Nice work, all of you, but next time, everyone stays human, right?" A few grumbles were returned to the club leaders' exhortation. "Anyone who uses monster form the next run has to do it over." Even more grumbles replied to that.
"What for?" a brunette with long, slender legs called out.
"Rules are rules," Ichiro explained. "Our next run is in two days." He dismissed everyone and the club members started making their way back to their dorms, or grouping up to talk.
Tsukune watched the group slowly dissipate, astonished by his good fortune, and feeling almost giddy about what he'd done. He'd beat a group of monsters; he'd managed to outrun a pack of them, and lived to tell the tale. He might have started laughing, possibly without being able to stop, but he was in so much pain he probably would have just ended up screaming. Through his haze of exhaustion, Tsukune recognized a classmate of his from homeroom, a guy in the back of the class. The scathing, contemptful glare that was shot his way made the human cringe inwardly. Pushing that aside for now, and willing himself back into motion, Tsukune began the long, slow trip back to the dormitory, hoping he wouldn't drop dead from fatigue before he got there.
The distance hadn't seemed this far on the trip out, and Tsukune wondered if some kind of magic was making the building get further away with every step. As he shambled his way back, Tsukune noted that whenever people passed him, they gave him an odd look. He knew he must have looked like hell, and he was covered in vomit and dirt, looking far less human than his non-human classmates. His legs were getting stiff and he knew he'd have to soak most of the night in a hot bath or he'd be rigid enough tomorrow morning to be used as a pry bar.
But even as he worked to get his wind back, push himself through the pain again, he felt a heady rush, a sense of almost bliss and satisfaction wash over him. Tsukune knew part of this was simply his body producing endorphins to suppress the agony, but part of it was a sense of pride. He'd done it, he'd survived. Yes, he was still in horrifying circumstances, and as exhausted as he was, he couldn't have fought off a new born kitten, and being here was just to the right of suicidal. But this was the first thing he could feel good about since he'd arrived. As he finally reached his room, locked and barricaded the door behind him, stripped off his sweaty, filthy, and stinking clothes, and practically crawled to the bathroom, he still wore a hint of a smile.
XXX
Tsukune took a sip of water, using it to wash down two more Tylenol and frowning as he considered just how many he was taking. The morning after his first run had been the closest thing to living hell he'd ever experienced, and he'd considered yelling out that he was human so that something would break in and eat him, sure that it couldn't hurt any more. He'd managed, somehow, to get himself to the shower and use the hot spray to loosen up, but he'd had to go through painkillers like they were candy to make it through the school day. And when Tsukune had started to feel almost normal again, it was time for the club to run; since everyone stayed human this time it wasn't as bad, but Ichiro had cajoled him to match the pace of his first run. He'd run almost as hard as he had the first time, but without a monster chasing him, he couldn't push himself to go quite so fast.
At least he hadn't thrown up that time.
Two weeks had gone by, and Tsukune had fallen into something approaching a routine at Youkai Academy. Indeed, if it wasn't for the frequent sights of monsters attacking each other, it would have appeared for all the world like any high school. That hadn't stopped Tsukune from requesting the papers to officially pursue a transfer to another school, but he still hadn't received even the application forms yet. He gave his head a shake; it appeared bureaucracy wasn't strictly a human shortcoming.
The dull ache in his legs brought him back to the present. While the running didn't leave him in quite the same devastated state as the first run, he always felt it the next day, but it was getting easier -something he hadn't believed possible a few days prior. For something that was supposed to be good for him, and help him survive, it still felt like it was killing him. Back home a bottle of Tylenol could last his family over a decade. It hadn't been a month at Youkai Academy, and he was halfway through a new bottle, and his doses were getting larger to have any effect on his aches and pains. Tsukune tried not to consider what it might be doing to his liver.
He reminded himself that he'd been able to take the tape off his ribs, and his cuts had healed nicely.
Even more troubling, his classmate in the Cross Country club, Kenichi Ogawa, and taken to jostling with Tsukune in the halls, usually making him drop what he was carrying, or squeezing him up against the wall. He'd also muttered the phrase 'human-lover' a couple times, the first occurrence making Tsukune go pale, thinking that he'd been exposed. He relaxed just a little when he realized that Kenichi was simply commenting on his choice of running forms, not his actual species. Tsukune was determined to make sure that the would be antagonist never knew just how close that comment struck to home.
Taking a final bite from his apple, Tsukune brought out his notebook and reviewed the lecture Ms. Nekonome had given that morning. He was still spending most of his evenings either running or reading about different monsters, and he needed to keep his grades up as well, which meant using all available time to study. Lunch was especially useful, since he always ate alone, taking a table away from the crowds and close to the exit. While some club members would nod at him in the halls, Tsukune wasn't about to just join them at a table without being invited, and since no one ever offered to join him, he could put the time to good use.
"Pardon me," a lilting voice broke into Tsukune's concentration. "May I join you?"
Tsukune stifled a tired sigh; this was getting kind of old. The short, blue haired girl standing before him was the prettiest girl he'd seen at Youkai Academy. In fact, she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen, period. Bright, clear eyes, a cute pouty expression, and a rack that had Tsukune longing to rest his head on. She'd been approaching him for the past three days, usually in the hallways, but occasionally in his classroom, and twice in the cafeteria when he was eating.
"My name's Kurumu Kurono," the beauty had first introduced herself. "What's your name?"
"T-Tsukune Aono…" He'd almost had to check his own student ID to remember it.
"Do you mind if we chat, Tsukune-kun…?" Her voice was like warm honey being poured over silk.
Tsukune had felt his head shake, even as alarm bells were going off in his mind, but gazing into Kurumu's eyes, his worries seemed to become insignificant. He'd forced his eyes down, and gave his head a more vigorous shake to clear it, feeling some measure of control coming back. "I-it's okay, I w-was just leaving now anyways…"
Tsukune had managed to take his leave of her the first time, he'd recalled seeing guys who'd talked with her wandering the halls shortly afterwards like lobotomized zombies, and he didn't want to end up like that. But Kurumu had been unexpectedly persistent, keeping her presence fresh in his mind, even as he tried to avoid her. Even when she wasn't trying to invade his personal space, Tsukune recalled seeing her in the hallways, a throng of male suitors and admirers in tow. Many of her followers seemed to be primes examples of humanity, which probably spoke volumes about their monster status as well.
'So why's she interested in me?' Tsukune pondered, even as he felt his eyes get drawn to her cleavage, just like it drew in the gaze of every other male within visual range of the beauty. Kurumu smelled of flowers, and had an angelic air about her that set off sparks in his mind. But she shouldn't be showing interest in such an ordinary person as him, he wasn't even a monster, and Tsukune knew he had to get away from her before he lost the will to do so.
It wasn't as if he wanted to not spend time with a beautiful woman, but he knew that no one at Youkai Academy was what they seemed, ironically, except for him. The girls were all monsters, no matter what they looked like on the outside, and the safest thing to do was not get involved with anyone. With his usual luck, that wouldn't have been a problem, but this girl Kurumu, she seemed intent on spending time with him, never mind all the other guys who would have done anything to be with her.
'Why do I need to avoid her?' he kept asking himself. When he was near her, and especially when looking into her eyes, he always felt that being with Kurumu would be a good thing. Waiting on her hand and foot was an honor he would have gotten on his hands and knees and begged for. Then the logical part of his mind, the cold, clinical section that had been working hard to keep him alive, would come to the forefront.
He had to get away from her, and not let himself fall into her spell, and he was certain that in Kurumu's case, that phrase had a more literal meaning. Even just glancing up to decline her company had made his thinking a little foggy and he could feel his attraction to her growing steadily, despite his best efforts to suppress it. With effort he stared down at the table, his thoughts getting clearer if he didn't look into her eyes. "G-gotta get something from my room," he mumbled, stuffing his book back in his bag and shuffling for the exit, his thoughts clearing up even more as he put distance between himself and the sapphire haired vision of loveliness.
"Leaving so soon…?" Kurumu pouted audibly, her full lips somehow filling Tsukune's averted gaze.
"I-I really need to go somewhere," Tsukune murmured, not even looking back over his shoulder, not intending to seem rude, but not wanting to lose control and let himself get too close to Kurumu for his own good. Until he came up with a better idea, avoiding her was the best approach he could take, even if it meant going to great lengths to evade her. Tightening the grip on his bag and walking out of the cafeteria Tsukune felt his hormones fading and his pulse slowing as he trudged through the half empty hallway, letting out a sigh of relief at his narrow escape.
And then the cafeteria door was ripped off its hinges.
Hoping with all his heart that it was unrelated to him, but just knowing he wasn't that lucky, Tsukune looked cautiously over his shoulder. The figure that hung in the air might have been Kurumu; blue hair was quite uncommon, and the clothes looked the same, but Tsukune's attention was focused on the prehensile tail, long talons on the hands, and the dragon like wings that sprouted from the back of the enraged looking flier. Where Kurumu's face had been almost angelic, the woman who glared down at him with an expression of fury and promised pain. "That can't be good," Tsukune murmured to himself, before turning to face forward and running like hell. 'Succubus,' he told himself, proving that the time studying the monster encyclopedia wasn't wasted. His improvised flamethrower wouldn't do well against a flier, and his knife was useless, so running was a good start.
"Get back here!" Kurumu screamed in rage, only spurring her quarry to go even faster. Tsukune had a good lead on her, but he had to carefully weave his way through the people in the halls, for fear of crashing into one and driving yet another monster into an insane rage. Gliding over the gawkers that watched the impromptu chase, Kurumu had a bird's eye view of her prey, a hawk circling over a fleeing mouse as she prepared to swoop down. Tsukune bolted for a stairwell, going four stairs at a time as he struggled to shake his erstwhile suitor, looking for an empty classroom or storage room he could hide in.
Upon reaching the top landing, Tsukune got his first lucky break. This floor was deserted, and he could go flat out without having to dodge his classmates. Glancing over his shoulder, Tsukune saw Kurumu come flying from the stairwell, banking sharply as she zeroed in on her target. He would later remember hearing a faint click as a door opened in front of him, followed almost instantaneously by a yowl of surprise, before slamming into a new obstacle.
Tsukune went tumbling, stopping just before sliding into a wall, shaking his head as he looked behind him, shocked and surprised to see Ms. Nekonome on her butt, her eyes crossed as she tried to get her wind back. His inherent good nature chose that time to reassert itself, and instead of trying to put more distance between himself and Kurumu, he scrambled to his teacher's side, trying to help her up. "Get up!" he implored her, expecting the succubus to be on him in a flurry of claws and teeth. "Get out of here, now!"
Ms. Nekonome glanced up and saw Kurumu's enraged form and began to shove Tsukune away. "What are you doing?" she all but yelled at her student. "Go, now!"
"You're more into teachers on the wrong side of thirty?" Kurumu hissed down at Tsukune, causing him to wince, and he thought he heard his teacher growl. The succubus was hovering in the air, her wings beating to keep her aloft, giving Tsukune a hateful stare. She swiped her claws once at the wall, cleaving out a section that crashed down next to the human, missing him by inches.
"What's this about?" Tsukune cried out in near desperation.
"No one spurns me!" Kurumu squared her shoulders and looked about ready for a final dive at the boy who'd dare reject her, when a new voice cut in sharply.
"That's enough for today, slut!"
Teacher, human, and succubus as one looked to the interlopers; two men and one woman, the men wearing black long coats, and the girl a short black skirt and sleeveless jacket cut from the same cloth stood arrogantly in the hall behind them. Kurumu snarled at the three of them, and Tsukune noticed that Ms. Nekonome's earlike tufts had flattened back. He had no idea who they were, but the yellow armbands said they were the School Protection Committee. 'There's such a group here?' Tsukune deliberated. 'Where have they been all this time?'
Kurumu growled threateningly at the black clad group, challenging them like a lion encountering hyenas. "This is between me and him, back off!"
The dark haired woman gave an impertinent smirk. "You're disturbing order, threatening a student and staff -even if she does sponsor the newspaper club- and you've used your monster form." The woman then opened a panel on the front of her jacket, and six arachnoid legs sprung out. They seemed to be attached to her abdomen, or more like they were growing from it.
"And what do you call that?" Kurumu snarled.
"School Protection Committee members can use their monster forms on duty." Her face then changed into a fully spider form, with large mandibles and additional eyes appearing on the side of her head.
'Spider woman,' Tsukune noted as he took an unconscious step back in fear. He was strangely proud of his growing ability to identify monsters by sight, but really, this one had practically been a gimme.
"Wait here," the spider monster chittered to her still human looking companions. "I'll deal with the slut." With a leap that made Tsukune yelp in surprise, the monster sprang towards the blue haired succubus. Kurumu swerved sharply to avoid her assailant, but the giant spider easily clung to the wall where she'd landed. Faced with a far deadlier opponent than a mere human and a nekomata, Kurumu turned and flew away to Tsukune's profound relief. But the spider wasn't finished; scurrying along the wall and moving to the ceiling, it leapt onto the succubus, causing both of them to come crashing to the ground.
Obviously nowhere near as shaken up as Kurumu, the spider launched a stream of silk from her mouth, covering the succubus's pretty face. As she instinctively tried to claw her eyes clear, the spider began to cocoon her, wrapping her securely with frightening speed. Kurumu was still alive, but completely restrained, her struggles doing nothing to free her despite her claws and obvious strength. The spider returned to human form, the transformation quite jarring, and she re-secured the flap on the front of her coat. "Bring her to my office," she told her companions, before walking back to Tsukune and Ms. Nekonome. "I do hope you're okay," she remarked to the teacher with blatant insincerity. "If the newspaper club was shut down, what would the students have to recycle?"
Her 'ears' were flat against her head, and Tsukune could feel the resentment radiating from his teacher. "Our next issue comes out Friday," Ms. Nekonome hissed.
"Not like anyone will read it," the spider woman replied sweetly. "And shouldn't you be thanking me for saving you?"
"I can take care of myself!"
"I'll remember that next time. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a student that needs punishment." She turned on her heel, not even acknowledging Tsukune's presence.
Tsukune bit his lip. He really didn't want the succubus to be harmed, and from the terrified looks Kurumu gave the two black clad students that picked her up, it was unlikely she'd ever repeat the attack. He was going to take a step forward to ask for leniency when his teacher put a hand on his shoulder. Glancing back, he saw her shake her head, and he kept his peace, watching the succubus be carried off to her fate. When they were alone again, he asked "Are you alright?"
A blow to the side of his head was his thanks. "What were you doing? When you're outmatched don't stop for anything, just run! What kind of monster are you?"
Tsukune flinched. "Sorry, I take acting human too far some times," he replied nervously. "But you could have been hurt…"
"I can take care of myself, and she was after you."
He couldn't argue that logic, so Tsukune shifted gears. "Who were they?"
"Enforcers," Ms. Nekonome spat. Her demeanor was a shocking change from her usual bubbly self. "Thugs who terrorize students, and enforce their leaders' word. They answer to no one, and don't ever get on their bad side, they'll kill you," she warned.
"Why?"
"Because they can. They suppress dissent, the school newspaper was crushed last year, it's just a figurehead now," she finished morosely.
Tsukune felt an urge to cheer up the teacher, but he wasn't sure what he could do. "I'll make sure I don't help anyone the next time I get chased…" he told her weakly.
She gave a humourless chuckle. "Try not to get killed for no good reason, at least do that. Don't count on an Enforcer helping you next time. Next one might not have made them mad."
"Thanks for the advice." Tsukune gave her a sad smile.
"Anytime." Ms. Nekonome returned it.
XXX
The universe, as Tsukune would readily attest to, had only a few constants. Death was one of them. Bullies were another. Just like in every human school, there were monsters whose only purpose was to make life miserable for someone else. How they chose their targets was known only to them, but Tsukune was sure it had something to do with how likely they could torment someone without risking punishment. The thug that had professed a desire to kill or rape humans –Saizo, based on what he'd overheard- had looked like a stereotypical bully, but he hadn't done much that Tsukune had noticed.
The guy in the back corner of his class had been far more visible, occasionally shoving students in the hallways, or casually threatening some of Tsukune's class, before turning his attention on Youkai Academy's only human. Perhaps Kenichi had decided Tsukune smelled timid, or he'd somehow picked up on the fear that the young man worked constantly to suppress. But whatever the reason, the result was the same; rude jostling with sarcastic apologies, general psychological assaults, intimidation, threats, all of which were wearing Tsukune down. He'd tried ignoring and enduring the abuse, but that only made things worse. He'd changed his routine to minimize his interactions with his tormentor, but that just encouraged the thug to up the ante.
The punk had pushed Tsukune far past his breaking point, but he'd choked down his anger, knowing that he couldn't win in a physical fight, and hoping the desperate wish of all bullying victims, that it would just STOP. But even with his life as risk, every man has a point where he can endure no more. Tsukune's happened after class one day when he was heading out the door, only to be pushed aside viciously. Even that hadn't been quite enough, but then the guy had turned away with a contemptuous snort.
Days of misery, pent up frustrations and anger, and struggles to avoid the cruelty of some uncaring bully. The dam, stressed for over a week, finally burst. Seeing red, knowing he was losing control but no longer caring, Tsukune let out an enraged snarl and shoved his tormentor as hard as he could, making him stumble, driving him face first into the wall.
"I think that scrawny guy finally had enough," a bystander remarked loudly, as the people in the hall stopped to watch the proceedings.
"This should be interesting," the person next to him agreed.
Tsukune could hear himself breathing as he watched Kenichi slowly raise himself from the floor. The almost sexual rush of satisfaction was annihilated when the monster got up, his eyes literally red, and his features altering.
"You're fuckin' dead…" the antagonist rasped.
Not sticking around to see what kind of monster Kenichi was, Tsukune bolted for the stairs, blessing his cross country membership, and hoping the bully couldn't fly. He didn't bother taking the steps, he just jumped down from one landing to the next, reaching the ground floor in record time, his blood running cold when he heard inhuman roaring behind him. Not wasting time looking over his shoulder, afraid of colliding with someone again, Tsukune burst through the front door, causing a group of students to scatter out of the way to avoid being run over.
Thankful to see only open ground ahead of him, with only a few trees between him and the dormitory, Tsukune went flat out, confident that he'd be able to lose himself in the crowded residence, when he suddenly had his feet taken out from under him. Crashing heavily into the ground, his book bag flying away from his grip, Tsukune felt the wind get roughly driven out of him when he hit the dirt. Gasping and shaking his spinning head to try to clear it, he was shocked to see tree roots sticking up from the soil, which he knew hadn't been there moments earlier. Heavy, plodding footfalls made the ground tremble, and a howl drew Tsukune's attention. "Stupid move, trying to escape through the trees!"
"A dendroid," he murmured to himself. A monstrous tree was almost swaggering towards him, gnarled branches for arms, bright red eyes and teeth that looked plenty sharp, even if they were wood. Looking around frantically for his bag, Tsukune struggled to get to his feet when the tree monster swatted him savagely, the branch striking him across the face, sending him flying. Losing consciousness momentarily, Tsukune recovered just in time for a tree trunk like foot to kick him in the stomach, doubling him over and sending him tumbling again.
Tasting blood in his mouth, his body screaming in agony, Tsukune's eyes went wide when he saw his bag on the ground, no more than a foot away. Barely taking notice of the crowd that had gathered to watch the fight, Tsukune rolled over on his stomach, dragging himself closer to his satchel, his fingers closing tightly around the handle even as he was bodily lifted off of the ground and thrown, his face being scratched by twigs branching off his attacker's arms. The impact with the ground nearly knocked him into oblivion, but he forced himself to stay awake, the monster's snarling getting louder as it stomped slowly towards him, probably ready to finish him off.
Bullies hated it when their targets fought back.
Laying on his side and willing his fingers to work, Tsukune managed to get his bag open, reaching in until he felt a metal cylinder. Pulling it out, using his thumb to snap off the plastic cap, and gripping it like a lifeline, he used his left hand to pull one of the lighters he carried at all times, hoping with all his heart it would work. He had just gotten both of them ready when he was forcefully rolled onto his back, the dendroid cocking back a branch to drive it right through him.
Whipping up his arms, flicking the lighter and grinning ferally when a flame lit with a click, he depressed the top of the aerosol can a half second later.
Frooooosh!
Outdoors, the flame was a little underwhelming to Tsukune; it didn't seem as bright, or as loud.
The dendroid probably didn't share the sentiment. The gout of fire roared right into its face, some of it going into its mouth. The dried out bark made perfect kindling, going alight almost instantly. Screaming in horror, it tried to beat out the flames with its hands, but only literally added fuel to the fire. Considering how frantically it was trying to extinguish itself, it was understandable that it didn't notice Tsukune getting back to his feet, until the human triggered a much longer burst, this one starting at its feet and working up the torso, using fire's natural preference to climb to spread. Tsukune noticed that the hairspray was sticking where it touched, a little like napalm.
Watching his tormentor burn, its screams and the crackling of flame caused Tsukune to feel savage glee. When the dendroid actually tried to stop, drop, and roll to put himself out, he almost laughed. But the aches that flowed over him killed any levity. Rolling around in dry grass wasn't helping extinguish the blaze, and an inhuman, keening wail came from the fireball that had minutes ago looked very human. The sound would have normally made Tsukune wet his pants, but his blood was practically singing now, and he did his best to impair the monsters efforts to put itself out by letting it have a third, longer blast, keeping the trigger depressed until the aerosol began to sputter.
"Fire needs three things to exist," he informed the burning monster, trying to keep himself from showing his terror, and excitement. "Heat, oxygen, and a source of fuel. Guess which you are!"
Screams turned to cries, then to whimpering, until everything was silent except the crackle of the funeral pyre of the dendroid. Watching the fire as he tried to catch his breath, Tsukune noticed that more than a few of his schoolmates had gathered around because of the commotion, and a few of them were giving him hard looks. As the adrenalin and fury cleared his system the realization of what he'd done almost made Tsukune's knees buckle. It was one thing to think about getting even with a bully; going ahead and killing one was something else entirely. Even if the dendroid had made his life hard, killing another sentient being, one that was pretty close to being human, was something no ordinary human could do without being affected.
Tsukune felt gorge rise in his stomach, and he could tell cold sweat had broken out all over his body. Looking at the monsters watching him made him realize that the dendroid might have had friends, possibly even ones that wouldn't be annoyed by flame, or who could perhaps even breathe it. He was still vulnerable, still alone, and his best chance to surprise an unwary monster would probably be common knowledge within an hour. If monsters could smell fear, he was lucky that the thick black smoke from the fire might conceal his.
"Why the hell'd you'd do that?" an upperclassman called out.
"Do what?" Tsukune was never more proud of himself for not giving away a hint of his terror by having his voice crack.
"Burn him," a girl answered for the guy. "Why didn't you use your monster form?"
Tsukune had been expecting this, and he silently blessed Ichiro for unknowingly giving him an excuse after the first run. "We're learning to be human, right?" When a few of the onlookers nodded somewhat reluctantly, he continued. "I just fought like a human would."
"How's that?"
"Dirty." Tsukune had never been more scared, ever, but he could not show any weakness, or he probably wouldn't last another minute. He noticed something in the pocket of one of the closer students, and casually walked towards him, his mind screaming that this was madness. Tsukune had had a lot of practice ignoring that voice. Disregarding that the guy was a foot taller, and probably twice his weight, Tsukune brazenly took the pack of cigarettes from his pocket, fished out one of the white cylinders and put the pack back where he found it. Coolly turning his back to the man, hoping he simply wouldn't be struck down, Tsukune walked towards the bonfire, which was still going strong, taking hold of a branch that wasn't burning at the end and broke it off with a snap. He brought the burning end towards his face and used it to light the cigarette, before throwing the wood back into the fire. The smoke filling his mouth made him more nauseous, and it took all of his will to keep from coughing.
Retrieving his book bag, calmly placing the now empty hairspray can back inside, Tsukune walked back towards the dorm, hiding his limp, and not wanting to show just how badly that tree monster had hurt him. He walked normally, not hurrying even though he wanted nothing more than to lock himself in his room and scream. Discarding the cigarette when he reached the door, he hadn't taken a single puff, Tsukune kept his face calm, a grimace that threatened to crack any second.
Finally making it back to his room he walked inside, locking the door before dashing to the bathroom, just managing to reach the toilet before he started vomiting. Even after his stomach was empty he was racked by dry heaves for what felt like forever, before spitting out the last of the bile, wiping his mouth on his shirt sleeve and flushing the reeking mess away. Pushing himself awkwardly to his feet, he got a look at himself in the mirror. His face had a nasty gash across it, he hadn't noticed the pain earlier, and his skin was as white as milk. Tsukune was absolutely covered with sweat; some of the smoke had mixed with it, giving him an ashen pallor that made him look almost dead.
With trembling fingers Tsukune removed his jacket and tie, tossing them on the floor next to his bed. The shirt was soaked with perspiration and had vomit smeared on the sleeve, so it went into the hamper. He could see a bruise from where he'd been kicked, but as bad as had hurt, it hadn't seemed to do much damage, or aggravate his ribs. Tsukune could smell his own stink, mixed with the acrid smoke that had been a classmate, and he stripped for a shower. A long soak under hot water took away the grime, but it couldn't wash away his fear, or his remorse.
"Why couldn't he have just left me alone?" Tsukune murmured softly. As he closed his eyes to rinse off, he could see the monster writhing as the flames consumed him, its death screams still ringing in his ears. Tsukune started to shake; before today he'd resorted to theft to help survive his time at Youkai Academy, but now he'd graduated to murder. 'What happens now?' he wondered. Would the Enforcers take him away to be executed? He'd only ever seen them when that spider girl had taken down Kurumu, but since he'd killed a classmate in such a high profile way, Tsukune expected them to come knocking at his door soon.
Finishing his shower, but guilt and shame were still making him feel dirty, Tsukune dried off, put on a t-shirt and some boxers, and barricaded his door. It was a force of habit by now, even though he figured it wouldn't do anything to keep out a determined monster. It was just about time for dinner to be served, but Tsukune had no appetite, knowing that anything he tried eating would be violently rejected. Sleeping wasn't going to be easy, but at least it might be possible to stop thinking about what had happened if he did.
As he climbed stiffly into bed Tsukune went to close the blinds, and saw that the funeral pyre was still burning brightly. Closing them and setting his head on his pillow, he felt tears well up and flow down his face, seeing the death over and over again when he closed his eyes, the agonized screams repeating over and over and over. When he finally fell into troubled, fitful sleep, Tsukune's shoulders were shaking, his sobs muffled by the blanket he gripped tightly in his teeth.
End of Chapter Two
Author's Notes:
Pre-read by Random1377 and Mereo Flere
Rosario + Vampire:
He Who Fights Monsters…
Chapter Two: Trial by Fire
Written by: Hawker_748
Tsukune made his way over to the equipment shed behind the school, adjusting his stride a little when his gym shorts rode up on him and wishing he was confident enough to simply adjust them. He recognized Ichiro, but there were several other young men and women that he didn't remember seeing in his classes. The gathering looked friendly enough, and Tsukune returned Ichiro's wave, but he kept his guard up; the smaller gym uniform and lack of a bag made it impossible to bring along any of his makeshift weapons, something he hadn't considered. He decided to rig up a scabbard for his dinner knife, but he hadn't had time to get one ready, and rather than skip the run and draw attention, Tsukune reluctantly attended unarmed, sincerely hoping it didn't cost him his life.
"Welcome to the first meeting if the cross country club," Ichiro told everyone after a few more stragglers arrived. "It'll be a short run today, just five miles." Someone gave an exaggerated groan, making everyone chuckle. "The course is through the forest, marked out, and ends over there." He gestured to a sign marked 'Finish'. "This is just for fun, so don't kill yourself trying to win."
"Do we get anything if we win?" a girl next to Tsukune asked.
"Satisfaction," Ichiro deadpanned. "Take ten minutes to stretch and loosen up, then we run."
Tsukune located an empty spot and began to stretch, giving his fellow club members an once-over. They all looked normal enough, but that didn't mean a thing based on what he'd seen so far. Placing his right foot's toes to the ground, he rotated it to loosen up his ankle, giving the woods a careful look as he repeated the action with his left ankle. The trees were bare, and a forbidding, dangerous air hung over them; if someone had been commissioned to design them with the intention of making them appear threatening, they couldn't have done much better. The fact that it was still light out, and there were no howls or snarls emanating from the woods were the only consolation.
Quitting right now and seeing if the light music club needed a tambourine player was starting to sound like a good idea, but Tsukune knew he needed to get himself into shape if he had any hope of surviving. As long as he spent as little time in the woods as possible and kept moving (stationary targets were always easier to pick off) he should be okay If it turned out there was something threatening prowling in the forest. Tsukune decided to stay close to a group, and hope that he was faster than at least one of its members.
He didn't need to be able to outrun all monsters; he just needed to be able to outrun ONE of them.
Stretching his legs, definitely not wanting to pull up lame in the middle of the course, Tsukune tried to narrow his focus to the other club members, seeing if any of them were displaying any signs of hostility. They all looked like the care-free high school students they were pretending to be, but that might not mean a thing. As far as he knew, they might have worn the same expressions while ripping out his intestines with their teeth as they would asking about the time. When Ichiro gestured for everyone to get ready, the warm up seeming to pass in the blink of an eye, Tsukune got back to his feet, noticing that his heart was already racing, 'Least I won't have to worry about getting my pulse up,' he mused with a ghost of a smile.
"Ready?" Ichiro called out, getting into position. "Get set… Go!"
The start reminded Tsukune of a marathon, a slow collective jog, with no one sprinting off into the lead. That made sense to him, sprinting now would only make someone tired, and there were still five miles to go. Keeping his stride loose and easy, he let himself get carried away by the pack, not taking the lead, but not bringing up the rear either. As they cleared the first hundred yards and reached the edge of the tree line, Tsukune experienced a swell of second thoughts, but he suppressed them with effort, continuing along the path, yellow flagged stakes acting as course markers.
The run continued steadily, the sounds of footfalls and breathing almost being lost in the stillness of the forest. The runners began to spread out, Ichiro taking the lead, with some of the smaller students beginning to fall behind. Tsukune fell into pace alongside a guy with shaggy brown hair, who seemed to be as unused to running as he was, reasoning that he needed to put someone between him and some feral beast, and this guy seemed like a good candidate. If he heard any commotion behind him, Tsukune was going to just sprint ahead, not even bothering to look back, and hope that whatever the threat was, it wasn't interested in a second course.
Trying to keep from noticing the slight ache that was forming in his legs, and the way his throat was starting to hurt, Tsukune took a few moments to observe his surroundings. It was darker than he'd expected it would be, not like after sunset, but it was as if dusk had come early. The sounds of footsteps appeared to be absorbed by the dead trees, like they had once absorbed sunlight, casting an eerie silence over the forest like a blanket. They fed the silence much like sunlight would have once fed the leaves. There were headstones scattered here and there, with a few skulls for good measure, and Tsukune wondered if he was running over the bodies of previous humans who'd come to Youkai Academy.
Tsukune had already run further than he ever had in his life previously, and there was still no sign of the finish line. He was pretty sure he hadn't even passed the halfway point, and under other circumstances, or even at any other school, he would have simply slowed to a walk, trying to get his second wind. But Tsukune kept up the pace, pushing himself through the pain in his legs and his ribs, forcing his body far past its former limits. He was terrified that faltering this early, or even letting up a little, would be seen as a sign of weakness, and be like throwing a steak into a pool of hungry piranha. It was one thing for a borderline sadist gym teacher to yell at you if you slowed down; the prospect of being eaten alive was a much better motivator to force yourself forward. He wasn't even sure if it would be dangerous to ease off, but he had no intention of finding out the truth the hard way.
Tsukune's form was starting to falter, his strides becoming less sure, as his body threw away any notion of form for the sake of endurance. He was starting to rasp, his throat raw as he gasped for breath, his muscles demanding more oxygen than his lungs could deliver. Glancing up, he was surprised to realize that he could still see Ichiro ahead of him on the path. Tsukune wasn't sure if he own pace had picked up, or if the club president's had fallen off. A look to the left revealed that the club member he'd selected as a decoy seemed more exhausted than Tsukune felt, and was slowly fading back. He tried to tell himself to ease off, keep close to his 'human' shield, but Tsukune couldn't bring himself to slow down, even if it left him more exposed.
Waves of pain hammered their way up Tsukune's legs as his feet pounded along the path, his heartbeat audible in his ears, beads of sweat rolling down his face. He was panting heavily, his chest starting to burn from his exertions, but Tsukune clenched his fists in determination, vowing he'd drop dead from exhaustion before he'd let himself show any weakness. A not too distant howl from behind him just hardened his resolve even more and he dug deeper, finding reserves he didn't know he had. Tsukune pushed himself harder than he ever had before, refusing to accept his old limits, believing that his life depended on it.
Slowly, gradually, Tsukune crept up alongside Ichiro, wondering if he was simply conserving himself before making a final sprint at the finish. When they were side by side, Ichiro looked over at the new member, giving him a respectful nod. "Nice work…"
Managing a nod, not able to spare the oxygen to reply, Tsukune struggled to keep going, feeling an almost orgasmic relief when he saw the finish line ahead of him. It couldn't have been more than forty minutes, but he felt like he'd been running for a week. 'Just a little more…' he told himself. He almost didn't hear the approaching footsteps behind him, mistaking them for his heartbeat, but something about the rhythm made him glance over his shoulder. Tsukune hadn't been able to spare a breath to reply to Ichiro, and he certainly didn't have enough to scream. He wasn't exactly sure what was charging towards him, he hadn't bothered giving them a long look, but he'd seen fur, scales, claws, and teeth, especially teeth. They were all long, pointy, sharp, covered in saliva, and getting closer. Tsukune had thought he'd given everything that he could, but he found reserves he'd never tapped before, breaking into a dead run, moving like it was a hundred yard dash.
Tsukune's stomach lurched, and he felt everything he'd eaten come surging up his throat, the bile rising fast. Without slowing down even a hint, he turned his head to the side and vomited, the rancid fluid spewing through the air. Some of it splashing on his clothes, the dry heaving after his stomach was empty sending new agony through his body. Spitting to clear his mouth and airway, not wasting the time to wipe his face, Tsukune kept running, the sounds of rapid footfalls and wet snarls pushing him onwards.
Racing out of the forest, the welcome openness of the clearing no longer a sanctuary, Tsukune could see what looked like a werewolf over to his left, a pair of lizard men on his right, all of them getting closer. He was less than fifty feet from the finish line, but Tsukune frantically kept going, knowing he was doomed, his body mere seconds from shutting down, but he kept struggling to survive, not willing to lose even a seconds worth of life. With one last spurt he accelerated through the tape and stumbled, too exhausted to catch himself, crashing forward in an uncontrolled tumble, his taped ribs screaming in protest, ending up on his back, staring up at the overcast sky in a haze of pain.
As he gasped, desperately trying to catch his breath, struggling to keep conscious, his heart thundering in his ears, Tsukune saw a ring of monsters form above him, staring down as he suffered. He decided not to beg for his life, deciding to show some bravery in the face of death, demonstrate that humans weren't complete cowards. He looked up at his executioners, wondering who would be first, and silently sending off both apologies and curses to his parents for sending him to this fate. Tsukune hoped with all his heart that they would at least be decent enough to grant him a quick death.
Then something unexpected happened. The monster he'd guessed to be a werewolf gave a rather canine grin and spoke in Ichiro's voice "Nice going Tsukune!"
It took the exhausted human a few seconds to spare enough air to reply. "P-pardon?" he croaked out.
"You stayed in human form," Ichiro explained, his form shifting back into the timid looking upperclassman Tsukune had first met. "You're the first club member to do the initiation run and not cheat." He extended his hand and waited expectantly for the exhausted human to take hold of it.
Tsukune's breathing was still frantic, his throat raw, his muscles screaming in agony as he accepted the outstretched hand, nearly crying out when Ichiro almost dislocated his shoulder helping him to his feet. As his head spun from the surprising turn of events and oxygen deprivation, Tsukune found himself wondering how the werewolf's clothes had reappeared without damage. Giving everyone else a quick once over as he bent at the waist, the pain only just starting to fade, he noticed that everyone else had returned to human form, their clothes unripped, despite the fact they'd all been much larger, and in one case, not even bipedal "We-we're supposed to stay in human form," he forced out.
"Yeah, but not everyone does that while running in the woods," Ichiro replied. "I admire your commitment," he added with a grin, giving Tsukune a good natured slap on the back.
Tsukune had to bite down a scream as the friendly gesture gave his healing ribs an unwanted reminder that they were still knitting. "I'm a stickler for rules," He rasped out, his face a rictus of a smile, greatly relieved he was sweating enough that his tears wouldn't show.
"Great run," Ichiro complimented him, "especially for a rookie." The werewolf waited until the last club members crossed the finish line, each of them returning to human form, looking tired, but nowhere as bad as Tsukune did. "Nice work, all of you, but next time, everyone stays human, right?" A few grumbles were returned to the club leaders' exhortation. "Anyone who uses monster form the next run has to do it over." Even more grumbles replied to that.
"What for?" a brunette with long, slender legs called out.
"Rules are rules," Ichiro explained. "Our next run is in two days." He dismissed everyone and the club members started making their way back to their dorms, or grouping up to talk.
Tsukune watched the group slowly dissipate, astonished by his good fortune, and feeling almost giddy about what he'd done. He'd beat a group of monsters; he'd managed to outrun a pack of them, and lived to tell the tale. He might have started laughing, possibly without being able to stop, but he was in so much pain he probably would have just ended up screaming. Through his haze of exhaustion, Tsukune recognized a classmate of his from homeroom, a guy in the back of the class. The scathing, contemptful glare that was shot his way made the human cringe inwardly. Pushing that aside for now, and willing himself back into motion, Tsukune began the long, slow trip back to the dormitory, hoping he wouldn't drop dead from fatigue before he got there.
The distance hadn't seemed this far on the trip out, and Tsukune wondered if some kind of magic was making the building get further away with every step. As he shambled his way back, Tsukune noted that whenever people passed him, they gave him an odd look. He knew he must have looked like hell, and he was covered in vomit and dirt, looking far less human than his non-human classmates. His legs were getting stiff and he knew he'd have to soak most of the night in a hot bath or he'd be rigid enough tomorrow morning to be used as a pry bar.
But even as he worked to get his wind back, push himself through the pain again, he felt a heady rush, a sense of almost bliss and satisfaction wash over him. Tsukune knew part of this was simply his body producing endorphins to suppress the agony, but part of it was a sense of pride. He'd done it, he'd survived. Yes, he was still in horrifying circumstances, and as exhausted as he was, he couldn't have fought off a new born kitten, and being here was just to the right of suicidal. But this was the first thing he could feel good about since he'd arrived. As he finally reached his room, locked and barricaded the door behind him, stripped off his sweaty, filthy, and stinking clothes, and practically crawled to the bathroom, he still wore a hint of a smile.
XXX
Tsukune took a sip of water, using it to wash down two more Tylenol and frowning as he considered just how many he was taking. The morning after his first run had been the closest thing to living hell he'd ever experienced, and he'd considered yelling out that he was human so that something would break in and eat him, sure that it couldn't hurt any more. He'd managed, somehow, to get himself to the shower and use the hot spray to loosen up, but he'd had to go through painkillers like they were candy to make it through the school day. And when Tsukune had started to feel almost normal again, it was time for the club to run; since everyone stayed human this time it wasn't as bad, but Ichiro had cajoled him to match the pace of his first run. He'd run almost as hard as he had the first time, but without a monster chasing him, he couldn't push himself to go quite so fast.
At least he hadn't thrown up that time.
Two weeks had gone by, and Tsukune had fallen into something approaching a routine at Youkai Academy. Indeed, if it wasn't for the frequent sights of monsters attacking each other, it would have appeared for all the world like any high school. That hadn't stopped Tsukune from requesting the papers to officially pursue a transfer to another school, but he still hadn't received even the application forms yet. He gave his head a shake; it appeared bureaucracy wasn't strictly a human shortcoming.
The dull ache in his legs brought him back to the present. While the running didn't leave him in quite the same devastated state as the first run, he always felt it the next day, but it was getting easier -something he hadn't believed possible a few days prior. For something that was supposed to be good for him, and help him survive, it still felt like it was killing him. Back home a bottle of Tylenol could last his family over a decade. It hadn't been a month at Youkai Academy, and he was halfway through a new bottle, and his doses were getting larger to have any effect on his aches and pains. Tsukune tried not to consider what it might be doing to his liver.
He reminded himself that he'd been able to take the tape off his ribs, and his cuts had healed nicely.
Even more troubling, his classmate in the Cross Country club, Kenichi Ogawa, and taken to jostling with Tsukune in the halls, usually making him drop what he was carrying, or squeezing him up against the wall. He'd also muttered the phrase 'human-lover' a couple times, the first occurrence making Tsukune go pale, thinking that he'd been exposed. He relaxed just a little when he realized that Kenichi was simply commenting on his choice of running forms, not his actual species. Tsukune was determined to make sure that the would be antagonist never knew just how close that comment struck to home.
Taking a final bite from his apple, Tsukune brought out his notebook and reviewed the lecture Ms. Nekonome had given that morning. He was still spending most of his evenings either running or reading about different monsters, and he needed to keep his grades up as well, which meant using all available time to study. Lunch was especially useful, since he always ate alone, taking a table away from the crowds and close to the exit. While some club members would nod at him in the halls, Tsukune wasn't about to just join them at a table without being invited, and since no one ever offered to join him, he could put the time to good use.
"Pardon me," a lilting voice broke into Tsukune's concentration. "May I join you?"
Tsukune stifled a tired sigh; this was getting kind of old. The short, blue haired girl standing before him was the prettiest girl he'd seen at Youkai Academy. In fact, she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen, period. Bright, clear eyes, a cute pouty expression, and a rack that had Tsukune longing to rest his head on. She'd been approaching him for the past three days, usually in the hallways, but occasionally in his classroom, and twice in the cafeteria when he was eating.
"My name's Kurumu Kurono," the beauty had first introduced herself. "What's your name?"
"T-Tsukune Aono…" He'd almost had to check his own student ID to remember it.
"Do you mind if we chat, Tsukune-kun…?" Her voice was like warm honey being poured over silk.
Tsukune had felt his head shake, even as alarm bells were going off in his mind, but gazing into Kurumu's eyes, his worries seemed to become insignificant. He'd forced his eyes down, and gave his head a more vigorous shake to clear it, feeling some measure of control coming back. "I-it's okay, I w-was just leaving now anyways…"
Tsukune had managed to take his leave of her the first time, he'd recalled seeing guys who'd talked with her wandering the halls shortly afterwards like lobotomized zombies, and he didn't want to end up like that. But Kurumu had been unexpectedly persistent, keeping her presence fresh in his mind, even as he tried to avoid her. Even when she wasn't trying to invade his personal space, Tsukune recalled seeing her in the hallways, a throng of male suitors and admirers in tow. Many of her followers seemed to be primes examples of humanity, which probably spoke volumes about their monster status as well.
'So why's she interested in me?' Tsukune pondered, even as he felt his eyes get drawn to her cleavage, just like it drew in the gaze of every other male within visual range of the beauty. Kurumu smelled of flowers, and had an angelic air about her that set off sparks in his mind. But she shouldn't be showing interest in such an ordinary person as him, he wasn't even a monster, and Tsukune knew he had to get away from her before he lost the will to do so.
It wasn't as if he wanted to not spend time with a beautiful woman, but he knew that no one at Youkai Academy was what they seemed, ironically, except for him. The girls were all monsters, no matter what they looked like on the outside, and the safest thing to do was not get involved with anyone. With his usual luck, that wouldn't have been a problem, but this girl Kurumu, she seemed intent on spending time with him, never mind all the other guys who would have done anything to be with her.
'Why do I need to avoid her?' he kept asking himself. When he was near her, and especially when looking into her eyes, he always felt that being with Kurumu would be a good thing. Waiting on her hand and foot was an honor he would have gotten on his hands and knees and begged for. Then the logical part of his mind, the cold, clinical section that had been working hard to keep him alive, would come to the forefront.
He had to get away from her, and not let himself fall into her spell, and he was certain that in Kurumu's case, that phrase had a more literal meaning. Even just glancing up to decline her company had made his thinking a little foggy and he could feel his attraction to her growing steadily, despite his best efforts to suppress it. With effort he stared down at the table, his thoughts getting clearer if he didn't look into her eyes. "G-gotta get something from my room," he mumbled, stuffing his book back in his bag and shuffling for the exit, his thoughts clearing up even more as he put distance between himself and the sapphire haired vision of loveliness.
"Leaving so soon…?" Kurumu pouted audibly, her full lips somehow filling Tsukune's averted gaze.
"I-I really need to go somewhere," Tsukune murmured, not even looking back over his shoulder, not intending to seem rude, but not wanting to lose control and let himself get too close to Kurumu for his own good. Until he came up with a better idea, avoiding her was the best approach he could take, even if it meant going to great lengths to evade her. Tightening the grip on his bag and walking out of the cafeteria Tsukune felt his hormones fading and his pulse slowing as he trudged through the half empty hallway, letting out a sigh of relief at his narrow escape.
And then the cafeteria door was ripped off its hinges.
Hoping with all his heart that it was unrelated to him, but just knowing he wasn't that lucky, Tsukune looked cautiously over his shoulder. The figure that hung in the air might have been Kurumu; blue hair was quite uncommon, and the clothes looked the same, but Tsukune's attention was focused on the prehensile tail, long talons on the hands, and the dragon like wings that sprouted from the back of the enraged looking flier. Where Kurumu's face had been almost angelic, the woman who glared down at him with an expression of fury and promised pain. "That can't be good," Tsukune murmured to himself, before turning to face forward and running like hell. 'Succubus,' he told himself, proving that the time studying the monster encyclopedia wasn't wasted. His improvised flamethrower wouldn't do well against a flier, and his knife was useless, so running was a good start.
"Get back here!" Kurumu screamed in rage, only spurring her quarry to go even faster. Tsukune had a good lead on her, but he had to carefully weave his way through the people in the halls, for fear of crashing into one and driving yet another monster into an insane rage. Gliding over the gawkers that watched the impromptu chase, Kurumu had a bird's eye view of her prey, a hawk circling over a fleeing mouse as she prepared to swoop down. Tsukune bolted for a stairwell, going four stairs at a time as he struggled to shake his erstwhile suitor, looking for an empty classroom or storage room he could hide in.
Upon reaching the top landing, Tsukune got his first lucky break. This floor was deserted, and he could go flat out without having to dodge his classmates. Glancing over his shoulder, Tsukune saw Kurumu come flying from the stairwell, banking sharply as she zeroed in on her target. He would later remember hearing a faint click as a door opened in front of him, followed almost instantaneously by a yowl of surprise, before slamming into a new obstacle.
Tsukune went tumbling, stopping just before sliding into a wall, shaking his head as he looked behind him, shocked and surprised to see Ms. Nekonome on her butt, her eyes crossed as she tried to get her wind back. His inherent good nature chose that time to reassert itself, and instead of trying to put more distance between himself and Kurumu, he scrambled to his teacher's side, trying to help her up. "Get up!" he implored her, expecting the succubus to be on him in a flurry of claws and teeth. "Get out of here, now!"
Ms. Nekonome glanced up and saw Kurumu's enraged form and began to shove Tsukune away. "What are you doing?" she all but yelled at her student. "Go, now!"
"You're more into teachers on the wrong side of thirty?" Kurumu hissed down at Tsukune, causing him to wince, and he thought he heard his teacher growl. The succubus was hovering in the air, her wings beating to keep her aloft, giving Tsukune a hateful stare. She swiped her claws once at the wall, cleaving out a section that crashed down next to the human, missing him by inches.
"What's this about?" Tsukune cried out in near desperation.
"No one spurns me!" Kurumu squared her shoulders and looked about ready for a final dive at the boy who'd dare reject her, when a new voice cut in sharply.
"That's enough for today, slut!"
Teacher, human, and succubus as one looked to the interlopers; two men and one woman, the men wearing black long coats, and the girl a short black skirt and sleeveless jacket cut from the same cloth stood arrogantly in the hall behind them. Kurumu snarled at the three of them, and Tsukune noticed that Ms. Nekonome's earlike tufts had flattened back. He had no idea who they were, but the yellow armbands said they were the School Protection Committee. 'There's such a group here?' Tsukune deliberated. 'Where have they been all this time?'
Kurumu growled threateningly at the black clad group, challenging them like a lion encountering hyenas. "This is between me and him, back off!"
The dark haired woman gave an impertinent smirk. "You're disturbing order, threatening a student and staff -even if she does sponsor the newspaper club- and you've used your monster form." The woman then opened a panel on the front of her jacket, and six arachnoid legs sprung out. They seemed to be attached to her abdomen, or more like they were growing from it.
"And what do you call that?" Kurumu snarled.
"School Protection Committee members can use their monster forms on duty." Her face then changed into a fully spider form, with large mandibles and additional eyes appearing on the side of her head.
'Spider woman,' Tsukune noted as he took an unconscious step back in fear. He was strangely proud of his growing ability to identify monsters by sight, but really, this one had practically been a gimme.
"Wait here," the spider monster chittered to her still human looking companions. "I'll deal with the slut." With a leap that made Tsukune yelp in surprise, the monster sprang towards the blue haired succubus. Kurumu swerved sharply to avoid her assailant, but the giant spider easily clung to the wall where she'd landed. Faced with a far deadlier opponent than a mere human and a nekomata, Kurumu turned and flew away to Tsukune's profound relief. But the spider wasn't finished; scurrying along the wall and moving to the ceiling, it leapt onto the succubus, causing both of them to come crashing to the ground.
Obviously nowhere near as shaken up as Kurumu, the spider launched a stream of silk from her mouth, covering the succubus's pretty face. As she instinctively tried to claw her eyes clear, the spider began to cocoon her, wrapping her securely with frightening speed. Kurumu was still alive, but completely restrained, her struggles doing nothing to free her despite her claws and obvious strength. The spider returned to human form, the transformation quite jarring, and she re-secured the flap on the front of her coat. "Bring her to my office," she told her companions, before walking back to Tsukune and Ms. Nekonome. "I do hope you're okay," she remarked to the teacher with blatant insincerity. "If the newspaper club was shut down, what would the students have to recycle?"
Her 'ears' were flat against her head, and Tsukune could feel the resentment radiating from his teacher. "Our next issue comes out Friday," Ms. Nekonome hissed.
"Not like anyone will read it," the spider woman replied sweetly. "And shouldn't you be thanking me for saving you?"
"I can take care of myself!"
"I'll remember that next time. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a student that needs punishment." She turned on her heel, not even acknowledging Tsukune's presence.
Tsukune bit his lip. He really didn't want the succubus to be harmed, and from the terrified looks Kurumu gave the two black clad students that picked her up, it was unlikely she'd ever repeat the attack. He was going to take a step forward to ask for leniency when his teacher put a hand on his shoulder. Glancing back, he saw her shake her head, and he kept his peace, watching the succubus be carried off to her fate. When they were alone again, he asked "Are you alright?"
A blow to the side of his head was his thanks. "What were you doing? When you're outmatched don't stop for anything, just run! What kind of monster are you?"
Tsukune flinched. "Sorry, I take acting human too far some times," he replied nervously. "But you could have been hurt…"
"I can take care of myself, and she was after you."
He couldn't argue that logic, so Tsukune shifted gears. "Who were they?"
"Enforcers," Ms. Nekonome spat. Her demeanor was a shocking change from her usual bubbly self. "Thugs who terrorize students, and enforce their leaders' word. They answer to no one, and don't ever get on their bad side, they'll kill you," she warned.
"Why?"
"Because they can. They suppress dissent, the school newspaper was crushed last year, it's just a figurehead now," she finished morosely.
Tsukune felt an urge to cheer up the teacher, but he wasn't sure what he could do. "I'll make sure I don't help anyone the next time I get chased…" he told her weakly.
She gave a humourless chuckle. "Try not to get killed for no good reason, at least do that. Don't count on an Enforcer helping you next time. Next one might not have made them mad."
"Thanks for the advice." Tsukune gave her a sad smile.
"Anytime." Ms. Nekonome returned it.
XXX
The universe, as Tsukune would readily attest to, had only a few constants. Death was one of them. Bullies were another. Just like in every human school, there were monsters whose only purpose was to make life miserable for someone else. How they chose their targets was known only to them, but Tsukune was sure it had something to do with how likely they could torment someone without risking punishment. The thug that had professed a desire to kill or rape humans –Saizo, based on what he'd overheard- had looked like a stereotypical bully, but he hadn't done much that Tsukune had noticed.
The guy in the back corner of his class had been far more visible, occasionally shoving students in the hallways, or casually threatening some of Tsukune's class, before turning his attention on Youkai Academy's only human. Perhaps Kenichi had decided Tsukune smelled timid, or he'd somehow picked up on the fear that the young man worked constantly to suppress. But whatever the reason, the result was the same; rude jostling with sarcastic apologies, general psychological assaults, intimidation, threats, all of which were wearing Tsukune down. He'd tried ignoring and enduring the abuse, but that only made things worse. He'd changed his routine to minimize his interactions with his tormentor, but that just encouraged the thug to up the ante.
The punk had pushed Tsukune far past his breaking point, but he'd choked down his anger, knowing that he couldn't win in a physical fight, and hoping the desperate wish of all bullying victims, that it would just STOP. But even with his life as risk, every man has a point where he can endure no more. Tsukune's happened after class one day when he was heading out the door, only to be pushed aside viciously. Even that hadn't been quite enough, but then the guy had turned away with a contemptuous snort.
Days of misery, pent up frustrations and anger, and struggles to avoid the cruelty of some uncaring bully. The dam, stressed for over a week, finally burst. Seeing red, knowing he was losing control but no longer caring, Tsukune let out an enraged snarl and shoved his tormentor as hard as he could, making him stumble, driving him face first into the wall.
"I think that scrawny guy finally had enough," a bystander remarked loudly, as the people in the hall stopped to watch the proceedings.
"This should be interesting," the person next to him agreed.
Tsukune could hear himself breathing as he watched Kenichi slowly raise himself from the floor. The almost sexual rush of satisfaction was annihilated when the monster got up, his eyes literally red, and his features altering.
"You're fuckin' dead…" the antagonist rasped.
Not sticking around to see what kind of monster Kenichi was, Tsukune bolted for the stairs, blessing his cross country membership, and hoping the bully couldn't fly. He didn't bother taking the steps, he just jumped down from one landing to the next, reaching the ground floor in record time, his blood running cold when he heard inhuman roaring behind him. Not wasting time looking over his shoulder, afraid of colliding with someone again, Tsukune burst through the front door, causing a group of students to scatter out of the way to avoid being run over.
Thankful to see only open ground ahead of him, with only a few trees between him and the dormitory, Tsukune went flat out, confident that he'd be able to lose himself in the crowded residence, when he suddenly had his feet taken out from under him. Crashing heavily into the ground, his book bag flying away from his grip, Tsukune felt the wind get roughly driven out of him when he hit the dirt. Gasping and shaking his spinning head to try to clear it, he was shocked to see tree roots sticking up from the soil, which he knew hadn't been there moments earlier. Heavy, plodding footfalls made the ground tremble, and a howl drew Tsukune's attention. "Stupid move, trying to escape through the trees!"
"A dendroid," he murmured to himself. A monstrous tree was almost swaggering towards him, gnarled branches for arms, bright red eyes and teeth that looked plenty sharp, even if they were wood. Looking around frantically for his bag, Tsukune struggled to get to his feet when the tree monster swatted him savagely, the branch striking him across the face, sending him flying. Losing consciousness momentarily, Tsukune recovered just in time for a tree trunk like foot to kick him in the stomach, doubling him over and sending him tumbling again.
Tasting blood in his mouth, his body screaming in agony, Tsukune's eyes went wide when he saw his bag on the ground, no more than a foot away. Barely taking notice of the crowd that had gathered to watch the fight, Tsukune rolled over on his stomach, dragging himself closer to his satchel, his fingers closing tightly around the handle even as he was bodily lifted off of the ground and thrown, his face being scratched by twigs branching off his attacker's arms. The impact with the ground nearly knocked him into oblivion, but he forced himself to stay awake, the monster's snarling getting louder as it stomped slowly towards him, probably ready to finish him off.
Bullies hated it when their targets fought back.
Laying on his side and willing his fingers to work, Tsukune managed to get his bag open, reaching in until he felt a metal cylinder. Pulling it out, using his thumb to snap off the plastic cap, and gripping it like a lifeline, he used his left hand to pull one of the lighters he carried at all times, hoping with all his heart it would work. He had just gotten both of them ready when he was forcefully rolled onto his back, the dendroid cocking back a branch to drive it right through him.
Whipping up his arms, flicking the lighter and grinning ferally when a flame lit with a click, he depressed the top of the aerosol can a half second later.
Frooooosh!
Outdoors, the flame was a little underwhelming to Tsukune; it didn't seem as bright, or as loud.
The dendroid probably didn't share the sentiment. The gout of fire roared right into its face, some of it going into its mouth. The dried out bark made perfect kindling, going alight almost instantly. Screaming in horror, it tried to beat out the flames with its hands, but only literally added fuel to the fire. Considering how frantically it was trying to extinguish itself, it was understandable that it didn't notice Tsukune getting back to his feet, until the human triggered a much longer burst, this one starting at its feet and working up the torso, using fire's natural preference to climb to spread. Tsukune noticed that the hairspray was sticking where it touched, a little like napalm.
Watching his tormentor burn, its screams and the crackling of flame caused Tsukune to feel savage glee. When the dendroid actually tried to stop, drop, and roll to put himself out, he almost laughed. But the aches that flowed over him killed any levity. Rolling around in dry grass wasn't helping extinguish the blaze, and an inhuman, keening wail came from the fireball that had minutes ago looked very human. The sound would have normally made Tsukune wet his pants, but his blood was practically singing now, and he did his best to impair the monsters efforts to put itself out by letting it have a third, longer blast, keeping the trigger depressed until the aerosol began to sputter.
"Fire needs three things to exist," he informed the burning monster, trying to keep himself from showing his terror, and excitement. "Heat, oxygen, and a source of fuel. Guess which you are!"
Screams turned to cries, then to whimpering, until everything was silent except the crackle of the funeral pyre of the dendroid. Watching the fire as he tried to catch his breath, Tsukune noticed that more than a few of his schoolmates had gathered around because of the commotion, and a few of them were giving him hard looks. As the adrenalin and fury cleared his system the realization of what he'd done almost made Tsukune's knees buckle. It was one thing to think about getting even with a bully; going ahead and killing one was something else entirely. Even if the dendroid had made his life hard, killing another sentient being, one that was pretty close to being human, was something no ordinary human could do without being affected.
Tsukune felt gorge rise in his stomach, and he could tell cold sweat had broken out all over his body. Looking at the monsters watching him made him realize that the dendroid might have had friends, possibly even ones that wouldn't be annoyed by flame, or who could perhaps even breathe it. He was still vulnerable, still alone, and his best chance to surprise an unwary monster would probably be common knowledge within an hour. If monsters could smell fear, he was lucky that the thick black smoke from the fire might conceal his.
"Why the hell'd you'd do that?" an upperclassman called out.
"Do what?" Tsukune was never more proud of himself for not giving away a hint of his terror by having his voice crack.
"Burn him," a girl answered for the guy. "Why didn't you use your monster form?"
Tsukune had been expecting this, and he silently blessed Ichiro for unknowingly giving him an excuse after the first run. "We're learning to be human, right?" When a few of the onlookers nodded somewhat reluctantly, he continued. "I just fought like a human would."
"How's that?"
"Dirty." Tsukune had never been more scared, ever, but he could not show any weakness, or he probably wouldn't last another minute. He noticed something in the pocket of one of the closer students, and casually walked towards him, his mind screaming that this was madness. Tsukune had had a lot of practice ignoring that voice. Disregarding that the guy was a foot taller, and probably twice his weight, Tsukune brazenly took the pack of cigarettes from his pocket, fished out one of the white cylinders and put the pack back where he found it. Coolly turning his back to the man, hoping he simply wouldn't be struck down, Tsukune walked towards the bonfire, which was still going strong, taking hold of a branch that wasn't burning at the end and broke it off with a snap. He brought the burning end towards his face and used it to light the cigarette, before throwing the wood back into the fire. The smoke filling his mouth made him more nauseous, and it took all of his will to keep from coughing.
Retrieving his book bag, calmly placing the now empty hairspray can back inside, Tsukune walked back towards the dorm, hiding his limp, and not wanting to show just how badly that tree monster had hurt him. He walked normally, not hurrying even though he wanted nothing more than to lock himself in his room and scream. Discarding the cigarette when he reached the door, he hadn't taken a single puff, Tsukune kept his face calm, a grimace that threatened to crack any second.
Finally making it back to his room he walked inside, locking the door before dashing to the bathroom, just managing to reach the toilet before he started vomiting. Even after his stomach was empty he was racked by dry heaves for what felt like forever, before spitting out the last of the bile, wiping his mouth on his shirt sleeve and flushing the reeking mess away. Pushing himself awkwardly to his feet, he got a look at himself in the mirror. His face had a nasty gash across it, he hadn't noticed the pain earlier, and his skin was as white as milk. Tsukune was absolutely covered with sweat; some of the smoke had mixed with it, giving him an ashen pallor that made him look almost dead.
With trembling fingers Tsukune removed his jacket and tie, tossing them on the floor next to his bed. The shirt was soaked with perspiration and had vomit smeared on the sleeve, so it went into the hamper. He could see a bruise from where he'd been kicked, but as bad as had hurt, it hadn't seemed to do much damage, or aggravate his ribs. Tsukune could smell his own stink, mixed with the acrid smoke that had been a classmate, and he stripped for a shower. A long soak under hot water took away the grime, but it couldn't wash away his fear, or his remorse.
"Why couldn't he have just left me alone?" Tsukune murmured softly. As he closed his eyes to rinse off, he could see the monster writhing as the flames consumed him, its death screams still ringing in his ears. Tsukune started to shake; before today he'd resorted to theft to help survive his time at Youkai Academy, but now he'd graduated to murder. 'What happens now?' he wondered. Would the Enforcers take him away to be executed? He'd only ever seen them when that spider girl had taken down Kurumu, but since he'd killed a classmate in such a high profile way, Tsukune expected them to come knocking at his door soon.
Finishing his shower, but guilt and shame were still making him feel dirty, Tsukune dried off, put on a t-shirt and some boxers, and barricaded his door. It was a force of habit by now, even though he figured it wouldn't do anything to keep out a determined monster. It was just about time for dinner to be served, but Tsukune had no appetite, knowing that anything he tried eating would be violently rejected. Sleeping wasn't going to be easy, but at least it might be possible to stop thinking about what had happened if he did.
As he climbed stiffly into bed Tsukune went to close the blinds, and saw that the funeral pyre was still burning brightly. Closing them and setting his head on his pillow, he felt tears well up and flow down his face, seeing the death over and over again when he closed his eyes, the agonized screams repeating over and over and over. When he finally fell into troubled, fitful sleep, Tsukune's shoulders were shaking, his sobs muffled by the blanket he gripped tightly in his teeth.
End of Chapter Two
Author's Notes:
Pre-read by Random1377 and Mereo Flere