Rosario Vampire Fan Fiction ❯ He Who Fights Monsters ❯ Under Pressure ( Chapter 5 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Rosario + Vampire:

He Who Fights Monsters…

Chapter Five: Under Pressure

Written by: Hawker_748

Tsukune leaned against the wall, the receiver of the payphone cradled against his head, listening as it rang on the other side. After the 'date' with Keito the night before, he'd been so flustered, and worried so much more than normal that he'd maybe slept three hours in total. And that brief sleep had been haunted by a giant spider approaching him while he was cocooned in its web. The fact that it was cooing rather seductively –in German- only made things worse.

He'd spent most of the day in his room, coming out just for meals, and dozing the rest of the time, using the inactivity to heal up a little. Tsukune did feel a little better by Sunday afternoon, so he decided to give his family a call. He was two days overdue; he'd always called on Friday without fail, but he hoped his parents wouldn't be too worried. As he heard the phone get picked up, he let out a breath and forced himself to sound a little more upbeat than he felt.

"Hello?" his mother called out from the distance.

"Hi mom, it's me."

"Tsukune, how are you? Is something wrong?"

In spite of the concern he heard in her voice, Tsukune smiled. It was nice to be able to talk with his family. "No, there's nothing wrong, I'm fine," he assured her. "There's nothing wrong here." 'Any more than usual,' he added silently.

"When you didn't call, we started to worry," Kasumi Aono told her son.

"I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to worry you. Just… something unexpected happened." 'There's the understatement of the century…'

"Was it something bad?"

Tsukune grimaced. 'How should I put that?' he wondered. "Normally, it's not a bad thing…"

For all his lies, half-truths, and omissions, the woman on the other end of the line was still Tsukune's mother, and she knew her son better than he thought she did. After a brief silence she asked, "Is this about a girl?"

Tsukune's stammered denials must have made him sound brain damaged. He was glad that no one was there to witness the open shock and disbelief on his face. "H-how did you know?" he managed to finally squeak out.

"A mother knows these things," she explained confidently. "Tell me more about her."

"I-I really don't think I should," Tsukune responded. 'You have no idea, mom…'

"Is she pretty?"

Tsukune stopped to consider that. If you didn't know what she really was, Keito was rather attractive. "Pretty on the outside, yes."

Somehow his mother managed to frown over the phone. "You should worry more about what's inside," she scolded.

"Oh, I am worried about what's inside," Tsukune agreed instantly. "Believe me."

"What's so bad about her?"

There was almost no way he could answer that without sounding insane. "She's… a little clingy."

"Clingy…?"

"Clingy."

"Is that all?" Kasumi Aono wondered.

"Her… tastes… are different that mine," Tsukune added. "Her beliefs too. I really don't think I'm her type."

"Then why did you ask her out?"

"I didn't ask her," Tsukune retorted back, with more force than he intended. "She menaced me into a date."

"You mean she asked you out?"

"Like I said, she didn't 'ask,' she-"

"How wonderful," his mother interrupted him. "She's one of those new assertive women, I like that."

Tsukune wanted to beat his head against a wall until the universe made sense. Or until he passed out. He wasn't feeling too choosy. "We're really not right for each other," he muttered darkly, feeling a headache coming on.

His mother lowered her voice, almost conspiratorially. "She isn't an airhead, is she?"

"Not at all," Tsukune allowed.

"What do other people think of her?"

'They're scared to death…' "I'd say everyone respects her."

"It's only been one date, right?"

"Yes, thank God…"

"You should give her more time," his mom insisted. "She sounds like a special girl."

"Well, she's not like any girl I've met," Tsukune agreed.

"Give the poor girl a chance to grow on you. Take her out next weekend."

"She's picking me up on Saturday," Tsukune informed his mom. "I'll tell you about it Sunday. Assuming I survive."

His mother either didn't notice, or just ignored, the bitterness in his voice. "Can I count on you to act respectfully?"

Tsukune shuddered. "That won't be a problem," he promised, his head starting to spin. "Is dad around?"

"He's out with the boys."

"Tell him I said hi. I'll have to go now, long line-up, I'll talk to you next week. Bye." Tsukune replaced the receiver with a click, slumping against the wall. Great. Now he had to worry about disappointing his mother in addition to avoiding becoming spider chow. He wanted to find a deep dark hole to crawl into and cry, but he couldn't afford to let that weakness show. Taking a deep breath to calm himself and set his shoulders, Tsukune slipped his mask back into place and walked to the cafeteria, not really that hungry, but knowing he needed to eat to keep his strength up.

Filling his tray and taking an empty table, Tsukune ate slowly, cautiously keeping his eyes open for anyone who looked like trouble. Considering all the attention he'd gotten while eating, he was toying with taking all his meals in his room, all the better to avoid having to deal with anyone. But since it was strictly forbidden to take plates or cutlery out of the cafeteria, he didn't want to do anything that might draw unwanted attention.

"Are you him?"

Case in point. Tsukune wished he could just rub the bridge of his nose and sigh, but at Youkai Academy anything could lead to a fight, so he had to keep his eyes open and his senses on alert. "Who's him?" Tsukune replied, carefully watching the rather seamy looking student who was glaring at him. Judging by his appearances, at any other school Tsukune would have pegged him for an otaku; a little overweight, greasy looking hair, and he seemed to be sweating like he was in a sauna.

"The one who stole her," the doughy looking student hissed.

"Who's her?" Tsukune had discretely pulled a lighter and was covertly reaching for an aerosol.

"The delicate beauty of Youkai Academy," the guy told him, an adoring tone in his voice. "The precious rose growing from this compost heap."

Tsukune felt himself getting tense; this could get unpleasant. "Listen, I don't know what you heard, but I didn't do anything to Kurumu," he explained carefully. "She was taken-"

"Not that top heavy bimbo!" the man snarled. "You stole Keito!"

Tsukune blinked. Twice. "Keito? But you said the delica-"

"Shut up!" The student slammed a meaty fist onto the table, jostling Tsukune's food, and drawing every eye in the cafeteria.

The human was on his feet, the lighter flicked on and the spray can in his hand. Only the fact that the latest person who'd interrupted one of his meals hadn't done anything overtly threatening kept Tsukune from trying to light him up. Silence reigned supreme as half the student body watched the standoff in a hushed quiet. "Listen, I'm really sorry about that, really…" If he couldn't calm the guy down, he'd have to try to take him out, and for all he knew his flamethrower might not even irritate him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw other students watching from the exit, and blocking it in the process. 'Nowhere to run…'

"What does she see in you?"

Tsukune gave a humourless bark of a laugh. "Damned if I know."

"What if I take her from you?" the portly student sneered.

'Be my guest,' was Tsukune's first thought. 'Good luck to you two, Mazel Tov, send me pictures of the egg sac.' Just knowing that saying what he thought would come back to bite him, Tsukune chose his words carefully. "That's up to her."

The monster finally appeared to notice all the attention he was attracting, and he looked rather uneasy. "This isn't over," the student told him in a quieter voice. "I will make Keito mine." Without another word he turned away and slunk out of the cafeteria, leaving a relieved human behind him.

'Hope you're right.' Not wanting to show just how glad he was things hadn't blown up, Tsukune blew out the lighter and slipped it and the aerosol into his pocket. Sitting down as if this was a common occurrence, which was closer to the truth than he liked, Tsukune calmly finished his meal and slipped his tray into the collection rack and walked back to his dorm. He spent every second scanning his surroundings, half expecting his romantic rival, (and that thought made him snort in disgust) to jump him on his way home. But he reached his room without incident and finally let out the sigh of relief when he was safe behind his locked door.

Stripping down to his skivvies, Tsukune was pleased to note that his ribs felt better than they had in a while, and he might be able to take the wrappings off in a week. But when he caught a look at himself in the mirror he frowned. While the running had tightened and strengthened his legs, his arms were still close to being toothpicks. 'Might not hurt to bulk up a bit,' he decided. However, he couldn't use the weight room, since everyone else was casually tossing around weight he couldn't even budge.

It did leave him one option; Tsukune had never liked calisthenics in Phys Ed, but here the stakes were far higher. Dropping down to the floor, Tsukune began doing push-ups, feeling worried when his arms started to shake before he'd even reached twenty. But drawing on his reserves, he forced himself to do a hundred of them, then keep going until he could barely drag himself into bed. He fell asleep quickly, but he slept no better than he had on any night since his arrival.

XXX

Tsukune sat at his desk reviewing his notes, trying to ignore the idle chatter in the classroom. Ms. Nekonome had given them a free study period and he was using it wisely. There was a run later, and he'd lose the chance to study later to try to keep his grades up. Today hadn't been bad for a Monday; he'd been left in peace during breakfast and lunch, and there'd been no fights he was aware of. And since this was the last class of the day, Tsukune found himself faintly hoping that things would stay settled down.

"You're pretty ballsy, sniffing up an Enforcer's skirt like that," an arrogant voice cut into his concentration.

So much for faint hopes.

Tsukune looked up slowly. If he'd been granted the power to make one monster at Youkai Academy disappear by snapping his fingers, Saizo wouldn't have lasted two days. The monstrel thug seemed to delight in antagonizing everyone, ignoring the rules and regulations, showing up for class rarely, and usually making anti-human cracks that left Tsukune seething in silence. One of his grimmest daydreams involved Saizo and a bazooka. Mentally counting to ten to keep his cool, for all his bluster, Saizo and never done anything threatening, Tsukune replied calmly, refusing to take the bait. "Wasn't my idea, she decided we'd go out."

Saizo sneered down at the human. "So she's got you whipped."

Tsukune shrugged. "She's an Enforcer. Would you have told her no?" The way the monstrel momentarily deflated was surprisingly gratifying.

"She's just a bitch," Saizo continued, acting as if he hadn't briefly faltered. "A real monster would show her her place."

"I'll keep that in mind." Tsukune returned his attention to his books, but covertly kept his eyes on the monstrel. He wasn't surprised when Saizo stomped off, muttering under his breath; for all his bravado, he'd only seemed to assault the weaker students. Tsukune had killed two who'd attacked him. That took him off the 'weak' list, even if his thuggish classmate wouldn't admit it.

Ms. Nekonome walked back into class, nodding in thanks at the class president, and announced that class would be let out a little early. Even though everyone in the class was monsters, (in theory) the reaction was no different than it would have been in a human classroom. Tsukune even felt a hint of a smile on his face, until the teacher gave him a hard look and mentioned she needed to see him after class.

'What did I do?' Tsukune wondered as the rest of the class filed out, a few giving him sympathetic looks as they passed. The look Ms. Nekonome had was unlike her usual demeanour, and even her 'ears' seemed to be flattened down. When the last students trickled out she closed and locked the door, leaving her alone with her student. Tsukune had played a few video games that started out just like this, but he didn't think he was that lucky.

"Is it true?" his teacher asked without preamble.

"Is what true?" he replied, suspecting he already knew.

"You and that… that… Enforcer." She spat the last word as if it was poisonous.

'Had Keito told everyone in the school?' Tsukune speculated. 'Or maybe that show in the cafeteria last night.' "It's not like I had much of a choice."

Ms. Nekonome looked disgusted. "You know what she's like, you saw her work."

"Yeah, and that's why I was too scared to say no," Tsukune insisted. The fact his teacher seemed upset with him was more hurtful than he expected.

Shizuka let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She pushed her glasses back up and looked at Tsukune carefully. "I can't say you're wrong," she allowed. "If she's threatening you, I could tell the schoolmaster…"

Tsukune shook his head. "Thanks, really, but I think I have to deal with this myself. It can't look good if I ask for help."

"It shouldn't be a problem for me," Ms. Nekonome stated.

"Keito's already got a reason to be angry with you, I don't want her getting more," Tsukune pointed out. "I'd feel bad if you got hurt cuz of me."

"You're worried about me…?" Shizuka looked at him as if he were insane. And a little touched.

Tsukune smiled weakly. Perhaps he was. "She seems to like me for some reason," he murmured. "She'll learn I'm not to her taste," Tsukune stifled a shudder when he had a literal image of that helpfully pop into his mind, "-and find someone who's better."

His teacher gave him a faint smile. "I don't think she could do that…" she replied softly.

"Pardon me?"

"Never mind, just be careful, okay?"

His teacher seemed a little pre-occupied; she couldn't meet his gaze and there was a blush on her cheeks. "Always am," Tsukune reminded her. When she gestured for him to go, the human opened the door and walked out into the hallway, heading for the exit to escape another school day.

XXX

"I heard you had a little excitement at dinner last night, Tsukune."

Tsukune nearly leapt out of his skin when Keito's voice came from behind him. Whirling around he saw her leaning casually outside the door he'd just used, a sardonic smile on her face. "Shouldn't you be in class?" he managed to ask when his heart started again.

Keito ignored the question, pushing herself languidly away from the wall and walking towards him. "I heard you were dismissed early, I felt like talking with you. Was I wrong wanting that?"

Silencing his honest opinion, Tsukune shook his head. "You mind if we walk and talk? I've got cross country today."

"Not at all." Keito fell into step beside him, and Tsukune wondered if she violated the personal space of all the guys she was interested in. Or maybe monsters didn't have such a concept.

"I guess you could call it excitement," Tsukune allowed. "He said I'd stolen the delicate beauty of the school."

Keito snorted derisively and rolled her eyes. "That idiot."

"Who is he?" Tsukune asked, genuinely curious.

Keito tilted her head as she looked at him. "Jealous?"

"Should I be?"

The Enforcer chuckled softly. "His name is Harunobu Kouji, and he's a total lost cause," Keito related. "He's been declaring his love for me all year, and my patience is wearing thin."

"I see." Tsukune let out a short breath. So much for the idea of hooking Keito and her suitor up. "What's so bad about him?"

"You saw him, didn't you? He's weak, spineless, almost never stands up for himself. Not like you." Keito punctuated the last with an affectionate squeeze of his arm.

Tsukune was used to suppressing displays of pain by now, so the latest semi-assault on his arm just required a tightening of his jaw. The two of them continued the walk in an uncomfortable silence, for Tsukune at least, until they reached the steps of his dormitory. "I have to go get changed now," he murmured, relieved that Keito had let him go.

"I thought I'd come in and watch," she remarked. After a brief period of savouring the horrified look on the human's face, Keito smiled. "I'm just teasing," she explained. "This time… See you on Saturday." She turned and left Tsukune behind to contemplate in horror.

Tsukune didn't want to run up the stairs to his room, but his body did it anyway. Safe in his room, his trembling hands stripped off his school uniform and tightened up his chest wraps. He concentrated on the run he would be doing shortly, because the prospect Keito had raised was far too horrifying to consider right now, if Tsukune valued his sanity. Finally changed and ready to head out, his shoelaces had taken far longer to tie than normal, the only human at Youkai Academy left the sanctuary of his room and walked to where the cross country club mustered before their runs.

He was surprised to see Ichiro and some of the other members wearing their school uniform. After acknowledging the greetings, he went to the club president. "Is something wrong?"

Ichiro shook his head. "Nothing like that," he assured him. "Most of us have tests coming up, and I was going to cancel the run, but I decided to let everyone make up their own mind." The werewolf gave him a rueful look. "I was going to tell you after class, but you were already gone."

"Don't worry about it," Tsukune told him. "Does that mean we can't run?"

"Not at all, it's just optional today."

After the past couple of days, Tsukune needed the run to keep from cracking up. "I'll do it."

"I thought you would," Ichiro replied with a proud grin. "Just run for fun today."

'Not likely,' Tsukune thought. "We still on for Thursday?"

"Count on it. Later." The other club members walked away, leaving Tsukune to warm up in private.

After five minutes of stretching and loosening up, Tsukune was ready to face the run. But looking at the path into the woods made him pause; he'd never run in them alone, and who knew what might lurking, waiting to pounce on an isolated human? After a moments consideration, Tsukune decided he'd take another route today. Turning his back on the woods, and swearing he felt something watching him, he began running towards the cliff face, figuring that along there he'd only have to look out on one side.

As he ran he passed other groups of students on their club activities, or just hanging out, slipping by them without drawing any attention. Within a few minutes he was approaching the bus stop where he'd arrived at, seemingly a lifetime ago. He saw the spot where his classmate Moka had damn near run him over with her bike, not even looking back to see if he was okay. Tsukune ran on the small tract of land between the edge of the cliff and the road the bus he'd taken had travelled on. This far from the school there was only the sound of the breakers crashing on the rocks, accompanied by his footfalls and the rhythmic sounds of his breathing.

There were occasional copses of bushes or trees, and an odd boulder here or there, but the scenery was flat for the most part, the sight of waves crashing onto the rocks below to the left drawing his eyes. Tsukune worked to keep his pace up, pushing past the ache in his ribs, not wanting to slack off even though he was alone. He paid attention to how long he'd been running, wanting to turn around so that he'd be able to complete his run just outside his dormitory. Walking back after he was exhausted was out of the question; with his luck that was when something would jump him.

Tsukune kept running, trying to leave all the recent developments behind him, not wanting to have to think about arachnid girlfriends, jealous suitors, or any of the more mundane dangers that Youkai Academy had stacked to the rafters. Looking up, Tsukune almost stopped in his tracks when he saw the tunnel that the bus had travelled through when he'd arrived. It couldn't be more than a mile away, and it was within reach, a tempting sight that practically called out to him. He could reach it within minutes, and then he'd just have to get through it to go home, escape from Youkai Academy forever.

But as much as Tsukune wanted, needed, to leave, he had no idea what would happen if he just deserted. What if someone, or something came after him? And even if he made a clean getaway, what then? He'd be unable to start at a new school until the following year, and if it was on his record that he'd abandoned one school, the odds that another would accept him dropped dramatically. He'd started the transfer process and if he waited for that to finish he be able to leave legitimately. Turning back towards Youkai Academy was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do, but he left the exit behind as his feet pounded the ground as he began his return path.

As Youkai Academy came back into view, Tsukune pushed himself harder, imagining he was holding off a late charge from Ichiro as motivation. When he was a few hundred feet from his dorm, Tsukune finally eased up, putting his hands on his hips and breathing deep to get his wind back. By the time he reached the front steps he was covered by a film of sweat, and feeling tired, but breathing almost normally. Back in his room, after a cleansing shower, re-application of the wraps, and a dose of painkillers, Tsukune felt human again, and he got dressed for dinner. After a quick meal, he retreated to his room again to study for a while, before settling in for another sleep haunted by horrifying images and memories.

XXX

"Good afternoon Tsukune."

Tsukune closed his eyes and let out a faint sigh; he really needed to look into not having to eat. Maybe then he wouldn't have classmates coming up to him whenever he just wanted to refuel and be left alone. Looking up at his guest he saw that Keito was in front of him again, a lunch tray in her hands. He was relieved that she wasn't wearing her Enforcers uniform, so this probably made this a social call. Although that didn't necessarily make it any better either. "Hello Keito," he replied cordially, hoping she was just passing by.

Keito dashed that hope when she set her tray down and took a seat, once again not even bothering to ask for permission first. "Why do you always eat alone?" she asked.

'Keeps me from ending up as someone's lunch,' he thought darkly. "I just… use the time to study, that's all."

"At least it's not a waste," Keito agreed, taking a forkful of her lunch. "Your grades are getting better."

"How did-" Tsukune broke off when the answer became clear. If she could get her hands on his school file, his grades would be a piece of cake. "Gotta keep it up, don't wanna let 'em slip," he explained, keeping his eyes on his texts, and subtly bringing his right arm in closer, all the better to grab at his knife if he needed it. His left arm was still bruised from their first date, and the push-ups he'd started doing made them hurt as well. After a few minutes of going over his notes he glanced up and saw Keito watching him in between bites of her lunch. "I'm sorry if I'm not good company," he murmured, feeling vaguely guilty for not talking with her.

"Don't worry, I don't mind."

Tsukune closed his book. "Why?" he wondered. "It's got to feel like I'm ignoring you." The irony of that statement nearly made him shake his head.

Keito shrugged. "Sometimes it's nice just to be near someone you like, even if they don't have the time." She then gave him a smile.

Tsukune paused. That was on the border of almost being sweet. And Keito was rather pretty when she smiled. Letting out a deep breath he resumed his studying. Keito was also a spider woman who would kill him in a heartbeat if she figured out what he was. Movement out of the corner of his eye drew his gaze, and Tsukune saw Harunobu making a pathetic attempt to hide behind a garbage can, the unlucky suitor had an aura of desperate, impotent fury about him.

For just a fraction of a second, Tsukune's expression hardened; if that was all he could do, it was no wonder Keito wanted nothing to do with Harunobu. 'You're supposed to be a man, aren't you?' Tsukune thought angrily, ignoring the inherent flaw in that statement. 'Grow some balls and make a move, show her you care, sweep her off her feet. Or at least get her off my back…' When the skeevy looking monster slunk away, the human was unexpectedly gripped with disgust. Unless he had a huge attitude adjustment, there was nothing Tsukune could do to put off the date this weekend. Yes, Keito said the guy repulsed her, and he could sort of understand her feelings, but she just wasn't giving the poor guy a chance. Unless Harunobu was willing to make a move, he'd never be more than some creepy stalker.

Looking up from his contemplations, Tsukune noticed Keito was watching him study. Her attention made him feel a little fidgety. "Do I have something between my teeth?"

Keito shook her head. "You're just rather intense looking when you study."

Tsukune felt a strange compulsion to blush. "Thanks… I just need to keep my grades up, that's all."

"Speaking of that, shouldn't you be getting back to class?"

Glancing at the clock, Tsukune grimaced. "You're right. Thanks."

"It's no problem," Keito replied sweetly. "Would you mind if I walk with you to class?"

Tsukune froze, his textbook halfway into his bag. Walk? With her? He'd rather go for a run through a minefield. But looking at Keito he saw the almost hopeful look she was wearing, and that coupled with unexpected guilt over how he'd treated her, even if she'd cheerfully devour him, made it much harder than he expected to refuse her.

'I want her to lose interest,' Tsukune reminded himself. 'Not get so angry she kills me on principle.' He decided he could be distant, without being an asshole. "No, go ahead," he told her with a forced smile.

As they made their way through the hallways, Keito very close at his side, Tsukune noticed a few students giving approving looks as they passed. It made him think back to junior high, when all he'd ever wanted was to have a girl who wanted to be with him. Now he was walking through Youkai Academy with a rather attractive girl at his side, and he wanted nothing more than to be alone.

Sometimes the universe seemed especially unfair.

Several times during the slow walk to Tsukune's class, he noticed Harunobu attempting to follow them covertly, but the guy was about as subtle as dropping a piano from the roof. With his bumbling attempts to hide behind people and objects far too small, he stood out like a fly on a wedding cake, and Tsukune felt himself getting irritated by his presence. If Keito noticed him she didn't give Tsukune any indication of it. 'Maybe she's just gotten used to it.' The spider woman simply asked him seemingly innocent questions about running and his classes, telling him a little about her own as well.

When the unlikely couple finally reached Tsukune's class, Keito simply nodded politely and walked away, pausing to give Ms. Nekonome a little wave. His teacher gave him a dark glare and Tsukune looked at her apologetically, not noticing some of the rather hard looks some of his female classmates gave the departing Enforcer. Settling into his desk, Tsukune opened his books and tried not to think about his upcoming date this weekend.

XXX

Tsukune looked in his mirror and made sure his hair was tidy, or at least as tidy as his ever got. Satisfied with what he saw there, he glanced up at the clock; two minutes to three. Keito would be picking him up on the hour. She'd told him six at the end of their first date, but during the week she'd evidentially decided to start it earlier. She'd told him about the change in plans at dinner last night. Tsukune wondered why she hadn't mentioned it during one of their earlier meals together.

Every day that week Keito had joined him for a meal, sitting down without asking for permission and dining with him, despite his efforts to put on an air that he wanted to be left alone. She'd mostly done it at lunch, but breakfast happened once, and yesterday had been a double feature, lunch and dinner. Whatever the time she joined him, Harunobu was always in the background, trying to be discrete, but as obvious as a stampede of elephants. Tsukune found himself wondering if Keito was spending time with him just to give her unwanted suitor another twist of the knife. The fact she always walked with him afterwards couldn't have made the guy feel any better, and it always made Ms. Nekonome's ears flatten against her skull when she saw the two of them together.

There wasn't any doubt that Keito was doing that just for fun. She'd told Tsukune that right from the start.

Keito would always talk with him, asking him innocent sounding questions, and for a day or so he'd considered the idea that she was just spending time with him to learn whether or not he was human. But her questions were always innocuous, never probing, and Tsukune had started to subtly drop his guard around the Enforcer, even though he tried to remain vigilant.

Tsukune grimaced. Last night at dinner he'd been aghast to realize that he was starting to get comfortable with the spider woman. Sure, she could be surprisingly charming, but she was also obviously, and gleefully sadistic, occasionally telling him about her work, and Tsukune had needed all of his control to keep his horror well hidden. Keito'd also made it clear the utter contempt she had for humanity, and he used that to remind himself whenever he felt something like attraction or affection growing.

But he'd never counted on having to cope with the sheer isolation he placed himself in. Tsukune had never dealt with anyone outside of school or the cross country club, and the solitude and loneliness were harder to endure than he'd expected. It was one thing to be a bit of an outsider with only a few friends; being truly alone on dangerous ground was something else entirely, and he should have anticipated that he'd become desperate for any kind of attachment. Even if the subject of that attachment would doubtlessly kill him without hesitation if she ever learned the truth about him.

As if thinking about her could summon Keito, a brisk knocking suddenly came from the door. Tsukune jumped a little, even though he'd been expecting this. He looked up at his clock. 3 PM on the dot. He'd been over an hour late the first time, but Tsukune'd been certain he wouldn't be that lucky, and once again he'd been right.

At times like this, Tsukune really hated being right.

Nervously brushing his hands over his jacket to insure, yet again, that his makeshift weapons were in place, and swallowing to moisten a suddenly dry mouth, Tsukune opened the door a crack and looked out. Sure enough, Keito was standing there, her sleepy looking eyes meeting his, her almost arrogant smile in place. "Hello Keito," he greeted her as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

"Tsukune," Keito replied with a nod. "I'm glad you're ready, we'll need to go right away."

"Go where?" he asked. Keito had a bag over her shoulder, and she'd brushed off his timid attempts to learn what she had planned.

"It's a surprise," she responded neutrally. "You'll see soon enough."

"I love surprises," Tsukune told her, a tight, forced grin on his face. He allowed the spider woman to lead him out of the dorm, occasionally casting glances to the bag she had slung over her shoulder. He couldn't tell what was in it, and he suspected she wouldn't tell him if he asked. The couple walked slowly across the school ground, the pool coming into view. Tsukune scowled briefly when he saw Harunobu out of the corner of his eye, making a (failed) attempt to sneak after them. 'Does that guy camp outside my building?'

When Keito adjusted her path a little, it became clear to Tsukune that she wasn't planning on taking him swimming. His mind suddenly pulled up an image of what she might look like in a bikini, and he shook his head to clear away the surprisingly alluring image. 'A swim might have been nice,' he mused. 'Been a while since I-'

Tsukune's thoughts came to a screeching halt when a large triangular fin broke the surface and sliced swiftly through the water before slipping back under. He quickly made a mental note to never, ever approach the pool again, even if he ever burst into flame. Shaken, but not surprised by anything at Youkai Academy at this point, Tsukune began to get a little worried when it became clear Keito was leading him towards the dead forest behind the school. "Just what are we doing?" he asked, worried that while he and Keito would walk into the woods, she'd walk back out alone.

Keito stopped and gave him a laconic smirk. "We're going insect collecting."

Tsukune froze. "Say what?"

"Insect collecting," she repeated, unfazed by Tsukune's look of incomprehension. "Look," the spider woman said reasonably, "it's better than sitting around studying, it's relaxing." Keito slipped off her satchel and opened it, showing her dumbfounded companion jars, boxes, and a guide book. "You probably chased around bugs as a kid, right?"

"Well, yes," Tsukune admitted.

"So it's the same thing, you're just older now." Turning back to the forest, the Enforcer strode confidentially into the trees.

Tsukune hesitated. He'd run through the woods enough times, but that had always been in a group. Now he was alone with someone who had plenty of reason to want him dead, even if she didn't know that yet. Letting out a short breath, Tsukune followed after her. 'If she wanted to lure me off to kill me, she wouldn't use such a stupid idea… Would she…?' Feeling nowhere near as secure in his logic as he liked, the human put himself on alert; maybe he was being overly paranoid now, even for him. On the other hand, there was no reason he should make it easy for her in case he was wrong.

After a minute of walking the school seemed to disappear in the trees, the still air allowing an eerie silence to fall over the couple. When Keito stopped and set down her bag Tsukune idly leaned against a tree, taking mild comfort from the fact nothing would be able to get to him from behind. Keito looked up at him and her eyes narrowed. Almost quicker than his eyes could follow she rushed at him.

In spite of his efforts, Tsukune was caught completely by surprise, not having a chance to dodge the hand that brushed past his head, pushing aside some of his hairs. Almost as fast Keito's hand drew back, a small, plain grey moth writhing desperately as she held it by its wings.

"See? Found one already."

Tsukune managed to keep his legs from buckling as he looked at the helpless insect in the grip of his girlfriend. "H-how did you…?"

"I have good eyes," Keito explained cheerfully.

If she'd wanted to kill him, he'd never know what hit him. Tsukune felt a strange sense of calm come over him. He wasn't going to drop his guard, but there wasn't a lot he could do to protect himself. He knew he'd have to be very lucky, and he suspected that he'd almost exhausted his stockpile of that. There was nothing Tsukune could do but just go with the flow and hope that he did nothing to draw Keito's attention to him before he was able to transfer out. "Do you want to put it in a jar?" he squeaked.

Keito shook her head. "I already have a few of them," she told him. "Do you want it?"

"No thanks."

Keito shrugged. "Suit yourself." She then popped the moth into her mouth and began chewing.

Tsukune turned around and pretended to be looking at the tree for more insects, so Keito wouldn't see him going green. A wave of nausea rose but he was able to push it down with effort, reminding himself that according to some TV shows, insects were excellent sources of protein. Besides, Keito was a spider woman, he should have expected this. Kneeling down, his stomach starting to settle down a little and trying not to hear the chewing noises Keito made, Tsukune's eyes were drawn to a small movement. With a slightly unsteady hand he reached out and took hold of a stag beetle.

When he'd been younger, Tsukune had always looked for one, but this was the first time he'd managed to get one. Lifting the rather large specimen up to look at it, he watched its legs thrashing impotently, the big pincers opening and closing as it struggled to get free. Tsukune stood back up and faced Keito, feeling relieved when she swallowed. "Look at this one."

"That's nice," she complimented him. "I'll get a jar." The spider woman walked back to her bag, leaving the recovering human alone with his catch.

As Tsukune continued to study his find, he felt a strange sense of accomplishment. The simple pleasure of a childhood wish could be rather heartening, he discovered. When Keito returned with the empty jar he dropped it in and closed the lid, and the two of them resumed their search for more. Tsukune was extremely relieved when Keito didn't simply eat every insect they discovered, keeping a few, but letting most of them go free. By the time she'd eaten her third one, it didn't bother Tsukune that much anymore.

The time passed a lot faster that Tsukune would have expected, but he managed to catch a surprising number of bugs, but he couldn't compare with Keito, whose arm was like a striking cobra when seizing insects. A number of millipedes and two more stag beetles went into jars and boxes, and Keito turned out to be a fountain of knowledge about them. But when Tsukune reconsidered that, he supposed that was only logical. He also found that he was actually enjoying himself with the Enforcer, something he'd never planned on or expected. When she wasn't overtly threatening, she could even be fun to talk with, although when she used her spider silk to snare a particularly colourful butterfly, she merely drove home her inherent menace.

It was well after six o'clock when the two of them started back to the school, a menagerie of indigenous insects in their possession. Tsukune was looking at a few specimens in their jars, While Keito occasionally plucked on from a box and ate it, talking to the human in between snacks. After swallowing a brightly colored millipede, which had to have been at least ten inches long, she held the box out to Tsukune. "Want one?"

Maybe it was the sheer insanity of the situation, or maybe he worried that this was actually some kind of secret test. Tsukune couldn't have given a reason if his life was on the line. "…Sure… Why not…?" The almost expectant look Keito gave him also helped.

Ignoring anything he didn't recognize, passing on anything with more than six legs, and remembering that in nature bright colors usually meant 'I'm bad to eat,' left one of the stag beetles he'd found. Gingerly reaching down and plucking it out, he used his left hand to take hold of the frightened insect by one of its pincers. Holding his breath, and telling himself it was just a hard candy with a chewy center, he put it into his mouth thorax end first and bit down.

Crunch!

If Tsukune'd had to describe it, he would have said it was like biting into a peanut, with the shell still on. Only crunchier. And instead of a tasty peanut, it was filled with bitter toothpaste. Desperately trying to ignore the feeling of legs still kicking, Tsukune began chewing frantically, wanting to finish off the bug quickly so he could swallow it and get the awful taste out of his mouth. The shell wouldn't get soft, so he could only break it into smaller pieces, turning the mouthful gritty as he chewed. Dropping the now amputated pincers, and reminding himself that bugs were rich in protein, Tsukune worked his jaws, pulverizing the exoskeleton and thankfully stopping the legs from kicking anymore.

After what felt like an eternity, Tsukune figured it was safe to try swallowing, and he began working his throat to send it into his stomach. The first swallow nearly made him gag, but he forced it down, clearing his mouth and using his tongue to remove every nauseating trace. "Not bad," he managed to force out afterwards with a weak grin. Tsukune wanted nothing more than to go back to his room and brush his teeth for a month.

"I've always thought those were too crunchy," Keito remarked, flicking another moth between her lips.

"It's okay, like a kettle chip…" From that day forward, Tsukune would never again eat a kettle chip.

As the human tried to clear the taste of the bug out of his mouth without spitting, needing to use a fingernail to pick pieces of the shell from his teeth, Keito closed the box and slipped it into her bag. Without preamble she took hold of Tsukune's free hand and squeezed it as they left the forest and entered the clearing of the school.

Tsukune nearly bit off a finger suppressing a yell as his hand was once again treated to one of Keito's affectionate gestures. He'd had a lot of practice concealing pain by now, so he was able to act normal, even as he felt his fingers go numb in her crushing grip. She led him to his building, seemingly ignoring the looks they attracted from other students as they passed. When they reached Tsukune's door she let him go and the young man wanted to weep with relief, clenching his fist and thankful it still worked.

"I had a wonderful time," Keito told him with her usual smile. "I hate to cut things short, but I've got some official business later tonight."

"It's okay," Tsukune replied. "I enjoyed it too." He was surprised that he said it. He was even more surprised that it wasn't a lie. And he really didn't want to know what she meant by 'official business.'

"Before I go, there's something we need to do," she cooed, taking a step towards Tsukune.

"W-we can plan the next date later," he stammered, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. The almost hungry look in her eyes making him suddenly nervous.

Keito clicked her tongue. "There's no need to be coy, we're dating, right?" She then took hold of his hands with her own.

Tsukune looked around nervously; there were plenty of witnesses in the hallway, more than a few watching with frank interest. "I-I'm not comfortable with public displays of affection…" He tried pulling his hands free, but they might as well have been set in concrete.

"Playing hard to get? I like that," Keito practically purred. She took a step forward and lifted his arms, forcing him back against the wall next to his door, his arms pinned over him. "If you really don't want this, use your monster form to break free. Don't worry, you won't get in trouble," she promised.

Tsukune was frantically trying to get loose, his arms quivering as he struggled to get free. Monster form? He didn't have one, but right now he would have given anything for one. His feeble attempts weren't even noticed as Keito watched him. It reminded Tsukune of the insects they'd caught earlier, and the parallels frightened him.

"I knew you didn't mean it," Keito whispered, leaning in towards his face.

Remembering what Keito looked like in her monster form, Tsukune shut his eyes, knowing what was coming, but not wanting to see it. He was startled when he felt gentle pressure on his lips; Keito's lips were warm, soft, supple, and felt completely human to Tsukune. When she opened her mouth she eased her tongue between his lips and teeth, gently exploring the inside of his mouth. Tsukune whimpered at the unwanted intrusion, even as he realized it was far more tender than he'd expected, based on what he knew of the spider woman.

As he practically hung there helplessly, Tsukune noticed that despite what he'd seen her devour that afternoon, she didn't taste the slightest bit buggy. The kiss was almost sweet, with subtle floral hints as well, and Tsukune couldn't keep himself from thinking it was nice. When her tongue sensuously rubbed against his, Tsukune felt himself returning the kiss, even though he really didn't want to. At least, that's what he was trying to tell himself as Keito moaned softly into his mouth, her lips pressed gently against his own. When her fingers danced gently over his cheeks, Tsukune felt himself tremble at the feeling.

'Fingers…?' he asked himself. 'But she's holding my arms…'

Tsukune opened his eyes and looked up, Keito's mouth muffling his cry of fear. She'd let her arachnid legs out, and two of them kept his arms pinned to the wall, despite his sudden panicked efforts to break free. Keito didn't appear to notice his struggles, the soft, gentle kiss an insane counterpoint to the iron grip she had on his arms, even as her slender fingers worked their way into his hair. When he felt his body stirring from the attention, even as part of him was near the point of absolute fear, the adrenalin flowed into his system sharpened already keen senses, and allowing Keito's efforts to set off fireworks along his spine.

His eyes were open as his tongue explored Keito's mouth, gently running the tip of it along her teeth, in what felt like tempting fate. And then it was over. Keito broke off the kiss, planting a final one on Tsukune's lips and stepping back, her arachnid legs drawing back into her body, allowing his arms to drop numbly to his sides.

"See you Monday," Keito breathed, turning around and sashaying down the hallway, a playful hitch in her gait making her skirt sway from side to side. The bystanders all immediately started looking elsewhere, resuming conversations as the Enforcer approached, all of them eyeing Tsukune after Keito passed.

Trembling, Tsukune managed to get his door open and scrambled inside, locking and barricading the door. He was still shaking when he staggered into the bathroom, opening the tap and taking water directly from it, rinsing out his mouth and spitting into the sink. He shucked off his clothes and stepped into the shower, taking his toothbrush and brushing hard until his gums started to bleed.

But try as he might, Tsukune couldn't deny the fact he was turned on, in spite of being violated by the spider woman, who'd done with him what she pleased, regardless of how he felt. As the hot water sluiced over him, the frightened human tried to tell himself that his body was just acting on instinct, that his higher reasoning had been bypassed. But Tsukune knew that part of him, and not simply just his body, had wanted Keito to continue, despite the fear she invoked in him. As he stood under the blast of hot water, he began to calm down, his heart rate slowing down and his thinking getting clearer.

Turning off the shower, Tsukune dried himself off, slipping into boxers and a t-shirt, any idea of going down for dinner having been driven away. Not wanting to think about his feelings, Tsukune dropped to the ground for more push-ups, recalling that even his best efforts had failed, and that he needed to get stronger. He began doing them mechanically, letting his mind go into standby for a while as his body engrossed itself in its efforts.

After who knew how many push-ups, he hadn't even bothered to count them, Tsukune crawled into bed, his aching arms and ribs pacified by a dose of painkillers. Trying to keep his mind empty, Tsukune finally drifted off to sleep, but it was no better than any of the nights that had come before it.

End of Chapter Five

Author's Notes:

None, aside from this was once again pre-read by random1377 and Mereo Flere.

All bads are mine, not theirs.