Rosario Vampire Fan Fiction ❯ He Who Fights Monsters ❯ Stalemate ( Chapter 7 )

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

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

Rosario + Vampire:

He Who Fights Monsters…

Chapter Seven: Stalemate

Written by: Hawker_748

When he was a very young boy Tsukune had gone to Okinawa with his parents by ferry; the trip had been memorable, and not just because his father had dealt with chronic seasickness the entire journey, spending most of the time in the bathroom, or with his head over the rail. When he and his mother weren't trying to console the incredibly sick man – he'd needed to buy a plane ticket to get back home – Tsukune had come to enjoy the interesting feeling of being at sea, the gentle swaying motion of the large vessel rising up and down on the waves. It felt a little like he was floating to the young boy, and it was one of the strongest memories of his childhood.

Of course, since even mentioning the trip would make his father turn green and run for the bathroom for years afterward, it was no longer spoken about in the Aono household, and Tsukune had never been on the water again.

While he was unconscious, drifting in between the stages of being awake and dead to the world, Tsukune thought he felt the long remembered experience of rocking gently. It could have also have simply been delirium from his blood loss from where Saizo had sliced his leg open, but he would have sworn he was being delicately carried along by waves. He was barely able to discern flashes of darkness and light, not even sure if they were real or just figments of his imagination. After an undetermined period of time Tsukune's eyes finally cracked open, the lashes sticky with clotted blood, and his mouth as dry as cotton.

As the human tried to get his eyes to work again, he noticed that he was in a darkened room, and his body was racked with pain. 'This doesn't look like heaven,' Tsukune noted.

'Like you'd be going there after what you've done,' another voice in his mind replied coldly.

Slowly wiggling his fingers and toes, relieved that they both acknowledged his demands, even though it hurt like hell, Tsukune frantically worked his sticky tongue and lips, trying to work up some saliva to moisten his mouth. But the small amount he produced wasn't enough to keep his lips from cracking when he slowly opened his mouth, trying to take in the humidity from the ambient air. Tsukune tried to sit up, but he was startled, then frightened when he realized that he was restrained. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized that he wasn't on a bed, he was lying in a web.

"…oh no…" Tsukune rasped quietly, his mouth going dry for an entirely different reason.

"So… You're finally awake…"

Tsukune would have released his bladder in fear, but it was empty now, another sign, besides his incredible thirst, of how dehydrated he was. Keito needed little effort to sound malicious, but when she did, the results were truly chilling. Slowly turning his head towards her voice, he was enormously relieved she wasn't in her monster form, but her Enforcer outfit was almost as disturbing.

"Is there something you haven't been telling me, Tsukune?"

Tsukune swallowed, both in fear and to try to moisten his mouth enough to speak. "Um, no…?"

Keito snarled, her eyes narrowing to slits. "Is it true?" she hissed. "What Saizo said?"

Tsukune wondered if Keito could hear his heart beating. He certainly could, it sounded like a bass drum in his ears. "I-I don't know, what did he say?" Tsukune asked with forced, and ineffective, nonchalance. He and Saizo had been alone, she was probably just bluffing, trying to scare him, cause him to admit something he shouldn't. She did have the scaring him part down pat, though.

"After you sent Saizo over the cliff and passed out," Keito began, he eyes as hard and cold as diamond, "I carried you back here, and then decided to look a little closer at your past, Tsukune."

Tsukune blanched. If she'd witnessed the fight, then he was probably doomed. When the spider woman showed him his wallet, he felt his heart stop.

Keito told him his name, birthday, and address. "With that information, I was able to find out much more about you," she related, picking up a folder from a table. "Mother, Kasumi Aono," she started, her eyes flashing over to Tsukune and noticing the horror forming on his face. "Your father is…" Keito frowned, giving the folder a careful look. "That's odd… My source couldn't find his first name… No matter, I can always ask him myself…"

Tsukune's fear was suddenly joined by a white hot flash of anger, and he struggled against his restraints, but he'd have better luck trying to break steel cable. "Goddamn you!" he snarled. "Leave them alone!"

"There's plenty of other information about you, your family, your friends, what few you do have," Keito added, her lips curled up in a hint of a smile as Tsukune glared at her in impotent fury "Still, I have no way of knowing if it's accurate, right? The best thing to do would be to find out for myself…"

After giving one final, crazed attempt to break free from the bonds, his muscles burning with the effort, Tsukune slumped back down, knowing that there was nothing he could do. "Fine," Tsukune spat. "Saizo was right, I'm human. Is that all?" he asked with bitter cheer. The look Keito gave him was as pitiless as a cat regarding a mouse it had cornered; or like a spider approaching a fly in her web.

"Why are you here…?" Keito rasped, her arachnid legs ripping through the panel on her Enforcer jacket. "What are you doing HERE…?"

"No idea," Tsukune admitted. "Someone sent my folks a brochure…" He knew he was doomed, and he saw no point in deception anymore.

"Why did you stay?"

"I'll tell you as soon as I figure that out." Tsukune made an effort to conceal his fear to the bitter end. Focusing on his anger at Keito made that easier. "Enough with the questions, just get this over with!"

"You know what happens to humans here, right?"

"Yeah, you've told me enough times…" Tsukune met Keito's murderous glare with a defiant sneer.

"Aren't you going to beg for your life?" Keito inquired.

Tsukune gave a dark chuckle. "Like that would make a difference." The human gathered his resolve and prepared himself for pain, knowing from bitter experience that his pain threshold was higher than it had ever been. He just hoped he could work up enough saliva to spit in her eyes before he died.

Keito's face rippled, and she went to her full monster form. Tsukune had seen it before and so he was prepared for it, but that didn't make it any less terrifying. "Normally, death is the penalty for humans at Youkai Academy," the spider woman chittered, her mandibles working and making it harder for Tsukune to keep up a defiant façade. "But with you, there are… complications…"

"Too much paperwork?" Tsukune quipped, mostly to keep from screaming.

Keito's face rippled again, and she resumed her more human appearance, though she kept her extra legs out. "No, our relationship…"

"What's that got to do with it?" Tsukune hadn't figured that Keito was the sentimental type.

"If you just disappear, rumors about you will spread, they always do."

"Yeah, you're right," Tsukune nodded, surprised that he was finding a little common ground with his likely executioner.

"And some of them will even be true," the spider woman hissed. "I am an important member of the Enforcers, and it would be… troublesome for me."

The truth suddenly dawned on Tsukune. "Like how you can't tell a guy's human, even after Frenching one?" The way Keito's face rippled again told him he'd gotten her range and coordinates with that comment.

After a few moments of trembling in open rage, Keito managed to compose herself again. She picked up a second folder from the table. "I'll pull a few strings to expedite your transfer to a human school," she told the bound human. "It'll still take a month or so, but then you won't have to taint the school with your presence anymore."

"So, that's it?"

"No, you'll still need to survive until then," the spider woman told him. "And if you tell anyone what you really are, I'll drain you of your fluids myself," she assured him. Keito then made a slashing move with one of her spider legs faster than Tsukune could see. Before he could cry out, he realized she'd cut his bonds, letting him go.

"If you try anything, I promise I won't die without a fight, and I'll make sure everyone knows I'm human," Tsukune countered.

"Understood…"

Hissing in pain, Tsukune slowly pushed himself up, noting the damp rag on his chest for the first time. He didn't know what it was wet with, but he put it in his mouth and sucked as much moisture as he could, the meagre amount not cutting his thirst, but at least moistening his mouth. Rubbing his eyes, Tsukune was surprised to discover that his left eye wasn't swollen, even though it felt tender. "H-how long was I out…?" he murmured.

"It's late Sunday afternoon," Keito related coldly, making the human's eyes go wide. "Your absence from class was excused, but you will return tomorrow."

"Almost a week," he said to himself. No wonder he was so hungry. Tsukune struggled to get to his feet, the web harder to get out of than a hammock, and he grit his teeth from the pain movement after so much stillness caused. Scooting to the edge of the web he placed his legs on the floor and stood carefully, somewhat relieved he could stand after so long. He finally noticed he was still wearing the same clothes he'd had on when he'd made his bid for freedom, and he was covered in dried blood. Taking a tentative step, and figuring he'd be able to make it home, something occurred to Tsukune. "Where am I?"

"My office," Keito hissed. "Exit is over there, use it."

Tsukune could make out the faint outline of a doorway in the gloom, and he carefully walked over to it. Pausing at the table he noticed his knife was on the top of it, and he picked it up and slipped it under his stinking, filthy shirt, pocketing his wallet as well. Opening the door he squinted from the sudden brightness, but when his dazzled eyes adjusted, he realized he was in the main school building. Ignoring the flashes of pain from his nervous system, and feeling glad that his ribs hadn't been broken yet again, Tsukune walked through the deserted hallways and staircase, heading for the exit.

Fortune appeared to smile on Tsukune again, and he was able to walk across the empty campus to his dormitory without encountering a single soul. Safe back in his room, the lights still on as before, door locked and barricaded, the battered human went into the washroom and turned on the taps. He longed to put his head under it and just drink, but he knew if he drank that quickly, it would simply be vomited back up. Tsukune cupped his hands and took bare sips, most of the water not even reaching his stomach, seemingly absorbed by the tissues in his mouth and throat.

After nearly half an hour of tantalizing sips that barely made a dent in his thirst, Tsukune finally took a wonderfully full swallow, feeling invigorated as the clear water ran down his throat. The human kept drinking, managing to finally cut the burning thirst, only stopping when he needed to urinate, drinking more as soon as he washed his hands.

Now only in the grip of hunger and pain from the lingering stiffness, Tsukune took a good look at himself in the mirror, grimacing at the detail revealed by the bright lights. While the swelling had gone down, he still had the fading remains of a nasty black eye, and a few assorted cuts and abrasions. However this was nothing new to him by now, and he peeled off the obscene shirt and threw it in the trash, not willing to waste the effort washing it. He had no new cuts on his chest and back, and aside from another bruise by his shoulder blades, there was nothing that would add any new scars to his collection.

After making sure that his upper body was as good as could be expected, Tsukune took off his shorts, underwear, and socks, not looking forward to what he might see. His legs were caked in dried blood, but other than where Saizo had sliced him, there was no real damage. Considering that he'd managed to walk home without his leg failing, it was probable that the injury hadn't been as bad as it had looked. But giving the wound a closer look, Tsukune noticed a white, vaguely gauze like bandage holding it together, and he carefully touched it, his hand jerking back when he realized what it was.

"Spider's silk," he breathed. Tsukune felt an impulse to rip it right off, but he checked himself when he realized that it seemed to be doing its job quite well. The wound was still closed, and hadn't breached even after a pretty good walk. Tsukune stretched his leg experimentally, and the bandage continued to hold. "Why'd she save me?" he asked himself.

It would have been easier for Keito to kill him when he'd passed out, or just leave him to die, or even push him over the same cliff edge he'd sent Saizo off. It was also possible she hadn't believed he was human, and saved him out of some loyalty to her boyfriend, only to find out the truth afterwards. But for whatever the reason, he was still alive, and now he only had to survive until Keito managed to ram his transfer request through.

"The more things change…" Tsukune muttered with a shake of his head. He stepped into the shower for a long, exhilarating shower, the water running pink for some time until the blood was sluiced off. After shampooing twice, and scrubbing himself almost raw with soap, Tsukune stood in front of the mirror feeling and looking human again. The spider silk bandage hadn't moved from the shower, and his leg wound wasn't seeping.

Getting dressed, Tsukune went to the cafeteria, stuffing a dozen wrapped sandwiches in his bag and bringing them to his room. He didn't want to be the center of attention while he ate, and he was glad no one seemed to notice him. The human figured he'd taken too much food, but as ravenous as he felt, he couldn't be sure. He ate slowly, giving his stomach plenty of time to respond to the sudden intake of food after several days of going without. As time passed slowly, Tsukune ended up finishing four of them before he finally sated his hunger.

Feeling better than he had any right to after all that had happened, Tsukune left his room once more to call his family, feeling especially relieved when they answered. He spoke to both his mom and dad, keeping up a brave front, and telling them nothing of what had happened, or his as yet unscheduled but imminent transfer. Tsukune silently resolved to call home more often for a while, just to make sure things were safe, promising himself he'd pluck Keito's legs with his bare hands if she tried to harm them. Bidding them goodbye with a little more emotion than was normal for him, the solitary human returned to his room. Tsukune thought he saw someone looking around a corner at him out of the corner of his eye, but when he took a more direct look, no one was there.

In spite of all the time he'd spent 'asleep,' Tsukune still felt tired, and he decided to turn in early, figuring he didn't want to be late for his first day back at class. Getting undressed and slipping under the covers, Tsukune realized something; for his first three victims, he'd felt some degree of sadness and regret, though there hadn't been that much in Harunobu's case. But with Saizo there was none. He'd let out a primal, triumphant yell at the monstrel's death, and even now he felt his lips involuntarily curling up in a faint smirk. As he closed his eyes, he worried that even if Keito managed to arrange for him to transfer out tomorrow, it would already be too late.

XXX

After being roused from a fitful sleep by his alarm, Tsukune trudged into the shower, washing away the sweat from another night filled with terror, and rinsing his groin to clear away evidence of his involuntary orgasm, feeling strange that he was still apparently aroused by Keito. Cleaned and dressed, Tsukune made sure his weapons were secure, took a moment to gather his resolve, and left the room to go for breakfast. As he moved through the hallways, he knew he was the subject of various whispers as he passed his fellow classmates, more than a few of them watching him warily. After getting his breakfast, Tsukune approached his usual table, and felt his lips tighten up when he saw that it was occupied this morning.

Tsukune was debating whether to take a seat as far as possible from the other students, or simply find a new place to eat, when one of them looked up and happened to meet the human's gaze. The monster seemed to choke on his food as his eyes bugged out, gesturing wildly in his direction. His companions turned to look and all their eyes went wide simultaneously. In other circumstances, the way the four of them grabbed their trays and scrambled to their feet might have seemed comical, but Tsukune was too surprised to see the humor. After getting over his surprise, he shrugged and took his usual seat, noticing the chair was still warm from the monster who'd been sitting there.

As he ate breakfast for the first time in nearly a week, Tsukune could tell he was being watched, even without having to look. When he glanced up, he happened to see Keito walking by with another student he didn't recognize. The spider woman made eye contact with him, and she gave Tsukune a look so icy it made him shiver. Turning on her heel, she stalked out of the cafeteria, leaving the girl she'd been chatting with chasing after her to catch up.

'I guess this means we're through,' Tsukune thought after he got over the momentary awkwardness of the situation. 'It's probably for the best,' he consoled himself. They had nothing in common; he was an ordinary human, she was a xenophobic spider woman. Really, no amount of relationship counselling could get past the fact she'd probably eat him after sex. Still, as dangerous as Keito might be, she had been his first girlfriend, and taken his first kiss, and he couldn't forget that.

No matter how hard he tried.

Returning his attention back to his meal, and pretending to ignore how the chatter at other tables grew in intensity, Tsukune finished eating, placed his tray on the rack, and started towards class. He was pleased to note that the spider silk bandage was still holding, and he could walk normally, with only a small twinge in his leg, and after all the abuse he'd absorbed since arriving, it hardly registered. Another dose of painkillers would have probably taken care of it, but he didn't want to become dependent on the white pills, worried that they wouldn't work if he really needed them again.

Reaching his class, the human walked in as he had many times before, but this was the first time everyone else had turned and stared, more than a few of them looking like textbook examples of shock. Tsukune took his seat and opened his books, noticing the look of delight that flashed over the face of the girl who sat next to him, before she looked away, struggling to keep her composure as a blush tinged her cheeks. A couple of classmates looked like they wanted to say something, but then Ms. Nekonome walked in, and everyone sat down for the lesson.

Tsukune answered when his name was called in the roll, but when Saizo's name was supposed to be called, Ms. Nekonome skipped it, causing a murmur to run through the class. 'Guess they know he's dead,' Tsukune observed silently, noticing that no one seemed upset at the news. He was surprised to see Moka looking at him with a look that wasn't openly hostile. The nod she gave him was even more of a surprise, before she returned her attention to the class. For a moment, it looked as if her expression would change a little more, but she resumed an indifferent look. The monstrel had been a bully and a thug, but the fact that no one seemed to care should have bothered the human. But he found that he couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for Saizo either. All of his previous kills had haunted him in some way, even Harunobu. But not the last one; Tsukune felt no remorse or guilt, and he couldn't feel upset by that either. As Ms. Nekonome started the class, the human pushed down all these thought and concentrated on the lesson.

XXX

"I heard he killed Saizo, then spent the rest of the week eating the corpse," a classmate of Tsukune related to a friend during a study period. "They never found the body, right?"

'That's original,' Tsukune noted as he read the assigned chapter of his text book. His classmates had been speculating on what had happened to Saizo, and this was the oddest idea yet. He wasn't surprised that no one had suggested that the monstrel had been expelled, or simply quit; everyone suspected that he'd met a violent end. But when Tsukune considered what he'd seen, and done, he admitted that they were probably justified.

"That's not quite what I heard," another classmate replied.

"Whaddya mean, 'not quite?'" the first student demanded.

"It wasn't in that order…"

There was a long period of silence, during which time Tsukune thought he saw a few students shuddering. Then the first student spoke again. "Listen, he's sitting right there, let's just ask him."

"You go ahead."

"Fine, I will…" After another brief period of silence, the monster called out, "Excuse me, Aono…?"

Tsukune put down his book and turned to look over his shoulder. "Yes?"

"I – I mean we – were just wondering, what-what happened to Saizo?" the classmate managed to force out.

Keeping his face impassive, the human considered how to answer that. Definitely not with the truth, but he couldn't boast either, or he might have to back it up. "How should I know?" he decided. If he let them imagine it, they'd come up with something awful enough to convince them to leave him alone until he left. Tsukune then resumed his reading, noting that all the talk had ceased, letting him continue studying in peace.

When lunch came around, Tsukune gathered his books and left the class, almost stopping dead in his tracks when three Enforcers strode up, Keito flanked by two of the largest people he'd ever seen. He almost reached for his knife, ready to make a last stand when he realized they were ignoring him, some other destination in mind. But the look of disgust and open hatred Keito gave him as she passed made Tsukune flinch. And then the black clad trio were gone, probably to punish some poor bastard for daring to oppose them. The human silently wished the subject of their attention good luck, and made his way to the cafeteria, trying to conceal how rattled the brief encounter had made him.

Lunch was pleasantly solitary, other students talking about him, but no one deciding to come up and talk to him. That was fine with Tsukune; if everyone left him alone, he might be able to get out of Youkai Academy without any more confrontations. When he returned to the classroom after eating, he noticed some students apparently breaking off conversations, but he didn't want to make anything out of it. Who cared what they thought about him, as long as all they did was talk. When his teacher walked in, Tsukune was a little surprised to see that Ms. Nekonome seemed more like her usual, cheerful self.

He was unexpectedly pleased to see that; her spirited energy was what made her class enjoyable, and not just for her inherent eye-candy status. Tsukune and the rest of the class spent the afternoon going through different lessons with their homeroom teacher, up until the dismissal bell rang. Packing up his books in his bag, Tsukune was about to leave when Ms. Nekonome called out to him. "Excuse me, Tsukune, could you help me carry something?"

"Sure," the human replied after a moment. He didn't want to be seen as a teacher's pet, but he helped her before, and he couldn't think of any acceptable reason to refuse her. And it wasn't as if he had running or any other plans that evening.

Shizuka smiled in appreciation. "It's that box over there," she pointed out to the only other occupant of the class.

Tsukune stared. 'That box' was maybe the size of a shoebox, and unless it was full of lead bars, even a three year old could have carried it. With guarded curiosity he picked it up; it wasn't empty, but it was pretty close. "Where do you want it?" Somehow, this didn't seem like she needed his help.

"Just follow me," Ms. Nekonome called out as she walked out of the class. With a rueful shake of his head, the human took his burden, resisting an impulse to balance it on one finger, and let his teacher lead him away. She used the same path she had the first time she'd asked him to carry a few boxes, but his ribs weren't cracked this time, and the load was almost non-existent. The hallways were just as empty this time, and their footsteps echoed through the corridors until Ms. Nekonome spoke on the staircase. "I heard about you and Keito…"

Tsukune silently congratulated himself for guessing his teachers intentions correctly. "It's true," he admitted. The human couldn't help but notice the relieved look on Ms. Nekonome's face.

"I'm sorry to hear about that." Her tone of voice didn't match the words she said. "What happened?"

"I guess we're too different," Tsukune replied after some consideration. That was true, but it wasn't the whole truth either.

"That's true," Shizuka replied with a nod. "I always thought you two weren't right for each other…"

"Why's that?" Tsukune wondered, his eyebrows raised. He was curious why a teacher thought she understood her student's feelings.

"She's so cruel, violent," she explained easily. "You seem like a more gentle person."

Gentle person? He'd killed four students, and she thought he was GENTLE? "I don't think so," Tsukune muttered darkly.

"Deep down, you are," she assured him as they continued through the halls. When they reached the teacher's room, she took a more serious tack. "Listen, I'm sorry if you're feeling hurt about breaking up…"

Tsukune grunted noncommittally. He still hadn't come to terms with how he'd felt about Keito.

"But believe me," Ms. Nekonome continued. "A guy as nice as you, you'll find another woman out there who'll appreciate you." She then reached over and ruffled his hair.

Tsukune blushed, thankful that no one was around to see this. But that was probably how she'd planned it. "Want me to put the box in the closet?"

"I'll take care of it, thanks." She took the box from his hands and walked to her desk. "See you tomorrow morning," she called out over her shoulder with a cheerful grin.

Idly using his right hand to straighten out his hair, and realizing that this was the first time a cat had ever rubbed him, Tsukune walked out of the quiet school and headed back towards his dorm. After dropping off his bag in his room, Tsukune went to the cafeteria for an early dinner, hoping that with fewer people there, there'd be less chance of being the subject of conversation. It wasn't as quiet as he had hoped, but he didn't feel like coming back later, so he got his meal, went to his regular table and began to eat.

"Pardon me," a gentle voice called out.

Tsukune looked up and was a little surprised to see the long haired girl who sat next to him in class across the table. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry to bother you like this," she apologized. "But would you mind if I joined you for a few minutes?"

"Go ahead," Tsukune told her, going on alert if this was just the start of yet another confrontation.

"Thank you," the girl replied gratefully. "I'll only need a little of your time."

"What's this about?" Tsukune wondered, discretely pulling out a lighter.

"Is it true you're no longer with that Enforcer girl?"

Why his so-called love life was such a big deal at Youkai Academy completely escaped Tsukune. "Yeah, I'd say it's true… um…" The human realized he couldn't recall her name to save his life.

His classmate seemed to comprehend his difficulty. "I'm Saori, Saori Kikuchi…"

"Thanks," Tsukune replied. "Keito and I aren't seeing each other anymore." The human had a sudden sinking feeling come over him. "Why do you ask?" he continued, suspecting he already knew.

"I wouldn't want to do something unseemly, like asking someone out who's already dating," she explained demurely, keeping her eyes averted.

Tsukune pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "I don't think I'm ready to be asked out…" Being press-ganged into a relationship with Keito had made him leery of the opposite sex.

Saori brought up her hands, an almost cute look of panic on her face. "No no no," she insisted. "I'm not asking to be your 'rebound girl'."

Tsukune blinked. "Then why are you asking…?"

Saori smiled shyly. "I just wanted to make sure, and let you know," she explained. "And I didn't want the others to get a chance to do it first."

"…Others…? What others…?"

Extending a delicate finger, Saori pointed directly to a table a short distance away. Tsukune glanced in that direction and was a little surprised to see a group of girls watching him, before they all started looking in any other direction but towards him, some of them apparently finding their meals suddenly fascinating, even though they all seemed to be blushing. "Them for a start…"

Tsukune tried not to grimace; He hadn't figured out how he'd felt about his relationship with Keito, and now there seemed to be a waiting list to take her place. Fortunately, his time there was now short, and all he needed to do was act indecisively about a relationship until it was time to leave. Saori seemed to be fine with waiting, and he hoped the others would be the same. "I don't know when I'll be ready," he explained. "It could be some time."

"I understand," Saori assured him "I wouldn't want to force you."

The human gave a genuine smile. "Thank you."

Saori returned it. "My pleasure. If you'll excuse me…" The girl stood up before returning her gaze back to Tsukune. "May I please ask you another question?"

Tsukune shrugged. "Go ahead." If nothing else, Saori was a polite monster.

"Would you mind if I talk to you in class some time?"

"Not at all."

"And could I join you for lunch on occasion…?"

"If you want…" Tsukune remarked.

"I'd also like to join you at dinner-" Saori added.

"I said it's okay," Tsukune pointed out.

"And what about breakfa-"

"It's fine, you don't need to ask permission for everything," Tsukune rebuked gently. He supposed it was nice to be asked his opinion occasionally, but this was getting ridiculous.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Saori looked mortified.

"It's alright, don't worry about it."

"Excuse me." Tsukune's newest suitor looked almost ashamed as she left him to his meal.

The human wanted to let out a bitter laugh; women had always avoided him like he was toxic before, but now he seemed to be on the verge of setting up a harem. That thought made him roll his eyes at his own delusions. 'Yeah, like that'd ever happen.' With his luck, the monster girls were all mistaking attraction for simply being hungry. 'I had one girlfriend who was likely to eat me, who needs another?'

Still, the loneliness had been almost unbearable, and the time spent with Keito had been a tonic for that, even if it terrified him. Once he transfer was finished, Tsukune vowed he'd never, ever, get upset by women not showing interest in him; he'd had enough of that here to last a lifetime. Trying not to look towards the table of prospective girlfriends, Tsukune finished his meal and returned to his room. Doing push-ups until his shoulders ached and his arms were quivering, a textbook open on the floor so he could read as he worked out, the human exercised himself to exhaustion and slipped into bed for another poor night of sleep.

XXX

Tsukune pounded down the path through the dead forest, his breathing hard and his fist tightly clenched. The week he'd spent unconscious in Keito's office had hurt his performance more than he would have expected. He'd only passed the halfway point, but Ichiro was dead even with Tsukune, his pace virtually identical. It wasn't as if the human blew Ichiro's doors off when they ran, but it usually took the werewolf to the very end of the run to get into a position to challenge Tsukune for the lead. Having him this close this early made Tsukune worry that he was losing his edge.

It didn't help that the wound on his leg gave a mild twinge with each stride. It wasn't painful, or even uncomfortable, but the mild irritation it provided appeared to be affecting his run cycle, even though Tsukune was running as hard as he did normally. Or maybe Ichiro had just resolved that today was the day he finally beat Tsukune in a run.

Tsukune didn't like the idea of any monster being able to chase him down, even someone as friendly as the cross-country president. Speed was the only real defence he had, and more to the point, his pride was on the line; no one had ever been able to catch him before, and he be damned if he'd start now. Clenching his fists even tighter, Tsukune dug deep and picked up the pace, Ichiro just managing to keep even. The two runners run through the forest along the path, the sounds of their footfalls and breathing the only sounds.

Blinking sweat out of his eyes, the human dredged up every bad experience he'd had since arriving, using it to feed his determination, and prove that humans weren't to be underestimated. Not that he'd ever be able to admit that, but even if he was the only one that knew, that was enough for him. The distance went by swiftly, both runners making an effort to run the other into the ground, and certain that the other guy would falter first. Tsukune grit his teeth as the injury began to let him know it didn't like the exertion, even with the spider silk bandage. The human pushed himself through the pain, vowing he'd bleed to death before he'd give in.

A quick sideways glance at Ichiro revealed he wasn't in much better shape either, the pace of this run far faster than either was accustomed to. But he had his own pride motivating him; the president of the cross-country club having been outrun by a freshman every single time. Ichiro had always been cheerful and congratulatory after the runs, but he'd never stopped trying to beat Tsukune either. Both men struggled to keep their form as exhaustion took its toll, the bodies having been pushed past the normal limits.

Finally the finish line was in sight, Tsukune and Ichiro neck and neck, neither asking for or giving quarter. Ichiro picked up his pace a touch, seemingly spurred on by a chance of finally defeating the swift of foot freshman in a run. Tsukune gave everything he had to keep ahead, running as if his life hung in the balance, and for more than a few times it had.

"You got 'im Ichiro, he's yours!" a fellow club member called out from far behind the two leaders.

"Keep going Tsukune! Don't lose!" another voice called out.

The notion that monsters were cheering for him could have made the human chuckle, but Tsukune needed every molecule of oxygen he could get. Remembering the panic of the first run, Tsukune tried to use that to pull ahead, and it seemed to help somewhat, even though without the sense of real danger he couldn't replicate that feat. The finish line was less than twenty yards away and Ichiro pulled ahead by perhaps a few inches.

Exerting everything he had left, and a little more, Tsukune managed to pull even with Ichiro, reaching the tape perhaps a hundredth of a second ahead of the club president, before he collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. Ichiro was lying on the dirt next to him, trying to throw up, but unable to find anything to vomit. The two competitors shared their misery, each giving the other a respectful nod as they struggled to get their wind back. After five minutes of gasping, wheezing, and moaning, Ichiro extended his hand to Tsukune. "Great run," he whispered hoarsely. "I'll never be able to beat you, will I…"

"S-sorry," Tsukune rasped as he shook the offered hand. "Nothing personal."

"N-no worries, I'm proud of you," Ichiro replied weakly. "I'd be upset if you didn't try." The werewolf's face grew serious for a moment. "I'm sorry you ran into trouble when you went off alone."

Tsukune shook his head. "Don't worry about it, ancient history."

"What happened out there?" Ichiro wondered.

"Nothing important," Tsukune replied dismissively.

Ichiro saw the look in the human's eyes and took the hint to let the subject drop. "Oh yeah, sorry about you and your girl…"

"Beg pardon?"

The werewolf looked decidedly sheepish. "Word gets around, you and Keito broke up…?"

"You could say that," Tsukune allowed.

"Like I said, sorry 'bout that."

"Thanks," Tsukune replied sincerely after a moment. He was actually touched by Ichiro's concern.

"Wanna talk about it?" the club president asked.

"Not now, maybe later."

Ichiro rose to his feet, his breathing returning to normal, extending a hand to help up Tsukune. The human took hold of it and braced himself as he was yanked forcefully, but not cruelly, to his feet. "You take care…"

"Thanks buddy," Tsukune remarked, relieved that being pulled to his feet hadn't felt like his arm was going to be torn off. Either Ichiro hadn't pulled with his usual force, or he was just getting stronger from the continuous physical punishment. Nodding as they parted ways, Tsukune started back for his dormitory, thinking of a hot shower and painkillers. As he walked, he realized that when his transfer came through, he'd actually miss running with Ichiro; he'd been a pretty good guy, the closest Tsukune had had to a friend.

Even if his true form would have made Tsukune lunge for something silver…

After a wonderful, cleansing shower, change of clothes, and an early dinner, Tsukune decided to turn in early for the night. But as tired as he felt, sleep didn't come easy, and he spent much of the evening with his hands behind his head staring up at the ceiling, thinking about his upcoming departure from Youkai Academy. Despite all the times he'd wanted nothing more than to get away, Tsukune was surprised that he was experiencing a few pangs of regret at this idea.

End of Chapter Seven

Author's Notes:

As usual, pre-read by random1377 and mereo flere.