A/N: Hey all, sorry to make everyone wait so long for the next chapter, so many distractions to deal with. So, to try and make up for it, here's an excerpt from a future chapter, which also has a Christmas theme. Hope you enjoy this small tidbit of things to come, while I'm striving to bring out the next part of the main story before New Years.

Extra Chapter: Evil Never Takes a Holiday

A light snow continued to fall upon the landscape below, covering the devastation that had occurred eighteen months before with a thick blanket of white. Where once stood an imposing citadel of darkness, now only broken columns and crumbling walls remained, an eternal reminder of what had occurred the summer before last. The undisturbed white veil upon the ground showed none had dared venture near the remains for some time, nor had any surviving wildlife sought refuge within the fallen stronghold.

A few moments later, two figures came into view, stopping at the ridge that led down towards the ruins below. One was a tall youth with an unruly head of ghostly white hair, the same color as the snow that fell upon him. He wore a pair of red muffs over his ears, and his brow was crinkled in annoyance, no elation in his gray eyes regardless of the time of year. He wore a long white coat, which had a thick fur collar, over a black turtleneck shirt and blue jeans. He also wore a crimson pendant around his neck, and a pair of white boots on his feet. Beside him was a young woman, clad in a deep violet winter coat, done up with buttons shaped like bats and a fur belt around her slender waist. Her coat had a furred hem, which ran past her knees, revealing only an elegant pair of night black boots, almost concealed by the thick snow she stood upon. Around her neck was a dark pink and silver scarf, the ends tucked into her coat. She wore a light pink wool hat upon her head, which had several cute bat patterns throughout the surface, and her long pink and silver locks blew in the cold wind that passed over them. There was a mixture of emotions in her reddish green-colored eyes, which gazed longingly at the ruins below.

The white-haired youth sighed sullenly, his breath visible due to the coldness around them. "I can't believe we're going through with this," he remarked with a light scowl. "After all the chaos that happened last year, after-" The teenager grimaced in pain, trying to repress the horrific memories of what happened in the castle. He groaned in anguish, his fingers digging into his white scalp.

"Soma," his companion's soft voice came from beside him, instantly getting his attention, "I know you didn't want to come back here, but trying to shut out the pain won't make it go away. Did destroying the castle make it go away?"

The enigmatic teenager looked to his right with a groan, knowing he couldn't refute her. He groaned once more, his hands clenching into fists. "But that shouldn't have happened," he spoke in a broken voice. "They had no right to do this! NO RIGHT!" he screamed in immense anguish, still pained over what occurred in the dark castle. "They destroyed the world, they destroyed so many people, AND FOR WHAT?!" he screamed, a tormented look on his pale features as he turned back to his companion. "I... I just... I don't get why you'd even THINK of coming back here again! And on Christmas Eve no less!" he concluded, his hands shaking from the agony of his soul. "Why, Moka? Why are you... why are we doing this?"

A somber sigh escaped the long-haired girl, as her face became downcast. "Soma," she began in a soft voice, gesturing towards the castle ruins, "is pain the only thing you feel when you look down there?" She raised her gaze, as the wind blew her long tresses across her face. "I know what happened in there, Soma. I know how much it hurts. I also know," she continued, turning her gaze towards her dear friend, "that our castle has many fond memories, too. And we can create more fond memories," she went on, reaching out to touch her companion's grieving face, "together."

Cruz Soma let a bitter sigh escape him as he turned his face away. "Our castle," he asked in a tart voice, "how can you say that? I thought you knew better, Moka," he went on, turning back to her as he pointed to the ruins below. "That castle belongs to Count Dracula, and Count Dracula alone. Millions have died within that hellhole, the world was laid to waste just to being it back, it's nothing but a symbol of evil and hate. So how... how can you call it our castle when it does nothing but destroy?!"

"That's not true!" Moka shot back, anger and sadness in her eyes. "The castle didn't want to return that day, Akua and Shaft forced it to! Stop blaming it for what they did, it's not the castle's fault!" Fresh tears ran from her eyes, as she lightly shook her fair head. "You have no idea, how much it hurt us, when you rejected the castle. And you didn't just reject it, you LAUGHED about it! The Soma I once knew would never laugh at the plight of others." The royal vampire glared at her companion, as an incensed hiss escaped through her clenched teeth. "I thought you hated bullies, Soma... so why... why did you... do all that?"

The white-haired youth groaned heavily as he slouched over, pierced by his close friend's words. It brought back memories of his trek through the highest levels of the castle, and the horrors that occurred within. Moreover, he remembered the day when he proclaimed his hatred for bullies and those who abused their power, which made him feel even worse considering what happened between them in Dracula's Castle. "Moka, I... I never wanted that to happen. All I wanted was to save you, save everyone," he went on, gesturing out to the sides with both arms, "from the castle. I thought that once the castle was gone, you'd be better, everyone would be better, and we'd never have to worry about being hurt or afraid," Soma explained, reflecting on what he thought during his final battles in the castle, "ever again."

The female ayashi released a long somber sigh, as she slowly closed her eyes. "Soma," she began in a sad voice, "you must realize now that was never going to come true, right," Moka asked, opening her jade eyes to gaze at her longtime friend. "Alucard deceived you, Soma. He gave you a quick easy solution, and you took it. And nothing has been the same since," she concluded, folding her arms under her sizable bosom.

The white-haired youth groaned to himself, knowing he couldn't refute his precious Moka, especially when the facts supported her. "Moka, I... I'm so sorry."

"If you were really sorry, why didn't you just say so? Why did we have to fight all this time?" The troubled girl unfolded her arms, and turned fully towards her companion, an anguished expression on her soft features. "And why did you keep trying to make it sound like you were right?!" she all but demanded, tears running down her pale cheeks.

"I didn't have a choice!" Soma instinctively shot back.

"Yes you did!"

"But you don't-"

"BUT NOTHING!" the daiyoukai screamed in his face, her fangs elongated and her eyes glowing the same color as the jewel of her Rosario. The very sight of her enraged self gave Soma pause as he leaned back, a frightened look on his face. "I am sick and tired of your excuses, and I am sick of tired of you acting like you did nothing wrong! You KNOW you did wrong, Soma!" she declared fiercely, leaning towards him and knitting her eyebrows together for emphasis. "And yet you've gone out of your way to avoid admitting it."

The enigmatic teenager found himself thunderstruck, unable to respond to his incensed friend's accusations, which reminded him more of her alter ego than her current self. For a moment, he began to entertain the possibility that the two personas had somehow switched, which worried him even more.

"That's what he does, Soma," Moka continued, still wearing an incensed look, "he tries to resolve every problem himself, he trusts no one to protect him, and he never," she went on, biting sarcasm in her usually soft voice, "admits he's wrong. He won't even consider it. And because of him, we nearly all died in the castle." Her expression softened slightly, but still remained stern. "And you're starting to act like him, Soma. You're even starting to smell like him. That's what really scares me."

The white-haired youth's voice got stuck in his throat, aghast at the thought of becoming like Alucard. "Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa wait a minute!" he exclaimed when he found his voice again. "I'm not like Ossan, you know me better than that!"

"But you're making the same choices he does, Soma. All the horrible choices he's made in his life have turned him into the man he is. And he encourages his allies to make the same choices, and we've seen the results, right?"

The enigmatic teenager groaned as he looked away, remembering his numerous encounters with the vampire hunters over the past eighteen months.

"My mother always taught me," the long-haired girl continued, closing her eyes and placing her slender hand in front of her chest "that every person has the power of choice. And that through our choices, we can determine our own fates, create our own lives. Though I don't know much about her, I know she stood by that belief her whole life." She then let her hand go limp by her side, and opened her emerald eyes, which had a fierce glint to them. "That's why Ura-chan and I oppose the notion that Fate is absolute, it goes against everything Haha-ue taught us! I don't cares who says otherwise, whether it's you, the hunters, Alucard, or even Dracul-dono. No one will convince me that we don't have a choice."

Soma was taken aback by her strong words, unable to deny the determination behind them.

"And no one should convince you either," Moka went on, starting to undo her soft scarf, "so let's start making our lives better by making better choices," she continued, reaching into her coat and extracting the silver cross she wore, "tonight."

The reincarnation of Dracula paused when he saw the Rosario being revealed. "Are you sure about this," he asked with an uncertain look. "I mean you're really putting me on the spot here. How can, how can you be so confident after-" He groaned to himself, reluctant to continue his current train of thought. "After what happened, last time we were here?"

"Because I believe in you," his classmate replied with a confident smile, and placed her hand on the side of his face. "You're not a bad person, Soma, you just made a really bad choice. Regardless of what happened before, or what may happen later, or even what our enemies try to do to tear us apart, I still believe in you." She then slid her hand down his face and onto his chest. "And I'll always love you."

Soma gasped in shock, completely taken aback by her words. He was found himself unable to move for a few moments after what he'd heard. "Moka," he thought to himself, "even after all this time, after everything that's happened, you still-" The white-haired youth saw no falsehood in his precious friend's expression, and groaned to himself as he bowed his head. "What have I been doing all this time? Why was I pushing Moka away? I thought I was protecting her but-" The troubled academy student winced involuntarily, remembering the incident that tore them apart. "Oh man, I really messed up back there. And yet, despite all that, Moka still believes in me. Still... loves me." His gray eyes gazed down at the silver cross upon her bosom, which lightly rose and fell with her breath. Soma quickly shut his eyes, knowing how much Moka despised perversion in any form. After a few moments, he shook his head and focused solely on the Rosario. "I let you down back there, Moka," he said in a somber voice, "but never.. again," he concluded, and took hold of the silver cross. "I love you, Moka." With a simple tug, the artifact was removed from its chain, and an immense pillar of youki was released. Soma instinctively backed up a step, guarding his face with his forearm to ward off the sheer force of the demonic energy, rising into the sky and piercing the clouds high above.

"I love you, too, Soma," the two-toned-haired girl spoke with a warm smile, closing her eyes as the ebony and crimson energy washed over her. The awestruck youth looked on as his classmates' hat flew off, and her hair became lighter, changing from its mixed color to pure silver, then to an almost blinding ivory shade. Her visage grew significantly paler, yet strangely remained calm, which Soma found somewhat perplexing, for he saw no sign of his friend's inner self surfacing. He looked down to her hands, and saw her fingers and nails elongating, which was consistent with her previous transformations. As Soma looked back to her in full, he watched as her winter coat suddenly burst open, revealing her chest swelling underneath her knee-length pine green dress, which had red accents in accordance with the current time of year. Even her stature increased slightly, making her appear more majestic and breathtaking, reminiscent of when she proclaimed herself the Countess of Castlevania.

After a few more moments, her raging energy subsided, and her near ivory tresses fell down her back, signaling her transformation was complete. Soma waited with a hint of nervousness, unsure of how the unsealed Moka would react upon seeing him again, since she differed greatly from her outer self. Oddly, he saw her visage wasn't as stern as he'd come to expect, which noticeably puzzled him. Finally, the transformed vampire opened her eyes, revealing a pair of crimson irises with reptilian-like pupils. "Merry Christmas, Soma," she spoke with a warm smile, "I've missed you."

The white-haired youth was startled to hear an affectionate voice coming from the unsealed Moka, rather than the stern one he'd known for so long. Even her mannerisms seemed more similar to the pink-haired girl he knew so well, which baffled him even further. But he quickly shook off his confusion, and decided against jeopardizing the situation. "Yeah," he began tentatively, "I've missed you too, Moka. Um," he went on, absently scratching his cheek, "how have you been?"

A long sigh escaped the ivory-haired young woman, her countenance becoming downcast as she folded her arms under her bosom. "Lonely, being trapped behind the seal is no fun, Soma. Even when Omote sleeps I'm still conscious," she continued, a tear running down her pale cheek as she gingerly held the end of her silver chain. "So every night, I'm all alone, in the darkness."

"Oh Moka," the Japanese teenager spoke worriedly, noticing the sadness in her voice. He looked to her trembling fingers that latched onto the broken chain of her Rosario. His eyes went lower, and saw her green dress was bound at the waist by a bright red belt, which made her garment practically form fitting. The startled youth immediately covered his nose, as a blast of blood shot from his nostrils.

"Soma, what's the-" Moka began with an uncertain tone, then looked down at herself and screamed aloud. She immediately covered her chest with her left arm and tightly latched onto her classmates' skull with her right hand. "Where are you looking?!"

"GAAAHHH!" the white-haired youth exclaimed, feeling his close friend's long fingers digging into his scalp. "I'm sorry, Moka! I'm sorry your coat got ruined!"

"Sure you were looking at my coat!" the incensed vampire acidly retorted, as her fingers dug deeper, eliciting another cry of pain from Soma. "Hentai."

The stricken teenager groaned for several long seconds, fearing his friend was going to either crush his skull, or dig through it right into his brain, neither outcome looking very appealing. Finally, the incensed girl released her grip and spun around completely, shivering as she instinctively covered her chest with both arms. "Moka," Soma began as he reached out towards her.

"Don't touch me!" the ayashi snapped from over her shoulder, then looked away again. "This is so embarrassing, I wanted this to be a surprise. We should be getting ready for the holiday, not standing out here in the cold in the dead of night."

The enigmatic youth was startled once more, noting how her current inflections more resembled her counterpart than her current self. "W-w-what," he asked tentatively, "you mean, you didn't want to come here?"

"No!" the unsealed Moka hotly retorted as she turned fully towards him, her arms still folded over her chest. "I mean there's so much I wanted to do so much with you, wrapping our presents, stuffing our stockings, sitting by the fireplace together. I mean seriously!" she exclaimed, motioning to both sides with her arms. "Trying to steal our castle, on Christmas Eve? Do these people have any shame?!"

Soma was stunned by what he'd heard, still finding it hard to believe that the words came from the supposedly royal vampire before him. "Okay, what the heck is going on here," he mentally asked himself. "The pink Moka is acting like the white Moka and the white Moka is acting like the pink Moka? Did we just enter the Twilight Zone or something?" After giving his head a furious head a furious shake, he looked back to his precious friend. "Moka, are you alright," he asked with a concerned expression. "You're... not sounding like yourself tonight."

The troubled young woman released a deep sigh, covering her face with her slender hand. "To be honest I don't feel like myself," she replied as she gazed towards the ground. "I know it's been a while since we were last together, but I'm usually not this effusive. Has something gone wrong with the seal?"

"The seal?"

"Yes," Moka replied, raising her face to his own, "it doesn't just seal my powers, but it acts as a barrier so Omote and I don't inadvertently influence one another. But now," she went on, wearing a troubled expression as she gazed to the side, "it seems parts of her personality have seeped into mine. And vice versa."

"Is... that a good thing," Soma asked tentatively, looking down at the cross in his hand before looking back to his classmate, "or... a bad thing?"

"I don't know," the royal vampire replied with a worried look, "and I don't know who to ask. Haha-ue is dead, Chichi-ue is missing, and Mikogami can only do so much." The troubled daiyoukai stepped forth, and gently took hold of the silver cross, which her classmate released without resistance. "This is all I have left of Haha-ue now. If it stops working entirely, what will happen to me? I don't want to lose this, Soma!" she declared with a frightened look. "I don't want to lose... myself!"

The white-haired youth promptly reached out and took hold of her shoulders, feeling them tremble in his grasp. "It'll be alright," he replied, trying to sound reassuring, "let's replace the seal, then we'll go back to school and forget about all this stupid stuff."

"We can't, Soma."

"Why?!" the Japanese teenager demanded incredulously. "If you didn't want to come here then why did we even bother?"

"Because the castle needs our help!" Moka practically wailed, a nigh frantic look on her face. "If we let the castle be taken, they'll come for us next! And possibly kill all our friends, and anyone else who gets in their way! How can we possibly ignore that, Soma? If we don't defend our castle, who will?"

"But I didn't want this, Moka! I didn't want to be DRACULAAAAAAAA!" he screamed in torment, then broke down into tears. "Why can't this all just... GO AWAAAAYYYY?!" As he continued to weep, he flinched as he felt his classmate's strong arms wrap around him, her sensuous torso pressing into his own.

"It doesn't need to be this way, Soma," the ivory-haired girl spoke in a sad, quiet voice. "I know you didn't want any of this, and to be honest, I wasn't ready either. But Soma," she continued, looking directly into his gray eyes, "I'd rather have you as Dracula than anyone else. You're someone I can trust, someone who trusts me. If you didn't," she relayed, releasing him briefly and bringing her rosary into his view, "then this seal would not have heeded your will."

"But, how can you be alright with this," the former Dark Lord asked in disbelief. "I, I did such horrible things as Dracula, killed so many people. So, how can you say you're alright with me like-" He stopped himself in mid-sentence, wincing as he recalled the horrors he'd enacted long ago, and the elation he felt as a result.

"Soma," Moka spoke up urgently, "you don't need to be afraid, or ashamed of who you are. The power of the Dark Lord doesn't need to be used for destruction, it can be used for whatever its wielder chooses."

"You make it sound so easy," the white-haired youth remarked with a somewhat sour look. "You don't know what it's like, what Chaos is like."

"Doing the right thing daily is never easy, Soma. Mastering the Power of Darkness is far from easy. But it's far better than letting the power master you," she spoke with a pointed gaze. "We've both seen what happens when someone is ruled by their power, so don't follow their example, set a better one. And I know you can," she continued in a soft voice, grabbing the lapels of his coat as she looked deeply into his eyes, a warm smile on her pale features. "You are the only one, worthy to be my king."

A light blush came to Soma's cheeks, as he gazed into his precious friend's crimson irises. Though he knew many would've fled at her visage, he felt no fear as he beheld the vampire before him, and he smiled in return. "I know I never have question your devotion, Moka," he thought to himself, reaching out towards her shoulders. "I always know, where you stand." Soma gripped the hand that held the Rosario, and felt it returned to him. He then began to wrap his arms around his classmate, as he leaned his face close to her. At that moment, he heard a light hiss from her direction. "Oh no," he spoke with a chagrined look.

"CAPU CHUUUUUUUUUU!"

"GAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Soma screamed, feeling Moka's fangs piercing his neck and siphoning his lifeblood. He felt her continuing to feed for several long seconds, and began to feel a bit lightheaded. Finally, her fangs released his neck, and her felt her tongue sealing the wounds she'd made, along with licking up any remaining blood.

The stricken youth hummed lightly in annoyance as he rubbed his neck, though he was far from unfamiliar with the experience it still irked him whenever his classmate drank his blood. He looked on as Moka reared her head back, her eyes actually glowing as a hissing moan escaped her. He also saw there was still some blood on her fangs, but she quickly licked them clean, almost like she'd read his mind.

The ivory-haired young woman leveled her gaze at the former Dark Lord, exhaling in satisfaction as a matching grin crossed her features. "Arigatou, Soma. That was exactly what I needed."

Soma pouted lightly as he pondered what the royal vampire had spoken. "What, it was a lack of blood that made her all jittery? Or was it the seal acting up? Gosh, this is so frustrating. I shouldn't have to be worried about these things tonight, it's freakin' Christmas Eve for crying out loud!"

At that moment, he watched as Moka closed her eyes, and a pillar of ebony and crimson energy surrounded her, bathing her in an unearthly aura as she rose into the air. He'd seen the phenomenon only a handful of times, though he had a good idea of what to expect once her transformation was complete. After a few moments, the pillar of dark energy dissipated, and Moka floated back to the ground, her eyes still closed. Soma's eyes went wide as he saw his precious friend garbed in an ebony cuirass, with a blood-colored jewel situated just below her sternum. The cuirass also had rounded pauldrons, with matching jewels in the center. Her toned forearms were adorned with night black gauntlets, which covered everything from her elbows to the back of her hands. Her old countess raiment was visible under her armaments, though it was currently slit on both sides. A black and silver belt was wrapped diagonally across her hips, with a sheathed sword attached to her left side. Her legs were all but completely covered by a set of jet black greaves, both with blood-colored jewels near the top. Across her brow was a black headguard, with batlike wings on each side and a large red jewel in the middle.

Once Soma had taken in the entirety of her new form, he watched as her eyes shot open, the intense look they wielded much more reminiscent of her original self. "We need to hurry," she spoke in a more commanding voice. "Now that I have awakened the hunters will know where we are."

Soma was stunned for a moment, taken aback by her imperious demeanor. But when he considered her words, along with their surroundings, everything became clear to the Japanese teenager. "Right," he replied with a sour look, "and they'll assume the worst."

"Like they always do. So we must rout the usurpers before the hunters arrive, we've no time for pointless battles."

"You're right," the enigmatic youth replied in total agreement. "And Moka?"

"Yes?"

"It's good to have you back," he spoke with a content smile.

The royal vampire's demeanor cracked slightly, and a smile crossed her features. "It's good to be back, Soma. Thanks to you, I have a clear mind again, so I can help you secure our castle. And make sure those invaders don't threaten anyone dear to us, again."

The white-haired youth nodded in response. "Never again."

The teenage pair made their way down the ridge, as the snow continued to fall around them. As they drew near, they sensed a powerful supernatural presence nearby, just before the ruins. They watched as the air wavered before them, coupled with a cloud of black mist, rising from the snow. Within the mist appeared a tall ghostly figure, clad in a red and gold armored coat, with cross emblems running down the sides. The translucent figure wore black armored pants, with matching boots, and a large belt buckle across his toned ribs, which always reminded Soma of the outfit a champion wrestler would've worn. The open coat revealed his powerful build, and his long brown hair framed his pale face, decorated by a trimmed goatee. His blood-colored eyes had an impassive look to them, as the snow continued to fall through his spectral form.

"Dracul-dono," Moka spoke reverently of the deceased lord before them, lightly bowing her head of nigh ivory hair.

"Dracul," Soma added.

"Took you long enough," the deceased Dark Lord noted, a twinge of annoyance in his voice. "Did you really think it was over when that foolish woman perished?"

The white-haired youth noticed his companion lightly shaking her head, while he sighed in resignation. "I was hoping they'd have learned once Celia died, was that asking for too much?"

"I told you, boy. If you don't claim the throne, someone else will try to steal it."

"Hey! Don't call me boy!" Soma demanded, pointing indignantly at the fallen vampire before him. "I'm Dracula I'll have to know!"

"It's not a garment you can don and remove at your leisure, you're either the Dark Lord or you're not," the deceased Dark Lord spoke firmly, placing his hands on his hips, "there's no in between."

"Darn it, Dracul, I don't need this right now!" the incensed youth declared, shaking his fist in the air. "Stop making me look bad in front of Moka!"

"Then stop your bellyaching, pull your pantaloons up and start acting like a lord," the vampiric spirit retorted with a piercing gaze. "My goodness your betrothed is more prepared than you, I'm starting to wonder who wears the pants in this arrangement."

"I wear the pants!" Soma declared indignantly, getting in Dracul's face. "Just because you're dead doesn't mean I can't hurt you, Ossan. Don't forget who you're dealing with here!" he concluded, pointing his index finger up his dubious benefactor's face.

"Ahem!" Moka's voice spoke up irritably, which immediately got the former Dracula's attention. "We don't have time for this," the young woman continued, her arms folded under her armored chest as she gave her betrothed an annoyed sidelong glance. "Every moment we delay is a moment the usurpers get closer to our throne," she finished, raising her eyebrows for emphasis.

The academy student groaned in resignation, as a sweatdrop ran down the back of his head. "I hate it when she's right," he thought to himself, a small black cloud hovering over his head. The frustrated youth then pushed his annoyed thoughts to the side, and focused the power he'd received from Dracul to compensate for the loss of his own. As he concentrated, a pillar of black smoke rose around him, as the dark energy began to fill his entire being. Soma felt his hair growing longer, along with his incisors, his fingers, even his nails.

Once the pillar of smoke dissipated, Soma's white coat had turned night black, as did his trousers and boots. He also wore a black vest with red lining, a white shirt with frilled edges underneath and a silk cravat on his neck. Aside from his stature, he all but looked identical to his previous self before he perished in the year 1999.

"Ah, much better," Moka remarked with an approving smile, "now you look like a true lord."

"Not bad," Dracul blamdly mused, his arms folded across his barrel chest. "I've seen worse."

The transformed Soma growled at the impudent spirit before him, his fangs bared in annoyance.

"Are you surprised," the armored countess asked beside him. "Dracul-dono is very hard to impress."

"Precisely," the deceased Dark Lord replied with a wry smile. "Now that you're both properly attired, you have a castle to secure."

Dracul stepped aside, and no sooner than he did that the air before the pair began to waver, until it formed a ghostly set of towering double doors, easily seven meters high, and framed by spectral blue flame.

"You must hurry, my Lord," a distorted female voice spoke from the direction of the doors, which slowly began to creak open.

"Usurpers have invaded the castle," a twisted male voice urgently added.

"And the hunters are on their way," a second male voice spoke, sounding anything but human, as the doors opened fully.

Soma looked towards the ghostly opening, knowing it led inside the spirit of Dracula's Castle. "Let's go," he spoke, his eyes looking inside the doorway.

"Yes, my Lord," Moka spoke reverently.

Dracul watched as the pair made their way inside the castle, his expression unreadable as his arms remained folded. "I really hope they're ready for this," he spoke to himself, a hint of concern in his usually impassive voice. "I was hoping this wouldn't be a repeat of last Christmas, but this is much worse." He let his arms fall by his sides, his hands clenched tightly into fists. "And before this night is over, they'll both learn a very painful truth." His red eyes glowed brightly as he gazed inside the spectral castle, sensing the invaders moving as he watched. "Evil never takes a holiday."

Co-Author's Note: Hey all, hope you enjoyed this Christmas episode, the main story will pick up in the next chapter, as Soma leads Yukari and Hammer through the dark castle.

Now onto the reviewers:

Lord-Krun

Glad you liked the depiction of Yoko's strength in battle, that's never been an issue. There'll be more of her fighting later on in the Demon Castle arc.

And indeed, Alucard is going crazy, seeing his plans going as dreadfully awry as they have. And if you've read the original story that this is based on, you can tell the worst is yet to come.

As for Yoko not considering Lisa might've been reincarnated, once she cools down and sees evidence to support it, then she'll realize Alucard might not have been crazy. Though once he compared her to her mother, that put her in a very bad mood. She was greatly concerned for his well-being and he goes on about honoring her mother and her destiny. Alucard definitely needs to work on his people skills, that's for sure. Hopefully things will go better when they meet again.

As for who or what led Yukari towards her "desires," that will be revealed before this arc comes to an end. As for what those three missing pages entailed, that might not be revealed until much later in the story. But rest assured, it will be.

Indeed, poor Soma has no idea who he's trying to "kill," so to speak. And yes, the thought of Moka encountering Dracula is one of his worst nightmares, one he'll stop at nothing to try and prevent. If he only knew...

And yes, the Librarian himself said he tried to stop him from entering the Forbidden Archives, but unfortunately failed. Thankfully he survived, for Soma needs someone more level-headed on his side. And hopefully he can get Soma to stop listening to the fanatics around him, before it's too late.

As for teamwork, Soma will need to rely on his friends in some very crucial instances. The Librarian fears something dreadful will happen if Soma keeps playing by Alucard's rules, so he's trying to encourage our hero to try a different tact, it might just save him from doing something he'll regret for the rest of his life. His darker half said the same, it'd keep him from getting any blood on his hands.

As for who just arose from the ruins of the Dragon's Castle, I can say it's someone who's a major force in the Lords of Shadow universe, someone the Brotherhood knows well. As for the Pope's death, yes, the repercussions will be felt for a very long time, and shall only fuel the chaos raging in the world.

As for Miyabi, he's just trying to tell Gyokuro not to believe everything Issa says, he certainly doesn't buy the notion that Akuha planned the whole thing. Nevertheless, he plans to have a long chat with Akuha once he finds her again, if she can escape.

And yes, Naegleria Nebiros of the Seventh Abyss is on her way to find Eucliwood, and she's bound to have a few choice words for Alucard once she encounters him again. And Ariel's team isn't far behind, they're bound to find the castle before long. So Alucard will be hard-pressed to keep all of them from getting involved in some form or another.

Master of Dragons God

Thanks for your first review, and I hope you find the upcoming chapters just as nice.

staplesdex2

Thanks for your first review, it's most appreciated.

As for your input on this depiction of Alucard, it's fine that you dislike it. Though I must ask, did you read the chapter before, Family of Darkness and a Vampire. That would definitely explain why Alucard's acting so drastically different than he did in Symphony of the Night. There'll be further explanations to his current demeanor later on in the Demon Castle arc. But suffice to say, the thought of being rejected by his mother completely through him off kilter, as I tried to show with the last chapter.

hi

No offense taken, though if you're expecting Alucard to change his tune so easily, I'm afraid you're asking for too much. Not to mention it wouldn't make much sense with what's already happened storywise, so in a sense it wouldn't be realistic in that regard. Think about it, there's currently three major storylines (Rosario + Vampire, Castlevania, and Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka) at work here, so not everything is going to be completely canon, not with all those characters interacting with one another.

gah

Sorry if you're put out with the grammatical snafus, it'd be a real shame if it ruins the story for you. But I am doing the best I can here, so try to be patient.

TragicHeroEmiya

Glad you enjoyed the chapter, along with the movie references. ^^;;

Guest

Glad you enjoyed the opening chapters so much, it's most appreciated. Though unfortunately, I don't plan on adding any real lemons in the story, especially since it goes against the website's rules. Though there'll be plenty of times where Soma is caught in compromising positions, mostly for comedy effect of course.

As for what happened in chapter seven, Soma had a flashback of his life as Matthias Cronqvist, being with Eucliwood in the Underworld. The ensuing conversation at breakfast revealed more to him, along with a pertinent warning: there's always a price to pay for having too much power. Then we had Mizore's debut in the story, which went pretty much as it did in the anime, with obvious differences of course. And at the end, three not-so-mysterious figures (if you're an avid RV and/or Castlevania fan) just called Shaft back to life, right after Mikogami said one can never know when disaster might strike. A bit ominous for you? Anyway, hope this helps.

Imperial wizard

Glad you loved the chapter, hope you find the next ones just as awesome.

kronos797

Glad you enjoyed the references, indeed it definitely showed all the animes in which Soma will not be the hero. How will he fare as the hero of this story, read and find out.

Lord Destroyer

Yes, Alucard was definitely suffering after what happened in the Forbidden Archives, being chastised and rebuked by his "mother." How he handles it, remains to be seen.

Indeed, bringing Marissa up will not inspire Yoko in the least, just the opposite in fact. And it may indeed bite him in the end.

As for Hammer, remember he does not use "proper" English, he'll use plenty of double negatives, and rounding off the ends of words, really confusing if English isn't your first language.

Josepacheco

Um, thanks?

The Red Lurker

That was old grammar mistakes of mine, which I've striven to correct. Hope this clears things up.

Parselmaster

I admit it's never brought up in the games, but he's still a teenage boy so to me it'd be next to impossible for him to simply ignore such things. He's still pretty quiet, until he sees something that either upsets him or goes against his values.

kewllewk

Sorry the next chapter's taken so long, life has a way of getting in the way. But I'll be trying to make more frequent updates from this point forth.

me

Basically got caught up in other things, but I'm striving to get back into the writing habit.

gold crown dragon

Glad you enjoyed the opening scene, hope you find the rest of the story just as enjoyable.

Parks98

Yes, with the son trying to "lead" the father, talk about role reversal. ^^;;

Indeed, trying to keep everyone else in the dark about his agenda is bound to get him in even trouble before long.

And yes, and we'll be seeing hints of why Alucard has become the way he is during the Demon Castle Arc, it's definitely not for no reason. But yes, at this point he's all but an antagonist, which is a very bad thing.

Guest

Um, I can't say I'm familiar with Mordeica the Blue Jay, so I can't really write a story on something I know nothing about. Sorry I can't promise anything further at this time.

LuluViBritania

Actually, if you read on, you'll be seeing both Draculas in action, in one form or another. But Soma Cruz is the main character, just so you know.

Guest

I'm sorry that it's not to your liking, glad you read at least one chapter nonetheless. And sorry, Spanish is not my native language, and I don't fully trust Googletranslate.

MUTO TOHO

First of all, thanks for the reviews, it's most appreciated.

As for Akuha getting involved, considering who Soma is it was bound to happen, doesn't mean she really has a chance with him, heck her efforts to woo him might fail in the end. So try not to be too vexed at Akuha trying to insert herself into Soma's life.

As for the "preview," that may or may not come to pass, depends on what happens in the story. That was done by the original author, I just put in my own version. Hope this clears things up.