Rosario + Vampire / Ultimate Marvel
The Mutant Factor

Chapter 1: Serious Trouble

Tsukune Aono was in serious trouble. And considering the semester he just had, that was saying something. He attended Yokai Academy, a very reclusive private high school in Japan. Since he had always been average in just about everything in his life, especially grades, he couldn't get into any other high schools but Yokai, since they only required a short info sheet as an application. The fact that his father just happened to come across a flyer for the school one day seemed to be the hand of fate. However, Tsukune still often wondered it that was the good kind or the bad kind of fate.

Well, that all depends on your sense of good luck. Was it luck that the application to Yokai Academy seemed to fall into Tsukune's lap? Maybe. Was it good luck that Yokai Academy just happened to be a school for monsters that existed behind a barrier that hid it from the rest of the world, where they are taught to blend in with and disguise themselves in human society, and that he was the lone human around? Maybe less so. Was it good luck that Tsukune met the stunningly beautiful girl, Moka Akashiya, by what seemed to be chance? Was it also good luck that Moka Akashiya is really a blood-sucking vampire? How about the fact that not only was she a vampire, but she also had a split-personality? Yeah, that was Tsukune's luck, alright. Tsukune never was that good at much anything in middle school, including making friends. When Moka crashed into him on her bike and they made-up, she was his first friend, and it didn't hurt that she was gorgeous by any standard. Still, his relationship with Moka was . . . complicated, to put it delicately. Her outer personality was normally the one you saw when looking at her. She was sweet, kind, and smart, if not a tad naive, but that was part of what made her so charming. However, when that mystical rosario that she wears around her neck was removed, something that apparently only Tsukune can do, her inner personality came out, and she became a whole other kind of girl. Inner Moka was proud and somewhat distant, an almost complete contrast with Outer Moka, but most of all, she was strong. Anyone who had the misfortune of crossing her knew firsthand why vampires were known as the most powerful of all types of monsters. However, despite all the added complications that came with being Moka's friend, Tsukune knew that he didn't regret meeting her. He knew that their bond of friendship was strong, and not only because her favorite food happened to be a sip of his blood. He knew that would never abandon her. And hopefully, she wouldn't abandon him either. He most certainly needed that from her right now.

Oh, but Tsukune's world gets better. Moka isn't the only pretty face in his life that also just happens to really be a fearsome monster in disguise. Tsukune and Moka met Kurumu Kurono shortly into their first terms at Yokai. Kurumu was a succubus, and as a succubus, she sought to enslave all of the boys at Yokai until she found her destined Mate of Fate. However, she considered Moka a rival in her shallow quest, and tried to steal Tsukune away to prove that she was the fairest of them all, clichéd as that sounds. But after a short battle and misunderstanding, Kurumu came around and she became their friend. However, since Tsukune saved her life, Kurumu also fell in love with the hapless human and became determined to make him her Mate of Fate. Although not particularly receptive to her sometimes rather aggressive advances, Tsukune still held her as a valuable friend to have in a tough situation nonetheless, and not because of her sharp claws, strong wings, and illusory powers. He would need her just as much as Moka if he was going to get out the mess he was currently in alive.

Tsukune's friends weren't all teenage girls, though. One was a preteen girl, a witch named Yukari Sendo. After Moka and Tsukune rescued her from some monstrous bullies, she followed them both around ever since. A child prodigy, she skipped several grades to get accepted into Yokai Academy. Book smart but still emotionally immature, she could sometimes be a greater pain than a help. Still, her powers as a skilled and learned witch made her nice to have around in a tight spot. Though her powers were still not fully developed yet, Tsukune really couldn't complain about her assistance, considering his present condition.

Tsukune certainly had a large share of admirers. Probably the most unusual in her approach was Mizore Shirayuki, the snow fairy. She was nice enough and all, it's just that she had a rather odd habit of hiding out and, to use a term she herself was fond of, "stalking" them. She fell for Tsukune after he saved her from a lecherous and violent gym teacher. Now she stuck to him like a tongue to a frozen flagpole. Considering that she could put enemies on the deep freeze, her help wouldn't go underappreciated here either.

Tsukune had even more friends than he thought. He and the others girls, who are all members of Yokai Academy's Newspaper Club, met the talented witch Ruby Tojo on a journalistic excursion to the human world during summer break. She wanted to destroy the nearby human city before human developers could bulldoze her home on the Witch's Knoll, the last and only safe haven she had known since childhood. However, Tsukune and the girls were able to convince her to abandon her hateful campaign and taught her tolerance for humans. Tsukune was especially glad for that. They had not seen her since that incident, but not she had returned in their greatest hour of need to help them. Without her, the others wouldn't have rallied to help Tsukune, and he would have been a goner.

—

Throughout his time at Yokai Academy, Tsukune had lots of adventures dealing with the literally monstrous inhabitants. He had more near-misses than anything, having been almost killed more times than he cared to recall. Being a lowly human, he was little more than a walking meal for nearly all the other students, and all the faculty for that matter. In just a short few months, just about everything Tsukune thought he knew about the world had been shattered. Monsters weren't just scary stories exploited for cheap Hollywood thrills; they were real. Heck, now his best friends were a vampire, a succubus, a snow girl, two witches, and a werewolf. His homeroom teacher was some kind of werecat. His other classmates included orcs, mermaids, lizardmen, beastmen, and God knows what else, each who would love to have him for lunch, and several who already tried. Heck, even two of the teachers, a lamia and a kraken, each separately tried to kill him. Against supernatural monsters a human like Tsukune stood no chance. Thankfully though, Tsukune friends were always around to protect him. Whenever he found himself in a life-threatening situation (which, quite frankly, happened way too often around here, like on a daily basis), one or all of them stood by Tsukune's side to bail him out of trouble. Moka, when her rosario seal was removed, was particularly strong and usually the one to handle the dirty work. Her favorite style of fighting seemed to be some sort of kickboxing, and she could and did bring down most any kind of opponent down with a single blow. Yes, Tsukune owed each of them far more than one, but how could he ever pay them back? He couldn't stand up to these creatures! They would literally eat him alive! And furthermore, what kind of chivalrous gentleman would he be if he let a bunch of girls fight his battles for him all his life? Supernatural monster girls with extraordinary powers, but still girls nonetheless. Despite everything that Moka and the others had done for him, not even they could have prevented his current situation, and they probably couldn't all save him from it either.

—

Tsukune was on death's door at the moment. This whole ordeal started when the Newspaper Club began picking up popularity steam at the start of the new term. The ruthless Yokai Academy Student Security Committee, led by the sadistic Kuyo, had long degenerated into little more than a student yakuza that extorted from their fellow students and they felt that the Newspaper Club could very soon become a problem for them. They sent on of their own, Keito, a spiteful spider woman, to create a new and superior Super Newspaper Club to put the regular Newspaper Club out of business. Kurumu especially didn't want to go down without a fight, but Ginei "Gin" Morioka, the Newspaper Club's upperclassman President, troubled by the memory of a similar event that occurred the previous year with disastrous results, insisted that they tow the line and throw in the towel. When Keito harassed Kurumu and Tsukune, Inner Moka stepped in and put the creepy bug girl in her place. Sick of being pushed around, Tsukune and the girls decided to do a story about the Security Committee's dishonorable deeds.

When Kuyo found out about the Newspaper Club's investigation, he strong-armed some students into divulging incriminating evidence that pointed to the concealed fact that Tsukune was a human. Kuyo arrested Tsukune, brought him to their holding cell, and proceeded to show him images of his friends being interrogated and tortured. To spare them any pain, Tsukune admitted to being human, but in a cruel turn of events, Kuyo revealed the images were an illusion and his friends were actually in the room to hear his dooming confession. Although Moka had been in his confidence from the start of his tenure at Yokai, Kurumu and Mizore were not, and were deeply shocked and hurt at this stunning revelation, and they walked out speechless and betrayed. Tsukune was sentenced to be executed, and Moka was thrown in prison. The Newspaper Club's faculty advisor and their homeroom teacher, Ms. Shizuka Nekonome, tried appealing to the Headmaster of Yokai Academy, but no avail. It looked at though Tsukune was doomed.

At his public execution, Tsukune pleaded with Kuyo to spare his friends, but his cries fell upon pointed deaf ears. However, in a stroke of saving grace for Tsukune, Ruby returned and rallied the other girls to save Tsukune from his horrid fate. They succeeded in freeing him from the cross he was tied to and the scorching pyre beneath him. Mizore and Yukari took care of Kuyo's henchmen while Kurumu and Ruby flew Tsukune up to the roof of the school while Moka followed up on foot. It now seemed that Tsukune would be safe and all would be well, but it was not so.

Shortly after he was brought to safety, Tsukune was shot through the heart with an arrow made of flame by Kuyo, which then proceeded to incinerate him alive, burning through his school uniform shirt and jacket, as well as his flesh. Now Tsukune was mortally injured, heavily burned and only just barely clinging to life. Tsukune reflected upon his times at Yokai with his friends, like the flashing of one's life just before one dies that he heard about, as it looked liked he was not long for this world. He could barely make out Moka's form and voice as she cradled him in her arms.

"Tsukune!" she cried. "Don't die! Please don't die!"

Tsukune looked into her eyes as best he could. "M-Moka . . . no matter what . . . I'll always be glad that I came here . . . because I got to meet you and everyone else . . ."

By now, Moka sorrowful tears flowed freely from her large green eyes. "No, Tsukune, stay with me!"

"I have one last request, Moka," Tsukune coughed. "Please . . . protect everyone . . . from Kuyo . . ." With that, Tsukune reached up and pulled off Moka's rosario before closing his eyes.

Moka realized that he was no longer moving, and screamed his name as her massive monster energy erupted from her body, freed from the protective seal of her rosario. As was usual when Inner Moka's fearsome personality resurfaced, her hair turned from bright pink to shining silver and her went from large and green to slitted and red. She carefully laid Tsukune down on the floor and stared down the murderous Kuyo with a hatred and fury that was palpable.

However, Kuyo was somewhat less than impressed with the swirling dark energy surrounding her. A cocky smirked was plastered all over his smug face as his slicked-back blond hair and black coat and school uniform blew in the ominous wind. "So, now we finally get to see the power of the super monster vampire, huh?" he mocked.

"Shut up!" Moka shouted.

With blinding speed, she ran behind Kuyo and delivered a furious signature roundhouse kick to his backside, sending him careening into a tower on the other side of the main Academy building. At that moment, Mizore and Yukari, having already dispatched the rest of Kuyo's underlings, arrived on the Academy building roof and reunited with the rest of the team, only to be greeted by the horrific sight of a charred and burnt Tsukune laying lifeless on the floor as he was surrounded by Kurumu and Ruby.

"No!" cried Yukari.

Mizore couldn't believe it either. "H-He's not dead is he?"

Kurumu could barely choke out a response "I'm sorry, but we were right here with him when—"

"Move!"

Everyone turned to see Moka walking toward Tsukune's motionless body.

"His lifeforce hasn't gone completely out yet," she said. "He's still alive, but just barely. If I hurry, he still could make it."

"What could you possibly do for him now?" asked a hysterical Kurumu.

Moka paused for only a brief instant. "I can give him my blood; I could inject it into him."

Everyone was puzzled, save for the knowledgeable and experienced Ruby. "That could work. Vampires have powerful regenerative capabilities, so maybe her blood could—"

"In that case, will he be alright?" Kurumu exclaimed.

"I don't know," answered Moka truthfully and somberly. "Even still, his chances are slim to none. But at this point, what other choice do we have?"

Just then, a deafening explosion came from the direction that Kuyo had been kicked in, and a large fiery fox-like creature emerged from the smoke, laughing manically. Its flames glowed a bright yellow, from its pointed snout to its four tails that rotated behind him, creating a pinwheel of pure flame. Black markings reminiscent of tribal tattoos covered its chest, shoulders, back, and face, and it had flowing pale brown hair. It looked like something straight out of Hell.

"What is that thing?" asked Kurumu.

"Don't tell me . . . he's a yoko!" said Ruby.

"A yoko?" chimed Yukari.

"Once they reach the highest stage of power, foxes are sometimes worshiped as gods," Ruby explained. "They then become a yoko, one of Japan's strongest types of monsters!"

Kuyo roared in his true form. "Your super vampire powers do not disappoint, Moka Akashiya! Forcing me to reveal my true form is no small feat!" His four flaming tails began to twirl around him. "Now get a taste of my flame!" he shouted he threw large spinning wheel of fire at them.

"Mizore! Put up an ice wall!" Yukari cried.

"I can't! That attack is too strong!"

The group braced themselves for impact when they heard another voice.

"You idiots! What are you just standing there for?"

Just as Kuyo's flame wheel was about to land, a flash of color flew in front of the blast, blocking it. As the smoke cleared, the girls saw the singed form of Gin.

Gin held his burned arm in pain. "Looks like . . . I'm the biggest idiot of them all, aren't I? . . . But I can't help it . . . cause I don't wanna see all my clubmates get killed again . . . I couldn't take it . . ." With that, Gin collapsed.

Yukari rushed to him. "Gin!"

Kurumu was stunned by their President's sudden and uncharacteristic sacrifice. "He shielded us from the attack . . ."

Mizore was surprised too, but she was always more reserved than most when it came to publically displaying her emotions on her sleeve as the rest of her friends did. "I guess he really can act like a leader when he wants to."

"Acting tough is one thing, but what's the point if you just end up dead?" Kurumu despaired.

Kuyo leapt back over to the rooftop everyone else was on, chuckling evilly to himself. "Of all the people to step in, Gin, huh? Well, fine by me. Saves me the hassle of tracking him down and killing him later."

"You scum!" Moka growled.
Then, Yukari, Mizore, Kurumu, and Ruby all moved in front of Moka and Tsukune, their arms outstretched, shielding their friends from Kuyo.

"Go on, Moka!" Yukari proclaimed. "You can count on us to hold him off."

"Hurry and save Tsukune!" Mizore insisted.

"All of you might die, you know," Moka pointed out.

"Don't you think we already know that?" Kurumu answered without looking back.

Touched, but still too proud to show it, Moka could only say, "Sorry."

Kuyo took a step toward the group. "So, who's next then?"

Ruby's resolve was firm. "Everyone, we can't let him get past us, no matter what!"

Mizore matched her friend's determination. "We know."

Yukari wouldn't back down either. "We have to work together on this one."

Kurumu was unmovable. "Tsukune's life depends on us!"

Kuyo heard their speeches, and burst out laughing like the madman he was. "Hahahaha! I admire your spirit, ladies, but I'm afraid there's nothing you can do to stop me! Now accept your fate gracefully, and maybe I will consider making your deaths as painless as I can!" He opened his mouth and fired a humongous ball of flame out of it at the girls.

Unprepared for an attack of that magnitude so soon, the girls were scattered as the fireball exploded on the ground in front of them, sending them in all directions. Moka dropped Tsukune as she too was blown back by Kuyo's assault. She staggered to her feet before she realized that Tsukune was no longer with her. She frantically looked around for him and found him face down at the back of the balcony of the roof, nearly falling over.

"No! I have to get to Tsukune quickly or he'll die!"

The other girls each also got to their feet. They all turned and rushed to Tsukune before it was too late. To their infinite dismay, they were cut off by Kuyo, who had leapt in between them and the dying Tsukune.

"I don't think so, girls! I'm not going to give you the chance to save him, but if you would like, I would be glad to send you to meet him in the afterlife!"

The girls were in full panic mode now. Tsukune had only a few minutes at best, maybe even as little as seconds.

"You filthy beast!" Mizore shouted as she threw a volley of her trademark ice kunai knives at Kuyo. They harmless evaporated against the flames of his four tails.

"Give me a break already!" he said. "Enough with this 'friends sticking together' nonsense. Humans and monsters are natural enemies. Don't you know that?" He fired another smaller fireball at the snow girl. She couldn't avoid it in time and it knocked her back against the railing on the side of the roof.

"Oh no!" cried Yukari.

Ruby snapped her fellow witch to attention. "Yukari! You and I need to focus together!" They each held out their wands, touching them at the head, focusing their magical power into a single spell.

Kurumu extended her claws, sprouted her wings and tail, and took to the sky. "No, Kuyo! It's you who doesn't get it!" She dove at Kuyo. "Monsters and humans can be friends if they really want to! We're proof of that!"

"Cut the crap!" Kuyo roared as he fired a volley of fireballs at her. Kurumu dodged and weaved through the fire and flames.

By now, Yukari and Ruby's combined spell was ready.

"Now, Yukari!"

"Right!"

They chanted together. "UNIFIED MAGIC! DARK RING OF CONTAINMENT!"

Their wands glowed a pale purple as they pointed them at Kuyo. A barrage of Yukari's trademark bladed tarot cards flew at Kuyo, who effortlessly burnt them to cinders with his tails.

"Do you think that of bunch of weak cards can hurt me?"

However, the charred remains of the paper cards reformed into dozens of spectral black crows.

"We've got you now!" gloated Ruby. "You're trapped in our ring of spirit birds! If you think you can break out of that, you're sorely mistaken!"

Kuyo was unfazed. "Well now, you've all manage to put on an interesting show for me. Futile, but interesting nonetheless." He intensified the heat of his flame tails and roasted the spirit birds as easily as he did the cards.

Ruby, however, was equally unfazed. "Not so fast."

The birds' remains reformed yet again, gathering above Kuyo into a single massive bird. This huge bird then dove straight down onto Kuyo, impaling his right eye on the bird's pointed beak. Kuyo roared in agony.

"It worked!" Yukari cheered.

Kuyo continued to writhe in pain. "Now you've done it, injuring my face!" As he fumed, his body seemed to transform. His snout vanished and his paws became arms. It looked like he was reverting to his human form. "I won't let a bunch of second-rate groupies get the better of me!"

Yukari noticed Kuyo's change. "Is he reverting back to his human form?"

"You must've really got him good with that last one!" Kurumu cheered.

Despite this, Ruby was visibly worried now. "No, you're wrong! He's not changing back into human form! He's compressing his monster energy, turning into a stronger and more focused form!"

His truly imposing muscular physique restored while retaining the ornate black markings adorning his body, Kuyo's flames grew hotter to the point that they became blue and his skin turned a deathly pale white. His hair grew down his back and past his waist, and his pointed ears became elongated on his head through his hair. His front paws transformed into clawed humanoid hands, while his hind legs kept their canine appearance. His four tails rotated behind him like the sails of a windmill on fire. He chuckled evilly. "You should be flattered, ladies, forcing me to take my most powerful form. Few before you have done that." The girls were frozen in fear at their foe's powerful new form. Kuyo held out his hand and focused his fiery monster power into an enormous blue fireball. "Now, DIE!"

Kuyo released his attack just as Mizore reopened her eyes, and there was a huge explosion. As the smoke cleared, Kuyo saw each of the girls lying sprawled on the floor. They were all still alive and most surprisingly relatively unscorched, but still effectively incapacitated. He turned to Mizore.

"Hmm, it looks like that snow girl used the last of her strength to save you all at the last second with a wall of ice. Impressive." He held up his finger and formed another blue flame. "Shame it only works once though."

"Right. You don't get a second shot."

Kuyo looked up to see Moka standing before him, staring millions of daggers into his cold eyes. In the heat of battle, he had almost forgotten she was still there.

"Now step aside so I can save Tsukune before I beat you senseless."

"Hardly. You couldn't revive that worthless pile of human garbage even if I did let you pass. He's already dead, and soon, you all will be too. So, bring it on, vampire! After I eliminate you, no one on campus will ever question my authority again!"
Not wasting any more time, Moka dashed forward and delivered a mighty right kick to Kuyo's head, but he blocked it with his arm. Next, she tried a left kick at his midsection, but again she failed to connect. She threw kick after kick after kick at Kuyo, who blocked or dodged most of them. Even the few attacks that did actually land didn't seem to hurt him even a little. Kuyo's new form was just too powerful, and Moka was already far too spent. Kurumu and the others maintained enough consciousness to watch Moka's ineffective assault through half-open eyes, but they could do little more than observe in defeated silence. It was looking bleak for the girls and Tsukune.

"What about Tsukune?" said Kurumu through her own blood and tears. "Is he still ok? Can we still save him?"

"I don't know," answered Moka as she continued to try to damage the nigh-invincible Kuyo. "If so, he can't have much time left. I need to get to him now!"

"Not a chance, vampire," Kuyo laughed in this throat. "He's gone. Accept it."

Moka twitched with rage and swung a stronger kick right at Kuyo's head. "MOVE, DAMN YOU!"

This time, Kuyo caught Moka's foot barehanded. She struggled to break free, but his grip was too strong. He chuckled again. "So this is the supposed strength of the legendary vampire? Is this all you've got? Pathetic. I'm not even breaking a sweat."
No! Moka thought. I've already spent all my energy. I have nothing left.

Kuyo's hand began to sizzle with Moka's foot still in it. "You're weak! Weak! This is what happens to a monster when she loses her head playing with a human!"

With his free hand, Kuyo delivered a quick punch to Moka's gut, followed by several more to her gut, and finishing with a mighty uppercut to her jaw. Moka staggered backward, stunned at not only her pain, but the fact that she had even been touched. That never happened. Kuyo stepped forward.

"Humans are ugly, petty-minded creatures. They're selfish and lazy. They betray their friends. They lie and cheat. And they hurt other living things without a second thought. For fraternizing with that disgraceful human scum, you deserve nothing short of death!"

Kuyo then delivered a flurry of strong, swift punches all over Moka's body. He struck her in the face, the sides, the torso, her arms, and her legs. He finished his assault with a mighty right hook to her jaw, sending her skating backward. She screeched in surprise and pain as she landed next to the other girls. It was all but over.

The tiniest glimmer of hope came when hearing Moka' muffled scream brought Tsukune back to enough consciousness to slightly open his eye enough to see what was happening. It didn't take long for him to see things were as dire as they could be. He saw Gin unconscious and burnt off to one side, and all of the girls injured and down for the count on the other side. Even Moka, who Tsukune knew as the strongest fighter he ever met, thought to be unbeatable, was beaten. And still no sign of help from anyone anywhere. They were on their own. And now, Tsukune was one his own.

No! Tsukune thought to himself. No! No! NO! I've failed to protect them. Again! Why must I be so weak? Why must they always protect me? It's not right. It should be me instead of them! I should be able to protect myself, protect them, protect everyone! I can't let it end like this! He tried to move, but couldn't. He couldn't even lift a finger. He was too far gone. He could feel his breath leaving him. He could feel his heartbeat slowing down. His vision was fading and his hearing was deteriorating. His skin was nearly burnt completely off and his sensation was completely gone. He couldn't speak, he couldn't move, he could barely even think.

This is it! I really am going to die here! Curse this feeble human body! I guess I was too weak after all, but that's not important right now! What's important is saving Moka, and Kurumu, and Mizore, and Ruby, and Yukari, and Gin! He tried to get up again, but still to no avail. There must be something I can do! Something! Anything! I just know I have to have something in me.

Tsukune saw Kuyo walk over to the girls casually, taking his time and reveling in their pain and suffering. His blue flames lit up and circled his body, charging up his final attack. He held out his hand as his flames gathered within it, forming another fireball.

"Looks like the Newspaper Club should have been left on the cutting room floor." He laughed at his own joke. "Truly, I am a god. I've defeated a succubus, a snow girl, two witches, a werewolf, and even a mighty vampire! I am invincible! With you lot out of my way, no one at this school will ever disobey me again! Not even the teachers! Now it is time for you all to join your human friend in Hell! Burn! Burn until there is nothing left!"

Kuyo brought his hand down to deliver the coup de grace.

Unable to watch any longer, Tsukune shut his eyes and prayed like he never prayed before. No! Someone! Anyone! Help them! Still, Tsukune knew there wasn't anyone else, only him. And it was up to him to save Moka and the others. Please God! Do something! If I ever had anything worth dirt inside of me, now is the time to bring it out! Now! Now! NOW!

Suddenly, a massive energy erupted from Tsukune's body. It was so big and so powerful, that even Inner Moka's aura was dwarfed by it.

Instantly, Kuyo stopped dead in his tracks, sensing the impossibly large energy coming from the supposed human that was supposedly dead. He extinguished the flames in his hand as he slowly turned around.

"What the hell?"

—

Tsukune felt life thrust back into his body. He felt a surge of power like never before. He had more stamina, strength, and vitality then he had ever had in his life. He could no longer feel pain from his wounds as he felt his skin and his entire body rapidly healing itself. His vision, hearing, and sensation had returned in full, sharper than he thought possible. He stood slowly, focusing everything he now had on saving Moka and the others, barely half-realizing just what was happening to him. He looked down at his hand and clenched his fist. He felt like he could take on not only Kuyo, but his entire Security Force and all the other baddies at this school at once. He knew not why or how he was still alive and felt as strong as now did. All that mattered now was rescuing Moka and the others.

—

Kuyo couldn't believe what he was seeing. Tsukune Aono the human, who he had just fried to a black smoldering crisp, was standing up. Not only was he alive, his burnt skin and other wounds were healing at a speed that not even a vampire could match. By the time Aono was on his feet again, he was completely good as new. Better even. His body crackled with an energy that Kuyo had never seen or heard of before. It was violent and powerful, swirling around him in circles and waves, in vibrant and aggressive colors of red, orange, and yellow. As Aono breathed again, the energy aura died down and looked to be absorbed back into his body.

"How? This is impossible! You can't be alive! I just killed you! I saw you burn to death by my own flame with my own eyes!"

And indeed, it was impossible. His sources told him that Aono was a human, but no human could come back from that kind of punishment. Could it be possible he was misinformed? If he had been, then heads were going to roll. But even he wasn't a monster, it didn't explain that energy. Whatever it was, it wasn't monster energy. It just didn't have that monstrous feel to it; it was something else entirely. But what?

—

Moka must've been more dazed than she thought, because she could've sworn she just saw Tsukune get up, and he was unharmed. Kurumu, Mizore, Yukari, and Ruby couldn't believe it either. Tsukune was alive! And not only alive, but looking as powerful as the strongest of monsters! They each got up as best they could. They were all still in pretty rough shape, but at least they could stand. Just simply seeing that Tsukune was okay was enough to give them the strength to get up. They were all ecstatic that Tsukune was alive, but they were all more surprised and awed more than anything, none more so than Moka.

"I'm so glad Tsukune's alright!" shouted Yukari joyously.

"Wow, Moka!" Kurumu exclaimed. "What you did really worked! Your blood saved him!"

"Amazing! So this is what the blood of a vampire can do," said Ruby.

Moka was silent for a moment. When she spoke, it was in so low a whisper, that it was barely audible. "I didn't save him."

Kurumu leaned in closer to her. "What was that, Moka?"

Without taking her eyes off Tsukune, Moka answered, "I didn't save him."

"What?" all the other girls cried together.

"I didn't inject any of my vampire blood into him. Kuyo stopped me before I could," Moka continued without missing a beat.

"Then, how is he alive?" Kurumu asked.

Yukari jumped. "That must mean that Tsukune really was a monster all this time after all!" The other girls smiled and nodded, and that seemed to put the matter to rest. That is, until they heard Moka speak again.

"No."

Kurumu faltered with the other girls. "No? What do you mean 'no?'"

"Tsukune is not a monster. I would have sensed his monster aura if he was. His blood always tasted and smelled like a human's. I know. He told me himself that he was a human."

All of the girls' eyes went wide with equal amounts of shock, fear, and awe as they all gasped simultaneously. Mizore was so stunned that her ever-present lollipop fell out of her mouth.

"T-Then if it wasn't your blood, and Tsukune's a human, then how is he still alive? Moka, what's happened to him?" Kurumu asked.

For the first time in a long time, Inner Moka didn't have an answer. "I . . . I don't know."

—

Tsukune looked up from his hand and stared at Kuyo. He knew what he had to do know. Clenching his other fist, Tsukune pointed an accusatory finger at Kuyo.

"You! Kuyo!" he shouted with a boldness that could almost be as felt as it was heard. Kuyo almost couldn't hold back the flinch that he felt at hearing the power in Aono's voice. "Leave my friends alone!"

Visibly taken aback, Kuyo nearly stammered. "W-What?"
"You heard me. Leave them alone."

The sheer gall of Aono's statement was enough to shake Kuyo back into his usual tough attitude, but there was still something weaker about his tone. "T-This . . . This is an outrage! How dare you speak that like and make a fool out of me! I'm not going to let you get away with this!"

Tsukune's piercing glare was unflinching. That, combined with the power that he felt, Kuyo felt real fear for the first time in living memory.

"Last warning, Kuyo." Tsukune's words were as cold and hard as stone. "Leave, or else."

After being threatened like that, Kuyo's anger overrode whatever fear he might have felt. "Leave! Gimme a break! I preserve order and protect the peace at this academy! You really think that you can take me down! Even if you somehow have a little bit of power, it sill isn't going to make the least bit of diff—"

Kuyo was cut off by a lightning-fast, super-powerful punch to the face from Tsukune that immediately sent him flying to the other end of building's roof.

Kuyo barely had the wherewithal to form a coherent thought as he flew through the air. Impossible! I didn't even see him move! Not even werewolves are that fast! And the power of that punch! The vampire wasn't even hitting me half that hard!

Kuyo opened his eyes and looked ahead of him, only to see Aono already there, waiting for him. When Kuyo flew by Tsukune, Tsukune wheeled around and slammed Kuyo's gut with a drop kick, creating enough force to crack the cement beneath them and forming a small crater. Kuyo was in a lot of pain right now.

—

The girls were still watching, but couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"W-Wow," blurted Kurumu. "Just wow."

"H-how is he doing that?" Mizore asked.

Moka still hadn't taken her eyes off Tsukune, not even to blink. "I already said I don't know. I didn't even see him move before that first hit."

"Well, if not even you saw him, Moka, then I don't feel as bad because I didn't either," said Kurumu.

—

Tsukune reached down and picked up Kuyo by the shoulder. Tsukune held him up at arms length and hit him square in the face with another massive punch, sending him flying a hundred feet into the sky. As soon as he hit Kuyo, Tsukune took off flying into the air, chasing after him. He caught up with Kuyo and grabbed him again by the shoulder. He hovered there in the air for a moment, clutching Kuyo's barely conscious form.

Kuyo stuttered as he looked around and saw where he was. "W-What the hell?"

—

"So he can fly now?" Mizore asked. They were all still too dumbfounded to truly comprehend or believe what was happening.

"I guess so, but where are his wings?" Kurumu added.

"Apparently, he doesn't need any," suggested Ruby.

—

Tsukune rammed yet another punch to Kuyo's face, sending him careening back to the rooftop with tremendous force and speed. Kuyo's back crashed hard into the concrete, creating another small crater. Kuyo was blacking out fast.

"Uhh . . ."

Tsukune looked down on his fallen foe, still not satisfied and still determined to put an end to his threat to his friends' lives. "I'm gonna make sure you don't hurt anyone ever again!"

Tsukune thrust out both his hands and some of his energy from before began to gather in his palms. After a second, he let loose and fired a powerful beam of energy from his hands at Kuyo.

Kuyo barely had time to register what he saw before he was hit by Tsukune's energy beam. There was a mighty explosion that sent dust and debris in all directions.

—

The girls were shocked by the force and wind caused by the blast, but were unharmed. As the dust settled, there was a giant hole in the rooftop where the explosion had been. They crept up to the edge of the hole and leaned in to peer inside. Several stories down, on the base level, they could see straight through layers of concrete and stone and make out Kuyo's body's form at the very bottom of the building. A closer look revealed that although he was badly injured and still smoking, his chest was also still rising and falling, indicating that he was still breathing and wasn't dead.

After a silence that seemed to last hours, Moka was the one who broke it. "I don't know what Tsukune is anymore, but I don't know of any type of monster that is as strong as a vampire, fast as a werewolf, and can fly, heal quickly, and shoot energy blasts like that."

The other girls looked at each other anxiously. Sure, they were proud and still admirative of Tsukune, whatever he was, but they were more worried about him now more than anything.

—

In the sky, still hovering, Tsukune was out of breath. He descended back to what was left of the rooftop slowly. As he landed, Tsukune let out a sigh of relief knowing that everyone was safe now, but only then did he realize what he had just done. He looked at his hands in pure horror, terrified and awed by what he had just done. He was so engrossed in his own shock that he didn't notice all the girls running up to him.

"Tsukune! Tsukune!" Kurumu shouted worryingly. "Are you alright?"

Tsukune didn't answer her; he was still staring at his hands. Even when she threw herself at him and hugged him with all her might, he didn't respond.

"Tsukune?"

"He must be in shock," said Ruby. "Understandably, though."

Yukari waved her hand between his face and his hands. "Tsukune! Please say something!"

"Talk to us, Tsukune!" Mizore pleaded, poking him the face. Again, no response.

Then, Moka walked over. She silently told them to give him some room with her eyes. She knelt down in front of Tsukune, placed her hands on his shoulders, and slightly shook him.

"Tsukune, look at me." She spoke calmly and concernedly, with the slightest hint of fear that her voice could muster. It was actually enough to get him to blink and focus his attention on her. "Tsukune, do you know what you just did?"

Tsukune blinked a few more times, as if he was trying to wake up from a strange dream. "I . . . uh . . . I think . . . I think I just beat Kuyo."

"Yes . . ." Moka prodded.

"And . . . I . . . I survived that burns, and I flew, and . . . and I . . . with the lasers . . . and . . ."

"Tsukune," Kurumu added, "why didn't you tell us you could do those things?"

"I . . . I didn't know I could."

Moka spoke again as she just did. "Tsukune, do you know how you did that?"

"No, no I . . . I don't. I just did."

"You just did?"

"Yeah, Moka . . . I . . . I don't know how else to explain it. I just saw that you were all in serious danger, and I knew I had to do something to protect you, and . . . and it just sort of . . . .happened."

"Tsukune, are you sure you're not some type of monster? A wizard even?" Ruby asked gently.

"NO!" Tsukune snapped. "No! I'm not! I'm not a monster! Or a wizard or anything! My parents are humans! I am a human! I am! At least, I think I am." He grabbed his head in despair. "Oh God!"

The girls watched in tangible emotional pain as they watched the boy they each cared so much about rock in place in complete and total confusion about his every own identity. None of them knew what he was feeling. Sure, they all weren't human, but at least they had always been aware of that and knew what they actually were. But to have no idea what you are, or to doubt your very sense of self? What greater turmoil is there?

Tsukune released his head, and looked up at Moka, who had never let go of him. Tears were beginning to form in his eyes. "Moka, what am I?"

Moka stared right into eyes. "I don't know, Tsukune. I don't know." Not knowing what else to say, he let him go and slowly stood up. She retrieved her rosario from the floor nearby and reattached it to her necklace. As soon as she did so, she closed her eyes as he hair returned to the bright pink color of Outer Moka. As always when she restored her rosario's seal, she wobbled a little on her feet and then fainted, but Kurumu was able to steady her and then gently lay her down on the floor.

Just then, the door to the rooftop burst open, and hundreds of members of the Yokai Academy student body poured out onto the remnant of the building rooftop, all of them shouting and murmuring as they each took in the situation.

"What happened here?"

"What's this huge hole?"

They gathered around the edge of the abyss, peering down into it.

"Look down there!"

"What the?—"

"Holy crap!

"It's Kuyo!"

"That's crazy!"

"Somebody beat him?"

"I don't believe it!"

"Who coulda done that?"

The crowd's questions were rapid fire. Tsukune sat there, starting to retreat into the fetal position. All these voices were making it even harder to think right now.

Seeing that the crowd really wasn't helping Tsukune and that some damage control needed to be done quickly before this got out of hand, Kurumu tried to explain. "Um . . . well, it's kinda like this, and . . ."

At that point, their homeroom teacher, Ms. Nekonome appeared from amongst the crowd. "Mr. Aono! I'm really impressed! You certainly showed that Kuyo a think or two, didn't you?"

Tsukune rounded to look at her. "But . . . but I didn't know . . . I didn't mean for . . ."

Kurumu snorted. Geez, Ms. Nekonome, you airheaded catnip addict! I know you're trying to help, but you're really only making him feel worse!

"Now, we don't exactly condone violence or anything," Ms. Nekonome continued, "but this little incident has certainly cleared your name, wouldn't you say?"

"I . . . uh . . . but I . . ."

It was at this point that the crowd collectively decided to start throwing its two cents in again.

"I guess the Security Committee just jumped to conclusions."

"We're sorry, Tsukune. We never shoulda suspected you of being human."

Kurumu saw that look of utter terror flash in Tsukune's eyes again. Oh no! I have to stop this before it snowballs!

Unfortunately, the crowd didn't seem to want to stop.

"But even so, look how you managed to kick Kuyo's butt!"

"Let's hear it for the new strongest monster at Yokai Academy!"

Tsukune started rocking again. "No!"

Kurumu threw her hands up. "Okay, that's enough. Go away now. Tsukune needs to rest."

Sensing what Kurumu was doing, the other girls quickly sought to help.

"Yeah, he was just involved in a big fight," said Mizore. "He needs to go to the infirmary right away."

"Please, give him some space!" added Ruby.

"Oh, come on, Ms. Kurono," said Ms. Nekonome. "What's the harm in a little fun? This is cause for celebration!"

"No, Ms. Nekonome," Kurumu tried to reason with her. She dropped her voice and cupped her mouth so only they could hear. "You don't understand. Something happened to Tsukune that—"

"Come on, guys! Let's give our new monster hero a celebratory toss in the air!"

Tsukune shut his eyes and clasped his head again. "Stop!"

But the crowd didn't pay attention. "Hip, hip, hooray!"

"Stop!"

"Hip, hip, hooray!"

"Stop!"

"Hip, hip—"

"STOP!" Tsukune wailed.

As he cried, his chaotic energy aura violently emanated out from inside him again, lashing out at his unintentional tormentors in spikes and valleys. The students recoiled at the sudden display of power, though none were hurt by it.

The backlash from his energy aura put more stress on him than he was used to, and Tsukune started to black out fast. Just before he fainted and slumped over, only one, all consuming, ever-present thought was in his head:

What am I?

—

Elsewhere, on the other side of the world, in New York state, in the United States, on a computer terminal, in a mansion, in a secret room, a light flicked on a screen. It showed a map of the Earth, then increasingly focused on a specific area of Japan. The screen read: TARGET—LOCATED.