Man, this past week has been so fuckin'... Horrific isn't even the word. First, the Boston Bombings – the clusterfuck of mis-information on all sides that went on there – and the eventual capturing of the supposed surviving brother of the two suspects (Read: "Actors", according to the newsman's slip. Who makes a mistake like that?). Then, West, Texas' complete explosion... Hn. I just gotta say, it's all tragic – extremely so-, but also a little suspicious and too convenient (Doubt that West is to be drawn in, but all these terror attacks?). Draw your own conclusions about it, but I was an Obama supporter both times and now – I don't even support this country's (Note lack of reverent capitalization) government anymore. I love America... but the government? 's for the birds.

I suppose, if this were in Nixon's reign, you could label me a hippie. Love the country; gov't can suck mah baws – as Cartmen would say. Support the troops; drown the politicians.

With that rant done – for which I apologize for taking up time, but not for anyone who is offended (Unless it is to the Boston, Mass Bombings – in which case my heart goes out to those that were injured.) - I shall now get on with the more important things. Before I get to the replies though, I would like to say that I'm doing this really close to the time I'm heading to town, so if I don't get to you, I apologize and you will be given time in the next chapter.

Replies:

Pyromania 101- For most, that will be true, but I have ways of making Moka submit. Ah, the plans and actions to come... Now, you are correct for most of vampire population. It just happens that Moka is one of the few that will be capable of being civilized (educated?) for the most part. Nah, you're not in the wrong for feeling the way you do – for the most part you are correct.

You are partially correct here. Yes, he did – but he also isn't incompetent; he knows exactly what he's doing. I find him to be the Brains of the Dark Lords, personally. Trust me, Mikogami is a manipulative bastard and isn't afraid of what he must do to bring about the results he desires. I have quite the plan for him.

Hm, well it will reconcile. When – I don't know. Thanks, I find the most moderate touches of things help push what I want to happen a long, long way – such as Kurumu's slight comforting of him. Once again, I thank you – my most avid of reviewers whom has been with me since the beginning – for sticking with me and reviewing.

Junky: You have nothing to fear – save for a brief instance ( which may not even make it, for it's done with sheer shock value and a small story connectivity in mind) late in the story- on that front. Your suspicion is quite astute, but that's still a few chapters off.

I rather dislike the sheer power boosts that happen in Naruto. For Shinobi, they sure enjoy to drag out and hold back their cards to release them over time... Yet, they've done very little to actually develop/earn these powers. Tobi earned his power, but he's the only Uchiha I feel who has – and he has the mental scarring to prove it. That being said, I have plans that will be truly plausible later on in the story – plausible to me at least - so it requires that Tsukune gain some power... But it won't all be reliant on the Sharingan.

Heh, thanks. I find it much more interesting when things aren't quite so cut-and-dry as the manga and some of the authors here make the story out ot be. Not that such a story is bad, I just prefer to look at the dark side of life. I mean, even the manga's Fairy Tail takes things on a 'soft' course... Anywhore, thanks for reviewing!

The six path's: I can't really be sure. At the moment it is up in the air, but I and my Beta are currently throwing up many ideas for a possibly acquiring of the EMS. At present, it is unknown – assume 'no', and be pleasantly surprised if he does.

OmegaHouse: What are you confused about – I will try to shed light on it in a PM. Yes, this follows – loosely – on the Manga, at the moment. Later on, it will likely leave the Manga entirely behind, only barely gracing it's borders every once in a while.

TheLaughingMan1 – Thank you for your reviews; they were very welcome.

Icb117- I'm happy to hear it. I hope you, and everyone else, will stick with me 'till the end.

Fg7dragon – Thanks.

SixPathscv – Question first; what's the cv for? In a roundabout way, yes; you see, Shinobi I am considering to be an evolutionary branch of humanity (similar to the now-extinct Neanderthals.), which were capable of mixing the mana (Witches) and the ki (Martial Artists) of supposed 'border beings' properly to make the chakra fusion. When they died out, chakra also died... This will be further explained later on, and the origins of the precursors of current monsters and youkai, therein.

Semexx – Dude... I just can't thank you enough for your reviews, and especially your massive help with the two witches. I've already gotten an idea for Yukari, but I will incorporate your ideals as best I can. Ruby, however, will be almost entirely influenced by your suggestions – past wise, at least. Also, you mentioned the fact that the fight with Saizou confused you, yet you hit the nail on the head; he wouldn't know that he was under an illusion. In that same way, I figured, 'Why not take the reader for a ride on the effects of the illusion?', hence the reason I showed his (2nd?) POV and what he experience.

I agree with, and can completely see your fascination with the Moka/Moka/Tsukune dynamic. I've thought about it before, but never in quite so much detail. Kudos, man, kudos. Oh, and you you got the interpretation of Asura spot-on; I figured someone with that mentality would be perfect for teaching him.

Also, I must commend you on your review of chapter 5; you're one of the very few to seem to appreciate the fact that I made sure to incorporate the fact that this is, indeed, a MONSTER school, heh. I look forward to more from you.

As to why Tsukune thinks he's human: To put it simply, he doesn't know any better; at best he assumes that a select few humans can use Youkai, but keep it on the DL – so to speak. Cold fact, cynicism, and his own brand of paranoia dictate that governmental figures would study and dissect anything 'weird' like that – assuming they wouldn't kill it first. Hehe, where do you think he learned the Water Bullet from – just developed it?

Unfortunately, I can't comply with your hope for a lack of scars; I've tried to keep damage true to what is owed once attributes are taken into account. Now, he's not going to be a flower child and develop a scar for every scrape, but... Say, if he gets disemboweled, but somehow survives, he'll have the scar – you don't just heal from that. It won't be red and angry and shit – but it'll be there.

Mangatraders worked. Thanks, friend.

Finally, the martial arts styles. I'll admit they're difficult at best to find – the reason why I chose them. I only directly listed one, a folly which I should correct soon. Until then, here's the three that make up the Kage Tora no Mai: Bagua Zhang – Yin Style, Heihuquan, and Ninjitsu.

Twigon Halolover- I know, it doesn't seem to be the proper choice, but despite being outwardly cold, he isn't heartless. The last time he killed (Saizou) he was sick for days, as well, for a reason as of yet unknown... Ergo, between the fact that he has only killed twice, and the mysterious sickness alone, he would be hesitant to kill. Then, one must understand – this is a monster school... He didn't get in trouble for killing Saizou, so clearly that is -at worst- frowned upon, and therefore they didn't do anything wrong, per se.

SilverFlameHaze - Heh, must have been lovely to return with all of that mail, then. I do the same as you; write up three-four chapters and then try to keep that amount set before me just in case I happen to get writer's block, or break my brain, or some other unfortunate writing-cripplement – yeah, I'm aware that's not a word. You think so? Huh, I actually figured a vast majority would have been on my ass for writing a shitty chapter without fighting... Thanks, man.

Ranmyaku Kiritsu – Thanks for your review.

I would like to say that, if my situation was different, I may respond in PM's, but as it is, I simply don't have the time. Besides, as Semexx pointed out, it stops me from having to type out the same answer time and time again. Confused? Look at the Q/A at the beginning of the chapter, hehe.

I was wrong on the story recs, Fox has yet to post PoF yet, but it will be coming soon.

Guest – Thank you; I try to put a descent batch of everything in it – and it seems that it's working, heh. Happy to hear that you, and others, love my work.

ManlyMonk – You brought the review mang? Good, good. Here's the money, mang – don' fuck wit' Tony Montana!

Hey, I'm surprised at my development to your enjoyment of my skills... That didn't make sense, but fuck it. Indeed – I think that the way I'm introducing Mizore will make her one of the only (Outer Moka, and possibly - but not likely- Ruby being the only other two) girls who he doesn't fight initially. Love the pun, by the way, heh.

Gin shall be receiving just what is coming to him, don't worry (Or piss yourselves, fans of Gin! Piss!). Yeah, aside from one possible instance way, waaaaay down deep Into this story, there won't be an active character cross – and even then, I doubt it would ruin the quality of the story.

Reishin Amara- No, I'm not just learning about it; hell, I've known about his stories since the beginning. I just decided to spread the reviewer/reader wealth...as it were (Seeing as I can't just grab a handful of you guys, copy/paste, rent a blimp and toss you all out towards other ff people I like.)

Hah! Loved it, thanks Reishin.

Disclaimer: I see nozing! I know Nozing!

Tsukune glared at the man, the shock still evident on his face as he felt a streak of anger slowly radiate away. 'A partner. My duties require I work with a partner. This is crucial information which I would have liked to have had in the beginning!' Tsukune found himself growling to himself, his hands balling and uncurling into fists and back to splayed-finger open palms.

He wanted to wring the man's neck, but he knew that he owed the man his life. Still, it didn't stop his irritation towards this trickery; he'd already agreed to undertake the duties that his debt to the headmaster encompassed. That was likely why the damned man had played his hand as he did, knowing that if there was a partner involved, Tsukune would likely be uncomfortable with the idea and decline.

'Mikogami-sensie is completely correct, so I suppose it's just as well' The teenager admitted, thoughts of Moka Akashiya and her betrayal, as he perceived it, against him filling his mind once more. Clenching his fists again, he tried his hardest to stop the sinking pit in his stomach as the floor dropped out from under him whilst his heart began to go through a meat-grinder.

The urge to weep from the pain was no longer there as it had been; he supposed that the shock of the impending situation had lessened the impact with the irritation and anger he felt, but it wasn't anymore less miserable and painful than before. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed to tear at his very soul, making the pain incrementally worse for him.

Shutting down his emotions behind the mental bulkheads he'd set in place, he could feel them slowly die down without having to actually suffer through the terrible action. Allowing a grim smile to slip onto his lips that wasn't matched by his eyes, both of which stared impassively at the door as they had been for the past five minutes since the Headmaster had sent out a letter in the beak of a raven, Tsukune let a silent sigh out.

The man who had pulled the wool over Tsukune's eyes seemed to cast him a side-long glance, though it was hard to tell with his odd eyes, "I expect you two to at least tolerate one-another; I would rather not have to replace either of you. Who knows, you two might become friends."

Casting a glare over at the man that was filled with both his ire and his disbelief, the brunette scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. The chances of he and his partner becoming friends was almost equal to him becoming the leader of a paramilitary organization with the same prestige of ol' Mikogami. He didn't keep his disbelief to himself, either, "I will not hinder working as a team, however I doubt a friendship will come from this agreement; I am not the most approachable person in the world, nor am I in the market for friends, as I'm certain you know."

A careless chuckle came from the Dark Lord who didn't bother looking at his charge, "In times of stress and strife, the oddest of phenomena are said to occur; the least of those, I'm sure, is the formation of a friendship." The sarcasm that seemed to drip off of the man's tongue during that last statement caused the young man across from him to narrow his chocolate eyes, but only slightly. He couldn't exactly blame the man for trying, much as he'd like to.

Turning away from the door, he glanced around the room to help suppress the feeling of dread that was slowly beginning to build up. He honestly didn't want a partner, his wounds with Moka far too fresh in his mind. He would have really enjoyed an excuse such as missions for the Headmaster to have more time to himself; more time to sort out his issues. He sighed, 'I might as well do my best to make this experience as...cohesive as possible. Blast it all to hell.'

His eyes trailed over the desk to the paper that the man had held as the two of them spoke minutes earlier. He wondered what was on them, for he couldn't have gone through all the information on the papers. Looking at the far one, he noticed it had a lot of information blacked out on it, leaving only a few slots of text open for reading.

Casting a glance around the room, he decided to try to garner some information, expecting the sheet of parchment to be his prospective partner's personal file, especially with all the marked out info. Upon flashing his Sharingan and using the minor night-vision it gave him as a side-effect of it's tell-tale glow, he found himself even more confused, 'This is...my file!'

It was shocking to know that his file held so much classified information, but he supposed it was fitting, after-all, Mikogami had said that his existence as a human that was enrolled in the academy was a closely guarded secret; one that he had been trying to hold onto for a while. However, if that were the case, he doubted such knowledge would be kept in his file, so then, what was being left out?

Was there something about himself that he didn't know? Perhaps all this time, the man knew about his Sharingan – somehow – and had covered it up in the document. Many thoughts ran through his mind, each one plausible, but of varying degrees of improbability; some even coming close to impossible. Gripping the bridge of his nose discreetly, he took in a shallow breath and held it, letting his mind slow down as he turned back to his original position.

"Your partner approaches. Allow me to bestow you with this one piece of information; he is rather like you, in a way... It is why I paired the two of you together. Do not get on his bad side, Aono-san." Cracking a maddening grin, the elder man made to move behind his desk and gestured, a second replica of the chair Tsukune had been sitting in earlier appearing beside it with nary a shimmer or a puff of smoke – it just was.

Chocolate orbs of obsidian froze over as per their owner's regular protocol when meeting someone for the first time. His posture straightened unconsciously and his overall body language went from exuding an aura of 'Wary, but at relative peace', to one of a sleeping lion; peaceful for now, but constantly on edge and ready to destroy any threats to his being. He felt his awareness of his surroundings sharpen slightly more from what they were, and now he could hear the very, very faint buzzing of energy in the ambient air, likely due to the fact that he knew it was there in the first place.

After moving over to his chair to stand by it, his body turned to face the door as was the Headmaster's own. Tsukune tried his best to not allow any one emotion out of the massive maelstrom that raged beneath his blackened heart break through. It wasn't much of a struggle, in all honesty, but that didn't mean that the minor battle was any less irksome and tiresome.

The attention of both the room's occupants was called to order when the sound of the old, thick door creaked open slowly. As it budged open, the bright light of the world outside the room and the sounds therein began to flood in, sounding as if it was quite busy beyond the sound-proof walls – likely the interlude between classes, Tsukune mused.

Then, the light was interrupted by a form pushing it's way through the door, the distinct popping of tight leather and the metallic clink of armor accompanying every movement that the new arrival made. Of course, this was only audible to Tsukune thanks to his increased focus, and even then he was hard-pressed to catch it. Within a moment, the room was back to being it's own solitary world as the door closed, activating the sound-proof seal's circuit once more.

He looked over the new arrival, his mind analyzing every detail that he could make out in the low light ambiance of the room. The person across the room stood still, their form not stocky, but not lithe and scrawny either; whether this was a reflection of their human disguise, or a physique augmented by the armor they wore, Tsukune wasn't sure.

Speaking of armor, the third party in the room was clad in - from what Tsukune could make out without the use of his crimson eyes – black, or more than likely, dark brown leather pants which had dark grey 'scales' of arched iron or steel running along the thighs, each one incrementally longer than the one before it until they reached – at the fourth one – three inches or so in length. On the knees sat an off-shoot to the grieves they wore, the same color of the metal scales, but in a hinged octagon with a small, blunt spike protruding out – not enough to puncture the skin easily, but it would certainly augment one's knee strikes.

The grieves themselves were fairly basic, being merely a set of shin-guards of the same non-reflective metal that the rest of the armor pieces had been made of, and held to the leg by three leather straps that held to the calf. The feet were covered in what looked like an augmented version of the tabi footwear, only it was not open – instead, it had metal plates layered along a central sheet of leather much like the thighs.

The person's upper body was covered in a leather vest, held closed with a zipper made of plastic – likely to help keep down the sound that would already be present with the metallic sections of armor that covered most of the clothing they wore, including the vest. Speaking of, thin metal plates covered the shoulders and collar area with a small spaulder-like offshoots on either side, though they didn't extend beyond three inches outward, nor did they go beyond mid-bicep

Covering the chest was a thin curiass of plate armor, no more than a quarter-of-an-inch in thickness. This piece of armor began just below the collar and extended down to the diaphragm, becoming tapered and thin, where it merged with a thick mat of leather that extended down the front of the abdomen. This sheet of hard leather was scored, allowing for increased maneuverability while protecting the organs shielded by them.

Overall, the armor would hold up in a hand-to-hand fight, easily protecting against large bladed weapons and small impact weapons – such as axes and batons, but doing little against precision piercing weapons such as a dagger, or large impactors like a war-hammer. It would do nothing beyond being a hindrance if a gun was involved. Tsukune didn't allow it to show, but he was marginally impressed and pleased, 'This person at least seems to possess some form of common sense.'

Glancing up to his...partner's face, he found that he couldn't see it very well on account of the shroud covering it, much like how Mikaogami's own engulfed his. There was a distinct lack of the supernatural darkness masking the newcomer, allowing him to see past the negligible shadow cast by the dark brown hood to reveal a metallic gray face-mask that encased their face from the bridge of the nose down to the chin, and seemed to be held in place by several straps. Beneath this, there was evidence of a black elastic cloth mask that likely covered the same thing it's metallic counterpart did.

The only part of the new arrival's features that he could ascertain was the color of his eyes – an icy cerulean blue - once he mentally reduced the mildly obfuscating tint that the glasses he wore caused. He couldn't make out hair color, and there were too many variables in the light to make out their skin color and complexion, if there were any section that were left uncovered.

As a whole, the new arrival stood at a little over five-foot five, though he supposed that the tabi's extra mass of sole on the bottom, perhaps to keep the sound down, likely added a little to it. Finished with his appraisal, he gave a half-nod of approval to himself and presumably to the Headmaster, though he continued to feel wholly against the idea of taking a fellow school-mate with him, regardless of the reasons given.

Across the way, Mikogami chuckled, seeing the attire Tsukune's partner had chosen. It was...fitting, he supposed, all things considered. With an ironic kind of snicker, the Dark Lord thought of the tasks he had set aside for the brunette and his armored partner, and couldn't help the grin that sprouted from these thoughts.

Motioning the two who seemed to be looking one another over, he then motioned to the chairs as he took one, himself. After making himself comfortable, and allowing his guests to do the same, he began, "It is good that you've joined us. I would like to introduce you to your new partner. Would either of you care to introduce yourselves to the other?"

The order was heard loud and clear from both of them, despite the fact that it wasn't threatening or made far too obvious. Still, neither wished to displease the powerful man before them, and stood quickly, both with their own unique grace and poise; Tsukune's being that of a practiced aristocrat - so fluid was it - and his partner's being that of a nimble fighter who's balance and flexibility were beyond compare. The two once again seemed to stare at the other, each processing information on the other's technique.

His partner was the first to bow, bending at the waist marginally and inclining his head the rest of the way. When he finally regained proper posture, the brunette heard the hissing, metallic overtone of an electronically rendered voice covering the armored person's own soft-spoken near-genderless voice. The only hint to the voice belonging to a male was the gravelly accent to the words, but he could hear it well enough, "Greetings, I am known as Pagos, and would appreciate you using this name."

Tsukune, for his part, didn't think it too odd the way he introduced himself. In fact, he had found that the idea of an alias was actually rather intelligent so as to separate himself from his work on behalf of the Headmaster. Giving a sign of acknowledgment in a light nod, the last Aono made equal effort in his own bow, however he straightened quicker, "It is good to meet you Pagos, my true name is of little consequence. You may refer to me as..."

'As what?' Tsukune found himself thinking, his mind leafing through ideas. In all actuality it didn't truly matter, this he knew. This monicker he would be known by could be anything under the sky. That, however, was precisely the point; something in him, deep within him wanted to be known. It was a foreign concept to him, and as best as he could figure, it was the voice's doing. Still, it clawed at him, almost pleading for him to choose something that would have meaning.

Finally, Tsukune felt a small smirk tug at his lips. It wasn't anything that the other two in the room noticed, but he knew by the sudden lack of pressure in his mind that whatever it was, was pleased. His mind set, he continued from where he had left off, chocolate eyes of obsidian hiding the odd sense of pride that rushed through his veins, "...Karasu."

His new partner didn't seem to have much of an opinion of the name, and merely nodded. The half-hidden blue eyes seemed to regard him with a look of contemplation for nary a moment before they blinked and the observantly calculating look was back. Paying it little mind, Tsukune was forced to turn when both he and his partner's monickers were called by their...employer, as was the appropriate title now.

Mikogami felt a dark chill run up his spine as...'Karasu' turned to look at him. It wasn't the kind of chill one got from being scared or startled, nor was it quite one of pleasure. This feeling, to put it simply, just was. It was as if the Universe itself had trembled for a scarce moment, a change evident in the folds of time – though if it were for good or ill, only time would tell.

Seeing that he now had their undivided attention, the priest produced the third paper he had been holding nearly fifteen minutes earlier from what seemed to be the darkness itself. Placing it before him on the mahogany desk, he chuckled as he looked it over with interest, occasionally lifting his head to apparently gaze at his two...employees.

"The first task I have for the two of you is simple... In theory." The Headmaster explained, receiving an expectant look from Pagos, and a deadpan stare from Tsukune/Karasu, whose eyes barely narrowed in a display of his very mild irritation at the man's games. The look quickly subsided, likely a side affect of him either having such a tight hold on his emotions currently, or perhaps the new presence had something to do about it. Either way, Mikogami found he cared little, "There have been several reports of...forced affections on my school's campus. The Public Safety Commission claims to have looked into it, however I find they are becoming...unreliable."

"Public Safety Commission?" The question was posed by Pagos, emotion of some kind evident in the voice, but nothing that either person in the room could discern, partly due to the electronic rendering of the vocal patterns. There was, however, a curiosity in the cerulean eyes hiding behind the glasses of Tsukune's partner.

An inclination of the head was given by the Dark-Lord-turned-Headmaster who didn't chuckle, nor grin. When he spoke, it was the first time Tsukune had ever noted the frayed strands of barely contained frustration in the man's voice, "Indeed. The Public Safety Commission, a group that was put into practice to help keep the Academy safe. Recently, however, they've been less than effective."

"As you were saying, Mikogami-sensei?" Tsukune/Karasu brought them back onto track, returning to the base issue at hand. If his analysis of the man was correct, and his gut to be believed, this Public Safety Commission would rear it's head a few more times; more than enough time to get the information from the Headmaster. For now, he wished to simply get the job over with and relax; this day had been emotionally draining on him.

Pagos glanced at him, a strange look in his eyes before he, too nodded in seeming agreement with Tsukune's/Karasu's regrouping of the conversation. Releasing a breath, the man was silent for just a moment as he regained his faculties. Soon, the shrouded man went on to speak, "As I had said, the Public Safety Commission claims that they've looked into it, but no results have been noticed; every week there is at least one report of an attempt. I take the safety of my students personally, and I would have you two do the same."

"I will do as you ask of me, Mikogami-sensei. Are there any leads?" Tsukune/Karasu asked, gesturing to the paper the man continued to look over with his hand. The young teen awaited his answer as the man cracked a small grin, his glowing eyes seeming to fill with a pressure that radiated both appreciation and satisfaction, though an anger not directed at them brimmed beneath.

Receiving a nod, his gnarled hands bent the paper up slightly, "The name of the individual is not known, however he has been spotted near the women's dormitories, in the woods behind the pool, and along the wooded pathways leading to Youkai Academy. Reports have him changing his arms, leading me to believe him to be an Outcast-Ayashi."

This time, Tsukune was the one who diverted the mission briefing, "Outcast Ayashi – Inform me of them." The young man had tried to study up on certain aspects of the supernatural world during the last four weeks; going to the library as often as he could when he wasn't training himself. Unfortunately the library merely had subjects one would be most likely to find in a human library, and of the books he did find – ironically in the fantasy section – there was very little he didn't already know or deduce on his own.

Pagos seemed to blink, genuine surprise coming out in the minor increase in breath and the slight shift in his posture. It was strange to Pagos that a monster wouldn't know what an Outcast-Ayashi was. Of course, there were communities that shunned the social division caused by such a title, but just because it wasn't in practice didn't mean that they were ignorant to it. It was hardly a social division any way – more of a chasm.

The Headmaster voiced the knowledge though, rather than keep it to himself as Pagos seemed content to do, "An Outcast-Ayashi is one who has such diluted monster blood within them that there is no true proof of origin; they have no stable form such as an Ogre, Harpy, or Dragon might have. Instead, their youki becomes their Ayashi form, and allows them to – in their first manifestation – re-purpose it to meet their needs. Usually this is a weapon of some sort."

Pagos nodded, "Most consider them below 'Pureblood' Monsters, however some are far stronger than their 'pure' counterparts. It has become more-or-less common practice to shun them." Feeling the cool gaze of his partner cross over him, soaking up the information, the armor-clad man shrugged nonchalantly.

"Do you consider them to be inferior, Pagos?" Tsukune's vacuous words caused a light shiver to run through his form, and he was silently thankful that he was able to hide it as he did. The moment was uncomfortable as he felt the orbs of frozen chocolate judge him, awaiting his answer to come to a verdict. In some way, it made him respect the teen more, and in others, it produced a slight fear of the brunette boy.

Finding his words, Pagos replied, "I haven't met enough to form a concrete conclusion, but based on pure ethics and my observations, my opinion of them is that they are weaker than most Ayashi, but it is no reason to treat them differently. They live, eat and breath the same as most of us, and most wish for nothing more than the basic respect every living being is given."

The air stayed terse, the tension thick within the air as the armor-clad man found himself wondering if he'd offended the brunette, and worrying if a fight was to break out. It wasn't that he was scared of fighting the teen though, no; he was certain he could bring the young man down in one move, but he didn't want to. It would not only ruin whatever cohesiveness he hoped they would have, but it would be a waste of resources.

After a minute more, Tsukune finally nodded his head, the barest of smiles touching his lips, "You're a good man then, Pagos. I'm pleased to hear you say that; every being deserves to be treated with respect. If they are denied that, then..." He stopped, unable to finish as he felt the darkness in his own heart start to stir, memories of his childhood flashing momentarily within his mind. He completely missed Pagos' own downcast eyes that had, moments before, been staring at him in muted surprise.

The Headmaster cleared his throat a moment later, returning his charges' attention to him, "I am pleased to see you getting along, however I would like to get the two of you on your way. As I was saying, the reports state that his arms are some form of a blade – some have it as an insectoid form, others as bone. His other arm seems to form anywhere from four to ten tentacles, however when asked if they resembled an octopus, half replied that it did and the other half replied that they appeared as fleshy vines."

"Do you have anyone matching this description on file, Mikogami-sama?" This time, it was Pagos who spoke, and his question garnered a grin from the white-robed Headmaster who fanned the one paper In his hands out to reveal five, each showing vastly different students, all of them boys. Pagos narrowed his cerulean eyes, never noticing the slight chill in the room.

The brunette in the room glanced around, a slight chill being easily suppressed. He momentarily wondered what the central air-conditioning system was set to regulate the school's internal temperature at, and then wondered if the Headmaster even had such a system running into his office. He realized that, despite the lack of light, he had found very little evidence of air vents anywhere in the dim room. Eventually brushing it off as inconsequential, he decided that the situation at hand warranted far more attention.

"Five students here match the descriptions given. In all the reports, only two have given a hair color, and only one a height reference. As made obvious by the files, these five are the only Outcast Ayashi that registered their youki formation as some incarnation of either of the two mentioned appendages, in addition to having the green hair mentioned." With this information explained, the Headmaster drummed his fingers twice against the desk, passing the papers to his newest junior employees. He chuckled at the thought, truly amused at the prospect. 'Ah, if only my two associates could see me now, heheh.'

Tsukune and Pagos each grabbed the stack of papers, Tsukune taking the extra sheet as he sat back down and looked them over. No-one that he knew or had seen in his time here matched the files. Allowing a small breath to escape, taking along with it his mild sense of an impending headache, the young Aono glanced over at his partner who was already on the second page of his.

He was about to chalk it up to a loss, when the armored male stopped and seemed to peer at the paper with a renewed vigor. Regarding the teen that still remained standing with a curious eye, he felt the urge to question what had caught the mysterious figure's attention, "I presume you've found something of importance?"

No answer came in a verbal sense, but the leather-clad man held the file out, his gloved thumb pointing to one particular detail that was in the file. Under a section whose title was blocked out by his thumb, there was a single sentence that was printed in bright red ink, 'Member of the Photography Club. Under supervision from Club Administrator Ukitaka Asuka, and Club president Toshiro Hitachi.'

'That name,' Tsukune felt the cogs in his mind begin to turn as flashes of fairly recent memories began to flash, until they stopped on one particular incident a little under two months prior. Specifically, the day they had to find a club to join. He felt his mouth press into a thin line, though the minute tightening of his fists, nor the way his muscles seemed to tighten some managed to hide the fact that he was angry.

Pagos eyed the brunette that would be his partner with a look of scrutiny. Across from them, the Dark Lord, who's status was successfully hidden from those that attended his school, chuckled wordlessly as he watched the tension in the air and the growing aura of darkness that seemed to froth and bubble around Tsukune in much the same way as one would imagine magma to do in a stasis. He had great potential, potential for good and evil, but great non-the-less.

"So," Tsukune spoke, whatever emotions had managed to seep into his voice since Pagos had arrived was gone, adding a distinct chill to the air that was not due to any chilling of the air, itself. Pulling the paper away from the brunette, the hooded teen eyed 'Karasu' warily, unsure if he should be on edge; unsure if a fight was going to ensue due to his new 'partner's' change in attitude. After-all, he knew next to nothing about the brunette, and when dealing with an Ayashi that was an extremely large blank sheet, that was potentially fatal.

The young man who had chosen to be known as Karasu reigned in his outwardly exuding anger, finally realizing just how much pressure his youki was causing as it escaped him. Though he wasn't as calm as he'd have liked, he felt that his mood was stable enough and made to finish what he began to say, "You know of Hitachi Toshiro as well... What link does he have to this boy?"

Though he was silent for a few moments, the tell-tale electronic click signified the other teen's decision to speak, "Personal issues not-withstanding, Hitachi-san has been a source of harassment for many people. To add to that, Ebisu-san is the younger brother of Toshiro-san, and twice as willing to get his hands dirty."

Narrowing his eyes, Tsukune eyed the name of the green haired teen that was printed in large Gothic letters at the header of the page, below Youaki Gakuen's seal. Sure enough, the name Hitachi Ebisu stood out prominently. That was perfect; the slimy oily-haired bastard that had tried to snap pictures of Kurumu and Moka had a brother.

'I did promise to give him a colonoscopy... I suppose it is only fitting that the younger take after the elder.' "Hn," Tsukune grunted aloud, and soon released a long breath he had been holding, uncurling his arms from around his chest and interlacing his fingers on the Headmaster's desk. His tongue prodded his lower lip as he thought of a few scenarios.

Beside him, Pagos merely observed his partner's odd actions with a calculating stare, though it was extremely difficult to tell from behind the murky-gray lenses. After nearly a minute of pure silence, the Headmaster spoke up, "You may take the files with you and look up any lead you need to. I simply request that the two of you not act until there is enough proof; doing so may allow him to lay low. I would appreciate this being tied up by the end of the week."

The two standing on the opposite side of his desk nodded, 'Karasu' bowing slightly, while Pagos made the full effort, "We will do our best, Mikogami-sama" Standing silent, the brunette allowed a small smirk to work it's way onto his lips for a scant moment before it faded, "It shall be done, Mikogami-sensei."

Allowing a grin to split his shrouded face, the Headmaster chuckled, "I am certain you will. Remember; do not kill him unless there is no other way to resolve the situation. If you can manage to incapacitate him, bring him to me and I will...insure he doesn't escape."Both students before him successfully resisted the urge to shiver from the possible implications of the man's words and turned to leave; one ready to get the work over with, and the other with many thoughts on his mind.

As they reached the door, they were beckoned by the Heamdaster before they left, "Pagos-san, Karasu-san... You would do well to resolve whatever impending battle occurs quickly; the Public Safety Commission tends to get...involved in things which they've otherwise ignored lately. You may go."

Giving their acknowledgments to the priest-like man, Karasu proceeded to open the door and allow Pagos to exit first, before he followed immediately after. Within the dark confines of the Headmaster's Office, the white-robed man cackled softly, his voice becoming far darker than it had been, "Let's see how you two deal with this; perhaps you will have your uses, after-all."

Half an hour later found Karasu - also known as Tsukune - and Pagos sneaking through the skeletal trees just on the far side of the swimming pool's changing rooms. This was the last reported sighting of the molester, and the spot that the pair believed their best chances of finding any clues and potential evidence lay.

The silence was interrupted when a very low hiss, followed immediately by a near-inaudible click sounded, "Karasu-san. Do you find it odd that we have checked almost a square mile, and yet we've found nothing; no displacement of the soil, no nicks or cuts into the wood, nor any residue of any form?"

Across the way, 'Karasu' nodded silently. He was thankful that Pagos was able to change the volume of his vocal emitter, and that it was able to throw his voice to a moderate extent. It made him slightly miffed that he had no way of doing the same, a fact that made him resolve to do something about that. Getting back to the moment, he replied after checking an odd crenelation in one of the tree's trunks, "It is far too much of a coincidence; I feel as though someone has cleaned this area."

From his partner, no reply, but that was fine as he had more to add, "However, there may be a small clue here. It appears that in his haste, whoever was cleaning this area left something behind. There is little question as to it being the blade. I am unsure as to the material of the manifestation; insect carapace in nature, or bone. Hn."

Almost as soon as he had finished talking, he felt someone intruding dangerously deep into his personal space. It was with only a small shift of his chocolate eyes that allowed him to see Pagos's hooded and masked visage no more than six-inches from his own face. Feeling a bit claustrophobic at having someone he barely knew this close to him, especially after...everything, 'Karasu' took a deep breath and decided to explain the concept of personal space to his partner after this was over.

His eye began to twitch as the armored teen only got closer in his attempts to look closer at the tree. Poking and prodding at the three-inch long nick in the dead bark of the tree, the leather-clad young man made a low hum in thought before his vocal emitter popped online, "I'm not an expert in anything relating to bones or insects, but if I were to hazard a guess, I'd have to say that this is bone marrow – dried bone marrow."

A slight frown tugged at Karasu's face, but he nodded regardless. So, he was right; it had been bone-marrow. He wasn't certain, as the biology of an Ayashi was likely as close to a human's as it was separate. He wasn't sure what differences could come from certain Ayashi in comparison to humans; while it was a slim chance, it existed that they had nothing close to the biology of a human. He was certain that there existed some monsters that fit into that category. Dismissing this chain of thought, he spoke up, "I thought as much; it has the same texture and scent, but I wanted a second opinion."

Suddenly Pagos was gone from his side, and he noticed his partner was now several feet away with the copies of the student files in his gloved hands. Standing up with his second-nature grace, the brunette teen walked over to the only other person in the vicinity, a mild curiosity in his otherwise impassive eyes, "What has your ire, Pagos-san?"

Wordlessly shaking his head, the hailed Ayashi looked over to the chocolate-eyed young man. The electronic click was heard, "Looking over these files again, I've noticed something; it cannot be Ebisu Hitachi." Seeing the look of pure boredom that seemed to stare back at him from the mostly-emotionless brunette, he took it as his cue to explain, "Ebisu Hitachi's arm has been registered as a 'machete' blade, originating from a winged carapace."

Nodding in understanding, Tsukune felt a minor flash of irritation before it was gone, though his mind was working over-time. The two stood in silence for a moment; Pagos going back to checking over the files after the first few seconds. Meanwhile, the brunette thought of everything he had learned in his months at Youkai Academy; everything he had ever over-heard, everything that was taught in Health, and felt confident in his reassurance. Inclining his head just a fraction, he muttered, "We will still keep him in mind. Is it not possible for some insects to go through metamorphosis, or to change their bodies? Despite being weaker, and unable to change the form his youki first emerged as, I believe it entirely possible to change the breed of his appendage."

Suddenly seeing where his partner was going with this, Pagos agreed, "Mm, You make an excellent point, Karasu. You believe him to have changed the structure to something resembling bone, then?"

His eyes shifted as he looked off into the distance, a sudden summer wind blowing through the trees as whipping at his hair and clothing, leaving a feeling of calm behind for a scant second. Karasu felt the armor donning man's eyes on him and answered his inquiry, "Perhaps not bone. It is entirely plausible that there exists an accomplice, wouldn't you agree?"

"But," A small sigh left him as he briefly glanced side-long at the leather-obscured teen, building on his previous statement, "I digress; I believe that they may be two with similar manifestations – perhaps the brothers, themselves – and in such a case, they would likely switch up their roles, often." After a moment, 'Karasu' continued to voice his thoughts, "Adding to the possibility that Ebisu - let alone this potential accomplice - is capable of mildly altering the type of material their arms are made of leaves far too much in the way of variety..."

"We will simply have to follow them, try to find any evidence that points to his involvement." Pagos finished for him, earning a silent nod from the thoughtful brunette. Said brown-haired male seemed to stare off into the distance, where the changing room and the pool were but a colorful blot in the gray and light brown sea of floral corpses towering hundreds of feet into the air, only contrasted by the odd cloud patterns and the occasionally color-morphing sky.

A soft sigh of mild annoyance escaped the uniformed teen who shook his head. Pagos, assuming on the pure evidence he had observed, and his natural ability to understand someone's mood from their subtle mannerisms, figured that Karasu wasn't usually prone to expressing frustrations. The fact that it was coming out more than normal, something he could detect from the stressful and somewhat clumsy way he vented them, told him that his partner felt out of his element. Naturally, it was he who was the cause, but it was of little consequence; short of telling Mikogami that he had no interest in continuing in this agreement, he couldn't assist the brunette in dealing with it.

More-over, he didn't know much about 'Karasu'. He was hardly wrong about people, but there were times that he had misjudged a person... One in particular, though, 'A long time past, but... Still so fresh.' Blinking away the thought, Pagos glanced into the sky where the other teen was still glaring. He was rarely wrong, but... He hadn't seen, nor observed 'Karasu' enough to know if he was truly antisocial, an emotional wreck, or if he was simply trying to act 'cool'.

Still, one thing was glaringly certain; something was bothering him. Knowing that he wouldn't get the correct answer, but certain that a smaller truth would come, he asked, "Is there something bothering you, Karasu-san?" For a small frame of time, no words were exchanged; only the howling winds of the Academy in the distance and the occasional call of a crow broke the silence. Then, "It's close to the end of third period... The best way to determine the culprits is to follow them...We should look to find them momentarily, agreed?"

Pagos blinked, almost surprised that he didn't get some kind of explanation for the other boy's annoyance. However, while it wasn't said aloud, he did manage to piece it together; Karasu didn't care to be on the mission – perhaps because of him, or maybe it was because he was all but forced into the situation like he, himself was – and it was grating on the other's nerves. That, and... Pagos nodded with confidence, 'He's angry, but it's aimed elsewhere, too... The molester. He wants to catch the molester before he strikes again. Admirable man.'

Karasu eyed the armor clad man across from him, his eyes narrowing a sliver with the lack of a reply. However, that was only part of it; it was the eyes boring into him that was truly annoying him. Mentally, he scolded himself once he realized his train of thought, 'I'm quite capable of keeping my cool in every situation. Why, then, am I becoming so...agitated over comparatively nothing? Hn, this is most irksome, and curious. I must meditate soon; perhaps answers will come, then.'

After a few more moments of silence, he heard the electronic click and finally received an answer. "Definitely. I propose you and I follow them from the end of third period until night has fallen, and most of the girls have returned to their dorms." Pagos simply followed the taller boy as he walked off with nary a word, keeping up with him as he picked his pace up to a brisk jog. After a moment, Karasu's bored monotone was heard, "Math, Kagome Ririko. We have five minutes. Pick up the pace."

A mute nod came from the hooded figure, though he knew the school boy wouldn't see it. For whatever emotional struggles his partner seemed to be dealing with, he had quickly garnered that he was fairly level-headed. There was a certain...eloquence that he spoke with; a particular way that he phrased things that allowed one with enough perception to tell that his mind was always thinking, always planning. Much like his own. A mute chortle left his obscured lips.

The duo quickly passed through the several hundred yards that separated the pool from the gymnasium and the adjacent track-bordered sports field. The few students that were skipping class, heading to a restroom for one reason or another, or running errands were forced to do a double-take as the green and white uniform-clad boy and his black, brown and gray armor-clad pursuer rushed past them and across their varying fields of vision. It wasn't everyday such a sight was beheld to them, and from this, many rumors would be born.

'Four, three, two...,' The teen under the guise of Karasu mentally ticked down the seconds as he and his accomplice rushed into the main building and to the '200' hall, right as the great dirge of bells rang, signaling that it was not only twelve-noon, but lunch as well. 'Karasu' glanced over his shoulder and nodded, his expression shifting from his bored deadpan to that of a thin frown of concentration.

Sticking to the plan the two of them had briefly and hastily constructed in their run, Pagos quickly left the other boy's side and hid himself somewhere upon seeing the nod. 'It begins,' Tsukune thought to himself as the doors erupted open and a sea of students began to pour out, milling about in every which way, some even bumping into him as he wasn't radiating his aura of despair or danger; it would draw far too much attention.

He didn't budge as students nudged and bumped into him, some apologizing, some insulting him and some simply ignoring his existence. It didn't bother him; he paid them little mind, as his eyes flitted between each face, studying it briefly before moving on to another, over and over again. It would have been much, much easier with the Sharingan, but, 'There's a time and a place for everything.'

As he searched every face, a simple mantra played in dull monotone within his head, a mental picture accompanying it, 'Ebisu Hitachi, five-five, one-hundred fifty pounds, dark green hair, black eyes. Mole beside left nostril.' It passed through his mind twice per second, each time encompassing at least four students. He would search each for the attributes he needed, and the moment he found them he would be on their trail.

At long last, after almost a half-a-minute, the slightly stout teen made his way through the crowds, a downcast look on his face as he was pushed to and fro in the sea of flesh. Tsukune noted this, unsure if a potential bout of depression might be responsible for his actions – if he was, indeed, guilty. It was also entirely plausible that he was a victim of some bully, but that wasn't his concern at the moment. No, he couldn't compromise his position and be made.

Staying within a small band of students the entire way, slipping in with a new group when one dispersed or changed course, he managed to keep himself no less than fifteen feet away from his mark at any time. Very few students greeted him, he noted with a mildly grim frown. Monsters and Ayashi they may be, but from what he had seen so far in his school-mates and especially in Kurumu and Moka, they still felt emotions the same as humans did, and still yearned for some form of acceptance. He would have sighed if he weren't tracking the boy, so instead he simply shook his head, 'Acceptance is easily the strongest decider of one's decisions, next only to friendship and love. Hn...'

It looked as if Pagos' and the Headmaster's assessment of how even suspected Outcast Ayashi were treated was spot-on, and it left a sick pit in his stomach. It wasn't that he'd never seen this kind of thing before – discrimination; he had seen plenty of it, and that was precisely why he felt so disgusted as he watched everyone pass off someone as if they were lower than they. However, his disgust towards their blatant treatment of him did nothing to cloud his prime objective, nor the suspicion surrounding the boy; it merely allowed him to see what – if he was the culprit – may have driven him to such acts, in the first place.

One burly teen sneered the boy's way and made to rush him, but laughed mockingly in a way that also showed just how pleased he was with himself when Ebisu flinched. He didn't like it, but the brunette teen stayed his hand and settled for knitting his brows together for a scant second, only to relax his features back into indifference. It was with a minor, fleeting feeling of relief that they made it to the cafeteria and Tsukune/'Karasu' broke from his 'crowd' to stand off in a corner somewhere.

He didn't bother grabbing a lunch; it wasn't even his lunch period yet – his was the second session which began right after the first let out. Eying the lunch room, he couldn't help but chuckle in ironic sarcasm at just how small it was when compared to the amount of students that were crammed into two lunch sessions. Either Mikogami was truly preparing them for the crowded public of most human metropolises, or he had a truly dangerous sense of humor.

He almost jumped once more when a soft electronic click announced his partner's place behind him, both of them now in a darkened corner, "It is quite distracting, everyone talking and jostling about." The soft clink of metal against concrete was heard, and he assumed that Pagos had set himself up on the wall beside him. Saying nothing, Karasu stared out, his eyes still watching for any odd interactions between Ebisu and the possible 'accomplice'.

The duo stood silent in their shrouded corner for quite some time, each focusing on something different. For Tsukune, it was trying to monitor every move that the younger Hitachi brother made, despite the many blind-spots made by his school-mates and the pillars around the room. Pagos, in contrast, was casting an occasional curious glance Karasu's way, wondering what made the brunette tick and what the enigma made of this, and other, situations.

It was a rare thing, Pagos had discovered, to find an Ayashi that thought the way his partner did – and so strongly, to boot. Of course, this was only on the assumption that he did feel the way he said, which with the emotions he inadvertently showed back in Mikogami's office, he did. Still, there was always a chance... A chance for something to have slipped through a crack, for something to have been misinterpreted.

The boy never moved much, his breathing barely expanded his upper body, and the muscle twitches that plagued most people when standing still only appeared to show a fourth - or less - of the apparent average rate with Karasu. Dismissing his thoughts, Pagos addressed the other male, "Karasu-san..." He barely noticed the subtle nod of acknowledgment, but continued almost as if he were unsure if Karasu had nodded, "Mikogami-sama... The Headmaster... You seem to have a dislike of him, why?"

'Karasu' took in a slow, deep breath upon hearing the question. Part of him wanted to tell the masquerading figure to leave him be, to be silent and not bother asking him about things he had no business knowing. Of course, this was part paranoia and part dislike for being forced into the position of having a partner, which he supposed, wasn't to be blamed on Pagos; he was in the same boat. That established, he pushed down his desire to dismiss him and answered politely, "The Headmaster... It's not entirely that I dislike him, however I find him to be far too much of an...unknown for my liking. He appears to go out of his way to instill a feeling of keeping one attached by a mere string, that you are a pawn in his game and he wishes you to know it..."

Pagos nodded, accepting his answer and comparing it to his own feelings of the men. However, it turned out that his partner wasn't quite finished yet. After wetting his lips, he continued, "Despite this, I do respect the man. If my knowledge is correct, then he controls the barrier around this school – a barrier strong enough to separate the human and, at least, this world from one another. It is also he who runs and moderates – rules over this school, in which Youkai and Ayashi of all types roam. One would have to be fairly powerful in pure capacity alone to keep things in order as well as he does."

'Another notch in the enigma that is Karasu,' Pagos thought, finally receiving a small glimpse into the mind of his equally silent partner, and yet he received more questions than answers. His insight though, while broaching and overlapping certain areas of his own assessment, brought to the table an angle he hadn't quite considered – the man's power. The man's power and the way in which he, at least, seemed to use it.

Once more, a silence fell around the two as lunch went on. Clattering dishes and the sounds of the myriad of students chattering, yelling, and laughing amongst the warm air and the austere LED lighting that blared down overhead was taken in by Tsukune, though his focus lie steady on his mark. Still, nothing had happened of note, but then again it was lunch; anything of note would be taking place outside the school in the courtyard, he imagined.

"What of you?" His question was quick and concise, but held a certain feel about it – as though it was almost a command, and yet, not. One might describe it as a compulsion. Either way, it startled Pagos who quickly pulled himself together and felt the need to answer, though he wasn't entirely sure why, "You're asking the same of me as I asked of you?"

Receiving a nod in response, he took a breath and the electronic pop sounded, "I'm not too sure. Mikogami-sama places me on edge, however he has a certain mystique about him – it allows you to almost be calm. Almost. I, too, respect him - but for slightly different reasons than your own... At some point-"

He was interrupted by Karasu giving him a side-long glance, "Do not press your comfort level; tell me as you see fit, or don't – it doesn't bother me either way. We all have our skeletons – in some form." The cold, vacant brown eyes left his vision as soon as they had come, and after a few moments of terse, surprised silence, Pagos nodded, a thoughtful expression hidden beneath his masks.

Another silence dropped over the duo, though it only lasted fro a good five minutes, when the second set of dirge-like church bells rang from the tower atop the school. Almost immediately, the entire cafeteria erupted into moving masses of bodies, accompanied by groans and shouts of disappointment, joy, annoyance, and apathy. Neither of the teens who occupied the back corner paid attention to this, as Pagos quickly vacated the area, and 'Karasu' slipped into another crowd, following as best he could, Ebisu.

It wasn't quite as easy following the slightly chubby young man this time, namely because of the way the crowds continued to disperse as they separated from one another to head to their classes. While he doubted that the green-haired first year would ever be able to sense him, that didn't mean that a sudden flicker, a name, or even a paranoid inkling wouldn't have him sudden look around and spot him. Now, while seeing him the first time wouldn't elicit any suspicions immediately, Tsukune/Karasu had learned early on – and it had only been enforced with strategy books and Asura's training – that you always wanted to hold onto your one 'chance card' as tightly as possible – for that one rainy day, as it were.

Switching from one crowd into another, he swallowed down a nervous lump and breathed a sigh of relief; not even ten seconds prior he had spotted Kurumu and Moka walking together, both trying to ignore the gazes and passes that were sent their way courtesy of many of the male populous, a fact that irked him; he didn't want either of his friends – ignoring the hiccup in their closeness for Moka – to be harassed in such a way. Yet, he could do nothing at the moment lest he lose his mark. Resolving to make it up to the girls, at some point, he pressed on.

Climbing a set of stairs, and dodging a young man who was chasing after some girl – the both of them laughing – while inadvertently tearing through his 'group' which were already beginning to disperse, Tsukune watched the unwary boy enter another class room. He raised an eyebrow and pulled out the student's file, he found that this was Home Economics with an Aspara-san as his teacher. He remembered something about Kurumu having this class, and didn't notice the small smile slip into existence.

He waited, slowly walking extensively diverse routes through the school's main building, flashing his Sharingan to keep watch and evade anyone that was also walking the halls. Despite working for the Headmaster, he doubted that the man would be pleased if he were caught, nor would the man back him up – to do so would likely cause suspicion to set in and would also allow rumors to spill out, effectively tipping off anyone who might be a potential target at a later date.

'I would care less if it could be proven a sure thing that, should a rumor like that get out, the questionable activities would cease to be done.' Tsukune allowed himself a grim, mirthless chuckle as he let his brown eyes roam the ceiling above him. That would be nice, true... Unfortunately, such a thing would never happen; they'd simply become more covert, or go on a temporary hiatus.

As he posted himself within a bathroom upon seeing that two people were on the same floor and heading for the same hallway as he, Tsukune found himself thinking about his lack of time spent with his friends the past month or so. It was taking a toll on him, though he didn't quite see it; such was partially the reason for his inability to keep cool and calm. It would be a bit longer before he truly realized it himself, but for all his antisocial tendencies, for all his lack of words, he had grown accustomed to them being around.

'Even when I was solitary during my two-week hermitage, I don't believe I ever felt the way I am now. Granted, this is three lengths again the time, but...' His thoughts crawled to a stop as he blinked twice, realizing his thoughts. In actuality, he had began to feel a strange fatigue within his mind – a stressful something. A feeling, or more like a headache that wasn't there, always grating at him. Now, it was more along the lines of a dull, low tone that would flare up to nails-on-a-chalkboard at random times...

It would still be a little while longer, but that realization allowed him to see the path that would lead him towards the answers and the cure for his unstable attitude and unease. He never noticed that his path was clear, and was only broken from his thoughts when the final bell rang again. Blinking in surprise that was easily kept under wraps, he quickly ran towards Aspara-sensei's classroom and waited, walking with the groups of student in a circuit, until he saw the young man exit and go towards the stairs.

As they made it outside, the dirt paths to the many locations around Youkai Gakuen – clearings, the dorms, and the red riverbed that led to the crimson lake, just to name a few – were open and inviting, but Ebisu quickly chose the most well-known path, leading back towards the boy's dormitory. The sky above him shifted from a dull yellow to a light blue over the next few seconds, the clouds seeming to shift suddenly as well to produce an eery wind that howled through the haunted graveyard that was the school's campus.

He paid it little mind, opting to cross into another group – knowing he wouldn't blend well with the gaggle of giggling girls that had just passed him by, heading faster than the group he'd just left. Seeing no-one to meld in with, he instead walked to a tree and began to quickly dart around the skeletal trunks, much in the same fashion that another person did; hiding from the sights of those they observed secretly – someone that would undoubtedly make his acquaintance, again.

Catching a glint of metal, 'Karasu' cast his eyes briefly to the side only to glimpse the silhouette of a dark, rather form-fitting leather suit melding into the shadows to the trees, small shimmers coming from the metallic slivers of iron that served as armor. His pupils contracted just a moment, before his eyes narrowed and a small smirk played into existence, 'Ah, Pagos... Quite stealthy, but not enough.'

Though he spotted him, and planned to rib the other teen at some point, Tsukune knew that had it not been for the sun reflecting off of the rather rough, unpolished metal, he would have never noticed him running to an other tree. The level of stealth that Pagos possessed was beyond that of his own, by leaps and bounds. Despite his training with Asura, the man was only a practitioner in one of the rarest martial arts forms in the world; not a ninja assassin, and while balance and flexibility were a defining force in the 'Interceptor Fist', it only helped to somewhat augment his own skills of self-taught covert abilities.

It made him feel as though he were inadequate, if he were honest, as by human standards Tsukune was nowhere near a master of stealth and subversion, but he could boast skill over most outside of those that practiced Ninjitsu and who were professional assassins. As a challenge to himself, to merely test out his carefully crafted sneaking prowess, he had shoplifted a number of things in the store, exited, and turned right around and placed them back without being caught, once. He had made plans to do something similar in a more stress-inducing place, but had been unable to find such a location and refused to taint a police station with his actions.

Pagos, on the other hand, was likely closer to being on the level of the level of the listed groups... Possibly even surpassing a few of them. He moved with a balance and athleticism that Tsukune truthfully envied. He had little in the way of training himself to become more flexible as his mentor, with the apparent injuries and his age, had lost the ability to move quite as well as he claimed to have been able to in his youth. Coupled with that, he had found it near impossible to demonstrate to Tsukune the proper way to build such things up, and so Tsukune was forced to simply master what little he had on his own – which he did.

Closing his eyes for a brief second, the young man felt a sudden rush of phantom pain course through his body. It started from his right eye and ran down his spinal cord like a slithering serpent of lightning, dispersing upon hitting his tail-bone. His hand twitched as the raw burning pain quickly cooled into a soft feeling of prods and pricks with a dull toothpick within his eye. As he opened it, he noticed his vision was tinted red, and immediately used his instinctual grip on his youki to move it from his eye, but found none.

As soon as the wetness was made apparent by a sudden breeze, he raised his hand up and gently swiped at the warm liquid. Pushing his finger tips together in a an almost hypnotic way, the young Aono gazed in concern and mild horror at the red blood that had gushed from his eyes and was now staining his cheek red as it dribbled onto the dead ground below.

The air hit his eyes, and within seconds all cognitive thought failed him for a moment that seemed, to the unfortunate Sharingan host, an eternity of pain. A brief flash of someone, a faceless humanoid with no features beyond the flesh colored hand that reached out towards him, appeared. The body fizzled out, leaving only the hand, an oppressive aura pushing Tsukune down to his knees. Pain erupted in spades, beyond any he had ever known as he felt three pints of pressure violate the socket.

A silent scream of agony erupted from his mouth, darker, thicker blood of a richer crimson color gushed forth from his damaged and penetrated socket as he felt the fingers curl around the fleshy tissue within, and then... Yank! Vomit and bile rushed up to his throat, but only a gargled hiss of pain escaped as his vision was cut in half, one side going dark as a cold, serrated blade of cool air invaded the empty, bloody cavity.

Tears threatened to fall, but he kept his teeth grit, not letting any sound escape as the contents of his stomach leaked from his gaped mouth. His lungs burned, absent of all air and seemed to only fill with burning glass and sand each time he tried to inhale. His one good eye glared at the dispersing phantom hand, holding in it's palm the bloody-white orb that once belonged. On sheer subconscious willpower, his hand reached out, grasping for something that it could never reach. As his vision faded, a single tear rolled down his cheek. Darkness was all he knew as the world shifted, and then...

Gasping aloud, his perception of the world swirled around and rocketed back into proper place. His heart beat in his chest, like a man possessed and his lungs burned, but..he could breathe! As the world around him began to level out and stop swimming, he noticed that no-one had really moved beyond their previous places, but they were still moving incredibly sluggishly, as though the world had slowed to a crawl. He blinked, finally realizing that his eye was there and he could see out of it, though the phantom pain still burned silently, not near as bad as it had been.

Reaching up to his cheek, he felt something wet on his fingertips and with trepidation looked at it, rubbing it between his fingers again as the dizzying feeling of deja-vu rushed through his being. Mixed with a trail of slick tears was the pinkish tint of blood... He hadn't just imagined that – well, not all of that, it seemed. 'What was that!?' He asked himself, horror-stricken as nervous jitters wracked his body into a near-numb state.

Noticing that he was standing upright, he tried to take a step only to feel the world flip around. His knees, he noticed, were wobbly and unbalanced. Grunting beneath his breath as he focused his youki in much the same way he would for a flash-point,Tsukune instead simply locked it there and allowed it to radiate a boost of strength and stability to his joints. Letting out a calming breath he quickly reestablished his mask, as best he could at the moment. His dilated brown eyes looked around, the effects of whatever had just happened barely visible in them, though the confusion was evident, 'What... Was I doing?'

Walking out into the hallway, he made his best attempts to navigate through the crowds while he observed every little thing. He didn't understand why everyone he looked at was moving so slow, nor why a select few of them were giving him such shocked looks. That is, until he looked in the window, 'My... Sharingan! Damn it all, it's been active this entire time!?'

Quickly severing the youki flow to his optical points, his reflection's own pair of pinwheel eyes faded into the chocolate brown that acted as their guise, where they waited to emerge once more. Satisfied with his eyes being disguised once more, the brunette scion of the far-off Uchiha turned only to see himself getting glances from several students as several more whispered to one another. He uttered one one seeing all this, "Fuck."

Now, if his secret wasn't entirely out, then he was at least going to have to field one hell of a rumor mill. He doubted that his use of an aura projection would cause the impending mob of curious students and school-mates to leave him the hell alone. Letting loose a sigh, he suddenly remembered his mission as a head of green hair disappeared as the field of view of the hill he stood on swallowed the young man up in his descent.

"This is all too much to deal with," He grumbled to himself through clenched teeth, making his way to wherever it was that the young man had run off to now. Unfortunately, as he came to the edge of the hill and his vision panned along the downward slope and the landscape below, there was not a single pudgy, green-haired boy wearing the default uniform of green, white, and khaki.

Disappointment quickly stabbed into his chest with a dagger, which was then jarred and twisted back and forth by his pride. This was followed by a swift kick in the gut courtesy of his sense of duty to himself. Still, in spite of his subconscious mental assault on his person, his brown eyes checked every spot, every single fraction of an inch to pin-point the boy. When that failed, he continued down the hill and checked behind the trees and bushes, as stealthily as his still-shaken form allowed; a fairly decent amount in most circles, but to Tsukune it was simply dreadful. His thoughts could only shift to how much better Pagos was than he was.

Still, he supposed that if Pagos were so good at stealth, there was clearly some method to the Headmaster's madness in setting them up together as a team; perhaps his hand-to-hand skills weren't that great. 'Doesn't matter,' Tsukune decided, a look of deep thought that turned to conviction in less than a second, 'I'll get better; find some way to improve my skills beyond this near-plateau on which I find myself... In order to keep myself ahead of my adversaries...'

Images of Saizou in his massive form beating him as he fought tooth and nail with all the power he could muster, before finally casting an illusion on him, giving him enough time to drive him to the cliff's edge and send him to his doom. This was followed by Kurumu who had manged to cast an illusion on him, powerful enough that he couldn't escape his mind and had to rely of the voice's avatar to help him escape, only to find himself attempting to aid in Moka's murder – 'A murder that would be returned unto me' He thought bitterly while remembering the silver haired, arrogant version of the overly sweet girl, simultaneously torturing Kurumu whilst standing over him, single handedly driving him into his grave with ease. This was followed by his massive battle with the mermaids, each one a very minor threat in theory, but together making the entire fight one hell of a cluster-fuck of madness...

Then, there was Ginei Morioka, the perverted and despicable werewolf. He had trounced him – not nearly as bad as Moka had done, with her far superior strength in comparison to Gin's higher speed; something he could match, mostly. Catching him off guard the way he did, it was terrible and a shame that he had allowed himself to be defeated in that way; he could have seen it coming, but he didn't have a chance to stop it – why? Not only had Gin beaten him, but he had beaten Moka and nearly killed Kurumu... While Moka's complete decimation of his body was a sobering moment to show where he stood in power, Gin's trouncing of all three girls showed him just how dangerous and powerful the beings in this place could be...

They were all so...weak.

His teeth grit together, and he never noticed as a familiar face walked up beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. The electronic hiss barely emitted the sound, but by that time Tsukune had spun around, lost in his angered thoughts about Gin, Moka, everything... His hand gripped Pagos' shoulder painfully, and before he realized what was happening as he slowly came to, he had the armored teen belly-up in the air, his knee in position to destroy his sternum – had the armor not been in the way. Thankfully, he calmed himself, but couldn't cool the look of shock from his face as he glanced between his partner of a day and his own hands, wondering why he had reacted in that way.

For his part, Pagos merely brushed the incident off – literally, wiping imaginary dirt from his spaulder and once again the hiss-click of his electronic emitter signaled his impending words, "I apologize, Karasu-san... I didn't mean to disturb you while in thought. I merely wanted to let you know that Ebisu Hitachi has arrived in his dorm, but I wasn't able to find him again once he went to the restrooms."

A vacant stare accompanied the chocolate eyes in their quest to bore a whole into Pagos's face-mask. His eyebrow twitched one, perhaps in annoyance, perhaps in bemusement – maybe a little of both, he didn't know. Flecks of emotion ghosted into being for mere moments beneath the surface of his brown pools, most of them as incomprehensible as they felt within himself, but there seemed to exist a sort of annoyed bemusement. Eventually, a chuckle burst from his mouth, surprising the both of them; Tsukune who felt embarrassed, and Pagos who looked at 'Karasu' in a peculiar way – his eyes surprisingly hidden within his lenses.

Blinking, the brunette teen narrowed his eyes when he noticed the slightest movement in the hooded teen's shoulders, as well as a near inaudible something... It sounded like... 'Is Pagos laughing at me?' His mental deadpan inquired rhetorically, as he watched the other man slowly regain his constitution. Eying the teen, Tsukune let a small smile twitch almost imperceptibly onto his face, "You're alright, Pagos..."

The duo stuck around the dorms for a while longer, patrolling the perimeter of the dorms to ensure that Ebisu wouldn't try to head out on an ill-gotten quest for a woman's touch. After nearly an hour more, the pair decided to call it a night and went their separate ways; Tsukune going into his dorm room to change into cleaner clothes, while Pagos went off towards the Academy, his words expressing a need to find something he had forgotten.

After changing and eating a small snack, Tsukune left his dorm room with a wary eye cast about for any signs of the younger Hitachi brother. Between his personal thoughts, and his focus on keeping an eye out for his mark, he completely missed the figure of near-alabaster skin peaking hesitantly from around a far-off tree. A head of violet hair, and deep, light blue eyes peering at him as a tiny smile curved onto her lips.

Alright. Two things to bring up, and then you're free to go from my dungeon of awesomeness. The first: The next chapter will not be updated for a month -at least. The reason is that I've sorely fallen behind on another project of mine and desire to catch up on it so that I might feel comfortable posting it in the near future. The second: I am prepared to expose the identity of Pagos to a single (1) person – or give a virtual cookie to the one(1) who guesses it. Send Guesses via PM – those sent in Reviews will be void.

Now, with that done, I bid thee adieu.