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Devils + Vampire (Post-DMC 5 X Rosario + Vampire Fanfic)

Reader mode
Chapter 13.2
  • Extras
    • "Could you please, repeat that, Dante? Why did you drag Vergil by his collar to my office?"

    "Because, Gramps," Dante said while patting his sulking brother on the back, "He nearly killed a student because she ruined his lunch."

    Mikogami blinked in disbelief. He looked between the Sparda Brothers sitting before him. Dante had the smugest grin he had ever seen on his face, leaning back in his chair with a sparkle in his eyes. The red cloaked man seemed happier than Mikogami had ever seen him. Which, admittedly, wasn't saying much since he had only known the man for a less than a week. But Dante did little to hide the absolute glee he felt at the current circumstance. Mikogami was pretty sure his smug grin could be seen from space.

    A complete contrast to his hunched over, scowling brother Vergil. The older brother was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and hands on his chin. The expression on his face was a strange fusion of frustration and shame, eyes locked onto the floor and avoiding Mikogami and Dante at all cost. Even his hair looked deflated from where Mikogami was sitting.

    Mikogami took a moment to think on what Dante had just said. Then he shook his head and mumbled, "I might need to reassess my original theories."

    "What theories you talking about Gramps?"

    Mikogami shook his head, "Oh, nothing, Dante. Nothing at all. Ahem. So, you're saying that Vergil attacked a student?"

    "Indeed he did. All because she got some dust on his noodles," Dante shook his head while patting Vergil on the back, "Real shame he let that get to him. My brother's always been about keeping a cool head. But I guess that somethings you just can't let go of. Can you, Vergil?"

    Vergil didn't respond to his brother. He did lift his head to look at Mikogami, eyes narrowed in shame. With grit teeth he reluctantly bowed his head to the headmaster, "It is with great shame that I admit my brother is...correct. As Patron Librarian I have...allowed my emotions to get the better of me."

    "Ain't that the understatement of the century. But don't you worry brother of mine," Dante started to tussle Vergil's hair, "I promise that I will hold this over only as long as I'm on this earth."

    Vergil cut his eyes at Dante but he didn't say anything against his brother. Dante just kept on smiling as he turned back to Mikogami, "But I don't think that's enough punishment for my older brother. Assaulting a minor with intent to cause significant harm is a serious crime after all. So, what should we do with him? Gonna take away his coveted Head Bookkeeper position? Gonna make him scrub the floors until they're good enough to eat off of? Or how about you make him my assistant for a while?"

    "I wouldn't be adverse to any save the last punishment!" Vergil's tone was suddenly very insistent.

    Dante clicked his tongue and wagged his finger, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Dear brother, you should know that the one getting punished doesn't get a say in these matters."

    "I was not speaking to you, Dante."

    "Oh, what? You gonna try to cut my legs off next?"

    Sparks flew as the two brothers stared each other down. Mikogami could feel that the two were moments away from fighting each other. Wanting to stop such a thing from occurring, Mikogami cleared his throat to get the two's attention. Once both moved their eyes onto him he spoke, "I believe I understand what has happened. In which case, I believe that the best thing to do is give Vergil a write up before he goes back to work."

    Dante and Vergil went silent. Slowly, they both turned their heads to look fully at Mikogami. Confusion and anger was clear on Vergil's face, while Dante still had his confident smile. However, Mikogami could swear he saw something sharp in the younger Sparda's eyes. Dante put his arm on Mikogami's desk and leaned forward. He cleared his throat, "Ahem. Uh, I don't you heard me there, Gramps. Vergil nearly cut a high schooler's legs off because she messed with his lunch. Don't you think that deserves something a bit more severe than what amounts to a 'Oops, don't do it again!'?"

    Mikogami shrugged, "It's not as bad as you may say, Dante. This is a school for monsters, after all. There are bound to be instances were the students try to use their powers against teachers and vice versa. Whether it be for self-defense or otherwise. If I punished everyone for such a thing, then I doubt that-"

    "Shut it," Mikogami clammed up at Dante's words. He met the Son Of Sparda's eyes and nearly pulled off one of his Holy Locks on reflex. Dante hadn't moved or done anything. He simply stared at Mikogami with his flat gray eyes. But the thing that got the Headmaster to suddenly go on guard was what lay beneath those eyes.

    A frown.

    Dante's jovial tone was nowhere to be found as he aired his grievances to Mikogami, "Monsters or not, fact of the matter is that they're kids, Mikogami. High schoolers. High schoolers who hardly even know what they're gonna be doing once they grow up. They shouldn't have to worry about whether or not they'll be killed by one of the faculty because they stepped on the wrong toes."

    "Uh, but I assure-"

    "No, no, no. Shut it," Dante repeated himself, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms, "Unless what you're about to say is how you're gonna punish my brother for nearly maiming a student, I don't wanna hear it."

    Still stunned by Dante's words, Mikogami looked toward Vergil. If he was looking for support from the older brother, he was dead wrong. Vergil actually looked more angry than Dante did, his glare burning a hole into Mikogami. Vergil sat up straight, his shame forgotten as he joined Dnate in berating the Headmaster, "If that is truly how you plan to run this school, then you have created a place where no one has to fear reprisal from an authority figure. Your position as Headmaster is an empty one. So much so, that I feel the need to punish myself if you will not."

    "You heard the man himself and me myself," Dante said while tapping a finger on the table, "So, either you start doing your job or else we're out. And, considering how dangerous this Alucard guy is, I don't think you'd want to lose any good assets you have, now would you?"

    Mikogami flinched, "You're certainly acting shrewd, Dante. Never would've expected this from you."

    "I can be pretty dang obstinate. Especially when kids' lives are on the line," Dante stated without taking his eyes off the Headmaster.

    Mikogami's eyes flicked from one brother to the next. Both were glaring at him with barely contained anger. Neither looked like they would back down from this course of action. And Dante's frown had yet to abate. The entire situation made the Headmaster feel trapped by the brothers. Like if he made one wrong move, they'd strike without mercy. Even if he did unleash his full power, something told him that it wouldn't be enough to stop the two in front of him. Tense minutes passed as he thought over their conversation. Then he finally answered, "Very...very well. I will...see about being more strict when it comes to punishments."

    Dante's frown disappeared as quickly as it came. Vergil's shoulder dropped.

    Instantly, Mikogami felt the malice in the air abate. He resisted the urge to pant while letting go of his Holy Lock. After taking a few minutes to compose himself, he continued speaking to the two, "As for Vergil's own punishment...hmm...I may have an idea."

    "Lay it on me, Gramps," Dante said with a wave of his hand, "How do you think my brother should atone for his crimes?"

    Mikogami hummed while turning his gaze to Vergil, "Your knowledge of Japanese Culture is extensive, is it not?"

    "I know more than the average person who isn't from Japan would," Vergil admitted, even as he felt a small chill go up his back, "Why?"

    "I was just wondering...do you know what a dogeza is?"
     
  • Extras
    • Ugh, maybe he should made Vergil a consular (or whatever overseers from the teacher body is called) for Public Safety Commision. So many problem will be eliminated with one swift motion. Eliminated, he-he.

    LinkOnScepter said:
    his shame forgotten as he joined Dnate
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Typo here.
     
    Last edited:
    Chapter 13: Club Activities Part 1
  • Threadmarks
    • A knock on the door brought Kurumu out of her medicine induced fugue. Her uniform ruffled as she pushed herself up with her elbows, wincing as her body throbbed in pain. Her frame was covered head to toe in white bandages, matching with the white sheet of the bed. Her wings, tail, and claws were hidden, making her look like a normal student. Her tone was anxious as she called out, "C-Come in."

    The door slowly opened up a crack. Once it was wide enough, Tsukune poked his head through the opening. He glanced around the room before his eyes fell onto the only occupant, "Kurumu?"

    "Tsukune?" Kurumu replied, sitting up straighter. Her eyes sparkled a bit, "You came to see me?"

    He nodded and Kurumu's great mood only improved. That was until another person made themselves known. Poking her pink haired head through the crack, Moka stared right at Kurumu with a bright smile. She waved at the succubus, "Hi, Kurumu! We both came to see how you were doing."

    Kurumu's mood fell slightly. She slumped a bit as her eyes narrowed, "Oh, you're here too Akashiya."

    Tsukune pushed the door open to let Moka inside. He followed the vampire in, closing the door behind him and being careful not to drop the plastic bag in his arm. Kurumu glanced at the bag curiously, but her attention was soon taken by Moka standing at the side of her bed. The vampire looked her up and down, side to side, and even pulled the cover up a bit to look underneath. The injured girl pulled the blanket away and glared at Moka, "What? You looking for something to make fun of? Well too bad. The nurse said that I'll be fine as long as I take it easy."

    "So...you're gonna get better?" Moka asked, completely ignoring the annoyed tone in Kurumu's voice.

    "Of course I will! No thanks to that white haired jerk! Who does he think-urk!"

    Kurumu was suddenly pulled into a crushing hug by the vampire. Caught off guard, she was unable to react as Moka started to rub her cheek against her own. She held the succubus tight with her eyes closed as she spoke, "Oh thank goodness! I'm so glad you're gonna be alright, Kurumu!"

    "H-H-Huh?" Kurumu asked, totally confused by the vampire's actions. She remained still, eyes blinking as Moka continued to hug her close. Tsukune walked to the other side of the bed, pulling out a chair to sit in as he watched the girls with a small smile on his face. After a few moments, Kurumu's eyes moved to look at Moka. Her confusion was evident in her voice, "Wait you're...you're happy I'm gonna be OK?"

    Moka pulled away from Kurumu, tilting her head in confusion, "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

    "Because I'm your rival? I tried to kill you earlier. And I said I was gonna take Tsukune away from you," Kurumu pointed out, making note of how Moka's arms were still around her shoulders.

    Moka pursed her lips and tapped a finger against her chin. Her brows furrowed as she thought about Kurumu's words. She slowly nodded, "Yeah. That...did upset me."

    "Then why-"

    "Because," Moka interrupted, eyes closed as her smile returned full force, "I want to be your friend."

    "Friend? But...I'm your rival! I'm trying to prove I'm better than you," Kurumu said, not understanding Moka's words in the slightest.

    Moka just shrugged, "But that doesn't mean we can't be friends, right? I'd really like it if we were. Because you seem like a good person, Kurumu."

    Kurumu's mouth hung open as she stared at the beaming smile on Moka's face. She swore the vampire was glowing so brightly that she had to shield her eyes from the radiance. She turned to look at Tsukune, as if he would have an answer for why the vampire was being so kind. But all he was look sheepish at the succubus' stare. Wanting to avoid looking at the confusing vampire, Kurumu spoke to the boy, "Then why are you here?"

    "Well...I was worried about you. Just like Moka was," Tsukune said while rubbing the back his neck, "Especially after what happened."

    The mood in the room turned sour. All three students turned their gazes toward the floor. Kurumu's hands gripped her blanket as she thought back to what happened. After Dante punched Vergil, he grabbed the Librarian by the collar. Then he told Tsukune and Moka to help Kurumu to her feet. He led them to the nurse's office and told her what had happened. When she heard the explanation, she seemed almost ready to lunge at Vergil with the scalpel in her hand. She only reason she didn't was because Dante promised that he would make sure Vergil was "properly punished for pulverizing one of his precious pupils." Tsukune and Moka left her in the room, while Dante took Vergil off to who knows where.

    "A-Anyway," Tsukune said, reaching into the bag he was carrying, "We know you probably missed lunch. So, we decided to bring it to it."

    "Huh?" Kurumu's confusion only grew. Then it turned to surprise as Tsukune pulled a medium sized square box out of the bag. When he opened it up steam wafted out of the cardboard with a familiar smell following it. Kurumu gasped as she recalled the delicious scent, "P-Pizza?"

    Indeed, within the cardboard box was a medium sized pepperoni pizza. Completely intact and ready for consumption. Floored by the revelation, Kurumu turned her gaze onto Tsukune. The boy smiled, "Turns out, Dante was telling the truth. They put pizza on the lunch menu. Though, they said it would only be for today and special occasions. So-"

    "Me and Tsukune got one for all of us to share!" Moka said as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

    Kurumu could only stare at the two students with awe. Her body wouldn't listen to her, nor would her heart stop beating in her chest. She could only ask one simple question of the two, "Why? Why are you doing this? Why are you being so nice to me?"

    Moka and Tsukune shared a look. Then they both nodded with smiles on their faces. Without hesitation they both said aloud, "It's what friends do, right?"

    Kurumu froze in place. For a moment, she didn't react to their words. Tsukune and Moke shared a worried look, wondering if they had said something wrong. Then the succubus body started to shake. The two other students quickly asked her if anything was wrong. But Kurumu simply shook her head. Then she raised her head and gave the two a bright smile as tears of happiness streamed down her face.

    "Th-Thanks you, two," she managed through her sobs of happiness, "I'd...I'd love to be friends with you two."

    Then she reached forward and grabbed a slice of pizza. With smiles on their faces, Moka and Tsukune did the same.

    The pizza tasted three times as good to them all.


    "Could you please, repeat that, Dante? Why did you drag Vergil by his collar to my office?"

    "Because, Gramps," Dante said while patting his sulking brother on the back, "He nearly killed a student because she ruined his lunch."

    Mikogami blinked in disbelief. He looked between the Sparda Brothers sitting before him. Dante had the smugest grin he had ever seen on his face, leaning back in his chair with a sparkle in his eyes. The red cloaked man seemed happier than Mikogami had ever seen him. Which, admittedly, wasn't saying much since he had only known the man for a less than a week. But Dante did little to hide the absolute glee he felt at the current circumstance. Mikogami was pretty sure his smug grin could be seen from space.

    A complete contrast to his hunched over, scowling brother Vergil. The older brother was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and hands on his chin. The expression on his face was a strange fusion of frustration and shame, eyes locked onto the floor and avoiding Mikogami and Dante at all cost. Even his hair looked deflated from where Mikogami was sitting.

    Mikogami took a moment to think on what Dante had just said. Then he shook his head and mumbled, "I might need to reassess my original theories."

    "What theories you talking about Gramps?"

    Mikogami shook his head, "Oh, nothing, Dante. Nothing at all. Ahem. So, you're saying that Vergil attacked a student?"

    "Indeed he did. All because she got some dust on his noodles," Dante shook his head while patting Vergil on the back, "Real shame he let that get to him. My brother's always been about keeping a cool head. But I guess that somethings you just can't let go of. Can you, Vergil?"

    Vergil didn't respond to his brother. He did lift his head to look at Mikogami, eyes narrowed in shame. With grit teeth he reluctantly bowed his head to the headmaster, "It is with great shame that I admit my brother is...correct. As Patron Librarian I have...allowed my emotions to get the better of me."

    "Ain't that the understatement of the century. But don't you worry brother of mine," Dante started to tussle Vergil's hair, "I promise that I will hold this over only as long as I'm on this earth."

    Vergil cut his eyes at Dante but he didn't say anything against his brother. Dante just kept on smiling as he turned back to Mikogami, "But I don't think that's enough punishment for my older brother. Assaulting a minor with intent to cause significant harm is a serious crime after all. So, what should we do with him? Gonna take away his coveted Head Bookkeeper position? Gonna make him scrub the floors until they're good enough to eat off of? Or how about you make him my assistant for a while?"

    "I wouldn't be adverse to any save the last punishment!" Vergil's tone was suddenly very insistent.

    Dante clicked his tongue and wagged his finger, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Dear brother, you should know that the one getting punished doesn't get a say in these matters."

    "I was not speaking to you, Dante."

    "Oh, what? You gonna try to cut my legs off next?"

    Sparks flew as the two brothers stared each other down. Mikogami could feel that the two were moments away from fighting each other. Wanting to stop such a thing from occurring, Mikogami cleared his throat to get the two's attention. Once both moved their eyes onto him he spoke, "I believe I understand what has happened. In which case, I believe that the best thing to do is give Vergil a write up before he goes back to work."

    Dante and Vergil went silent. Slowly, they both turned their heads to look fully at Mikogami. Confusion and anger was clear on Vergil's face, while Dante still had his confident smile. However, Mikogami could swear he saw something sharp in the younger Sparda's eyes. Dante put his arm on Mikogami's desk and leaned forward. He cleared his throat, "Ahem. Uh, I don't you heard me there, Gramps. Vergil nearly cut a high schooler's legs off because she messed with his lunch. Don't you think that deserves something a bit more severe than what amounts to a 'Oops, don't do it again!'?"

    Mikogami shrugged, "It's not as bad as you may say, Dante. This is a school for monsters, after all. There are bound to be instances were the students try to use their powers against teachers and vice versa. Whether it be for self-defense or otherwise. If I punished everyone for such a thing, then I doubt that-"

    "Shut it," Mikogami clammed up at Dante's words. He met the Son Of Sparda's eyes and nearly pulled off one of his Holy Locks on reflex. Dante hadn't moved or done anything. He simply stared at Mikogami with his flat gray eyes. But the thing that got the Headmaster to suddenly go on guard was what lay beneath those eyes.

    A frown.

    Dante's jovial tone was nowhere to be found as he aired his grievances to Mikogami, "Monsters or not, fact of the matter is that they're kids, Mikogami. High schoolers. High schoolers who hardly even know what they're gonna be doing once they grow up. They shouldn't have to worry about whether or not they'll be killed by one of the faculty because they stepped on the wrong toes."

    "Uh, but I assure-"

    "No, no, no. Shut it," Dante repeated himself, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms, "Unless what you're about to say is how you're gonna punish my brother for nearly maiming a student, I don't wanna hear it."

    Still stunned by Dante's words, Mikogami looked toward Vergil. If he was looking for support from the older brother, he was dead wrong. Vergil actually looked more angry than Dante did, his glare burning a hole into Mikogami. Vergil sat up straight, his shame forgotten as he joined Dnate in berating the Headmaster, "If that is truly how you plan to run this school, then you have created a place where no one has to fear reprisal from an authority figure. Your position as Headmaster is an empty one. So much so, that I feel the need to punish myself if you will not."

    "You heard the man himself and me myself," Dante said while tapping a finger on the table, "So, either you start doing your job or else we're out. And, considering how dangerous this Alucard guy is, I don't think you'd want to lose any good assets you have, now would you?"

    Mikogami flinched, "You're certainly acting shrewd, Dante. Never would've expected this from you."

    "I can be pretty dang obstinate. Especially when kids' lives are on the line," Dante stated without taking his eyes off the Headmaster.

    Mikogami's eyes flicked from one brother to the next. Both were glaring at him with barely contained anger. Neither looked like they would back down from this course of action. And Dante's frown had yet to abate. The entire situation made the Headmaster feel trapped by the brothers. Like if he made one wrong move, they'd strike without mercy. Even if he did unleash his full power, something told him that it wouldn't be enough to stop the two in front of him. Tense minutes passed as he thought over their conversation. Then he finally answered, "Very...very well. I will...see about being more strict when it comes to punishments."

    Dante's frown disappeared as quickly as it came. Vergil's shoulder dropped.

    Instantly, Mikogami felt the malice in the air abate. He resisted the urge to pant while letting go of his Holy Lock. After taking a few minutes to compose himself, he continued speaking to the two, "As for Vergil's own punishment...hmm...I may have an idea."

    "Lay it on me, Gramps," Dante said with a wave of his hand, "How do you think my brother should atone for his crimes?"

    Mikogami hummed while turning his gaze to Vergil, "Your knowledge of Japanese Culture is extensive, is it not?"

    "I know more than the average person who isn't from Japan would," Vergil admitted, even as he felt a small chill go up his back, "Why?"

    "I was just wondering...do you know what a dogeza is?"


    "Wait up, Lover Boy, Fangs."

    Tsukune and Moka paused within the crowd of students. They shared a confused glance, before turning around to see Dante walking toward them. He threw his arms around their shoulders, looking at each high schooler in turn. His smile is wide and his eyes sparkle with happiness, "How's my two favorite students doing?"

    "Uh, we're fine, Dante," Tsukune said, trying his best to keep eye contact with Dante. It was actually rather hard with the man's arm around his other shoulder. He rubbed at his cheek, "We were just about to go to see what clubs are open right now."

    Dante hummed, looking out at the sea of high schoolers in front of him. There were enough to them to literally fill the school hallway from end to end. Most were either walking around and looking for a club to join, or were simply hanging out while talking about which one they should join. He nodded before taking his arms off the two kids, "Good to see so many students taking what Kitty Cat said to heart. And speaking of hearts, how's Kuru doing? She up and moving after my brother gave her a bit of trouble yesterday?"

    "Kurumu? Yeah! The nurse said she'd be back to normal by today. I bet she's looking for a club too," Moka nods, smile as wide as Dante's.

    Dante chuckled, "That so? Good to hear, cause I need to make sure my good brother Vergil takes his time to make things right,"

    "Is he going to apologize?" Tsukune asked, wincing as he thought back to what happened yesterday. He still couldn't believe a staff member just assaulted a student like that.

    Dante's smile seemed to get even wider. He barely stopped his chuckle from turning into a full blown laughing fit. Instead he patted Tsukune on the shoulder before letting both of the students go, "Oh, will he ever. But you two shouldn't worry about that. How's about you come with your friendly Teacher's Assistant to the wonderful Club Expose going on?"

    Dante waved a hand at the numerous stands that had been set up by various clubs. All of which had students at them, jockeying to catch the eyes of as many other students as possible. Moka perked up and grabbed Tsukune's shoulders. She turned him to face her with a big grin on her face, "Hey, Tsukune, which group should we enter?"

    Tsukune placed a finger on his chin as he frowned in thought. After a few seconds, he spoke with a smile, "How about the swimming club?" He didn't catch Moka stiffening as he started to explain, "Well, actually, my parents made me take swimming classes until grade school, so.."

    "Err...but I-" Moka didn't finish, making Tsukune look at her questioningly.

    Dante walked in between the two, head shaking as he did so, "Ah, that's no good you two."

    "Huh?" both high schoolers said in unison.

    Dante turned his gaze to Moka first. He put on a faux "Teacher Accent" as he spoke, "Fangs, being someone's friend doesn't just mean being a quiet doormat. If they say something that's bothering you, you need to be upfront about it. If they're a real friend, they'll understand."

    Once he saw Moka look down at the floor in surprise and shame, he turned his gaze to Tsukune. The human boy flinched under his scrutiny but Dante didn't relent, "And shame on you, Lover Boy. Why would you suggest a vampire join the swimming club?"

    "Uh-huh-we-" Tsukune stuttered, not wanting to admit that part of him wanted to see Moka in a swimsuit. His face turned red as he tried to think of an excuse.

    Dante cut him off, putting a finger in front of Tsukune's eyes, "Tell me, how much do you know about vampires?"

    "N-N-Not a lot...," Tsukune admitted, not sure where Dante was going with this.

    "Figures. Lover Boy, vampires can't touch water. It's one of their biggest weaknesses. You basically asked Fangs here to join a club that would hurt her to participate in."
    "Wh-What?! Is-is that true, Moka?!" Tsukune focused his wide eyed gaze on to the vampire.

    Moka avoided his eyes, touching her fingertips together in front of her. After a few moments she answered, "Y-Y-Yes."

    Tsukune felt his shame increase tenfold. A lump formed in his heart as the realization hit him, "Bu-Why didn't you say anything?"

    "I didn't want to disappoint you. I want to join the same club you're in and...," she trailed off while looking at the floor. But her actions only made Tsukune feel even worse. He looked up at Dante, trying to see if the older man could offer any advice. Dante kept silent, arms crossed while shaking his head at the human.

    Realizing he wouldn't be getting any help from Dante, Tsukune did the one thing that came to mind.

    "I'm so sorry, Moka!" he shouted, bowing until his body was at a full ninety degree angle. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth, "I-I didn't take your feelings into account. I promise, I won't let that happen again."

    "Tsukune it's-" Dante interrupted Moka by taking her by the shoulder. Then he grabbed Tsukune's collar and pulled him up straight.

    His face returned to its usual joviality, Dante patted the teenagers on their backs, "Now, isn't that better? Take this as a free lesson from your helpful TA; Communication is one of the most important parts of life. For both humans and monsters."

    He then took them both by the hand and turned toward the clubs, "Now, lets find you guys a club!"


    FINALLY! For God's Sake!

    Sorry, I don't know why, but I haven't felt like writing ANY of my Fanfics recently. But I finally managed to get this one in. Hope you all enjoy.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • ah the protagonist, forever unwilling to do his own GOD DAMNED RESEARCH when he get's involved with a new species. Typical Shonen Laziness Enforced to discourage the target audience from actually becoming proactive as they are convinced that any mistake on their part will be Easily Forgiven.
     
    So I recently discovered that the DMC Novel exists.

    The one where Dante beat Void Mundus, and a guy who copied Sparda's swordsmanship and could predict his opponent's moved before they ever made them

    Yeah...this story is more of a stomp than I expected.
     
    LinkOnScepter said:
    So I recently discovered that the DMC Novel exists.

    The one where Dante beat Void Mundus, and a guy who copied Sparda's swordsmanship and could predict his opponent's moved before they ever made them

    Yeah...this story is more of a stomp than I expected.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I was kinda expecting that. It has Dante and Virgil. Those two are known for doing crazy stuff after all
     
    Chapter 14.1
  • Extras
    • The thought process behind students joining clubs was a simple one. Humans have multiple types of activities that they have in their schools. One of the most important parts of being at Yokai Academy was learning to be human. So, having the students get involved with club activities was meant to help them learn how to be human. Thus the reason why it was pushed so much for the students to do so.

    Many simply walked around and chose a club that interested them. Unfortunately for Moka and Tsukune...

    "Why are there nothing but weird clubs?!" Tsukune shouted as he and Moka ran away from the throng of students. They managed to get free and stopped just outside the hallway filling group. Tsukune's hands went to his knees as he tried to get this breath back. Worried, Moka gently patted him on the back to comfort him. Tsukune thanked her while straightening up. His face was sweating from the stress of dealing with all the clubs that approached them. A spirit Photography Club that asked for nude pictures. A Chemistry Club that wanted to make love potion powder. An Acupuncture Club run by literal mummies. The only club that seemed normal was the Swimming Club, but he avoided it outright considering Moka's issues with it. Though it did hurt to skip out on seeing the pretty girls.

    "Urgh, it doesn't look like it's gonna be that easy to find a club, Dante," Tsukune looked up but was confused when he didn't see the Teacher's Assistant near him. He looked around, "Dante?"

    "He's back there," Moka pointed toward the throng of students looking for clubs. Tsukune turned around to see where she was pointing. What he saw was Dante walking through the sea of students while being accosted on all sides by various clubs. Including the ones that he and Moka had just run through.

    Dante kept smiling but waved each one of them off, "Sorry, kiddos. Need to keep myself open in case Kitty Cat needs me. And I've never been the kind of guy to slack off on a job."

    He did point some finger guns at a few of the clubs he passed by. They were upset but most went right back to trying to recruit more students. The main thing was when he started passing by the swimming club. As he passed in front of it, Tsukune and Moka saw the girl in front of the club's stand make her way to him. She got close and tried to throw her arms around Dante's arm...only for Dante to spin on his heel and dodge her. As the girl blinked head turning to follow Dante's movement. Dante wagged a finger at the girl and shook his head, "Now, now, young lady. You shouldn't just hug teacher's like that. While it's a nice gesture, it is also inappropriate for this school environment."

    She pouted, "I was just trying to get your attention, Dante-sensei. The Swimming Club is only girls, but we'd love to you as an adviser. I'd put in a good word for you as the Club's Captain."

    She smiled, a bright sight that made multiple male students immediately decide to sign up for the Swimming Club. Dante, meanwhile, just shook his head with a shrug, "Nice offer, but I'll have to decline. Though it certainly looks like you got plenty new people to join up."

    He winked at her, walking backward while waving goodbye. The Captain continued to pout but her attention was swiftly taken by the other students who were interested in the Swimming Club. Once she was gone, Dante around and walked over to Tsukune and Moka. He stopped in front of them, "So, see anything ya like? I'm pretty sure that club where they swing those wooden swords is open. Might be good for ya, Lover Boy."

    Tsukune looked away from Dante and shook his head, "I...don't think so. I wasn't really able to find any...normal clubs. What about you, Moka?"

    Moka placed a finger on her chin and hummed in thought. Then she shrugged, "I want to go any club that you want to go to, Tsukune."

    Her beaming smile made Tsukune blush. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. But Dante rolled his eyes, knowing that the two were gonna go back and forth with this. He tapped his foot against the floor while looking around the room. He could remember but the clubs, but figured that most of them wouldn't interest the two teenagers in front of them. Especially since most of them aren't exactly "normal". Though considering where he was, expecting a club to be normal to a human isn't a good idea.

    Dante smiled then walked around the two to put his hands on their shoulders. He looked down at them with a smile, "How about we leave that for later? Instead, lets head off while classes are out to get started on our little project?"

    "Project?" Tsukune and Moka said in unison. Then Tsukune's face turned pale, "You don't mean-"

    "Yep!" he turned the two of them around and started walking them away from the clubs, "Time to get back to training!"


    Sorry it's been a while. But I just got a new laptop that I've been using to write more. So, hopefully, I can get more chapters of this written.
     
  • Extras
    • Chapter 14: More Training, Apologies, And Snakes
  • Threadmarks
    • The thought process behind students joining clubs was a simple one. Humans have multiple types of activities that they have in their schools. One of the most important parts of being at Yokai Academy was learning to be human. So, having the students get involved with club activities was meant to help them learn how to be human. Thus the reason why it was pushed so much for the students to do so.

    Many simply walked around and chose a club that interested them. Unfortunately for Moka and Tsukune...

    "Why are there nothing but weird clubs?!" Tsukune shouted as he and Moka ran away from the throng of students. They managed to get free and stopped just outside the hallway filling group. Tsukune's hands went to his knees as he tried to get this breath back. Worried, Moka gently patted him on the back to comfort him. Tsukune thanked her while straightening up. His face was sweating from the stress of dealing with all the clubs that approached them. A spirit Photography Club that asked for nude pictures. A Chemistry Club that wanted to make love potion powder. An Acupuncture Club run by literal mummies. The only club that seemed normal was the Swimming Club, but he avoided it outright considering Moka's issues with it. Though it did hurt to skip out on seeing the pretty girls.

    "Urgh, it doesn't look like it's gonna be that easy to find a club, Dante," Tsukune looked up but was confused when he didn't see the Teacher's Assistant near him. He looked around, "Dante?"

    "He's back there," Moka pointed toward the throng of students looking for clubs. Tsukune turned around to see where she was pointing. What he saw was Dante walking through the sea of students while being accosted on all sides by various clubs. Including the ones that he and Moka had just run through.

    Dante kept smiling but waved each one of them off, "Sorry, kiddos. Need to keep myself open in case Kitty Cat needs me. And I've never been the kind of guy to slack off on a job."

    He did point some finger guns at a few of the clubs he passed by. They were upset but most went right back to trying to recruit more students. The main thing was when he started passing by the swimming club. As he passed in front of it, Tsukune and Moka saw the girl in front of the club's stand make her way to him. She got close and tried to throw her arms around Dante's arm...only for Dante to spin on his heel and dodge her. The girl blinked, head turning to follow Dante's movement. Dante wagged a finger at the girl and shook his head, "Now, now, young lady. You shouldn't just hug teachers like that. While it's a nice gesture, it is also inappropriate for this school environment."

    She pouted, "I was just trying to get your attention, Dante-sensei. The Swimming Club is only for girls, but we'd love to have you as an adviser. I'd put in a good word for you as the Club's Captain."

    She smiled, a bright sight that made multiple male students immediately decide to sign up for the Swimming Club. Dante, meanwhile, just shook his head with a shrug, "Nice offer, but I'll have to decline. Though it certainly looks like you got plenty of new people who want to join up."

    He winked at her, walking backward while waving goodbye. The Captain continued to pout but her attention was swiftly taken by the other students who were interested in the Swimming Club. Once she was gone, Dante walked over to Tsukune and Moka. He stopped in front of them, "So, see anything ya like? I'm pretty sure that the club where they swing those wooden swords is open. Might be good for ya, Lover Boy."

    Tsukune looked away from Dante and shook his head, "I...don't think so. I wasn't able to find any...normal clubs. What about you, Moka?"

    Moka placed a finger on her chin and hummed in thought. Then she shrugged, "I want to go to whatever club that you want to go to, Tsukune."

    Her beaming smile made Tsukune blush. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. But Dante rolled his eyes, knowing that the two were gonna go back and forth with this. He tapped his foot against the floor while looking around the room. He could remember the clubs but figured that most of them wouldn't interest the two teenagers in front of them. Especially since most of them aren't exactly "normal". Though considering where he was, expecting a club to be normal to a human isn't a good idea.

    Dante smiled then walked around the two to put his hands on their shoulders. He looked down at them with a smile, "How about we leave that for later? Instead, let's head off while classes are out to get started on our little project?"

    "Project?" Tsukune and Moka said in unison. Then Tsukune's face turned pale, "You don't mean-"

    "Yep!" he turned the two of them around and started walking them away from the clubs, "Time to get back to training!"


    "Hiyaa!"

    Tsukune's right hook landed on Dante's chin. Dante...didn't react. While Tsukune pulled his hand away and started to hiss in pain. He held his injured hand while his arm trembled from the impact.

    "Tsukune!" Moka shouted, running toward the injured human. She grabbed his hand and started to rub it with her own, "Are you alright? Do you need me to get some ice?"

    "N-N-No, thank you though, Moka," Tsukune tried his best to smile through the pain. But his rapidly reddening hand proved him wrong. And the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes. Moka noticed and turned to Dante with a frown on her face.

    Dante's response was to shrug and sigh, "I didn't do anything there, Fangs. Hmm, figured that you needed some work, Lover Boy. But this is a bit more than I expected."

    "W-What is all this for anyway?" Tsukune said while looking around at their surroundings, "And why are we back on the roof for this?"

    "No one seems to come up here often, and it's wide open enough for us to do stuff like this," Dante spread his arms out wide to show what he meant. His words rang true. No one else was around and the roof was wide enough for all of them to move around in. He put his hands on his hips and spoke, "As for what all this is for? I'm tryin' to gauge what Lover Boy's current level is. Will help me figure out the routine he needs to follow."

    "Level? What are you talking about?" Tsukune asked as he straightened up.

    "I'll explain in a moment. Fangs, you're up next."

    "Wh-What? Me?" Moka said, shocked that he even considered her.

    Dante nodded, "You said you were gonna start protecting Lover Boy, right? Well then, you should start training. Unless you can suddenly dye your hair white on command. But something tells me that won't be happening without a trigger. Am I right, Silver Fang?"

    He bent over and put a hand on his ear as if he was waiting for a response. Tsukune looked confused, but Moka grabbed her rosary and lifted it up, "Are you...trying to talk to her?"

    "Yep. Figured she could hear us, but was too shy to speak up. So I wanted to give her an in," Dante explained as he waited for the Other Moka to respond.

    The response never came.

    Moka shook her head and let the rosary fall from her hand, "Sorry, Dante-sensei. I haven't heard anything from her since last time."

    "You mean, when I pulled the rosary off?" Tsukune asked. Moka nodded in confirmation. Tsukune went quiet as he thought back to that Moka. The silver-haired vampire that had fought against Dante and Vergil. She looked like the Moka he knew, but her aura was totally different. It was oppressive. Powerful. Dominating. As if she knew she was the strongest creature in the world and didn't try to hide it. Not to mention her way of fighting meant that...

    Tsukune turned away as his nose started bleeding. Moka didn't notice as she turned back to Dante, "So...I just have to...hit you?"

    Dante smiled, straightened up, then gestured for Moka to come at him, "As hard as you can. Don't worry about little 'ol me. I may not look it, but I'm sturdy as heck. So, come on! Hit me with your best shot!"

    Moka hesitated as she spread her legs out. Swallowing audibly, she cried out while dashing toward Dante. Dante stood there with his hands against his hips as Moka came close...then pushed him with both of her hands.

    Dante didn't move an inch.

    "Huh?!" Moka and Tsukune said in unison.

    Dante dusted his chest off then nodded, "Hmm...I think I get it now. Listen up, kiddos, here's your TA Dante's Official Analysis Of Your Combat Capabilities."

    He pointed at Moka, making her flinch back as his finger pressed against her nose, "You, Fangs, have the power but lack the will and technique. You can hit as hard as your other self...if you wanted to. Problem is, you don't have the guts to actually throw a punch at someone and hurt them. And even if you did, you wouldn't know the first thing about throwing a punch. You have no form, no foundation, and no skill with it."

    "I-I-That's just cause-"

    "Cause ya don't want to hurt anybody. Trust me, I get that," Dante held up both of his hands, "But if you're serious about protecting your friend over there, you're gonna have to be willing to get your hands dirty."

    As Moka considered his words, Dante turned to Tsukune. He snapped his fingers to get the boy's attention then pointed at him, "As for you, Lover Boy-"

    Tsukune looked up, worried about what Dante would say about him. But he figured it couldn't be that bad...

    "You're even worse off than Fangs here."

    STAB

    "You don't have the technique, power, or the will."

    STAB STAB

    "Personally, if I didn't care about keeping you alive, I'd tell ya to just stand behind Fangs and let her do all the work."

    STAB STAB STAB

    Tsukune fell to his knees, tears running down his face from Dante's barrage of word shivs. Whatever pride he had before was barely holding on. He stared at the ground while a sad chuckle left his mouth. Moka walked over to him, poking his back while calling his name in concern. Dante followed and continued, "But considering I do care about keeping you alive, can't let that happen."

    He stood in front of the two students and clapped his hands together, "Taking all that into account, I have come up with a foolproof plan to get both of you into shape. Fangs, you're gonna start learning how to fight with me. Don't worry, I'll go easy on ya so you can learn."

    "O-Okay?" Moka said with a raised eyebrow.

    "And as for you, Lover Boy?" Dante reached down and pulled Tsukune to his feet. He kept a hand on his shoulder as he smiled, "You and me are gonna hit the gym."


    Kurumu stopped dead in her tracks. She felt her body tense up as she saw a familiar man slowly approaching her. Her eyes widened and her body began to shake. She dropped the basket of sweets she was carrying as every instinct in her body told her to run away. But her muscles wouldn't move. She was completely stunned.

    She screamed internally as the gravity of the situation hit her. She had just gotten out of the nurse's room. Her injuries had only just healed up. She was hardly even done observing all the open clubs! Yet, here he was again. The same man who was responsible for putting her in the nurse's office in the first place.

    Vergil.

    And he was walking toward her with his head held high and shoulders held back. His intense stare was directed right at her. His sword was nowhere to be seen, but she had no doubt he could pull it out at any moment. She swore his footsteps were moving in sync with her beating heart. None of the students got in his way, most moving to the side to avoid him. He didn't even bother looking at them. He only seemed to have eyes for her.

    Which only made things worse.

    She stood stock still, a dear in the headlights as Vergil got closer and closer. He stopped when he was three steps away from her. She trembled before his gaze while raising one of her arms defensively. If Vergil noticed her fear he didn't let it show. He stared her down, his sharp eyes making her feel very small as she stood before him.

    "Kurumu Kurono?" his tone was ice cold and sent a chill down her spine. She swallowed and slowly nodded, while her body trembled before him. She waited as Vergil continued to silently stare at her without moving. So much time passed that she noticed something. That he was...shaking?

    His hands specifically. They were shaking. Not out of fear like she was but...something else? The revelation made her calm down somewhat, her arm falling a bit as she examined him further. The tense atmosphere remained and only grew worse as Vergil's sword appeared out of thin air in his hand. Kurumu prepared to run but stopped when she saw him crouch down and...put his sword on the floor. Then he got down to one knee and stood there for a while. She noticed that his head was still held up and focused on her face. He didn't break eye contact with her for a single moment. His face and body seemed stiff, while his eyes were filled with conflicting emotions. He remained kneeling for a few moments...then punched himself in the leg he was leaning on. That leg went under him as he got down on all fours then slowly, ever so slowly, lowered his head to the floor.

    "I...urgh," he choked a bit as he spoke. She heard him audibly swallow as more students gathered around to see what was going on. They muttered to themselves but Vergil didn't pay them any mind. Well...she didn't think he did. Though the way his ears twitched suggested otherwise. He took a few moments to speak again, "I...I...IaskforyoursincereforgivenessforanypainIinflicteduponyouoveramisunderstanding."

    Kurumu blinked, "Huh?"

    Vergil winced and took a moment to regain his nerves. Then he repeated himself, slower this time, "I...I ask...that you...forgive me...for any pain I inflicted upon you...over a...misunderstanding."

    Kurumu's eyes widened even further. A part of her wanted to take advantage of this moment. Of having Vergil bowing down to her while in front of a bunch of students. Humiliate him for what he did to her. Make him suffer at least a fraction of what she suffered.

    Then she remembered how he almost killed her because she ruined his lunch.

    Feelings of revenge were swiftly drowned by survival instinct.

    "I-I-I do?" she carefully ventured, closing one eye as she waited to see Vergil's response.

    The Head Librarian swiftly grabbed his sword, got to his feet, and then quickly walked away from her without another word. Students made to move out of his way, with a few watching him as he walked off.

    Kurumu watched him go, not entirely sure how to feel about what just happened.


    "Damn, can't believe I missed it!" Dante complained as he and Vergil walked through the empty hallways. School was out and the students had all gone to their dorms for the day. Dante turned to Vergil and scowled, "Why'd you go apologize to her without me, Vergil?"

    Vergil held a book in front of his eyes as he walked, "It was meant to be a punishment. Not a chance for you to be entertained, Dante."

    Dante threw up his hands, "Who? Me? Want to see my older brother on his hands and knees with his head on the floor for entertainment? Perish the thought. I just wanted to be there to give you some pointers and give you confidence."

    "Hmph, whatever you say, Dante," Vergil rolled his eyes while continuing to read his book.

    Dante lets his hands fall. His tone becomes more serious as he speaks, "But being serious for a sec? I wanted to see how far you've come. The Vergil I know would never, ever, do something like that. He'd sooner take someone else's limb instead of supplicating himself before somebody else. And would never admit when he's in the wrong."

    Dante stretched his arms toward the ceiling, "Honestly, makes me feel real proud of you, Vergil."

    "As if I need your approval for anything," Vergil snapped his book closed as he glanced at Dante, "However, the compliments are appreciated. And I suppose that apologizing to that Succubus was not so bad. At least she had the wherewithal to not attempt taking advantage of the situation."

    Dante chuckled, "Oh yeah. That would've been a huge mistake on her part. If she thought you were mad before, she ain't seen nothin' yet."

    Dante continued to chuckle as the two brothers made their way down the empty hall. Eventually, Vergil came to a stop in front of a classroom with a plaque saying "Art Room" in front of it. He looked up at the door, "This is the place."

    "We here? Cool," Dante came to a stop next to the door. He leaned against the wall and raised an eyebrow, "The Art Room, huh? So, why are we here again?"

    "I struck a deal with the Art Teacher. She is a Medusa, and wished to see one of us after school for her modeling."

    "Oh, Vergil. You sly dog-"

    "Do not start."

    "I'm not, I'm not. So, we're both gonna head in there and let a woman oogle our bodies?"

    "Not we. You," Vergil turned and walked away from Dante.

    Dante pushed off the wall, "Wait, what?! You said-"

    "That she requested to see one of us. Not both of us. And considering you are not doing anything productive with your time, I shall leave you to it. Good luck, Dante," Vergil didn't even wave goodbye to his younger brother.

    "Now hold on a-" Dante was interrupted as the door to the Art Room opened up.

    Ishigami stood in the doorway, smiling in anticipation as she caught sight of Dante, "Oh good, you're here. Um...Dante, right? Come on in and we can get started."

    She moved to the side to let Dante in the room. Dante turned to see Vergil, but his brother was already gone. Muttering a "That son of a-" under his breath, he cleared his throat and turned to the Art Teacher. Putting on his trademark smile he snapped his fingers, "You got it, Slithers. Don't mind if I call ya Slithers, right?"

    He stepped into the room, eyes immediately adjusting to the darkness. He quickly took note of all the unused canvases, unopened paint cans, dry paint brushes...and the two life-like stone statues in the room. They were replicas of female students, both their faces locked in expressions of horror. The only other thing he could make out about them was that one had short hair, while the other had long hair. Outside of that, they were nearly identical. He stepped toward the statues and leaned forward to examine them. He placed one hand on his chin and whistled, "These are pretty lifelike, Slithers. Mind telling me how you made 'em? Or is that a trade secret among you artsy types?"

    "Oh, there's no need to worry," the sound of multiple snakes hissing followed Ishigami's statement, "You'll find out soon enough."

    Dante felt something bite his other hand but didn't make it obvious. He nonchalantly straightened up and looked down at his left hand. A dark black snake had bitten him and had just let go of his hand. It retreated toward its owner, Ishigami, who had removed her bandana and was posing in front of the door. A multitude of snakes sprang from her head, hissing and biting at the air in a frenzy. She licked her lips as her eyes met Dante, "You see, Dante, I tend to collect beautiful things. And the most beautiful things in this world are destruction and my stone statues. I've already started my collection with those foolish girls you see behind you. And soon, you and your brother will join them."

    As she began to laugh, Dante looked down at his left hand. Sure enough, his skin was slowly turning to stone. He could feel the appendage getting heavier and heavier by the second. Ishigami could only laugh as she watched. It was only a matter of time before Dante succumbed to her ability. Once she managed to bite someone with her snakes, it was all over for them. He would start panicking and begging her for help any second now.

    However...

    "Ha, neat trick," Dante's tone remained nonchalant. When he turned toward Ishigami, his gaze held no mercy within it, "Want to see mine?"

    With a single flex of his demonic power, Dante shattered the stone that was encroaching upon his hand. The dust around his feet flew up as the force of his power fell over the room. The stone that was on his hand fell to the ground and shattered like falling boulders. All of Ishigami's snakes stopped hissing and retreated to hide behind her head. They whimpered as Dante's power fell over them all. Ishigami had stopped laughing. She was now trembling in fear. Dante casually walked over to her, pulling out Ebony and Ivory while clicking his tongue, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, now Slithers. You should know that teachers are supposed to protect students. Not treat them like your own personal art gallery. Those two girls didn't deserve nor volunteered for this. Don't you worry though. I'll be sure to get them the help they need. But before that..."

    "P-P-Please," Ishigami fell to her knees and bowed her head in supplication, "Please don't kill me! T-Take me on instead! I'm a powerful Youkai! If you let me work for you, I'll do whatever you say! If we work together, we can rule this school! Mikogami won't-"

    "Won't stand a chance against us, yadda, yadda, yadda. Heard it all before, Slithers," Dante pointed both of his guns at the back of the woman's head, "And, let me tell you, my answer is always the same. Never gonna happen. Now, just keep your head down and think of England."

    Ishigami tensed up as her heart froze in her chest. She realized, then and there, that she was going to die.

    Her hands curled into fists as she released her claws.

    She grits her fangs hard enough to make her jaw creak.

    Her eyes widened as the adrenaline filled her body.

    "YOU BASTARD!" she lunged at Dante, snakes coming out to surround and attack the Son of Sparda all at once.

    Dante aimed both of his guns at her open mouth.

    "Jackpot."


    BANGBANG!

    Vergil halted in his tracks.

    Then he shook his head in annoyance, "Urgh, damn it, Dante."


    Mikogami shot from his seat, hand going to his Holy Lock. He whipped his head in the direction of where Dante's release of power had come from. Sweat fell from his brow as he audibly swallowed the spit that had gathered within.

    "That-That's just one of them? Then...then they weren't kidding," Mikogami slowly sat back down, arms trembling as his mind raced with a single question.

    What the hell are those two?


    Kaneshiro and Kiria turned their heads in the direction of the Art Room.

    "Kiria, do you feel that?" Kaneshiro asked, his grip on his pencil becoming so hard it snapped in between his fingers.

    "Kaneshiro," Kiria lifted a shaking hand to his face, covering up one of his eyes and half his smile, "I'm pretty sure I can taste that."
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • LinkOnScepter said:
    Kaneshiro and Kiria turned their heads in the direction of the Art Room.

    "Kiria, do you feel that?" Kaneshiro asked, his grip on his pencil becoming so hard it snapped in between his fingers.

    "Kaneshiro," Kiria lifted a shaking hand to his face, covering up one of his eyes and half his smile, "I'm pretty sure I can taste that."
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Soooo are we going to be smart and not piss those two off?
     
    "Tsukune!"

    The human boy in question was nearly bowled over when Moka ran into his back. The two were making their way to Yokai Academy, walking down the main path that led to the school's entrance. When Moka saw Tsukune, she immediately ran to him with an excitement on her face. However, as she hit the boy he cried out in both surprise and pain, as his aching body screamed in pain. Hearing this Moka pulled away as her eyes widened with worry. She started to hop around Tsukune as he doubled over in pain, "I'm so sorry, Tsukune! Are you alright?!"

    He weakly lifted one of his arms, the appendage shaking as it rose from his knee, "I-I-I'm f-f-fine. Ju-Ju-just d-d-don't touch m-me right...now."

    "What happened?" Moka leaned over, resisting the urge to go for Tsukune very vulnerable neck.

    Tsukune slowly straightened himself, flinching with each movement. When he had his back straight he started to walk again, "Yesterday happened. Dante took me to gym after my last class. He made me run ten laps around the gym, do ten sets of twenty push ups, then made me lift two twenty pound weights! I was exhausted by the end, and he still wanted me to walk all the way back to my dorm. He walked with me but left as soon as I was at my door. I got to my bed, but when I woke up I was sore all over. I hardly managed to get my clothes on today. I'm just lucky I'm not late."

    Tsukune started walking again, wincing every third step. Moka followed him, standing close but not touching him to avoid aggravating his soreness. However, she had to bite her finger to keep herself from going for his neck. It was a battle against her instincts and one she was trying to win. Tsukune didn't notice as he was too busy resisting the urge to lay on the ground and rest his aching muscles. He shook his head as he spoke, "Urgh, this hurts. I might see if the teacher will let me rest in the nurse's of-"

    He was interrupted as a different girl came from his left and immediately wrapped herself around his arm. The soft warmth that suddenly enveloped his arm was, unfortunately, completely overshadowed by an acute spike of pain that went through his entire body. A whimper escaped his throat as he nearly toppled over, only stopped by Moka grabbing his right side.

    "Good morning, Tsukune~!" Kurumu shouted, pressing herself as close to Tsukune as possible. Her bright smile was directed squarely at Tsukune as she looked up to see his face. She then gasped as she saw the pained expression that he was holding, "Oh no! Tsukune what's wrong?! Are you alright?"

    Tsukune could only respond in a tiny, tiny voice, "I'm just fine. Please let go Kurumu, Moka."

    "Kurumu-san! You're hurting him!" Let go!" Moka said, though she immediately pulled at Tsukune's arm. This made his whimper go to a higher pitch from the pain. Seeing this, Moka quickly let Tsukune go and stepped away. Kurumu did the same, giving Tsukune a chance to cool his muscles. He stood in the middle of the two girls both his arms out like a scarecrow as he he waited for the pain to subside. He kept whimpering as he lowered his arms while Kurumu and Moka stared at each other.

    Moka stared at Kurumu with disappointment, making the succubus' eyes widen in confusion, "What? What did I do?"

    "You grabbed Tsukune while he was hurting!" Moka pointed out.

    "So did you!" Kurumu said indignantly.

    "Only to get him away from you. He's still sore from his training with Dante-sensei!"

    "That's-wait, training? With a Teacher's Assistant? Why were you training with him?"

    Tsukune, once he got his wits back, answered Kurumu, "He-He wanted to help toughen me up a bit. Wants to help me get stronger."

    Kurumu frowns and crosses her arms, "Well if you ask me, he's planning something bad. If he's anything like his brother, he's just waiting for a chance to do something horrible to you. Especially if it's just the two of you after school."

    Moka and Tsukune shared a worried, knowing look. They both chose not to answer Kurumu's declaration and simply kept walking to the school in silence. That is until Kurumu moved to stand as close to Tsukune's as possible without touching him. She looked up at him with a bright smile, "And, if you ever need someone to help you out, just come to me, Tsukune~. I'll take good care of you, I promise."

    Tsukune could only stutter at Kurumu's words, and the cute smile she shot his way. He had neither the experience nor the understanding to know how to respond. Seeing what Kurumu was doing, Moka stepped closer to Tsukune's right side and said, "You-You can count on me too, Tsukune! I'll do whatever I can to help you."

    She confidently pumped both her hands in the air while smiling up at Tsukune. The boy looked between both girls, Moka smiling confidently up at him, while Kurumu glared at Moka. He didn't understand what was going on but something told him that others would be jealous of his situation. Though he couldn't really enjoy it with the intense ache that reverberated across his entire body.

    The three students eventually made it to their school. As usual, there were numerous students heading inside alongside them. But upon getting through the front gate, the three of them realized that the air felt...strange. Groups of congregated students talked openly amongst each other, asking questions that drew Tsukune, Moka, and Kurumu's attention. Namely about how they would need a new art teacher, and wondering who they would get to replace her.

    "We need a new art teacher?" Tsukune asked, looking between Moka and Kurumu, "We didn't have one at the start of the year?"

    "I thought we did," Moka placed a finger on her chin in thought, "Though I haven't had art yet, so I don't know who it was."

    "I'm pretty sure if was a woman. Someone named Ishigami I think?" Kurumu said with a shrug, "I never had her, but did hear gossip from some boys about her. She was supposed to be really pretty, and seemed really interested in beautiful girls. Wonder why she never bothered to come for me."
    Kurumu huffed and crossed her arms with indignance. Sweat fell from Tsukune and Moka's heads at Kurumu's words. The three of them were halfway to the entrance when they heard something that made their blood run cold.

    "So, Ishigami-sense is dead?"

    Tsukune, Moka, and Kurumu all stopped dead in their tracks. Faces pale and eyes wide, they all turned to the left to see a group of female students talking to each other. They didn't bother to lower their voices as they spoke, "Yeah. Someone heard gunshots and went to check the art room. When they got there, she was on the floor without a head."

    "No! Who would do that?"

    "From what I've heard? The new Teacher's Assistant."

    "Dante-sense!? But he's so handsome! It couldn't have been him."

    "He was in the room with two smoking guns in his hands. And standing over two other female students. The girls told everyone that the art teacher turned them to stone and he saved them. But there are rumors that someone is lying to cover for him."

    "The only ones saying that are boys who don't like Dante-sensei. We shouldn't bother listening to them."

    "Where is he now?"

    "Last I heard, he's been suspended from school and is off in the forest somewhere. He's supposed to be gone for two days."

    Moka and Kurumu were speechless. They turned to look at each other, hoping that one of them would have an answer as for what was going on. But neither said anything. Neither could say anything. Then they turned to Tsukune and grimaced at his pale face. His eyes were wide as his mouth hung open in total awe. He slowly shook his head, unable to believe what the three of them just heard.

    Then, without warning, he turned around and ran toward the forest. Moka and Kurumu called after him as they followed suite.


    Dante whistled to himself as he sat with his back against a nearly dead tree. He had both his hands behind his head and his legs were crossed in front of him. His closed eyes completed his completely nonchalant look. The look of someone who had no worries and didn't care what the world thought of him. He was totally relaxed and completely calm. The wind was blowing and he didn't see a reason to get up that day.

    That was, until he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He cracked his left eye open and looked straight ahead. A few seconds later, he spotted Tsukune running through the area and nearly passing his resting spot. Not wanting the kid to get lost, Dante whistled to him, "Hey, Lover Boy. How's it hanging? Shouldn't you be in class right now?"

    Tsukune stumbled to a halt when he heard Dante's voice. He turned his head up to look at Dante, letting the Son Of Sparda see the anguish and uncertainty on his face. Dante paid it little mind, leaning further back against the tree as he started closing his eyes again, "Don't mind me. I'll be there in a bit. Just need sometime to rest up and I'll be-"

    "Did you do it?"

    Dante stopped talking. He opened both of his eyes and locked them onto Tsukune. The human boy had his hands clenched into fists, body shaking as he tried to keep his eyes on Dante. He was breathing heavily and his lips quivered with each passing second. Dante spotted Moka and Kurumu find them a few moments later, but neither moved to get in front of Tsukune. They both just stood behind him while keeping an eye on Dante. The Son Of Sparda stayed quiet for a few moments. Then he sat up and shrugged, "Gonna have to be specific, Lover Boy. I've done a lot of stuff in my life."

    "Ish-Ishigami-sensei. Di-Di-Did you really k-k-kill her?" Tsukune couldn't hide his apprehension at saying those words. This was a completely new situation to him. He always had a feeling Dante was dangerous. And he didn't seem to have a problem with wielding weapons. He even shot at his own brother. But nothing happened then, so Tsukune figured that he had known. He never thought that Dante would...would actually kill someone.

    Part of him hoped he was right.

    But then Dante said his next words.

    "Yeah. I did."

    Tsukune, Moka, and Kurumu all stiffened in fear. Moka gasped, hands going to her mouth as her face went pale. Kurumu tried to step in front of Tsukune to protect him, but something made her stay in place. She looked down at her legs and gasped as she saw they were shaking. Tsukune swallowed and said, "Wh-Wh-Why?"

    Dante rolled his eyes. He grunted while pushing himself to his feet, "Aaaalllrrright. I don't want to drag this out, so I'll make it quick. Slithers was turning students into stone statues with her powers. Tried to the same thing to me. Didn't work. So, to make sure he couldn't do it to anyone else, I put two bullets through her skull. Nothing too fancy."

    Dante shrugged, completely casual about his admission of guilt. Tsukune, stunned at Dante's words, could only take two steps forward before stopping to say, "But...did you really have to kill her?"

    "Maybe, maybe not. But this is, or well was, kind of my job, kid. Whenever assholes who won't listen to reason start causing trouble, they call me to put them down for good," Dante spoke while circling Tsukune. His hands were behind his head as he continued, "And she seemed to be one of those kind to me."

    "But-wait, you've done this before?! And it was your job?!"

    "Payed well too. Always some monster or otherwise out there that needed to be put down. No biggie," Dante's words made Moka and Kurumu feel on edge. But if he noticed he didn't show it.

    "Bu-But that-"

    "Kid, listen. I know it sucks. But fact is that there are some assholes out there that won't can't be talked down. Only cure for that is a bullet to the head," Dante mimed shooting at a tree with his finger guns. With that declaration, Tsukune went silent. The only sounds anyone could hear were the wind whistling by and Dante's footsteps. Neither Moka nor Kurumu could think of anything to say. Both were still trying to parse the fact that Dante had not only killed their art teacher, but who knows how many other monsters before he got here. Fear started to seep into their hearts the longer they stared at Dante.

    That is, until Tsukune spoke up without any hesitation in his voice, "I don't believe that."

    Dante stopped walking. He turned until he was facing Tsukune directly, while Moka and Kurumu looked at the human with mouths agape. Tsukune's body was still shaking, but his eyes were filled with determination. He took a breath to steady himself then spoke again, "E-E-Even if what you say is...true...I can't accept it. I won't. I...I don't know what you've been through, but I just can't...there just has to be a better way than killing someone!"

    The entire time Tsukune was talking, Dante was walking closer and closer to him. Moka and Kurumu made to get in Dante's way, but his body flashed a bright red. He "Tricked" in front of Tsukune and behind the girls, making everyone step back in shock. Whatever expression he had on his face was covered by a dark shadow. He didn't say anything to Tsukune at all. Merely loomed over the teenager without looking at him. Tsukune felt his heart start hammering away in his chest. His knees felt weak, his arms were shaking, and sweat was running down his face. Every part of him wanted to run away, but at the same time he couldn't move his legs. Neither could Moka or Kurumu move to intercept Dante. It was like an invisible force was holding them in place. Dante reached his right hand out for Tsukune. Tsukune closed his eyes and waited for what would come next...

    ...only to feel Dante's hand rubbing his head.

    "Good answer, Lover Boy."

    "Eh?"

    "Eh?"

    "Eh!?"

    Tsukune, Moka, and Kurumu all said the same thing in unison. Tsukune opened his eyes and looked up to see Dante smiling at him. Dante moved his hand off the boy's head, stepped around to his side, then threw his arm around Tsukune' s shoulder. He poked the young man in the chest and said, "I was just telling you why I do my thing. Just cause that's how I see things, doesn't you should see things that way. We've all got our own ships to sail in this big open sea called life. So, sail however the heck you want."

    "Oh...what?" Tsukune looked at Dante like he was crazy.

    Dante shook his head then answered, "I'm saying, if you think that there's ways to deal with this stuff besides killing them, then that's totally fine. I'm not gonna be changing my mind about that anytime soon, but you're better off not following my advice. Go do your own thing. Walk to the beat of your drum and all that stuff. That's your TA Dante's Advice for today. Got it, Lover Boy?"

    "Uh...I think so?" Tsukune looked at Moka and Kurumu for support. Both of them could only shrug. They were just as shocked as Tsukune at how the conversation had shifted.

    "Good. Now, get along you three," Dante pushed Tsukune toward the girls, and moved to hustle the three out of the forest, "You'll be late to class at this rate. And I can't help you while I'm suspended. Say hi to Kitty Cat for me, alright?"

    He pushed the three of them away before turning and heading back to his tree. The teens shared confused looks before starting to walk back to Yokai Academy. Dante cracked his neck as he walked back to his tree. He sat down and leaned against it again. He remained that way for a few minutes before saying aloud, "Great. Now I'm bored. Hmm...wonder if Vergil would be willing to keep me company?"


    Meanwhile, back at Shizuka Nekonome's Class...

    "I refuse," Vergil made a b-line for the exit door.

    Shizuka grabbed him by the arm and started to pull, "Please! Please! It's only until Dante's suspension is over!"

    "I will not join your 'Newspaper Club' just because my foolish brother made a mistake," Vergil's tone brokered no argument, and he easily started to drag Nekonome with him as he walked toward the door.

    Hey guys.

    Sorry it took so long. I don't know what it is, but I've just been unwilling to write anything these past few months. I managed to get this done at least. It's not the full chapter though, mainly cause nothing's really happened. Don't worry, I plan to add more going forward.
     
    Take your time, man, it's better to let the muse strike when it's ready than to force the issue.

    And speaking of force, I do have to agree with Dante. It's nice that Tsukune is willing to try and find better ways to work with people, but that kind of attitude can only go so far. And as another person said, even saints would be willing to reach for their sidearms if the situation calls for it.
     
    That snippet reminded me that I still can't wait for when the Sparda Siblings' heritage gets revealed.

    Sure, no one's going to recognize the name, but the chill TA and the quiet, serious librarian being revealed as half-human, literal demon lords are going to be quite the shock.

    Also, at some point Dante has to be joking at Vergil and lets slip Nero's existence, only to que all the DILF jokes at Vergil's expense among the student body.
     
    Chapter 15: Dante's Advice
  • Threadmarks
    • "Tsukune!"

    The human boy was almost knocked over when Moka collided with his back. The two were making their way to Yokai Academy, walking down the main path that led to the school's entrance. When Moka saw Tsukune, she immediately ran to him with excitement on her face. As she hit the boy, he cried out in surprise and pain, his aching body screaming in agony. Upon hearing this, Moka pulled away, her eyes widening with worry. She started hopping around Tsukune as he doubled over in pain, saying, "I'm so sorry, Tsukune! Are you alright?!"

    He weakly lifted one of his arms, the appendage shaking as it rose from his knee, "I-I-I'm f-f-fine. Ju-Ju-just d-d-don't touch m-me right...now."

    "What happened?" Moka leaned over, resisting the urge to go for Tsukune's very vulnerable neck.

    Tsukune slowly straightened himself, flinching with each movement. When he straightened his back, he started walking again, "Yesterday happened. Dante took me to the gym after my last class. He made me run ten laps around the gym, do ten sets of twenty push-ups, and then made me lift two twenty-pound weights! I was exhausted by the end, and he still wanted me to walk all the way back to my dorm. He walked with me but left as soon as I reached my door. I got into bed, but when I woke up, I was sore all over. I barely managed to put on my clothes today. I'm just lucky I'm not late."

    Tsukune started walking again, wincing every third step. Moka followed him, standing close but not touching him to avoid aggravating his soreness. However, she had to bite her finger to restrain herself from attacking his neck. It was a battle against her instincts, one she was trying to win. Tsukune didn't notice, as he was too preoccupied with resisting the urge to lie on the ground and rest his aching muscles. He shook his head as he spoke, "Urgh, this hurts. I might see if the teacher will let me rest in the nurse's of-"

    He was interrupted when a different girl approached from his left and immediately wrapped herself around his arm. The gentle warmth that suddenly enveloped his arm was, unfortunately, completely overshadowed by an acute spike of pain that shot through his entire body. A whimper escaped his throat as he nearly toppled over, only stopped by Moka grabbing his right side.

    "Good morning, Tsukune~!" Kurumu shouted, pressing herself as close to Tsukune as possible. Her bright smile was directed squarely at Tsukune as she looked up to see his face. She then gasped when she saw the pained expression on his face, "Oh no! Tsukune, what's wrong?! Are you alright?"

    Tsukune could only respond in a tiny, tiny voice, "I'm just fine. Please let go Kurumu, Moka."

    "Kurumu-san! You're hurting him!" Let go!" Moka said, though she immediately pulled at Tsukune's arm. This made him whimper at a higher pitch due to the pain. Upon seeing this, Moka quickly released Tsukune and stepped away. Kurumu did the same, giving Tsukune a chance to cool his muscles. He stood in the middle of the two girls, both his arms out like a scarecrow, as he waited for the pain to subside. He kept whimpering as he lowered his arms while Kurumu and Moka stared at each other.

    Moka stared at Kurumu with disappointment, causing the succubus' eyes to widen in confusion, "What? What did I do?"

    "You grabbed Tsukune while he was hurting!" Moka pointed out.

    "So did you!" Kurumu said indignantly.

    "Only to get him away from you. He's still sore from his training with Dante-sensei!"

    "That's... wait, training? With a Teacher's Assistant? Why were you training with him?"

    Tsukune, once he regained his composure, replied to Kurumu, "He-He wanted to help me toughen up a bit. Wants to help me get stronger."

    Kurumu frowned and crossed her arms, "Well, if you ask me, he's planning something bad. If he's anything like his brother, he's just waiting for a chance to do something horrible to you. Especially if it's just the two of you after school."

    Moka and Tsukune shared a worried, knowing look. They both chose not to answer Kurumu's declaration and simply kept walking to the school in silence. That is until Kurumu moved to stand as close to Tsukune as possible without touching him. She looked up at him with a bright smile and said, "And if you ever need someone to help you out, just come to me, Tsukune~. I'll take good care of you, I promise."

    Tsukune could only stutter at Kurumu's words and the cute smile she shot his way. He had neither the experience nor the understanding to know how to respond. Seeing what Kurumu was doing, Moka stepped closer to Tsukune's right side and said, "You-You can count on me too, Tsukune! I'll do whatever I can to help you."

    She confidently pumped both her hands in the air while smiling up at Tsukune. The boy looked between both girls, Moka smiling confidently up at him, while Kurumu glared at Moka. He didn't understand what was going on, but something told him that others would be jealous of his situation. Though he couldn't really enjoy it with the intense ache reverberating across his entire body.

    The three students eventually made it to their school. As usual, there were numerous students heading inside with them. But upon entering the front gate, the three of them realized that the air felt... strange. Groups of congregated students talked openly amongst each other, asking questions that drew Tsukune, Moka, and Kurumu's attention. Namely, they discussed the need for a new art teacher and wondered who would replace her.

    "We need a new art teacher?" Tsukune asked, looking between Moka and Kurumu, "We didn't have one at the start of the year?"

    "I thought we did," Moka said, placing a finger on her chin in thought, "Though I haven't had art yet, so I don't know who it was."

    "I'm pretty sure it was a woman. Someone named Ishigami, I think?" Kurumu said with a shrug, "I never had her, but I did hear gossip from some boys about her. She was supposed to be really pretty and seemed very interested in beautiful girls. Wonder why she never bothered to come for me."

    Kurumu huffed and crossed her arms in indignation. Sweat fell from Tsukune and Moka's foreheads at Kurumu's words. The three of them were halfway to the entrance when they heard something that made their blood run cold.

    "So, Ishigami-sensei is dead?"

    Tsukune, Moka, and Kurumu all stopped dead in their tracks. Faces pale and eyes wide, they all turned to the left to see a group of female students conversing with each other. They didn't bother to lower their voices as they spoke, "Yeah. Someone heard gunshots and went to check the art room. When they got there, she was on the floor without a head."

    "No! Who would do that?"

    "From what I've heard? The new Teacher's Assistant."

    "Dante-sensei!? But he's so handsome! It couldn't have been him."

    "He was in the room with two smoking guns in his hands. And standing over two other female students. The girls told everyone that the art teacher had turned them to stone and he saved them. But there are rumors that someone is lying to cover for him."

    "The only ones saying that are boys who don't like Dante-sensei. We shouldn't bother listening to them."

    "Where is he now?"

    "Last I heard, he's been suspended from school and is off in the forest somewhere. He's supposed to be gone for two days."

    Moka and Kurumu were speechless. They turned to look at each other, hoping that one of them would have an answer for what was going on. But neither of them said anything. Neither could say anything. Then they turned to Tsukune and grimaced at his pale face. His eyes were wide, and his mouth hung open in total awe. He slowly shook his head, unable to believe what the three of them had just heard.

    Then, without warning, he suddenly turned around and sprinted towards the forest. Moka and Kurumu called after him as they followed suit.


    Dante whistled to himself as he sat with his back against a nearly dead tree. He had both of his hands behind his head, and his legs were crossed in front of him. His closed eyes completed his nonchalant look. The look of someone who had no worries and didn't care what the world thought of him. He was totally relaxed and completely calm. The wind was blowing, and he didn't see a reason to get up that day.

    That was until he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. He cracked his left eye open and looked straight ahead. A few seconds later, he spotted Tsukune running through the area and nearly passing his resting spot. Not wanting the kid to get lost, Dante whistled to him, "Hey, Lover Boy. How's it hanging? Shouldn't you be in class right now?"

    Tsukune stumbled to a halt when he heard Dante's voice. He turned his head up to look at Dante, letting the Son of Sparda see the anguish and uncertainty on his face. Dante paid it little mind, leaning further back against the tree as he started closing his eyes again, "Don't mind me. I'll be there in a bit. Just need some time to rest up, and I'll be-"

    "Did you do it?"

    Dante stopped talking. He opened both of his eyes and locked them onto Tsukune. The human boy clenched his hands into fists, his body shaking as he tried to keep his eyes on Dante. His breathing was heavy, and his lips quivered with each passing second. Dante saw Moka and Kurumu come into the clearing a few moments later, but neither moved to get in front of Tsukune. They both stood behind him, keeping an eye on Dante. The Son Of Sparda stayed quiet for a few moments. Then he sat up and shrugged, "Gonna have to be specific, Lover Boy. I've done a lot of stuff in my life."

    "Ish-Ishigami-sensei. Di-Di-Did you really k-k-kill her?" Tsukune couldn't hide his apprehension at saying those words. This was a completely new situation for him. He always had a feeling that Dante was dangerous. And he didn't seem to have a problem with wielding weapons. He even shot at his own brother. But nothing happened then, so Tsukune figured that he had known. He never thought that Dante would...would actually kill someone.

    Part of him hoped he was right.

    But then Dante said his next words.

    "Yeah. I did."

    Tsukune, Moka, and Kurumu all stiffened in fear. Moka gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as her face turned pale. Kurumu tried to step in front of Tsukune to protect him, but something made her stay in place. She looked down at her legs and gasped when she saw that they were shaking. Tsukune swallowed and said, "Wh-Wh-Why?"

    Dante rolled his eyes. He grunted while pushing himself to his feet, "Aaaalllrrright. I don't want to drag this out, so I'll make it quick. Slithers was turning students into stone statues with her powers. Tried to do the same thing to me. Didn't work. So, to make sure he couldn't do it to anyone else, I put two bullets through her skull. Nothing too fancy."

    Dante shrugged, completely casual about his admission of guilt. Tsukune, stunned by Dante's words, could only take two steps forward before halting to ask, "But...did you really have to kill her?"

    "Maybe, maybe not. But this is, or well was, kind of my job, kid. Whenever assholes who refuse to listen to reason start causing trouble, they call me to put them down for good," Dante said as he circled Tsukune. His hands were behind his head as he continued, "And she seemed to be one of those kinds to me."

    "But-wait, you've done this before?! And it was your job?!"

    "Paid well too. Always some monster or other threat out there that needs to be put down. No biggie," Dante's words made Moka and Kurumu feel on edge. But if he noticed, he didn't show it.

    "Bu-But that-"

    "Kid, listen. I know it sucks. But fact is that there are some assholes out there who can't be reasoned with. Only cure for that is a bullet to the head," Dante mimed shooting at a tree with his finger guns. With that declaration, Tsukune fell silent. The only sounds that could be heard were the wind whistling by and Dante's footsteps. Neither Moka nor Kurumu could think of anything to say. Both were still trying to process the fact that Dante had not only killed their art teacher, but who knows how many other monsters before he got here. Fear started to seep into their hearts the longer they stared at Dante.

    That is, until Tsukune spoke up without any hesitation in his voice, "I don't believe that."

    Dante stopped walking. He turned until he was facing Tsukune directly, while Moka and Kurumu looked at the human with their mouths agape. Tsukune's body was still shaking, but his eyes were filled with determination. He took a breath to steady himself, then spoke again, "E-E-Even if what you say is...true...I can't accept it. I won't. I...I don't know what you've been through, but I just can't...there just has to be a better way than killing someone!"

    Throughout Tsukune's speech, Dante was steadily moving closer to him. Moka and Kurumu tried to get in Dante's way, but his body flashed a bright red. He "Tricked" in front of Tsukune and behind the girls, making everyone step back in shock. Whatever expression he had on his face was obscured by a dark shadow. He didn't say anything to Tsukune at all. Merely loomed over the teenager without making eye contact. Tsukune felt his heart start hammering in his chest. His knees felt weak, his arms were shaking, and sweat was running down his face. Every part of him wanted to run away, but at the same time, he couldn't move his legs. Neither could Moka nor Kurumu move to intercept Dante. It was as if an invisible force was keeping them in place. Dante reached his right hand out for Tsukune. Tsukune closed his eyes and waited for what would come next...

    ...only to feel Dante's hand rubbing his head.

    "Good answer, Lover Boy."

    "Eh?"

    "Eh?"

    "Eh!?"

    Tsukune, Moka, and Kurumu all said the same thing simultaneously. Tsukune opened his eyes and looked up to see Dante smiling at him. Dante moved his hand from the boy's head, stepped around to his side, and then threw his arm around Tsukune's shoulder. He poked the young man in the chest and said, "I was just telling you why I do my thing. Just cause that's how I see things, doesn't mean you should see things that way. We've all got our own ships to sail in this big open sea called life. So, sail however the heck you want."

    "Oh...what?" Tsukune looked at Dante as if he were crazy.

    Dante shook his head and then answered, "I'm saying, if you believe there are ways to handle this stuff besides killing people, then that's totally fine. I'm not gonna be changing my mind about that anytime soon, but you're better off not following my advice. Go do your own thing. Walk to the beat of your drum and all that stuff. That's your TA Dante's Advice for today. Got it, Lover Boy?"

    "Uh...I think so?" Tsukune looked at Moka and Kurumu for support. Both of them could only shrug. They were just as shocked as Tsukune at how the conversation had shifted.

    "Good. Now, get along, you three," Dante pushed Tsukune toward the girls and moved to hustle the three out of the forest, "You'll be late to class at this rate. And I can't help you while I'm suspended. Say hi to Kitty Cat for me, alright?"

    He pushed the three of them away before turning and heading back to his tree. The teenagers exchanged confused looks before beginning to walk back to Yokai Academy. Dante cracked his neck as he walked back to his tree. He sat down and leaned against it once more. He remained in that position for a few minutes before saying aloud, "Great. Now I'm bored. Hmm... wonder if Vergil would be willing to keep me company?"


    Meanwhile, back at Shizuka Nekonome's class...

    "I refuse," Vergil made a beeline for the exit door.

    Shizuka grabbed him by the arm and started to pull, "Please! Please! It's only until Dante's suspension is over!"

    "I will not join your 'Newspaper Club' just because my foolish brother made a mistake," Vergil's tone brooked no argument, and he easily started to drag Nekonome with him as he walked toward the door. He didn't bother to shake her off, choosing instead to open the door while speaking, "He made his decision, and it is not my duty to make up for any mistakes he leaves in his wake. I'd suggest finding someone who is willing to waste time with thi-"

    Vergil paused and shifted to the left as he opened the door to the club room. His sudden movement shook Nekonome off of him, causing her to fall onto her backside. She yelped as she landed, surprising Moka, Tsukune, and Kurumu as they walked into the room. As the three entered the room, Kurumu flinched away from Vergil when she caught his eye.

    "Ow," Shizuka whimpered, one hand rubbing above her tail while the other massaged her temple. She opened her eyes and saw three of her students standing in front of her with confused and worried expressions. She quickly got to her feet and tried to appear fine, "H-H-Hello you three! What are you all doing here?!"

    "Dante-sensei asked us to say hello," Moka said while tilting her head, "What are you doing here, Nekonome-sensei?"

    "Uh, I'm the President of the Newspaper Club. I've been getting things ready for us and-," Nekonome went silent while dusting herself off. Her ears perked up as her lips curled into a mischievous grin. Her eyes shined as she stepped toward Tsukune, "Say, have any of you chosen a club yet?"

    "Uh, no?" Tsukune said, confused.

    "I haven't decided," Moka admitted with a shake of her head.

    "I was in the nurse for a while, so I wasn't able to think of one to join," Kurumu shook her head and crossed her arms.

    Nekonome's eyes shone even brighter upon hearing their answers. She dashed to her desk, grabbed three of the club's application papers, and gave one to each of the students. She smiled and put her hands together while saying, "Then you all can join my Newspaper Club! You'll be our first members!"

    All three students were surprised by Nekonome's sudden attempt to recruit them. They all prepared to give some kind of response, but one glance at the teacher's radiant expression made them reconsider their words. After a moment, Tsukune sighed in resignation and signed the application. Moka and Kurumu both followed soon after. They all handed their applications back to the teacher, who accepted them with glee and exclaimed, "Great! Your first task as new members is to convince Vergil to become our Vice President!"

    "What?!" all three students said in unison. They all slowly turned to stare at Vergil, who was halfway out the door. Tsukune shouted for him to wait, and surprisingly, he did. But he was still one foot out the door.

    "Give me one good reason why I should have anything to do with your inane school club," they could almost feel the eye roll Vergil did as he responded to them. He was paying them so little mind that he pulled out his book and started reading it.

    Kurumu opened her mouth to say something, but memories of Vergil attacking her made her go quiet. Moku kept starting to say something, only to shake her head and mumble, "No, that won't work". Tsukune kept looking all around the room for inspiration, and then his eyes landed on the book in Vergil's hand.

    "What if... What if we let you write in the newspaper?" Tsukune ignored the confused exclamation from Nekonome. He kept his eyes on Vergil, waiting to see what the Librarian's response would be.

    Vergil kept his back to Tsukune but did speak, "You would give me my own column then?"

    "Ye-Yeah! Sure!"

    "And I'd be allowed to write whatever I wished?"

    "You'd be the Vice President-"

    "Temporary! Dante's going to be the actual Vice President once his suspension is over," Nekonome clarified with a shout.

    "-so, I guess you could!" sweat dripped down Tsukune's entire body as he waited for Vegil's answer. Everyone seemed to hold their breath as their eyes were locked onto Vergil.

    After a few seconds, Vergil snapped his book closed. He stepped back into the classroom, turned to face Tsukune, and said, "I will have my own poetry column that will be in each issue of the paper. Front page. Times New Roman font. Appropriately spaced, and I am the only one allowed to write for that column. Understood?"

    "Deal!" Tsukune said before rethinking his words, "I-I mean...Nekonome-sensei?"

    "Uh, I'm fine with it," Nekonome said, sounding both relieved and worried.

    Vergil turned and stepped out into the hallway, "Then let us head to our clubroom and get it prepared for the day. Move it!"

    "Y-Yes, sir!" the students and teacher, caught up in Vergil's orders, immediately left the classroom. Nekonome led the charge to the clubroom, a smile on her face, pleased to have gotten what she wanted. Vergil, meanwhile, had taken out a notepad and was already writing poems for his column.


    "Kuyo?"

    "Hmm? Student Council President Kaneshiro. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

    "Have you heard about the recent suspension of the newest Teacher's Assistant?"

    "Of course. While it's regrettable to see a staff member breaking the rules, it is only for killing another Yokai. Such things are the norm in our world."

    "Indeed...but what if I told you that the Teacher's Assistant...wasn't a Yokai?"

    "...Explain."


    Finally! Sorry it took so long. I don't know why, but I couldn't bring myself to continue writing this. It's not that I didn't want to write it. I just...couldn't bring myself to put words on paper.

    Also, sorry to my readers here. I know that this isn't as long as you probably wanted. But, I really just wanted to get this finished already. I'll try to make the next chapter better.

    And, to be clear, no, Kaneshiro doesn't know that Dante is only Half-Demon. But Kuyo doesn't know that he doesn't know. So...
     
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    • Ten bucks he goes after Virgil first since he Dante brother. I can just imagine what happened to kuyo if he gets Virgil to use his devil's trigger not out of actually being challenged more that Virgil show him he is a devil before killing him
     
    The room for the Newspaper Club was, as expected, a classroom without any other students in it. Which made the fact that they were the only members really sink in for Tsukune, Moka, and Kurumu. Sweat dropped from their heads as they realized exactly Ms. Nekonome meant by "first members". And despite how excited their teacher was about that fact, the three of them were more worried than anything else. It didn't help that their Vice President had taken a seat in the middle of the room, and was already writing out poems for his column. The sound of his pencil writing away on a notebook echoed through the room, only ever being interrupted by him flipping a page ever now and then.

    "Now then, everyone," Ms. Nekonome quickly took control of the situation, her enthusiasm for the club shining through, "Let's begin our club activities for today!"

    Tsukune raised his hand, his voice nervous as he asked, "But, Ms. Nekonome, is it really just the five of us? I hadn't heard of this club until today so..." Tsukune's concerns were echoed by Kurumu and Moka.

    The teacher shook her head, "Oh, no! I'm not the actual President of the Club. Just the faculty member who oversees you all. The real President should be here in a moment-"

    As if on cue, the door to the classroom opened and a young man stepped through the door. A white headband sat below his inky black hair. Black bangs slightly hung in front of his light green eyes. He wore a standard male Yokai Academy uniform, except his was open a bit more at the chest. This showed a tie and wolf pendant that hung from his neck. His lips were curled into a bright, charming smile and he carried two rose bouquets in his arms. He spoke with an overly polite accent, "Greetings! I'm the President of the Newspaper Club, Morioka Ginei."

    Tsukune was completely floored by the appearance of the actual club president. And it only intensified when the man gave the two bouquets to Moka and Kurumu while calling them beautiful. Vergil, meanwhile, drowned everything out while working on his column for the newspaper. Mostly he was noting down different concepts or premises for poems that could be put down. His mind constantly compared what he was writing to the various poetry books he had read since he was a child. Accounting for the various rhyming styles and their meanings, sorting through the various feelings and events in his life, and seeing how to put them all down into words.

    This intense focus was, unfortunately, ruined when Ginei (or Gin as he preferred) called out to him, "Hey, you! I'm trying to explain how the club works around here! You should-"

    Gin went silent when Vergil cut his eyes at him. Not out of fear but recognition. Gin snapped his fingers and pointed at Vergil, "Oi! You're that guy I met in the hallway! The one that had his face in a book the whole time."

    The three first years looked between the second year and Vergil. Then Moka pointed at Vergil while looking at Gin, "You know him, Gin-senpai?"

    Gin shrugged, "Kind of? We just happened to pass each other in the hall. Don't know what he's doing here."

    "He's the Vice President," Kurumu stated as she crossed her arms.

    "Temporarily. Until the actual Vice President comes back," Tsukune corrected.

    "That so? Well, where's the guy who's supposed to be here?" at Gin's question the entire room suddenly tensed. None of the first years met his eyes, all three of them looking at the wall or grimacing at something only they could see. Gin's eyebrow rose, not unfamiliar with this type of atmosphere. He idly remembered hearing about a faculty member getting suspended for, supposedly, killing one the teachers here. While he had his own suspicions, he chose to keep them to himself. No need to make the mood in the room worse. So, instead, he clapped his hands together and put a smile on his face, "Well, I'm sure I'll meet him eventually. For now, let me continue explaining what we at the Newspaper Club do."

    He leaned onto the desk at the front of the room and spoke clearly, "Our goal is to, well, publish the school newspaper! Most of your activity will be reporting on all kinds of things going on inside the Academy and putting them in the newspaper! We'll be put into dangerous situations time and time for the sake of reporting. I'll tell you right now, this ain't gonna be no easy ride! Once you've joined you should prepare yourself."

    While the three first years took in Gin's words, he looked over at Vergil, "That goes for you as well...uh...hmm. Sorry, don't think I ever got your name."

    Vergil rolled his eyes then looked back at his notebook, "Vergil. I am the Head Librarian and this club's Temporary Vice President."

    "Oh, is that so? Well, nice to-"

    "Please save your pleasantries," Vergil flipped a page in his notebook then kept writing, "I am only here because I was promised my own Poetry Column in the newspaper. I am already making drafts of possible candidates. I will submit long before the first issue is in development, and expect a second opinion on them before they are considered ready for print. Is that understood?"

    Gin blinked and scratched the back of his neck, "Uh, well, we've never really had a Poetry Column before-"

    "You do now," is all Vergil said before going back to his work. Sweat drops fell from all the student's heads as they watched him casually disregard any concerns Gin may have had. With him very clearly ignoring whatever else the group had to say, Gin decided to get back to business. Starting with having Tsukune, Moka, and Kurumu put up some of the club posters on the back wall. The four grabbed some chairs to reach above the blackboard. Moka and Tsukune both bowed to Vergil as they walked passed him, while Kurumu gave him a wide berth. Gin winked at him but Vergil continued to ignore them. Inspiration had sparked in his mind and he was already writing out his first poem. He just need to concentrate, write it out in flowing meter, and-

    "Senpai! What are you doing?! Please stop!" Tsukune's shrill shout made Vergil flinch and threw him off his game. He cleared his throat, centered his mind, then tried to regain his focus-

    "Huh? What are you talking about?" Gin sounded completely nonchalant despite Tsukune's outburst.

    "Please don't pretend you don't know!" Tsukune shouted again, once more throwing Vergil off his writing. This time the young man didn't stop, "You were just looking up their skirts, weren't you?!"

    Gin waved Tsukune's accusation off with a smile, "Heh, nonsense! There's no way I'm the kind of guy who'd do something so lame."

    "WHHHAAAA-?!" Vergil's shoulders were shaking at this point. He, once more, tried to find his center and calm down. He tried to drown out the sounds he was hearing. Tried to focus on his notepad. Tried to get his feelings out onto-

    "Huh? What's going on?" Kurumu and Moka asked, eyes moving between Tsukune and Gin.

    Gin shrugged and, without losing his smile and pointing at Tsukune, said nonchalantly, "Oh, well , this dude...says he got an eyeful of your panties!"

    Vergil's eyes shot open when the girl's both shrieked in surprise. He slammed his hand onto the table, taking everyone's attention as he shot out of his chair, "ENOUGH!"

    He whirled on the group of students, Kurumu quickly hiding behind Tsukune, her body aching where Vergil had hit her last time. The Son of Sparda stomped toward the group his eyes burning with rage. Gin sidled up to Tsukune and put an arm around the boy's shoulder. His smile remained as he pointed at his younger classman, "Ah, sorry about that, Vergil. It just seems that Tsukune here can-"

    "Silence!" Vergil grabbed Gin's arm and pushed him away from Tsukune. Gin's eyes went wide as Vergil shot him with a deathly glare. The man was so shocked that his smile faltered and he started to stammer. Vergil ignored him and turned to the three first years. All three flinched back as he began his tirade, "Will you all, please, be quiet! I am trying to concentrate!"

    "S-S-S-Sorry, Vergil-sensei!" Moka said, idly covering her face with her arms, "B-B-But Gin sai-"
    "Oh for....come here, boy!" he grabbed Tsukune by his arm and pulled him to his side. He roughly forced the young man into a standing position, holding his arms at his side while keeping his back straight. Tsukune's eyes were filled with panic as he looked between Moka and Kurumu. Vergil shouted, "Look at him! Look at him and tell me that he's the type of person to look up women's skirts! Do you get any type of vibe of that from a meek specimen such as him?"

    "Meek?" Tsukune muttered, clearly offended but not willing to shout lest Vergil hear him.

    Moka slowly lowered her arms while nervously shaking her head, "W-W-Well, no. Not to me anyway."

    "I-I-I mean, I wouldn't think so," Kurumu said while pressing her fingers together.

    "Next question!" Vergil shouted, making both girls jump, "From what both of you have seen of this boy, do any of his actions suggest that he would ever take advantage of a position like that?!"

    Moka and Kurumu both shook their heads in the negative. Moka spoke up, "Not at all. Tsukune has been really kind to me. I don't think he would do something like that."

    "Neither do I...though, I wouldn't necessarily mind," Kurumu blushed while cupping her cheeks in her hands.

    Tsukune's lips curled into a smile. He felt his fears evaporate upon hearing that his two friends believed in him like that. But then Gin coughed to get everyone's attention. He stepped around Vergil and spoke again, "Well, sure, but-"

    "I said silence!" Vergil interrupted, stomping over to the second year while letting Tsukune go. He loomed over Gin, having more than a head over the other man, and made no attempt to hide his disdain, "I will not allow you to poison the well with your words! If I am to have silence so that I may work in peace, then I need you to remain silent and simply do your job!"

    "H-Hey, you can't talk to your President like that!" Gin said, trying to recover from Vergil suddenly getting up in his face.

    "Oh, I can. President or not, you are still a student. And I am faculty. Thus my authority supersedes yours. But, as I do not trust you to not attempt this again..." Vergil walked over to the desk with the posters and grabbed up five of them. With a keen eye and precise movements, he tossed all five at the wall above the blackboard. Each one landed on the wall, before quickly being followed by pins that he threw at them. Each one hit their mark and perfectly held the posters in place.

    He walked back to his seat while ignoring the shocked expressions the students sent his way. He spoke without looking at them, "There. Now, begone! I must have peace and quiet to be able to write my poetry."

    He sat back down, picked up his pen, then tried to regain his muse. Stunned and completely floored by his actions, Gin didn't say a word. His mouth remained open as he stared at Vergil. He tried to parse what just happened while Tsukune, Moka, and Kurumu all walked to the stack of posters in a trance. Moka tapped Gin on the shoulder to shake him from his own trance. He shook his head and tried to regain his composure. His voice sounded weak as he said, "A-A-Alright, Vergil. Um, we're gonna go put the rest of the posters. You stay here and work on your column, okay? Okay. Come on, everyone."

    They all followed Gin out the room. Though Tsukune idled behind, his eyes locked on Vergil with a frown on his face. He opened his mouth to say something, but Moka's call interrupted him. He followed her, taking one last glance at Vergil before leaving the room.

    Vergil sighed and shook his head, "Annoying. You'd better hope your suspension ends soon, Dante."


    Dante threw his fifth rock at a tree and sighed, "Goddamn it, can't this suspension end already?"

    Finally. Sorry it's taken so long. Finally got back to it, and plan to get at least two chapters done before June is out...hopefully. Can't promise much though since I'm gonna likely be doing overtime next week, cause I didn't go work the last few days. Powers out there.
     
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