Aaalrighty, so this was posted a while ago, and the issue involving Moka has been addressed. The plot of the story has been adjusted, and Moka will be included in the Harem. This fic is very much AU as far as characters and lore go, but i hope you new readers will enjoy it as much as the old ones. Trust me when i say that if you're looking for a fresh take on the R+V universe, and want to see more lore for the different youaki and background, this is definitely your fic.

So without further ado, let's get this show on the road. :)

"Wake up Tsukune! Hurry up, c'mon! You don't want to be late for your first day of high school do you?"

A teenage boy with brown hair who was currently covered by his blanket up to his eyes groaned lightly, and proceeded to ignore the most important person in his life.

"Hey! No ignoring me, you have to get up now." The beautiful woman with long Black hair and dark brown eyes opened up the blinds to the window that she had been standing next to with a smirk. The blinds opened almost instantly, letting rays of the morning sun light up the usually cave-like room.

No sounds were heard. But her smirk was kept knowingly place.

At first glance, it seemed as if the teen was still deathly asleep and unmoving. But the smirking woman had known and raised him enough years to tell that he was hating the sun right about now. And, much to her amusement at the cost of Tsukune's ire, she got the result she was looking for.

His hair was somewhat long, and it easily shadowed his eyes. But if you look closely one would be able to see eye lids behind the chocolate-brown bangs crack open until about halfway, revealing completely black pupils.

But that was only an illusion, as they were still dilated from sleep. The pupils shrunk as they realized they were no longer in the comfort of their usually dark room and shielded by their skin housing, now showing hazel eyes.

All in all, the teen looked thoroughly annoyed awake. With the way his bangs lazily shadowed his half-lidded eyes. His figure was completely concealed by the grey blanket that was still up to halfway up his nose. So it was all too obvious when he closed his eyes once more to squeeze in even a minute more of sleep.

The woman noticed this and giggled sweetly before walking over to the scarcely used light switch and flipping it on. Another groan was heard as the still almost brand new light bulb filled the room with bright yellow light since it was almost never used.

A morning growl of a voice sounded out as shifting could be heard, "Alright, alright. I'm up, I'm up I promise…just please turn off the light."

More giggling could be heard as the woman knew that if he didn't get up when she opened the blinds, the light would definitely work. She snickered, "Fufufu, c'mon sleepy-head, get washed up while I get breakfast ready."

She walked out of the room to let her son bring himself back to life and crawl out of his bed, conveniently 'forgetting' the light switch on the way out.

Tsukune cracked his eyes open again, watching as the woman walked right passed the infernal light switch and casting a wink in his direction. He sighed as he shifted around so that he was on his stomach and rested his head back on his pillow.

Taking a deep breath, he resigned himself to his fate of being awake, "Troublesome Mother's and their forgetting to turn off the ridiculously bright light."

He groaned again as he pushed himself up and sat down cross-legged on his bed with his front facing the head board. Revealing that he only slept in workout-shorts as his shirtless figure came into light. The most interesting things about his person however, where the three rosarios that he wore. One on an elegant silver necklace that had strange writing on each of the links. And two smaller crosses that hung on bracelets on each wrist with similar designs on the chain links.

The bracelets wrapped around his wrist in an X shape, so they didn't move much except for the little bit of chain from where the crosses hung from. The necklace fits perfectly around his neck in a way that allowed plenty of room, but not enough to take off by simply sliding it off of his head.

The crosses on the bracelets were about an inch and a half in length, a rose-vine like design running in a sort of spiral along the front and rapping around at the base, on the back of both there was a pentagram accompanied by a few arcane-like symbols. A small black jewel was set in the middle of both as well.

The one he wore around his neck was around three inches in length, give or take, and had an unknown language writings etched onto the front, each symbol different from the one next to it. On the back, as like the crosses on his wrists, there was a pentagram inscribed onto it. However, there were hieroglyphic symbols littering the entire thing and artfully included in the spaces within it, as well as the same smaller symbols on the limbs of the cross.

On the front, in the center of the cross, stood a deep red, nearly black jewel. All in all, each piece of craftsmanship looked as if they belonged in a museum showcased as a priceless antique. How the teen had gotten them he did not know, all he knew was that he had had them for as long as he could remember, and he never took them off. It didn't feel right even thinking about it, he never really thought about taking them off simply because there was no reason too, so he always had them on.

He had a lean figure for a fourteen-year old, at least that's how old he was supposed to be, he looked more so around the age of seventeen, if only because he just had an older looking face. He had a slight definition of abs poking through his stomach while his arms chest and the rest of his body also showed signs of some athleticism. Nothing that was every girl's dream, but certainly enough to catch the interest of his age group with effort. He scratched the top of his horrible case of bed head and yawned as he stretched out his free arm. The muscles in them rippling a bit.

He sat there and blinked his eyes a couple times before leaning back and turning so that he fell back on his face as he slowly slithered his way off of his torturously comfortable bed so that he could turn off the light.

He crawled onto the floor from the foot of his bed, but fell abruptly when his legs slid off.

"Ow."

He picked himself up and stiffly made his way over to flip the switch off. With a sigh of relief, he walked over to the bathroom of his home and washed up. Ghostly making his way down the stairs to the living room so that he could head to the kitchen.

He went on to hug the woman as she had just finished setting the table. He was around three inches taller than her, she was a very petite woman since he stood at five feet and five inches, a little tall for his age. He engulfed her in a loving embrace that only a son could show his mother.

"Morning Mom."

He gave her a kiss on her on the top of her on her hairline above her right eye and went over to take his seat in the middle while she sat in front of him.

Both ate in relative silence. Tsukune being silent because he was still groggy from waking up, he was NOT a morning person…and it didn't help that he couldn't fall asleep until the wee hours of the night. At least once a month he would be up for a full day because he was so restless at night, and was usually doing something during the day so he didn't really nap.

Even as a child he had always been that way, well, as far as Kasumi had knowledge of Tsukune had had sleeping issues even when he was at the orphanage she had adopted him from. So it wasn't her, though she had hoped that the six year-old would have grown out of that problem by now. It seemed it was just one of those things.

She looked at him with a reminiscing gaze in her eyes as she watched him quietly eat his eggs. They were scrambled, just the way he liked it. It seemed like the past nine years of her life had been speeding up faster and faster with each on that passed. She was thirty-six now, almost thirty-seven. Just three years short of forty!

She had just turned twenty-five and had been happily married to her husband for two years after meeting him at her college graduation party when they had both gotten into the car accident that had changed her life. They had been T-boned at an intersection by a driver who had swerved to avoid hitting a small child who had ran out into the street, he had been running away from his caretaker.

Fortunately, the driver missed the child by a few feet…but hit her and her husband's car before he had a chance to slow down.

She couldn't remember much of what happened. The last thing she could recall before waking up in the hospital was her last conversation she was having with her dear Takeshi…They had been talking about having kids since they had just purchased a home after saving up while living in an apartment.

One second they were discussing names, and the next thing she knew, the world was spinning and all she could see was a blur before everything went black.

She had woken up a few hours later with minor injuries, the worst one being a small cut on her head just above her hairline over her right eye-brow that was barely noticeable. After worrying for her husband throughout the physical she had received upon waking up, she had been devastated to hear that Takeshi didn't make it. The force of the crash had caused them to spin out and hit a traffic-light pole.

It had stopped the car dead in its tracks, but the result was her husband's head stopping on his car door that had been warped from the initial hit…the only comfort that she had was knowing that he had died instantly, and felt no pain.

It had taken her months to get over the loss. At first, the brunette thought she never would. But, a year and a half had passed and it was an especially sunny day in the middle of spring…she had started to think back on what Takeshi had spoken to her about. The idea of having children had actually been brought up by him. She had thought he wanted to wait a year or two more at that point in time.

It was her bi-weekly grocery shopping day when she passed an orphanage on her way to the market. She didn't know why, but something compelled her to go in. She had only been in there for thirty minutes before her eyes fell upon a boy who was playing by himself in the corner of a room with at least a dozen kids scurrying around as all children do.

She found herself drawn to the lone boy, and had walked over to talk to him. She had read the files on multiple children, and the boy drawing what looked to be a giant cross had been one of those files. The lady that had gone through them with her had come across his and had initially tried to skip it, saying that 'They were still working with him'.

Apparently he didn't talk much and had arrived to them with little to know data on him. They knew his age and that was it. There wasn't even a birthdate on his file when he had been transferred to their facility, they had asked him his age and he told them. He said he was five…that was all he knew as far as records went. They didn't know his name until he had been asked. The caretaker that asked him had told her that he looked her in the eye and had said his name was Tsukune.

He went off to his corner to draw more afterward. The caretaker then picked up the book he had set down before leaving and took a gander to see what kind of books he liked.

She found that 'Tsukune' was the name of one of the characters in the book…and it was on the first line.

Nothing could be said or done, so they simply called him Tsukune assuming that he didn't know his name either. It wouldn't be the first time an orphan named his or herself.

After what seemed to be a normal conversation with only a little hesitation on Tsukune's part about the ocean and things that swam in it, Kasumi turned to the caretaker that was assigned to him, only to find amazement all but painted on her face.

It had taken her a month to get him to say more than one sentence to her, and Kasumi had only taken about two minutes when she complimented him on the crosses that he wore and introduced herself. He wore an intricate necklace with a cross that looked a little large for his chest at the time, and a bracelet on both hands that had small crosses on them too, though they too looked big on him. They had started off talking when she complimented his drawing and it had wound up finishing somewhere around his fascination with how many fish lived in the ocean.

Something sparked within her after talking with him, and she went back the next day having called in sick, spent all day there talking with him and even drew a church with him after he asked her if she would like to draw with him.

It came out pretty bad, at least the part that she did which was the building. The best part were the crosses that he drew, which she thought were amazingly done by someone his age, and it now hung on the fridge in their house.

It had taken her the rest of the week to convince the orphanage to allow her to adopt him, mostly because he had virtually no paperwork and they were worried about his rather…odd behavior and seeming obsession with crosses and rosarios.

But, she persisted, and by the end of the week she had signed every paper they sent her way and brought him home with her…it had been one of the happiest moments of her life, its' rival only being her wedding day.

"Mother, you ok?"

Kasumi blinked and noticed that Tsukune was looking at her with worry in his eyes, she had been washing the same plate for the past couple of minutes as she swam through her sea of memories of the boy she loved as her own son. "Yes, I'm fine fufu, don't mind me." She gave him a slight wave of the hand that wordlessly spoke 'all is fine' and got to washing their dishes, though she accidently flicked some water on his face, which he wiped off and walked away with a smile when he splashed her back.

She had all but forgotten about her own meal, she hadn't even touched her own plate, having lost her apatite while shifting through her thoughts.

And as she washed the dishes, she couldn't help but get lost in them again.

He had changed so much since then.

He had changed so much, and yet remained the same odd boy that had sat in the corner by himself, drawing. In public school and even middle school he mostly kept to himself. He had gotten a lot better with talking with people, but never really seemed to make a whole lot of friends. He had them, sure, but to him they were more so acquaintances than anything else. While everyone else his age was starting to have interest in the girl that sits next to him in class, and vise versa, and go out to cause whatever mischief they were up to…he was content with just being home, drawing in his room and what not.

Over the years of raising him as best she could, he had opened up to her and told her what he could of his childhood before she adopted him. From what he was able to tell her, he spent much of his time alone and in a sort of monastery. His favorite place was an old cathedral that they had on the grounds and it was there that he got his fascination of crosses from. He told her that there were rooms filled with hundreds of them and in all sizes and designs.

When she had asked him of his parents he said he didn't have any. At first she thought he said that out of resentment, but he had told her the only people he ever talked to, let alone saw on a regular bases was a Deacon who spent time with him and taught him how to read and write, and his wife who had a fancy for drawing and had gotten him started in the hobby.

She asked them their names, all he could remember was their faces. The Deacon was a man who looked to be in his forties, same as his wife. The wife had elegant blonde hair, her husband plain black, both were light skinned.

She asked him which country this was in since it sounded European if the religious title was anything to go by. All Tsukune could remember was the monastery, the older couple and everything they taught him. Everything else was a blur or he simply couldn't remember. He remembers getting off the plane and being taken to the orphanage by the Deacon and his wife. He had been taught both English and Japanese, so he didn't have much trouble communicating.

That fact still amazed her, he could speak both languages fluently since he had kept up with English during his years of school. In fact, if it weren't for his somewhat elastic ability to fit in, she would never suspect he was foreign aside from his looks. He looked to be European, but had some features that she couldn't quite place with his slightly angular face and sharp features.

Kasumi released a sigh as she started to put away the dishes. She felt she knew her son, really knew him for the young man that he was now…but he was also such a mystery to her. Even the crosses that he wore, the very things that had started their relationship, were a mystery to her. But…at least he was in the same boat with her on that one. He had no recollection of how he got them, from what he's told her, he's just always had them and couldn't remember a time he didn't wear them.

And from what she had learned at the orphanage, he never took them off during his time there either. She had asked him to remove them once as a joke to see how they would look on her. A mother son thing that they were going to do for Halloween. But, much to both of their shock, they wouldn't unfasten. The tiny mechanisms that locked the joining links in place wouldn't budge. Neither of them wanted to damage the necklace or the bracelets so they simply left them be since he liked them anyway, it's not like they bothered him much.

Even still, Kasumi couldn't help but feel slightly put off by the strangely alluring crafts of silver and gem. Not once did she ever see dust on them or even a smudge. They stayed as silver as the day they…well…as the day she saw them! But she guessed it didn't matter much, her Tsukune wore them well. They suited him. She dare say they were meant for him, she couldn't really picture them on anyone else.

"Mom?"

"Ah!" Kasumi nearly jumped out of her shoes at the sudden appearance of the boy that was currently her sole train of thought since it would be the last day she'd see him until he graduate's…wait, that's right!

Tsukune furrowed his eye brows and went to help her put away the dishes, "You're spacing out quite a lot this morning, are you sure you're ok?"

Kasumi smiled nervously, her body tense as she was incredibly anxious now that her thoughts returned to the present, "Y-yes Tsukune I'm fine. Your mother just has a lot on her mind today, that's all. It's not every day that your son goes off to their first day of high school. To a boarding school no less…where you'll pretty much live at and only visit during breaks…"

The brown-haired teen closed his eyes, 'So that's it…I see.', he hugged her once more, even squeezing her a bit to give her the extra sensation that he was there with her, "I get a week break after each quarter and a two week break in the middle of the year. After the school year is done we'll have two months to draw together Mother, don't worry."

Kasumi chuckled, her voice cracking a bit as she tortured herself with all the memories of her and the strange boy that was her son played out in her mind. She knew she'd have a tough time with this since they were so close, she had cried on his first day of middle school because he was getting older and closer to becoming a man and leaving the nest.

Their relationship was born and kept alive by the closeness between her and her son since day one. Kami worked in mysterious ways, when she had adopted him, it was more so for herself than for his sake. It sounded selfish to even her own ears, but the truth was at the time she needed him more than he needed her.

As it turns out, one of Tsukune's only friends at the orphanage had been the boy that her husband had swerved out of the way to avoid…which inevitably lead to his death. She also found out that the boy had run away shortly after when he found out what he had caused. How he found out nobody knew, and he was transferred to a different location.

Kami works in mysterious ways.

For the first couple months things were shaky. She admits, she had no real idea how to be a mother at first. But, as time progressed, she stuck to her gut instinct and remembered everything her mother taught her and simply spent time with him and taught him about life. The two grew to love each other as mother and son and had coasted the past few years with many memories to look back on if the picture covered fridge and scattered glass frames sitting on furniture and decorating several walls were anything to go by.

As crazy as it was, she had gotten over Takeshi's death within six months of adopting Tsukune…she was sure he wouldn't want her to mourn forever. She knew she would never re-marry, she never really thought about dating again let alone the prospect of marrying again. She liked to think that Takeshi had been walking with her that day, and had led her into that building on a whim just as was in his nature, and was still with her in spirit. He had been friends with her for over a year and asked her out while they were grocery shopping for a club outing.

After dating for six months he had proposed to her in the middle of a mall. When she asked him what his train of thought had been, he had told her that he had wanted to propose to her the moment they met in the student tutoring building in college, and that his suddenness was simply when he couldn't take it anymore and threw his fear out the window.

Kasumi always loved his honesty, it had been a trait that she was glad to see in Tsukune, though his was bred from a different upbringing as far as she could tell. But, she liked to think that Takeshi had been wanting kids since even before marriage, he always had a sense with kids and they loved him. After moping around for a year and a half he probably couldn't take it anymore and finally influenced her mind to walk into the orphanage, scan the room to see which child she felt a connection with and sign the papers all the while saying, "You're coming with me!" with a smile in place and a thumbs up. That was just who he was.

And it was who she had become over the years as she raised Tsukune. He was their child, biologically or not, he was theirs…Tsukune would just have to wait a while to meet Takeshi. But he was sure that had he been alive, they would have been the best of friends, and she would have to compete for her son's attention while they have their ample amount of Father-Son time.

She felt a hand wipe just beneath her eyes. She blinked and looked up to see her son looking at her concern clearly expressed on his young, handsome face that was losing more baby fat and becoming more defined with each passing week. She had been crying. Finally, she put away the last dish that had been there since the day before, they had been drawing for a while and were too lazy to put away that nights dishes, and enveloped her son in a bone crushing hug as her tears kept streaming down steadily like a sad rain.

"Oh…my boy is going off to high *hic* scho~ol. *Hic* I'm so proud of you Tsukune!"

Said teen simply held his mother and rubbed her back soothingly, he had an idea why she was so shaken up. "It'll be fine Mom…I'll be back before you know it." He leaned back so that she could look him in the eye. Her bottom lip quivering like a child and her eyes red and puffy. Him being the one, oddly enough, to be the mature one and calm his mother down.

He wiped her slowed tears and kissed her forehead, a habit he had developed when they had celebrated his birthday together for the first time. She had broken down in a final grief for Takeshi. She had tried to stay strong and not cry since the day of his funeral, but had not been able to contain her tears when he blew out the candles of his cake, having only herself and her niece Kyoko to sing to him since her sister and her husband were always working.

She had broken down and apologized for not giving him a father. Crying her eyes out and assuring him that she was doing her best to give him a good life and provide for him.

He had calmed her down with the same gesture as he pulled his lips away from the small, almost invisible scar on her hairline from the car accident, and told her that everything was alright…he was just happy to have her as his mother. He was forever grateful. He still was.

Kyoko had soothed her too that day, giving her much of the insight that she now had on her adopted son since he naturally bonded with his now "legal" cousin. Though even she told her that Tsukune was as much a mystery to her as he was to Kasumi, she did accept him as her sort of "little brother" figure. The two were inseparable when she lived close, and only clung to each other more when she moved and could only visit during the summer.

And now he gazed at her still sniffling face. She could be so emotional sometimes that it rubbed off on him simply because there was no more room for it to go. He smiled a bit and wiped at her last tear, "Heheh, you keep this up and I'll have no choice but to bring home a girlfriend for you to host dinner for and thank her for keeping me company." Tsukune couldn't help but chuckle lightly as his mother pouted at the playful jab.

She mocked being angry and turned her head to the side with a slightly quivering smile, "I don't think that would help much for my current situation, Tsukune." Though she secretly would like for him to bring someone home. She already had the picture books ready and thought about what stories to share in the event he did bring a girl home, or even a simple friend. She would be happy with that, he never once brought a friend over or went out. He seemed content with just being there and helping her around the house. She was hoping high school would bring him out of his shell and she would have a girl to embarrass him in front of, she mentally smiled as she imagined his reaction.

Tsukune looked at her with a calculating gaze, "Oh? One isn't enough for you? Very well…I guess I'll just have to bring two girls back with me so you can show pictures to one and tell stories to the other. Or would three be better? You can show her the videos of me in the school play."

Her head snapped back to him in a blink of an eye, her mouth open and her eyes belonging to an owl more so than to herself. She was silent because of how serious he looked in that instance…before he cracked a charming smile and began to laugh heartily. She playfully smacked his shoulder and he only laughed louder as she protested, "That's not very funny Tsukune! No two-timing!"

He only laughed that much more as she proceeded to fake ignore him while she started to go through his bag to make sure he had everything. He went upstairs, still giggling over his Mom's reaction and got the rest of his clothes ready. His backpack was already good to go, but Kasumi always made sure to double check all of his things…twice.

He was ready in less than fifteen minutes and in the car while his mom prepared herself in the living room as she looked at all the pictures she had with her son. Ranging from pictures at the beach, to parks and tall buildings that they rode the elevator in just for fun. To being in the country side to visit her sister and niece. There was even a picture of them at Takeshi's grave when she finally decided it was time to move on. She still visited him of course, but she was no longer a widow wallowing in sadness. She was now a mother who brought her son to visit his father who was taken from the world much too soon.

The drive to the designated pick-up for academy students at a tunnel at the far side of town right on the side of the street was calm. Kasumi was content and dealing with her son growing up and Tsukune was well…Tsukune. He was gazing out his window and watching as the buildings went by and slowly changed to more of a cross between trees and buildings whipping by than just pure concrete structures. He was hoping that this 'Youkai Academy' had a lot of trees and what not. He really liked the feel of nature.

How he got accepted to Youkai Academy was a story in of itself. He was a good student, moderate grades and participated in class when he needed to. But for whatever reason he couldn't focus on his exit exam. He was especially groggy that day and managed to fail his tests. Kasumi didn't blame him, she knew of his sleeping problem and even had doctors look at him a few times. Each had said he was fine and that there was no medical issue causing his odd sleeping patterns.

When registration came about they had found an application for a school in their mailbox. After looking through the pamphlet, which was pretty standard with other schools in terms of education, they decided to go with it.

The brakes of the car were pushed and it came to a slow stop next to an ordinary looking bus stop.

"Well…we're here."

Kasumi looked to see the back of her son's head as he was staring at the bus stop for the Youkai Academy. He looked calm. More curious than nervous. And the more she thought about it, so was she. Kasumi had raised him as best she could and loved him as if she had given birth to him. She was worried sure, what mother wouldn't worry for her child? But…she had a feeling that everything was going to be fine. Just another school, then off to college, then out into the world.

She realized that she was so motherly attached to him, that it was really only her having much difficultly. Tsukune would miss her sure, but he wasn't a kid anymore. Granted he was still a bit naïve, but so where all kids his age, and now he was going to a place where he would learn more of the life skills to make him a young man. She worried for him, worried that the lack of a father figure maybe affected him, but seeing him now. How calm and collective he looked…she was happy that he was growing up. She couldn't wait to see the man that he would become.

She nodded in response to his statement, "Yeah…we are."

He looked back at her, concern in his eyes, "You gonna be alright?" he they could always look for a school that was closer if she needed it. He didn't mind, and both parties knew that she needed him as much as he needed her.

She looked back into his eyes, a small smile gracing her lips, "Yeah…I'll be fine." She cradled his face with her small hands and pulled him in so she could kiss his cheek. She gave him as strong a hug as she could muster, "Be good Tsukune. Meet people, make a lot of friends, and don't be afraid to talk to anyone. Make sure you try and sleep, eat well and-" she sighed in resignation, stopping before she could ramble on more and just settled for holding him a little while longer.

She let him go and helped him with his bags. Which were really only two, consisting of his backpack and a duffle bag for his clothes. He didn't take much with him, he was a simple guy. They put the two bags down and shared one last hug. "I'm just a call away Tsukune…if you need anything or if you need more money for anything just let me know. I love you."

She wasn't rolling in money by any means, but she was middle class and well off. She managed a clothing store and got pretty decent hours, so she didn't miss much of her son's life. Not that she would have either way because she would have quit her job if she started missing out on his life.

The teen smiled a bit and walked her to the car. A simple small blue car that did well on gas and took them to wherever they wanted to go for the day. "I know, thank you…I love you too, Mother."

Kasumi giggled at his seriousness. He always called her 'Mother' when he was being serious or when there was something wrong. The way he said it made it sound sacred to him, and it made her feel good when she heard him call her that.

So with one last hug, the third one in under five minutes, she started the car and drove off as slow as she could without dragging it out too long since she had to go to work now. All the while peering at his face in the rear-view mirror as he watched her drive off to pay the bills.

Tsukune felt his heart pang when he saw his mother reach up to wipe away what was surely another fit of tears in her eyes. But, he had to move on with his education, and he had to grow up. He knew this, and his mother knew this. But it still left him with a sour feeling in his stomach knowing that she was hurting. Maybe not because of him, but because of the situation. All a part of life he supposed.

"Well…I suppose ill sit down now." He thought out loud, and shifted his bags over so that he could sit on the three-person bench.

Almost as soon as his rear touched the metal of the bus-stop bench, he could see an approaching glow of headlights of a vehicle from inside the large tunnel. He looked to the dark cavern-like entrance in confusion, 'There wasn't a car coming a second ago?'

He shrugged and got his things together, maybe there was a turn up ahead or something.

The bus drove a little passed him and did a U-turn, the door on the side stopping perfectly in front of him and opening after a few seconds of stillness.

He looked up to see the bus driver wearing a grey cap and smoking a cigar. He thought it strange that he smoked on a school bus, but figured it was his thing so he left it alone. He stepped onto the bus, presenting his application and pamphlet for the orientation that was going to take place in a couple hours.

"Hi. Tsukune Aono, is this the bus for…Youkai Academy?"

His calm and gentle voice echoed a little in the large bus. Not yet masculine, but not the cracky voice of a middle schooler either. He drawled out the question, still unsure of the name of the school since it seemed really strange to name a boarding school something like that.

The bus driver had a knowing and mysterious smile that all but screamed, 'I know everything there is to know about everything but you wouldn't believe me if I told you'. It was the kind of smirk that sent chills up Tsukune's spine with uncertainty. The smoking man took a puff of the sizable cigar and, if it were possible, his smirk became even creepier and more knowing as he nodded.

He didn't so much as look in Tsukune's direction as he raised an arm and pointed the front most empty seat behind where the door opens up, "Yeah, this is the bus. Take a seat Mr. Aono…We're right on time." His voice was deep and sort of growling, probably a result of the smoking. At least that's what Tsukune figured. He awkwardly nodded and sat down. Tsukune was a little put off by the way the man spoke his name, but shrugged it off figuring it was his sense of humor.

The teen then made his way for the seat the man had pointed to, it was the closest seat to the front and he really had no reason to choose a different one. He leaned against the bars of the entranceway as the bus driver pressed on the gas, and headed toward the tunnel.

Had it been any other person sitting in the bus, and had it been any other bus in general that wasn't heading in the direction that it was heading, and without the creepy mysterious driver. Nothing would have happened. But, it was not any other person driving. It was not any other bus, and it wasn't heading in any other direction than towards Youkai Academy. And as the large vehicle gets closer to the tunnel, Tsukune couldn't help but notice the bus driver was chuckling very darkly.

Then…silence.

It seemed as if time slowed down, and a heavy feeling of drowsiness washed over Tsukune as he could almost make out whispers in the back of his mind. At first they were soft, and could almost pass as white noise. By the time they got to the entrance, the whispers were nearly deafening and he looked up and gazed into the rear view mirror of the bus, only to see deep red orbs in the shadow of the bus driver's cap where his eyes would be…his vision had turned as black as the tunnel, and he was limp in his seat.

All around the outside of the bus, a full spectrum of dark and light colors mixed around like a storm of liquid light. The bus driver took another puff of his cigar, his knowing smile giving nothing away except that he knew what was happening to the unconscious boy.

"So…He's finally come back. Kuku, rest up old sport…your journey is just beginning."

'You're here.'

'YOU'RE HERE.'

'You're here.'

A raspy, and ghost like whisper echoed in the cold dark space that surrounded him. Each echo made the whisper louder in volume, which was backwards because it was to Tsukune's understanding that echoes get lower in volume.

'Here again.'

'HERE AGAIN.'

'Here again.'

He looked around to see that he was in what looked to be a crypt of some sort. A large stone carved sarcophagus was beneath his naked body. A depiction of what looked to be two medieval army's charging each other was carved into a small square at the top left corner of the twelve by thirteen stone structure. All around the trim, squares that were five inches in length and width showed the epic battle of the two forces. Losses were many on both sides.

But somewhere in the middle, a figure appeared. It was cloaked in what looked to be as a sort of smoke like aura. The way it integrated with the shadows of the men that were still standing and those who had fallen, made it look that the figure was cloaked in…shadows. A fiery-like aura of shadows.

More forces arrived on both sides, and it seemed like the figure was trying to block them from fighting one another. Another depiction of a young woman with long wavy hair lying in a large bed came into play as the shadow was holding off both armies, not allowing anymore blood-shed.

Over the next few designed tiles, the woman in the bed began to look frightened, and a hand with a large stake came into view before plunging it into the woman's chest. The hand turned itself around slowly so that the palm was facing up, showing the blood splattered all over it as the blood from the woman's chest spilled over and the design kept running until it hit the ground.

The scenes returned to the shadow. Immediately, the shadow flared and disappeared altogether, leaving a man with shaggy hair and long bangs covering his face in the middle of the field. The shadow-shroud began to swirl around the broken man, and engulfed him in a roaring flame.

Fiery tentacles of the shadow flashed out, leveling hundreds of men on both sides. The scenes were pure carnage.

'Sleep.'

'SLEEP.'

'Sleep.'

'YOU'RE ASLEEP!'

The last depiction covered a good eight by seven rectangle of the lid of the stone coffin. The life size and eerily detailed carving showed the remnants of a bloodied and scorched battle field. Swords, spears, axes, and shields littering the ground around him and stretching back far back to the horizon in the back ground. The sea of weapons sticking up out of the ground and at odd angles like wild grass while catapults and war carriages were scattered around in embers or in flames.

In the center of it all, and the main focus of the depiction, was a man in bloodied and broken armor, on his knees. His hair long enough to have his bangs shadow his face down to halfway down his nose. His eyes were strained, and stricken with sadness. His eyes appeared to be slitted, though it was hard to tell with all the erosion and what looked to be scrape marks all over the carving's face. What Tsukune could definitely make out without issue…were the impressive wings that sprouted from the man's back and flared upward, as if they were about to come swinging down and take flight.

'You're asleep.'

'YOU'RE ASLEEP.'

'YOU'RE STILL ASLEEP!'

The wings were bat-like, but had a demonic look to them. At the ends of the long fingerlike appendages that support the flaps of the wings, were curved talon-like spikes. Almost like gargoyle wings. The figure certainly was no gargoyle however, for he had the body of a man and not a beast. But he did hold a very demonic presence, especially with the way his limp arms were encased in the flame-like shadows that decimated the armies around him.

They were motionless and limp in the middle of his knees. He seemed to be crying, and a tear was halfway to the grown, forever falling in the stone carving.

Suddenly, the depictions and even the rose thorn trim designs came alive. The sounds of battle, screams and clangs of steel erupted from all around, stimulating Tsukune's senses. He had been a slave to his mind and felt like he was watching everything from a movie screen. His eyes were drawn to the mural of the broken warrior. His hair swaying this way and fro from the wind.

Ashes and embers dancing around him and the shadows engulfing his arms flickering slowly, as if in mud. His wings stretched upward, preparing to take flight. And the tear that was still falling, began to descend as if it had to move through wet concrete.

Inches before it struck the ground, a haze set in. The television like experience looking as if the air is contorting and waving about, and it drew Tsukune's dream eyes to look forward. Ten feet from him, there stood a body size flame like shadow that rippled the air surrounding it. It contorted the grey light of his dream world and seemed to suck in all the light around it.

Suddenly, it rushed forward like a giant serpent.

'Wake up.'

'WAKE UP.'

'Wake up.'

It hit him in his chest, and shadows engulfed him from the edges of his eyesight, the blackish grey haze slowly consuming the entire dream as if covered his whole body, and dove into his eyes, mouth, ears and even his nose as he let out a silent scream.

'YOU NEED TO WAKE UP!'

Tsukune wakes up, gasping for breath as if he had never drawn one in his life.

His head and his heart throbbed while the rest of his body felt like it couldn't decide if it was freezing cold or being burned alive. He clenched his hands at the small rosario that was underneath his black button-up shirt. It was cold to the touch, but felt like it was sending a current of searing electricity through him.

His mind was rampant, as if thrown into a blender and then bolted back down halfway through. He groaned as whatever remnants of the dream left as fast as he had fallen asleep, 'What kind of dream was that!'

His bracelets stung, but where nowhere near as painful as his necklace. But, as agonizing as the ordeal was, it was over in a blink of an eye.

"Time to wake up Mr. Aono. We're here." Tsukune's eyes snapped open, and blinked.

He was in the same spot that he had fallen asleep in.

He fished his necklace out from his shirt, its deep crimson, nearly black gem glinting in the light of the school bus. It still felt cold…but there was no pain. No feeling of being in ice water with hot coals floating about. 'Had it been a dream too?' he wondered. He quickly looked at the crosses of his bracelets.

'Now that's knew.' to his shock and almost fear inducing awe. There was a speck of crimson light within the black gem of the left cross. Like a star in the night sky. It had never been there before, and they too felt cold.

Dark chuckling could be heard, and he glanced over to the bus driver to see him leaning back in his chair with his head hunched forward a bit as he blew out another puff of his cigar, "Bad dream, eh? I can't say I'm surprised. Youkai Academy has a reputation for being scary."

The bus driver glanced down at the watch on his wrist and tilted his head slightly to the side, "We're right on time. But if you don't leave now, you're going to be late."

The chocolate-haired teen opens his mouth to question the bus driver, but shuts it just as fast in favor of not being late for his orientation.

Feeling rushed, Tsukune quickly threw on his backpack and slung his duffle bag over his shoulder. He made his way to the door, but was stopped when the bus driver put a hand on his shoulder. The teen looked back to see the cap shadowed face and felt uncertainty creep up on him.

"Those are nice looking crosses you have on there…mind if I have a look?"

The teen felt that his bracelets were sticking out a bit from his long sleeved black button-up, assuming that's what caught the bus driver's attention since his necklace was out of sight. They were barely showing past his sleeves at the moment, maybe a quarter of their size exposed. He didn't hide his rosarios, but he did find that he attracted a lot less attention to himself when he kept them concealed.

Feeling awkward, Tsukune sought an escape, "I can't take any of them off, the locks on them are jammed. I'll see you-" he was cut off when the bus driver waved his cigar around in a passive manor.

"You don't have to take 'em off…I just want to see your bracelets for a minute. I'm a fan of antiques you see…and I can tell off first glance that your rosarios are old…very old. And very rare, might I add."

Tsukune was confused but…intrigued. Nobody had ever bothered to inquire about his rosarios. Nobody other than his mother, but she just asked out of fun, not out of legitimate interest. Not seeing any reason to deny the curious, albeit strange bus driver a glance at the practically extensions of his body, he undid the buttons on the cuff and forearm of his shirt and held out his right hand in a showing manor.

The bus driver put out his cigar in the small ash tray on the dashboard of the bus and took his wrist into his hands. Feeling each of the links and observing the masterful craftsmanship of his bracelets. Each thick oval link locking into the next and studying the crosses themselves as if they were a specimen in a lab. His fingers travel over the silver bracelet and the cross connected with skilled finesse, clearly having done this many times and holding his claim to being an antique enthusiast.

The experience was very well one of the weirdest and most awkward moments of his life as he hadn't so much as made eye contact with the bus driver…now that he mentioned it, he didn't even know his name either. The weird effect of the moment was amplified by the strange sensation in his body as the bus driver inspected his rosarios. As if something was…altered. He couldn't find the words to comprehend what he was feeling, but he did know that…something...was going on.

"Aaah…I see. These are mighty fine artifacts you have on here. Priceless in fact. Where'd you get 'em?" he tilted his head up, giving his knowing smirk some light to shine. He asked in a tone that was playful, serious, and joking all rolled into one.

Tsukune rubbed his hands together and caressed his bracelets, somehow they felt…different. "I er-…don't actually remember. I've had them since I was a child. I don't know where they came from, I just remember…having them."

He didn't know why, but he reveled pretty much everything that he knew of his rosarios to the absolute stranger that was the bus driver. Something about him spoke wisdom. And something else about him spelled…

"I see…a pity. Ooh well, I can't expect to get all the info I want on rare antiques such as yours I suppose. I am pretty much a stranger to you, it's only natural that you'd keep a few things to yourself." His smirk grew as he re-lit his cigar. Taking a few puffs to make sure that it was thoroughly lit and gave good puffs.

Tsukune was about to protest and tell him that he had been completely honest with him, but was cut off when he waved his cigar in a lazy gesture, "It was nice talking to you, Mr. Aono, but if you don't go now you'll miss your chance."

The teen raised a brow at the wordage of the statement, "Miss my chance? What chance?"

The bus driver took one last puff and chuckled. His deep voice becoming a deep baritone, nearly a growl. The bus drivers spike chilling laugh making the hairs on Tsukune's neck stand straight up from some unknown force in the air around him. He turned his head and actually looked up fully, revealing glowing red eyes in the upper part of his face that was shadowed by his hat, "Be careful Mr. Aono. This school can be a scary place."

Now thoroughly creeped out, Tsukune went to question what exactly he had meant by that…as well as ask him what was up with his eyes and voice. But right before he had a chance to open his mouth, he found himself outside the bus and in the twilight overcast of his new school.

"-But I'm sure you'll be fine."

No sooner than the end of the last word spoken, the bus door slammed shut, and the sizable vehicle took off into a U-turn and promptly left him there alone with his questions shot down before they even had a chance to fly.

The teen in a black button-up and grey pants looked into the pitch black tunnel and simply gazed into it with a blank stare.

"…That was weird."

So, with a shrug, he took off in the direction that the wooden sign showed as the direction to his new school and took off on foot in a brisk walk. Completely ignoring the 'red eyes' and chalking them up to being a pigment of his groggy imagination after a rather weird nightmare.

All the while noticing that most of the trees there were dead, or dying. The gardens were filled with tombstones and shriveled up rose bushes. And that the sea to his right was blood red, and reflected no sun…because there wasn't one.

"Well this isn't normal?"

~Elsewhere…~

A man in a white priest's robe with glowing red orbs for eyes and a strange sinister-like smile, smiled wider as an orb that was on his desk shows a teen with chocolate-brown hair in dark clothes making his way to the orientation that was being held for the first year students at his academy.

He zoomed in on the teens face, recognizing the slightly bang-shadowed face and the three rosaries that bounced around slightly on his person. Seeing the glints of silver in his sleeves and around his collar as he lightly jogs through the woods surrounding his school.

His smile turned wide, "It's been a very long time since I've seen you." The robe figure spoke to…well…the crystal ball. He nodded his head in approval to the crystal ball, and chuckled, "Welcome back…"

Aaaalrighty then, there you have it. Nothing much different here apart from origins, hopefully it's interested you enough to gain a few more chapters read through eh?

Happy reading my friends :)