The moon was bright, in the darkest of nights.

A lone woman in white, absorbing its shine.

Wind was washing over her face. Her face, blood laced.

A creature of night… chased by shadowing frights

Silver gold shining… blade reflecting moonlight waning.

The moon was still bright, in the crimson night.

A scream pierced the night… and with that, the wheels were set in motion.

Keitaro "K2" Urashima

Demon Eyes Laharl

The Crimson Daylights

Bowling Alley

Ku Fei jumped in the air as she hit her last strike. "IS MY WIN!"

The whole place was in an uproar. Almost half of class 3-A of Mahora High School for girls was in a state of disbelief as they checked the scores.

Ku Fei – 300

Ayaka Yukihiru – 269

Makie Sasaki – 229

Nodoka Miyazaki – 17

A man with purple spiky hair with blonde strands was watching with a sort of silent amusement. He goes by a few names, and in secret, has three personalities. In his class, he is called Naruto-sensei. At times, he's known as Buds. But for everyone else, he's known as Demon Eyes Laharl, the Trinity Master.

He had joined his class along with Negi just for fun. It started out with a small group, with Setsuna Sakurazaki told her fellow friends and classmates Asuna Kagurazaka and Konoka Konoe that she never had gone bowling or karaoke before. Konoka asked him to join the group, and Asuna spotted Ku Fei and Negi at the World Tree, and asked them to join. Out of nowhere, though, popped Ayaka who joined in, and when the group arrived at the bowling alley, half of the class was there.

It started simple enough. Class went out to have fun, had a few rounds of bowling, but after a while, Ayaka suddenly challenged Ku Fei to one round of bowling, stating that the best woman wins, and the losers give up forever. And in the end result, the losers were all over the floor now.

"Like I had a chance to beat that," Makie laughed nervously, scratching her head. Beside her was Ayaka, now unconscious in shock. Nodoka herself was on her knees, crying a bit. "Still… a loss is a loss… gotta make good."

Makie approached Negi who was clapping for them. "That was a good game, Makie-san… good score!"

She grabbed his hands with hers. Negi's eyes opened a bit, surprised. And then, with tearful eyes, she said, "Negi-kun… I'll be pulling for your romance in the sidelines."

"Huh?" Negi's eyes blanked out. What in the world was Maki talking about?

On another part of the alley, Nodoka was confronted by her two best friends. "What have you gotten yourself into?" her friend, Yue Ayase demanded.

"But Negi-sensei… he…"

"And it had to be a bowling match!" Haruna Saotome, the other friend of Nodoka almost shouted. "How dumb are you?" Taking a quick pause, she suddenly grabbed Nodoko in the shoulders. "You okay letting Ku Fei take Negi-kun away from you Nodoka?"

"But if Negi-sensei's made up his mind… what can I do…" Nodoka was cut off when Haruna suddenly began to shake her.

"ARE YOU GIVING UP ON ME?" she practically shouted. "LOVE is a BATTLE! You confessed your feelings AGES AGO, which means my dear Nodoka, YOU ARE AHEAD, not HER!" Haruna looked around first before continuing. "Look… find a way to get him alone… then push him down!"

"P-push him…?" Nodoka seemed to faint on the idea of being the aggressor.

"Yes, then kiss him or whatever," and then Haruna steeled her voice, "just MAKE him LOVE you back!"

"M-make him…? I… I CAN'T!" Nodoka cried.

Haruna's fist was up. "YES YOU CAN!" She spotted Negi going towards the bathrooms, and pointed Nodoka at him. "Look! He's on the way to the restrooms. Now's your chance!"

Nodoka's face flushed, and steeling herself, she nodded nervously. "O… okay… I'll try…"

As the girl walked towards where Negi was going, Yue looked at Haruna with a questioning glance. "Are you sure she should do this?"

"I don't know…" Haruna replied, smirking. "But she's doing it right?"

"How brazen of Nodoka-san," a voice behind them suddenly said, surprising both Yue and Haruna, who looked and saw it was their other teacher.

"Naruto-sensei," Yue said with a rather low tone. She made it clear that she didn't like this teacher very much… challenging her philosophies and pretty much blatantly showing that he hid things from her.

"Yo," the man they called Naruto greeted. "So… what's going on?"

"Nodoka's gonna make Negi-kun love her," Haruna's smile was shown, rubbing her hands together.

"I thought they were already doing well," Naruto stated. "What's the rush?"

"Ku Fei," Yue replied.

"What about her?" he asked back.

"You didn't know, Naruto-sensei?" Haruna was surprised, then smiled. She loved spreading rumors and information. "It seems Negi has a crush on Ku Fei." The man suddenly laughed. Haruna's eyebrows arched, and her eyes narrowed. "What?"

"Sounds like mis-information to me," Naruto stated.

"My thoughts exactly," Yue agreed.

"Whatever guys," Haruna watched as Nodoka dived in to talk to Negi. "My information is usually correct!"

Naruto looked at Yue, and with a simple tone, asked, "Haruna's info's not that reliable… right?"

"Most of the times," Yue replied with a small smile. Haruna fell down the floor, twitching.

"I'm right here! He-Loh!" she said angrily. Standing up and dusting herself, the three waited moments as Nodoka finally was out of their view, going to the corner where Negi went. "Not in a hurry is she?"

Nodoka's figure suddenly appeared. Yue pointed, "There! They're heading back." And the three stared as Nodoka and apparently Negi came back from view, both of them… well, talking and smiling at each other. Yue's smile was small but nevertheless appeared. Haruna's own face couldn't hide the disbelief she was seeing.

"What the heck… Look at those two!" Haruna muttered with joyful surprise. "I can't believe what I'm seeing…" As Nodoka approached, she asked at once, "Nodoka… how'd it go?"

She answered nervously. "All the way… I guess."

"WHAT did you do? Push him? Kiss him? SPILL!!" Haruna asked, thirsting for answers.

Nodoka's face flushed, and her hands went to her cheeks. "WE talked about anything and everything!" she gave an audible sigh. "If I died today… I'd still be happy…"

Haruna flipped again, falling down, while Yue seemed content, writing a note on her cellphone. "Seven minutes of chit-chat… a new record."

Haruna was up again, and pretended to slap Nodoka. "WHO TOLD YOU TO TALK!"

"I'm sorry!!" Nodoka apologized.

Yue watched the two, and smiled, until she watched Negi approach Ku Fei again like earlier this afternoon. "Guys… could you save the comedy for later? Negi's going to Ku Fei…"

"WHAT?!" Haruna, Nodoka, and some more people along with Ayaka and Makie dashed to see a better view. As Negi began to walk to Ku Fei, Haruna looked at Naruto who was watching, and smirked. "5000 yen says he confesses."

"I'll take that bet," Naruto replied with his own smirk.

"Ku Fei…" Negi began to say, and someone seemed to hold Ayaka down before she could say anything.… probably Haruna to win the bet. "Will you…"

Everyone held their breathe.

"Teach my Chinese Kung Fu?" Negi asked.

Everyone except Naruto fell down. The man extended his hand towards Haruna, who with great regret, grabbed her wallet and handed him the money. At the same time, his phone began to ring. Getting the money, he grabbed his phone, and answered. "Buds."

After hearing the reply, he moved away from the group, and talked at his phone with soft whispers. "Are you sure? Who was it this time…?" After a moment, he frowned. "I'll be there."

Yue watched as her teacher's face was showing signs of darkening, but didn't bother to raise the issue. Though she noted that he didn't bother to say goodbye and just slipped away. He waved at Yue though, before he did completely leave, making her mouth twitch a bit.

Outside the bowling alley, many men stared as a beautiful young woman, tanned and silver hair leaning on a limousine. Once she spotted him, she waved at him. Laharl blanched. Walking nervously at her, he smiled, nervously too, and stated the password. "Do you have a match? I need to smoke."

"Oh come on, Laharl, get in," she stated with a wide smile. Entering the limousine first, she tapped the seat. Laharl rolled his eyes. Going in, he shut the door, and looked at his contact from hell.

"Hild… what's the point of the password if…" Laharl suddenly moved back as the woman began to lean on him. "Hey! Cut it out!"

Hild frowned, and moved back to her place. "What? I can't take time to do what we do traditionally?"

"And what would happen if I suddenly take your 'forwardness' seriously?" Laharl demanded. "You know my condition… and you know that it increases anytime I'm near a mana source. And you're one of the biggest sources in the world."

"I know you already. No point with passwords. Do that with my agents. Back to us… you always stopped, me, right?" Hild smiled at him. She started to ruffle his hair, which Laharl just let her do with a roll of his eyes. "Besides… even if you suddenly took my 'forwardness' seriously, I get bragging rights of finally corrupting you."

The limousine began to move, and Hild relaxed. Laharl was still looking at her, his back on the door, seemingly ready to expect anything that the devil was going to do. She just smiled at him, and then motioned with her head the rear glass. Laharl asked, "What?"

"You do know that you're being followed?" Hild asked.

"Oh that… ignore them," Laharl muttered, now relaxing. "Ever since 'he' died, the whole organization he was running thought it would 'amuse' them to follow me."

"You mean Aaron? You never seem to think things through. I suppose that's one reason I like you boys," she ruffled Laharl's hair again, who at the point, ignored her.

"You should know I know more than what anyone else seems to think," Laharl muttered, then looked at Hild. "… I heard about Maya. What happened?"

"Disappeared after a week of her investigation of the demon agents that kept going missing," Hild went back to her chair. "It was the last straw with hell, though. They are demanding heaven for answers, and heaven, is too hard headed to listen. They either are responsible, or not."

"I don't think they are," Laharl muttered. "Lloyd was the one that told me you were outside, and what happened to Maya. If he knew anything, he'd say."

"Not everyone trusts him," Hild stated.

"Not everyone believes him," Laharl shrugged. "So… Hild… why are you telling me about Maya's mission? You do know I don't answer to hell or heaven. If you got demon agents missing, it's not in my jurisdiction. Maya is a friend, but if you're going to put that thing about me being an honorable friend to do a case for you for her, then forget it."

"It's not about hell, nor is it about Maya… though I could have certainly tried," Hild replied evenly. "It's about this world. When the gods and demons up there start a spark, it's going to engulf this world in a war between the two. And with that I know you won't be sitting still."

Laharl frowned at her. "If I do this… you'll stop petting me?"

"If I agree, would you finally sleep with someone?" Hild smirked. "Let's say… me?" Laharl just looked at the front, and Hild smiled. "Thought so. Really though, Laharl… what will you prove by remaining pure and unspoilt?"

Laharl didn't bother to answer the question. Tactfully, he coughed, and changed the subject. "What do you need, Hild-sama."

"Oh hush, don't call me that," Hild frowned. "Enough ass kissers in hell calling me that. I want you to take the case Maya was having. I'll give you all her reports, files… And see if heaven is really behind this. If they are… well, at least hell has proof and I will promise you with all my power, if heaven ever challenges the evidence, I'll make sure that war will not step here. If it's not really them, then get evidence to convince hell otherwise."

"Simple enough," Laharl noted, and looked at Hild. "Why are you here yourself? Surely, you have better things to do than visit me to give me mission details."

"Can't I visit you without suspicions from you?" Hild asked, pouting.

"No," Laharl answered straight. "Being here is suspicious enough for me to be suspicious. Why are you here?"

"Why Laharl… do you ask questions you already know the answer to?" she asked.

Laharl frowned and thought about Hild being here. If she was giving him the mission herself, it meant one thing: It's unsanctioned by hell. And with so, if anything ever happened to him, no one will bother, except for a few. The few would be shouting and rejoicing.

"If I die… I don't want to be assigned as your personal prinny," Laharl stated.

Hild smiled, and tactfully changed the subject with a fake sneeze. "Oh, excuse me, Laharl-chan. By the way… when are you finally going to say yes to one or all of your admirers? You do know you're breaking hearts by rejecting them left and right. I mean… my daughter herself was crying…"

Laharl stared at her incredulously. "No she wasn't! Urd isn't one of my 'admirers' as you put it! I don't have any!"

Hild seemed to shake her head, mocking disappointment. "Laharl, Laharl… you cannot expect to continue this."

"I will never be bedded," Laharl said firmly, now looking out the window.

"Famous last words, my dear Laharl…" Hild smiled.

Laharl never said anything else, but in his mind, he knew she was probably right. His daughter's proof of that.

Motel somewhere in Kanagawa Prefecture

Keitaro and Kitsune were both kissing in bed, savoring each other as they moved around, putting more creases in the already creased blanket. They have been going at it for a good hour or so already, and it seems Kitsune wasn't going to be done anytime soon. As Keitaro let his kiss go, he moved at her side, and Kitsune purred.

"Oh Kei-chan…" she giggled. "How romantic… an afternoon date and a little bed time snack too."

Keitaro smirked at her and put an arm around her chest. It's been two days since he woke up, and everyone else had arrived from their respective school. And with Motoko around, who was more alert than Naru, Keitaro wouldn't risk giving a real reason for Motoko to use her sword to shish kabob him. He had enough women wanting his blood. Shinata was his number one list. Naru and Motoko would come at 2 and 3. Mutsumi would be 4 if she ever found out what he was currently doing.

So, instead of another wild romp on either his room or Kitsune's, they both agreed to go out as a date, and while it started out well, after spotting of a motel, Kitsune got Keitaro in. Her explanation was she waited a week, and was not going to wait another day. Or second.

No one questioned about the car crash cover… though Keitaro suspected Shinobu wanted to ask more about it. Kitsune was just glad he was awake. Naru would probably have not cared if he died. Motoko too, probably, though she did what he requested, and avoided him for the meanwhile. Out of honor or embarrassment, Keitaro never ventured to guess.

Other than that, he finally got his gift, very much to his surprise. He wanted to thank his grandmother, but since she was busy, the only thing he could send was a post-it note. He hoped Hina received it.

Well, Kitsune was happy with him too. She finally got her fantasy fulfilled with whip cream, much to Keitaro's delight and awe. The ideas that she kept thinking, it was rather scary. He could see one day, she'd pop up to him to expand his list of wildest romp dreams. His ultimate fantasy he knew that would never happen was with both Mutsumi and Kitsune. Seems the two vampires that had almost had him in his room had awakened some sort of new fantasies in him.

Still though, he enjoyed Kitsune's dominative tendencies quite very much. It didn't take much, but after a while of rest, she was straddling him again, kissing his chest. Moving his hands on her back, moving it across her beautiful back, he was about to get into the action again when his phone suddenly rang.

Kitsune moaned. "Oh, ignore that Kei-chan…"

Keitaro kissed her and smiled, and slowly let her down. "You know I can't. What if the Inn was burning?" Sitting down on the edge, he answered the phone. "Hello?" After a pause, he frowned. "Really? He's rather early… No… I'm reviewing the old case…"

Kitsune put her breasts on his back, and muttered, "Oh, I'm an old case now?"

Keitaro covered the receiver. "Kitsune! It's my aunt!"

Kitsune giggled. "Oops."

Keitaro chuckled, and kissed her forehead. Going back to the phone, he said, still smiling, "Yeah… I'll be there in 30 minutes…"

"Like hell you are," Kitsune complained, her hand now going to his stomach, and went lower. "I was waiting for a week!"

Keitaro mocked slapped Kitsune's intruding hand. "Behave," he ordered with a smile. Going back to the phone, he nodded. "Yeah… I'll be there in 30 minutes." He looked at Kitsune's pouting face and then chuckled. "Make that an hour," and with that, closed the line. Looking at Kitsune, he kissed her. "Now… where were we?"

Hinata Dorm

45 minutes later…

A man walked towards the stairs, wearing the ugliest coke bottle glasses you can find, his shirt was drenched in sweat, and his pants were creased all over. In his back, he wore a backpack that was stuffed, and when he got to the top, he was breathing hard.

"Meh… that was a long way up…" the young man muttered. His purple hair with blonde strands was unruly, like never have combed once. Taking a long look at look at the inn, he seemed to nod at the structure and for some reason, began to look at his skin, and touched it for a moment. He broke into a wide smile.

For a moment, he silently seemed to jump up in the air, type of rejoice that was never really shown to the outside world. But as fast as it came, it faded as he suddenly adjusted his glasses.

Laharl was happy for the first time. Well… not really happy for the first time, but it was only now did he finally feel the sense of peace. The anti-mana field around the place was the real deal, and his curse stopped the moment he stepped in the grounds. He was so happy, after taking a few deep breathes he just went in the dorm.

The place was old, and it was showing it… but it wasn't the type of old that was dilapidated or unkempt, but quite the opposite. It was in pristine order, obviously painfully taken care of. The wooden floors were and walls were cleaned, replaced and there was this homey feel about it. Walking around, he entered a few doors (knocking first before entering though) and checked the rooms. He nodded.

Something was cooking in the kitchen, but he didn't want to bother himself with food for now. He wasn't that hungry, and besides, he was more interested on the Inn. He was going to stay here for weeks after all. Or maybe forever. He dared hope.

He opened another door, only to find a short corridor with another door at the end of it. Frowning for a moment, Laharl opened the other door in the end, only to see a woman in with long flowing brown hair, wearing only a towel, her back on him. Muttering a silent 'Oh', Laharl stepped back, and was about to get out when she suddenly whirled around and pointed at him.

"AHA!" Naru shouted, pointing at the man behind her. "You finally show your true colors KEITARO! … huh?" Naru blinked suddenly, seeing another man behind her. He blinked, then waved at her. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded.

"Sorry, just passing through," Laharl smiled, and closed the door at once. With a few fast steps, he dove for the exit, but when he slid the door open, there was another girl standing there with long black hair, a sword in her arm, staring at him with one eyebrow up. "Um… excuse me," Laharl requested.

"I was expecting Urashima, but… you'll do," she said with an even voice.

Laharl blinked again, then chuckled nervously as she began to unsheathe her sword. "Um… look, I'm sorry… but can you take the time, and listen… I'm sure we can agree this is just a misunderstand… YIKES!"

Laharl dodged the sword strike towards his head, and retreated towards the other end, only for its door to open and reveal the first girl he encountered, cracking her knuckles and fingers. He looked at them both, who were quite calm seeing him. Except they oozed of killer intent. Laharl could only chuckle, and raised his hands. Oh well… at least it was an interesting first day.

To Be Continued…

Keitaro returns along with Kitsune, and a new tenant will be named. That or, killed, whatever fates may take them.