All Things Beautiful and Bloody [4/?]
Title: All Things Beautiful and Bloody
Characters: Everybody, this installment starring Mitsuya, Sho-chan, Yuuki, You-chan, Kenki, Yukito, and Shiramata Atsushi.
Genre: Vampire School!AU
Chapter Rating: PG?
Word Count: 6325
Summary: The first day's demonstrations don't go exactly as planned.
Notes: If I were inclined to give chapters titles, this one would be called "To Catch a Butterfly." I wanted to punch Puddingpire approximately 10 trillion times while writing his part. This chapter is like twice as long as the last one. Upsetting things all around.
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Chapter 4
Professor Jinnai finished his speech, and then Mitsuya didn’t have much time to worry about Yukito - he got in moods like this sometimes, when he seemed to think being a vampire meant he had to be dark and scheming and speak in riddles - as he was too busy worrying about who would choose him for the demonstration. As usual, Yamaguchi would be going first, as his was considered the least impressive of the subjects, and Professor Jinnai and Madame Youichirou were of the opinion that it was best to build to a climax to hold the students’ attention. They’d missed their mark when it came to Mitsuya, however, as he’d spent Yamaguchi’s demonstration as well as the succeeding three in a daze. Awed, he’d repeated his final words over and over again in his mind until he had them memorized. “No matter who you are, no matter where you came from, no matter how strong you are, I’ll teach you, until I know you can protect yourselves and others. Until that day comes, I’ll protect you,” Yamaguchi had said, and perhaps by chance, perhaps by fate, his eyes had met Mitsuya’s on the last word.
Now, as Yamaguchi was deciding which student he would choose, their eyes met again. Unlike that day thirty years ago, he held his gaze, knowing that in that time he had become strong under his training, that he was good enough not to let him down, and that Yamaguchi knew that. Yamaguchi looked away first, and eventually chose Maeyama instead. Mitsuya sighed and squeezed Yukito’s hand. I really thought he’d choose me this time.
He probably just didn’t want to accidentally hurt your pretty face, Yukito replied.
Mmm. Mitsuya’s attention drifted from the conversation as Yamaguchi handed a sword to Maeyama and drew one of his own. They bowed. They circled around each other, measuring each other’s paces, making one full rotation before Maeyama sprang at him with a cry. Although Mitsuya could see that it was a weak strike intended more to start the fight than to land a blow, his heart gave an inadvertent pang of worry when Yamaguchi waited until the very last moment to parry the blow. His hand fell out of Yukito’s and twisted around the hem of his shirt. He knew that Maeyama wasn’t particularly strong, but he also knew that he had made a vow to become stronger than Yamaguchi someday. If Yamaguchi let down his guard at all, he might find an opportunity and…
Mitsuya forced himself to relax his grip and take Yukito’s hand again. Yamaguchi wouldn’t let his guard down. His eyes never left the battle, which had taken to the air, both combatants bounding off the walls and ceiling almost faster than he could keep up with, but now he watched with a sense of calm confidence. Maeyama and Yamaguchi collided in the center of the room, with a crack like thunder resounding. Mitsuya jumped - it was in his nature, he couldn’t help it - but he hardly needed Yukito’s squeeze of reassurance.
Maeyama’s sword landed first, followed by Maeyama himself, who managed to fall on his feet, if unsteadily. Yamaguchi was last to the ground, and he flicked his sword to Maeyama’s throat before dropping it on the ground and turning to face the new students, most of whom were regarding him with awe. Mitsuya couldn’t blame them. “Any of you can do what Maeyama did here today, with a little training and effort. Some of you may even be able to surpass me. I will teach you, and you will learn, and you will become strong. This I promise.” He gave a short bow and returned to where the other teachers were standing.
Maeyama picked up the discarded swords and bowed to Yamaguchi. “I’ll beat you someday!” he said with a grin, and jogged back to where the others were standing. Yamaguchi nodded to him.
“You all seem to be quite finished knocking each other around, so I take it you won’t mind if we pursue some of the subtler arts from here on,” Madame Youichirou said, drifting forward. Professor Jinnai snorted audibly and Madame Youichirou turned and fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Certainly I have employed less subtle methods as well, but I’ll thank the man who spent the better part of a decade not realizing that I was a vampire despite being one himself not to express his feelings on the subject.” Professor Jinnai pursed his lips, then laughed and gestured at her to continue.
“Mmm, as creatures of the night, I wonder if the mood wouldn’t be improved by a touch of darkness.” She waved a hand and the lights around the room went out, save for one focused on her. “I am Madame Youichirou, and while I have only had the great fortune to meet one of you thus far…” A light appeared next to one of the new students, who let out a squeak. His blood immediately began to rise and Mitsuya couldn’t stifle a laugh. Yukito didn’t even try. “…I hope the opportunity to get to know all of you very well will arise shortly,” she continued, letting the light fade out.
“I have two roles at this school. The first is as a teacher of the history, customs, and rules of the vampiric races.” She disappeared. Yukito let go of his hand and took a step away. A hand curled around Mitsuya’s neck and he shouted in surprise. Yukito snickered. “My dearest Ryou, will you provide us knowledge? What can you tell me about this one?” Madame Youichirou asked, as a light flickered on above the noble.
Mitsuya tried not to cry. He took a few unsteady steps forward towards the noble. Yukito sent him some feelings of encouragement, which didn’t help much. He would be a bit less worried, but the number one rule that the Madame had drilled into their heads was that if you mistook a noble’s heritage, he would kill you. Not only that, Yukito found the lessons boring and often made him skip them with him. Mitsuya prayed that this noble was from one of the clans he’d managed to memorize.
The closer he got, the colder the air got around him. He remembered something… something about a clan that was said to have powers over ice… that came from up north… something with blood in the name. Mitsuya finally got close enough to see the emblem on the noble’s chest, which bore the design of a wave crashing over a building, and he let out an inadvertent “Ah!”
He cleared his throat. “Of course, this distinguished person is a vampire born of one of the regal clans, rather than one born human and transformed via blood exchange. Moreover, he is of the Tsuchinoya clan, which primarily functioned in Hokkaido until the 16th - no, sorry, the 15th century, when they migrated south due to the weakening power of the Kanto clans and the increased availability of, well, meals. They are known for possessing very cold auras that can be physically felt by anyone, not only fellow vampires or psychically-gifted humans, which, um, I can personally confirm the cold part at least. Today they are generally ranked among the strongest clans, though of course whether or not they are actually considered the strongest depends on who you ask.” Madame Youichirou nodded approvingly at him and he relaxed before bowing to the noble. “I’m deeply sorry if I was mistaken on any points.”
The noble inclined his head almost unnoticeably, and Mitsuya felt like collapsing on the floor, or going back to bed maybe, and sleeping all night and all day for the rest of his life. I’ll just come kiss you and wake you up, Sleeping Vampire Beauty, Yukito said.
I can’t remember why I was ever excited for school, Mitsuya said in response. Madame Youichirou was pulling at him with a string of magic and he went back to her side with a sigh.
“My second role, as you may have already guessed, is to teach you methods to attract those who attract you, whether they be lovers or prey.” Madame Youichirou draped herself over Mitsuya, who wished he was taller, or that she was shorter. Certainly there were many reasons to be apprehensive around her, but the one that got to him the most was the height difference between them. “To say that I could cause anyone in this room to fall in love with anyone else would not be merely to flatter myself. In a thousand years, I have perfected my arts, and using them no longer gives me the satisfaction it once did. However, to give them to you, and to let you make of them what you would, seems to me a most satisfactory arrangement.” Dearest Ryou, I’ll be needing your services for this as well.
Mitsuya decided no one would blame him if he cried now. Before any other plans came to him, Madame Youichirou struck at his mind and he could only defend himself. Giving up is the best choice you could make, she said. I promise you it’ll be a satisfactory experience.
Mitsuya sighed again and shrugged his shoulders in surrender. Madame Youichirou waved the lights back on and began moving Mitsuya as she wanted. She allowed Mitsuya control over his eyes and he shut them as she guided him across the floor. He didn’t open them even after she stopped him. “This child,” she said, “has used what I have taught him to great effect, and it is long past time the object of his desires rewarded his hard work.”
Mitsuya opened his eyes and looked into Yamaguchi’s face. His arms circled around his neck and all he could do was try to convey an apology in the moment before their lips met.
He’d always imagined that their first kiss would be perfect, that Yamaguchi would sweep him into his arms and bend down just enough that he wouldn’t have to strain to kiss him, and that the rest of the world would melt away around them. Instead, Yamaguchi’s arms remained unmoving at his side while Mitsuya’s hooked around his neck, and he had to stay on his toes in order to maintain the kiss. He was all too aware that everyone in the room was staring at them. He desperately wanted to run away, or for the laws of nature to reverse themselves so the sun would come up and scorch him and everyone else to death. Under Madame Youichirou’s control, all he could do was continue to kiss him, desperately, hopelessly.
Yamaguchi’s hands rose to his shoulders and pushed him gently but firmly down. His feet once again rested flat on the floor and his arms fell away to his sides. He searched Yamaguchi’s face for an explanation, but for the first time in many years, he found he couldn’t read his expression. He opened his mouth to apologize, barely aware that he could move on his own again, but Yamaguchi’s arms wrapped around him and pulled him close, holding him so tightly he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t need to. He didn’t think he could force his lungs to expand or contract any more than he could stay standing. Yamaguchi held him steady until he managed to find his feet and suck in a deep breath of air. Then he loosened his grip and brought one hand up to cup Mitsuya’s chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. Mitsuya had time to see anger, sadness, and something deeper in his face and draw in one more shallow hiccup of a breath before Yamaguchi closed his eyes and kissed him.
A single tear rolled down his face as his eyes shut and he fell into the kiss. He felt his hands trace their way up Yamaguchi’s chest before settling around his shoulders, knowing that this time he was moving them of his own free will. Their lips fell apart and back together and for just a second everything was as perfect as he’d dreamed it would be.
Then the crystalline texture the air had taken on fractured and Mitsuya found himself skidding across the floor. He landed in a heap at the Tsuchinoya’s feet, but barely noticed. He was too busy staring at Yamaguchi’s outstretched arms. Yamaguchi regarded them for a second as well before lowering them, turning and striding out of the room.
Mitsuya sat there, feeling the blood rise hot and painful to his face. He was shaking, and his breath came raggedly and increasingly quickly. Yukito sent him comforting feelings and Mitsuya tried to control his breathing, but it was in vain. Tears flew from his eyes and one long wail escaped his throat before he struggled to his feet and stumbled out of the room, sobbing.
Madame Youichirou smiled, showing not only her fangs but the rest of her teeth. “True love’s course never did run smooth, I suppose. I recommend you attend my classes regularly and punctually if you don’t want that to be you next time. I promise you’ll enjoy yourselves.”
-
Yukito ran out after Mitsuya and Sho put his head in his hands. Out of curiosity, what made you decide to take the evil route this time around?
It started out a good route, but took a detour down the eternally misleading path of Yamaguchi being an idiot. And there are a number of reasons, one of which I’m quite sure you can guess.
Sorry. Do you still love me?
Dearest, I will love you until the stars fade and the sun falls from the sky. But at the moment I am the slightest touch unhappy with you.
Sho sent her a few apologetic images. Some of them were reminiscent of the scenes she had sent him earlier and more than one involved Yamada. At the same time, he stepped forward to begin his own demonstration. “Ahem. Well. As you can see, there are a number of perils associated with the vampire life beyond getting caught in the sun, and most of them are Madame Youichirou. Honestly, considering the nature of the relationship between us, I’m the last person who should be giving you advice on how to protect yourself from her or anyone like her - though I can say for certain that there is no one quite like her.” He caught the hint of a smile from her. “It’s best to think of our classes as a sort of strategy game, where one of us will teach you something and the other will show you how to circumvent it or defend against it.
“I hate to tell you this, but with the exception of the good Tsuchinoya here, all of you are completely unguarded. Although for the most part everyone here would shrink in absolute horror from taking advantage of such young and innocent little vampire lambs” -and if that wasn’t the most blatant lie he’d told in his life he couldn’t remember a better one- “the sad fact is that many people outside of here would, and possibly already have. But don’t worry! That’s what I’m here for.” He smirked. “The four of you might notice that you have just raised your right arms.”
They looked to find that it was true, and most of them flinched. Yamada actually shouted in surprise and Sho’s grin widened. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. I’m just demonstrating. If I really wanted to mess with you, I’d have you all turning flips or dancing ballet.” He caught Shoutarou’s eye and winked. “Fortunately, there are ways to keep yourselves from being forced into an impromptu ballet recital - though of course, what you get up to in your free time is no concern of mine.” He turned to face Maeyama and Shison, who were standing on the side of the room, a little further away than they had been before the Mitsuya incident. “I guess I don’t have much choice when it comes to assistants, but to be honest, I would have chosen you anyway, Jun.” Shison came forward and stood before him.
Sho turned back to the new students. “Jun’s the most recent arrival besides you five, so this is his first time on this side of the demonstration. This should help you get a sense of what you can learn in the first cycle of your education. Let’s have one of you come up too - Shoutarou, do you mind?” The pale vampire hadn’t been expecting this, and jumped, but nodded after a moment and came up only a little hesitantly. All for the best. “Now, defend yourselves as best you can!”
The first command he sent at them was weak and as obvious as he could make it. Jun shrugged it off easily, and Shoutarou managed to fight it for a moment before springing into the air and doing a jumping jack. His attempt was clumsy, but Sho was pleased. This demonstration hadn’t gone this well since before Yukito had arrived. You almost had it. You’re good at this.
He was a little surprised and gratified when Shoutarou responded, sounding unsure of himself but obviously making an effort. Thank you, I guess.
Good kid. The second command was stronger and more subtle, and Shoutarou arched backwards into a bridge. Jun had a harder time with this one, and Sho battled him for a while, managing to bend him part of the way back at one point, but in the end, he let him go. “That was a decently strong attack that he managed to fight off just now,” he said for the benefit of the audience. “Shoutarou, any thoughts?” He helped him back to his feet.
“Umm… well, at first, I could sorta sense something and I tried to push it back a bit. But the second time I barely felt before I was doing what it made me.”
“Perfect answer. First I’ll help you become aware of when people are trying to control you, then I’ll show you some techniques to defend yourself, and then you can strengthen both those skills at your leisure.” He turned a thoughtful eye on Jun. “Though, of course, you’d be advised to work diligently at it, unless you don’t mind doing things like this whenever I feel like it.” He sent a command so strong that it simply broke through Jun’s barriers and sent him into a back handspring followed by a flip.
Beloved one, would you mind seeing that our regal-blooded friend finds reason to apply himself? he asked. The Tsuchinoya was looking in his direction, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. Youichirou sent him an image of him performing the acrobatics Jun had, then of him tearing open his shirt and offering his neck to them. Sho laughed. Perhaps if we catch him napping. For the moment something subtle ought to catch him off guard and keep him focused.
Once she agreed, he turned back to his audience. “Of course, I’ve got more to teach you than that. Reading people’s moods, telepathic communication, a bunch of useful skills you may not have discovered for yourself yet. Of course, the ultimate party trick forgoes any defense and simply removes you from the picture entirely.” He snapped his fingers and turned himself invisible. The new students started murmuring to themselves. He half-expected Yamada to yell again, but this time he was simply staring at him, or the empty space where he was, anyway, with a confused look on his face. Apparently he’d finally woken up. Sho approved of this quieter, more thoughtful Yamada, and resolved to make him scream whenever possible so that he would appreciate the rare silence even more. Now was not the time, though, and he returned to visibility to find that Youichirou had succeeded in what he had asked her to do. Peerless as always, my love.
Regals, it turns out, build their walls so high they scarcely notice a worm burrowing beneath them.
Sho addressed the Tsuchinoya directly. “And you, my student, may not think you have much to learn from the likes of us, but I do notice your hand is raised as well.” The Tsuchinoya gave a jolt and lowered it, staring at Sho with eyes of ice. Sho met his gaze for a long moment before offering him a half smile. “After all, you are here to gain knowledge and power, are you not?” The Tsuchinoya at last looked away, facing away from him. Sho wondered if it was to hide the fact that his blood was rising.
That’s got him. We shan’t find another Yukito in this one.
It seems you speak of the very devil. Yukito re-entered the hall alone, and a shiver pierced Sho’s heart.
“That brings us to our last subject,” he said, ignoring it and waving Shiramata forward. “Our last and most accomplished instructor, the man who has pushed the study of magic farther than any other, the supreme sorcerer and mage magnifique, Professor Shiramata Atsushi!”
Shiramata stepped forward with a huge grin on his face, creating a series of fireworks that lit the hall as he did so. The students watched in awe.
Our honeyblood has led a sheltered existence up until now, not to have seen magic of this sort before, Youichirou said, drawing close to him and sliding an arm around his waist.
He put his hand over hers. Perhaps we might dazzle him with a similar display and make him our own?
We might at that. She was silent for a few moments as Shiramata showed off a few more tricks before abruptly switching into lecture mode. I’ll be stepping out for a moment.
Understood. I’ll stay here and do damage control. Shall I call you back when Yukito’s done? He’d seen the look in Yukito’s eyes before, and it was usually followed by immense displays of power and a lot of cleanup to be done. Generally by him.
You might. Sho spun her around and kissed her hand. She left the room and he turned back to Shiramata’s display, watching Yukito out of the corner of his eye. He could disrupt the presentation however he wanted, but Sho could at least ensure that none of the students would be killed in the process. It wouldn’t do to lose any this early in the cycle.
He started by creating a bubble around the new five that should keep out whatever abomination Yukito decided to unleash, hiding the minute hand gestures he made to form it within his sleeves. Then he cast a small net over Jun and Maeyama, who had survived ten and fifteen years with Yukito respectively, and had learned to protect themselves from him to some extent. He shored up his own defenses and did absolutely nothing for Shiramata, since by requesting to use Yukito in his demonstration he had brought whatever was coming upon himself.
His mistake was probing the room for any spells Yukito had set up ahead of time. As he felt his way up to the ceiling, he chanced on a sticky spot that seized hold of him, draining away his power. He’d encountered this particular trick of Yukito’s before, and began to cut at the thread with a knife of consciousness, making sure it was fully disconnected from him. When he’d cut this string away, however, it dropped him into a sticky pit that wrapped all around him, causing the net, the bubble, and the knife to flicker out of existence. He gritted his teeth and tried to reach for the strength to create a new knife.
Yukito glanced over at him with a deceptively sweet smile, mouthing the word “gotcha.” Sho made the slightest motion with his hand, creating a thin scalpel, and began sawing grimly away at his invisible magical bonds.
Damn kid.
-
As the fireworks lit up the room around him, Yuuki smiled. He had his doubts about this school and what it represented, and the stupid dress uniform was killing him, but he could stand some discomfort and anxiety in exchange for a display like this.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen fireworks. Memories of far-off pops and bangs floated into his mind, accompanied by a blurry, red-tinted vision of hills rushing past him and the feeling of bare feet against wet grass. The vision left him, replaced by a different one of a river bank in the muggy heat of June. Red and green flashes lit the sky and reflected in the water. Unlike the last memory, it was calming, like something out of a story rather than his past. It flickered away from him just as the last one had, and he strained to reclaim it for a few desperate moments. It was like a dream, quick and hard to catch a hold of in the uneasy moments after waking, and Yuuki hadn’t been able to capture a single one since he’d been changed. He turned his attention back to the professor ruefully.
“It was not so long ago - vampire time-wise, that is - that people didn’t even know what magic was, and now we can control it in all kinds of fun ways! You can use it in super practical ways like to pick up heavy stuff or protect yourself if a chandelier falls on you or something, or you can just walk around with fireworks following you everywhere like I do sometimes! …Which in retrospect would explain the chandelier, I guess.” As he had thought last night, this instructor didn’t give off the same sense of age and experience as the other ones did. It wasn’t just that he looked young, because Professor Jinnai looked like he hadn’t been changed much later in mortal life than Yuuki himself had, and he was pretty sure that guy had been around for a while. Even Madame Youichirou, he thought, was making an effort to look physically older than she had been when changed, and she had said, what, a thousand years? Professor Shiramata actually felt like a kid, just a young vampire full of hopes and dreams, uncrushed by the weight of eternity. It made a certain kind of sense that he would teach “magic,” of all things.
“Basically the sky’s the limit as far when it comes to magic. Er, not the sky, the sun maybe? I’m not sure. I guess basically you can do anything with it, once you figure out how it works. I’ll teach you that, so once that’s out of the way, I’ll have you start experimenting. It’ll be fun! You’ll have fun.” Professor Shiramata set off more fireworks behind the small vampire he had seen last night, the one who had smiled at the dark and unfriendly vampire in his class and run out after the pretty brown-haired one earlier. “Yukito here is the best student I’ve ever had, so I’ve asked him to prepare something interesting for you today.”
Yukito took a step forward, his smile matching the professor’s, and waved at them. Yuuki felt confident enough to wave back. He wondered if you had to be naturally smiley and bubbly to be good at magic. If so, he suspected he would be the top of his own class. Yukito made a circle with his thumb and forefinger, raised it to his lips, and blew through it. The circle took on a shimmering green hue and bubbles began to form from it as he continued to blow. He shot one long stream of bubbles into the air. As they popped, they chimed with a faint yellow pulse, playing an airy song that sounded familiar, though Yuuki couldn’t place it. He looked at Professor Shiramata, who had his eyes closed and was smiling, nodding his head to the rhythm of the music. Professor Jinnai had his eyes closed as well, but his face was twisted and somewhat strained. Yuuki looked at him for a minute, but couldn’t figure out what was wrong. He looked surreptitiously behind him to make sure Madame Youichirou had really left earlier (speculating that whatever had happened to Professor Jinnai was her doing) before turning his attention back to Yukito.
He now had his hands together with a triangle-shaped space between them. As the last of the bubbles popped, he brought his eye up to it and looked directly at Yuuki. He smiled, and it took on a green film again. This time when he blew through it, the bubble that emerged took the shape of a butterfly. It floated unsteadily toward Yuuki, popping halfway, if popping was the right word for it. It was almost more like a translucent layer had been shed, because in its place emerged a small blue butterfly with black and silver spots on its wings. Its course was no longer shaky, and it flew directly toward Yuuki, emitting a soft ringing that got louder the closer it got. Yukito had looked to Negishi and Shoutarou in turn, and the bubble butterflies that flew out popped (hatched, maybe?) into a black and orange and a blue and white butterfly. Yuuki’s butterfly was circling his face, chiming at him, as Yukito turned to the cold vampire, Tsuchinoya, but he waved it aside long enough to notice that the shape of Yukito’s hands had changed somewhat. Rather than his thumbs lying flat at the base of the triangle, they were pointing down in a shape that looked something like a spade. He hadn’t seen what gesture he had made when he was making Negishi and Shoutarou’s, and wondered if it mattered. Maybe it had to do with the color.
Yuuki’s butterfly chimed at him again, its loudest yet, and he held his hand out to it. It landed on his palm, nearly weightless save for a faint tickling sensation, and began to walk back and forth, tinkling gently. It captured his attention, but not so much that he didn’t see Yukito turn to the unfriendly vampire, making his hands a heart shape, of all things. He stood there a long time before creating the next butterfly, which was much bigger than the other four. Yuuki’s butterfly chimed at him again, and he lifted a finger to stroke it. It shook under the pressure, producing a sound like glass breaking, but melodically. Yuuki brought his finger back immediately, worried he’d hurt it, but it let out a deep, soothing sound and refolded its wings, and after a moment’s thought, he reached up to pet it again. Once the glassy sounds faded away, it made the soothing sound again and flew away, leaving a sparkling blue dust on his palm and on the finger he had touched it with.
Yuuki’s butterfly as well as the other three had joined the large red one directed at the unfriendly vampire, who was swatting at them. One of his strikes caught it and Yuuki winced. Rather than making the glass-breaking sound and falling, it exploded into blue sparkles as it was hit, creating a shrill ringing that overpowered the others’ melodic chimes for an instant before the butterfly reformed itself, somewhat smaller than before. Negishi’s and Tsuchinoya’s were hit as well, making similar sounds and reforming. Yuuki found he couldn’t watch anymore and turned to see what Yukito was doing now, continuing to wince every time the shrill sound indicated another one had been hit. He wasn’t looking at the butterfly battle, but at the air above it, while making strange gestures with his hand. They were shaping gestures, as if he was molding invisible clay. He stretched something out, pinching it at one end, then widened it at the other end before drawing two more thin pieces from it. He made some more adjustments to that side before running his fingers along the length of it with a fluttering motion. He did this for some time, and Yuuki glanced up at where he was staring. He could see a shimmering green shape in the air, barely visible against the grey stone of the wall, but he couldn’t make out what it was supposed to be.
Yukito finally dropped his hands and regarded the butterflies for a second before snapping his fingers. All five of them exploded, the red one letting out a piercing whistle that made him cover his ears. The vampire was covered in five different colors of glitter, while what didn’t hit him swirled into the air and spun around the green shape. Slowly the shape became visible. Most of it was red, with spots of blue and a few other colors here and there. It formed patchily, then suddenly color and depth roared into it and they were facing a ten meter long dragon that looked very real, very alive, and very angry.
Professor Shiramata laughed and clapped his hands. The dragon reared up into the air, somewhat unsteadily at first, then more confidently as it picked up speed. It flew around in a circle, almost as if it were chasing its own tail, then lunged at Professor Shiramata. It grabbed him in its teeth and tossed him up in the air. Professor Shiramata continued to laugh as he landed on the dragon’s back. Next it stopped in front of Maeyama and Jun, as if offering them a ride. Jun took a few steps back while Maeyama drew his sword. The dragon exhaled a plume of smoke and struck them with his tail, sending them flying into the wall. They fell to the floor; Jun didn’t get up.
Yuuki sucked in a nervous breath and held it. The dragon shook itself and returned to circling in the air, gaining speed before diving at Professor Jinnai. He got out of the way, though his movement was strangely halting, as if something was keeping him from moving freely. The dragon returned for a second pass, and this time it tore through his sleeve with a long golden claw. The scent of blood filled the air and Yuuki stiffened, fighting his instinct to take the blood for his own.
The dragon stopped before him and he threw himself onto it without a second thought, trusting the danger to distract him. Tsuchinoya got on behind him, and Negishi tried to as well, but the dragon took off before he could, sending him sprawling back. It didn’t attack him or Shoutarou, and Yuuki took a second to look at the other two students -Maeyama had helped Jun to his feet - before the dragon started to gain speed again. The world around him blurred and he clung to the furred mane along its backbone to keep from falling off. The dragon began to breathe fire as it circled, setting the wall hangings ablaze and sending flames down at those who remained below. Yuuki was suddenly very glad he’d gotten on. He could hear Tsuchinoya muttering something behind him and figured he wasn’t alone in that.
He buried his face in the dragon’s fur as it dove again. It had no scent, but the hairs seemed to bristle with a faint melody, as if the dragon were made of musical notes given form and substance. The rows of scales bent in uneven waves, rough to the touch, save for the lone blue scale he had touched, which was completely smooth and repelled his hand.
A sudden ripple in the dragon’s movement distracted him from his observations. His classmate was facing the dragon head on, with a lance fashioned from shadow. He jabbed at the dragon, which swirled around the blow and stopped in midair, as if stunned that something had the audacity to attack it. It began to feint at him, snapping and clawing at him, but none of the blows landed, serving only to jolt the riders. Yuuki nearly fell, but managed to keep his hold and pull himself up. He crawled a little farther down the dragon, where there was more to hold onto, when the battle temporarily ceased.
With smoke clouding his vision, he couldn’t see exactly how the battle was going, but he could hear it. The lance the vampire wielded made a deep, gong-like sound whenever it hit the dragon, and the dragon itself made chirping noises whenever it struck, as if it were some overgrown bird. Yuuki was thinking about trying to crawl further forward so he could see better when the dragon shuddered, hit by a particularly loud strike, and listed to the side. Yuuki lost his balance, but managed to catch hold of a scale. He was hanging desperately, with no hope of getting back on, when the dragon let out a cry that pierced his eardrums. The sound made him lose his grip, and as he let go, the dragon’s body burst into flame. He screamed in shock and pain as the flames seared his hands, a scream echoed by Tsuchinoya. As he fell, he saw the fire distort and twist around him. Icy cold numbed the burns and he had time to realize that flame had turned to snow in the instant before he hit the ground.
--
As Yamada hit the floor, the bonds holding Sho finally fell away and he made a quick gesture that cushioned the Tsuchinoya’s fall. He shook his limbs out and surveyed the scene. The majority of the students were unconscious and only Yukito and Shiramata had survived unscathed. Shiramata was talking excitedly to him, completely unconcerned with the turn the demonstration had taken at the end.
“It’s called ‘The Beast Untamed,’” Yukito said when Shiramata paused for breath. “I thought you’d like it.” Sho let out a long, heavy breath and in an instant Yukito’s eyes were on him, sharp and angry. You shouldn’t have let her do that to Micchan, he said. Making his excuses to Shiramata, he left, taking no notice of anyone else.
Sho sighed again after the door had closed behind him. “Class dismissed,” he muttered under his breath, and turned back to the chaos. “Cleanup time.”
Characters: Everybody, this installment starring Mitsuya, Sho-chan, Yuuki, You-chan, Kenki, Yukito, and Shiramata Atsushi.
Genre: Vampire School!AU
Chapter Rating: PG?
Word Count: 6325
Summary: The first day's demonstrations don't go exactly as planned.
Notes: If I were inclined to give chapters titles, this one would be called "To Catch a Butterfly." I wanted to punch Puddingpire approximately 10 trillion times while writing his part. This chapter is like twice as long as the last one. Upsetting things all around.
--
Chapter 4
Professor Jinnai finished his speech, and then Mitsuya didn’t have much time to worry about Yukito - he got in moods like this sometimes, when he seemed to think being a vampire meant he had to be dark and scheming and speak in riddles - as he was too busy worrying about who would choose him for the demonstration. As usual, Yamaguchi would be going first, as his was considered the least impressive of the subjects, and Professor Jinnai and Madame Youichirou were of the opinion that it was best to build to a climax to hold the students’ attention. They’d missed their mark when it came to Mitsuya, however, as he’d spent Yamaguchi’s demonstration as well as the succeeding three in a daze. Awed, he’d repeated his final words over and over again in his mind until he had them memorized. “No matter who you are, no matter where you came from, no matter how strong you are, I’ll teach you, until I know you can protect yourselves and others. Until that day comes, I’ll protect you,” Yamaguchi had said, and perhaps by chance, perhaps by fate, his eyes had met Mitsuya’s on the last word.
Now, as Yamaguchi was deciding which student he would choose, their eyes met again. Unlike that day thirty years ago, he held his gaze, knowing that in that time he had become strong under his training, that he was good enough not to let him down, and that Yamaguchi knew that. Yamaguchi looked away first, and eventually chose Maeyama instead. Mitsuya sighed and squeezed Yukito’s hand. I really thought he’d choose me this time.
He probably just didn’t want to accidentally hurt your pretty face, Yukito replied.
Mmm. Mitsuya’s attention drifted from the conversation as Yamaguchi handed a sword to Maeyama and drew one of his own. They bowed. They circled around each other, measuring each other’s paces, making one full rotation before Maeyama sprang at him with a cry. Although Mitsuya could see that it was a weak strike intended more to start the fight than to land a blow, his heart gave an inadvertent pang of worry when Yamaguchi waited until the very last moment to parry the blow. His hand fell out of Yukito’s and twisted around the hem of his shirt. He knew that Maeyama wasn’t particularly strong, but he also knew that he had made a vow to become stronger than Yamaguchi someday. If Yamaguchi let down his guard at all, he might find an opportunity and…
Mitsuya forced himself to relax his grip and take Yukito’s hand again. Yamaguchi wouldn’t let his guard down. His eyes never left the battle, which had taken to the air, both combatants bounding off the walls and ceiling almost faster than he could keep up with, but now he watched with a sense of calm confidence. Maeyama and Yamaguchi collided in the center of the room, with a crack like thunder resounding. Mitsuya jumped - it was in his nature, he couldn’t help it - but he hardly needed Yukito’s squeeze of reassurance.
Maeyama’s sword landed first, followed by Maeyama himself, who managed to fall on his feet, if unsteadily. Yamaguchi was last to the ground, and he flicked his sword to Maeyama’s throat before dropping it on the ground and turning to face the new students, most of whom were regarding him with awe. Mitsuya couldn’t blame them. “Any of you can do what Maeyama did here today, with a little training and effort. Some of you may even be able to surpass me. I will teach you, and you will learn, and you will become strong. This I promise.” He gave a short bow and returned to where the other teachers were standing.
Maeyama picked up the discarded swords and bowed to Yamaguchi. “I’ll beat you someday!” he said with a grin, and jogged back to where the others were standing. Yamaguchi nodded to him.
“You all seem to be quite finished knocking each other around, so I take it you won’t mind if we pursue some of the subtler arts from here on,” Madame Youichirou said, drifting forward. Professor Jinnai snorted audibly and Madame Youichirou turned and fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Certainly I have employed less subtle methods as well, but I’ll thank the man who spent the better part of a decade not realizing that I was a vampire despite being one himself not to express his feelings on the subject.” Professor Jinnai pursed his lips, then laughed and gestured at her to continue.
“Mmm, as creatures of the night, I wonder if the mood wouldn’t be improved by a touch of darkness.” She waved a hand and the lights around the room went out, save for one focused on her. “I am Madame Youichirou, and while I have only had the great fortune to meet one of you thus far…” A light appeared next to one of the new students, who let out a squeak. His blood immediately began to rise and Mitsuya couldn’t stifle a laugh. Yukito didn’t even try. “…I hope the opportunity to get to know all of you very well will arise shortly,” she continued, letting the light fade out.
“I have two roles at this school. The first is as a teacher of the history, customs, and rules of the vampiric races.” She disappeared. Yukito let go of his hand and took a step away. A hand curled around Mitsuya’s neck and he shouted in surprise. Yukito snickered. “My dearest Ryou, will you provide us knowledge? What can you tell me about this one?” Madame Youichirou asked, as a light flickered on above the noble.
Mitsuya tried not to cry. He took a few unsteady steps forward towards the noble. Yukito sent him some feelings of encouragement, which didn’t help much. He would be a bit less worried, but the number one rule that the Madame had drilled into their heads was that if you mistook a noble’s heritage, he would kill you. Not only that, Yukito found the lessons boring and often made him skip them with him. Mitsuya prayed that this noble was from one of the clans he’d managed to memorize.
The closer he got, the colder the air got around him. He remembered something… something about a clan that was said to have powers over ice… that came from up north… something with blood in the name. Mitsuya finally got close enough to see the emblem on the noble’s chest, which bore the design of a wave crashing over a building, and he let out an inadvertent “Ah!”
He cleared his throat. “Of course, this distinguished person is a vampire born of one of the regal clans, rather than one born human and transformed via blood exchange. Moreover, he is of the Tsuchinoya clan, which primarily functioned in Hokkaido until the 16th - no, sorry, the 15th century, when they migrated south due to the weakening power of the Kanto clans and the increased availability of, well, meals. They are known for possessing very cold auras that can be physically felt by anyone, not only fellow vampires or psychically-gifted humans, which, um, I can personally confirm the cold part at least. Today they are generally ranked among the strongest clans, though of course whether or not they are actually considered the strongest depends on who you ask.” Madame Youichirou nodded approvingly at him and he relaxed before bowing to the noble. “I’m deeply sorry if I was mistaken on any points.”
The noble inclined his head almost unnoticeably, and Mitsuya felt like collapsing on the floor, or going back to bed maybe, and sleeping all night and all day for the rest of his life. I’ll just come kiss you and wake you up, Sleeping Vampire Beauty, Yukito said.
I can’t remember why I was ever excited for school, Mitsuya said in response. Madame Youichirou was pulling at him with a string of magic and he went back to her side with a sigh.
“My second role, as you may have already guessed, is to teach you methods to attract those who attract you, whether they be lovers or prey.” Madame Youichirou draped herself over Mitsuya, who wished he was taller, or that she was shorter. Certainly there were many reasons to be apprehensive around her, but the one that got to him the most was the height difference between them. “To say that I could cause anyone in this room to fall in love with anyone else would not be merely to flatter myself. In a thousand years, I have perfected my arts, and using them no longer gives me the satisfaction it once did. However, to give them to you, and to let you make of them what you would, seems to me a most satisfactory arrangement.” Dearest Ryou, I’ll be needing your services for this as well.
Mitsuya decided no one would blame him if he cried now. Before any other plans came to him, Madame Youichirou struck at his mind and he could only defend himself. Giving up is the best choice you could make, she said. I promise you it’ll be a satisfactory experience.
Mitsuya sighed again and shrugged his shoulders in surrender. Madame Youichirou waved the lights back on and began moving Mitsuya as she wanted. She allowed Mitsuya control over his eyes and he shut them as she guided him across the floor. He didn’t open them even after she stopped him. “This child,” she said, “has used what I have taught him to great effect, and it is long past time the object of his desires rewarded his hard work.”
Mitsuya opened his eyes and looked into Yamaguchi’s face. His arms circled around his neck and all he could do was try to convey an apology in the moment before their lips met.
He’d always imagined that their first kiss would be perfect, that Yamaguchi would sweep him into his arms and bend down just enough that he wouldn’t have to strain to kiss him, and that the rest of the world would melt away around them. Instead, Yamaguchi’s arms remained unmoving at his side while Mitsuya’s hooked around his neck, and he had to stay on his toes in order to maintain the kiss. He was all too aware that everyone in the room was staring at them. He desperately wanted to run away, or for the laws of nature to reverse themselves so the sun would come up and scorch him and everyone else to death. Under Madame Youichirou’s control, all he could do was continue to kiss him, desperately, hopelessly.
Yamaguchi’s hands rose to his shoulders and pushed him gently but firmly down. His feet once again rested flat on the floor and his arms fell away to his sides. He searched Yamaguchi’s face for an explanation, but for the first time in many years, he found he couldn’t read his expression. He opened his mouth to apologize, barely aware that he could move on his own again, but Yamaguchi’s arms wrapped around him and pulled him close, holding him so tightly he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t need to. He didn’t think he could force his lungs to expand or contract any more than he could stay standing. Yamaguchi held him steady until he managed to find his feet and suck in a deep breath of air. Then he loosened his grip and brought one hand up to cup Mitsuya’s chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. Mitsuya had time to see anger, sadness, and something deeper in his face and draw in one more shallow hiccup of a breath before Yamaguchi closed his eyes and kissed him.
A single tear rolled down his face as his eyes shut and he fell into the kiss. He felt his hands trace their way up Yamaguchi’s chest before settling around his shoulders, knowing that this time he was moving them of his own free will. Their lips fell apart and back together and for just a second everything was as perfect as he’d dreamed it would be.
Then the crystalline texture the air had taken on fractured and Mitsuya found himself skidding across the floor. He landed in a heap at the Tsuchinoya’s feet, but barely noticed. He was too busy staring at Yamaguchi’s outstretched arms. Yamaguchi regarded them for a second as well before lowering them, turning and striding out of the room.
Mitsuya sat there, feeling the blood rise hot and painful to his face. He was shaking, and his breath came raggedly and increasingly quickly. Yukito sent him comforting feelings and Mitsuya tried to control his breathing, but it was in vain. Tears flew from his eyes and one long wail escaped his throat before he struggled to his feet and stumbled out of the room, sobbing.
Madame Youichirou smiled, showing not only her fangs but the rest of her teeth. “True love’s course never did run smooth, I suppose. I recommend you attend my classes regularly and punctually if you don’t want that to be you next time. I promise you’ll enjoy yourselves.”
-
Yukito ran out after Mitsuya and Sho put his head in his hands. Out of curiosity, what made you decide to take the evil route this time around?
It started out a good route, but took a detour down the eternally misleading path of Yamaguchi being an idiot. And there are a number of reasons, one of which I’m quite sure you can guess.
Sorry. Do you still love me?
Dearest, I will love you until the stars fade and the sun falls from the sky. But at the moment I am the slightest touch unhappy with you.
Sho sent her a few apologetic images. Some of them were reminiscent of the scenes she had sent him earlier and more than one involved Yamada. At the same time, he stepped forward to begin his own demonstration. “Ahem. Well. As you can see, there are a number of perils associated with the vampire life beyond getting caught in the sun, and most of them are Madame Youichirou. Honestly, considering the nature of the relationship between us, I’m the last person who should be giving you advice on how to protect yourself from her or anyone like her - though I can say for certain that there is no one quite like her.” He caught the hint of a smile from her. “It’s best to think of our classes as a sort of strategy game, where one of us will teach you something and the other will show you how to circumvent it or defend against it.
“I hate to tell you this, but with the exception of the good Tsuchinoya here, all of you are completely unguarded. Although for the most part everyone here would shrink in absolute horror from taking advantage of such young and innocent little vampire lambs” -and if that wasn’t the most blatant lie he’d told in his life he couldn’t remember a better one- “the sad fact is that many people outside of here would, and possibly already have. But don’t worry! That’s what I’m here for.” He smirked. “The four of you might notice that you have just raised your right arms.”
They looked to find that it was true, and most of them flinched. Yamada actually shouted in surprise and Sho’s grin widened. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. I’m just demonstrating. If I really wanted to mess with you, I’d have you all turning flips or dancing ballet.” He caught Shoutarou’s eye and winked. “Fortunately, there are ways to keep yourselves from being forced into an impromptu ballet recital - though of course, what you get up to in your free time is no concern of mine.” He turned to face Maeyama and Shison, who were standing on the side of the room, a little further away than they had been before the Mitsuya incident. “I guess I don’t have much choice when it comes to assistants, but to be honest, I would have chosen you anyway, Jun.” Shison came forward and stood before him.
Sho turned back to the new students. “Jun’s the most recent arrival besides you five, so this is his first time on this side of the demonstration. This should help you get a sense of what you can learn in the first cycle of your education. Let’s have one of you come up too - Shoutarou, do you mind?” The pale vampire hadn’t been expecting this, and jumped, but nodded after a moment and came up only a little hesitantly. All for the best. “Now, defend yourselves as best you can!”
The first command he sent at them was weak and as obvious as he could make it. Jun shrugged it off easily, and Shoutarou managed to fight it for a moment before springing into the air and doing a jumping jack. His attempt was clumsy, but Sho was pleased. This demonstration hadn’t gone this well since before Yukito had arrived. You almost had it. You’re good at this.
He was a little surprised and gratified when Shoutarou responded, sounding unsure of himself but obviously making an effort. Thank you, I guess.
Good kid. The second command was stronger and more subtle, and Shoutarou arched backwards into a bridge. Jun had a harder time with this one, and Sho battled him for a while, managing to bend him part of the way back at one point, but in the end, he let him go. “That was a decently strong attack that he managed to fight off just now,” he said for the benefit of the audience. “Shoutarou, any thoughts?” He helped him back to his feet.
“Umm… well, at first, I could sorta sense something and I tried to push it back a bit. But the second time I barely felt before I was doing what it made me.”
“Perfect answer. First I’ll help you become aware of when people are trying to control you, then I’ll show you some techniques to defend yourself, and then you can strengthen both those skills at your leisure.” He turned a thoughtful eye on Jun. “Though, of course, you’d be advised to work diligently at it, unless you don’t mind doing things like this whenever I feel like it.” He sent a command so strong that it simply broke through Jun’s barriers and sent him into a back handspring followed by a flip.
Beloved one, would you mind seeing that our regal-blooded friend finds reason to apply himself? he asked. The Tsuchinoya was looking in his direction, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. Youichirou sent him an image of him performing the acrobatics Jun had, then of him tearing open his shirt and offering his neck to them. Sho laughed. Perhaps if we catch him napping. For the moment something subtle ought to catch him off guard and keep him focused.
Once she agreed, he turned back to his audience. “Of course, I’ve got more to teach you than that. Reading people’s moods, telepathic communication, a bunch of useful skills you may not have discovered for yourself yet. Of course, the ultimate party trick forgoes any defense and simply removes you from the picture entirely.” He snapped his fingers and turned himself invisible. The new students started murmuring to themselves. He half-expected Yamada to yell again, but this time he was simply staring at him, or the empty space where he was, anyway, with a confused look on his face. Apparently he’d finally woken up. Sho approved of this quieter, more thoughtful Yamada, and resolved to make him scream whenever possible so that he would appreciate the rare silence even more. Now was not the time, though, and he returned to visibility to find that Youichirou had succeeded in what he had asked her to do. Peerless as always, my love.
Regals, it turns out, build their walls so high they scarcely notice a worm burrowing beneath them.
Sho addressed the Tsuchinoya directly. “And you, my student, may not think you have much to learn from the likes of us, but I do notice your hand is raised as well.” The Tsuchinoya gave a jolt and lowered it, staring at Sho with eyes of ice. Sho met his gaze for a long moment before offering him a half smile. “After all, you are here to gain knowledge and power, are you not?” The Tsuchinoya at last looked away, facing away from him. Sho wondered if it was to hide the fact that his blood was rising.
That’s got him. We shan’t find another Yukito in this one.
It seems you speak of the very devil. Yukito re-entered the hall alone, and a shiver pierced Sho’s heart.
“That brings us to our last subject,” he said, ignoring it and waving Shiramata forward. “Our last and most accomplished instructor, the man who has pushed the study of magic farther than any other, the supreme sorcerer and mage magnifique, Professor Shiramata Atsushi!”
Shiramata stepped forward with a huge grin on his face, creating a series of fireworks that lit the hall as he did so. The students watched in awe.
Our honeyblood has led a sheltered existence up until now, not to have seen magic of this sort before, Youichirou said, drawing close to him and sliding an arm around his waist.
He put his hand over hers. Perhaps we might dazzle him with a similar display and make him our own?
We might at that. She was silent for a few moments as Shiramata showed off a few more tricks before abruptly switching into lecture mode. I’ll be stepping out for a moment.
Understood. I’ll stay here and do damage control. Shall I call you back when Yukito’s done? He’d seen the look in Yukito’s eyes before, and it was usually followed by immense displays of power and a lot of cleanup to be done. Generally by him.
You might. Sho spun her around and kissed her hand. She left the room and he turned back to Shiramata’s display, watching Yukito out of the corner of his eye. He could disrupt the presentation however he wanted, but Sho could at least ensure that none of the students would be killed in the process. It wouldn’t do to lose any this early in the cycle.
He started by creating a bubble around the new five that should keep out whatever abomination Yukito decided to unleash, hiding the minute hand gestures he made to form it within his sleeves. Then he cast a small net over Jun and Maeyama, who had survived ten and fifteen years with Yukito respectively, and had learned to protect themselves from him to some extent. He shored up his own defenses and did absolutely nothing for Shiramata, since by requesting to use Yukito in his demonstration he had brought whatever was coming upon himself.
His mistake was probing the room for any spells Yukito had set up ahead of time. As he felt his way up to the ceiling, he chanced on a sticky spot that seized hold of him, draining away his power. He’d encountered this particular trick of Yukito’s before, and began to cut at the thread with a knife of consciousness, making sure it was fully disconnected from him. When he’d cut this string away, however, it dropped him into a sticky pit that wrapped all around him, causing the net, the bubble, and the knife to flicker out of existence. He gritted his teeth and tried to reach for the strength to create a new knife.
Yukito glanced over at him with a deceptively sweet smile, mouthing the word “gotcha.” Sho made the slightest motion with his hand, creating a thin scalpel, and began sawing grimly away at his invisible magical bonds.
Damn kid.
-
As the fireworks lit up the room around him, Yuuki smiled. He had his doubts about this school and what it represented, and the stupid dress uniform was killing him, but he could stand some discomfort and anxiety in exchange for a display like this.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen fireworks. Memories of far-off pops and bangs floated into his mind, accompanied by a blurry, red-tinted vision of hills rushing past him and the feeling of bare feet against wet grass. The vision left him, replaced by a different one of a river bank in the muggy heat of June. Red and green flashes lit the sky and reflected in the water. Unlike the last memory, it was calming, like something out of a story rather than his past. It flickered away from him just as the last one had, and he strained to reclaim it for a few desperate moments. It was like a dream, quick and hard to catch a hold of in the uneasy moments after waking, and Yuuki hadn’t been able to capture a single one since he’d been changed. He turned his attention back to the professor ruefully.
“It was not so long ago - vampire time-wise, that is - that people didn’t even know what magic was, and now we can control it in all kinds of fun ways! You can use it in super practical ways like to pick up heavy stuff or protect yourself if a chandelier falls on you or something, or you can just walk around with fireworks following you everywhere like I do sometimes! …Which in retrospect would explain the chandelier, I guess.” As he had thought last night, this instructor didn’t give off the same sense of age and experience as the other ones did. It wasn’t just that he looked young, because Professor Jinnai looked like he hadn’t been changed much later in mortal life than Yuuki himself had, and he was pretty sure that guy had been around for a while. Even Madame Youichirou, he thought, was making an effort to look physically older than she had been when changed, and she had said, what, a thousand years? Professor Shiramata actually felt like a kid, just a young vampire full of hopes and dreams, uncrushed by the weight of eternity. It made a certain kind of sense that he would teach “magic,” of all things.
“Basically the sky’s the limit as far when it comes to magic. Er, not the sky, the sun maybe? I’m not sure. I guess basically you can do anything with it, once you figure out how it works. I’ll teach you that, so once that’s out of the way, I’ll have you start experimenting. It’ll be fun! You’ll have fun.” Professor Shiramata set off more fireworks behind the small vampire he had seen last night, the one who had smiled at the dark and unfriendly vampire in his class and run out after the pretty brown-haired one earlier. “Yukito here is the best student I’ve ever had, so I’ve asked him to prepare something interesting for you today.”
Yukito took a step forward, his smile matching the professor’s, and waved at them. Yuuki felt confident enough to wave back. He wondered if you had to be naturally smiley and bubbly to be good at magic. If so, he suspected he would be the top of his own class. Yukito made a circle with his thumb and forefinger, raised it to his lips, and blew through it. The circle took on a shimmering green hue and bubbles began to form from it as he continued to blow. He shot one long stream of bubbles into the air. As they popped, they chimed with a faint yellow pulse, playing an airy song that sounded familiar, though Yuuki couldn’t place it. He looked at Professor Shiramata, who had his eyes closed and was smiling, nodding his head to the rhythm of the music. Professor Jinnai had his eyes closed as well, but his face was twisted and somewhat strained. Yuuki looked at him for a minute, but couldn’t figure out what was wrong. He looked surreptitiously behind him to make sure Madame Youichirou had really left earlier (speculating that whatever had happened to Professor Jinnai was her doing) before turning his attention back to Yukito.
He now had his hands together with a triangle-shaped space between them. As the last of the bubbles popped, he brought his eye up to it and looked directly at Yuuki. He smiled, and it took on a green film again. This time when he blew through it, the bubble that emerged took the shape of a butterfly. It floated unsteadily toward Yuuki, popping halfway, if popping was the right word for it. It was almost more like a translucent layer had been shed, because in its place emerged a small blue butterfly with black and silver spots on its wings. Its course was no longer shaky, and it flew directly toward Yuuki, emitting a soft ringing that got louder the closer it got. Yukito had looked to Negishi and Shoutarou in turn, and the bubble butterflies that flew out popped (hatched, maybe?) into a black and orange and a blue and white butterfly. Yuuki’s butterfly was circling his face, chiming at him, as Yukito turned to the cold vampire, Tsuchinoya, but he waved it aside long enough to notice that the shape of Yukito’s hands had changed somewhat. Rather than his thumbs lying flat at the base of the triangle, they were pointing down in a shape that looked something like a spade. He hadn’t seen what gesture he had made when he was making Negishi and Shoutarou’s, and wondered if it mattered. Maybe it had to do with the color.
Yuuki’s butterfly chimed at him again, its loudest yet, and he held his hand out to it. It landed on his palm, nearly weightless save for a faint tickling sensation, and began to walk back and forth, tinkling gently. It captured his attention, but not so much that he didn’t see Yukito turn to the unfriendly vampire, making his hands a heart shape, of all things. He stood there a long time before creating the next butterfly, which was much bigger than the other four. Yuuki’s butterfly chimed at him again, and he lifted a finger to stroke it. It shook under the pressure, producing a sound like glass breaking, but melodically. Yuuki brought his finger back immediately, worried he’d hurt it, but it let out a deep, soothing sound and refolded its wings, and after a moment’s thought, he reached up to pet it again. Once the glassy sounds faded away, it made the soothing sound again and flew away, leaving a sparkling blue dust on his palm and on the finger he had touched it with.
Yuuki’s butterfly as well as the other three had joined the large red one directed at the unfriendly vampire, who was swatting at them. One of his strikes caught it and Yuuki winced. Rather than making the glass-breaking sound and falling, it exploded into blue sparkles as it was hit, creating a shrill ringing that overpowered the others’ melodic chimes for an instant before the butterfly reformed itself, somewhat smaller than before. Negishi’s and Tsuchinoya’s were hit as well, making similar sounds and reforming. Yuuki found he couldn’t watch anymore and turned to see what Yukito was doing now, continuing to wince every time the shrill sound indicated another one had been hit. He wasn’t looking at the butterfly battle, but at the air above it, while making strange gestures with his hand. They were shaping gestures, as if he was molding invisible clay. He stretched something out, pinching it at one end, then widened it at the other end before drawing two more thin pieces from it. He made some more adjustments to that side before running his fingers along the length of it with a fluttering motion. He did this for some time, and Yuuki glanced up at where he was staring. He could see a shimmering green shape in the air, barely visible against the grey stone of the wall, but he couldn’t make out what it was supposed to be.
Yukito finally dropped his hands and regarded the butterflies for a second before snapping his fingers. All five of them exploded, the red one letting out a piercing whistle that made him cover his ears. The vampire was covered in five different colors of glitter, while what didn’t hit him swirled into the air and spun around the green shape. Slowly the shape became visible. Most of it was red, with spots of blue and a few other colors here and there. It formed patchily, then suddenly color and depth roared into it and they were facing a ten meter long dragon that looked very real, very alive, and very angry.
Professor Shiramata laughed and clapped his hands. The dragon reared up into the air, somewhat unsteadily at first, then more confidently as it picked up speed. It flew around in a circle, almost as if it were chasing its own tail, then lunged at Professor Shiramata. It grabbed him in its teeth and tossed him up in the air. Professor Shiramata continued to laugh as he landed on the dragon’s back. Next it stopped in front of Maeyama and Jun, as if offering them a ride. Jun took a few steps back while Maeyama drew his sword. The dragon exhaled a plume of smoke and struck them with his tail, sending them flying into the wall. They fell to the floor; Jun didn’t get up.
Yuuki sucked in a nervous breath and held it. The dragon shook itself and returned to circling in the air, gaining speed before diving at Professor Jinnai. He got out of the way, though his movement was strangely halting, as if something was keeping him from moving freely. The dragon returned for a second pass, and this time it tore through his sleeve with a long golden claw. The scent of blood filled the air and Yuuki stiffened, fighting his instinct to take the blood for his own.
The dragon stopped before him and he threw himself onto it without a second thought, trusting the danger to distract him. Tsuchinoya got on behind him, and Negishi tried to as well, but the dragon took off before he could, sending him sprawling back. It didn’t attack him or Shoutarou, and Yuuki took a second to look at the other two students -Maeyama had helped Jun to his feet - before the dragon started to gain speed again. The world around him blurred and he clung to the furred mane along its backbone to keep from falling off. The dragon began to breathe fire as it circled, setting the wall hangings ablaze and sending flames down at those who remained below. Yuuki was suddenly very glad he’d gotten on. He could hear Tsuchinoya muttering something behind him and figured he wasn’t alone in that.
He buried his face in the dragon’s fur as it dove again. It had no scent, but the hairs seemed to bristle with a faint melody, as if the dragon were made of musical notes given form and substance. The rows of scales bent in uneven waves, rough to the touch, save for the lone blue scale he had touched, which was completely smooth and repelled his hand.
A sudden ripple in the dragon’s movement distracted him from his observations. His classmate was facing the dragon head on, with a lance fashioned from shadow. He jabbed at the dragon, which swirled around the blow and stopped in midair, as if stunned that something had the audacity to attack it. It began to feint at him, snapping and clawing at him, but none of the blows landed, serving only to jolt the riders. Yuuki nearly fell, but managed to keep his hold and pull himself up. He crawled a little farther down the dragon, where there was more to hold onto, when the battle temporarily ceased.
With smoke clouding his vision, he couldn’t see exactly how the battle was going, but he could hear it. The lance the vampire wielded made a deep, gong-like sound whenever it hit the dragon, and the dragon itself made chirping noises whenever it struck, as if it were some overgrown bird. Yuuki was thinking about trying to crawl further forward so he could see better when the dragon shuddered, hit by a particularly loud strike, and listed to the side. Yuuki lost his balance, but managed to catch hold of a scale. He was hanging desperately, with no hope of getting back on, when the dragon let out a cry that pierced his eardrums. The sound made him lose his grip, and as he let go, the dragon’s body burst into flame. He screamed in shock and pain as the flames seared his hands, a scream echoed by Tsuchinoya. As he fell, he saw the fire distort and twist around him. Icy cold numbed the burns and he had time to realize that flame had turned to snow in the instant before he hit the ground.
--
As Yamada hit the floor, the bonds holding Sho finally fell away and he made a quick gesture that cushioned the Tsuchinoya’s fall. He shook his limbs out and surveyed the scene. The majority of the students were unconscious and only Yukito and Shiramata had survived unscathed. Shiramata was talking excitedly to him, completely unconcerned with the turn the demonstration had taken at the end.
“It’s called ‘The Beast Untamed,’” Yukito said when Shiramata paused for breath. “I thought you’d like it.” Sho let out a long, heavy breath and in an instant Yukito’s eyes were on him, sharp and angry. You shouldn’t have let her do that to Micchan, he said. Making his excuses to Shiramata, he left, taking no notice of anyone else.
Sho sighed again after the door had closed behind him. “Class dismissed,” he muttered under his breath, and turned back to the chaos. “Cleanup time.”