A Deal With The Devil
"So what do you say? Are you ready to give up? You can try all you want, but we are not going to let you take him. Not without a fight at least." Tsukune said as he started to twist her arm even more and broke her bone. Kahlua didn't respond however as she just started giggling underneath him. "You've grown so arrogant since you were a teenager. Now that you're a full fledged vampire now you think you're all that! But don't forget, you used to be a pathetic human too!" Blades erupted from her back and dug into Tsukune's chest, causing him to spit up blood and release his hold on her as he stumbled backwards. Kahlua stood back up on her feet, and her twisted arm instantly healed itself as it winded back in the opposite direction and her bones fused back together.
"TSUKUNE!" Jaden shrieked after watching his brother in law get injured. He too tried to stand up, but because of his wound, he fell back down immediately as blood started gushing from the gash across his chest. "Don't move you idiot. You're injured yourself." Said Moka as she leisurely walked over to him and propped himself up so that he could lean against her. "What do you think you could possibly do in this state? Not like you could help anyways. You know you're no match for her." Jaden grimaced as he clutched his wound and glared at Kahlua who was starting to approach Tsukune again. "But we have to do something! She's going to kill him!"
Moka smirked as she shook her head side to side. "You don't give him enough credit. He's not the headmaster of Yokai Academy for no reason. And do you honestly think I would marry someone who couldn't hold their own in a fight? Just watch Jaden. You'll see." Kahlua's arm transformed once more into its winged blade form as she started slashing at him in rapid succession, but despite how much Tsukune was bleeding, he easily dodged every one of her attacks. After she performed a wide swing which Tsukune ducked underneath, he used her momentum against her. He breathed in deeply as he focused all of his Yokai energy into his balled up fist and rammed it straight into her stomach which shook her insides. Her intestines from that single strike alone had turned into a gelatinous mess inside her abdomen.
She fell on her knees as she vomited a huge amount of blood and she could barely even see straight anymore. Tsukune cracked his knuckles as he took on a defensive stance. "I know that won't be enough to keep you down, but I know that it still hurt like hell!" He said with a mocking smile across his face. Kahlua gritted her teeth, with her fangs puncturing into her bottom lip. Her eyes were now wide and her pupils were dilated. She was not having any fun anymore. That was all she wanted! She just wanted to play with her little brother and bring him home so that she could make her father happy! So why were they getting in her way?!
Her murderous aura grew only bigger and everyone, all except for Tsukune and Moka who could withstand its intensity, felt like there was a pressure that was pulling them deep into the Earth. Almost like gravity had grown three times in strength. "You… YOU! I'll make you pay for humiliating me Tsukune Aono! Not only did you take my adorable baby sister away from my family, but now you're trying to keep my only baby brother to yourself too! I'll kill you!" She said as she started crying, which confused everyone.
Moka furrowed her brows in aggravation as she released a deep sigh. "Oh no… Kahlua is about to throw a tantrum. When she gets like this, all sense of reason goes out the window along with her sanity. She's probably forgotten all about her mission and now she just wants revenge. This is not good." Moka stood in front of the few humans who were there and blocked Kahlua from their view from her. "You guys better stand back. Your weak tolerance to Yokai energy will get you killed if you inhale any more of her poisonous vapers. Jaden." She said as she looked at her younger brother who was still injured, but already starting to slowly heal. "If you can help, then I need you to do what you can. I have to help Tsukune because I don't think he'll be able to handle her by himself."
Jaden started to shake as doubt creeped into his mind. Just how was he supposed to help? If it takes both Moka and Tsukune to take her down, then what the hell was he supposed to do? In his current state, he was just as helpless as his friends in this situation! "What do you expect me to do Moka?! I'm useless on my own! Just look at me! I could barely save myself from being killed and she wasn't even trying!" He said as he started to shake but flinched when he felt Moka's warm hand ruffle his hair affectionately.
He looked up at her and felt a wave of warmth wash over him when he saw her comforting smile. "You are not as weak as you think you are. You've a vampire Jaden. You're stronger than you know. You just need to have a little bit more faith in yourself. You were able to draw out the power of the vampire before, even without a key right? I think if you want it badly enough, those powers will come and help you again. But instead of thinking about protecting yourself, think about protecting the people you care about instead."
It was very rare to see Moka be so affectionate towards him especially when she was normally so cold and distant. But for her to be trying to give him advice like this must mean that she really does have faith in him. Moka instantly went to join her husband as they did their best to hold off Kahlua's attacks while she continued to rampage on. Jaden gulped as he watched them battle magnificently. They were all on a whole other level. They were moving so fast that it was hard to keep track of just where they were, and you could hear the force of the impact ring throughout the air whenever their limbs collided with each other. Could he ever possibly be a match for them one day? He just didn't know.
Winged Kuriboh materialized next to him as he nuzzled against Jaden's cheek with happy chirps. "Kuri Kuri!" He said, which basically was his way of telling Jaden that he believed in him too. Jaden smiled as he rubbed his companions head and finally made up his mind. "Come on Jaden! No more being down in the dumps! It's time to get your game on!" He shouted as he slapped his cheeks, turning them red. He jumped back up onto his feet and grimaced when the pain in his chest only hurt more the minute he started moving, but he couldn't let that stop him from doing what he needed to do. Which was to protect his friends and get them to safety.
He ran over to Bastion, Syrus, Alexis and Chancellor Shepherd who were out of harms way for the time being. But at the rate Kahlua's rampage continued to destroy everything around her, it wouldn't be safe for them to stay their much longer. "We have to go guys! If they can't stop her, we're probably going to have to evacuate the island! Chancellor Shepherd, you go on ahead and round up the other students while I take these guys somewhere safer!" Shepherd, who was stunned by the fighting as well, finally snapped back to reality. "O-oh! Yes! Right away!" He shouted in response before he ran back into the school.
"Guys! Come on! Are you even listening to me? I said we have to go!" He said as he continued to address his friends who just ignored him. They all had a look of fear and disdain etched into their expressions and could barely even meet his gaze. Jaden felt his heart throb and knew why they were reacting like this. It was because they were scared of him. And how could he blame them after everything they saw? They just found out his true identity, and not only that, but his murderous and unstable sister just tried to kill them. How could they be comfortable around him when they knew he was related to a monster like her?
"Look… I know you guys probably don't want anything to do with me right now. I've been lying to you and I'm so so sorry! But I only did it so you didn't get sucked into my fucked up life! You see what I've been running away from… I didn't want you to get involved. But you are now and I can't change that and I will forever be sorry to you! And you don't have to forgive me, but please…" He said with tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. "Even if you hate me, please let me protect you! Because I just love you all so much!" He said before tears started streaming down his face. All of his friends looked guilty after making him cry like that. It wasn't their intention at all to hurt him, they were just in shock.
"Oh Jaden! We already forgive you!" Said Syrus as he was the first to move. He ran over to his best friend and hugged him tightly. "We don't care if you're a monster! Because you'll always be our best friend!" Alexis smiled softly to herself as she came to join in on the hug as well. "And we're sorry for ever making you think we would hate you. No matter what form you take, you're still our Jaden. And we trust you." Bastion stood next to him with his arms crossed and smiled. "So what now mister vampire? What's the plan?" Jaden sniffled as he absorbed in all the love they were throwing his way. Why did he ever think that they wouldn't be supportive of him? Just like Moka said, he was being a fool.
"What's the plan? We run like bat shit is what's the plan! Now move it people!" He said as he ushered them to run with him lagging behind them to block off any attack that was sent their way. He couldn't quite keep up because of his injury, but that was fine with him. His upmost importance was that they made it out of this alive. He couldn't give a damn what happened to him. As the older vampires fought, Kahlua could sense Jaden start to run away and she turned her attention away for a split second to look at him, but that gave Moka the perfect opportunity to kick her across the face which caused her to stagger back. "The fight is over here! Stay focused only on us!"
Kahlua had taken on a grotesque form. Compared to her normally elegant and refined image, she truly looked like a real monster. She had a special ability which she excelled in and had a gift for transformation which was a rare trait for a vampire to have. Both her arms were transformed into large bat shaped blades with each blade seeming to be able to move independently, as well as her legs which had swords splintering out from her bones which she could extend and flex like rubber, but still have them be as sharp as steel. "No way… I won't lose him a second time! I refuse to let those humans take him away! They must DIE!" She screamed as she shot her blades straight at them, and while Moka and Tsukune tried to deflect her attack from reaching them, they were too preoccupied with the other blades which stopped them from doing so.
"Jaden! Watch out!" Moka shouted before she was struck and sent flying backwards, but luckily Tsukune got ahold of her and was able to soften the impact as they crashed into a thicket of trees. Jaden looked behind them as they ran and saw the swarm of blades approaching them and he stopped and whipped himself around to face it head on. "Yubel! I need you!" He declared as he summoned his guardian spirit. Yubel materialized in front of him and raised their hand up and conjured up a shield which easily took the force of her attack. They were slowly starting to get pushed back but Jaden dug his heels in the ground and didn't allow himself to be swept away from her monstrous energy.
"Ch. You are such a bad little boy. My Judai wouldn't misbehave like this. After I kill your pathetic friends I'll take enjoyment in shattering that annoying seal of yours!" The blade which was colliding with Yubel's shield pulled backwards a little and splintered off into multiple pieces. The singular blade had now become four separate ones which she could manipulate with ease as she flexed them around Yubel's shield and straight towards his friends. "NO!" Jaden shouted as he tried to turn around, but they were only moments from being impaled. He didn't want this! He couldn't lose them, not after he was just accepted by them!
He needed more power even if it was just a little. He didn't care what he needed to do to get it! He just couldn't end it like this! "STOP!" He shouted loud enough for his voice to echo through out the air, and almost instantaneously, time started to slow down. His friends who were moments away from death had become frozen in time as well as Kahlua, Moka and Tsukune. "It sounds like you could use a little help." He heard that same mysterious voice starting to speak to him again from within his mind.
His eyes started to feel heavy as they drifted close, and when he reopened them again, he was back in that mysterious emptiness where the darkness stretched out endlessly in all directions with mirrors floating around him. But this time, the shadow appeared in everyone single mirror instead of just one. It was like his presence was growing. "Yeah… I do need your help. I still don't trust you. But if you can help me regain my powers like you did last time, then go ahead and do it! Right now!" He demanded as he glared at the shadow in the reflection. An evil laughter vibrated around him as the shadow mocked him.
"Don't you remember what your older sister said? Because of what I did last time, your seal has started to break. If I continue to keep doing this for you, then eventually, you will disappear. Are you okay with that Jaden? I don't know how many times I can get away with this before it becomes too much." He said in an eerily playful tone. "I'd rather disappear then let my friends die! Even if I disappear… Judai will still be around to protect them." He said as he stared at the floor. It was something that always bothered him to admit, but he knew he wasn't a real person. What difference did it make if he ceased to exist? It's not like he was actually alive to begin with. He was a fake that was created to keep the real him safe. His life was expendable.
"Hmm… interesting answer. But what if I said no to your request? What will you do then?" He said as he started to laugh again in that creepy tone. Jaden smiled softly as he looked at the shadow head on. "Then I'll kill myself. You said last time that if I die, then you die too. If you don't give me what I want, then I'll make sure neither of us will live." The shadow only continued to cackle harder at Jaden's response. "You certainly are a funny one! Crazy too. I like you Jaden, you've got one big hero complex don't you? Ah, I'll help you… But not without a fair price." He said as he smirked. "Alright then? Name your price? Just this once, I'll agree to your terms. But you have to promise to help me." The shadow chuckled as it started to pull itself out of the mirror and walked slowly so that he could stand in front of Jaden. "I promise. Now then…" It said as he started whispering something in Jaden's ear.
Back in the real world, time started flowing again. As the blades were about to pierce right through Jaden's friends, Kahlua screeched in pain when something sliced right through her arms. The blades fell to the floor and squirmed before they shrunk and shriveled up. A bright flash of purple energy filled the area with Jaden in the center of the beacon of light. In the middle of his transformation, he had slashed right through her arm and dismembered her in the blink of an eye. His brown hair turned silver and his skin grew paler with his fangs protruding past his lips. And when he reopened his closed eyes, they had become the eyes of a vampire again.
Tsukune and Moka stood to the side as they watched him transform. "He did it! He actually managed to bypass the seal again!" Tsukune said as he hunched over with Moka helping to support him up. She smiled at her little brother approvingly. "I knew you could do it Jaden. Now, let's give her hell!" The light soon dimmed down and bats screeched as they swarmed around him and then dispersed. Jaden smirked as he stood there confidently with his entire demeanor having completely changed. "I didn't think I would be showing up so soon. Just what have you gotten yourself into, outer me?"
Kahlua sensed that all too familiar and nostalgic demonic energy, and she started to relax and came down from her murderous induced high. She reverted back into her regular vampiric form as she stood with her hands covering her mouth to hide her smile. "It's really you. My little Judai. I can't believe it's really you!" She said happily. Jaden glared at her before he glanced back at his friends who looked at him with shellshocked expressions. "Hey. You guys okay? You're not injured, are you?" He asked in a tone of voice that was slightly more mature than his human form one.
Syrus wasn't able to get a word out because he was still too flabbergasted by what he had just witnessed. After finding out that his best friend was actually an S-Class rated Vampire, it was surprising to see Jaden in a form that looked like him, but also didn't seem like him at the same time. He knew what a vampire looked like, after all, three of them had been fighting right in front of them for the past hour. But seeing his best friend who was normally so approachable and friendly, turn into a person who's entire being screamed with power was too much for his narrow mind to wrap around. "Uhm, yes! We're all fine thanks to you. Thank you!"
Jaden flashed them a quick smile before his expression turned stoic once more. "Good. I'm glad to hear that. Now, you all stay put. There's no need to run away anymore, because this fight is just about to end." He said as he placed his hands in his pockets and started slowly walking towards Kahlua. The bleach blonde woman didn't move as her little brother approached her, and she spread her arms out wide to invite him in for a hug. "Are you ready to go home now Judai? We all have missed you so much." She said while expecting him to hug her, but jumped back when he went in for a kick which she dodged. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm actually pretty happy here. Besides, these humans mean a lot to the outer Jaden so I got to make sure they're safe from the likes of you, you crazy bitch."
Kahlua started grinding her teeth together as she glared at him. "Maybe I was wrong. I thought you were being defiant because of that seal you're wearing. But now I see it's because you grew up to be a spiteful little shit. Being around humans all these years must have really changed you, Judai." Jaden smirked as he rolled his eyes. "You're right about one thing. I have changed a lot. But it's not because of the humans. I just finally realized how much better off I am without my controlling family breathing down my neck all the time. So I'm going to stay here if you don't mind." He said as he started to chuckle.
Kahlua felt like she was about to snap again but was trying her best to contain her composure. "You are being a bad little boy… but I'll ask you one more time while I'm still feeling nice. Come with me Judai. This is the last time I'm going to offer this choice to you. We can do this the easy way or the hard way." She said as she sneered at him. Jaden tilted his head back to release a fit of laughter as he ran a hand through his silver locks. "You know me, I like a challenge. When have I ever wanted the easy option?" He winked at her before he appeared by her side and kicked her straight in the chin, which launched her high into the air. "NOW MOKA!" He signaled to his sister who flashed above Kahlua mid air and punched her in the face, sending her spiraling back downwards. Before Kahlua hit the ground, Jaden raised his foot in the air perfectly perpendicularly and she crashed down right onto his foot, cracking her spine and folding her in half.
Tsukune, who had finally recovered, jumped in to help them as he drew a magic circle in the air with his finger. "SEAL!" A blue ring appeared on the ground around Kahlua and she yelled as an insignia became etched into her chest. Blue veins grew outwards from the insignia and started to burn her from the inside out. It was a Tao spell that he had learned years before. It was a temporary sealing spell that could repress the Yokai energy of any monster. It was like a midgrade version of the Rosario, but it was still strong enough to limit the use of Kahlua's powers for a limited amount of time. She lied on the ground as her body convulsed in pain. "It hurts… Stop it, please! I don't like this!" She said as she started crying like a child again.
Jaden kneeled next beside her as he brushed a strand of her wavy hair behind her ear. "You claim to love me, don't you big sister?" He said affectionately as he stroked her hair, and she nodded as she cried. "Too bad… Because I can't say the same for you." He grabbed a fistful of her hair and hoisted her up. Kahlua cried as he roughly tugged on her tender scalp. "I hate your fucking guts. You and every person in our family that follows that disgusting excuse of a father. You guys follow him blindly and don't question a single thing. Whatever he says, you do. Where is your pride? How can you live not being able to do what you want? Because for me, I refuse to go back to that hell. I refuse to be his pawn. So why don't you want the same?" He said as he continued to lay into her.
"A-all I wanted was to see you again. Father promised me that… th-that if I did what I was told, I'd be able to bring you home!" She said as her crying got louder. "I love you Judai! I just miss playing with you, and cuddling with you at night whenever you had a bad dream! Home feels so empty without you there! Wahhhhh!" Her sobbing's became uncontrollable as snot started to drip down from her nose. Jaden stared at her pitifully as he released her and then turned his back towards her. Kahlua wasn't a bad person; she was just emotionally unstable and very easy to manipulate. She was just as much of a pawn as he was. But the difference between her and him was that she was so desperate to be loved, she was willing to do anything to get it. Even if it meant sacrificing her own sanity.
"It's hard to believe that you're supposed to be older than me. I'm the youngest, yet you're the one groveling like a baby. Look Kahlua… I get it, you're lonely. But I can't come home. Not until that bastard is dead. So until then, I can't play with you like how you want." Kahlua sniffled as she rubbed her eyes. "What am I supposed to do then? I can't go home without you and I can't let you stay here! I don't want you to hate me Judai! But father is just so scary!" She said as she looked at him with her eyes that were now looking puffy from how much she was crying. "Then don't do either. Run away and don't look back. Live the life you want. I promise you'll be a lot happier. And I can't believe I'm going to say this, but if you don't report me to father then I will come and play with you whenever you want. So long as you abandon the family like me and Moka have."
Kahlua was finally able to stop crying and after a couple moments of silence, she smiled at him gently. "Okay… Just as long as you keep your promise. I really have missed you Judai, even if you're all big and mean now. But to me, you'll always be my baby brother. So don't hate me, okay?" She said as her form started to change once more. She turned into a swarm of bats that quickly flew into the air and finally disappeared, leaving Jaden and his friends the victors of the fight. Moka walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Is this really alright with you? Even if she listens to you, father won't just let this go lightly. Kahlua not reporting back to him after an important mission will look incredibly suspicious. Your peaceful life truly will be all over." She said to him in a genuinely loving tone. Jaden just smirked as he looked at the sky. "It was bound to happen at some point. But don't worry, I'm ready. After all, I have two really good teachers who I can trust to help me grow stronger." He said before he yawned as his seal started working again, and soon he returned back into his human form and proceeded to faint into his sister's arms.
"Jaden!" Yelled his friends as they ran to him worriedly. "Is he going to be alright?!" Said Syrus as he took ahold of Jaden's hand who was still resting peacefully within Moka's arms. "Yes. He'll be just fine. His seal self-repaired itself and he reverted back into his human form." She hunched down and allowed him to rest with his head in her lap as she smiled down at his sleeping face with an expression full of love. "You did good today Jaden. Now, get some good rest, okay?" She said as she placed a gentle kiss on top of his forehead.