A Soul Divided

Awakening

 I grunted in pain as my back slammed down against the unforgiving dirt path, and sighed, kipping up. "You've improved a bit. Maybe now you'll actually stand a chance." Moka said, still looking at me as prey, but also as an opponent. There was something I hadn't ever seen in her eyes; I saw concern. It was as if she had played with her food too long, and now the mouse was about to leap forward and bite the cat. I chuckled, and dashed at Moka, amazed at my own speed as I threw a flurry of punches her way. She ducked and weaved, the punches she couldn't dodge were caught by her forearms. She countered, shoving my hand to the side, and kicking me square in the gut. I grunted, grabbing her leg, and threw her about five feet. I panted, dripping with sweat as my muscles ached.

"Phew..." I said, leaning down onto my knees and looking at Moka. "Three weeks and you're still wiping the floor with me.." I shook my head and stood up. My muscles screamed in protest as I rose up from my semi crouched position, but I ignored it. After all, it was probably about time for class today. Moka walked past me, collecting her rosary from Tsukune, who had been training just before me. He fared much better than me, which added quite a bit of insult to lots of sustained injuries. There was barely an inch of me that wasn't covered in scratches, bruises, or healing cuts. Even with a Vampire's healing factor, Moka just hit me too hard, and too often for me to heal all the way. "Use and abuse, as Dad would say." I thought to myself, and felt a bit of sadness at the thought of my Dad. It had been almost a year since I was sent to Japan from America to come here. "I hope I can go to America again soon..." I thought, and looked at Moka as she spoke to me.

"That's because you're still just a weakling. You've improved, yes. But you're a disgrace to all Vampires. I don't even know why I'm bothering with you." She spat out at me. I had to admit, she was pretty damn hurtful, especially with how bluntly she said things. "I'm going back to the rosary.. Until tomorrow, welp." She finished up her little speech (complete with dramatic ending), and hooked her rosary back around her neck. In an instant, harsh, cold Moka disappeared, and the more timid, kind Moka reappeared. I walked off towards my dorm, waving to Tsukune, ignoring the liquid magma that surged through my tricep.

My day had been going fairly well, all soreness and bruising considered. Everything went downhill during lunch, while I was eating with Tsukune and his friends. I could tell Tsukune was the only one who was really comfortable with me. Outer Moka and the other girls all avoided talking to me if absolutely necessary. Yukari, who I learned last week was the name of the small witch girl. Turns out she is too young to be in high school, but she's just ridiculously fucking smart. That's some anime type shit right there if I ever saw it. But, we were all eating and having a generally alright time, all awkwardness aside.

"Hey!" I heard from my left side. I turned, and saw about three guys, all tall and kinda skinny, with nice leather jackets on. Clearly they weren't attending this school, or they were breaking the rules at the very least. The one on the right had light blond hair, and dark brown eyes. His hair was short, almost like an undercut, and was gelled up in the front, making him look like an old 50s mascot. The guy in the middle had dark brown hair, and hazel eyes, his hair pulled back into a ponytail. He looked like somebody pissed in his lemonade, and he never quite got over the disgusting taste. The leftmost guy was almost gothic looking, with jet black hair, and sharp blue eyes. He was pale as a ghost, and his lips really popped out because of his skin tone. The guy on the right spoke again. "You're that Jason kid, right?" I nodded, and he sneered, turning to his buddies. "This is him." He motioned to me, and his buddies all sneered at me. At this point, Tsukune stood up, standing next to me. I saw from the corner of my eye that his fists were clenched.

"I'm a bit out of the loop, so I'll go ahead and ask why you're looking for me." I said, my heart beating faster as I grew nervous from their looks. Something about them just rubbed me the wrong way, big time. Moka and the other girls looked at us, then the other guys worriedly.

"Well, you see, we heard you were some kind of berserker. Not every day we feel someone's power from the other side of that tunnel." The guy in the middle said, stepping forward. "We want that power for ourselves, and for that to happen, we need your blood." He sneered at me, his eyes glowing purple. I got into a defensive stance, as did Tsukune. I noticed something dangling from his left wrist, and I furrowed my brow, looking back at the men. "So, it's nothing personal, really. But, we'll have to kill you~" he said, licking his lips.

"Hey, I'm not gonna let that happen!" Tsukune said fiercely. The man in the middle smirked, and looked at Tsukune. "If you think I'll let you hurt my friends, then you're sorely mistaken!" He said again, clenching his fists even tighter. "Why would he be so protective of me like this? It's not like we're really friends..." I thought, as the man in the middle laughed. He stepped over to Tsukune, and glared at him. All at once, Tsukune flew backwards, hitting a tree before falling to the ground.

"Tsukune!!" Moka cried, as she ran over to his aid. I looked back at the man, and I screamed, punching him square in the jaw. His head snapped to the side, yet he didn't show any signs of pain. I felt the side of his mouth go up in a smile, as he gripped my arm, and pulled me towards him raising his knee so it plowed right into my gut. I groaned, the wind getting knocked from my lungs, and blood spurted from my lips. The man sneered at me as he threw me, causing me to fly through the air, landing on my left side. I groaned, shakily getting up. I felt hands underneath my arms, helping me to stand. I looked, and saw Kurumu, and the Ice girl Mizore helping me up. From the expressions on their faces, they were just as scared of these guys as I was, yet they were used to fighting strong opponents.

"Thanks.." I said, looking at Tsukune and Moka. Tsukune had done something, and his power spiked up tremendously. He dashed at the guy who hit me, and plowed his fist right into the guy's face, smashing it. I saw blood and teeth fly from the guy's mouth as I looked at Tsukune in shock. I ran over, and I was suddenly punched by the guy with blond hair. I hissed in pain as my head turned, and I stumbled. I began seeing red, and felt the ground trembling again, like that night with the Vampire! "Oh no...Not again!!" I thought, as I charged. It was as if I were looking through a camera, but on my own body as I screamed, tackling the man and began to punch him in the face. I vaguely felt someone grab my from behind, and I looked, seeing the gothic guy trying to stop me. I punched him, feeling his jaw crack as he fell to the floor.

I raised my foot up, almost delivering the final blow, when I felt something hit my back. Growling ferally, I turned, seeing Mizore holding out her left arm. "You need to calm down!" She said, and I felt myself moving again, while I futilely tried to stop myself. "Why can't I control myself! Stop! NO!!!" I thought, screaming at myself as my foot crashed into Mizore's face. Kurumu glared daggers at me, and swiped at me with her claws. My body was too dumb to move, and got three slash marks down my torso. My body went again on autopilot, grabbing her by the head, and slamming her down. "This isn't good! I can't stop myself from-" Everything suddenly went black as I felt a painful thud on my head.