Blood trickled from Erik’s forehead as he slammed it into the side of the school. Thump! Thump! Thump! A crack formed in the wall from the force of impact. Keiko was backing away from him while Haru stood firm.
“I spent two days in Baba Yaga’s house…” Erik said. “…and it turns out that the Journalism Club was after you this whole time?”
Haru replied, “Yes. You ended up going there based on a mistake you made.”
The vampire groaned, “Dammit, how could I have been so stupid?”
“Not stupid, just insanely paranoid,” he said.
Erik bashed his head against the wall again.
“Are…you alright?” Keiko asked.
Erik answered, “I’m fine, just wishing that raiding was still a socially acceptable hobby.”
He took a deep breath.
“Still, I have to thank you. Most people would have tried to lie to me to avoid my wrath.”
“I’m not worried about that. You have honor, Erik,” Haru stated.
The vampire smiled, “Without honor, humans and vampires alike are no better than beasts. People of this era have forgotten that, insulated from the world by their technology and distance from nature.”
Keiko said, “So, what do we do now?”
“Now,” Haru spoke. “I find a way to crush Akechi like a worm.”
“Crush him? Isn’t that going a bit far?” she wondered.
“He’s trying to get me expelled. I’ll curse him until he doesn’t know left from right.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen justice that harsh,” Erik smiled.
Resentment flowed through Haru. Feelings of hatred towards humans and the world boiled under his skin.
“Justice? No. It’s less than what that little shit Akechi deserves,” his teeth ground. “Just when I start to have good things in my life, he comes in and ruins it! I’ll…”
“Haru-kun!” Keiko grabbed his arm. “Please calm down. I want Akechi to be punished as much as you do, but you’re not thinking straight.”
“You’re right, Keiko-chan. I need to keep calm,” he took a deep breath.
Erik said, “It sounds like you’re really mad.”
“I am,” Haru admitted. “Sometimes I wish I could tell the entire world to go to Hell, but I can’t. There are a lot of them and only one of me. So, I have to keep putting up with everything they throw at me.”
Keiko embraced him, “You don’t have to do that, Haru-kun. You’re not alone anymore. You have me.”
He hugged her back, “Thanks, Keiko-chan. And Erik, I need to pay you back for your help.”
Erik replied, “I’ll think of something for you to do. Right now, focus on defeating your enemy.”
The vampire walked away.
Haru turned to Keiko.
“We need a plan, something that won’t expose me as a witch and that would get him to stop.”
“I thought you weren’t worried about being exposed?” she asked.
“If a few people know I’m a witch, it’s fine; but, I can’t show off my powers around too many people,” Haru answered.
Keiko nodded, “Maybe we could humiliate Akechi in some way? If no one took him seriously, he’d lose a lot of his authority.”
“And for someone who cares about appearances as much as he does, it’d crush him as a person too. If he weren’t trying to get me expelled, I wouldn’t go so far, but he’s the one who escalated this first.”
She pondered, “Do you have any spells that could help with that, any curses or anything?”
“The humiliating curses that I have…wouldn’t work here,” Haru stated. “They’re all ones that would affect body parts he wouldn’t show off.”
“What parts are those?” Keiko asked.
“His groin. I have spells that make people impotent.”
“Ohhh…”
Haru smiled, “I think that my wind spells will be good enough for now. I have some subtle ones and we can set up some sort of trick on him with minimal magic.”
She said, “But if he finds out it was us, he’ll want revenge. So, we’ll need to use enough magic to cover our tracks.”
“That’s something I can do,” he stated. “Now, as for our plan…I have an idea, but it’s complicated.”
“What is it?”
“First, we’ll need supplies. We should get honey, a badger, a bucket, and…some sort of illusion. I don’t know any illusion spells, so we might have to get a projector or something,” Haru spoke.
“Hisa can help with illusions,” Keiko replied. “She isn’t very good at them yet, but she can do some.”
“Can she make a door?”
“I think she can.”
“That’ll do,” Haru nodded. “And we can switch out the badger for a fox. We just need to make sure she’s up for it.”
Keiko smiled, “She’s a kitsune, so she’ll be happy to help with a trick.”
Ved'ma Story 