Here it is, Chapter 2.
I am well aware that some people seem to be under the impression that I should apologize to the maker of Rosario + Vampire but lets be real here people, Zhan Long is like totally a copy of LMS and should also totally apologize (sarcasm if you didn't notice).
There is quite a few Original stories about VR out there, my Azalon being one of them and also inspired by LMS but in no way did I ever try to copy someone elses work.
Just because I use the term 'Yokai' instead of 'Monster' or 'Creatures' and also included a school in it doesn't mean that I will go even slightly in the direction that Rosario + vampire did *sigh* I really wish people would stop judging so very fast but it is the internet after all so what can one expect.
I used this beginning as an omage to Rosario + Vampire and that is why it is so similar, not because I just couldn't be bothered to do otherwise or my writing sucks.
It was out of respect and love for both the Anime and Manga that I started it this way, the idea itself actually started completely different and was not really inspired by it at all, believe it or not.
Now here is the next chapter and sorry about that little rant but I felt like I had to get that out there (even though no one is probably going to read this anyways) so yeah...
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Chapter 2
Relief surged through her as she entered the bus.
Mary knew that it was finally over and now that she was away from him it puzzled her a bit why exactly she had felt so afraid.
Sitting down on a free seat she stared absentmindedly outside the window and watched the endless rain as chatter and discussions exploded around her and she could clearly hear the others speculating as to who exactly the stranger at the bus stop had been.
Mary didn't really care who he was, she was just glad to be away from him and that she wouldn't see the guy ever again.
As to why she was so afraid... her only guess was that the trauma she lived through with the humans had struck her harder than she was willing to admit and she had been so afraid of him because she felt that he was one of them which only made sense, after all this was a rather normal bus-stop with one exception and that was this bus that stopped here too.
Deep in thought it took her a few seconds to notice the silence and when she did her gaze followed the others around her to the front of the vehicle.
Mary's heart nearly stopped when she saw him standing there, looking directly at her.
It couldn't be... that he was chasing her right?
Quickly throwing away this absurd thought, the only other conclusion she came to judging by the uncaring bus driver was that he was just like her... a new student at Yokai Academy.
Feeling her limbs and expression go stiff she watched the hood turn from one side to the other, seemingly looking for something.
He was coming closer with every step as she closed her eyes and turned her head, hoping, praying that it wasn't her he was looking for her.
Mary's heightened senses picked up every single movement of his body, the smell that was so very familiar, bringing back many bad memories.
What kind of Yokai smelled exactly like a human?
Had he mingled with them for such a long time that even his skin was now giving off the stench or was he simply masking his odor so others wouldn't be able to identify him?
Those were the kind of thoughts that shot through her mind as he came closer with every step.
She could see the same confused and terrified expression on a few others around her, she apparently wasn't the only one that noticed something was off with this new student that had entered their midst.
With closed eyes and baited breath she waited for him to go past her, hoping that all of this was some kind of misunderstanding.
The silence in the bus was only occasionally broken by the slow and steady steps of the hooded guy while his head unceasingly turned from right to left and even though no one could see his face they all felt his stare that sent shivers down their spines.
Finally noticing that something was wrong the bus driver turned his head and for the first time took notice of this new arrival with a puzzled look.
When his foot came down next to her seat it sounded like a thunderbolt striking a tree to her ears.
The complete silence that followed was nearly deafening and Mary for the first time realized that he had stopped and wasn't moving anymore.
With yet another surge of fear she slowly opened her eyes and while trying her best to calm down her trembling hands turned her head, only to stare directly into the darkness of his hood without being able to make out anything except for his chin and mouth.
Mary's body stiffened as if she was a lamb standing in front of a lion.
He really had been looking for her...
This one realization nearly brought her to tears and she tried her best not to let it show in her eyes.
Why couldn't he just leave her alone?!
…..
Ze took his time to look for a seat but he didn't have much luck as the entire bus was nearly completely full and the only free one seemed to be next to that girl he nearly ran over.
Not wanting to make things awkward he tried his hardest to maybe spot another place to sit down but by the time he arrived next to hers he was completely sure that there really was no other option and with a mental sigh stared at her for a second before she turned her head and looked towards him too.
The fear that he could see inside those hazelnut brown eyes surprised him more than a little and he couldn't help but wonder if it really was only this small incident that scared her that much or if it was something else entirely.
When he saw that she was even close to crying he couldn't help but feel even worse as he sat down next to her and tried his best to stay as still as possible so he hopefully wouldn't scare her anymore.
It was also at this point that he noticed that every single person inside the vehicle was staring at him, including the bus driver.
This time Ze really couldn't help but wonder if it was because he wasn't wearing his school uniform like all the others, but why then did they have the same fearful expression on their faces?
Since arriving at the bus stop not much had made sense to him and it only got more confusing as time went on.
Was he really that frightening to look at?
The bus driver was the first one to come back to reality as he had been somewhat lost in thought and turned his head back to the street before finally starting up the engine.
Followed by a roar the yellow school bus came to life and nearly jumped on the road.
Ignoring the stares he was still getting, Ze turned his head to the right and watched the familiar buildings and streets of New Jersey zooming past in the heavy rain.
The dark clouds in the sky were nearly completely blocking out the morning sun so it was still quite dark outside but people going about their business could be seen everywhere.
The traffic wasn't really that bad today and after only 15 minutes of quiet travel could they all hear the driver's voice through the speakers at the front and back of the bus.
"Alright everyone, we are not that far away from the gate anymore and I know you have a lot of questions but they will all be answered when we arrive. I would like to take this time to congratulate you all and formally welcome you into Yokai Academy!"
Ze's mind nearly went blank after hearing those words that he didn't... couldn't believe.
He still remembered his father telling him about this opportunity to attend a new school after dropping out of his old one.
It would apparently officially open its doors for the first time this semester so it was the perfect opportunity for Ze to join and make some new friends as no cliques or groups had been formed yet.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Most of the information concerning this school had been a mystery to his dad but it couldn't be that he admitted him to Yokai academy... right?
The bus driver was still saying a few more things but lost in thought he didn't pay it any mind as a frightening realization struck him.
If this really was the bus to Yokai Academy, didn't that mean that all the other students around him were Yokai too?
Real fear for the first time in a while gripped his insides and his heart rate increased.
Ze was well informed by the news as to how dangerous young Yokai that couldn't control their form or powers were, which was the exact reason they had built this school.
To teach young Yokai how to not go berserk or accidentally kill human beings.
It was probably safer to be locked in a cage with 10 Tigers than attending this school as a human being.
After all there was countless young Yokai that absolutely detested humans because of the bullying they had to endure before so they probably wouldn't mind venting some of that built up anger on a single, unsuspecting human.
Ze knew his Dad very well and could only guess that his acceptance into Yokai Academy had been some kind of misunderstanding or mistake, which parent wanted to send their own kid to an early grave after all?
Calming down his thoughts he started to go about this logically as the bus went around a narrow corner.
Couldn't he just go to a teacher or the principal when he arrived and explain the situation?
I mean surely they wouldn't want a human attending their Academy after making such a great effort to create it only for Yokais.
But then Ze remembered a little detail that made him shiver in fright and he abandoned the idea.
They had spent an incredible amount of effort and time as far as he knew to create this school and make it safe for Yokai which meant that they had to build it at a secret location so that human extremists wouldn't just blow it up and kill hundreds of young Yokai.
Didn't that mean that they would rather kill one single human than possibly endanger their entire future generation by letting him walk away from this?
Only knowing Yokai as rather bloodthirsty and cruel from the media, although he didn't believe it all, he also couldn't deny some of the evidence that showed that they sometimes acted quite radical.
Feeling powerless and without any other idea to get out of this mess he couldn't help but look ahead only to watch a shocking scene.
Unbeknownst to him the bus had entered a small and narrow alley at some point and time and was rushing towards a solid concrete wall that was only 15 feet or so away at the moment.
Feeling his pupils contract to the size of pinheads Ze didn't even have the time to scream before the bumper and wall made contact.
His entire body instinctively went rigid to brace himself for an impact that didn't come.
Instead a rather peculiar sight unfolded before him as the entire bus turned transparent like glass and he could see his surroundings better.
It was difficult to describe what he saw but if he had to use one word then it would probably be 'phantasmal'.
Shimmering in all colors of the rainbow like a a puddle of oil in the sun, clouds of ever changing forms and colors surged above, beneath him and to his right and left.
He knew that he was no longer on earth as this was a sight that was simply impossible to even imagine there.
Glancing around he could see the faint shapes and contours of the bus he was still sitting in.
The only thing that was still crystal clear and just like before were the other people around him that seemed to show the same sense of awe and wonder that he was currently experiencing on their faces.
One thing he did notice was that everyone else around him had a red line, similar to a seatbelt around their waste that seemed to be the only inanimate and solid object except for the clothes on their bodies that didn't turn transparent.
The only one who did not have this seatbelt on was Ze himself as even the bus driver had it.
Unsure as to what use it really had his gaze once again wandered to the intangible surroundings that they all seemed to quietly float through.
This was also around the same time that he noticed the complete absence of sound and it was somewhat irritating and uncomfortable for him.
He could see the mouths of others moving around him but heard absolutley nothing, only after noticing that some people were actually having a conversation did a frightening realization strike him like a bolt of lightning.
Ze himself was the only one that couldn't hear anything.
With a furrowed brow he rubbed against his ear with one hand, only to experience something akin to an electric shock and with it returned the noise.
"Isn't this just amazing? I heard the principle himself used his powers to create this tunnel through the void and even created a small place, solely for the Academy."
"Yeah I heard the same, those humans think they can track us down but I can only wish them good luck. It will take them centuries at least to figure out interdimensional travel with their technology as our Magic has its own rules and can even bend certain laws of the universe."
"Look at that one it looks just like an elephant with wings, or that one, a centaur with two heads."
"I don't think I will ever forget this sight in my whole life.
"So what do you plan to do first? Look for babes or train your powers?"
Countless voices bombarded his ears and it somewhat hurt after having nothing but absolute silence for a good while.
It was difficult for him to categorize who exactly spoke as they seemed to come from everywhere at the same time, it was like he had ears next to every single mouth that had a voice and it gave Ze a terrible headache.
He tried his best to block it all out but it was like trying to drink from a cup without a bottom, a physical impossibility.
The headache started to get worse and he instead tried to concentrate on something else as he docused on his hands.
They seemed oddly white and he could swear that he was able to see the different colors from his surroundings beneath his skin.
There was a clear difference to his condition and the solid form that the people around him had.
Completely fascinated by this phenomenon he flexed and moved his right arm around but it felt just like before, there didn't seem to be any difference.
Still entranced he didn't noticed the look that the girl with the twintails beside him was giving him as he played around with his fingers.
Suddenly another jolt of electricity shot through him like before and his fingers started to disintegrate into particles of different colors, similar to the surrounding clouds.
Ze strangely enough didn't panic as he watched first his skin and then flesh dissipate in a cloud of particles that was floating around him and even the skeletal right hand he now possessed started to do the same.
He could still feel his right arm just like before and tried flexing it, to his delight the cloud around him started to rush to the spot where his hand used to be and formed a translucent and colorful version of the previous original.
His mind was growing hazy as a smile formed on his lips before a shrill scream next to him made him flinch in pain and brought the attention of the other passengers sitting in the bus towards him.
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Alright, hope you enjoyed it and if you have any questions just comment below, I will try my best to answer them. [th_113_.gif]
Should you find any spelling mistakes please do tell and I wish you all a good day/night!
Abbadon out!