On the Dark Heart High application form of Yuri Mikagami, the space in which the prospective student's Dark Powers and Abilities were to be described had hers listed as "Dormant". In fact, this may well have been an over-statement; so far as anyone knew, she simply had none at all. Yuri herself thought that she was nothing more than an average, ordinary teenage girl. This morning, however, she was attempting to prove otherwise. Yuri was pouring every ounce of will she possessed into an effort to bend the very universe to her liking, struggling to warp time itself through nothing more than the force of her own desire. In other words, she was watching the clock and wishing it would hurry up so the class would end. So far, she wasn't having much luck at re-structuring reality, but it was still more interesting (and, arguably, more productive) than attempting to listen to Aug-sensei's lecture. His brief period of recuperation seemed to have left him even duller than he had been before. "And then came the time *click* of the third Zorgian Reformation, when Kricts The Bloodthirsty was *clickclick* overthrown by the thirty-seven *clickclickclick* Lords Of Blackness: Hegreot, Matet, *click* Plirmo, Rectay-" Giving up on her attempts at chronal subjugation, Yuri turned her thoughts instead to the busy day ahead of her. It was a Saturday, so there was only a half-day of classes. After that, she would have to compete in the final round of the contest for Freshman Dark Princess. And, finally, of course, would be the dance. "-Kerita, Preato, Wripagew, Zeq, *clickclick* Plirmo... or did I already *click* list Plirmo? I'd *click* better start again. Hegreot *clickclick*, Matet, Plirmo-" Once again, Yuri attempted to summon any latent trans- temporal abilities she might possess. ********************************************************* Dark Heart High Netherworld Educational Institution for The Universal Propagation of Evil started by Mads ********************************************************* Part Twelve: Gyrations! by Nicolas Juzda ********************************************************* Time continued to pass at its normal rate for the rest of the morning, but the final class of the half-day did eventually arrive. As Yuri took her place next to Balabalalde and Leilei, she avoided looking at the bandaged boy. She hadn't socialized with him since the previous day, before she had found out that he had agreed to go to the dance with that rainbow-haired girl, Ransha Yatara. True, Yuri had no real reason to expect him to have chosen her instead. It wasn't like they were going out. Maybe she had misinterpreted Leilei when her friend had told Yuri that someone wanted to ask her out. And even if Leilei had thought that Bala wanted to go out with her, it wasn't really fair to blame the boy for Leilei's assumptions. Really, Yuri thought, she had no legitimate reason to be annoyed with him. Which, of course, did nothing to change the fact that she was. And there had been that moment in the Ferris Wheel... "Alright, class," Baba-sensei said. "I know you're all eager to go home and prepare for the dance, but you'll have to be patient for one more hour. Today, we're going to be making stew. Everybody should have the instructions and everything you need on your desks already. Oh, and if any of the ingredients try to crawl off, just whack them a few times and they'll settle down." The class set to work, heating their cauldrons and preparing the ingredients. After a few minutes, Leilei wandered over from Bala's side. "What's wrong?" "I still don't have a date for the dance," Yuri replied softly. "You don't? But Bala- I mean, I thought-" "He's going with someone else. Ransha Yatara. Didn't he tell you?" Leilei smiled, but it was sardonic, not her usual grin. "Oh, yes, he couldn't stop talking about her." "Right. Stupid question." Yuri looked back down at her cauldron, and saw that it was boiling. She began to pick up the various ingredients and drop them in, ignoring the occasional squealing. "Well, I guess I'm going alone." "I'm sure you'll still have fun. Not everybody's bringing a date." "You're probably right." Yuri's voice held no conviction. "So, did you find a dress?" Leilei asked, trying to change the subject. "Actually, after I talked with you last night, this nice upperclassman offered to lend me one. Just for the contest, though, so I'll have to buy one this afternoon." "An upperclassman offered to lend you a dress... out of the goodness of her heart?" "She said she overheard me talking with you, and that we looked the same size." Yuri turned from her companion to add some spices to her stew. "Anyone I know?" "Her name is Midori. I met her on Monday, right after I hurt my ankle. She helped take care of Ki." Leilei frowned. "I've heard that name somewhere before. I can't quite remember where, though." "Aaaahhhhhh!" Both girls turned towards the screaming form of Craig Maimsworth. Wrapped around his head was the squid he was supposed to be using in the recipe. "Get it off of me! Get it off!" The armoured boy began staggering around the room, his arms flailing. The squid completely obscured his vision, and he bumped into first one cauldron, then another. Fortunately, Yuri was on the other side of the room, so her own stew was in no immediate danger. "Mr. Maimsworth," Baba-sensei called. "Didn't you read the instructions? You're supposed to sedate the squid before attempting to emerse it in the boiling water." Craig didn't respond to the teacher's reprimand. Instead. He pulled out the sword at his side, and held it at arm's length with the point aimed at the animal, clearly intending to run it through the squid... and, most likely, his own head as well. Before he could complete his suicidal thrust, Baba-sensei walked over to him, moving surprisingly swiftly, and pulled the squid from his face. It came off quite easily. "And let this be a lesson to all of you," the teacher said, "on the importance of not deviating from the recipe. Craig, you'll be cleaning up after class, as usual." Everyone got back to work. ****** The phone was ringing. Again. Principal Amakusa picked it up. "Speaking... why, hello, Mrs. Arachnor... yes, I am aware that Mandy didn't make it to the finals in the Freshman Dark Princess contest... yes, I did know that all the finalists are humanoid... no, I don't believe we discriminate against ten foot tall spiders... really, we're a very inclusive school... no, I'm afraid I can't do anything about it... I'm sorry, but I really must be going. Good day, Mrs. Arachnor." Amakusa hung up the phone. Throughout the entire sequence of events, he had given no indication that this was the twenty- seventh call that day from a parent attempting to bribe, blackmail, or threaten their child's way into the finals. "Are you busy?" asked Akurei. The monstrous vice-principal stood in the doorway to Amakusa's office. "Not really. Why?" "Some evidence has come to light regarding cheating in the Dark Princess competition." "Should I feign shock?" Akurei chuckled. "No. It would be more surprising if a year went by WITHOUT someone trying to cheat. But I thought you might want to know about this. It concerns Yuri Mikagami." "Really?" Amakusa's right eyebrow rose. "You know how the student council is supposed to select the winners of the final round?" "Of course," Amakusa said. His voice betrayed the impatience he had spent all morning concealing from doting parents. It was a sign of his relative trust in his assistant that he would allow that sign of emotion. "At least two thirds of them report being influenced towards voting for the Mikagami girl." "How... obvious." There was a note of disappointment in Amakusa's tone. He had expected more from Yuri. "Well, eliminate her from the contest, then. I'll think up some suitable punishment for her cheating." "But that's just it, sir. I've conducted a thorough investigation, and I can find no way to link her to this. To all appearances, the entire affair was masterminded by an upperclassman named Midori Tamaida, completely without Mikagami's knowledge." "No evidence at all?" The lizardman shook his head. "None." "Fascinating." Amakusa smiled slightly to himself. His assistant excelled at extracting information, and if he had found no trace of Yuri's involvement, she must have been clever indeed. "Very well. We shall allow Yuri to participate in the contest as if nothing has occurred. Make no mention of your findings to anyone, Akurei." "What about Midori Tamaida? I have very reliable sources saying that she is connected with this." "Leave her be. I would not be surprised to find that she is completely innocent. As I said, we will make no mention of this. However, since we can't very well have Mikagami win through cheating, we will have to arrange an alternate means of judging." "The student council may protest. This is their contest." Amakusa blinked. "This is my school, Akurei. Everything in it is mine. Never forget that." The vice-principal nodded. "Sorry, sir." "Now then, do you remember that girl you caught selling items in school without permission? The inventor? We never did decide what her fate should be, and I believe that we can kill two birds with one stone." Then the phone rang. With a sigh, Amakusa answered it. "Yes... why, hello, Dr. von Bludhart... that's right... well, you have to remember that only three students do make the finals..." ****** "You're late," Liza said. "I had to clean up after class," Craig replied. "Big surprise." "Is this her?" "It is indeed. Worth every yen, don't you think?" Craig could only nod. Standing before him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She was tall, with an hourglass figure and long blonde hair that framed her perfect face. Sure, she didn't seem to be breathing, and she never blinked, but who cared? "Three thousand yen." Liza held out a hand to Craig, who deposited the money in it without turning his attention from the vision in front of him. "She'll do stuff, right? Walk, talk, that sort of thing?" "Of course. You just have to activate her." Liza walked over to the blonde girl, and tapped her between the shoulder blades. "The on/off switch is back here." As she spoke, the robot seemed to come to life. "Hello. Are you my date for the dance?" The robot's voice was low and throaty, but it held no inflection. "Uh, yeah. My name's Craig," he said. "Pleased to meet you, Craig. You can call me Sue." Liza coughed, trying to regain her client's attention. "There is one more thing. I reprogrammed her especially for you (for only a modest extra cost already conveniently included in the fee I charged) to act as your date tonight. Some dance steps, appropriate social behaviour, that sort of thing. Don't reboot her, or she'll go back to her default programming." "Gotcha," Craig said. He leered. "No, it wasn't designed for- Akurei-sensei!" Craig turned at this apparent denial that his purchase had been originally created with the Vice-Principal in mind, and saw the aforementioned faculty member had just entered the outer room of the Nurse's Office, where Liza had asked Craig to meet her. "Leave," Akurei said to the boy. Craig quickly did as he was told, the robot following behind him. "Glad I could be of service. Don't forget to recommend me to all your friends," Liza called after him. Then she turned to face the Vice-Principal. "Are you here to see Nurse Sybil, Akurei-sensei?" "No. I am here on behalf of Principal Amakusa. He has decided that he has need of your services." "Well, I'm sure you'll find my rates are very competitive," Liza said. Then, seeing the look in Akurei's eyes, she added weakly, "because none of the competition will work for free." "Better," Akurei growled. "Now, here's what we need..." ****** "Hey, Yuri, aren't you coming to the contest? You're headed the wrong way. It's in the school auditorium," Leilei called down the hallway. Yuri was heading in the opposite direction from that of her friends. "I'll catch up. I promised my mother I'd check with the school nurse that my ankle is okay for tonight's dance." "Don't take too long," Leilei warned. "You don't want to lose by default." Yuri promised that she wouldn't, and quickened her pace. Within a couple of minutes she had arrived at her destination. "Nurse Sybil?" the girl called as she entered the outer office. The last time she had been to see the nurse, Liza had been out there, but not this time. "IDENTIFY YOURSELF!" The reply originated on the other side of the door at the back. "Uh... Yuri Mikagami." From the Examination Room emerged Nurse Sybil, in her muscular military mode. "AND WHAT IS YOUR MINOR MALFUNCTION, GIRLIE?" "I wanted to make sure it would be okay to go to the dance tonight. Is my ankle in good enough shape for that?" Nurse Sybil leaned over and peered at the aforementioned joint. "YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT THIS? HA! WHY, I ONCE KNEW A GIRL WHO WON A TAP DANCING CONTEST AFTER BOTH HER LEGS HAD BEEN BLOWN CLEAN OFF! COME BACK WHEN YOU'RE GOT A REAL INJURY!" "So, it's okay?" Before Nurse Sybil could answer, she sneezed, and promptly shrunk into the wizened form of her most elderly incarnation. "You'll be fine, dear. Just remember to drink plenty of fluids. And try to get some rest afterwards." "I will," Yuri promised, and darted out the door before the nurse could undergo another transformation. ****** After a quick stop at her locker to pick up her swimsuit and borrowed dress, Yuri arrived backstage. The area behind the curtain was divided into two sections, one for each sex, since they'd have to be changing outfits. "Mikagami? Over there," ordered an upperclassman Yuri didn't recognize. She seemed to be in charge of keeping order among the finalists. Following the direction the upperclassman was pointing in, Yuri saw an empty chair between Ransha and Yasuko, the other two Freshmen finalists for Dark Princess. Taking a seat, Yuri tried to ignore the dirty look that Yasuko was shooting her. "Hi," Yuri said, addressing Ransha instead. Even if the girl was Bala's date, that was no reason she shouldn't try to be friendly. "Hello. Yuri, right?" Yuri nodded. "Are you nervous?" "Very. I still can't believe I made it to the finals." "Me neither." "Okay, girls," called the upperclassman. "We'll be starting with the Freshmen, so get ready. It'll be you in the dresses, then the boys in tuxes, then you in swimwear, boys in swimwear, speeches, and you're done. Got that?" The three girls nodded their assent, and began to get changed. "Hey, nice bracelet," Ransha said as she pulled on her dress, pointing at the cat bracelet on Yuri's arm. "Thanks. I love cats." "Me too," Ransha said. "I have a whole bunch at home. They're great. Except sometimes, they keep meowing and meowing and meowing and meowing until I just can't stand it anymore and I have to punish them so they never ever meow again. Then they're good little kitties. Even if they don't play with me anymore." Yuri's brain tried to process the other girl's words, and just as it was about to come to a conclusion that would have horrified the girl, her train of thought was interrupted by the booming voice of Vice-Principal Akurei, coming from the direction of the stage. "Good afternoon, students. Welcome to the Final Round of the competition for the positions in the Dark Court of tonight's dance. "Now, some of you may be wondering why Dark Heart High would hold what is, in essence, a beauty pageant. The answer is that such a lurid display will serve to demonstrate the fine art of corruption, how to force even the noblest soul into impure thoughts. "In that spirit, then, we have decided to forego the traditional method of selecting a winner. Instead of a panel of judges, we have this device." Akurei's voice betrayed an unmistakable note of embarrassment as he continued. "The Lust-O- Metre. "As each contestant takes the stage, this machine will record how successful they are at eliciting the baser urges of all of you. For those of you that find displays of nubile and buff young forms make you hungry instead, I am assured that that has been taken into account in the device's design. "Now, without further ado, I present the contestants for Dark Heart High Freshman Dark Princess!" ****** Midori was not pleased. She had gone to great lengths to force the judges into agreeing to select Yuri, and all that effort had apparently been for naught. Well, her cousin had better not attempt to weasel out of his half of the deal they had made; she had gotten Yuri into the final round, and even leant Ki's pet project a dress for the occasion. If he tried to renege, she'd deal with him. In the meantime, the daughter of the Steel Thorn Clan lay back to watch the show. First up was Ransha Yatara. Midori didn't know her, and the rainbow haired girl made little impression. She was wearing a red dress that matched one of the colours of her hair. It was neither low-cut nor high-hemmed, but was tight fitting enough to suggest a fair amount of what wasn't shown. She did a single twirl as she crossed the stage, allowing the crowd a glimpse of her bare back, then returned to the side from which she had come. Following her came Yuri Mikagami, in her borrowed dress. It was a deep green, not exactly suited to the girl, and betrayed the fact that its owner (that is to say, Midori) thought more in terms of functionality then fashion. It was, truth be told, a fairly plain dress, but it did have certain features that worked in Yuri's favour. The skirt section in particular was quite short; Midori had wanted free movement of her legs. Yuri paused to wave to the crowd before turning around and exiting. Finally, Yasuko Wareme emerged. Midori remembered her as having dated Ki the previous year; perhaps Yuri was a step up for him after all. The succubus' gown touched the floor, but there were slits on each side that nearly went up to her waist. The neckline seemed to be trying to reach the same destination. And those sections that were actually covered by the dress almost might not have been, for the wispy black fabric of the outfit was not quite opaque. Yasuko blew kisses to several audience members as she crossed the stage back and forth. Midori watched the crowd as well as the people trotting by on stage, trying to determine who was winning. In this round, she thought that Yasuko had come out ahead; some of the boys had gotten nosebleeds from her display of flesh. Still, it would diminish the impact of her swimsuit later. Short term thinking, Midori silently chided the succubus. Ransha had probably scored a little bit worse, but it had been extremely close. Often, a subtler suggestion worked at least as well as anything more overt, as any child in the Steel Thorn Clan knew. Though Yasuko had not learned that basic piece of strategy, this girl had. In forcing the audience to use their imaginations to fill in some of the details, she had managed to do nearly as well as the significantly better endowed succubus. Yuri had come in dead last, of that Midori was sure. There had been some interest from the crowd, but nothing more. Now it was the boys' turn. First came Midori's cousin Ki, looking every bit the dashing young man in a well-fitted tuxedo, his sword still at his side. The daughter of the Steel Thorn Clan smiled thinly at seeing her cousin parade himself like cattle brought to market, and upon hearing a few wolf whistles from the audience she actually chuckled. Ki drew his blade and made a few quick slashes in the air (rather showy, Midori thought, but his technique was good), then exited. Next up was Balabalalde. He was wearing his bandages and chains, the same as ever. Midori was amazed that he had gotten to the finals at all, until she remembered that during his time in Junior High he virtually *was* the soccer team, and already showed every indication that he would lead Dark Heart High's team to similar success. Even now, some fans cheered him on, but the odds of him winning this contest appeared pretty slim. Predictably, he did nothing but walk to centre stage, then walk off again. He was followed by another individual Midori didn't know, Ryuji Seihachi. Like Ki, he was in a tux, although his was somewhat snugger, suggesting a powerfully muscled form. As he reached centre stage, he ran a hand through his mane of blonde hair and gave the crowd a dazzling smile. Midori had to admit to herself that this one was certainly worth a second look... and maybe even a third. Like her cousin, she had no heart, but also like him, this had not left her bereft of appreciation for the opposite sex. The competition here was obviously between Ki and this Ryuji. Midori recalled Ki's arrogant conviction that he would win, and laughed softly to herself. Her cousin's victory, if it came at all, would not be as easy as he had made out. Then she settled back to watch the swimsuit round. ****** Several minutes earlier, Yuri had been in the middle of changing out of her borrowed outfit. The girl had laid her swimsuit out on her chair; it was a sky-blue one-piece bathing suit that went all the way up to the base of her neck, leaving only her shoulders, arms, and legs bare. On its stomach was a picture of a kitten playing with a ball of yarn. In describing it, one would almost certainly use the word "cute" and almost certainly not the word "revealing". This was perfectly alright with Yuri; she couldn't understand why Yasuko didn't feel mortified parading herself in front of the entire school like that. If that modesty cost Yuri the contest, she could live with it. Just as Yuri was almost out of her dress, Yasuko returned from her brief time on-stage. The succubus' approach didn't register on Yuri as anything unusual, since the two of them (along with Ransha) were supposed to be in the same area. It was thus sheer luck that she happened to turn towards Yasuko just as the succubus pulled a small vial of green liquid from some pocket (and one might be forgiven for wondering just where on that alleged dress a pocket might be found). "What is-?" Yuri asked. Before she managed to finish voicing her question, Yasuko let fly the vial, which soared through the air towards Yuri. The intended victim of this attack, whatever it was, did the only thing she could think of; she ducked. The vial arced over Yuri's head, landing on the chair behind her... the chair on which Yuri had just laid out her swimsuit. The container shattered upon impact, spilling a bubbly green liquid onto the swimwear. Within seconds, steam started to rise as the bathing suit dissolved. "Ah! My suit!" "Aaargh! I wasn't even trying to kill you this time, just horribly disfigure you, but still you refuse to co-operate!" Yasuko shrieked, then grabbed her own swimsuit and stormed off to change in a corner. "Did she just throw acid at you?" Ransha asked in a concerned voice, hurrying over. The rainbow-haired girl was already in her own swimsuit, and had been waiting to go on-stage. "Yeah, but that sort of thing happens to me all the time. I think if I let it bother me too much, I'd go crazy. So I don't." Yuri shrugged. "If she did something like that to me, I'd take a dull, rusty knife and cut open her stomach, then remove the internal organs in her digestive system one by one, and forcefeed each of them to the bitch, washed down with her own blood. If you do it right, they don't die until you've already gotten through the spleen, the liver, and maybe the kidneys, but usually they lose consciousness before then, dammit," Ransha said sympathetically. "Uh... I'll keep that in mind. But what am I supposed to do about my swimsuit?" ****** All in all, Liza had had a reasonably good day, she thought. Sure, the Lust-O-Metre had been a loss, but it had bought her way out of worse trouble, and the mark-up on her sale to Craig had covered it. Of course, she should probably have clarified just what would happen if he rebooted the robot, but Liza was a firm believer in "caveat emptor". Let the buyer beware. After all, if you don't make sure that you HAVEN'T just bought a hastily reconfigured assassin-droid, that was your own damn fault, wasn't it? Distracted from her reverie by the resumption of the pageant, Liza sat up and watched the show. After all, it was free entertainment, and if there was one thing she believed in, it was taking advantage of a bargain. The first girl to walk out in a swimsuit was Ransha. It was a one-piece suit, but fairly low-cut and with a large circular cut-away exposing her stomach. It was rainbow-coloured, but that was probably a mistake, since its spectrum combined with her hair to overwhelm the viewer. Liza wondered idly whether it would be possible to invent something to advise people on proper colour co-ordination, but decided that Dark Heart High didn't have a sufficient market to make it worthwhile: too many students just wore black all the time. Ransha was followed by Yasuko Wareme, wearing a string bikini that could possibly have done double duty as shoelaces should the need have arisen. Unlike her dress, it was a deep and opaque black, but it clung just as tightly as the earlier outfit had. Finally, Yuri Mikagami trotted out. Liza blinked, but the image remained the same. She considered attempting to clean her glasses, but decided that what she thought she saw was actually what was in front of her. Yuri was wearing the tattered remains of a blue swimsuit. It was now a de facto bikini, since the middle had been completely eaten away, and so had the uppermost sections. The suit was not quite as tight and skimpy as Yasuko's had been, but it hung very loosely, shifting tantalizingly as she walked and looking as though it could blow aside completely or just plain fall apart at any moment, and reveal everything. Yuri was blushing furiously, and she hurried off-stage as quickly as she could, but not before nearly the entire male half of the student body (and a few of the females) called out their appreciation. After a moment, when the crowd had settled, the first of the male contenders walked out. It was Balabalalde. He was wearing a pair of red trunks... over his fully bandaged form. This actually elicited boos from some of the crowd. Following him was Ki Tamaida in a blue pair of trunks. He had a slim build, but he did not appear slight. The scion of the Steel Thorn Clan was lean because there was no flab visible on him, and his muscles suggested a gymnast rather than a weight- lifter. Last came Ryuji, wearing a red speedo. Unlike Ki, he was clearly into body building, and his pecs and abs stood out as he flexed for the appreciative crowd. The one odd thing that Liza noticed was a slight grayish tint to his flesh. Normally, that was something she associated with zombies, but the boy clearly wasn't one. After the final boy had exited, Vice-Principal Akurei returned to the stage. Coming so soon after Ki and Ryuji, he proved the equivalent of a cold shower. "Finally, we come to the speaking portion of this contest. Each contestant will have thirty seconds to talk on the subject of World Peace." Akurei headed off-stage again, leaving Liza puzzled. 'World Peace'? What kind of topic was that? First back onto the stage was Yasuko Wareme. "World Peace," the succubus began, "is the pursuit of fools. The only people who would benefit from such a thing are the insignificant masses who suffer during wars. They are unable to comprehend that their hardship has a purpose: the glorification of their betters. Therefore, it would be a waste of time and energy to pursue peace, when our resources are better spent satisfying the needs and desires of the deserving few. Thank you." Yuri Mikagami, once more in her normal fuku, followed the succubus. She looked out into the sea of faces, and Liza could have sworn that the girl was still blushing. "World Peace would be a good thing, because..." Yuri paused and swallowed before continuing. "Because we don't want people dying. That would be bad because if we didn't have any people..." Again, a pause, but this time when Yuri continued it was with renewed enthusiasm. "Because if we didn't have people, who could we be evil to? You can't be evil without subjects, right? Or victims? Who would we give commands to, or torture, or even kill, if everybody was already dead? Everything we learn to do here at Dark Heart High requires having people around, so we must pursue peace in order to pursue evil. Thank you." Ransha Yatara came next. Liza hadn't dealt with Ransha before, but every student was a potential customer, so she paid close attention to the rainbow-haired girl's words. "World Peace is a subject that is very important to me. If there is one thing we lack in today's chaotic world, it's sufficient peace. I find, sometimes, that with all that's going on out there, it's like I can't even hear myself think. That's why I want all that stuff to just stop; everything to just stop; everybody to just stop; stop talking, stop moving, stop breathing and breathing and breathing and breathing so that I can have some peace and quiet at last. Thank you." After Ransha was finished, it was time for the boys to take their turns. Ki was first. "World Peace is not an impossible dream. It is very much possible. If a sufficiently strong hand controls the world, all dissent will be crushed, all opposition ended before it can begin. I do not say that hand is mine, but I do not say it isn't. But it is very clear to me that all that is required for peace is sufficient strength: of mind, of arms, of will. Any who say otherwise are simply too weak to conceive of that strength. Thank you." Balabalalde walked out in front of the audience. He gazed at them for thirty seconds, saying nothing. Occasionally, he blinked. "I like it," whispered the girl next to Liza. "He's got such contempt for the topic of Peace he refuses to even dignify it with a speech. What a guy!" Liza rolled her eyes. Sometimes, life as a genius could be very lonely. The last freshman to speak was Ryuji. "Some say that World Peace is something to be desired; others that it should be scorned. I think that neither extreme is correct. Both hold opportunities, and both hold challenges. In times of war there are opportunities for expansion; in times of peace, there can be consolidation. Each is meaningless without the other. It is only in their balance, in their interplay, that evil can truly grow. Thank you." Akurei resumed the stage once more. "Thank you. We will be announcing the winner of the contest for Freshman Dark Knight and Dark Princess tonight at the formal dance. Next up, we have the contestants for Sophomore Dark Knight and Dark Princess..." ****** "How about this one?" Atsuko asked. Reika and Yuri both turned to look at the dress their friend was pointing at. "It's a bit daring, isn't it?" Yuri asked. "Says the girl in the leather skirt." "I told you, that's my uniform." "Uh huh. So, what's the verdict?" Yuri shook her head. Even though it was relatively tame compared to, for example, Yasuko's dress, it just wasn't her. Besides, she'd shown enough flesh to her fellow students for one day. "Hey, who are you going to this thing with, anyway?" Atsuko asked. "The cute guy with the sword? The mummy? Count Dracula?" "Atsuko," Reika reprimanded gently, rolling her eyes theatrically. "You're only encouraging her." "I don't have a date," Yuri said. "Oh. Well, it's not that important. I think everybody makes too big a deal out of that stuff." "You're almost convincing," Yuri said. "With a bit more practice, you might have fooled me." Then, pointing at another outfit, she said, "Look, what do you guys think of that? It looks like the sort of thing a lot of the other girls are going to be wearing." "It says it's meant for funerals," Reika said. "Black is pretty big at your school, huh?" Atsuko added. "I'll take those as 'no' votes." Yuri turned back to face her friends, and frowned as she noticed something. "Hey, do you guys know you're both developing bruises on the right side of your faces?" After a brief pause, Atsuko answered her. "It's a long story. Hey, maybe that dress there would look good on you?" ****** "Yuri, dear, aren't you going to be late?" The girl fixed her mother with the look that can only be summoned by a teenager faced with incontrovertible evidence of an adult's cluelessness. "It's a school dance, mom. You're supposed to be late. Only geeks show up right at the start." "I remember my first dance at Dark Heart High," Troi Mikagami said, joining the conversation. His voice was the faintly wistful one he occasionally adopted when reminiscing about his school years or the first few realms he had forced into a fiery and blood-soaked collapse. "My date was a demoness named Zilene. She had the most incredible horns. Lovely girl." Then, catching the look on his wife's face, he added, "not that she could compare to your mother, of course, Yuri." "By the way, dear, that's a lovely outfit you chose," her mother added. "Thanks." The dress she had finally selected was green, but unlike the one she had worn during the competition, it was a lighter shade that matched the colour of her eyes. "I just wish I'd managed to find a new swimsuit today, too." "What happened to your old one?" "Competitive spirit." ****** When Yuri entered the school gymnasium, she saw that a few of the people she knew were there already. Bala and Ransha were already out on the dance floor together, but Leilei and Ki were standing off to one side, chatting. Yuri decided to join them. "Hi Yuri! That's a nice outfit," Leilei said. "Yours too," Yuri replied. Her friend was wearing a slightly fancier version of her normal wardrobe, a bright yellow dress. "Would either of you like something to drink?" Ki offered. He gestured towards a table across the room, on which were sitting two large bowls full of red liquid and some stacks of clear plastic cups. "Sure," Yuri said. "Me too. Just be sure to get it from the bowl on the left," Leilei told her date. "I think we'd rather have fruit punch than type AB negative." "But of course," Ki said, and headed off to fetch their requested beverages. Yuri gazed after him for a moment. "You're a lucky girl, Leilei." "I guess. I think he wanted to ask you, though." Yuri turned to her friend, a surprised look on her face. "Why do you think that?" "He keeps asking me stuff about you. What your favorite food is, what you do for fun, whether you've ever killed a man in cold blood, that sort of thing. I don't really mind, though, so don't worry. It's not like I thought Ki wanted a relationship with me; I'm just here to have some fun tonight." Yuri was about to ask some more questions when the boy returned with their beverages. "Here you are, ladies." They both thanked him, and took the proffered glasses. As they began to drink, the group was joined by Bala and Ransha. "Tired of dancing already?" Leilei asked Bala. He made no response. "Bala wasn't, but I was. Jeez, he's got amazing leg muscles. We've been dancing since we got here, and he's not even a little bit tired," Ransha said. "So, having fun?" Yuri asked her. "Pretty much. Parties like this aren't really my thing, though. I have a thing about too much noise; it bothers me after a while. Really, if people would just learn to appreciate quiet more, we'd have a whole lot less disemboweling in this world, don't you think?" "Uh, right." Yuri couldn't see the connection, so she decided to change the subject. "So, how do you think you did in the competition this afternoon?" "Okay, I think. My dress and swimsuit both went over okay. I could have done better in the speeches, though." Yuri nodded. "Yeah, yours got a bit weird." "Did it? I just meant that I thought I mumbled. How about you? Think you're gonna win?" "Probably not." "Why do you say that? Your swimsuit was amazing! I talked with some of the guys I know afterwards, and they couldn't stop going on about it. They didn't even mention Yasuko; all they talked about was you." Yuri felt a strange mixture of horror and pleasure. "Really?" "Absolutely." "I heard about your swimsuit also," Ki said. "I was backstage and couldn't see it, but I'm told you were a sight to behold." Yuri blushed and muttered something incomprehensible. At that moment, the music started up again. "I was working in the lab, late one night..." the latest selection began. "I love this song," Leilei said. "Come on, Ki." The two of them headed out onto the dance floor. "Actually, I think I'm ready for some more dancing too," Ransha said. "Bala?" The bandaged boy looked first at his date, then at Yuri for a long moment, before heading after Ki and Leilei. Ransha followed right behind him. And Yuri was all alone. ****** The Steel Thorn Clan instills, through vigorous training, a constant grace of movement in its members. No matter the adverse conditions, distractions, or obstacles, the sons and daughters of the Steel Thorn are able to move with apparent ease, maneuvering through life with unfaltering poise. But it was still damn hard for one of them to slow dance with someone who only came up to their stomach without looking like an idiot. Ki Tamaida reflected on this apparent gap in the Clan's training regimen as he leaned over to bring himself level with Leilei. Though they had been dancing for nearly a quarter hour, the current song was the first that required them to slow dance, and so he was only now becoming aware of the difficulties such a situation posed. They were enough to make him long for the days of his pain-resistance training, when all he had to do was keep his hands in a fire or take stab wounds without flinching. When the song finally ended, Leilei decided she wanted to take a break, but Ki informed her he was going to stay out on the floor for a few minutes longer. He had someone he needed to talk to. Wandering over to where Yasuko was dancing with Sakazashi the Fifth, Doombringer, Ki tapped the other boy on the shoulder. "May I cut in?" Sakazashi stepped aside, leaving the scion of the Steel Thorn Clan with the succubus. "What do you want?" she asked. Before he could answer, the music started up again, right next to the two of them. "You tried to kill Yuri again," he said. "Pardon?!?" she shouted over the music. "I said you tried to kill Yuri again," he repeated a bit louder. "I tried tuque ill hurricane?" she shouted back. "What are you babbling about, Ki?" "KILL YURI AGAIN!" he hollered. "Oh! Well, when you failed to appear last time, I figured the deal was off!" "No! I got delayed!" "You were late because you were getting laid? And here I actually thought you were serious about the strumpet. But I guess you have some sense after all." "DElayed! DElayed! Can we move somewhere with less noise?" Ki asked. "I guess, but that's a pretty strange request, even for you. I mean, WHY do you want me to put gum in your hair and then bless your nose?!" ****** Yuri had seen many strange things in her time at Dark Heart High. Things that had made her question her understanding of the universe, things that had terrified her deeply, things that even made her wonder if Reika was right and she was just going nuts. But until this moment she had only imagined just how bizarre the world she now inhabited could be. Craig Maimsworth had a date. "Yuri!" he called, heading over to her. Following him was a lovely blonde girl that Yuri didn't recognize. "Have I introduced you to Sue?" "No. Pleased to meet you." Yuri stuck out a hand to shake, but the other girl didn't react to the gesture. "I am Craig's date," Sue said. "You have my sympathies," Yuri said before she could stop herself. "He is very sexy. And a magnificent dancer," Sue continued. She sounded oddly like she was reading off invisible cue cards. "So, do you go to Dark Heart High? I haven't seen you around." Sue turned to look at Craig. "Do I?" "Ha ha," Craig said. He didn't laugh; he actually said the words 'ha ha'. "Of course not, honey." Sue faced Yuri again. "I do not." "You go to... Sakura Arts," Craig added. "I go to Sakura Arts," she repeated. Yuri had come to the conclusion that the poor girl was a little slow, although in retrospect that was obvious. She was dating Craig, after all. Well, it would be rude to point it out, so Yuri just smiled politely. "That's nice." "Craig is the greatest thing that ever happened to me," Sue told Yuri. "He makes my life complete." She reached over and put an arm around the boy. "I'm glad you're happy," Yuri said. "Yes, we are," Craig said. "Very happy," Sue added. "Well, we'll see you later, okay?" Craig said, and the two of them wandered off together. When they were gone, Yuri shuddered. "Okay, I guess there are worse things than not having a date." ****** "And just what do you think you're doing, young man?" asked Vice-Principal Akurei. The senior he had snuck up behind yelped and turned around. Clasped in his hand was the flask he had been about to empty into the bowl of fruit punch. "May I have that, please?" Akurei asked. Meekly, the boy complied, and Akurei took a large swig from it. "This is... drano?" he asked, smacking his lips. The boy nodded, still apparently unable to find his voice. "We'll be having a word about this on Monday. Rule number eighty three of the dance was quite clearly marked. 'No mass murder attempts.'" "Is there some trouble here?" asked Principal Amakusa as he joined his assistant. The boy somehow got even paler. "Nothing unusual. Just a violation of the dance rules," Akurei said. "I see. May I have a word with you, Akurei?" "Of course." The vice-principal gestured for the student to leave them alone, and the boy complied quite happily. "What is it?" "That girl you dealt with this afternoon? The one who helps out Nurse Sybil?" "Liza," Akurei supplied. "Yes. How sure are you that she didn't give you a malfunctioning device? Or one that she had rigged to give a certain result?" Akurei gave a very wide, very toothy grin. "I'm quite certain I convinced her it was in her best interest to cooperate as fully as she could. Why do you ask?" "I just found out the winners of the competition..." ****** Yasuko Wareme was furious. Everyone she talked to seemed to believe that the strumpet had made a better showing that she had in the contest that afternoon. Couldn't they see that the succubus was obviously superior in every way? Okay, Yasuko had to admit that Yuri had looked reasonably fetching, all things considered, but still! So, when the succubus caught sight of her rival crossing the dance floor, cup of punch in hand, she did the only thing she could be expected to; she bumped into the girl. Hard. Yuri went flying, her drink leaving her hand to splash onto herself and a very appealing girl Yasuko didn't recognize. (A girl who was dancing with Craig!?! What was the world coming to?) "Oh, I'm ever so sorry," Yasuko said. "I'll bet," Yuri said, rubbing her ankle. She got back to her feet and went to fetch herself another drink. It occurred to Yasuko that the dress Yuri was wearing was probably brand new, since the succubus had heard that the one the little tramp had worn that morning had been borrowed. And that punch might just leave a stain on it. Sometimes, Yasuko reflected, it was the little pleasures that made life worthwhile. ****** "Sexy Craig worthwhile dancer," Sue said. "Pardon?" he asked. "Sakura very Sue hello." "Oh, dragonturds." The drink that Yuri had spilled all over his date must have short-circuited her. "Maybe if I reboot her..." he muttered. Then, remembering that this would restore her to her 'original programming' (and what else could she have been programmed for?), Craig developed a fair amount of enthusiasm for the prospect. Leading his date out of the gymnasium, he dragged her through the school's deserted halls into an empty classroom. "Now, how do I reboot you?" he asked. "Ears left right left tug." "That was rhetorical, actually, but thanks." Craig reached out and tugged on the robot's ears, first her left, then her right, and finally her left again. "System rebooting." The faux-girl's head dropped, and her mouth opened and closed rapidly. Craig could hear her saying the words "one" and "zero" very quickly in an apparently random order. Finally, she looked up at him again. "Good morning, sir. Please specify the target." "Huh?" "Please specify the target," she repeated. "What are you talking about?" "This unit is a T-800 series animated blow-up doll, designed for assassination. Please specify the target you would like terminated." Well, this was certainly not what Craig had expected. The boy considered who, exactly, he WOULD like to be terminated. There were a lot of people against whom he had a grudge. Sure, some of them practically counted as the closest thing he had to friends, given his social standing. But that didn't mean he was going to pass up an opportunity like this. And of all of them, one name rose to the top of the list. Who had foiled his plans? Who had made a fool of him in class? Who had gotten him in trouble again and again? Who had, not five minutes ago, broken his date? "Yuri Mikagami," he said. ****** The music was loud, the people were possessed of a self- conscious cool that was ludicrous to everyone but them, the punch was watered, the lighting was terrible, and the room was filled way over capacity. It was a school dance, and it was in full swing. The current song that was playing didn't require one to have a particular dance partner, so Yuri and all her friends, her acquaintances, her classmates, her attempted murderers, were all just dancing together in one big crowd. Yuri moved her body to the rhythm in the song, waving her arms and shifting her hips as the sound carried her away. She was having a great time, and right now she didn't care about anything else. Not her lack of date, not her involuntary exhibitionism during the competition, not even the renewed pain in her ankle since being tripped by Yasuko. It was all lost in the music, the crowd, the moment. ****** Ki glanced over at Yuri. She seemed so removed from the world around her, not detached but simply above it, as if nothing in it could hope to touch her. At that moment, he saw again what had drawn him to her from the beginning. Beneath the surface, Yuri possessed so much potential. If that could only be brought out fully, she would be ideal- Ki's training had neglected the fine art of dancing with apparent seven year olds, but it had covered danger detection in exquisite depth. The unease he felt was almost subconscious, but it was unmistakable. Something was very wrong. It only took a second for his conscious mind to catch up with his senses. Unseen by Yuri, the girl Craig had brought- Sue, he remembered hearing her introduced as- was approaching the object of Ki's attention from behind. That in itself was not unusual, of course. Sue was supposed to be there for the dance too. But Ki's trained eye was noticing all sorts of differences in her body language. Before, she had moved with a casual, exaggeratedly sexy swagger. Now, she strode with purpose and efficiency. And there was a look of complete focus on her face as she stared unblinkingly at Yuri. Literally unblinkingly. Whatever Sue was, she wasn't just some girl Craig had picked up. And whatever was going on, Ki didn't think it looked good. So he did the only think he could think of. He tackled Yuri. There would be time for apologies later if necessary. As it turned out, they wouldn't be needed. ****** Target-designate 'Yuri Mikagami' was within range. Sue activated her detonation sequence. And the 'animated blow-up doll' blew up. ****** Yuri hit the ground beneath Ki, and now she knew her ankle was going to require more recuperation time. Two falls in one night was not what she needed while still not quite fully healed. "What was that noise?" she asked. "Sue just exploded," he replied matter-of-factly. "Huh. I guess this is what happens if a girl tries to spend an entire evening as Craig's date," Yuri heard Yasuko say. It was only then that she realized the music had stopped. Crawling out from under Ki, she saw that the lights had been turned on fully as well, and everyone had gathered around to look at the disturbance. Of Sue nothing remained but pieces of shrapnel. The robot had been designed to explode in a focussed manner, instead of in all directions, so the incidental damage was fairly minor. However, while Yuri had been knocked out of the path of the lethal barrage, the person behind her had not been so lucky. Ransha lay bleeding on the floor, shards of the robot protruding from her body. For a second, Yuri thought the rainbow-haired girl was dead, but then she saw Ransha's chest rising and falling slightly. "Make room! Make room!" called Akurei. He and Nurse Sybil (in her buxom form) approached the injured girl, and after a moment Sybil decided it would be best to move Ransha to the Nurse's office. The Vice-Principal picked up the rainbow-haired girl and carried her after Sybil. In the wake of the incident, the crowd seemed to collectively hold their breath, at a loss as to what would happen next. ****** "The girl?" asked Amakusa. Those were the first two words out of his mouth upon his entrance into the Nurse's Office. Sybil shook her head sadly. "There was nothing I could do." "Should we send everyone home?" Akurei asked. "Have we ever cancelled anything at Dark Heart High due to a death among the student body?" Amakusa answered. "But perhaps we can speed things up. You go announce the winners and hold the last dance. I'll take care of things here." "I'm just grateful that she didn't win the competition," Akurei said. "Indeed," Amakusa agreed. "That would have been awkward." As Akurei left to carry out the Principal's orders, Amakusa went to look at the body. "The end of the second week of school, and we've had two fatalities," he mused. "It's a slow year." ****** It was all just perfect. Yuri was grateful to Ki for having just saved her life; Yuri was emotionally vulnerable, looking for comfort and security in the wake of what had happened to Ransha and almost happened to her; and Yuri was looking to her rescuer to provide that support. Perfect. Ki would have to remember to do something to thank Craig for bringing matters to this point. Perhaps when he got around to killing the oft-armoured boy for very nearly ruining everything, he'd do it quickly and mercifully. That was thanks enough, really. "I can't believe it," Yuri was saying. "One minute, we're all just dancing, and then-" "There, there," Ki said soothingly, gently patting her arm. "It's alright." "Attention, everyone," announced Akurei. "We will now be announcing the victors of this afternoon's competition. After that, we will hold the last dance of the evening, in which the winners in each grade will dance together." This just got better and better. A romantic dance now would cement Yuri's new attachment to him. "Before I announce the winners," Akurei continued, "I would like to congratulate all of the finalists on the excellent jobs they did this afternoon. You would all make commendable tempters and temptresses, whether or not you are selected to be part of tonight's Dark Court. It is important for those who do not win to remember that as they wallow in the shame of defeat, knowing that they have failed and that their lives should rightfully be forfeited as penance. "And the winner of the Freshman position of Dark Knight is... Ryuji Seihachi." Ki couldn't believe it. He had lost? How could he have lost? It didn't seem possible. And just when things had been going so well, too. ****** Yasuko Wareme snickered to herself as she saw the look on Ki's face. The boy had always had an arrogant streak, she thought without a trace of irony. "The winner of the Freshman position of Dark Princess is... and I should mention first that this was an extremely close decision," Akurei said. "But the winner is Yasuko Wareme." The succubus was not surprised at all. Not really. As she waded to the front of the crowd, where a pair of Student Council representatives waited to crown her and Ryuji, she savoured her victory. It had been inevitable, of course. Yuri had been outclassed from the very beginning. But this vindication was still sweet indeed. When the succubus arrived at her coronation, she found that Ryuji had gotten there just ahead of her. He looked... different. His handsome features were peeling, and most of his blond hair had fallen out. Several large chunks of his flesh appeared to be missing, as was one eye. The grayish tint that had been barely visible that afternoon had spread and worsened, giving him a waxen look. He smelled strongly of decay. For a second, Yasuko thought he was a zombie, but she had never seen one so badly decomposed before. She smiled to the crowd as their coronation occurred, then when Akurei started naming the Sophomore winners, she turned to whisper to Ryuji. "What has happened to you?" "What? Oh, this. I'm a Merkla Demon. Didn't you know that?" he asked, a few teeth falling out even as he spoke. "A Merkla Demon?" she asked. "We can only manifest on this plane of reality by animating corpses. But they fall apart really quickly under the strain, as you can see. I need to get a new one every couple of days." "Do you mean to tell me that I shall have to dance with a rotting corpse manipulated by some other-dimensional demon?" "Yep." He reached over and took her hand in his. It was cold and clammy. He squeezed her hand, and one of his fingers fell off. "Whoops." Yasuko gagged. ****** So Midori had failed to secure a victory for Yuri as she had promised. Interesting. Ki would remember to remind her of that when next she chided him for his alleged weakness. This meant that he could still salvage his plan if- "A-hem," Leilei said. "Yes?" Ki asked. "We're supposed to dance." "We are?" he asked, genuinely puzzled. "You're my date," she reminded him. "Oh. Of course. I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. That unpleasantness earlier has obviously disoriented me." Ki considered attempting to avoid dancing with the pink- haired girl, but decided that such a rejection would likely cause her to influence Yuri against him, and that would not do. "That's okay. For saving my friend, you're allowed to be a little distracted. Now, come on!" It was, of course, a slow dance. ****** Yuri stood off to one side of the room, watching the couples out on the floor. Ki looked like a bit of an idiot, bending over nearly ninety degrees to bring himself down to Leilei's level. But Yuri thought it was still very sweet of him to have asked her friend in the first place. Kashin and the girl who normally carried an Ingram Mac-10 (absent tonight) were at the centre of the room, with a spotlight focussed on them. The Dark King and Dark Queen. Yasuko was dancing near them, as part of the Dark Court herself tonight. She didn't seem too happy about her place there, but that was probably because Ryuji's jawbone had just fallen off and landed in her cleavage. Yuri supposed that she was lucky not to have been selected as winner, but she would have liked to have had someone to dance with now... She felt a hand tap her on the shoulder, and turned to see Balabalalde. Though still mostly bandaged and chained, his restraints had been strategically undone to allow his arms some movement. "No one to dance with either, huh?" she asked. Her annoyance with him had vanished completely in the wake of recent events. "We're just the two lonely losers tonight, eh, Bala? Well, I guess we're still better off than poor Ransha, so we should be happy." For a moment, he did nothing. Then his sole visible eye moved from her to the dance floor and back again. "I'd love to," Yuri said. As she followed Bala out into the crowd, she saw Leilei wink at her, then lost sight of her friend. She caught up with Bala, who turned and put one bandaged hand onto her hip. He held out the other, and she took it in hers, putting her other arm around his back. ****** And they danced. ****** After the song finished, the dance was over. Yuri and Bala headed outside into the night air. "It's been quite a day, hasn't it, Bala?" she asked. There was no reply, but none was expected. "You're a very good dancer, by the way," Yuri added. Again, he gave no acknowledgement. Yuri wanted to ask the bandaged boy if that last dance had been just a friendly gesture or something more, but try as she might she couldn't find the right words. After that incident in the Ferris Wheel, she had also thought that something was starting between them, and it looked like she had been wrong then. All that leaping to that conclusion had accomplished was to get her upset when she found out he had agreed to go to the dance with someone else. She didn't want to make that mistake again. But what should she say? Well, it wasn't like he would have answered anyway. They stood there for a few minutes in silence, until Leilei emerged from the building as well. The pink-haired girl quickly and methodically rebound Bala. "We should be heading off," Leilei said. "It's pretty late." "My mom is coming to pick me up," Yuri replied. "Do you want a lift?" "No, we're okay. Not much is dangerous when Bala's around." "Well, I'll see you guys on Monday, then." And Yuri was left alone with her thoughts. ****** Author's Notes: "Brevity is the soul of wit, and so I shall be brief." Or not. This just topped ten thousand words, not counting these notes, making it the longest part since the starter; this is the second series on which I've done that. To those of you who dislike long parts, I apologize. First off, I'd like to thank Sharyna Tran and Ann for their ideas, suggestions, comments, cooperation, pre-reading, and just generally being great people to collaborate with on this little trilogy. Without them, this part would not only have been far worse, it probably wouldn't exist at all. I'd also like to thank Mads and all previous authors, as usual, for making DHH such a great series. And also Lirazel, for her kind words on the MB about my previous part, which certainly helped encourage me to sign up again. Since I can still recall the reaction the last time an author put a body count into DHH, I'll briefly comment on Ransha's death. First off, I want to note that this idea was decided upon by Ann and Sharyna before I even knew that they were going to introduce a new character to be Bala's date. I'm not trying to dodge any blame, since I went along with the idea quite happily, but I want to make clear that her entire purpose in this story from the very beginning was to appear and then die. I would not have killed a character off as unnecessarily as I did had it been otherwise. And yes, as far as I am concerned, she really has shuffled off this mortal coil (ooh, TWO Hamlet quotes in one Author's Notes). She's not merely dead; she's really most sincerely dead. My principal sources for this were parts 10 and 11, the previous chapters dealing with the dance and the contest. Yuri's ankle has been a plot point since it was injured in part 6. That there is a half-day of class on Saturdays was established in Part 4, which also revealed that Baba-sensei's Home Ec class occurred then. Part 4 was also the last time we saw Reika and Atsuko, who promised to slap each other ere they next agreed to see Yuri, hence the bruises. By the way, assuming I've got this right, Atsuko is the one who is slightly more willing to believe (or at least humour) Yuri. The incident on the Ferris Wheel between Bala and Yuri is in part 5. The bit about her powers being listed as dormant on the application was from part 1. The discussion that Ki and Yasuko try to have at the dance concerns, among other things, events from part 9. Liza's entrepreneurial spirit came to Akurei's attention in part 6. Finally, for those who have forgotten, Venefik The Unforgettable was the first casualty of the school year, back in part 3. Exterior sources (ha! Thought I was done, did you?) include quick references to Full Metal Jacket ("What is your minor malfunction?"), the novel Dracula (when Count Dracula is mentioned by Atsuko, obviously), and the Terminator films (Sue says she's a T-800 series machine, same as Arnie was). The Merkla demon is an amalgam of various things, including the Edgar-suit in Men in Black, the strangers in Dark City, Brainiac using Luthor's corpse in Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? and the Angel episode Lonely Hearts. Sue's characterization was partially inspired by April and the Buffybot on Buffy The Vampire Slayer. "I was working in the lab, late one night" really is the first line of a song: The Monster Mash. Sorry, I couldn't resist. And finally, I'd like to cite Archie Comics in general as having heavily influenced how I picture high school dances. Nicolas Three Impro parts, no skips, and counting ****** Ryuji wanted to get a drink of water before he went home (his borrowed body was losing moisture rapidly), so instead of going out the exit, he headed through the door that led into the school, in search of the nearest fountain. As he wandered the empty halls, he passed by the Nurse's Office. The door was open, so he poked his head inside. Lying on the examination table were the mortal remains of Ransha Yatara. Looking around and seeing nobody else in the room, he entered and walked over to the corpse. "Hey, is anybody using this?" he called out, although not quite that coherently due to various missing parts of his anatomy. There came no reply from his empty surroundings. "Jackpot!"