17 The Witch's Knoll
They finally reached destination, and the place they entered had a suspicious sign that said 'No Trespassing', but the Bus Driver ignored it and continued, until they reached a sunflower garden.
Moka: Hey Gabriel, wake up!
Gabriel: Huh? Oh? Did we arrived?
Moka nodded and took his hand while he grabbed his backpack and Moka took him out with the others, Gabriel was really amazed from the place, but had a bit of worries knowing what is coming next.
Kurumu: Wow! Where are we? A sunflower garden?
Gabriel: No, we are in a bank! Are you blind?
Kurumu gave him a raspberry then she hugged Tsukune while they walked.
Moka: It's beautiful…! Is this where we're staying? I had no idea that there were such incredible places in the human world too!
Gabriel: Well, there are both good places and bad places, this is one of the good ones.
Shizuka: Huh? This is a totally different spot than where we had planned isn't it?
Bus Driver: Well, I thought we should try stopping by this spot for a bit. Currently this is quite a well known spot in the human world.
Tsukune: Well known? Oh, for the sunflowers, right?
Bus Driver: Negative… For being a mysterious spot where one person after another has been spirited away.
Tsukune stumbled from surprise and from the nonchalant tone the Bus Driver used.
Bus Driver: Don't you think that in this day and age that spiriting away is quite poetic?
Gabriel: No… It isn't…
Tsukune: That's why you brought us here!?!
Then the Bus Driver gave a newspaper to Gabriel and said.
Bus Driver: You'd best read the local newspaper for the details. Well, you guys had better be plenty careful not to get spirited away.
Then he got near Gabriel's ear and said with a dark tone.
Bus Driver: I think you already got it… Be careful of your friends, Ant King.
Then he patted Gabriel's shoulder and turned towards Shizuka with a smile.
Bus Driver: Hehee… Well, teacher Nekonome, Why don't we go out to eat? I'll treat you to some yummy fish.
Shizuka: ...Fish?
Then they immediately entered the bus and the driver left the students alone.
Tsukune: Whaaaaaa, why are you leaving!!! Waaaiiittttt, don't leave us behind!!
Kurumu: Teacher!!!
Gabriel turned and noticed a colossal amount of signatures with his En in the Sunflower Garden, watching them, Gabriel narrowed his eyes and prepared himself for any fight.
[Later]
They were walking in the garden, and were complaining about the bus driver and teacher.
Kurumu: I can't believe it! What's that bus driver thinking! We've been deserted deep in the mountains!
Yukari: What're we gonna do now? I don't like this! I wanna go home right now!
Kurumu: What are you talking about, we just got here! I'll give you something to cry about if you don't stop complaining!!
Gabriel: Hey.
His voice seemed like a thunder and everyone turned towards him.
Gabriel: We are surrounded.
Moka: What do you mean?
Gabriel: Let's go away right now!
Everyone didn't knew what was happening but followed Gabriel's command, and found a small house to hide in.
Gabriel: 'I can't endanger everyone…'
Moka: Hey Gabriel, what did you mean with we're being surrounded?
Gabriel: There are monsters everywhere… Tsukune, read the newspaper.
Then Gabriel gave him the newspaper and he nodded before he started reading it.
After that, everyone started talking again.
Kurumu: A which? So she may have created the monsters? Isn't it your kind that kidnaps humans and does awful things to them?
Gabriel: 'Heh, you didn't see what did Meruem when he was born… He ate his own allies…' Well, who cares, let's just find out who's doing it and stopping him or her, we are in a school that teaches coexistence, it will be useless if some people tries to give us a bad reputation.
Everyone nodded but Yukari talked.
Yukari: It's too dangerous!
Kurumu: Yukari…
Yukari: What if something really bad happens? This is the human world! Even my tarot cards say this vacation is ill-fated!!
Kurumu got pissed off of her and said.
Kurumu: I've had enough of you, Yukari. Tarot cards are worthless anyway! And you've been complaining all day! You're such a wimp! How long are you going to hide under your bed? You really are just a baby, if you're so worried then why don't you go home by yourself!
Yukari started to cry and got angry.
Yukari: Wh-why you… Don't be so stupid! I'm not afraid of anything!
Then she opened the door and left the room, and ran in the garden.
Moka: Wait, Yukari, where are you going?
Then she turned towards Kurumu.
Moka: Come on! That was going too far, Yukari is running up the mountain! We've got to follow her!
Gabriel, Tsukune and Moka then watched dumbfounded Kurumu, who had a tarot card in stabbed in her head.
Kurumu: I've been stabbed…
Tsukune: Whoa, that's an iron tarot card…
Gabriel: Give me a break…
[Meanwhile]
Yukari was running in a forest right now, and started to think about her past.
Yukari: 'I… I grew up living in a small sealed off village at the bottom of a deep gorge… So I saw humans as my enemies, I hated the human world for a lot of reasons too.' Yet no one… Thinks about how I feel…
Right now she heard a scream coming from the sunflower garden.
Yukari: ...Hm? A-a scream? It came from the sunflower garden. 'Could they be in danger? But there is Gabriel and Moka with them… Still, I need to check them out'
At the sunflower garden, two tourists were in the middle of the garden, and one was being dragged from a monster while the other was pulling the former's arm.
Tourist 1: Wh-What's with this sunflower garden? This can't be happening! Someone help! ANYONE!!!
Then Yukari passed and seen who yelled.
Tourist 1: Who are you!?
Yukari: 'It's an unknown… Human!!'
Tourist 1: Wh-Why are you dressed like that? A-Are you a witch!?
Yukari ran away while saying.
Yukari: My mistake! I thought that someone else was in danger. I wouldn't have bothered to come if I had known it was some human stranger.
Tourist: W-wait! Help me! She's going to be eaten! My senpai! My senpai is going to get eaten by these sunflowers!
Yukari was surprised and turned around to look better.
Yukari: ..:What?
Tourist: It's my fault! I was the one who said she should come to this 'Witch hill' a a test of courage… And because of me, my senpai was suddenly attacked by the sunflower!!
Yukari was able to notice some abnormalities in the other tourist, and was shocked.
Yukari: 'Wh-What is this…'
There were some strange plants over the second tourist.
Yukari: 'Is that a plant!? A plant feeding on a human!?' Could this be… A type of magic plant…? A plant monster that attacks and feeds on humans and animals like a venus fly trap!
?: F...ood… Food…
Something strange appeared near the tourist, and turned towards Yukari to attack her.
?: FOOD… Eat… Food… Eat…
Yukari: Kyaaaaa
Yukari jumped away, and looked better at the plant.
Yukari: 'C-could this be… what's been causing all those people to be spirited away!!? All those people who disappeared were eaten by this!?'
Then Yukari took out some tarot cards and threw them at the monster
Yukari: I'm not going to let myself be eaten by this thing!!!
All of the tarot cards pierced the monster, letting a strange liquid flow out, then Yukari took out her magic wand and said.
Yukari: My finishing move is magic wand controlled tarot cards blade attack. I'm not going to lose to just some plant!
But the monster continued to move.
Yukari: 'It, it didn't work!?'
Suddenly, many other moans were heard.
Monsters: Food…/ Food…/ Food…/ Food… Eat…
Yukari: What, more of them? How many are there?
Then her arm was binded from a plant rope, making her yelp, then she was lifted from the ground, but a blur passed and cut off all the ropes, making Yukari fall, and then she was grabbed from the same blur, it was Gabriel, who had a serious look.
Yukari: G-Gabriel!?
Gabriel: *Sigh* What I need to do…
Then Gabriel vanished once again and all the monsters that got out from their hiding places had an hole in their bodies, killing all of them.
The tourist and her senpai fell in the ground, but they were safe, then Yukari disappeared too and reappeared together with Gabriel near Tsukune and the others.
Gabriel: I said we were surrounded and you go out… At least think about what to do, jeez…
Yukari: ...Sorry…
The group stopped worrying about Yukari and left the garden, camping some kilometers away from it, in a forest. But only Gabriel noticed, that a certain crow was following them.
