CH5: Burnout

It was early in the morning, about two hours before sunrise, when I knocked on Tsukune's door. Just knocking made me wince. My arm wasn't ok. It had throbbed since my scuffle with Saizou, even with my qi enhancement. That was the price I paid for tanking a metal bat wielded by a monster. The bone was back together, but I needed time to fully heal. The qi burns only exasperated my injuries.

The door opened, revealing a blue-haired girl sucking on a loli. She was cute and completely Tsukune's type when he wasn't being jumped by my cheating girlfriend. The air chilled in her presence, and I smiled good-naturedly.

"Goodmorning, is my brother up? I thought we would head to the gym before school starts."

"He doesn't want to see you anymore. After meeting me, he's realized how terrible you are."

I heard Tsukune yawn and get up. "Hey Mizore, it's ok; you can let him in."

"Why, you told me he treated you like trash and always acted like you weren't worth his time?" Mizore said.

"That was a secret between us; don't go talking about it." Tsukune faced me. "Sorry, Arakan, sometimes my emotions get the better of me. But why are you here so early? The sun isn't even out. Not that it's ever that bright around here."

"Maybe I shouldn't take you home then. The sun is never out where I come from. It's always cold."

"That sounds like a great place to train. You've found a keeper, little brother. Mom would love to meet her."

"You haven't called mom; she's worried, and you promised to check in," Tsukune said.

I blinked and suddenly remembered promising to call her several times before we left. "Your right I've been so caught up with Moka, beating up Saizou, and the gym that I completely forgot to call. Oh, and I broke my arm."

Tsukune sighed, then blinked. "How did you break your arm?" Tsukune shouted.

Mizore shushed him. "People are trying to sleep."

I stared down at the still slightly swollen limb. It didn't hurt as much, but still. The pain was there, constantly reminding me why it's better to dodge than block. "Saizou jumped me with a metal bat. I let it hit my arm in exchange for a hit at his throat. Maybe I should have taken his head off instead of punching his throat."

Mizore spoke up. "Killing in self-defense is allowed, especially if no one finds the bodies. Didn't you read the student handbook?" I rubbed the back of my neck at her glare.

"I also burned myself out in the gym before," I said.

"How it's just a gym, right?" Tsukune asked.

"The weights are enchanted to be much heavier than normal. I managed to squat near 400tons before I left." Tsukune opened his mouth and closed it. "Mizore, we have to go to this gym. Do they have lighter weights?"

"There are dumbbells that weigh a ton each. I used those to warm up. Try not to go crazy like I did; burnout is a real problem there."

Mizore looked between us. "Tsukune, I know you're not a fire-type monster, so what does he mean by burnout?"

"He means he used so much inner energy that it literally burned him. It's almost like a friction burn but all the way through our bodies and sometimes in our bones. I can also make our bones weaker." Tsukune stared at me. "Why did you block at all while suffering from burnout?"

I shrugged. "I had just been on a date with Moka and found out about the gym. I was a little excited and wasn't thinking about how brittle my bones might have become. Without any more stress, I should be back to full power by tomorrow. Then I'll start a routine and slowly build up my tolerance for burnout."

"Are you sure he's the older brother?" Mizore said.

Tsukune sighed. "I've thought about the dark presence you felt, and what if it never awakens again. What you felt all those years ago might have been a fluke? What if it never moves again in a thousand years?"

Mizore looked between us and sighed. "Let's check out the gym; just let me get ready. I'm using your shower, so you stay outside." I waved her words away and walked over to the side of the building. Tsukune shut the door and leaned beside me.

I thought about mentioning that Moka said he smelled like a dragon. There was a chance we had some in our ancestry, but I doubted it. Our parents were as mundane and human as they could get while eating qi-rich food daily.

"Mizore seems like a nice girl," I said.

"She's the best; she's so cool and down to earth. Being with her makes me feel at home, and I've only known her for a day. Moka seemed nice too; I hope you aren't feeling anemic already."

I heal fast; we both do. She's quick on her feet and filled with whimsey; for a vampire, she's like the sun in many ways, and I feel like the moon. Always following in her wake and giving off a light fainter than hers."

"Yea, but do you like her."

"I do; she's beautiful, caring, and is a total trouble magnet. One day hanging out with her, I've already been in two skirmishes. But, really, I couldn't ask for a better girlfriend."

"And I thought I fell hard with Mizore. Be careful we aren't dealing with normal humans anymore; we're in an entirely different weight class, and you're suffering burnout." Tsukune said.

"The worst of it is behind me."

Tsukune frowned. "I'll try to act as backup if anything goes wrong, but you owe me. I'm not interested in fighting every monster in the school."

"We have different opinions of what is fun," I said before Mizore rushed out.

We visited the gym, and Tsukune tried some found some 200lbs dumbbells, and made do with them. He went about training at a far more reserved pace. That's the way Tsukune was slow and steady with guaranteed gains. He would probably come here every other day, cycling between his legs and chest to slowly build his strength. I really was like a kid in a candy store, and I was supposed to be the responsible older brother.

"By the way, I got an answer about the garden you wanted to plant. If no students are eaten, we are allowed to use any land in the untraveled areas. So I found a place near a pond that looked perfect. Mom sent a bunch of seeds with us in case they had a place for open field gardening."

"Are you some kind of plant monster then?" Mizore asked.

"Nope, we can't photosynthesize to save our lives, but we appreciate fresh produce."

"I can't say there is much of that back home," Mizore said.

"Maybe you should take a trip there with your girlfriend during summer break," I said, and Mizore's cheeks blushed.

"I wouldn't be against that," Mizore said.

"What will you do, visit Moka's castle?"

"If she invites, I would love to visit. I wonder if it has puzzles and traps."

Tsukune winced. "That sounds like a nightmare to me." I shrugged and sat on a bench as my arm throbbed endlessly.

…

The sun was up, and I was Moka hunting or making a show of it. Students stared at me while I walked around campus. I could sense where Moka was already, but I was trying to flush out enemies this time. Leaving myself seemingly vulnerable to another ambush would give me a chance to finish Saizou off for good. But, unfortunately, I couldn't find him.

"Check that guy out; isn't he the vampire who squatted a kiloton of weight. That's a high school record; if he isn't a vampire, what could he be." I rolled my eyes at the story's exaggeration.

"Maybe he's a monstrel between a vampire and a werewolf or a dragon. Those are supposed to be uber strong. But unfortunately, there is only a handful in recorded history. A vampire's aura was normally red, but he was green on the inside. I wonder what his monster form looks like."

I glanced to the side and leaned out of the way of Saizou before he shattered the wall beside me. "Thanks for that; according to the rulebook, I can kill you now."

He opened his mouth and wheezed. "I am the one who will win the day. You defeated me before, but now I'm ready for you." Even with a crippled voicebox, he was still wordy.

Moka seemed to teleport to my side and yanked me away from the fight. I turned about, ready to charge back in until she grabbed my broken arm, and I screamed. Saizou saw it and smirked as we turned a corner. "I'm so sorry what happened to your arm."

"Saizou broke it when he hit me with a bat."

"We should go see the school nurse," Moka said.

"No, I'm nearly healed; I just need a day, and I'll be ok," I said.

Moka frowned. "Were you really going to kill Saizou? I know you can, but that doesn't mean you should. You're better than that."

"I'm afraid of what he might do to you, and I let myself get hurt, so if he can't transform, I don't know if I can stop him. Killing him in his human form might be the only way to beat him for me now."

"Can't you transform too?" Moka asked.

"What you see is what you get. After all, I'm only human." I said.

Moka snorted and jumped on my good arm. "No way you're human. I went to a human school, and they couldn't lift several tons of weights like they were nothing. You would have a better time convincing me you're a fellow vampire than a human."

"What if I was a mutation? My parents are human, but I'm different. Wouldn't that make me human too?"

"Arakan, I told you before even if you're a slug, I wouldn't care what you are. We're friends, right."

"Even if I'm human," I said.

Moka sighed before smiling brightly. "Yes, even if you're human."

Just like that, a weight lifted off my chest. "Moka, let's cut class. I want to do some gardening."

Her smile turned mischievous. "Ok, but only if you give me more of your blood."

"Sure," I said, and she flashed her fangs before biting my neck. It was an odd sensation when she bit me, almost like a kiss. She pushed her body against me as she drank, and some of my worries went away. Soon my arm would be healed, and Saizou wouldn't be a problem. I raised a hand and strung it through Moka's soft pink hair. This was a nice life.