Story: Destiny Temps

 

The scent of burnt toast filled the bedroom. Ataru Moroboshi woke to a familiar, searing jolt of electricity that arched from a pair of small, pale hands directly into his chest. His body stiffened, muscles locking in a violent spasm, before he slammed back into the mattress with a muffled groan.

"Wake up, Ataru! You're going to be late for school!"

Ataru blinked, his vision swimming. Hovering a few inches above him was Lum, her tiger-striped bikini barely clinging to her curves, her long green hair cascading like a waterfall of emerald silk. Her eyes sparkled with a mixture of adoration and irritation.

"Five more minutes," Ataru wheezed, the smell of singed pajamas lingering in the air. "And maybe a little less voltage next time?"

Lum landed on his chest, the weight of her small frame pinning him down. She leaned in, her breath warm against his cheek.

"You were dreaming about other girls again, weren't you? I could smell the betrayal in your sweat."

Ataru groaned, turning his head to look around his room. Something felt... off. The walls seemed to shimmer, the wallpaper shifting from a standard beige to a deep, gothic crimson, then back again. His desk was no longer just a desk; a strange, metallic device with blinking neon lights and a rotating antenna sat perched atop his textbooks, humming a tune that sounded like a synthesized choir.

"Lum, why is there a sci-fi prop on my desk?"

Lum tilted her head, her expression blank.

"What prop? That's just a standard dimensional stabilizer. You know, for the commute?"

Ataru stared at her in total disbelief.  "The commute? We live in Tomobiki! We walk three blocks to school!"

"Since when?" Lum asked, her brow furrowing. "Since the Door Incident, silly. Now, get dressed. The Yokai-Human integration laws are very strict about tardiness this semester."

Ataru sat up, his mind racing. 'The Door Incident.' Wait, hadn't he been in the middle of setting up a harem with Lum and the others? Hadn't he pretty much all but succeeded already...? The hell was going on here?!

"Yokai integration laws?" Ataru repeated. "What are you talking about?"

Lum sighed, floating back up to the ceiling. 

"Honestly, Ataru, your memory is so selective. We go to Academy Town now. It's the only school that accommodates humans, Oni, Vampires, and the occasional intergalactic exchange student. Now move!"

Ataru scrambled out of bed, his heart hammering. He caught his reflection in the mirror. He looked the same-disheveled hair, the same look of perpetual longing and desperation-but his school uniform had changed. It was a sharp, dark blazer with an emblem he didn't recognize: a crest that blended a crescent moon, a devil's pitchfork, and a stylized flower.

He stepped outside, and the world hit him like a physical blow. Tomobiki was gone. Or rather, it had been swallowed up whole. His street was now a surreal tapestry of architectural nightmares. To his left, a traditional Japanese tea house sat nestled against a towering, obsidian spire that bled purple smoke into the sky. To his right, a futuristic chrome pod hovered over a cobblestone alleyway that looked like it belonged in Victorian London. 

People - if they could be called that - walked the streets. A man with a bull's head in a business suit checked his watch; a girl with translucent wings fluttered past, carrying a stack of textbooks.

"This is insane," Ataru whispered. "This is completely, fundamentally impossible."

"Stop complaining and walk faster!" Lum chirped, looping her arm through his. "Maybe if you behave yourself for a change, I'll bring you to Miss Sakura for a hot threesome~"

Ding! That was pretty good motivation to behave himself, as it happens! Oho! Maybe it all hadn't been a dream after all? Let's see where this goes, shall we...? As they approached the school gates, a sudden, high-pitched scream echoed through the air. Ataru turned just in time to see a blur of blonde pigtails colliding head-first into his stomach. 

The impact sent them both sprawling onto the pavement. Ataru gasped, the wind knocked out of him, but as he looked down, he found himself staring directly into a pair of wide, blue eyes. The girl beneath him wore the same uniform, her blonde hair splayed across the concrete like a halo.

"Ouch..." she moaned, rubbing her forehead. "I'm so sorry! I was running because I forgot my lunch and then I saw a cute cat and then I realized I was late and-"

She stopped, blinking up at Ataru. A flush crept up her cheeks.

"Oh. Hello."

Ataru's instinct took over. He didn't see the chaos of the world; he saw a beautiful girl. He leaned in, his voice dropping to a suggestive purr.

"I don't mind the collision if it leads to a romantic encounter. I'm Ataru. And you are an angel sent to save me from my morning."

The girl blinked, her expression shifting from confusion to a shy, fluttery smile.

"I'm Usagi! Usagi Tsukino. You're... actually kind of cute."

<i>Zap.</i>

A bolt of lightning slammed into Ataru's shoulder, sending him flying backward. Lum stood over him, sparks dancing between her fingertips, her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Hands off, Ataru! I told you! No straying! She's not part of the harem!"

Usagi jumped back, her eyes wide.

"Did you just shoot him? With lightning? Is that a new school club? The Electric Society?"

"He's my fiancé!" Lum declared, hugging Ataru's arm with a grip that threatened to snap the bone. "And he's a degenerate!"

"Fiancé?" Usagi pouted, crossing her arms. "That's not fair! I just met him and we already had a moment!"

Before Ataru could capitalize on the tension, a loud, metallic 'clunk' sounded from above. A small, round device plummeted from the sky, landing with a heavy thud between them. It unfolded with a series of whirs and clicks, expanding into a floating platform that emitted a pink, shimmering mist.

"Tada! The 'Automatic Morning-Friendship-Inducer' is a success!"

A girl stepped out from behind a nearby hedge, her long pink hair tied in twin tails, wearing a modified version of the school uniform that seemed to defy several laws of physics and modesty. She beamed at them, her eyes sparkling with scientific curiosity.

"Oh! New test subjects!"

Ataru stared. The girl was a masterpiece of curves and chaotic energy. 

"Who are you?" Ataru asked, his voice breathless.

"I'm Lala Satalin Deviluke!" she chirped, leaping forward and wrapping her arms around his neck in a sudden, suffocating hug. "I saw you from the roof and thought you looked like someone who needed a friend! Or a boyfriend! Or a lab assistant!"

Lum's face turned a shade of purple that matched the smoke from the obsidian spire.

"Another one!" Lum shrieked. "Who is this? Why are there so many of you?"

Lala pulled back, tilting her head. "Are you a local? Your energy signature is very similar to the inhabitants of the outer rim. Are you an alien too?"

"I'm a girl in love!" Lum screamed, diving at Lala. "There's no room in this harem for the two of us!"

The two of them collided in a whirlwind of green hair and pink curls, tumbling across the courtyard, and in due course they even started to make out. Usagi watched them with a vacant expression, then looked back at Ataru.

"Is it always like this here?"

"I have no idea where 'here' is," Ataru admitted, though he was already trying to figure out how to get Lala back into his arms. No matter. Those two seemed occupied. He offered his arm to Usagi, who took it, and the two of them walked off.

They entered the main building, a sprawling complex where the hallways seemed to stretch and bend at impossible angles. On one wall, a poster announced the "Annual Yokai Talent Show," while directly next to it, a crimson banner proclaimed the "Occult Research Club: Now Recruiting."

As they navigated the crowd, the atmosphere shifted. The noise of the students dimmed as they passed a particular corridor. At the center of the hallway stood a girl with hair the color of fresh blood, falling in a heavy, luxurious curtain down her back. She wore the uniform with a poised, regal grace that commanded the space around her. Her eyes, a piercing blue-green, locked onto Ataru.

"So," she said, her voice a smooth, commanding contralto. "You're the one. The focal point."

Ataru stopped in his tracks. He felt a strange pressure in the air, a weight that made it hard to breathe. It wasn't the chaotic energy of Lala or the electric heat of Lum; it was something ancient, structured, and overwhelmingly powerful.

"The focal point of what?" Ataru asked, though he was already imagining her in something less restrictive than a school blazer. "The focal point of your heart?"

The girl didn't flinch. A small, amused smile played on her lips. "Your confidence is almost as impressive as your spiritual signature, Ataru Moroboshi. I am Rias Gremory. I represent the Occult Research Club, and I believe we have a contract to discuss."

"A contract?" Ataru frowned. "Does it involve a date? Because I'm open to negotiations."

Rias chuckled, a sound like velvet. "You're a curious creature. Most humans tremble when they feel my aura. You just try to flirt with me."

"I'm a professional," Ataru replied.

"He's a pervert!" Lum yelled, having finally shaken Lala off. She flew over, wedging herself between Ataru and Rias. "Stay away from him, you red-haired hussy!"

Rias raised an eyebrow, her gaze drifting to Lum. "An alien. Interesting. The convergence is bringing in more variety than I anticipated. Tell me, little spark, does he always attract this much chaos?"

"Yes!" Lum wailed. "And it's my job to punish him for it!"

"A fascinating dynamic," Rias mused. "I think I'll keep him."

"Keep him?" Usagi piped up, having caught up with the group. "He's a student! You can't just keep students!"

"I can if I make him my servant," Rias replied simply.

The tension was interrupted by a sudden, chilling presence. From the crowd of students, a girl stepped forward. She had long, silver-white hair and a gentle, almost fragile expression. She wore a red rosary around her neck, the cross resting against her collarbone. She stopped a few feet away, her gaze fixing on Ataru. For a moment, she looked like a porcelain doll, delicate and serene. Then, she inhaled deeply, her nostrils flaring.

"That scent..." she whispered.

Ataru felt a shiver run down his spine. This girl didn't feel like a Devil or an Alien. She felt like a predator.

"Can I help you, silver-locks?" Ataru asked, though he felt an instinctive urge to step back.

The girl stepped closer, her voice soft, almost melodic.

"I am Moka. I don't usually take an interest in humans... but your blood... it smells different. It smells like it belongs to a thousand different worlds."

She leaned in, her lips brushing against the skin of his neck. Ataru froze, his heart hammering against his ribs. 

"I wonder," Moka murmured, her voice dropping to a predatory purr. "What would happen if I took just a little taste?"

"Hey!" Lum screamed, her electricity flaring. "Back off! He's my blood-bank! I mean, my boyfriend!"

Moka pulled back, her eyes narrowing. She looked at Lum, then at Rias, then at Lala, and finally at Usagi. She let out a soft, amused huff.

"It seems I'm not the only one with an appetite for this boy."

Ataru looked around him. He was surrounded. Lum was sparking with jealousy, Lala was beaming with scientific curiosity, Usagi was blushing with a budding crush, Rias was looking at him like a prized piece of property, and Moka was eyeing him like a gourmet meal.

"This is..." Ataru started, a slow, manic grin spreading across his face. "This is the greatest day of my life."