One of the Mendou family privet jets was made available for Grace and Blade, and after a short tearful round of good-byes, they were on their way back to America. It had been a long night, and most of the gang decided to sleep over at the Moroboshi home to watch over Lum as she recovered.
By morning, she felt well enough to fly again, and after another brief recharge was happily talking with Benten, Shinobu and Ran as if nothing had happened at all. As for Ataru however, his brief run as a daywalker seemed to have faded away. Oddly enough though, he was quiet and when it came time for breakfast his usual voracious appetite never appeared, preferring to eat a small portion that was even less than what Jariten had.
Lum began to worry, sharing her thoughts with the others. Returning to his room, they found Ataru staring out the bedroom window. Occasionally he would jerk his head slightly to one side as if listening for something.
�Darling?� called Lum, hovering up behind him.
He did not respond at first, Lum glancing back at the others.
�Yes, Lum?�
Lum gently placed a hand on his shoulder. �Darling, is there something wrong?�
A brief silence, Ataru finally turning around to face her.
�No, Lum,� he said in a level voice. �Nothing�s wrong. In fact I�m feeling quite alive today.�
He went over to his desk and sat down, pressing his palms together, fingers tapping lightly against his bottom lip as if in deep contemplation.
The gang traded confused looks, going into a huddle.
�It�s that shot he took,� whispered Shinobu. �Blade�s blood�s has scrambled his brain.�
�Ataru never had a brain to be scrambled to begin with,� replied Megane.
�You think he�s still suffering from the transformation?� asked Parma.
�I don�t know.�
Shu looked up. Ataru remained at his desk, and he frowned slightly. Lum dropped down to her knees beside him, taking a hand in hers.
�Ataru! What is wrong with you?� she asked, voice trembling.
�There is nothing wrong with me, Lum.�
�Moroboshi!� cried Shu, walking over to the desk. �You are not acting your usual disgusting self!�
�Yeah,� added Benten. �A full course breakfast, and you only eat a fifth of it? Are you sick?�
Slowly, Ataru looked over with a stare that made them draw back.
�You see!� said Shinobu. �It�s the side effects from that shot I tell you!�
�Let me burn it out of him!� said Jariten, rising up ready to let out a blast of flames.
Parma pulled the child down before he could let loose his attack.
�Darling,� said Lum. �Why don�t we go see Sakura and let her give you a check up?�
Normally, the thought of having Nurse Sakura giving him an exam would send the blood pressure rising in Ataru, but he shook his head.
�I don�t need a check up,� he told her, surprising them all.
Lum shot to her feet. �He�s sick!� she cried. �Shu, help me take him to the hospital!�
Shu grabbed the back of the chair.
�Moroboshi, get up and come with us!�
�I�m not sick!�
Shu motioned for Megane and his committee of stormtroopers over. They surrounded Ataru.
�Moroboshi, Miss Lum is worried about you and� (ugh)� s-so are we!�
Ataru looked up at Shutaro. �Well that�s touching, Mendou, but I don�t need a doctor.�
Megane waved to them leaning down close to Ataru�s ear.
�Ataru, what say we go down to the park and check out the babes from the city college?� he suggested to him.
�Hm, tempting, but I don�t think Lum would like that.�
�Ulp! That�s it, Moroboshi�s sick!� declared Megane.
�Are you sure?� asked Ran. �That sounded like a break for all us girls to me.�
�Shu!� pleaded Lum.
�Moroboshi! Don�t make us have to drag you out of that chair.�
�I don�t need�.�
�TAKE HIM!� cried Chibi, and the guys pounced.
A small scuffle ensued; ending abruptly as they guys found themselves in a tug-o-war over the now empty chair.
�Where�d he go?� asked Megane, peering up under the desk.
�Boo,� came a voice from the corner of the room.
Ataru stood with arms crossed staring down at the floor. The chair dropped, jaws dropping open in disbelief.
�Hey, that was fast, Ataru,� said Parma. �Just like you did over in Moto� OOOH!�
The five men slowly stepped back joining Ran, Benten, and Jariten staring fearfully at him. Shinobu let out a light moan, pressing her hands to her chin, and even Lum backed away.
�Atat� Ataru?� she gasped, terror in her eyes.
Silence prevailed, and then Ataru turned and looked at his reflection in the mirror on the wall. He reached down opened one of the dresser drawers and pulled out a pair of dark sunglasses, putting them on. Ataru chuckled lightly admiring his reflection once more.
�Well, I guess Blade will not be the only daywalker in the world after all,� he said, turning to face his friends.
Slowly, Ataru Moroboshi lips parted as he grinned, a gasp of shock coming from them as they caught sight of his newly formed fanged teeth�
Fin�?