-Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Rosario + Vampire. They belong to their respective owners.-
a=Narration and descriptions
"a"=Dialogues
a=Inner voices or thoughts
a=Intense dialogues
Before we cut to the chase, something I would like to mention.
My story's chaps are short, and that technically means more frequent updates, but the thing is that I, as well as my beta reader, have also other, personal responsibilities to take care of daily, so there's always a chance for a little delay (1-2 weeks at the most). I just want to humbly ask of you to be patient if that happens. That's all, and thanks for your time!
Now, have a pleasant reading and enjoy!
2: Finding a new home!
With the threat of the green assassins being a distant memory, Tsukune's group retreated from their fighting forms as well as their weapons, gathering around Ichigo in a quest for answers about that man's unknown origins. They had met other strong individuals in the past, but that orange–haired teen, wearing a black kimono, displayed to them a sight that could only be considered plain unbelievable. The only monsters capable of unleashing such devastating attacks and altering the landscape to such an extent were the Shinso.
Naturally, that brought the young Soul Reaper to a tight spot since he couldn't just blurt out that he was sent from a different dimension. If he did, the people around him would assume that he was crazy. That's why, after the necessary introductions from both sides, he worked out a few ideas in his head, finally choosing the one that sounded most fitting to his case.
It was a story about him being a spiritual guardian of the humans—a previous, random reference to the Human World from Yukari helping him on that—, who had been set up by an evil comrade to end up exiled to their barrier. Of course, most of the story was made up, but there was a small fragment of truth in his words. He was indeed tricked and thrown into that dimension by a man who was his ally...
But ultimately, that wasn't of great importance! What was important was to determine why he was visible in this form. That's why, taking advantage of the situation, he mentioned that he was surprised to realize that the students could see him, since he was a spirit.
Then, Ruby stated that most likely they could see him because of the high quantity of youki in the atmosphere. Not that Ichigo had the slightest idea what youki was, but he wanted an answer, and he got it.
Now, there was only one more issue left to take care of...
''I'm really sorry to hear that something like that happened to you, Kurosaki-san. What your ally did was horrible! If it was me, I'm not sure that I would be as composed as you,'' Tsukune commented to Ichigo with a sympathetic look. He had a similar experience with Hokuto Kaneshiro, so he could understand well what it meant to experience betrayal, but the fact that Ichigo was so calm about it amazed him, if nothing else.
''Nah! No reason for you to feel down. I have gone through much worse... and you can call me Ichigo,'' Ichigo replied casually, widening next his gaze to everyone. ''That goes for everyone,'' he added, not comfortable with the thought of other young people addressing him so formally. Orihime and Ishida did that already, so there was no need for further additions.
''I see… I will go with this, if you say so,'' Tsukune assured him with a small smile, and gave him his right hand for a handshake. ''Once again, nice to meet you!''
As a response to that gesture, Ichigo took it, completing the handshake.
''Likewise!'' he replied with a small smile of his own.
With that, Tsukune's group shared a similar smile with the two teens. Whoever Kurosaki Ichigo was, he seemed to be quite a friendly and decent man. Plus, they owed him for helping them out when they weren't even acquaintances.
''So... where are you living currently, Ichigo-san?'' Tsukune asked him, curious about his state after the misfortune that had fallen upon him.
Hearing that, Ichigo shifted his eyes uneasily. ''Well... nowhere, to be honest,'' he answered, scratching the back of his neck. He was in this world for half an hour at best, and as expected, he had no chance to search for a temporary shelter.
''Nowhere?! You mean that you camp outside?'' Tsukune asked him again, his eyes widening in shock. Youkai Realm wasn't exactly the best place to sleep in the open, unguarded. ''You have to find a place to stay fast, or you could be attacked anytime.''
''Not a bad idea, but I'm not so familiar with the area, and I don't know anyone who would offer me a place to live.''
His personal safety was the least of Ichigo's worries after all the battle experience he had accumulated during past years, but Tsukune had a point. If he were to live in that dimension, he ought to arrange for a place to settle in. Somewhere they could provide him with a bath and daily meals, if possible. Having a mortal body came with a high price consisting of various daily needs like personal hygiene and food.
''You know, he could come to our academy's male dorms,'' Moka suggested suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. ''There should be a few vacant rooms.''
''Dorms?'' Ichigo questioned, perplexed. All his life he lived at his house, so that proposition caught him off guard.
''Ah, that's right! The dorms! How didn't I think of this?'' Tsukune exclaimed, slightly embarrassed, smacking his left palm on his forehead. ''Nice idea, Moka-san!'' he smiled at her, winking and raising his right thumb to her, prompting her to respond by mimicking his action. After that, he shifted his attention back to Ichigo. ''Why don't you come to live at our academy's dorms, Ichigo-san? It's a little loud, but it's certainly better than camping outside.''
That question brought a skeptical expression to Ichigo's face. Should he accept the offer and live in a facility that would provide him with all the things he needed, or search for a home of his own to feel more comfortable by not being under constant surveillance? Each option had its positives and negatives. What should he choose then? Option one, or option two...? He was in a bind.
Thankfully, not for long! When his mind couldn't give him an answer, his stomach took the initiative and growled, stating which option he had to go along with. Searching for a place to live alone would require time, and unfortunately, with his biological needs kicking in, that was a luxury he didn't have. Therefore, the final outcome was quite clear.
''Okay. I'm in!'' he grinned to Tsukune. God only knew when Mayuri would drag him out of here, so for the meantime, his first priority was to survive.
''Wonderful!'' Tsukune commented enthusiastically.
''We better inform the deputy headmaster about Ichigo-san's circumstances and ask for his permission to register him as a resident of the dorms,'' Ruby pointed out, staying faithful to her post as the headmaster's assistant.
''Uhm! Let's do that when we finish with our classes,'' Tsukune nodded to her and signaled to everyone—Ichigo included—that it was time to leave. There was no reason for them to remain there anymore, and it wouldn't be so favorable for their new friend if everyone connected him with the forest's damage.
A few hours later…
Following Tsukune's lead, his group and Ichigo moved to the school's cafeteria to grab some quick snacks, and next to their clubroom, where they left Ichigo and Ruby. The two would wait for them to finish their classes so they could all go later to convince the deputy headmaster to let Ichigo live in the dorms.
From there on, time flowed slowly, since Ichigo didn't have many things to occupy himself with besides talking to Ruby. Not that he had any particular issue with that, but ultimately, there's a limit to how much two people can talk to each other.
''Um? I need to take a leak…'' Ichigo whispered to himself at some random point and got up from his chair. The problem was that he wasn't familiar with the academy's structure. ''Excuse me, Ruby-san, but can you please tell me where the toilet is?'' he asked, feeling awkward for being forced to ask a girl that question. He wasn't a man who paid so much attention to details, but that didn't mean that he was oblivious, or ill-mannered.
''You walk down the hallway and turn right to the second crossroad you meet,'' Ruby informed him, a gentle smile on her face to ease his obvious discomfort.
''Thanks!'' Ichigo responded and after placing his Zangetsu on a table to not look dangerous, he stepped outside the clubroom in search of the restroom.
Several minutes later…
With his toilet business over, Ichigo rolled open the door, immediately taking the way back to the clubroom to not worry Ruby about his apparent delay.
''Phew! That felt good…'' Ichigo murmured to himself with a relieved expression. ''I have to admit that for a monster school, they have pretty normal toilets… For a moment, I was worried tha-'' he attempted to continue his murmuring, but without a warning, a series of female shrieks echoed behind a far corner, leading him to cut his speech short.
Curious, he approached the corner, taking a quick peek behind the wall. There, he witnessed, to his displeasure, a gang of five punk-looking male students harassing three girls, whom they had surrounded. The funny thing was that it was those exact three girls he had met when he first arrived at that dimension who had mistaken him for a killer.
''P-Please, leave us alone!''
''I-If you don't go away, we are going to scream!''
''T-The teachers will punish you for what you are doing!''
It wasn't so difficult for someone to distinguish that the three females were extremely scared, as they were shaking like fish out of the water. Despite that, they were struggling to stay strong and persuade the boys to leave them alone. But their words fell on deaf ears from what it seemed.
''Ha! Like we're gonna be scared of the teachers!''
''It ain't like they could hear ya anyway with all the noise inside the classes.''
''And even if they hear ya eventually, there'll be nothing left for them to do when they come.''
''We'll be sure to enjoy yer nice bodies enough before they spot us.''
''But ya better refrain from screaming, because we ain't like for others to butt in during our fun,'' the fifth of the punks declared to them and pulled a pocketknife out of his pants' right pocket, placing it close to the neck of one of the girls. ''If ya scream, ya might get hurt, ya know,'' he snickered deviously.
His friends moved in too, knowing full well that they had the upper hand. Those girls were helpless against a man's genetically advanced strength and moreover, those boys outnumbered them. Plus, one of them was armed…
The odds were undoubtedly against them and if that were to continue, those young men would end up dragging them somewhere and raping them.
However, their luck was about to change drastically!
Just when the guy holding the pocketknife was about to cop a feel of his victim's breasts with his free hand, another boy appeared from nowhere and grabbed his wrist tightly, preventing him. It was Ichigo, who, not being able to watch idly anymore, had approached them without making his presence known.
Noticing him, everyone opened their eyes widely; the boys because they didn't expect for someone to wandering around at this hour, and the girls because they were afraid that after being raped, they would be killed.
''Huh?! Who the hell are y-?'' the guy with the pocketknife tried to ask, but not caring about his words, Ichigo interrupted him.
''Scram!'' he ordered the male group in a monotone, an angry scowl forming on his face. He despised bullies and generally people who thought of themselves as superiors because they were targeting weaker ones. Adding to that the crime of rape, his temper had hit the max.
''What did ya say? Do ya have any idea who ya tal-GLRB!'' The same guy attempted to ask for a second time, but like earlier, he was interrupted, that time by a strong punch in his face that threw him a few meters backwards.
That sight left the others in shock, their jaws dropped stupidly.
''So…? What will you do?'' Ichigo asked the guy's friends with an intimidating gaze.
Instead of answering him, they responded by clenching their fists and storming against him.
''I was kind enough to give you a choice…'' Ichigo growled and without further ado, used shunpo, placing himself behind two of them and simultaneously giving them a strong chop to the back of their necks.
''YOU BASTARD!'' one of the remaining punks yelled at him and aimed a punch for his face, but Ichigo caught his fist as if it moved in slow motion, and after causing him intense pain by crashing it in his palm, he kicked him roughly against the wall.
Witnessing that, the last member of the male group jumped in, aiming for a knee strike, but once again Ichigo's lightning speed prevailed, allowing him to catch his attacker from his jacket in midair and smash him on the ground like a watermelon.
Behind him, the three girls were observing the entire scene, completely at a loss. They had deduced that the orange-haired teen was an enemy, but at that moment, before their astonished eyes, he was protecting them, punishing the men who wanted to rape them.
''There! This will teach you some manners,'' Ichigo announced to the group of injured punks. According to his experience, if there was something capable of correcting the wrong ways of people like them, that was a harsh beating.
But as it proved, those specific ''pupils'' of his weren't so willing to reform themselves so easily. Ignoring their awful state due to his attacks, the five teens pulled their bodies up with much effort, and a second later released their monster forms, desiring to kill him with all their might.
''Why do scumbags have to be so persistent in every dimension?'' Ichigo questioned to himself, peeved. After that, he rushed against them.
A few more minutes later…
With Ichigo failing to achieve his goal of not worrying Ruby, she found herself searching thoroughly for him among the hallways, afraid that he got lost, or found trouble.
A while later, she discovered him standing in the middle of a hallway close to the restroom, near him three tensed-up girls and a little farther, five monsters, buried upside-down halfway inside the floor.
''W-What is going on here?'' Ruby questioned, upset and unable to take in the image before her.
Alerted by the disturbed voice, Ichigo turned to her. ''Oh, Ruby-san… Sorry I'm late. Something came up and I got stuck here,'' he told her casually, like there was nothing weird with the entire setting.
''Ichigo-san… What happened? Why are those boys buried in the floor? And why are these girls looking so frazzled…? It couldn't be that you did something to them, right?'' she asked him, a few drops of anxious sweat flowing down her face.
Ichigo was taken aback when he heard her. He hadn't done anything wrong like Ruby imagined. The opposite! He saved those girls when they were on the brink of being raped… Still, the general scene probably wasn't leaning in his favor, he concluded after a little thought.
''Woah! Wait a sec, Ruby-san! I didn't…'' he attempted to say to his defense, but quickly he was cut short by a series of loud voices.
They belonged to the three girls he protected. They suddenly jumped between him and Ruby, their faces flustered.
''NO! PLEASE, DON'T MISUNDERSTAND, TOUJOU-SAN!''
''THIS MAN CAME TO OUR RESCUE WHEN THOSE BOYS WANTED TO DEFILE OUR BODIES!''
''THE REAL CRIMINALS HERE ARE THEM, NOT HIM!''
Ichigo and the girls didn't start off on the right foot, but after his altruistic act of covering for them, they finally realized his true nature and wished to repay the debt by covering for him. That left him a little surprised naturally, since he didn't think they would back him up, but anyway, he was relieved to know that they didn't think he was a killer anymore.
''Ah… I see… That's reassuring to hear…'' Ruby muttered, a bit astounded from the passion those girls were putting into defending Ichigo. Either they were extremely thankful to him for protecting them, or the way he handled those wrongdoers had affected them so much that it awakened the fangirls inside of them.
Whatever the case, Ichigo's innocence was proven, so he and Ruby had to return to the clubroom until they visited the deputy headmaster for Ichigo's matter as well as to report those boys to be punished.
''It would be wise to go back to your class,'' Ruby advised the three girls and moved her gaze to Ichigo. ''Let us go too,'' she proposed to him, turning around and heading back to the clubroom.
''Yeah…'' he replied, following behind her.
''THANK YOU A LOT FOR HELPING US! YOU ARE A VERY KIND PERSON!'' the three girls shouted that moment towards him in unison, bowing in gratitude.
''Always at your service!'' Ichigo reciprocated with a cool voice, waving at them with the back of his right hand.
It was then that the three girls raised their heads and blushed to the color of tomatoes. From the look of things, Ruby's assumptions had both hit the bullseye; besides three people owing him, Ichigo had acquired three fangirls.
Some hours later…
Putting an end to their unbearable waiting, Yukari appeared in the clubroom, informing Ichigo and Ruby that the rest had already gone to the deputy headmaster's office to begin the persuasion, so they should hurry and come too.
Hearing that, they got up swiftly from their chairs and accompanied her to the place where the others were waiting for them, to assist them into securing Ichigo's new residence.
When they arrived at the office…
Reaching the headmaster's office, Ichigo opened its doors, laying his eyes upon Tsukune and his friends, standing to the room's right, and a middle-aged man wearing an indigo uniform of a bus driver, sitting on an armchair behind a desk at the other side of the room. Furthermore, he was smoking a slightly long cigar, and strangely enough, his eyes seemed like two glowing, white orbs, when the upper half of his face was covered in a black shadow.
''Ehh… Here we are, but where's the person in charge?'' Ichigo questioned, a bit puzzled. The only person there besides Tsukune and his group was that bus driver, but according to his logic, he couldn't possibly be the headmaster with that appearance.
However, that was a rare case where his judgment was mistaken.
''Ghm… The deputy headmaster is in front you, Ichigo-san,'' Ruby whispered to him uneasily, looking away.
''Huh?! He is your headmaster?!'' Ichigo flinched in surprise. Even if he were to try, he could never guess that the school's head was a guy dressed like a mere bus driver. ''Could it be that this was his hobby?'' he wondered in his head.
''Glad to meet you, Kurosaki Ichigo! My name is Nurari and I'm filling in as temporary headmaster for this school…'' the deputy headmaster greeted him with a bass, stoic voice. ''Tsukune-kun and the others told me some pretty positive things about you and that you desire to live at our school's dorms, if I'm correct.''
''If there's no problem…'' Ichigo replied to him straightly, approaching his desk.
''Since these kids guarantee that you are a decent man, I don't have a reason to refuse… The thing is that living at the dorms means that you have to be a student; hence, I have to ask of the teachers to prepare a mock exam for you to take tomorrow morning. We must measure your academic level to arrange the classes you will attend.''
''Sounds reasonable… ''
''We are in agreement then!'' Nurari smirked, lowering his face a little. ''…However, before I hand you the necessary papers for your registry, I'm obligated to ask you something else.''
''I'm all ears.''
''Are you absolutely certain that you are fully prepared to admit yourself at this school…? Youkai Academy is a preeetty sc-'' Nurari began saying to him in a creepy tone, but after raising his face to look at Ichigo, locking eyes with him, he stopped his speech midway. ''…Never mind, it's not so crucial,'' he claimed, taking a registry form and passing it to Ichigo.
A meter away from them, Tsukune and his friends had been left dumbfounded. What Nurari was about to say was his regular catchphrase to all the new students. There wasn't a single student who hadn't heard it after coming to their school…
That precise instant everyone miraculously shared for a second time that day the same question in their heads: What drove Nurari to not complete his sentence?
A few seconds later…
A little later, with the necessary paperwork finished, Nurari gave them a note, addressed to the boy's dormitories' landlord to allow Ichigo entrance to the dorms. The one who took it was Tsukune, since he was the one who insisted that Ichigo find a place to live. Next, he headed outside with the rest of the group following behind him, besides Ruby, who had the duty to report the incident concerning those five male students.
Unexpectedly, Nurari stated to her that she could leave and revealed to her that he was aware of the entire incident, bringing to his mind the image of a tiny creature that looked like a flying, black eyeball with black, bat-like wings; his own type of security camera.
Ruby faithfully obeyed his words and being the last one to exit the room, she closed the door behind her, so no noise would disturb her new boss while he was busy with work.
As for Nunari, he was left alone with his deep thoughts, supporting his chin on his fingers.
''Wonder how many centuries has it been since I last saw eyes similar to hat boy's... He's so young, yet his eyes didn't show a single trace of fear, or insecurity. Mikogami had to reach full maturity to obtain eyes like those… Moreover, if you take into consideration his performance in the forest, and in the hallway, that young man's skills are of a scale significantly higher than most people here…'' he murmured inside his head with a skeptical expression. Then, he grinned, amused. ''Kurosaki Ichigo… I'm eager to find out what future surprises you hold for our Youkai Academy! Hehehe…''
Meanwhile, in the boys' dorms…
Thanks to Nurari's note, Tsukune managed to grant Ichigo access inside the male dorms, having the landlord to direct them to an empty room, which coincidentally was next to Tsukune's. The student living there previously decided to drop out recently, so his room was vacant and to Ichigo's relief, in a very tidy state.
For the end, the landlord asked of Ichigo to fill out a form with his personal information to register properly as a new resident there. After doing so, Tsukune proposed that they go join the others to show the Soul Reaper around the school while there was still daylight. Ichigo would have to learn how to navigate the place anyway, so why delay it? The faster, the better, as they say!
A/N:
1)I'm guessing you can imagine the flags that I raised by putting Ichigo in a room next to Tsukune's, and especially across Moka's. ;)
Of course, there are various other reasons too.
2)About Ichigo's mortality, implying that his current body is more fragile than his spiritual one… There's no reason to worry. I have scheduled something scheduled that will solve everything.
3)Finally, Ichigo's method of finishing off those punks was my own tribute to one of favorite badasses, Beelzebub's Oga Tatsumi.
Once again, my thanks to my beta reader mrtysh for her precious help!
See you next time!
