"This boy is Kurosaki Ichigo-san," introduced Ruby, to the other girls which had come from their rooms. "And he is Inuyasha," ended she, pointing to Inuyasha.

"Wow," said the girl of the blue hair and big boobs. "Which kind of Youkai could dress like that?"

She said that looking at the Shikakushou of Ichigo, which was black, and to his two swords, on his back and waist. She was a very straightforward girl, or so she looked to Ichigo.

"I am a Shinigami," said Ichigo, thinking that it would be better to tell them his identity right then to give them courage, and maybe they would tell them theirs.

"Kurosaki-san! You can't…" was saying Ruby, somewhat alarmed.

"I know," said Ichigo. "Tsukune told me already."

"I am Kurono Kurumu," introduced herself the girl of big boobs, but she did not said anymore.

"I am Sendou Yukari-desu," said the little girl of the pointed hat, happily, and looking at him with curiosity. Ichigo noticed the way she talked but he did not thought that she was doing it on purpose. Her voice was sweet.

"Shirayuki Mizore," he heard a beautiful voice under the table, and Ichigo thought that it could belong to the beautiful Youkai of purple hair of a while ago.

"And she is Akashiya Moka-san," ended Tsukune, introsucing Moka to Ichigo and Inuyasha who was still eating. She had not introduced herself and was looking at Ichigo and Inuyasha with an expression of clear distrust.

"Is something wrong?" asked Ichigo, some kind of nervous with her glare. If Inuyasha noticed that he could eat her alive.

"I can feel something very strong inside you," said Moka, and then she looked at Ruby. "You were telling us that you found them on the road between realms. What was doing a Shinigami on that road?"

Moka seemed to be very insightful. Ichigo sighed since he had not a cover.

"And he hasn't said a word yet," observed Kurumu, looking at Inuyasha, who had just ended his toasts and his eggs. He was starting to drink the orange juice, when he noticed the glare of everyone on him.

"What?" asked he, trying to sound threatening, but sounding fun.

"What are you?" asked Kurumu, looking him sitting there. His long and silver hair, his golden eyes, and his dog ears. Dog ears? "Are those real?"

"What is real?" asked Inuyasha, feeling annoyed. "Can you just shut the hell up and go elsewhere?"

"We were here on this place first!" exclaimed Kurumu, approaching one step to Inuyasha. "What the heck is wrong with you?"

"You weren't," said Inuyasha, closing his eyes and crossing his arms. Ichigo had his fingers on the bridge of his nose. "We get here first."

"I am talking about the school!"

"Really? I don't care. If you don't…"

"If we don't… what?" asked Moka, walking a step towards Inuyasha, like Kurumu did.

"There, there," said Tsukune, smiling nervous and trying to calm them down. Moka and Kurumu looked at him and pulled back. But they still were looking angrily at Inuyasha.

"You are so weird," said Inuyasha. He bent on his seat and under the table, and when he emerged he had that beautiful purple-haired girl trapped by the neck of her blouse by his hand. She was Mizore, if Ichigo recalled correctly.

"No one ever catch me before," said she, still with her lollipop on her mouth. "You are really a suspicious man."

Inuyasha laughed and let her go.

"They were waiting for the bus to come here," said Ruby. Ichigo looked at her, thankful, even when that was a lie he told her. A white lie.

"That's right. I've heard of this place and we wanted to see how it works."

"I was sure that the Shinigami are beings separated from the living world, and that includes the Youkais," said Moka, not wanting to lose. "How many centuries you have?"

"Centuries?" asked Ichigo, confused. "Nah, I am nineteen."

"And isn't that suspicious enough?" said Moka, smiling satisfied. "A Shinigami with the powers you are hiding can't be that young, can he?"

"Well, I'd always been a fast learning."

Moka stayed silent, still searching for more arguments against the mysterious Shinigami and the other one, who looked even stranger. They both got into that academy and she was sure that they should not be there.

"I'm sorry," said Tsukune to Ichigo in low voice. "These days she was better to how she was before. She had always been cold, but these days she was being sweet and nice. I don't know what is happening to her now."

"If she wants to play the bad with us that's her problem," said Inuyasha roughly. He drank his juice and after smell the coffee and decide to not drink it, he raised from his seat and left. Ichigo took a toast, and drank the rest of his coffee, standing as well to go with Inuyasha.

"Kurosaki-san, wait!" said Ruby, walking behind them.

"What is happening to Ruby-san –desuka?" asked Yukari, seeing with the others how Ruby was walking behind Ichigo and Inuyasha.

"Maybe she likes him," ventured Mizore, from under the table where she got again.

"That's better," said Kurumu. "One rival less."

"Oh dear," said Tsukune, somewhat embarrassed.

"The classes start in the mornings at nine, right?" was saying Ruby to Ichigo and Inuyasha, while they were walking by the corridors to outside of the building.

"Okay."

"I am about to end finishing your paperwork, so I will need you two in the chairman's office to end everything else."

"Right."

"Kurosaki-san, do not think bad of her," said Ruby, talking to Ichigo while Inuyasha was still walking in front of them. "She has been through a lot lately, and…"

"Is she the friend you all went to rescue?" asked Ichigo.

"Yes. How do you know?"

"I could guess it. Her behaviour makes me think of that."

"She was her indeed. That mob I've told you, Fairy Tale, took her with them and we rescued her, but as you know…"

"Yeah…"

"And…"

"I am not thinking badly of her," said Ichigo sincerely.

"But it would be better to keep our distance from her and all of her gang," said Inuyasha darkly.

Ruby kept walking next to Ichigo, anxious.

"What's wrong?" asked Ichigo, noticing it.

"The truth is that I am not that fool," said Ruby. "I let the things to reach this far since I find interesting to have a Shinigami in our Academy, but having him here without knowing his intentions is something I would not have do it even if you threatened me to do it."

Ichigo saw it coming. The question was close. Inuyasha stopped and they stopped too.

"Please. Tell me your intentions here."

Ichigo sighed again. He looked at Ruby in her eyes and saw the honesty of her question, and he could not hide the truth from her.

"We are pursuing someone. Someone very dangerous," he said at once.

"He has anything to do with the problems in the human world?"

Ichigo looked again at Ruby. He hesitated and said: "Yes."

"I know it," said Ruby, resigned to the facts. "Your reaction of earlier told me."

"He is…" said Ichigo, while Inuyasha was scratching an ear. "They are… very dangerous guys. We must stop them."

"It's not just one?"

"No."

"And you are helping him?" asked Ruby, turning to face Inuyasha.

"I am helping who?" replied Inuyasha, not understanding it.

"Don't get me wrong, but I can't see what can do a Hanyou to help a Shinigami like Ichigo…"

"Hoh?"

Inuyasha approached to Ruby, so much that she could almost felt his breath near her face.

"I can show you what a Hanyou can do, little one," said Inuyasha, smiling creepily.

Ruby gulped due to his proximity. She was about to say something to mock him, but Ichigo appeared between her and Inuyasha.

"Calm down, fool," said Ichigo, seriously. "You don't have to probe a thing to anyone."

"Keh!" said Inuyasha, turning and walking away.

"He is very stubborn, for what I can see," observed Ruby.

"You'll never know," answered Ichigo, looking him go.

"Well?" kept asking Ruby. "What made you think that those men could be here?" She was decided to hear everything once and for all.

"I had a feeling about it. And besides, we didn't got here on a whim," answered Ichigo, remembering how the selfish Meidou leave he and Inuyasha in the outskirts of Tokyo.

"And how can you explain that we found you?"

"Well…" Ichigo did not knew that, while Ruby was looking at him sceptically.

"How did you find out about the Academy?" asked Ruby, letting the matter of the coincidence in their encounter aside, as they were walking out to the gardens, towards the lake Ichigo saw the last night.

"Some friend of the Nura Clan told me about here."

"Do you know the people of the Nura Clan?" asked the girl, amazed.

"Yeah. Do you know them?"

"I've heard of them. They are very famous, and so are the three leader they had. The driver of our bus it's called Nurari, in fact. He told me that he owes a lot to Nurarihyon. Tell me, is he as they say? The terrifying leader of the most prominent Hyakki Yakou in Japan?"

"Well…" Ichigo was caught again. The Nurarihyon he knew used to be a little old geezer. Nice and kind, and some mischievous sometimes. But Ichigo remembered that Nurarihyon was now on his young form due to his pride and to not be 'less' with his image to his wife: Youhime. "Really? I wonder where those two met before," said Ichigo, making another question to evade hers.

"I don't know really," said Ruby, simply.

They kept walking by that place, as the people were coming and going, not paying attention to them.

"That old man is somewhat playful," said Ichigo at last, while they were walking to that dead trees forest. "His grandson is the actual leader of the Clan. The Lord of the Pandemonium or whatever they call him."

"Is he as good as they say the Second was?"

"I don't know. I didn't meet Rihan. But…"

Ichigo remembered the hallucinations that he and Rikuo had in the basement of the Clan created by Naraku. When he and Rikuo stepped over the pieces of meat there, and when his mother walked in on his memory again. Rikuo mentioned that time that he saw his father and other woman too.

"It's bothering you having me here?" asked Ruby, suddenly.

"No. Why do you ask?" said Ichigo, confused.

"I saw your face. Your eyebrows are always furrowed," said Ruby, hesitant. "And now they were even more furrowed than usual.

"I'd always have them like this. Don't let them bother you."

"They won't. It looks cute like that."

Ichigo looked at her. She was smiling to the vision of the lake they arrived already. They were in the edge of a cliff, and the water under them was red. But Ichigo was still looking at her and to what she said to him.

"Wow, thanks," managed him to say at last.

"A pleasure," smiled Ruby. "I will return to the school. There are some things I have to get ready."

"Okay."

She left Ichigo there, on the edge of that cliff, and with a smile on his lips.

"There is something in that Shinigami that doesn't fit at all," said Moka, to the serious faces of her friends. They were all sitting on the table that Ichigo and Inuyasha just left.

"They are good boys, Moka-san," said Tsukune.

"They can be, but they didn't come here just to study. The Shinigamis are very powerful existences, and if they would have… got into the matter of Alucard… That wouldn't have been that hard for us…"

There was bitterness in Moka's voice. Something that they all noticed immediately.

"If they work is keep the balance of the souls, then they couldn't get involved on a business entirely tangible," reasoned Kurumu, taking chopsticks and trying to feed Tsukune. "It sure goes against their code or something."

"Besides, if they 'balance' they can't take sides to anyone being neutral," said Mizore, showing her head from under the table, and freezing Kurumu while doing that.

"I don't know. To me it's not normal that a Shinigami shows his orange head when everything is over. Or when everything it's just starting," said Moka, still doubting about the thrust in that Shinigami.

"What about the other?" asked Kurumu, breaking the ice around her and remembering the Hanyou and his ears. "He was suspicious as well."

"But less than the Shinigami."

"Girls, why don't you understand?" asked Tsukune. "I've spent the night with them. They are nice and calm. It's true that they are a bit suspicious, coming here out of the blue, but…"

He sighed. It would be very hard to convince them that Ichigo and Inuyasha were not as bad as they seemed to think. Especially Moka.

Inuyasha walked around by that place for a while, as he could sense many smells, presences and things around him. The people there were young Youkais and were starting to appear from everywhere that Sunday. What the hell was he doing there?

That place was huge. Around the main building were more buildings, and that forest of dead trees, and far from there were mountains. Inuyasha did not knew where to go, or where to make his stay in there fast since he was bored form the very moment when he and Ichigo entered into that bus thing.

At last he found himself in front of that big building again. Inuyasha looked up and found that no one was up there, in the top of that terrace. So Inuyasha jumped there with a long and calculated leap, and happy to see that no one was in there, he laid on the floor in the highest place up there and tried to pass his time sleeping.

Ichigo was still looking by that cliff, deep on his thoughts about the reason to be where he and Inuyasha were now. He was thinking that that Academy would be a very suited place to search or wait for actions by Naraku or Aizen, and he proved his point when he and Inuyasha boarded the bus. But the next step was something that neither of them knew. Not a single clue in fact.

He was thinking in that when he felt a considerable Youki behind him.

"Do you need something?" asked Ichigo, not turning and without stopping his stare to the immense red lake which seemed to be a sea. The owner of the Youki answered insecure.

"I am not sure."

"Aren't you?"

Ichigo turned and saw a beautiful Youkai girl, with her red hair picked in two tails on the sides of her head. She was younger than Ruby and the others. Almost like Yukari, who seemed to be younger than her friends in looks and the way she talked.

This girl of red hair was there, looking at Ichigo, and had an expression of disbelief on her beautiful face.

"Can I help you?" insisted Ichigo, decided to know what that girl was wanting.

She shook her head and kept staring confused at Ichigo.

"Just tell me what is happening to you."

"It's… the first time… that I feel… a Youki like this…" said the girl, gasping a little. Ichigo got alarmed and tried to hide his Reiatsu, but he had never been good at it.

"Ah, this. This is not Youki. What I have is Reiatsu," said Ichigo, a little ashamed to had put her like that.

"What?"

"It's true. Can you feel it?"

Ichigo released a bit of his Reiatsu. Just a bit, making the environment and the same air to distort a little, and the red-haired girl grabbed her two arms with her hands, while her legs joined, menacing to not let her standing anymore.

"Oops, sorry."

Ichigo stopped and saw her trembling in the ground. He lamented deeply to have enjoyed that little moment of showing himself. Inuyasha would be very proud.

"How did you do that?"

The question of the girl made Ichigo even more confused.

"How I did what?"

"That thing in the air. I've met aggressive Youkis, able to make their owners to cut the air and get through the objects like if the objects were just jam. But what you can do is amazing," said she, looking at him intensely.

"Well, I don't know how to explain it. I've never seen a Youkai doing this…"

Then Ichigo remembered that Naraku did that once, on a very avenue in Tokyo and killed many people there just with his Youki. He tried to not show the anger of the memory on his face.

"Which kind of Youkai are you?" asked the girl, standing.

"I am not a Youkai. I am a Shinigami."

Ichigo was thinking that the girl would be disappointed when she heard that, but instead of that her face was shining and she approached even more to Ichigo on the edge of that cliff.

"A Shinigami? I've heard of them. Are you as strong as they say? I think you are, since you can release that amount of energy."

"Actually it wasn't that much."

"It wasn't? I'd almost pee on my skirt by the heaviness!"

The girl said that and blushed immediately. Ichigo looked away after he automatically looked at her legs, blushing as hard as her.

"It's not what you are thinking," said the girl quickly. "I mean… I was nearly wetting myself for the strength of… your Reiatsu?" said she insecure and embarrassed, and a little angry to her slip.

"I'd understand since the beginning, take it easy," said Ichigo, almost as embarrassed as her. "Yeah. We, the Shinigamis, have Reiatsu."

"Is it stronger than the Youki?"

"Not always," said Ichigo, thinking of how Inuyasha's Youki grew when he had not his Tessaiga with him, or about Sesshoumaru, who always had his Youki on the sky without effort.

"Can you show me to use my Youki like your Reiatsu?" asked the girl to Ichigo. And, like if the words were killing her, she added: "Please?"

"I…"

Ichigo did not knew how to tell her that he would not knew how to teach her that.

"First tell me your name," said Ichigo, to evade her request.

"Shuzen Kokoa," said the girl, looking at him with hope.

"Today is Sunday! What are we going to do today, Tsukune?" asked Kurumu to Tsukune, getting closer to him.

"Well," answered he calmly. "I was thinking that updating the newspaper publications would be fine."

"With all the matters about the kidnapping of Moka they could not update their publications of their Newspaper Club. But they could try now and be ready for the next Monday.

And then Tsukune remembered that now he was something like the future chairman of the school and a shiver ran through his spine. That meant a lot of work.

But after looking at his friends, when even many of them were not there in that moment, he thought that he could find the way to do a good work.

"Okay. We have to see if Kokoa can help us," said Moka looking around, but she did not saw Kokoa in the dining hall. "Have any of you seen her today?"

"She was coming down here with us," answered Mizore, who had emerged from under the table and was having her breakfast like everyone else.

"We have to find her. She can't escape from her duties."

"We'll search for her later, don't we Tsukune?"

"Yes, Kurumu-chan," replied he, coming out from his thoughts.

They ended their breakfast and went out of the building, towards the girl's rooms. But on their way there they noticed a known energy and all of the noticed when the pressure of that energy reached them like the rain and covered them completely. That energy was heavy and sinister. Was it of Kurosaki?

When the pressure stopped the five of them looked at each other, and after a mutual nodding they got close slowly to the place where they knew was the cliff, after getting through the trees of always.

"Kokoa is your name?" they heard that Ichigo was saying.

"Yes," they also heard that Kokoa was taking proudly. "I am the little sister of Akashiya Moka."

Tsukune and the girls hid in the trees, sure that they would not discover them, when they heard that Kokoa mentioned Moka.

"Ah, the girl of the bad temper," said Ichigo.

"Hey!"

"Sorry. A friend passed me his bad habit talking things without thinking first."

"What is your name?" asked Kokoa, interested.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," said Ichigo.

"What a name. They told me that Koko is a sweet name. Kokoa is a sweet name indeed, but Ichigo…"

"Is not that kind of Ichigo," they heard that Ichigo was talking, a bit bothered.

"Which kind then?"

"My name means: 'The one who protects'."

"Now, that's cheesy," said Kokoa, mockingly.

"Hey!"

"Now we are even," said Kokoa, laughing. "What do you say? Will you teach me?"

"Crap. But I wouldn't know how to do it."

"We will solve that. I only want to know if you will try at least, Ichigo."

"I…"

"You?"

Everyone was imagining Kokoa making a begging face to Ichigo, with all, even big and starry eyes. And they were not wrong when Ichigo answered, stuttering a little.

"Okay."

"Thanks! I love you!" exclaimed Kokoa, clearly taking her advantage.

They stayed silent for a while, until the bored voice of Ichigo talked again.

"Now, what if we made them get out at last? Get out of there, Tsukune."

Tsukune and the girls went out from the trees were they were hiding. Maybe they were spotted before? But Ichigo had his back turned and was still looking at the lake. Kokoa was killing them with her glare.

"What do you want?" inquired her, looking respectfully at Moka.

"We were looking for you," answered Kurumu, angry by the tone of Kokoa. "Now we were thinking about resuming our club activities."

"I don't' want to. I was thinking of quit that club."

"But why, Kokoa-chan?" asked Tsukune, a bit worried. He did not wanted his club losing members.

"Since I will have better things to do."

"Like go behind a coward Shinigami?" asked Moka, looking at Ichigo and deducing the intentions of Kokoa.

Ichigo returned that glare to her. He was a little upset by her comment, but that was not a big deal. But he really wanted to know why she hated him that much.

"No, Onee-sama! I just want to be stronger…"

"I don't know if you will, if you go with guys like this," kept saying Moka, bitterly, while Ichigo was getting more and more angry. "That Karasu tengu which practiced karate had even more charm and bravery."

"Then," said Ichigo, talking at last, after keeping his anger restrained as best as he could. "If I can make you stronger than your sister, she would not have more doubts about your developing, right?" said Ichigo to Kokoa, with a creepy smile.

"You…"

Kokoa was looking at him with the illusion present on her eyes, which were shining of emotion. "That means…"

"Yes. I will see how you become stronger."

Kokoa was almost jumping out of happiness when she heard those words. She looked happy to Ichigo who smiled nervous.

Now he had done it. How the hell he ended up like that? He would become the babysitter of a young vampire girl, beautiful but naïve? He could see that, since she was almost jumping by that cliff by her happiness.

"So, when we start?" asked Kokoa, full of hope.

"Eeeeeehhhhh…."

Moka snorted, while the rest of the members of the Newspaper Club were watching what was happening without saying a word for a while now. "It's a challenge then, Shinigami."

"Kurosaki Ichigo," answered Ichigo, sharply and decided. "Don't dare to forget it, Youkai."

He put a hand on one of Kokoa's shoulders and turned to walk out of there. She understood the gesture and followed him almost laughing, ready to, at last, become stronger than anyone.

Moka and her friends could not believe that. The Shinigami would train Kokoa? About what? If the skills of Kokoa were skills of a vampire, they all knew her limits. They have probed that in their recent battle with Alucard, and she would not improve more than that.

But the fierce eyes of Ichigo told them otherwise. That boy was willing to fulfil his purpose and make Kokoa stronger than Moka. Moka smiled with fun, while she walked back with the others, towards the main building where was located the newspaper club. She would find out what were the true intentions of that Shinigami. Or better. She would find out what were the true intentions of Kurosaki Ichigo.

Ichigo spent the rest of that day with the talking Kokoa, who did not let him alone more than let him go to the bathroom. At first Ichigo was regretting to have accepted train that girl, by motives like the time and the dangerous of his mission if he probed that Naraku or Aizen were haunting that place. But as that day was passing by, Ichigo could saw that Kokoa was an insecure girl with many complex that she could fix if she attacked them by good angles. Being in the college was good for Ichigo now, since he felt that he could understand better to his Kouhais.

Kokoa was fun, since she managed to pull a smile on his face more than once. She was not that sociable with others, as Ichigo could check later. She was prideful, but not as prideful as a certain dog which Ichigo knew and who had not showed up yet since the morning. Kokoa was stubborn and capable, and that was why Ichigo was sure to help her, even if it was a little help.

They had their lunchtime on the terrace of the main building of the academy, were they went up to not be disturbed there. That place was in the open field like all the other Japanese schools. Kokoa was impatient, too. But the calm personality of Ichigo helped her in her obsession to start soon. It was Sunday after all.

She told him what she could about her life. About those times when she was little, admiring her sister. Those times when Kokoa followed her, to that academy. Her attempts to bring out that old form of her sister, prideful and haughty, which Kokoa admired the most. And then, talking about this and that, she slipped the fact that she and Moka were vampires.

"No…"

Ichigo could not believe it, and maybe his face was telling what he was thinking exactly, because Kokoa lose her smile when she saw the face of Ichigo when he heard what she said.

"I…"

Kokoa was insecure. Even when that happened often, she was not used to it.

"It usually happens… Even among the most hard-core Youkais we are feared and hated. I just didn't wanted this affecting…" Kokoa stayed silent, with the sadness on her face.

"Hey, it's not that…" said Ichigo quickly, after seeing the sadness of Kokoa. "Don't get me wrong. I am not afraid or anything. It's just that it seems so unreal to me. To me, vampires were something more European, you know. But still, it's amazing," said Ichigo, totally sincere, and not stopping looking at her in her eyes.

She had her eyes shining when she smiled happily once more, after seeing that Ichigo was not lying and he really meant what he said. He thought that she was amazing!

Her moment of happiness go to waste when the door of the roof opened violently form inside the building, and went flying until it crashed in the floor, collapsing in many pieces.

"What the hell!"

Ichigo was annoyed by the interruption. With all that cost him to say such hard things, even when he was drunk.

"Hi, Lolicon-senpai," greeted Kokoa happily to the guy who was standing in the door. Ichigo raised an eyebrow again. To that moment he was sure that nothing would surprise him again like all of what he saw there. But after seeing how Kokoa greeted that guy who threw the door that violently, let Ichigo a bit confused.

"who-"

Ichigo and Kokoa heard that word. The boy standing in the door was wearing a karate uniform with a black belt on his waist and his face was hid due to the bow he was doing.

"What?" asked Kokoa, angry already to not have heard him well. Ichigo knew it since he knew already how impatient she was.

"Who..?" said that guy again. Ichigo had a bad feeling about it, since after hearing that that guy was a lolicon and now having him in that place, that way and looking like that could only meant something.

"What?" asked Kokoa again, now bored since the guy was not talking clearly.

"Who is that guy?!" roared at last that guy dressed in a karate costume, pointing at Ichigo furiously.

"Ah. He is Ichigo. He will help me to become stronger," replied Kokoa naturally, not noticing that the man was about to explode with that news.

"And what about me?" yelled that man, startling Kokoa.

"What do you mean? There's nothing about you," replied she, confused.

"Of course there is something! I'd always helped you! Always! Now you are changing me for this wimp? He will not do it better than me!"

"We don't know that," said Kokoa calmly and with some caution. She did not see that coming but she should have saw the signs. "I will not lost anything by trying."

"I will not let you," said that lolicon karate-man and looking at her. "Only I can help you."

"You will not let me? And who are you to forbid me from what I can and can't do?" that was her turn to be angry.

Ichigo did not knew where go, or which side take. He did not knew that guy and neither had he the intention to know him, but Ichigo knew Kokoa. Despite that she told him that the vampires were one of the stronger and feared kind of Youkais, she still looked like a beautiful and fragile girl on the hands of a strong and big martial artist.

"I am who knows everything of you," said that lolicon, convinced of what he was saying. "I will not let anyone taking away the privilege to have everything of you. Not even this little wimp."

And he charged towards Ichigo raising a fist, willing to crash Ichigo with that blow and show Kokoa his point. Kokoa was worried about Ichigo but she and that man froze when Ichigo, who not only did not dodge that blow, but raised an arm and stopped the punch of that man with his bare hand.

"I don't know what business you have with Kokoa," said Ichigo decided. "But if she doesn't want anything with you, resign. Don't lower yourself like this."

Ichigo said that with his best intentions, but the karate-man got even angrier.

"You… You will pay this humiliation…"

And he transformed. Ichigo saw surprised how the body of that man grew more and more, how it was being covered in black feathers, and Ichigo saw amazed how his form was sgrowin to be bigger than how he was already.

"Haiji, please!" begged Kokoa, suddenly, making Ichigo to look at her, resigned. That girl surely was suffering to express her true feelings.

But that raven man did not heard her, and before Ichigo could noticed it since he was still looking at Kokoa, that raven hit him with one of his big wings and sent him flying until Ichigo crashed on a wall which collapsed with the impact.

"Ichigo!"

Kokoa tried to reach him, but a hand stopped her. It was Haiji.

"See? He is a useless boy. He will not understand you like I can. No one will help you like I can!"

"Let me go. I don't want to hurt you," said Kokoa, totally regretting how the things happened. Haiji did not let her go, but he approached to her even more.

Until they heard the sound of rocks crashing and saw where Ichigo had crashed.

"Oh, shit. That hurts," mumbled Ichigo standing from the ground. That hit had been hard, but was not even close to the worst blows he had received so far. Kokoa and Haiji were looking at him, really surprised. "Why did you do that?"

That question was calm, but it was obvious that Ichigo was not pleased. The tension was so heavy that it could be felt, strong in the air.

"Aren't you answering?" asked Ichigo calmly to Haiji, as he looked at him and his eyebrows were furrowing even more.

"I… I don't have to give explanations to a little wimp like you," said Haiji at last, but his insecure voice was betraying his looks.

"That's your problem," said Ichigo simply. "But don't go around trying to impose your beliefs and your way of thinking on those who don't want to know them."

Ichigo could see it. That man meant a lot to Kokoa, but she did not wanted anything else from him, if she had wanted something from him once. Ichigo did not knew Haiji, but he could not say for sure if he was another man with insecurities or a simple lolicon. Ichigo would wait to see.

"I want to try and learn from someone else," said Kokoa looking at Ichigo and then to Haiji. "Please, try to understand. I will always be thanking you for what you did for me, but still I want to try."

"But…"

Despite that look of a giant humanoid bird, Haiji looked devastated. Or maybe his looks made him look like that. "I believed…"

"I will always be grateful for your help. Don't doubt it. But I must move forward, and Ichigo accepted to help me. I will not be left behind by my sisters anymore! I can become as strong as them!"

"No… No… NO… NO!"

Haiji grew even more and grabbed Kokoa by her arm, ascending with her wrapped to him. Kokoa screamed and tried to get away, but due to his grasp on her arm it was hard for her to reach and hit him with a punch or a kick.

"Let me go! Let me go, you stupid lolicon!"

"Let's see if that idiot of stupid hair can reach you here!" wallowed Haiji, looking at Ichigo mockingly. Kokoa looked at him as well and she begged him with her eyes, but she doubted that Ichigo would reach them by the heights where they were now. She was feeling dizzy as they were ascending up to the sky, while she was not stop her cries and looking at Ichigo.

But he was not standing in the floor of the roof anymore.

Kokoa blinked. Where was Ichigo? She did not have the time to think another question when suddenly Haiji screamed and she felt him falling with her, towards the floor of the roof. Kokoa screamed out of fear for the fall and the impact that would be very hard for her if she did not have herself free from the grasp of Haiji on her. But someone grabbed her by her waist and freed her from the hold of the raven and stopped her fall, at the same time that the crow stopped falling as well.

"There are a little few who I would let call 'stupid' to my hair. If you do that again, I'll pluck you," said Ichigo, while he landed on the floor.

Kokoa had her eyes closed due to everything that was happening, and when she opened them she found herself carried as anything on the arm of Ichigo, who had her wrapped by her waist and was looking at her with curiosity.

"Hey. It's over. Are you afraid of heights?"

He asked that to her with a smile between comprehensive and mocking. Kokoa looked at him, annoyed, and with a feeling hard to define, but which unexpectedly was pressing over her.

"I am not!"

"Okay, no need to yell," said Ichigo, a bit confused by her tone.

"You are a… Let me go now," said Kokoa, struggling a little to make Ichigo to let her go. He let her go gently and went to the destroyed door, yawning.

"Where are you going?"

"Well, to go for something to eat. And…"

Ichigo looked at Haiji, again on his human form, sitting on the floor, with a funny bump on his head.

"I guess that he need someone to take care of him for a while," said Ichigo, and then he looked up, to the roof of that door and said: "Don't you want to go for something to eat, Inuyasha?"

"Yes, damn it," answered Inuyasha, to the surprise of Kokoa and Haiji. He got up there and with a simple leap he landed next to Ichigo. "That was boring as hell."

"You were here all this day?" asked Ichigo, while he and Inuyasha started to walk.

"Yeah, it was nice and quiet, until you two appeared here…"

"And you couldn't say anything?" asked Ichigo.

"Nah, it was an interesting thing to see…"

"Wait…"

Ichigo and Inuyasha disappeared through the door. Kokoa stayed looking at it while the wind which was blowing waved her hair.

"That boy is… scary," said Haiji, still sitting on the floor. "Be careful with him."

"I don't need you telling me that, lolicon," said Kokoa, not turning to face him.

"It was… fun, having you near. Become stronger than anyone and give me a good fight."

"Yeah… I… Thanks for all…"

Kokoa walked to the door. Once she was inside she could not help but cry. She was willing to for a while now.