Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Rosario+Vampire

Author's Notes: I wish I could update often, problem that remains however, is my work and time management… Life's a bitch sometimes… No Internet… No Word Processer… No Microsoft… Blah blah blah… The list goes on… But, I'll stop talking now… Wait. On a further note, I want to ask you guys a question. Do you guys prefer long chapters and longer time spans for updates or shorter chapters but quicker updates? PM or leave a word. I'll finally stop talking. (Hopefully). Enjoy.

~SAYONARA~

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Tsukune awoke when he lurched forward as the plane skidded down the runway as it came to a halt. Rubbing his eyes, he looked out the window to see the tall towering buildings of Inchon and its airport. Day's first light broke through the clouds as the day began to get slightly bright. But only slightly. The flight attendants walked down the aisles motioning passengers to exit the plane so it could continue its schedule. Tsukune's father, Koji, reached on above the seats and grabbed his luggage. Tsukune followed suit. The two walked down the stairway leading off the stairs as they trudged on into the airport. As they walked past the large two sliding doors, they saw the sign: WELCOME TO INCHON, KOREA. ENJOY YOUR STAY.

"Not much of a big welcome community, eh, Tsukune?" his father said as they continued walking past all the other passengers.

"Hmm?" Tsukune was still a bit dazed after the plane ride, a bit tired but otherwise still manageable. He saw all the other passengers being greeted by their family members and relatives. They seemed to belong here. This was their home. Tsukune, on the other hand, didn't feel so. He was in a foreign country where he didn't know anybody and to make him feel a bit more miserable, he was to go off to an academy where he would also feel that he wouldn't belong. Tsukune hid his emotions behind a mask of a smile. "I guess… Where are we to head now?"

Koji rubbed the back of his sore neck as he walked on with suitcase in hand. "I have an old friend who works nearby… He should be able to get us started…"

"Started on…?"

Koji took his cellular phone out his pants pocket. "I am here for business Tsukune… The Kotsuba Military Research asked me to set up another facility here in Inchon. We have connection to several prominent business partners here. It will benefit us all."

"And me…?"

Koji punched several numbers onto his cellular phone's keypad as it started to dial the phone number. "You know why you are here, Tsukune."

Like hell, I do… "I know dad… I know…"

The two stood silently in front of the airport as the car rolled on by and honked at one another. Tsukune set his belongings on a nearby bench and sat down on it to relax for a moment. His father stood with the phone's earpiece at his ear.

"Hello?... Oh yes… This is Koji… It's been a while… Tae…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jean sat at his office as he wrote his final notes in a file labeled: KIM HYUN JOON in black, bold letters. He then proceeded to close the covers on the file. He reached under his desk and pulled out another file, this one labeled: CANDIDATE #37. He leaned back into his chair, pushing himself with his feet, reaching for his bookshelf. He pulled out an old and dusty book from the shelf. The spine of the book read Shinigamis and Vampires. He opened the book and flipped to the table of comments. He ran his long finger down the old page looking for a rather specific subject.

"You won't be able to find that topic in that book Jean."

Jean looked up and saw the Headmaster standing directly in front of his desk, arms together, looking at the book. Despite what he had just said, Jean continuously read down the chapters listed on the table of contents. "How is that possible Headmaster?"

The Headmaster chuckled as he shut the book as Jean was looking through it. "It's a new case… It isn't recorded in our archives, nor was it ever recorded in the Soul Society…"

"What?!"

"You're more ignorant than I remember Jean. You should lay off the cigars…"

"Hah, yeah. You're definitely right." Jean said, rolling his eyes. "But how is this… possible… this possession?"

The Headmaster only shook his head side to side, his hood swaying with him. "He may have conflicting souls residing inside of him…"

"By that, what do you mean?"

"By that, I mean that his soul isn't the only one retained to his physical manifestation…"

Jean scoffed. "Well obviously… We saw that first-hand during the street fight…" Jean pulled the closed book towards him and began to flip through it again. He reached for his glass of water that he left on the right side of his desk. Water droplets formed on the outside of the glass.

"That's not what I mean Jean… Not just two souls… But three perhaps…"

Jean almost choked on his water. He coughed as he began to clear his throat. "Three? Three souls?"

The Headmaster nodded. "Well… Not exactly… Let me explain… I know. It sounds absurd. Impossible. I assumed that too until I stumbled on one ignored fact about the candidate…"

"What would this fact be?" Jean asked as he folded his arms together.

"Remember… He has spiritual powers…"

Now, Jean spilled his water all over his shirt. "What?! Since when?!"

"He saw Teacher Ide… Don't you remember?"

"But that doesn't mean…"

"It does mean something Jean. Don't try to deny what happened…"

Jean was quiet for a moment. He fingered the end of his glass with his index finger for a while. He then looked up at the Headmaster. "Alright. Let's say that him being able to see a Soul Reaper means something… Clarify for me."

The Headmaster held his chin in his hand, rubbing it with his thumb. "If he does Spiritual Powers, then he has his soul. But then, he has this entity residing along with him in his soul…"

"But how does the Three-Soul Theory correlate?"

The Headmaster held out his hand, stopping Jean from pestering him with any other questions. "You see, both souls are constantly fighting over for control of the body. His soul is able to counter the entity's soul for most of the part. But we saw what happened when the entity took over the host body. It was a brutal killing machine. However, deal enough damage per say, and the host's soul regains control. Now, this is where my theory comes in. If the two souls could coexist in harmony or without constant battle for control, we would have a new soul come into creation."

"How so?"

"Once these two souls reside peacefully, they will intertwine, fusing together. Therefore, a new soul is born. The soul is neither fully the host nor the entity. However, the two souls will be the ones judging the next actions of the new soul."

Jean, still quite confused, asked, "What happens to the host or entity?"

"You see, the two souls must agree to what's going on. Think of atoms. One must give and share with the other in order to create a new state of matter. If they don't, there is no new element. There just particles left. Practically nonexistent. These two souls are the same. Otherwise, the new soul will fall apart…"

"And… what happens next?"

"The souls, both the entity and host… will die…"

Jean was silent. He set the glass on the desk as he let out a big sigh. He leaned further into his chair as he rubbed his face with his hands.

"But it's only a theory… With the background research of course…" The Headmaster said, turning his back to Jean. "But it may be something to consider… In case… of event of… you know…"

Jean silently nodded his head as he shut the book, putting it away. He reopened the file and wrote some notes inside. He then set the file and pen to the side. Jean wouldn't say anything else. Just like himself… The Headmaster thought, Always worried about the sake of the candidates… sometimes even ones that don't even know him… Just like himself…"I promise you Jean, I'll do everything in my power to keep him alive… As long as it takes… that is…"

Jean didn't say anything. He just sat, motionless, staring at the wall.

"Jean, besides, Candidate #37 is in South Korea… just thought I'd let you know…"

Jean simply nodded his head, emotionless.

The Headmaster reached for the door, but before he left, he looked back at Jean one last time. Jean was staring hard at his desk in front of him as his head rested on his hands. Jean didn't even notice the Headmaster leaving. He sighed as he opened the door. As he opened it, he bumped into someone. It was a moderately tall man with black hair. The man quickly took a step back and bowed in forgiveness. "I am sorry."

The Headmaster held out his hand, "No need. It's fine."

Yet, the man still bowed again. The Headmaster let him get past him as he went into Jean's office. The Headmaster walked off as he closed the door behind.

The man walked to Jean's desk and stood right in front of him.

"What is it Tae?" Jean asked, looking up from his gaze.

"I just received a call from an old friend of mine… He needs a ride to a nearby motel or something of the sort."

"And who would this friend be?"

"His name is Koji… Aono Koji."

Jean just nodded his head and motioned with his hand. "You may go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tsukune leaned against his arm as he sat quietly in the back of the car as it rolled along the right side of Inchon's smoothly paved roads. His father sat in passenger seat with the man and the two were conversing over various topics ranging from business to Kotsuba to an Orphanage. He simply relaxed in his seat as he slid his hand down the cold window as rain pattered against the pane. It had begun to rain just as Tsukune and his father were picked up at the airport. The man had pulled up on the curb with a white Kia Soul. He was a young mid-twenties Korean Man who carried himself with dignity yet was humble to those around him. Tsukune figured that out when the man offered to carry luggage and open the door for both Koji and Tsukune. That was probably ten minutes ago. And the neither sky nor rain has cleared since. It just… rained…

"You alright back there?" The man asked as he looked into the rearview mirror to face Tsukune.

"Huh?" Tsukune was startled briefly. "Oh, uh… yeah… I'm fine…"

"I didn't really catch your name… What was it again?"

"It's Tsukune, sir. Aono Tsukune."

The man scratched the back of his head as he gave Tsukune a funny look. "Hey, Tsukune. Really, no need for formalities… My name his Tae Hoon. Nice to meet you."

Tae hoon. "Well, hello Tae Hoon."

"Ahhh, just call me Tae…"

Tae… I'll remember that. "Alright, Tae…"

"That's better…" Tae smiled as he resumed his focus back on the road to swiftly stop the car from running over a red light.

"If you are hungry, just tell me… we can stop at a nearby Lotteria."

Tsukune raised an eyebrow as he was quite confused. "What's a Lotteria?"

Tae laughed as he turned his gaze back to the road before him to continue driving. "Well, it's just another South Korean fast-food joint… Hamburgers, French fries… you name it… so many things to choose from…"

"Well… I am actually quite hungry…" Tsukune said as he looked at the car's digital clock next to the dashboard. It was barely eight o' clock in the morning and he had skipped lunch, dinner and breakfast… well almost that is…

"It's settled then!" Tae said, smiling, as he made quick right turn into a street. "What about you Koji?" The man asked, nudging his father in the shoulder with a cuffed fist.

Koji simply sighed, "All I really want is a nice warm bed to sleep in..."

"Oh come one, Koji… How long has it been since you visited South Korea? And furthermore, how long has it been since you ate from Lotteria?"

"… It's been a while…" then his stomach started to growl. Koji quickly turned to face the window. Tae just laughed and soon brought the car into the parking structure. He killed the engine and spun the keys with his finger before putting them away in his coat pocket. The three exited the car and walked towards the restaurant with a big red sign with letters L and O in white and orange. Tsukune shivered slightly at the cold temperature of the morning. Although it was summer, South Korean mornings didn't really follow the weather spectrum.

Just another day of a new life I guess…

Might as well get use to it…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tsukune sat on the edge of his bed looking out the balcony window of his hotel room. His father was snoring quite loudly as the rain pelted against the pane and slid down quietly. It had been several hours since the early morning breakfast with Tae. Afterwards, Tae had got the both of them a suitable hotel room near his work. Since then, his father had simply collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep while Tsukune on the other hand had been stuck in the room with simply nothing to but wait as the hands on the clock moved from second to second, from minute to minute, and from hour to hour. He was going to go insane at this rate. He sighed as he leaned on the wall, rubbing the back of his neck. He quickly got up from the bed and went to the sliding glass door and opened it. He stepped out onto the balcony and let in a deep breath as the rain poured down on him. Clouds had filled the sky and not a single ray of sunlight was visible past it. He leaned against the rails and stared down at the city below. Despite the rain, people stilled buzzed on about their daily business. Whether it was buying groceries or simply wandering aimlessly about, the citizens of Inchon stuck to whatever they were doing with religious significance.

"Bored, are you master?"

Tsukune jumped at the sound of the voice before recollecting himself. He held the rails of the balcony tightly. It was Kuro.

"I-I'd believe that it will be for the best not to talk right now Kuro…"

He swore he heard the entity scoff as it moved out of Tsukune and into a visible form. Tsukune felt himself shrink down a little bit. Despite the fact that no one could see the entity, Tsukune felt like closing the sliding glass door anyway. The entity stood on the rails as it looked at the city and then back at Tsukune, its hair blowing along with the breeze.

"Why not master? I thought you were bored… Or are you scared?" Kuro said. "Are you scared of me?"

Tsukune just stood quietly, feeling the rain hit his face and slide down. He closed his eyes as the rainwater dripped down his hair and his neck. Kuro walked on the air with ease as he lazily sat down and faced Tsukune.

"How do you appear Kuro? Why do you appear?" Tsukune said after drawing a deep breath.

Kuro laughed as he straightened himself up, looking at Tsukune straight in the eye. The red eyes seemingly penetrated through Tsukune's soul, filling him with unknown fear and irregularity. "How do I appear? I appear when I want to but loathe the sunlight. I linger amongst the shadows… Even when you think I am not there, I still see you master…" Tsukune started to feel cold. "And why do I appear? Because I feel like it. There is no other better reason."

Tsukune nodded silently as he kept his eyes closed. "Why are you attached to me?... How? Of all the people on Earth, and I am stuck with you… why?"

Kuro laughed with a voice filled with pure insanity. "That's for me to know and you to find out master."

Tsukune immediately stared at the being. "JUST EXACTLY WHEN IS THAT KURO?! WHEN?!"

Kuro was unfazed at his master's rage and fear. He just chuckled softly. "As I always said… Soon…"

Tsukune punched the air around him out of sheer anger and frustration before bringing his hands to his face helplessly.

"And that is why you have simply got to go to Youkai Academy…"

"Wha-what?! How… how did you know?!"

Kuro smiled. "That's me to know and you to find out."

Tsukune clenched his teeth. He wanted to lash out and hit this inner demon of his but he knew it would do him no good. Besides, it was virtually impossible. "I think it is about time you return to your resting place, Kuro."

"As you wish, Master" Kuro said with much grease as possible. Tsukune braced himself for the onslaught of cold that was about the pierce him from a flaming, black arrow. When it did, he gasped for air before nearly falling down on the balcony floor. He pulled himself up and leaned on the rail once again.

Dammit Kuro… Just what exactly are yo-

"Are you feeling alright Tsukune?"

It was his father's voice as he called from the inside. Tsukune quickly turned around and said, "I'm fine dad."

"You sure? I heard you talking to yourself… Are you really okay?"

"Seriously dad, I'm fine." Tsukune lied. "It was just a phone call…"

His father gave him a strange look. "Well… alright…"

Tsukune then turned around and faced the city. He ran his wet hand in his damp hair, trying to straighten it out.

"Oh, Tsukune?" His father called back out to him.

"Yes?"

"I have just received a message."

Tsukune raised his eyebrow. "About…?"

"Well, it was from one of my co-workers. He wants to throw a party for us."

Tsukune, with a look of confusion on his face, stepped back into the hotel room, soaking wet. "What did we do?"

"Well, for me, it is for starting a Kotsuba Military Division Headquarters in South Korea… and you… you know what it is…"

I should have guessed… My "acceptance into an elite academy" party… How wonderful… Dad must've spread the word at his workplace like wildfire… I wonder how many people kno-

"Well, hurry up and get changed. We'll be leaving in an hour." His father said as he got up from the bed and into the bathroom to get ready.

"Sigh… yes sir…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

On a building roof not too far away, a tall and extremely built man put down his pair of binoculars. He was donned in black. He wore a trench coat with a black balaclava covering the lower half of his face. His black hood covered most of his upper face. A tuft of golden hair jutted out beneath his hood. He had just finished his observation over his target in the hotel. Slung over his shoulder was a M21 Sniper Rifle. He had a headset equipped to his ear that crackled amidst putting the binoculars down. He brought his hand to the earpiece.

"Yes. This is Squad 1, Unit 1."

A crackling voice came back in reply. "Do you see the target, over?"

Raising the binoculars again, he said, "Affirmative. Target is within proximity. Shall we engage, over?"

"Negative. I repeat negative. The zone is too hot. You will be compromised. Over."

"What exactly is going to compromise me?"

"Our eyes in the sky detect multiple hostiles in the area. You are going to clear out of the area soon. We are sending in one of our birds in, over. Stay frosty, Specs." The radio comm killed itself.

Specter scowled. He volunteered on this mission to blow up some heads or let it rain red paint all over the street. Instead, he was assigned to babysit his target rather than take the shot. It was a pain really. The prison revolution was several weeks ago. Their leader, whose name was not known to many, had been rescued. Many people had joined their cause. Although, mainly prisoners, what they lacked in intuition they made up with sheer force and numbers. It still wasn't fun and games however. Someone had to do the dirty work. That someone was the one with the skills of a professional hitman.

Always rely on Specter to do all your shit… Yeah, just brilliant.

He soon heard the helicopter zoned in on his location. Waving a small flare in the already darkening sky, the heli noticed its upcoming passenger. It lowered a ladder and Specter latched himself onto it as the helicopter restarted its ascent into the evening sky. He climbed the ladder and reached above to the loading bay. In the bay were two officers. Specter immediately saluted them. They returned their respects before the three sat down.

"Lieutenant, I'd like you to know that you were called out tonight's mission."

"Excuse me for asking sir, but why?" Specter was flabbergasted. He was one of the best mercenaries in this group. In fact, he was the best. Always got the job done. Quick and clean, no questions asked. But this was no simple manner.

"Your superior officers believed that your skill set isn't exactly… matching to tonight's mission. In your stead, we are using our experimentally tested specimen to eliminate our target. We hope you understand."

"With all due respect, sir, I believe that I was fit for the mission. No other man volunteered. I did. I believe in my own abilities. I believe I can get this mission done. So please, allow me to complete the rest of this mission."

"As much as we'd like to Lieutenant, the orders came directly from the Leader himself. You are dismissed."

Specter fell back into his seat. He knew that these meddling officers in front of him were showing off to him their rather "fake" concern voices. It was all bull, the "as much as we'd like to…" He knew it. But still orders were orders… At least for the time being.

"Might I ask what kind of specimen are we using sir?" Specter asked.

"I thought I told you that you were dismissed… I guess you deserve the truth." Specter sat quietly. "We are using our experimentally crafted spiritual entities for this mission."

"Hollows you mean."

The officer glared at Specter. "Do not use that terminology on our projects, Lieutenant."

"My apologies sir." Specter said with much pain. "What kind of hollow?"

"Again with the language… Anyway, it is a Class-C Entity. It is capable of using its past memories to…" Specter decided to focus on something else for a brief moment. The officer then received a message from his radio communications system. He then looked at Specter. "We still need you for this operation."

Specter raised an eyebrow, "What will I be doing sir?"

"You'll be supervising the operation."

"Sir."

But in his mind, something else ran through.

Orders are orders…

But not the orders I need to follow…

The helicopter flew on as the rain continued pouring down on the city of Inchon.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

If it weren't for the two bathrooms in the hotel room, getting ready would have taken forever. Thank you Tae… Tsukune straightened the collar of his dress shirt as he ran down the banister of the lobby. While walking towards the main door, he saw himself in the mirror. He tried to examine himself thoroughly while moving. He quickly spotted a tuft of hair sticking up. Almost automatically, he pressed it down. His trademark hair was now back. He rushed down the lobby as his father reached for the door.

The rain wasn't so bad anymore. It wasn't pouring but it wasn't the kind of rain one would frolic in. The temperature wasn't drastically different from the afternoon but it was quite cold actually. All in all, the weather maintained itself since the early morning. Tsukune was fine with it, even fond of the weather of the evening. He, however, still missed the Tokyo sunset. In Korea right now, there was no sun.

Tsukune and his father walked down the hotel's outdoor steps and onto the sidewalk. His father's co-worker had summoned a taxi to take them to the restaurant. As promised, there was a taxi waiting for them at the foot of the sidewalk. Tsukune and his father quickly got into the cab. Tsukune heard the rain hit the room and sides of the cab as it rolled along down the wet roads of Inchon, splashing water about every two minutes. Tsukune leaned on his hand as he stared outside the window. He saw various things of the nightlife not too different from Tokyo's. People littered the street and were still walking about their business. Stores were still brightly lit, waiting for customers. There weren't as much cars as there was in Tokyo. Instead, the people walked. Strange… Food stands were on almost every three blocks they passed, serving fresh fish cakes and spicy rice cakes; they were the perfect and ideal snack in this weather. Tsukune hadn't tried too much Korean food but he was willing to try at least. He saw the people in the reinforced tents eating their meal. There was not a single person who was eating by themselves. Everyone ate with one another and drank together as if they were close friends. Maybe they were. Maybe they weren't. Tsukune didn't really care. It seemed as if they were having a good time. He just smiled as he passed on in the cab.

The cab rolled into the parking lot of a rather pristine-looking restaurant. The sign was brightly lit and very clean. Tsukune couldn't make out the other Korean words but he found two words that assured him that tonight's dinner was going to be excellent; Korean Barbeque. Tsukune opened the doors to the restaurant as his father was thanking the taxi driver and found himself in a rather brilliantly lit and big restaurant. The smell of grilled beef brisket and pork belly lingered in the pleasant smelling air.

"Different from back home, huh?" Tsukune glanced over his shoulder to see his father standing right next to him, hand on his shoulder.

"You bet… this place is like a maze… It's huge!" Tsukune said, admiring the place once again. "So… where are we sitting?"

"Hey! Koji!" a voice called out. It was Tae. He ran over to the two. "You guys made it in time." He said.

"I suppose so… Where are we sitting at Tae?"Koji asked.

"Oh, right this way."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tsukune rubbed his stomach contently as the remaining dishes were cleared from the tabletop grill. He reached for his glass of water and took a long drink from it. His father was still talking with his friends and co-workers and eating. Still eating. Tsukune wondered how much the older people would eat in comparison to him. The comparison would be quite huge. Tsukune pressed himself against the seat, relaxing from the long day. He pulled out his cell phone and saw that the time was quite late; 11:37. He looked at his father's table and saw that Tae was getting up. Tsukune stood up too, in order to pay some respect for a departing person.

"Leaving already?" one of Koji's friends said. "But we still haven't finished the intestines and beer combo. C'mon man, you have to stay."

"It's fine Jung, I don't drink alcohol… Besides, I've got work to attend to tomorrow…"

"Ahh… At the orphanage?"

Tae nodded his head. "Yeah, it will be better if I got some shut-eye before beginning work again… You'll understand, right?"

"Sure thing, go on ahead… I'll see you next week…"

"Alright, good night everyone." Tae headed for the exit. Tsukune quickly ran to him and stopped him midway.

"Leaving Tae?" Tsukune said.

"No, I am coming back." Tae joked. Tsukune simply smiled.

"You said you work at an orphanage, right Tae?"

Tae put his hands in his coat pocket as he and Tsukune walked along outside the restaurant. It had ceased raining. "Yeah… I do…"

"What do you do there?"

"Oh… I attend to some rather… important orphans…"

Tsukune raised an eyebrow. "Important orphans?... What kind of importance would that be?"

Tae laughed. "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me…"

"Oh, come on… I promise I won't tell anyone."

Tae smiled as he shook his head side to side. "Maybe some other time… But for now, just focus on your studies."

Tsukune hid his disappointment behind a small grin. "Ahhh, fine Tae… but you have to promise me that you will, alright?"

Tae winked with his signature grin and brought his hand out of his pocket to mock salute Tsukune. "Sure thing… Good night Tsukune." Tsukune waved back at him as he walked away. Just as Tsukune turned to walk back to the restaurant, he noticed something on the ground. It was white envelope with a something bulging inside. Must be Tae's… Tsukune picked it up and flipped it over. On the other side of the envelope, it was written in fine, black ink:

Patient #1087, Daisuke Shirai.

Puzzled, Tsukune quickly ran in the direction in which Tae ran.

I have to return this him…

Whatever it is…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Specter was positioned on the fourth floor of a crumbling, abandoned building. Where the windows should have been was replaced by a rather large crater. It was gaping out into the dark alleyway below. One false step and he could slip and fall to his certain doom. But knowing himself, Specter wasn't going to let that happen. Along with him on his mission was the experimental hollow. It was dormant at the moment as it quietly sat inside its container. Specter walked to the box and tapped it with his hand. "Just hold on for a moment kid, you'll be out soon enough."

A grunt was heard from inside the box. This hollow that Specter was assigned with was a child. However, it wasn't as simple as that. Whatever the scientists and spiritual experts had done to it had amplified its, or his, power tremendously. It was sick, doing this to a child. Specter, despite being a professional killer, knew that some things were out of hand. For example, turning an innocent child into a monster, it was terrible. Specter stopped at that thought for a moment. It reminded him of something.

It reminded him of himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

TWENTY YEARS AGO…

It was dark. The smell of blood and death reeked in the air, stabbing at his nose. He felt the heat of the fire near him. However, he stayed where he was, legs to his chest, arms wrapped around his legs. Aerin told me to stay where I am… She told me that I would be safe… I wonder where she is… He then heard the front door being torn down. There was a lot of shouting as he heard the men yelling back and forth, barking orders at one another. He heard furniture being broken down and the glass breaking. He thought he heard several screams. He scrunched up in his position even tighter.

He heard the men crash into his room. They upturned his desk and broke various objects. He only stayed quiet in his hiding spot, trying his best to hold his breath. He heard the men walk to where he was hiding. He held his breath, his heart stopped, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. They tore open the closet, revealing him. They grabbed him by the shirt collar with ease, tossing him to the ground. They yelled at him with words he didn't understand. One man proceeded to kick him in the chest. The kick deliberately knocked the air out of him. He gasped for air as he reached for one man's boot, asking for mercy. They only continued to beat him mercilessly. That's when it happened.

His sister jumped out and lunged at one of the men with a shard of glass, cutting open his throat. The other men, noticing their dead comrade, shifted their attention to the young woman and her glass shard. She took down another soldier before they overtook her. They took out their wooden batons and started to club the woman. He tried to reach out to her with what remaining strength he had left but to no avail. He felt himself drifting away. The corners of eyes turned dark. Then there was darkness all over again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He kneeled on the dirt ground with his sister and perhaps a few dozen other people, arms bound. He looked around and saw people he recognized. The man with the brown cap that lived in the house next to his and his wife. He shut his tightly and shook his head. Blood dripped from his nose from the beating. His sister was worse. Aerin was covered in bruises and her lip was cut. She grimaced with pain. She looked at him with her brown eyes. He noticed the fire in his sister's eyes. That undying flame she displayed all the time. She moved closer to him.

He did as he was told. He looked forward and saw the soldiers and their guns move towards him and the group of people. The man with brown cap yelled something at the oncoming soldiers. Almost immediately, there was a loud shot and a shower of red. He looked over and saw that the man with the brown cap was dead. His wife wept over his dead body. There was hole in the middle of the man's forehead where the bullet had entered. He could only stare at what he saw. The leader of the soldiers held his handgun as the smoke spewed from the muzzle. The wife rose to her feet and ran to the officer to whom he greeted her with an onslaught of lead. She lay, like her husband, lifeless on the dirt road. The officer looked at his troops and yelled a command. The soldiers got their rifles and took aim at the crowd of helpless people. Just as he was about to accept his fate, his sister whispered to him, "Give me your hands."

He did as he was told. He felt his sister run her hands through his. But he also felt something else. He felt the rope on his hands being loosened. "When I say go, you have to run as fast as you can, understand?"

He simply nodded at Aerin's words. "But what about you?"

"I am right behind you… Don't worry."

The leader yelled at his soldiers the countdown.

3

"Soon…"

2

"Get ready…"

1

"Now!"

He heard the shower of bullets behind him. He heard the cries of the people. He still ran. "Into the woods!" His sister yelled. He followed suit. He heard the soldiers behind him fumbling about with their weapons and such. He just ran. He ran as fast as he could. He heard the bullets whiz past his ear. He and his sister ran and hid in a grove, not too far from the soldiers. They had lost them. But only for the time being. His sister leaned on the dirt mound, gripping her side. "Are you alright?" Aerin asked him.

He nodded silently. He was caked in mud and blood. He looked over the grove to see where the soldiers were. They weren't any where in sight. He let out a small sigh of relief. "What do we do now?"

"The soldiers lost our trail, but only for a short time, they'll be back with their hounds."

"What do we do?"

His sister let out a deep breath and she turned her face to stare at her brother straight in the eye. "Here's what we are going to do…" her face cringed with pain before she recollected herself. "I am going to stay behind and distract the soldiers and you are going to run far away from here, do you understand?"

He bolted up, "NO! WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! YOU'RE COMING WITH ME! YOU HAVE TO!" Tears began to collect at his eyes. Aerin began to cry too.

"I can't… You have to leave…"

"NO! IF YOU AREN'T LEAVING, NEITHER AM I!"

"You can't stay… you are going to die if you do…"

"WELL, SO ARE YOU! I CAN'T LEAVE YOU TO DIE!"

Aerin then grunted as she straightened herself against the mound. She still gripped the side of her abdomen tightly. "What's wrong?!" he said.

His sister lifted her hand and his heart dropped. Where her hand was hiding was a gaping bullet wound. Blood slowly flowed out of the wound. Her face began to turn pale. He looked at his sister with disbelief. "No… This… This can't happen! Not to you! No!"

"You see… I'm already dead… If I went along with you, all I would do is slow you down…" She stopped to brush his golden bangs out his eyes and smiled sadly. "See… I can't go with you…"

He knelt down and to embrace his sister, she embraced him back. "I don't want to leave you…"

"Neither do I… But I can't let both of us die…"

They both cried for a while in each other's arms. Aerin then stood up, despite her wound, and looked at her brother. She clasped his hands and said, "I want you to have this."

He pulled back his hand and saw that there was a silver cross inlaid with a red gem and bound around a silver chain in his hand. "Th-this is…"

She quietly nodded. "Keep it safe… it will treat you well…"

He brought the cross to his chest as the tears rolled down his face. "I-I don't know wha-"

He was interrupted by a snap within the bushes. He and his sister bolted upright. "It's time…" Aerin then turned around and held her brother's face with her hands. "You've got to leave…"

"I-I don't want to Aerin..."

Aerin shook her head, her white hair swaying back and forth and she stared back at her brother. "Leave… Leave… be my little ghost… leave… for me… GO!" She released him and pushed him away. He looked back and saw his sister looking back at him. She smiled sadly as tears ran down her face. The soldiers and their dogs broke out of bush. He ran, unable to bear seeing what was about to unfold next. He ran and ran. A stray bullet had grazed him above the eye. He almost fell over but he continued running.

As he was running out of the grove, he tripped over a root. He landed hard on his chest. Wheezing and coughing, he breathed for air. When sat upright, he froze. In front of him was one of the soldier's dogs. It had its teeth bare, ready to attack. He reached for a nearby rock and threw it at the dog. "Go away! Stay away from me!"

The rock hit the dog on the head and it whined for a split second before rushing towards him, jaws gaping. It clamped its teeth around his forearm, the blood gushed out from beneath its mouth. He cried in agony. He punched the snout of the dog as many times as it was needed to break free from the dog's bite. After the dog jumped back, he stood back up, facing his predator. He picked up a stray tree branch and raised it against the dog. When the dog lunged at him again, he was ready. He swiped at the dog's legs with much force. He felt one of the hind legs break in mid-swing. The dog was incapacitated. He quickly reached for a rather heavy rock and continuously pounded on the dog's head.

One time isn't enough

Twice isn't either.

Three times is inadequate.

Four times is futile.

Five times isn't satisfying.

Six times…

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He ripped his shirt to use as a makeshift tourniquet for his wound. He wiped his bloody hands on his pants. He reached inside his pockets and pulled out the cross. He held it in his hand for a brief moment before fastening it around his neck. He let in a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he looked at himself and remembered what his sister had said to him:

Be my little ghost… for me…

"For you my sister… I shall become… a ghost…"

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Specter sat next to the container, his silver cross in his gloved hand. He sighed. He was a monster. But that was his job. What could he do? He looked back at the container where the child hollow was. He took of his hood and balaclava and ran both his hands along his face and hair. What he was going to do next was surely enough for his once superior officers to come hunting for his head as assassins. He understood the dangers of his actions. He breathed in deeply and made his decision.

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Tsukune ran down the streets of Inchon in his search for Tae. Strangely, Tae wasn't anywhere in sight. He continued walking down the night streets. He looked at the envelope again. It was pretty light considering the bugle inside the paper. He guessed that the bulge, too, was paper. He pocketed the envelope when his cellular phone began to ring. He answered it.

"Hello?"

"Tsukune? Where the hell are you?!" It was his father. Oh… crap…

"Oh hey dad… I was just um…"

"What are you doing? You don't know anything about the streets of Inchon and yet you are wandering about? This is absurd! Where are you?!"

"Dad I am sorry for not telling you where I was going but this was urgent."

"How urgent?"

"Very urgent."

His father scowled over the phone. "As long as you know where you are, you have to come back to the hotel room before midnight."

"Dad, do you happen to have Tae's phone number?"

"Yes, why Tsukune?"

"Well, because I-" Tsukune suddenly stopped.

In front of him, he could make out the stature of Tae standing before him, not too far away. He ran towards him, envelope in hand.

"Tae!" he yelled.

There was no reply. Tsukune stopped running. He slowly walked near him about twenty meters. "Tae?"

He then saw that Tae was frozen, rigid, and full of fear. Tsukune looked over Tae's shoulder and saw why. There was a small boy. His entire body was mutilated beyond recognition. But he was alive. But to make matters much worse, the boy began to transform. There was a huge hole in the boy's chest and a mask had covered the boy's face. The boy had nearly quadrupled in size and no longer looked like a boy. Rather, a beast. The mask had long serrated blade-like teeth, capable of tearing apart man with no problem. Overcome with fear, Tsukune quickly hid behind a pile of rubble and boxes.

"Afraid, master?"

Tsukune gritted his teeth as his face turned pale. "Not the best time Kuro…"

"Why not?"

"Because someone I know is about to get devoured by a beast." Tsukune looked over the boxes and saw Tae running.

"Use me master… Use my strength."

"What?! How?!"

Kuro chuckled, "Let me take over your body."

"No! I will not let you do that!"

Kuro laughed. "Even if it means losing a friend?"

There was a loud crash and Tsukune looked over the boxes again. This time, he saw Tae pinned down to the ground by the beast. The beast had created a crater in the process. The beast opened its mouth. Tsukune looked at what was about to happen with horror. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of Tsukune reopened his eyes and looked over the rubble, he could not believe what he saw.

There was man, no no, a boy, just about his age. His skin was fair white and he had silver hair. He was clothed in a pure-white robe and armed with a strange sword. With the sword, the boy had prevented Tae from being killed. In a swift movement, the boy swung at the behemoth head-on. The beast ear splittingly shrieked before disappearing into a gray cloud of nothing. Tsukune fell back onto the rubble, barely able to comprehend what had just happened. Am I going crazy?

"Nope. You aren't master."

That's very reassuring Kuro, coming from you... I wonder how much people can talk to demons and such…

"You're very welcome master."

Shut up.

"Alright."

Tsukune stood back up to see the sight again. But nothing was there. No Tae. No snow-white boy. Nothing. Tsukune fell back down to sit. What the hell is going on…? Then, Tsukune saw a flash of black, orange, and silver rush past him. He stood back up and looked at where crater was. There was a young man knelt down at the crater. He had an extremely large sword and was clothed in a similar outfit as compared to the other boy except for the fact that it was black instead of white.

And he had orange hair.

"I-Ichigo?!"

The man turned around to face him with an astonished look. "Oh… hey Tsukune."

"Wha-what are you doing here?! And why are you dressed like that?!" Tsukune said pointing at him.

Ichigo looked down at himself and smirked. "Um, heheh, long story…"

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Specter sat on the roof top of the abandoned building, smoking a cigar; he had his hand to the crackling earpiece.

"Specter… Come in, over… Specter…"

Specter scowled as je tore off the earpiece and crushed it with his bare hands. He tossed the remains to the dark alleyway below. He finished smoking his cigar and he crushed it with his boots. Just as he was about to stand up and leave, he saw someone behind him.

Raising his revolver, he yelled at the person, "Whoever you are, don't come any closer! I am armed!"

"Well, I see that you don't tend to your guests very well…" The man was dressed casually in a dress shirt and slacks. He was also smoking a cigar, Monte Cristo by the scent. "Anyway, were you the one that had released the hollow to live on its own whim?"

Specter, confused by the man, nodded. "

"And do you happen to be a member of the radical resistance group called the Black Death?"

Specter nodded again but kept his handgun raised. "But why does this have any concern with you?"

"Well… to put it simply, you saved the life of my candidate Specter…" Specter was surprised that this man, a total stranger, knew his name. "…and endangered the life of my employee…"

"Whoa man. I don't know who the hell you are, but I'd prefer that you'd leave rig-"

"But not only that, you had an attempt to kill my candidate and you even hold me a gunpoint… I should just kill you right now…" the man said, approaching Specter, step by step.

Specter cocked the revolver. "Look, I am sorry but I don't understand a single thing you are saying."

"That is no concern of mine…" he took a step closer.

"Then what is your concern, dammit!"

"What is of my concern? Why, it's that rosary on your neck." The man said, pointing at Specter's neck.

"Oh, hell no. You aren't getting this."

"Really? Are you about to risk your life for a simple artifact?"

Specter was bewildered. "Artifact my ass! I cannot let you have this!"

"And why so?" the man had crushed his dead cigar.

Specter was silent. He stared back at that man. He holstered his gun. "Look, I'd really hate to cause any more bloodshed…"

"Funny thing a hitman says such things, huh?"

Specter ignored the man. "…but why don't we talk this over a cigar? By your tastes, I suppose you like Monte Cristo, why don't we?"

"Now we are getting somewhere."

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END OF CHAPTER.

hhhhhhhe fe fsda