Bleached Vampire

Chapter 8: Monster Hunt

The Newspaper Club had been trekking through the forest going in a general direction where they thought the mysterious monsters were coming from. Although the reports were scattered, the majority did seem to be in this general direction. They had been travelling for awhile now but so far they weren't finding much of anything.

"You sure you took this way?" Mizore asked Kurumu as they walked on.

"Yes I'm sure," she said slightly annoyed. Mainly in part for being doubted another was the fact that Moka and Yukari were too close to Tsukune at the moment. She was waiting patiently to find an opening but she knew that the girl next to her was watching for the same moment.

They continued on walking until something seemed odd to Tsukune. Sure the woods could be creepy at times but there was something else. They seemed even more so than usual, and he suddenly realised why. There were no sounds other then themselves, the forest didn't have much in the way of wild life, but it did have it. Normally you could go five minutes without seeing at least one crow, or an owl or something else. But there was nothing, the place was as silent as death. He was about to comment on that when it happened.

They felt the dark pressure suddenly surround them, the sickly feeling of something that was just wrong, something dark and menacing.

That's when the attack came, the hollows had been hiding in the thick forest let out their screaming roars but this time there wasn't just one or a few hollows. This time a large group had been gathering. What no one had known was that until how only stragglers had gone into the academy grounds. Now it was a whole group, a hunting pack of hollows. Hollows normally are loners at first, but over time they form hunting groups to help hunt down prey. Those could range in size, and it was usually when Shinigami squads were sent in to deal with them.

Tsukune and the other were now facing such a group.

They came in quick and they the club had to scatter, Tsukune had tried to stay by Moka's side but a hollow managed to separate them. He looked around but was hit in the chest by a large fist. It hurt but he had taken much worse. Yukari was by his side and looking up he saw they were broken up into three groups. Things had quickly gotten very bad for them.

-Ichigo and company a few minutes earlier-

For the Karakura group they weren't too far from where the Newspaper Club was. They were still walking along their own path trying to track down any hint of what was going on. Rukia was in the lead looking at her phone held out in front of her. She kept it on as it was scanning the area for hollows as well as mapping the area. This way they wouldn't overlap their search, it was a slow process but they made the most of it.

Ruby was talking happily with everyone there were a lot of things she had been meaning to ask them since she first met them. How did they all meet, how they gained their powers, how they were finding the school. They were certainly a lively bunch, especially Ichigo, Rukia and Uryu. Chad was the strong silent type and Orihime was the peacemaker apparently. She also learned that Kon was what was called a 'mod soul' and could take over another's body if the pill form of his true form was taken.

"So Orihime-san," Ruby said to the girl next to her. "I'm curious, you said that you're powers manifested and I know they're fairy like beings from what you said," Orihime had gone through the story of when her powers had first came out to protect Tatsuki from a hollow. Ruby hadn't known it at the time when Orihime had healed her injury, but hadn't known what they truly were then. "I was wondering what your abilities. I mean I had never seen or read about such healing powers."

"Oh? Well it's nothing really," Orihime tried to play it off as nothing. Truth was she always felt a little left out of the others. Everyone had such amazing powers that could let them fight, true she did have an offensive ability with Tsubaki but in the past she hadn't really used him to his fullest. The reason she knew was because she couldn't put her whole heart into harming others. His power came from her heart and her will.

"Actually it is something," Ruby raised her arm and knew where the injury had been. "It would have taken me awhile to heal from that and even might have left a scar. But there is nothing there, like it never happened." She noticed Orihime twitch slightly at that. "Was something the matter?"

"N-no nothing," She smiled at her waving her hands like nothing had happened. It was just that how she said that brought back memories of when she had learned what her 'healing' powers truly were. That also led into worse memories of her capture but she pushed them aside. She didn't want to think on sad thoughts anymore. "Actually you're right about the injury, it never happened I guess you can say."

"Huh?" Ruby blinked in confusion.

"I don't actually heal," Orihime said softly with a small smile but there was no humour in the smile as she had a far off look in her eyes. "My power to heal actually turns back time in a way. I reject reality and can turn something back to the way it was originally."

Which was true, she had given back limbs to those that had lost them totally. Healed injuries that looked like they had never been injured to begin with.

Roby's eyes widened as that registered. Everything she had learned in magic said that what this girl said, if true, went against a few of the laws of nature and magic. To revert back reality was something that many had foolishly tried but ultimately failed at, usually with disastrous results. Only a few had ever gotten anything close to it. But this young girl had naturally somehow gained an ability that many had tried to achieve was nothing short of amazing.

Ruby smiled at the girl, "Orihime-san, you truly are remarkable."

"W-w-what? N-n-no I'm not," She said frantically in a comical way.

Ruby giggled at the other girl, "You don't give yourself enough credit. Not many people in the world have been able to do what you do naturally. It's a very special gift that you were blessed with."

"Are you sure that thing is working right?" Ichigo asked getting fed up with how long this was taking. Patience had never been a strong suit for him but it had been a couple of hours now and so far nothing. He was getting bored and he still had some homework to finish up.

She glared back at him, "Of course it's working. Look just because you want to hurry up and fight you can make hollows show up."

"Hey Uryu," Ichigo looked to his left a little bored, "You got anymore of those hollow baits."

"I didn't think to bring any with me to the school as I figured we would have enough trouble," Uryu stated. There was that and the fact that after the last incident when he used that thing, an army of hollows showed up. He hadn't wanted to use them again until he got behind the reason why so many had shown up. Maybe the ones he had were bad, but he couldn't be sure because that meant using them to check them out. And there was no way he was doing that.

Rukia was about to say something about how dangerous that was at any rate when the scanner on her phone picked up a few signals. Everyone paused as the short shinigami ran to the area. It was just on the edge of the scanner as she got closer she could see more signals showing up.

"How many are there?" Ichigo asked her.

"A lot." Rukia commented as she couldn't tell. There were too many signals together to make out which ones were which but there were a lot more hollows than any of the other times. "It looks like a full blown horde has shown up."

"Then we better not waste any time," Ichigo dug out Kon who complained about having a nice nap before Ichigo placed his soul badge onto the small toy. A small green pill popped out of the mouth as Ichigo grabbed it and swallowed it. The familiar sensation of leaving his body was felt as his soul was split from his body. He looked back to see Kon now using his own body. "Take care of my body and don't get too close."

"Yeah I know how this all goes, I'll wait right here." Kon-Ichigo said as he sat down.

"You too Chappy," Rukia said now out of her gigai after taking her own soul candy. The mod soul in her body gave a salute as it was as overly cheerful as ever.

"I'll take to the skies then and scout ahead," Ruby said as large raven wings grew out of her back as she took to the air.

"I...Didn't know she could do that," Rukia blinked in surprise. It seemed like every day it held surprises. At any rate she quickly moved with her flash step towards the fighting, Chad and Uryu followed with their own quick movement abilities. Ichigo was about to go when he noticed Orihime was left behind.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Oh, I-I'll catch up don't wait for me!" She said smiling at him as she started to make her way through the forest on foot. Ichigo had forgotten that Orihime didn't know any ability that allowed for her to move quickly. He didn't want to leave her behind so there was really only one option. He quickly got behind her and picked her up carrying her in a bridal style.

"K-Kurosaki-kun!?" Orihime's face went bright red as he picked her up like this. Truth was there were a few dreams that had him picking her up like this. Of course that was before the giant robot aliens invaded with then calling on giant robots like in the Super Sentai series. Her mind stopped from going further into the weird realm that it usually went, as Ichigo started to talk to her.

"It's not a problem, after all I can't leave you behind. So just hold on," Ichigo said not really noticing the blush on her face as he moved as super speed.

With the Newspaper Club they were already in the battle.

They were not used to fighting large number of enemies, mostly they had small groups or just one opponent. This was something new for them but despite that, they were holding themselves well. Tsukune was trying to get to Moka to remove her rosario seal but the creatures kept getting in his way. Yukari was with him helping to protect him with her magic. Kokoa was using a large war hammer to batter the monsters from her sister.

Kurumu and Mizore were fighting close together as they were used to fighting with each other now. The special training they did together made them use great team work against their enemies and cover each other's backs. But the fact was, there were a lot of the monsters coming after them and they might get pulled under by the sear numbers they were fighting.

Ruby being at the height she was at, had a good view of what was going on. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw that her friends were caught in that large group of hollows. Her worse fears had happened, she had tried to hard to keep them out of this fight but they had stumbled into it. She flew down towards them without thinking, these were her only friends in the world, the only ones she could really consider 'family' to her. If she ever lost them, she would die on the inside. She would be alone again and she never wanted to feel that again.

She thrust out her staff as vines with large thorns shot out of the ground to wrap around several of the hollows and started to crush them.

"Ah Ruby-san!" Yukari called out to the older witch. "What are you doing here?"

"No time but help is on the way," Ruby told her landing next to the young witch and Tsukune. "But I just wish you hadn't gotten involved in this."

"Wait do you mean you knew what was going on?" Tsukune asked her but before he could finish a roaring sound made him look to see a creature nearly on top of him. That is until a glowing shield came out of nowhere. "What?" Tsukune blinked in surprise.

Ruby and Yukari took out the hollows getting too close as two others came towards them. Orihime came in with Rukia. Orihime's single attack went to work on a hollow here and there but Rukia moved like the 'death god' she was among the hollows. She may have been an unranked member but she had grown a lot since the time she met Ichigo. She moved with speed and grace as her white sword cut down anyone that got close to her or Orihime.

"Orihime-san? Rukia-san?" Yukari said confused.

"What are you two doing here, and why is Rukia-san wearing that and holding a sword?" Tsukune asked seeing Rukia in her Shinigami robes.

"It's a long story," Ruby stated.

"We'll explain later but first," Rukia turned to face the on coming hollows. She tapped the tip of her blade into several places on the ground in front of her, each place making a pure white glowing power there. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" She shouted out as she swept the blade in an arc. Then a large wave of ice emerged and attacked the hollows.

"An ice user," Yukari said as she was thinking back to one of the stories. A dark figure that used ice, had that had been Rukia?

Tsukune was surprised but then he heard Moka's startled cry. She was in trouble and with the seal still on she couldn't fight back at her full power. "I need to get to Moka-san, she needs my help."

Rukia wasn't sure what the boy could do but there was a look of determination in his eyes. It was odd, normally he never had it, but his eyes were as determined as Ichigo in that moment. "Orihime, cover him."

"Hai," she told her.

'Hang on Moka-san,' Tsukune thought to himself as he ran with the long haired girl.

"Hey isn't that Orihime?" Mizore asked Kurumu. She had noticed a bright golden glow and turned to look. She was surprised to see the new girl over there and was creating some kind of glowing triangular shield.

"Mizore look out!" Kurumu yelled.

Mizore swiftly turned her head to see a large masked monster with its jaws open lunging at her. She hadn't noticed it and it was too close now. She tried to move but the shock and surprise caused her to pause. For a moment she thought she might die as the thing was big enough to eat half of her in one bite. But at the last moment a fist smashed into the thing. Her eyes grew even larger as the form of Chad came into her vision. She noticed that there was something strange with the arm he used to attack. It was transformed into a strange form. It kind of looked like armour but it was organic.

It was black with red lining and when he hit the creature, it flew out like it had been hit by a canon slamming into several other creatures.

"Hey there are you okay?" Chad asked standing in front of her.

She nodded her head, "Yes, thanks."

He nodded back as he held up a thumbs up with his normal hand still looking ahead of him. Mizore walked up next to him. She didn't train all summer for nothing although she was thankful for the help. Chad chase a sideways look, he hadn't known she could create ice like that. He had seen the ice on the battlefield plus her hands were now claws of ice. "Hey can you freeze them."

"I tried earlier but they either broke free or others broke them out." She explained.

"A second is all I need, I'm not a speed type for attacking."

Mizore nodded and took a moment to gather up her yokai energy. She would need to gather a lot of ice but she quickly managed to get a wall of ice ready and froze several of the creatures as they were charging towards them. She only froze the feet in place and it wouldn't hold for long. Then she felt another pressure only this time coming off Chad. She looked in surprise feeling his strength flow out of him. The protruding thing coming out of his shoulder opened up and a large blue like fire came roaring out. Only she wasn't sure it was fire, there was no heat coming off it. But the power she could feel coming off him was intense, it was unlike anything she had felt.

"El Directo!" Chad yelled out as a powerful blast of energy shot out from his fist. It struck the enemies and turned them into that black dust or ash they turned into when they died. She was wondering what was going on here. She couldn't tell but she could see his other friends showing up but still more of that weird power was flowing off of them. She couldn't really tell though, Chad's presence was hard to feel anything else. Just who were theses new students?

Kurumu had shouted out her warning and was surprised and glad when Chad showed up. She went back to her own attacking focusing on a few of the creatures that could actually fly. She clenched her teeth in annoyance as she fought these things. She wanted some payback for last time and this time she knew what to do and not to do. When one of her claws stabbed straight into one of the masks of the monsters she found it dying from the blow. After that blue arrow thing had neatly blown the head off the one that had attacked her earlier, she figured the mask was a weak point.

Then a few of the flyers started to swarm around her she tried some aerial flying to lose them but they stayed with her. She tried to pull up and then go into a loop to get behind them but they just followed her. She was trying to figure out what to do when suddenly dozens and dozens of the same blue bolts that had saved her the previous time appeared again. They shot up the creatures into swiss cheese.

"What the…where?" She looked around and her eyes were drawn to a fire not far on the ground. This was Uryu, only he was wearing some strange white clothing and holding a glowing blue…thing. It looked like a cross between a bow and a spider web to her. Then she saw him fire an insane number of those blue bolts out killing hollows by the score.

She flew down seeing one of the creatures trying to attack from behind but then he suddenly disappeared. She stopped herself in surprise but then he reappeared above it and fired several more of those strange glowing arrows into its body. She was left wondering just who were these guys.

Meanwhile Tsukune had managed to get close to Moka and her sister but the path wasn't easy. More of the monsters were going to the vampire siblings for some reason. Although Orihime had been helping out, her shield powers were amazing and that thing that shot out and sliced the creatures in half was welcomed. Although he did wonder why they seem to come out of those flower hairpins that she always seemed to wear.

"Heads up!" Ichigo's voice called out as both stopped. "Getsuga Tenshou!" A massive wave of destructive energy flashed in front of them clearing them a path right to Moka and Kokoa. Tsukune looked and was surprised to see Ichigo wearing the same type of clothing as Rukia. Only with a few differences and that he was holding a massive sword. Tsukune figured the weapon was taller than he was and most likely weighted twice or three times then himself. Yet Ichigo was swinging it around like it was a light as a feather.

"What are you waiting for?" Ichigo said to him, "I'll cover you two."

"Thanks Kurosaki-kun," Orihime said not waiting around she knew by now to not to linger while in a battle. Tsukune seemed to snap back to remembering his purpose on coming this way as he ran to catch up to Orihime. Although he did take a look back at Ichigo, he stood his ground not even showing a hint of being afraid. In fact he boy actually smiled! He shouted out some wordless war cry as he jumped right into the fighting.

"Tsukune!"

The boy looked forward to see that he was getting closer to Moka now. Kokoa looked like she was tiring out a bit. He had to hurry and his legs and lungs were burning with the effort. One of the creatures turned to see them and came at them. Orihime blocked it with a shield but its long arms managed to make a cut on Tsukune's arm as he ran past it. He hissed as he ran past the monster and jumped at Moka. His hand stretched out and just managed to grab onto her rosario. It came off easily like always to his touch as Moka transformed into her true vampire self. Her hair turned white, the eyes blood red with slits, subtle changes in her face and body also appeared as she now stood before them in all her glory.

She looked at the battle and actually sneered at the creatures. She noticed that Tsukune had been hurt again in trying to release her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Moka-san," Tsukune said holding the light wound on his arm.

"Onee-sama!" Kokoa shouted out as she was starting to be overwhelmed.

With the speed of a cheetah she kicked the head of one of the hollows smashing the mask and killing it with one blow. "I don't know what you all are, but you dare raise a hand against my family? It's time for you to know your place!" She shouted out as she started to kick every hollow she could.

"W-what happened to her?" Orihime asked Tsukune as she knelt next to him staring up at the changed vampire.

"It's her true form," Tsukune showed her the cross with the red jewel in it. "This seals her true self and her true powers."

"Oh so she's like two people in one," Orihime said surprising the young boy by how easily he took it. Fact was she was used to this kind of information. Given that all Shinigami had a spirit in their swords and the fact that Ichigo had an inner hollow as well.

Inner Moka was smashing through the hollows, she figured out that their masks were weak points. Although she wasn't sure what she was fighting they were dangerous. They fought to kill and more than once she nearly had a limb bitten between their massive mouths. It was obvious they were trying to eat her for some reason.

"Look out," Ichigo yelled as he swept his massive blade through some hollows.

"What do you think you're doing?" Moka asked annoyed that someone was stepping into her fight. She was a vampire of royal blood. She could handle her own battles and didn't need any help. Especially since she wasn't in any real danger at the moment.

"That's my line," Ichigo told her, "Let us handle the hollows and get everyone out of here. This is our fight not yours." He told her as he moved to fight some more. He remembered how much Ruby didn't want her friends getting caught up in the fight. He could relate to that, given he had friends back home that couldn't fight back against hollows.

Irritated as being told what to do and also at being pushed aside she did the only thing her instincts told her to do. She kicked Ichigo from behind sending him comically into a few hollows. There was a sudden flair up of power the likes she had never felt before as Ichigo rose up engulfed in blue energy for a moment. He quickly slashed the hollows to pieces and glared at the silver haired vampire.

"What the hell was that for!?" He yelled at her.

"You dare tell me what to do?" Moka glared right back at him letting some of her own power leak out. Although she was a bit impressed that he didn't show any signs of backing down. In fact he seemed to be glaring with as much fire as she was. "Do you have any idea of who I am?"

Ichigo paused for a moment before speaking. "Actually…who are you again?"

Moka nearly face faulted at how casual he said that. Did he really not noticed who she was? Well she thought to enlighten him a bit. "Moka Akashiya."

"Moka Aka…Don't screw with me!" He yelled at her as she got a surprised look on her face. "Moka is a lot different from you! So who are you?" He demanded again.

Now Moka was going from irritated with him to just pissed. "I am Moka Akashiya, this is my true nature, and on that note, what the hell are you and what is going on here?"

"I'll tell you later," Ichigo turned his back to her ignoring her as he looked around. By now most of the hollows were gone which was a good thing.

"Don't you dare turn your back on me," Moka nearly shouted out as she walked up to him and tried to spin him around. But she only got to turn him a little before he stopped himself. He was actually resisting her strength. He was a lot stronger then he let on but she would get to that point later on. This boy didn't seem to know that she was an S-class monster of high order and of high standing. And here he was acting like it meant nothing to him, just who did he think he was? Her pride was getting dangerously close to being tarnished by his actions.

Ichigo glared right back into her eyes, and had a sense of déjà vu. He had seen eyes like that before and then it hit him. He nearly groaned as he recognized she had the same look as Byakuya. It was the same 'mightier then thou' look he had seen on that guy's face ever since he first met him. He still wasn't sure on how this whole thing worked with two Moka's but he already liked the pink haired one better.

"Look I don't have time for this," he side and swiped a hollow on his right with his sword without looking away from her.

"And I don't appreciate the way you look down on me," she said sending a high kick to the chin of a hollow that tried to pounce on her, she herself barely even moved as she locked eyes with him. Then she noticed the slight blush on his face. "What?" she demanded.

"Do you have to kick so high in that skirt?" He said to her, the last thing he needed was someone like Yoruichi, who was not afraid to show off her body. He wasn't good with that type of woman.

"You dared to look," she said in a low angry voice as she figured he had looked at her panties.

"How the hell was I not supposed to look?" He shouted back at her. "What kind of girl kicks like that in a skirt that short anyway? Everyone can see if you keep doing that!"

"Are you insinuating that I'm showing them off on purpose!"

"I'm not insinuating anything," he looked at her smugly. "I'm flat out telling you that."

"You insolent little brat!"

"Hey I know for a fact we're about the same age, so who are you calling a brat!"

"So you don't deny the insolent part."

"Hell no I don't deny it, especially to some uptight aristocrat, yeah I know that look anywhere. I know a guy with that same look and I beat his ass."

"Then he must have been a weakling as I doubt you'll have the same luck with me boy!"

"Uh…" Tsukune looked at the scene as everyone had gathered around him. "Should we tell them that the fight it over?"

While the two had been arguing with each other, everyone else had defeated the hollows. Now they were gathered around watching the long haired vampire in a verbal fight with the hot headed Substitute-Shinigami, a fight that looked like it could resort to blows at any moment.

"Which fight?" Uryu sighed seeing the display. "Ours or theirs?"

"Man I never thought I'd see anyone stand up to the scary Moka like that. Does he have a death wish?" Kurumu asked not sure she was impressed by the boy or wondering about his sanity in actually picking a fight with Inner Moka.

"Sometimes I wonder," Uryu stated knowing full well the kind of fights Ichigo got himself into. The boy seemed to have a very low self-preservation instinct.

Next up Chapter 9: One Long Talk

Omake:

The talking back and mascot character for Rosario+Vampire flew out. "Hello I'm Nazo Koumori and today's battle lasted-"

"Hold everything!" Kon's voice yelled out as he walked up to the bat back in his stuffed lion body. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm giving the battle stats-chu," Nazo told the mod soul. "I do it all the time in the show."

"Well this isn't your show, which by the way only has two seasons, at least Bleach is still going on strong as is our manga." Kon told him. "So can it, this is more of a Bleach crossover anyway."

"You're the ones in our location so the story is more Rosario+Vampire!" Nazo said to the stuffed toy. "So I'm doing my battle stats as the official mascot."

"What?! I'm the official mascot here," Kon yelled back at him. "It's bad enough I had to share that spot with three others in the anime, I'll be damned if that gets taken away by some talking bat with a speech impediment."

"It's not a speech impediment-chu! At least I'm not some toy lion."

"Oi! Show some respect to the great Kon-sama," Kon raised a fist to the bat. "After all I came out first, you should refer to me as sempai."

"Maybe if you actually get screen time, how long has it been? I'm at least in every episode of the series at least in some form-chu." Nazo said smugly.

"That's it!" Kon launched himself at the bat as they two started to roll around fighting each other.

Battle report: Many hollows killed, explanations to be made…and two mascots fighting…