Ch. 10: A Choice

"Masaya has been what?!" Mint asks, not believing what she's just been told.

Ichigo repeats, "Eliminated. He was turning into a vampire. I had no choice. If I had let him become a vampire, we would have to hunt him down anyway and eliminate him."

Sitting at his desk, Blue Knight explains, "He knew too much about us and too much about our weakness."

"But vampires don't remember their past lives once they're turned!" Mint tries to remind.

"But after a period of time, they will remember," Ichigo reminds. "When his thirst completely controls him and he becomes completely brainwashed by those suckheads, he would use his knowledge of us against us and destroy us."

Despite what she says to be true, Mint still looks angry.

It's near night time and since everyone is basically up at sunset to prepare themselves for another night of hunting, Blue Knight, Ichigo, and Lettuce decide then to tell them the tragic news of their formal comrade and friend. Especially when they were all asking on how his condition was. Everyone is in Blue Knight's office and they were just told the tragic news, or at least the main part.

"It was for the best," the Blue Knight says. "He's at peace now."

"But who turned him, na no da?!" Pudding asks, upset about the news herself. "We should kill whoever did that to him, na no da!"

"There will be no need," Blue Knight tells her. "Ichigo will find and destroy Kisshu for what he did."

"Kisshu?" Zakuro asks, confused.

"He's the other vampire that was with Taruto and Pai," Ichigo answers. Hearing his name, Pudding's widen a bit before relaxing to normal. But she widens her eyes again when Ichigo adds, "And like Pudding, he was my friend from my childhood. He was turned into a vampire by that bastard Deep Blue." Hearing that, everyone, but Lettuce and Blue Knight, gasp.

Then their shock turned into sympathy.

Keiichiro says, "Ichigo, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," she tells him, being her cold self as always. "My friend's been dead for years. He still is. That think that looks like an older version of him is a blood thirsty monster who I found feeding on Masaya."

"Did he remember you, like how Taruto did?" Ryou asks.

Ichigo didn't answer right away. She was remembering that time when Kisshu was on his knees in pain and Pai was besides him.

"What is this? I don't…I don't understand them."

"Deep Blue already told you about your past. None of these memories should surprise you."

"No," she answers. "He didn't remember me." Lettuce looks at her for that and the others look at each other, in even more sympathy.

"We see," Keiichiro says, his voice still so full of sympathy and pity.

"As I said, Keiichiro, don't be sorry. I don't need your sympathy or pity."

They all look at her again and this time, she's not looking at them. She's looking at the ground, her eyes still so cold and hard as it always is when they go on a hunt or she's really upset.

Then Blue Knight says, "Anyhow, we're leaving Japan."

After hearing that, Ichigo looks at him and Lettuce's eyes widen in a bit of terror and this time, she's not going to hide it. The others look at him in shock as well.

"Leave?" Mint asks. "What do you mean 'leave'?!"

"Exactly as I said," he answers.

"But we can't leave, na no da!" Pudding yells. "We're so close to getting Deep Blue and you want to leave when he's weak, na no da?!"

"I believe that Masaya was a spy for the vampires."

Hearing this, Ichigo's hand twitches but her expression remains the same. Both her and Lettuce stand there, allowing the Blue Knight to tarnish Masaya's name while the others go speechless. Some of them at least.

Zakuro asks, "A spy?"

"Yes. It would explain why Masaya was out there this morning. Why else would he go when he was wounded and end up turning into a vampire when Ichigo and Lettuce found him? I understand your anger and your confusion but we can't take any chances of him possibly spilling out information of where we are and our defenses. You said so yourself that their suits can withstand UV rays. They would come to us in our sleep and in great numbers. We would be restless and exhausted, perfect prey for them. Now that we have killed one of their own, we have no choice but to leave."

Mint then says, "Forgive me, Blue Knight. But I can't believe that he was a spy. He was with us for so many years. We fought battles with one another so many times and we saved each other just as much. A vampire nearly killed him and vampires killed his family and friends. What proof do you have that he could be a spy?!"

"He was out there this morning, was he not? What proof do you have that he wasn't a spy?"

After being asked that, Mint gets quiet. She has no proof that he wasn't a spy.

Then Blue Knight asks Ichigo, "Do you agree with me, Ichigo?"

The attention is turned to her and Lettuce is the only one who's looking at her with eyes of plea. Ichigo slightly glares at Blue Knight for this. He's putting her on the spot.

"I agree with you, Blue Knight," she answers. Lettuce's eyes wide, bigger than her big round glasses and Ichigo adds, "As much I actually disagree with you. But that is out of my desire to kill Deep Blue now while he's weak."

The Blue Knight closes his eyes in understanding and says, "Someday you will understand. Now we are to leave immediately. Pack up as much as you can carry and wait for my orders." As commanded, everyone turns around and heads for the door. Ichigo took a moment to look at Lettuce but she didn't look up at her. "Ichigo." She stops walking and looks over her shoulder to see the Blue Knight standing up. "May you stay for a moment? I need to speak with you."

The door closes and Ichigo looks up to see that everyone is gone out of the room. When everyone was out of ear shoot, the Blue Knight walks in front of his desk and leans on it. Sitting beside him is a closed laptop. Ichigo looks back at him and he says, "There is something I wish to show you." He opens the laptop and starts typing on the screen. Ichigo at first only stands there, watching as soon a screen appears. He moves it so that she can see and what she sees is a recording of what the video cameras caught this morning. She sees the front of the school and she sees Lettuce leaving the school and shortly after she ran away from the front door, Masaya appears from by landing in front of the door with his sword in hand. Then he leaves by running after Lettuce. Ichigo's eyes widen when she sees this. Luckily for her, she didn't appear on the camera. She left the school through the back door to get away from camera's view.

Ichigo looks up at the Blue Knight and she asks, "Why are you showing me this?"

"I'm showing you this because I suspect of Lettuce being the spy instead of Masaya," he answers.

Then Ichigo got it. "You were bluffing. How many lies must you say until you're satisfied?"

"I simply wanted to see their reactions. Especially hers. If my calculations are correct, then Lettuce would be packing up to go to those vampires. I understand that you told me that you and Lettuce left at the same time to protect her but if she's the enemy, then you mustn't."

Ichigo looks away, in guilt and frustration. Her fist becomes a tight ball and she literally spat the words right out of her mouth, "I didn't want to believe that she is a spy. She's been with us longer than Zakuro, Masaya, and Pudding and she's been a vampire hunter her whole life."

Then she felt his hand on her shoulder like how he did yesterday and he tells her, "You can't always believe what you see. I understand you must feel very hurt and betrayed right now. But we can't let these feelings rule us. If Lettuce really is a spy for the vampires, I want you to follow her." His hand slides off her shoulder and he goes to his pocket. Ichigo looks back at him and she sees him taking out a rather magnificent looking gun. It looks like one of those silent guns but it looks new and hand crafted. "Take this." He gives her the gun and tells her, "That gun has tracking bullets inside of it. When you fire that gun, the bullets will automatically activate. It cannot be without being fired. The vampires won't feel it nor can they hear it working. They would just think that we are using useless, regular bullets normal humans would use. I'll tell the others of Lettuce's treachery and we'll depend on you to lead us to their lair. There, we will end it once and for all."

Ichigo examines the gun in her hand and she grasps it, getting the feel of how it is in her hand. Then she feels Blue Knight behind her with his hand on her shoulder again and his lips by her ear. "I know that you will not fail me, Ichigo. Forgive me for not telling you the truth about him but I did it to protect you. I see now that my method of protecting you only hurt you more. I am sorry."

Ichigo grasps the gun in her hand tighter and tells him, "I understand, Blue Knight."

XxX

Lettuce quickly puts her weapons on her body. She lifts up her pants on her leg and she replaces the dagger in its sheath where it is tied all around her calf. She actually put several daggers there since she also has several sheaths wrapped around her calf. She also puts more daggers on her arm, behind her with a gun, and she puts some bombs on her belt. Every weapon she can carry.

"You're packing rather fast, Lettuce."

Lettuce flinches when she heard that. She turns around and she sees Ichigo at her door, closing it behind her when she entered. She did not expect her and she watches her as Ichigo walks towards Lettuce's desk where a piece of paper awaits. There's something written is on it and despite how wet the ink still is, it was written recently.

Ichigo reads aloud, "'My dear friends, I am sorry that it has come to this but there is something you must all understand. Masaya wasn't a traitor. He was following me this morning as I was going to secretly see the vampire I love. I was never a traitor to you for I did not unleash any information about us nor was I going to. I merely went to see him and now I am leaving you all because I cannot bear it to part from him again. You see, we met before I met you and it broke my heart when I had to leave him and I had to tell him by leaving a letter for him to find. It was pathetic and I was lucky enough for him to believe me when we met again last night. I don't want to do that to him again. The next time we meet, my friends, we might be enemies and I might not remember you. Thank you for everything and I'm sorry. Farwell. Lettuce.'" Ichigo looks back up at Lettuce and Lettuce stands her ground as if ready for a fight if it comes down to that. "Are you willing to fight me, Lettuce?"

She answers, "Only if you're going to stop me, Ms. Ichigo. I can't leave him again. I just can't."

Ichigo puts the letter back down on the desk and says, "I see. The Blue Knight has asked me to follow you if you leave tonight." Lettuce's eyes widen when she hears this. "We've been sloppy. There was a camera by the front door and it recorded the moment you left and when Masaya followed you. I should have realized that he would check the security cameras after what happened."

"So he was bluffing about Masaya being a spy?"

"Yes. He just wanted to see your reaction. Lettuce, I can't allow you to be caught or accused of being a spy. You're my dear friend and I can't bear it if you get trampled so low."

Lettuce looks at Ichigo with soften eyes. She feels touch by Ichigo's words but she regains her strong composed self and tells her, "But I can't leave him a letter like that time again. He may not believe me the next time we meet, if we meet again. Ms. Ichigo, I will leave and I am going to be with Pai, even if it means giving up my life and my humanity. If you want to stop me, then you'll have to kill me."

"I'm not gonna stop you."

That was completely unexpected. Lettuce's eyes widen when she hears this. Ichigo tells her, "I'm here to ask for a favor. I want you to take me with you."