I don't really have much to say other than how are you guys? I saw Clash of the Titans and let me tell ya… I expected a whole lotta more action at the end. Good story though, worth seeing once, maybe twice.

The Book of Eli is definitely worth seeing 3 times… but that could just be my taste. Anyways…. Yea… das about it.

X X X X X X X X X X X

Ichigo lunged himself at the boy in front of him. He let out a horizontal slash that made Tsukune backpedal as he tried dodging the swipes at him. Using what Ichigo had taught him, he jumped into the air and aimed for Ichigo's head. His sword met Ichigo's as the metal grinded against each other, but Ichigo pushed him off… this time without throwing him through multiple trees. It seemed his reiatsu control was improving.

Tsukune dodged another swipe from Ichigo's sword, and proceeded to try and stab him. Like all other times though, it failed. Ichigo simply back stepped and knocked the sword out of Tsukune's hand with the back of Zangetsu. That meant the battle had ended.

"So… how am I doing?" Tsukune asked as he scratched the side of his head.

Ichigo seemed to be in thought for a moment before saying, "You're not improving… at all."

Tsukune simply replied with a sheepish grin, bowing his head a bit. "Sorry. No matter how much I train with you, I can't seem to improve."

He hesitated for a moment, but decided to ask, "Have I actually improved in any area at all?"

There was good news, however, as Ichigo said, "Well, your sword handling is getting better. You're just not getting stronger, faster, or anything else."

"Do you know why?" Tsukune asked. He was a little glad that he had improved in something, but the fact that he was still in the same shape when he first started bothered him.

Ichigo shrugged. "Maybe your ability is draining your power or energy or whatever."

Tsukune hadn't thought about that. Could it really be that his ability was a double-edged sword? That didn't make sense though. His ability negated things, not absorbed or drained. That's why it couldn't simply kill something on its own. He still wasn't particularly clear on that, but he did know that his sword couldn't just take away life.

"Well, maybe that's true." Then, feeling downcast about his lack of improvement, he decided to change the subject, "How about you Ichigo? How are things going for you and Kurumu?"

"W-What?" Ichigo stuttered, staggering back at the sudden question. Tsukune simply shrugged, unsure of why the question startled him.

"Didn't you guys kiss?" Tsukune asked, as if it was the most obvious thing.

"What the hell makes you say that!" Ichigo yelled at the boy, who cringed slightly at the volume.

"S-Sorry!" He raised his hand up, trying to placate the boy, "It's just that me and Mizore went to check up on Kurumu… and… well… you guys looked very intimate. So we backed away."

Ichigo's eyes widened slightly in surprised, but then he found the ground very interesting at the moment as his eyes trailed down. He recalled the memory. He recalled the way she had smelled and how her lips had looked so inviting at the time. The tips of his ears turned red. "N-No… we didn't kiss." He all but whispered, "Yukari interrupted us."

"Really? We didn't see her when we walked by." He replied, a bit curious as to how Yukari had managed to slip by. He figured that she hadn't been wearing her hat. She was short after all.

"Well, she did." Ichigo said in a subdued tone. This came as a surprise to Tsukune, who had never seen the Shinigami so downcast. Actually, he had never seen him downcast. The way he was standing still, the look of uncertainty on his face, just the negative aura that surrounded Ichigo beckoned something. Suddenly, it hit Tsukune. Could it be… that Ichigo loved Kurumu?

A smile formed on his lips as a question formed in his mind.

"Did you… want to kiss her Ichigo?" He asked cautiously, not wanting to call upon Ichigo's temper.

Ichigo now stood stiff, as if encased in a block of ice. His rigid form carefully looked up at Tsukune, who couldn't read Ichigo's neutral face at the moment. This day seemed to be filled with surprises. First, Ichigo looked downcast and love-struck, and then Ichigo was actually not scowling. What next, Ichigo was going to go up to Kurumu and kiss her?

Though, judging from Ichigo's temperament, if he was pushed hard enough he just might.

Multiple times during the silence, Ichigo opened his mouth to say something only to close it immediately afterwards. It was as if he was working on what to say, but the moment he decided to open his mouth he forgot. Tsukune figured he was having a tough time describing his thoughts so he decided to help out the orange-head.

"Well, they way I see it," Tsukune began in a light-hearted, but slightly serious tone, "I think you do like her."

The response was immediate as Ichigo grumbled a reply, "How would you know that?"

Tsukune gave a reminiscent smile as he replied, "Because I was in kind of the same boat as you, only with Mizore."

Ichigo's eyes widened slightly. How could he have forgotten that Tsukune was dating Mizore? Then again, he didn't see the ice girl much and even when she was around, she had a concealed presence. Something within him urged him to listen, to follow the advice that Tsukune was about to give. Then, he found himself raptly listening to Tsukune's experience and was quickly finding out that Tsukune really had been in the same boat he was.

"At first I didn't pay attention to Mizore." He smiled at this, remembering how dense he had been, "Then I started wanting to be closer to her. It was strange, I didn't know why, but I felt I needed to. I also started noticing things about her, like how her face was shaped, what color her eyes were, how soft her lips looked, how she smelled."

He paused and noticed something go off in Ichigo's head. Tsukune smiled. It seemed he had hit the nail on the head. "Then when I kissed her… everything felt right."

Ichigo looked at Tsukune before trailing his eyes down towards the ground, thinking about what he had said. It was true… all of it. That was exactly what he had felt at the time. Could it really be… that he was in love with Kurumu? His eyes widened when the thought caused his heart to beat against his chest. He felt this nervous, yet exciting sensation run through his being. At the same time, a knot formed in his stomach as apprehension settled in. If it was true, what would he do about it?

Tsukune just watched with mirth in his eyes as he saw the myriad of reactions coming from Ichigo. First he became stiff, then his eyes widened as if realizing something, then his face became serious—undoubtedly thinking about what this meant—until his eyes widened, probably from feeling some strange emotion dwelling within him. This was what Tsukune surmised. He himself had come to terms rather quickly with his feelings with Mizore, but Ichigo was far denser than he was, so it might actually take some time.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the silence was broken as Ichigo said in an uncertain tone, "So… what if I do lov..lik...think I'm interested in her? What… should I do?"

Tsukune covered his mouth with his hand, feigning that he was deep in thought. In reality he was trying to hold back the laugh that was welling inside of him. So it seemed Ichigo couldn't admit he was in love, or even like Kurumu, but only interested. He really would be a tough nut to crack. Well, whatever, it's all the same thing if Ichigo does end up kissing Kurumu.

He became serious though after that brief moment. He didn't want Ichigo to think he was making fun of him. He was actually glad that Ichigo was finally opening his heart to someone. The feelings of love—and the other things that came with it, he thought with a blush as he remembered certain activities—were all magnificent things.

"Well," Tsukune began in a sagely tone, "The first thing you should do is talk to her more often."

"Huh?" Ichigo asked, sounding incredulous, "How would that help?"

Tsukune held up a hand as he continued in voice filled with wisdom, "You can't be with a girl if you don't know her inside and out. Don't you think it would make Kurumu feel bad if you didn't know a thing about her?" When he got a nod from the attentive Ichigo, he continued, "Then when you're ready, take her somewhere alone, just the two of you. Do something romantic, make her heart beat and then when the mood is right, go for the kiss."

Ichigo gulped when he heard Tsukune say the last part. Go for the kiss? That was a lot easier said than done. First off, he didn't really know if he even liked Kurumu that way. Sure he got all these… weird feelings, but that didn't mean anything... did it?

Ichigo blinked. For some reason he felt like his Hollow was letting out a frustrated sigh. At the same time, he could almost see Zangetsu shake his head in disappointment. This frustrated him, and was about to snap at them when Tsukune spoke up again.

"Actually," Tsukune's sagely voice turned sheepish, "That's not the way it happened with me and Mizore."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Eh? Then how did it happen?"

"Well…" Tsukune trailed off as the memory of that night came to his mind, making his cheeks flush and his heart beat.

"Well…?"

"It went sort of like this. I still didn't know Mizore had liked me at the time, but she would always invite me to her apartment to either watch a movie or just to hang out." Tsukune felt really ashamed at the moment. Such large hints and he hadn't been able to connect the dots!

"Every time I left, she would give me a hug. Then, sometime later, she started giving me kisses on the cheek. I just sorta thought that she was being friendlier than before since we were closer friends now." He scratched his head as he smiled sheepishly, "I think she just got fed up from waiting and decided to take matters into her own hands. We were watching a movie one night, and she had looked particularly cute that night… but I really hadn't thought anything of it. We sat on her couch, ready for the usual routine of watching a movie and all that. As soon as the movie started and the lights were off, she laid her head on my shoulder. She told me it was more comfortable this way since I was warm. I let her do it, and that's when I realized that it really did feel more comfortable."

Tsukune shook his head at the moment, as if disbelieving of his actions, "I still didn't think much of it, even when my heart started beating a little bit faster. The movie continued… can't really remember what it was about. I think it was comedy… not sure, but either way, it made Mizore playful I think. She had started poking me, teasing me, and smiling so… so nicely." He sighed as he remembered the moment. The lights were off and the atmosphere had been so cozy and warm, he could literally feel the connection forming when he thought about it, "Then she started rubbing her nose against my shoulder. I really didn't know why she was doing that, all I knew was that these little things she was doing were making my heart beat really loudly. I suddenly started feeling the urge to pull in closer to her, to have more of her touch me. And the perfume she had worn that night… wow, it was amazing! I wanted to smell more of it, to be soaked inside that fragrance that belonged to her."

He smiled tenderly as he recalled his next action, "While Mizore was still nudging my shoulder with her nose, I finally caved in. Before I knew it, I reached out and began stroking her hair and, somehow, her ear after that." He chuckled, "I remember now… she purred when I did it and was completely still as I kept doing it. I didn't know what I was really feeling at that moment, because it felt like I was about to explode, like there was a pressure inside of me that wanted to be set free. The next thing I knew, I had pulled up Mizore's chin and kissed her."

Tsukune closed his eyes as he savored the memory, reliving it in his mind's eye. Then he let out an amused laugh. "Do you know what she said after I did that?"

"W-What?" Ichigo stuttered, feeling startled when he realized that he had been imagining himself in Tsukune's memory, only, it had been him and Kurumu and not Tsukune and Mizore.

Tsukune smiled. "She said, 'Finally' before she kissed me again."

Tsukune shook his head as his smile widened even further. He still couldn't believe how dense he had been. Really, anyone else would've noticed. But not him, he had to wait until he practically exploded to notice. After shaking his head one last time, he turned to Ichigo. His eyes were serious though kind at the same time.

"So, don't wait too long. I guess that's what I want to say." Then he smiled, "Unless you're actually a smooth-talker or something and you're pretending to be hard to get."

Ichigo gave Tsukune a disbelieving look, but then his features became soft as well. "Thanks for the advice. I'll… keep it in mind."

Then, left to their own thoughts, they walked away. One boy was grinning, planning to recreate that special moment again while the other boy thought about what had been said.

---

Walking through the hospital doors, Ichigo couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. He was going to visit Kurumu, even after that awkward moment. What made things worse was that Tsukune's words now weighed heavily in his mind. He grunted, was he really in lov..lik.. was he really interested in Kurumu? Sure she was nice, he admitted. She understood him and genuinely cared for him. She knew what made him happy, which was definitely a plus.

But that didn't really mean much right? I mean… maybe she only thought of him as a really good friend. Then he realized he was being an idiot as he palmed his face. Why would she ask him on a date if she only wanted to be friends? How could he have forgotten that small, yet crucial piece of information!

Because he was retarded!

Ichigo blinked.

'Get the hell out of my thoughts you bastard!' Ichigo yelled at his Hollow, knowing full well that last thought had not been completely his.

'Heh, you can't deny it though. You ARE being completely fucking stupid kingy." His Hollow sneered at him, a hint of disgust evident in his tone.

'W-What! How do you even know anything?" Ichigo snapped back. His Hollow didn't reply, but he could almost see the taunting grin on the bastard's face.

Ichigo sighed, now was not the time to be dealing with him. Suddenly, he heard yelling coming from down the hall… and it seemed to be getting closer.

"Wahhhhhh!" The voice cried out. The figure darted around the corner and was now running towards him. Upon closer inspection, he noticed it was Yukari before she zipped past him.

"AUUUUGHHH!" A second voice caught his attention, and he immediately knew who it was.

"Kurumu?" He asked, making her pause only momentarily in mid-run.

"Hey Ichigo. Sorry, but I have some business to take care of. Later! AUGGHHH!" She continued yelling as she ran, presumably after the young witch even with a cast on her arm. Ichigo could only stare blankly, wondering what that was about. He had failed to realize that he was still staring even though Kurumu was no longer there.

He didn't turn around until someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, and was surprised to find Ruby standing there. "Hey Ichigo!" She greeted him enthusiastically, a small blush adorning her face.

"Oh, hey." He greeted, "What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much," She said, "Just been helping the Chairman with a few jobs here and there."

"You mean that creepy guy that looks like the bus driver?" Ichigo asked, earning a giggle from Ruby.

"Yea, that's the one." She admitted.

"Well, be careful then. You never know what he might put you up to." He cautioned, making Ruby's blush deepen at his concern.

"T-Thank you Ichigo. His jobs aren't always bad though. He's the one that asked me to heal Kurumu." She became intrigued when she saw him stiffen at her name. She wondered what that meant.

"Well… tell him I said thanks then." He said, his voice equally stiff.

"Is something the matter Ichigo?" She asked as she looked at him curiously, concern etched into her features.

"It's nothing." He waved it off, but Ruby didn't let it go. She was genuinely curious to see what could make the brick wall in front of her so nervous and agitated.

Teasingly, she asked, "Are you having girl troubles?"

Surprise came to her when her joking assumption had been proved correct when he nodded. "Y-Yea… I guess I am."

She bit her lip. She had developed a bit of a crush on the boy when he had saved her. Truly, he had been remarkable at that time, and she had hoped that she could try to win his affection once everything was done and over. But it seemed like he already had eyes for another.

"Do you… love her?" She asked, careful to make her voice as neutral as possible. She didn't want the disappointment she was feeling to creep into her voice. Even if she couldn't be his, she still wanted to have some sort of connection with him.

Ichigo gave a rough sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "I… I'm… I uh…" He sighed again. He paused for a few seconds before continuing, "I… guess I am… sort of… interested... I guess…"

Despite the disappointment she felt, she couldn't help but admit that the flustered look on his face looked cute. That alone was enough to lighten her heart, if only a bit.

"Well, what I think you should do is simply get to know her." She advised.

Ichigo looked at her, and remembered that's what Tsukune had said before. Since Ruby was a girl, he figured she knew what she was talking about. "So… just talk to her?" He reiterated.

Ruby nodded. "Right, just talk to her. Girls love it when you know little things about them."

"Like?" Ichigo probed for more information.

"Like when you know what makes them happy and how to do it. When you know how they're feeling after only a glance. The kinds of romantic things that make a girl melt." She sighed dreamily at that, thinking how nice it would be if Ichigo thought of her like that.

Ichigo scratched the side of his head. He didn't exactly know what those romantic things were. He'd give the 'talking to get to know her' thing a shot though. It seemed like an obvious thing to do… despite him not coming up with the idea himself and had needed to hear it from two other people.

He thanked her, and was about to walk away when she pulled his arm, turning him around. "What is it?" He asked.

"N-Nothing. Good luck Ichigo!" She gave a small pump of her fist, encouraging him to do well.

He gave her a grateful smile as he said, "Thanks" before turning to leave the hospital. He still had classes after all.

Ruby continued to look on, even after Ichigo's form had disappeared around the corner. She wouldn't give in to her negative feelings, however, and instead genuinely wished for Ichigo's happiness along with the girl he liked.

---

Night descended over the hospital, and all was quiet except for the taps of shoes that could be heard on the third floor of the hospital. A lone woman walked through the desolate halls, her face neutral before she came to a door and opened it.

The woman stared at the figure in front of her that was wrapped in bandages. She gave the figure a sour look, not that he could see since he was sitting on a bed and facing the opposite direction.

"It seems that that Kurosaki Ichigo is up and about, not a single injury on him." Her voice turned harsh as she continued, "Didn't you say you were going to make 'mince meat out of him'?"

The man looked at his hand, gazing at it, remembering how helpless he had been. But next time, he wouldn't give into the fear he had felt. He knew what to expect now. "Please give me one more chance," He pleaded, "Next time I'll beat him for sure. With these hands, Ichigo will…"

"Midou-kun," The sweet voice of the woman called out as she stepped closer to him.

Midou turned to look at the woman and could only widen his eyes when her finger turned into a needle-like appendage. Before he could try and stop her, she quickly stepped over to him and plunged the needle into his neck, whispering gently into his ear, "No."

As Midou choked and gasped, futilely trying to move away, the woman continued to whisper in his ear, tone harsh, "Why'd you think 'organization' had 'sweepers' such as me come?"

She took delight in the horrified expression of Midou, probing her needle even further into his neck as he writhed in pain before answer her own question, "To clean up your mess is why Midou-kun. Losers are never forgiven, that is the rule of the Outcast Ayashi! With the exception of me and everyone above me, useless people like you who disappoint us shall feel our wrath!"

With that, she ripped out the needle, making Midou's blood gush out like a fountain, staining the immediate area with his blood. The woman laughed derisively as she turned towards the door, her eyes burning bright. She still had a few more rounds to go judging by how many had been left alive during Midou's so-called fight. She smiled at that.

She looked out the window, gazing at the full moon that hung in the sky. Her thoughts brought her to the person that had caused so much trouble. 'Kurosaki Ichigo. It can't be helped, so I guess I'll be the one to kill you. With my ability, not a single trace of you will be left!'

She cackled as she exited the room, savoring the horrified expression his face would have once she used her ability against him.