chapter 25

Urahara's shop-Underground training facility

"What are you waiting for Tsukune?" Moka asked him. "For the grass to grow? Am I not your next opponent? Surely a vampire would prove to be a better test than some imaginary construct that Yamazakura-san has put together from within your soul!"

"I don't understand Moka, why are you doing this?"

"I have my reasons...." Moka told him. "But if you must know, I want to test how strong you have become and make you earn that piece of your Zanpakuto! From what I can see, these things within your psyche is not good enough and strong enough for me! I do not think they have tested you to your limits and my aim is to do just that!"

Tsukune sweat dropped at that statement. Only Inner Moka would come up with something so obvious to try to disguise the fact that it's only a thinly veiled excuse for her to fight!

"That figures but I guess deep down I already knew that!"

He also knows that once Inner Moka has decided upon something, she will not reverse herself and go back on her word whether her decision is foolish or not. Call it pride or stubborn pig headedness, it's one of the traits that attracted him to her and at the same time, would probably pull every strand of hair out of his head or at least turn it all to grey from the frustration from dealing with such a one tracked mind and a stubborn streak a mile wide! It would be foolish of him to try to convince her otherwise but this is his training and by golly he's going to at least make it a little difficult for her to get some kind of satisfaction out of the whole deal!

"And if I refuse?"

"But my dear Tsukune, you can't refuse!" Moka said "This is your Bankai training. I thought that you wanted to get stronger?"

"Yes to protect my friends and also to protect you!"

"B-baka, w-what the hell are you talking about!?" she said flushing. "I don't need protecting, I can take care of my self!"

"But it doesn't change the fact that I'm doing all of this-all the pain, all the suffering, all the sacrifice that I have made...I did all of that all for you and if I have to do it all over again and I would have followed the same path regardless of how difficult it will be!"

Outer Moka who was listening in on the conversation within jumped for joy and swooned for a lack of a better term. If that's not as close to a confession in her book then nothing will ever happen between them! Still Outer Moka's open love and devotion for Tsukune got even stronger than before, if that is at all possible. She then reached out and tried to talk to her other self and told her to back off and let her handle this matter herself. Inner Moka in a rare display of submissiveness let her other self do as she was asked to then went up to Tsukune who is rather awestruck and rather confused to say the least and started to talk to him in a manner that the normal Inner Moka wouldn't get caught saying and would rather die than to actually say anything that would otherwise compromise her pride!

"Tsukune, come on and cooperate with me, pwease!!" Moka pouted.

She came nearer and then looked down, feigning shyness and then looked up to him with shining eyes making an adorable face that for some reason Tsukune found so cute and touched him on the chest and with her forefinger and made a circling motion that for some reason is rather pleasant and he didn't really mind at all with her being so close and all. He really can't complain at all but it's a little too weird for him but he really couldn't stop her even if he tried.

"Don't you want to be strong, you promised me that you were going to protect me right?"

"Who are you and what have you done to Moka Akashiya?" Tsukune said jokingly.

"TSUKUNE, come on stop plaayyiinngg!!"

As she said that she blushed furiously and Inner Moka herself so flushed and embarrassed that she hardly couldn't believe that the shy, and usually meek Outer Moka would take a chance and do something so out of the ordinary and said something that she shouldn't have but it was too late to take back those words. However, she still has to maintain that sense of decency and decorum as her pride dictates. A proper lady does not say "pwease!" She does not coddle, wheedle, nor make adorable faces to convince someone so she can get her way! But Moka for some reason didn't mind at all because it was rather pleasant being near Tsukune this way! Is it because love would make a girl do the weirdest things? Does that mean that she too has fallen for him as much as her Outer self? Perhaps Moka will have to put that aside to explore that matter later. Besides, there is too much left to be done, the extermination of the Hollows in the Academy, the threat of strong enemies in the Espada, and of course the source of all this mess is the capture or the execution of Aizen himself, which ever comes first. And perhaps most importantly, she needs to get reacquainted with the Old Power as she cannot fight unless she is at her best and at her full power. Yes, she will show these Espada and Aizen how, strong and fierce a vampire can be when fighting at full strength! But before all that could happen she has to do some damage control first or she will never let it lie that Tsukune would think that she has lost her mind and have gone crazy!

"W-what are you doing?" Inner Moka said to her other self. "V-vampires do not do such things especially in front of people! You made us look like we're desperate or something!"

"Well I would rather look desperate than force Tsukune to fight us!" Outer Moka told her. "Would you rather have him cooperate and help us train or would you rather have your way and he refuses to fight thereby defeating our goal to become stronger? Doesn't the ends justify the means?"

"F-fine, have it your way but do not EVER do that again without warning me first!"

Well Moka's desire to fight has been somewhat granted as Tsukune who was rather speechless and confused at her, weird behavior, however bit on the cute act. But he wanted her to fight with a weapon. He says that in doing so it would be a fair match.

"You did have some weapons training right?"

"Yes, I did! My sisters and I are all trained from a young age to wield multiple weapons. You may only look to Kokoa's expertise with the massive mace that she wields after all. Chichi-we (father) was rather adamant about it actually and even though he knows that WE ourselves are the weapon. However, he believes that since vampires are constantly in battle then what ever gives them an edge is most recommended!"

"That's good, if you agree Moka to wield a weapon then this matter is settled." Tsukune told her. "I just didn't feel good using a sword while you are unarmed, that to me is unfair! If you take up a weapon and you are proficient with it then you will have the fight that you so desire from me. If you do so then I won't hold back even though I adore you so much. I know you would rather have me give my all than to give you a half hearted match that would satisfy your need for a good fight. Am I not right?"

"That's perhaps the sweetest thing you said all day, Tsukune!" Moka said coyly. "It's been a long time for someone like me using a weapon....perhaps I need a few practice swings to warm up a little bit."

She asked if anyone can provide her with a sword, but all Urahara had was a few old samurai swords that he kept around since his exile from the Soul Society. Moka took a good look at what he provided and rejected them outright as they wouldn't last five minutes in the fighting. Finally Yamazakura used her power to conjure up blades that she guarantees to last the whole match. The quality of the blades seem to be superb and Moka's eyes wandered and locked on a rapier. She inspected the weapon and when she was satisfied that she has made the right choice, she took a few practice swings. Moka then saw a large outcropping of rocks and if Tsukune blinked, he would have missed how she ground the rocks into dust with one swing!

"Well, actually she didn't really destroyed it in one swing. It's more like she struck the rocks in very rapid succession. But her attack was so fast it looked like she struck once! It's amazing I learn something new about Moka everyday!"

"That was impressive Moka!" Tsukune complimented her. "So how come you stopped practicing your swordsmanship, anyway?"

"Oh nothing much really." she answered simply. "I use martial arts for the sheer pleasure of using myself as the weapon, I think its more challenging that way. And besides the fight ended much too quickly whenever I used one and you know that I am always looking for a good fight!"

Tsukune gulped at that statement.

"If you're ready Tsukune then stop messing around and en guard!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tokyo-Happy World

The day was almost a blur to Ichigo as they made their way into the amusement park. They have ridden a few of the smaller rides already since there was a long line at the bigger attractions. Despite that Orihime seemed to be having a lot of fun and is dragging him to whatever ride that fancied her. So far they just finished riding the spinning tea cup ride and thank goodness it was over as that ride made his stomach roil a little bit because she spun the tea cup they were riding around during the entire time. Then they rode the bumper cars and they both separated so that they both get their own cars. As Ichigo completed a lap around the track without incident, suddenly he felt somebody bumped him from behind. He smiled when he looked back that it was Orihime who did not seem to be apologetic about crashing into him, one bit! He then retaliated when he rapidly made a U-turn and hit her from the side. That's when, Orihime's disposition changed from a sweet and loving to very mad and maniacally competitive! It seemed the only one who ever bumped him was her and to illustrate this very amusing situation, they were actually head to head as if they were racing and Orihime to Ichigo's dismay was scowling at him, grinding her teeth, and is hunched forward and is gripping her stirring wheel tightly. She looked rather tense and concentrated on her only goal in life at the time was to make his ride around the track as rough and as bumpy as possible! As they raced, he saw that she was about to smash her car into his but he beat her to it and bumped her car instead. She shouted foul play, and to his surprise some very colorful language that no would have expected from her and to make matters worse, she was actually getting rather loud about it. It's as if she was possessed by a road rage demon and this very disgruntled individual before him was a complete stranger. She harassed him for the duration of the ride and when their time was up, she got out of the car went up to him, grabbed his arm and held it and they both walked to exit the track as if nothing has happened! Orihime's mood seemed to have changed back to normal and she didn't really mentioned anything about her tirade so Ichigo sweat dropped and didn't say anything.

"Note to self, never put Inoue in front of a wheel if I don't want her to become the road rage queen from hell!"

"So Inoue where did you want to go next?" Ichigo asked her.

"Hmm, I dunno." She admitted. "I still wanted to go ride the big rides but there's too many people right now. Whatever you decide Kurosaki-kun, I'm sure I'll enjoy it as long as I'm with you!"

"Alright, how about let's slow down a little bit and ride the Merry-go-round."

"Sure I would love to!"

The line wasn't really long and before they know it, they were inside already and Orihime dragged him to find a horse that she liked. They then stopped in front of a pink horse and she decided she wanted to ride it. Without effort, Ichigo gently grabbed her at the waist and lifted her up so she can sit side-saddle. He elected to stand up because quite frankly he wouldn't be caught dead on top a pink horse! Orihime blushed furiously as Ichigo lifted her up and settled on the horse and the ride began to turn. They didn't really say anything to each other but they didn't have to as being together just like this is enough for them. As the horse goes up and down and as it races endlessly, it's as if they are the only left in the world. All too soon the ride came to an end and they were on their way to do something else.

And so their day continued, they played some of the games and Ichigo actually won her a huge stuffed animal, went to the shows and the 3-D rides. They ate a late lunch around 3 pm and continued on with the tour of the park. They then went to the petting zoo in which Orihime loved feeding the various animals. Ichigo had a run in with one of the monkeys and if it wasn't for her they would have come to blows. Still that little adventure had her in stitches and she couldn't stop teasing him for it. But he figured that as long as she is happy then he would endure anything. All the while they were going around the park, they have been taking some pictures. Orihime wanted to take as much as pictures as she can to commemorate this special occasion and she didn't want to miss a single moment. She knew that this might not happen maybe for a long time until the war is over and she wanted to make as much precious memories her digital camera can hold. She has already taken as much as 200 photos already and it didn't matter if the pictures were a little trivial or not. Her favorite picture so far was when a nice stranger was kind enough to take a picture of them when they were on the merry-go-round. Ichigo was looking up at her as if in adoration while she looked at the camera somewhat embarrassed about something.

"So Inoue what are you looking at?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh it's just some of the pictures I took from around the amusement park."

"Oh ya, I remember that, I wasn't ready when that guy suddenly took the picture."

"Ya I kinda like it, it looks like you're looking up to me in adoration or something." Orihime began to say. "Umm, I'm sorry I didn't mean anything by that Kurosaki-kun!"

"But Inoue I do adore you, didn't you know that?" Ichigo said teasing.

"K-kurosaki-kun stop saying inappropriate things!" She said blushing. "It's too embarrassing with all these people around!"

"But Inoue, it's true I do adore you and I don't really care whether people hear it or not!"

"KUROSAKI-KUN!"

"Alright, alright, don't get so uptight. But you do look so cute though when you're distressed though!"

Suddenly Ichigo stopped and looked to his right. He could have sworn that he saw someone's been following them. In fact, he had that nagging feeling ever since they entered the amusement park that someone was spying on them and has been tailing them around the park all day. Still he couldn't prove anything as whoever these people were have proven illusive and has managed to evade his efforts to find them. There seems to be no indication that it was a Hollow or any of Aizen's Arrancar. In fact he and Inoue would have sensed them coming from a mile away if that was any indication but he didn't feel any strong spiritual pressure anywhere. If there is someone or rather somethings were following them then they are pretty good masking their power. In many ways Ichigo was a little thankful, as some kind of disturbance would have interrupted their date and he would imagine Inoue would be rather furious if that ever happened! She has been waiting a long time for this opportunity to go out with him and no Hollow or otherwise will stop her from going on this date! For the sake of his health and the idiots who would dare ruin what is so far a perfect day, he hopes that they wouldn't dare come close to them and ruin everything as that would surely unleash her wrath! Ichigo shivered just thinking about it!

"Kurosaki-kun is there something the matter? Orihime asked with concern.

"No nothing at all Inoue, what makes you say that something is bothering me?"

"Well I noticed that you've been looking around with that scowl of yours as if somebody is trying follow us or something."

"It's nothing Inoue, don't worry about it." Ichigo told her assuredly. To deflect anymore questions he quickly asked her. "So what did you want to go next?"

"Hmmm, let me see..." Orihime said thinking. "Oh look Kurosaki-kun, one of the roller coasters has a short line! We should go before the line gets longer!"

"Sure Inoue it sounds like fun!"

"Then it's settled, let's go Kurosaki-kun!"

Meanwhile.....

Chad, Uryuu, Rukia, Rangiku and the Rosario gang has in fact been tailing the blissfully happy couple for quite sometime. They planned it out so that one group will go and look after them, while the other group ride the attractions nearby and then rotate. It would have been a waste of time just tailing the two love birds and not take advantage of having fun as well! So far everything went smoothly and it would seem that Ichigo has not sensed them quite yet. It was a good thing that they were all suppressing their power and it wouldn't be a pleasant experience for all of them if they were discovered prematurely! For every ride that those two has ridden, they would ride anything that was either across or adjacent to them. The logic was it would be better to track them down if they were so near them. It was only one time that they wound up riding the Battering Ram together and almost got discovered because Yukari and Kurumi who were on opposite sides decided to have a shouting match as their respective side goes up high into the air! In fact they were so emotionally invested of trying to best one another that they got their side screaming their lungs out whenever it was their sides turn as the boat see-sawed endlessly. The gang were having so much fun that when the ride was over, they almost shouted themselves hoarse from all the blood curdling screaming and it would seem not one side really won but it was a blast for them, nonetheless!

The only reason that they weren't spotted was because Ruby in all her infinite wisdom realized what happened and quickly cast an illusion spell that made the gang almost unrecognizable especially to a very perceptive and powerful Ichigo! They know that he wouldn't be too pleased if he thought he was spying on them and Orihime herself would be livid if she finds out that one of them got caught. In fact, she has confided in them that she is looking forward to this day and asked them to pray to Kami that the day was incident free and everything will be perfect! Already feeling guilty for spying anyway, they were determined to cut off any potential disasters that would ruin the date and help them along so that everything would go smoothly. At least that was one of the reasons they come up with to justify spying on them anyway!

As much as it was fun following the couple, the group were having a blast as well. They followed the couple and pretty much did the same things they did albeit a little further away than usual. But with the illusion spell intact, they have become bolder and actually dared to be near them. In fact, Chad won all the ladies some stuffed animals playing the shooting gallery game, while Ichigo literally is sitting next to him! However, it would seem that Ichigo is much more sensitive and astute than they have anticipated and several times Ichigo almost broke through their disguises if it wasn't for Ruby and Yukari's efforts to keep the illusion intact as much as possible.

"You know, we're gonna get caught eventually if we keep this up, you know that!" Uryu told Rangiku and Kurumu who in his estimation are the two who are the ring leaders of this entire spying outfit!

"Oh Uryu, stop being such a worry wort!" Rangiku told him.

"Ya, I have you know that Ruby-chan and Yukari-chan are two very exceptionally powerful witches and I assure you that their spells will hold up!" Kurumu assured him.

"And I don't doubt that they are very talented witches!" Uryu countered. "But we are talking about Ichigo here. He will eventually see through Ruby-san and Yukari-chan's spell and it will only be a matter of time!"

"Well so far he hasn't done so and if we are careful I'm sure that our disguises will be intact so the good times will continue and it would be more fun for all I always say!"

"That's right Kurumu-chan!" Rangiku added. "Anyway we should hurry before we lose track of the love birds and it would be disappointing if we miss any fond memories that we can record for posterity. Hey I think it would make a good gift when those two eventually get married don't you think so?"

"And where did they get those video cameras...." Uryu sweat dropped and shook his head. "Well whatever, I'm just pointing out that if we keep this up we're gonna get caught and we won't know what their reaction will be if they thought we were infringing on their private space!"

"Duly noted Uryu-san!" Kurumu said.

And so it went, the entire gang followed Ichigo and Orihime to whatever ride that they went to and observed and swooned how cute the two of them together looked. The jig was up of course when Kokoa frustrated that she didn't get to spend time with her sister, broke one of the games that measured one's strength into a million pieces with one devastating punch. Needless, to say, a lot of people saw a little girl annihilated a machine and Rangiku, Rukia, Yukari, and Ruby had to do some damage control and replace all the people who witnessed the uncanny event. The two witches cast a spell that froze everyone in place while the two Shinigami replaced the memories in that area. Apparently Ichigo happened to look Kokoa's way and immediately knew something was up when a little girl killed a game and then suddenly they all froze into place for no apparent reason!

"Alright guys you can come on out, I know you're out here so you might as well come clean!"

Reluctantly, all of them sheepishly came out while looking down as if they have been caught doing something bad. Every time one of his friends showed up, the vein on his forehead began to swell until he is almost red in the face. When the last of the stragglers stepped forward, he was about to give them a good ass chewing when Orihime came up to him, looked in his eyes and put a delicate fore finger on his lips. Ichigo got the point and fell silent. In fact, it was a little too quiet for his taste as she turned around slowly with her head down and made fists that she kept to her sides. The whole group was tense as it would seem the meek and gentle Orihime herself would in fact be the one to chew their ass out and spit them out the pavement! She was about to say something but they all face faulted when she said.

"Oh hey guys, how long have you'll been standing there for?"

When they all recovered, they all explained their actions and were profusely trying to apologize to both for spying on them on their date. Both of them listened intently but in the end Orihime had to restrain Ichigo from clobbering the snot out of them.

"Calm down, baby it's ok!" Orihime told him calmly.

"Are you sure, aren't you mad that they're spying on us?"

"As long as there was no harm done I think I can live with that." she said seriously. "And besides they are our friends, wouldn't it be better if we go explore this place and had more fun together?"

"Sigh, if it's fine with you Inoue then I guess I'll let this slide just this time."

"We're sorry Ichigo!" everyone said in chorus.

"Alright, already if Inoue says it's ok then I don't really care."

"I'm so proud of you Orihime, you got our boy whipped already!" Rukia said trying not to laugh.

"W-what are you t-talking about Rukia-san!"

"What the hell are you talking about midget?"

"Well he does seem rather very agreeable with his beloved girlfriend isn't he?" Kurumu said

Mizore, Yukari, Kokoa, Ruby, and Rangiku who were smirking nodded in agreement. They were all trying not to snicker but their efforts to bust out laughing was an utter failure! Even Uryu began to snicker and Chad who had not said a thing all day even had a beginnings of a smile. Orihime flushed furiously and tried to protest and quiet their teasing. Ichigo didn't say anything and was about to say something smart when he felt a horrific spiritual pressure stronger than he had ever felt before. He looked around and he knew his friends felt the same thing as he gazed into their faces and gauged their reactions. He looked above and his eyes widened in surprise as he saw a huge Garganta Gate begins to open right above the sky. Six individuals began to walk out the gigantic maw of the gate and floated in the air. The last one with a light blue spiky hair and eyes with green lines below them. He had a quarter of what used to be his Hollow mask on the right side of his jaw. He wore the usual Arrancar uniform but this person had his collar upturned and his shirt open showing his tight muscular physique. He had a Hollow hole in the middle of his stomach proving that he is an Arrancar warrior. Ichigo wasn't worried about the other five, they are strong but if push comes to shove, he should in theory beat all of them quite easily. No they are no threat, but it was this last individual who emerged from the Garganta that he is mostly concerned about as it was he that Ichigo felt the terrible spiritual pressure from. He looked at everyone and gave them a warning as calmly as he could.

"Be careful you guys, all of them are strong, but the one who emerged from the gate must be the Espada."

"Yes indeed, he is very strong but what is his rank I wonder?" Ruby asked no one in particular.

"Why would you want to know that for Ruby-chan?" Yukari asked her.

"Because it would seriously affect our strategy significantly!"

"Ah I get it, so his rank would determine how we will fight them right?" Kurumu asked.

"I would imagine so, it's nice that you're using your brain instead of your assets, I'm so proud of you Kurumu!" Mizore said seriously without batting an eyelash.

"What did you say!" Kurumu said indignantly. "You wanna fight!"

"Ladies, this is hardly the time to fight amongst ourselves!" Rangiku said sternly.

"Well, she started it..." Kurumu said pouting.

"Anyway, what are we going to do Ichigo?" Rukia asked him. "There's a lot of innocents who are not aware of the danger they're in. How are we going to evacuate all these people?"

"Shut up midget, that's what I'm trying to figure out before you interrupted my train of thought!"

"Why you...." And both of them began pulling on each other's mouth and hair. Everyone sweat dropped at their antics.

"Alright you two enough with the screwing around!" Uryu said annoyed. "She does have a legitimate question Ichigo. What are we going to do with all these people?"

"Ok, so Ruby-san, Yukari-chan, that spell that you used earlier, how strong is it and what is it's range?"

"Hmm, let me see if I draw a power symbol, I should be able to freeze everything in a 45 mile radius if I have to...." Ruby answered.

"Ok, so do any of you have a teleportation spell of some kind?"

"Ya, actually I studied trans-dimensional transversal theory in the academy." Yukari explained. "In other words it's like teleportation spell but instead of jumping from point A to point B like a normal teleportation would, we are actually moving in "between" space/time in a pocket located parallel to dimensions. It's faster and safer as result instead of guessing and plotting coordinates associated with teleportation. You should study upon it, it's very fascinating stuff!"

"Right, I'll you up on that when we get out of this pickle alive and in one piece.!" Ichigo said. "So the question is how fast can you draw this symbol you need to cast the spell Ruby-san and how far can you whisk all these people away into a safe place Yukari-chan?"

"Well, it should take me five minutes to draw and then cast the spell." Ruby said.

"No problem!"

"Good, here's the plan. Uryu, Chad, protect these two until their job is done and help everyone out when they are done. Ruby-san, Yukari-chan take Inoue with you as far away here as soon as possible. The rest of you guys, pick and choose whoever you want to fight but watch each other's backs, got it?"

"But Ichigo, where do you want me to send all these people?"

"That's easy Yukari-chan we will send all of them to Soul Society." Ichigo said. "Rangiku-san can you inform them of the situation? And when all the preparations are complete and when all the people are evacuated can you request to put up a barrier around this place?"

"That should not be a problem I think."

"Good and have them remove the limiters of all the Shinigami that are currently in Karakura Town?

"That shouldn't be a problem either with the present situation we have at the moment."

"Excellent, now we wait what their first move will be...."

to be continued....

A/N Well, you noticed that I slowed down things a little bit. But don't worry action junkies, all the fireworks will explode the next chapter. I'm probably gonna get some flak for Moka using a weapon while fighting but I had my reasons in doing so. Number 1: it's for variety's sake, coz quite frankly as much as I want to stay with canon as much as possible, I needed to think outside the box. I think it would be a change of pace for her as well. Number 2: I think it makes sense as Kokoa seems to be proficient using Ko-chan as a weapon and Kahlua's expertise in using her bat wing type weapon made of her own yoki no less. So knowing that her sisters wielded weapons and they know how to use them, it would be safe to assume that Moka also had some kind of weapon's training but knowing our Moka, I would theorize that she got so proficient and gotten so much easy victories using one that she got disgusted how easy it was so she used martial arts from then on. Number 3: You gotta admit though that a sword wielding Moka is twice exciting. So anyway what do you'll think. R&R as usual and thanks for the support and the reviews that this story has garnered so far and I think I have enough material between Rosario and Bleach manga that I could probably continue this story for a very long time. Well kiddies until next chapter