This is the final chapter of this story. Enjoy.

Crush Eight: My Crush Was a Monster Boy!

It resounded through the school, all kinds of crying and shouting; the school was all for us now, and my heart began to pound… Just as we arrived on campus, the sports meet began; on the sound of the pistol, on your mark, get set, and run! In this obstacle course, let's shoot for first place; as we eat our ice cream, where shall we go next?

The popsicle thrown into the air, it was devoured by a giant maw. The boy I'm crushing on...is a monster boy!

XXX

My first thought after my alarm rang was that I had to make lunch for me, Toushirou, and Hyourinmaru. My second thought was remembering the other day, and my eyes watered. I swallowed the lump in my throat and prepared for the school day. When I went downstairs, Ichi-nii was in the kitchen, making breakfast.

"Morning, is Oyaji up yet?" I ask my brother.

"Not yet," he replied.

"So, how're my fine children doing this fabulous morning?!" Oyaji cried exuberantly as he leaped down the stairs.

"Speak of the devil." My brother deadpanned.

I groaned. I really didn't want to deal with this crap today.

"Not today, Goat-Chin," I pleaded.

"Awww, what has my sweet, irreplaceable daughter in such a bad mood?" Oyaji whined.

"I didn't sleep last night."

It wasn't a lie. Thanks to my brain worrying about every single possible variable, I only got about two hours of sleep. Collectively. It was scattered across the night in bursts of ten or so minutes, so it was safe to say that I was a little pissy.

"Do you needa stay home?" Ichigo asked.

I shook my head. "Nah, I'll be fine. I just wanna get through the day."

I ate quickly and gathered my things for school before beginning the walk to the campus.

Was Toushirou okay? How was he fairing alone in Hyourinmaru's former body? Oh god, I hope he was managing...

I shook myself out of the anxiety and concentrated on school things. I just needed to stay calm and keep a level head. Nothing good was going to come out of breaking down.

Before I went to school, I stopped at Toushirou's former apartment (or soon to be former apartment,) and used the spare key he kept on the top of the door to unlock it. I went to Toushirou's room and picked up Madoka in her cage. She squeaked noisily and ran from one side to the other of the small habitat.

"Geez, calm down you spastic rodent. You didn't act so hyper when Toushirou carried you." I muttered irritably as I adjusted the cage in my arms. I then began the trek to the school. When I arrived at campus, Midori ran up to me.

"Karin-chan! You never called me over the break! Whoa, and you look tired." She observed.

"Yeah, sorry. I've been busy lately. And I didn't sleep last night." I explained.

"Oh." She looked at the cage I was carrying. "Hey, isn't that Madoka? Wasn't she in Hitsugaya-kun's care?"

I bit my lip and conjured up a fib. "Yeah. He's sick today though so he asked me to bring her back."

"Since when were you and Hitsugaya-kun friends?" She furrowed her brows.

"We hung out over the break. Quite a bit, actually." At least that wasn't a lie.

"I'm honestly amazed. I kind of thought that he didn't want to make any friends."

I laughed half-heartedly. "Yeah..." I kind of wanted to go inside, this cage was heavy...

My ears picked up on the faint wail of approaching sirens. I frowned. They were getting louder and louder and probably closer, I hope everything was okay...

A moment later, several police cars had the front entrance cornered.

What in the...?

I watched as the doors of the cars opened up and men in officer uniforms aimed guns at me from behind the doors. My heart leapt into my throat and I swore under my breath as my fellow classmates congregated around the windows.

"Midori, get inside. Now," I said quickly. Midori stared in alarm at the line of police cars before taking Madoka and running inside the school.

I exhaled shakily as a middle-aged man exited from the vehicle with a megaphone- the superintendent probably. He turned it on and raised it to his mouth.

"Kurosaki Karin, surrender and come peacefully!" He shouted sternly.

What in the world? Was this about?

My eyes widened in realization. They found out about Hyourinmaru... or Toushirou. But who told? Who even knew outside of Toushirou and me?

I paled in realization. There was only one person that could've found out: Haru-obaasan.

That backstabbing bitch. That two-faced, lying, fake, backstabbing bitch. Toushirou trusted her, she was like family to him! And the way she returns that trust is to eavesdrop and sic the police on us.

As furious as I was, I needed to play it cool, pretend that I didn't know anything.

"With all due respect sir, may I ask why there are guns pointed at a thirteen-year-old, unarmed child?!" I shouted so they could hear me. "Last I checked, preteens are hardly violent perpetrators!"

"I repeat, Kurosaki Karin, surrender and come peacefully!" The superintendent shouted again.

"Alright, I will!" I dropped my backpack and raised my hands in surrender. "Will you just tell me what I'm under arrest for?!"

"Harboring a bioweapon of mass destruction!"

I laughed mockingly. Whoa, I didn't know I was such a good actress!

"A weapon of mass destruction?! How ludicrous is that?! What in the big, wide world would a thirteen-year-old twerp have as a bioweapon?!" I lowered my hands and kept a mocking grin despite every fiber of my being screaming at me that I was screwed. "I think this shows just how much of a joke the Japanese police is! Accusing an innocent minor of harboring of a weapon of mass destruction!" I laughed. "My otou-san is a clinic doctor! My brother's a minimum wage hick! The only hobby I have is soccer and my best friend is a stray dog! I have every opprotunity to get my grubby, underaged hands on a dangerous bioweapon of mass destruction!"

"This is your final chance! Surrender or-" the superintendent was interrupted by a loud crash and a large cloud of dust and rubble blew into the air. Quite literally in the blink of an eye, a large, serpentine mass landed behind me.

A crass word came to mind as an icy tail made a protective circle around me.

"Toushirou, what kind of idiot are you?!" I shouted irately, pivoting on my heel to scream at him.

"Me, an idiot?! They were gonna pump you full of lead!" He shouted back. "Hi, by the way. You look nice today."

"Don't think flattery will calm me down! If you weren't solid ice, I'd beat the crap outta you! I could've taken care of this!"

"Bull! Haru-obaasan had pictures of us with Hyourinmaru, and me in his body! We're both gonna get executed you moron, so a little gratitude for me stalling it would be nice!"

I tightened my lips angrily. Toushirou was right, if they had proof, we'd be tried as adults for treason and given the death penalty. I was still pissed about it though.

"Fine... I'm sorry. Thank you." I mumbled loud enough so he could hear over the ruckus around us. "What're we gonna do though? Do you have a plan?"

He slowly shook his big head. "No, unfortunately. And the self defense force is already on its way, I bet. I've already tried flying, and it's practically impossible. My body's too heavy it seems."

I dropped a particularly nasty word.

"Whoa, did you just drop the f-bomb? That's surprisingly attractive!" He laughed heartily.

"Could you take this seriously Toushirou?! We're going to die unless we do something! Die! We're going to leave everything we love here and we're going to die! So I'd appreciate it if you stopped thinking about smut and concentrate!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. This probably has shortened my lifespan by several years...

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I am." He purred apologetically, nudging my cheek affectionately.

"Flying isn't an option... maybe offense is the best defense?" I muttered to myself, gnawing on the inside of my cheek.

"I can hear choppers and tanks I think." Toushirou whispered quickly. "But I could try clearing a path for us to get out. I'm fairly fast. Do you know where we could escape to though?"

"I'm thinking, do you know how close the self-defense force is?"

"About a mile away. It won't take long for them to get here." He answered.

"Why aren't they evacuating the kids then?! If they fire tank rounds at us, they'll take out the school too!"

"Let's try negotiating." He said.

"Do you think they'll listen?"

"If not, it'll cause an uproar."

I lifted myself up onto Toushirou's wrapped tail and stood on it. I cupped my hands over my mouth, registering the faint clunk of machinery and the cutting sound of helicopters.

"Listen, let the students evacuate! They're not involved in this!" I shouted at the officers.

The superintendent was quiet for a moment. He then lifted his megaphone to his lips. "Alright! We'll send in officers to evacuate the citizens!"

I breathed a sigh of relief. Five officers abandoned their former posts to help with the evacuation. That also bought us time, but I didn't know how much.

"Okay, what're we gonna do after they evacuate all the kids?" I ask Toushirou.

"I think clearing a path will do nicely. I'm larger and heavier than a tank, and if we go between them, they won't shoot because then they'll just take out their own." He said.

"Okay, but what about the people inside?"

"Karin, it's us or them. I know that's primitive, close-minded, and fearful, but it's true." Toushirou shook his head like a dog.

My heart sank. People were gonna die because of us.

"Karin-chan!" I heard a familiar voice scream. I spun around and saw Midori waving at me. My eyes widened in surprise. Why would she wave at me? Didn't she know that I was probably going to die? Didn't she think that I was a terrorist? So why was she waving?

She was crying. Tears were running down her puffy, red cheeks, but she was still smiling and waving. She wasn't waving at me as a see-you-later gesture. Midori was waving goodbye to me. When everybody else was avoiding eye contact, she was nice enough to wave goodbye.

My eyes watered. The sounds of choppers and tanks were close, reminding me of a more than likely future.

I thrust my hand up and waved back, hoping to pass on a silent thank you.

"Karin, I've thought of something else. We could say that I was holding you hostage and threatening your family if you didn't do as I said." Toushirou proposed as I dropped my hand.

"No way. You'd still be executed, and I don't think I could stand having someone's life over my head for the rest of my life. As soon as the students are evacuated, we're leaving. They're on the eighth graders, so they're halfway done." I said mulishly.

"... Alright..." Toushirou seemed to sigh. He nuzzled my cheek. "Are you sure you're fine with leaving though? If we escape, we're going to be wanted fugitives for the rest of our lives. You'll never come back to Karakura, see Midori or your brother or your father, and you'll never be able to go to college or hold a high-paying, reputable job. You'll basically be a prisoner."

"If we don't run, we're going to be executed. And I'm not letting you sacrifice yourself." I snarled. I watched in horror as the first helicopter came into view, flying over head and circling us. I swallowed. They had machine guns and RPGs and several other weapons I didn't recognize. They were armed to the teeth- more than prepared to blow us to smithereens.

"Toushirou, we don't know if you can stand all those heavy-duty weapons." I said.

"Yes, but I'm fast and agile. I'm sure I can get away." Toushirou persuaded.

"Are you positive? Or is it your ego talking?" I pressed.

"Karin, I spend all of last night testing my abilities in this body. I'm pretty sure I can." He assured me.

Two more helicopters began circling above us. They vaguely reminded me of vultures. I swallowed the lump in my throat again.

"Karin!"

Crap, of course Ichi-nii had to come.

"Ichi-nii! What're you doing here?!" I screamed over the copters and noisy students.

Ichi-nii was pulling himself over the wall and kicked the officer that tried to pull him down.

"Karin, what the hell are you doing?! Touno said that the police thought you were a terrorist!"

I bit my lip. What should I tell my brother? Should I try explaining? Should I lie? Should I just say goodbye and say that I love him? Because no matter what I do, I won't ever see him again.

"Ichi-nii! I'm really sorry! I love you and Oyaji a lot!" I shouted. I watched nervously as two tanks came into view. They were almost finished evacuating the ninth graders.

"Karin-" Ichi-nii shouted before the same officer he used as a springboard pulled him down and pushed him behind the police line.

I nervously rubbed my mouth. I was trembling, my nerves were so shot. I couldn't even out my breath, so I just stopped trying. I was so anxious that I couldn't even cry.

"Kami, I'm so nervous." I chuckled shakily.

"Me too." Toushirou said simply. We watched as the police cars moved and the tanks took their place. I cussed under my breath.

"I know this won't help, but I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe." Toushriou said beside me. I smiled softly. "And I also want you to know that... I like you a lot and that it's an honor to be your friend."

I smiled tearfully. "It was an honor to be your friend too, and, hopefully, your girlfriend."

"I thought that was already established!" He exclaimed.

"Oh, goodie. I'm dating a giant dragon. Lucky me." I quipped. Toushirou appeared to roll his eyes and huffed.

I turned my attention to the front gates. There were five tanks that had come in through the gates, lined up similar to a firing squad, and there were two more coming in. I took in a shaky breath. They were evacuating the final few students- it was almost the moment of truth.

"Karin, are you ready?" Toushirou asked. I nodded. "I know this sounds freaky, but I'm going to carry you in my mouth. It's the safest place, when you think about it, and there's enough room."

"I'm fine with that." I agreed. "Just don't swallow."

"I won't-"

"FIRE!"

It happened in just a few seconds, if that, and it all was in slow motion. The giant bullets with a trail of fire and smoke charging towards us, Ichi-nii's indistinct howl, the screaming of my fellow classmates, and the mighty roar that boomed from Toushirou. Suddenly, the tank bullets that were coming at us were frozen harmlessly in place. I stared aghast at the circle of ice surrounding us before another roar filled the air. I pivoted to stare at the source.

Toushirou had his wings outstretched to his sides, wider than I had ever seen before. He raised his large body high into the air and beat his wings back and forth, creating a powerful cyclone. Another round of tank bullets shot at us, the helicopters joining, but they uselessly tumbled away due to the powerful gust Toushirou was producing. Another round of bullets came a moment later, only to be frozen. The dragon opened his maw and blasted a stream of ice at the helicopters surrounding us.

Amidst the chaos, the noise began to fade into mute thuds and rumbling. It was strange, but a memory surfaced.

XXX

Lunch time had rolled around finally, so Toushirou and I pulled ourselves out of the water and sat on the dirt. Hyourinmaru laid his big head in my lap as I popped open our bento box.

"Hey Toushirou, what do you think love is?" I inquired of my friend as I fed Hyourinmaru a square of frozen ground beef.

"Huh? What brought that on?" He raised an eyebrow at me as he grabbed an onigiri roll. "Are you crushing on a boy?"

"Would you just answer the question?" I sighed exasperatedly. It's a pity his instincts were right.

"I think... love is accepting everything about a person, the good and the bad. It doesn't matter if it's romantic or familial or platonic, love is disregarding their appearance and environment and embracing them for everything they are." He blushed. "It's cheesy, I know."

I smiled softly. "I don't think it's cheesy at all. I think you're completely right."

So... This is the end. I don't own anything, not even the plot. I don't own the song My Crush Was a Monster Boy by SHOKUBAI and translated by vgperson, or Bleach. Constructive criticism is very, VERY welcome. I hope to see you all later~.