'Aw crap.'

"That's right Ichigo, you have some explaining to do." All heads turned to find Gin leaning against the frame of the doorway, acting all cool-like.

Kurumu however, pointed an accusative finger at Gin. "You! How come you didn't get here sooner?" She questioned as she gave the werewolf a hard stare.

But she was met with silence as Gin looked away. Everyone else noticed this and became puzzled by this action. And as gin sighed, he wondered how to put this delicately. "Well, let's just say that I got Moka out of the room, but when I went to follow her, she disappeared?"

"Did she get captured?"

Ichigo flinched from the voice that came from behind him. He looked over his shoulder only to see the tip of a hat. Then he turned around and looked down as he asked, "Eh? When did you get here Yukari?"

Yukari pouted as she put her small hands on her tiny waist. "I've been here the entire time Ichigo! How cruel!"

Ichigo couldn't help but sweat drop as he gave a sheepish smile. It wasn't his fault that she was so short that he couldn't see her easily. "Eh, sorry Yukari." He apologized to the young witch.

"It's alright because I'm going to get a threesome with you and Moka when I'm older." She smiled brightly as a faint blush stained her cheeks. Ichigo simply choked on the air he was breathing. For some reason, he felt that he would never get used to hearing her say that no matter how hold she got.

"But…" Yukari spoke up in a more serious tone. "Where did Moka go?"

All eyes turned to Gin as if he had the answers. Said person was a bit taken back by the stares, but in the end decided to comply with their unanswered question. "I don't really know." He spoke honestly. Though if he could analyze Moka's actions for a bit, he could probably give a good guess. But it didn't look like the group was up for a guessing game so he just left it at that.

Ichigo looked down as he remembered when Moka had told him that she hated humans. Could it be that since he and Tsukune were humans, she didn't want to talk to them? He remembered the face she had made when he had told her he was going to rescue Tsukune. It reminded him of when someone did an atrocious deed which caused others to look down upon them. This train of thought frustrated him as his fist gripped Zangetsu's handle tightly. But when he heard a familiar voice, that train of thought along with its ideas shattered.

"Hello everyone."

Everyone turned their heads towards the entrance and saw Moka standing there timidly. Her body posture attested to the uncertainty she was feeling as she stayed close to the door, ready to escape the moment the situation went sour. But a more excited Yukari ran up to her and embraced her. "You're here Moka! You should've seen Ichigo! He was the best! He transformed again and used this awesome energy and…" Yukari ranted as Moka's eyes wandered, looking at the faces of newspaper club.

Everyone seemed to have a blank expression on their face, almost as if they were unsure how to react to her presence. Uneasiness filled her to the core as her eyes stopped at Ichigo. His intense stare made her want to hide somewhere and never come out. And that scowl of his did not help matters in the least. Even so, she gave a small hesitant smile. This was her apology.

Relief replaced the uneasiness within her when Ichigo's scowl softened. "Yo. You missed the action." He said simply. This was his forgiveness.

"Yea, where were you?" A certain blue-haired girl spoke up in a snappy tone. "I know Ichigo didn't need to help, but that doesn't excuse you to not come and try to help!"

"S-Sorry," Moka apologized as she raised her hands in a defensive stance, "I got lost along the way."

Kurumu peered at Moka, making the pink-haired vampire a bit nervous again. But then she relaxed when Kurumu let out a huff of annoyance before saying, "Alright, just make sure it doesn't happen again!"

Moka smiled, happy that her rival/friend had forgiven her also. "I won't Kurumu-chan."

As the tension in the room lifted, everyone gathered together as a group. Kurumu simply ranted about how much of a badass Ichigo had been as she retold the tale to those who had arrived late. Gin didn't really much care, just glad that the Police Committee was over with, but he was getting annoyed that Ichigo was getting so much attention from a hot girl. Mizore simply stood the side, enjoying the spectacle before her while Yukari interrupted Kurumu's rant every once in a while, causing a small fight to ensue. Moka's eyes widened when Kurumu had described how Ichigo's last attack had utterly decimated Kuyou. This earned a sheepish smile from the Shinigami, but he was relieved. It seemed everyone had forgotten about how he had such powers despite being human.

All except one. Tsukune stared at the orange-head with something akin to fascination. He saw the way Ichigo interacted with the others and was surprised at how humble Ichigo was. Despite having so much power, he didn't flaunt it or let it corrupt him. And… he could tell Ichigo was relieved at not having to explain himself to the group. Even though he felt bad about the idea, he would confront Ichigo later on. Nothing serious… he just wanted to know if he could get powers by any chance.

---

The next day, rumors were floating about. Whispers between students were exchanged and surprised faces registered on many of the student body.

"Did you hear?" A girl with long blond hair spoke to her friend as they walked to class.

"Hm? What is it?" The other girl replied, wondering why her friend seemed so energetic.

"They're saying that two days ago in the basement after school…" She leaned in closely, almost afraid of being overheard for fear of the rumor being false, "Kuyou of the Public Safety Commission was beaten up!"

"What! No way!" Another girl with black hair exclaimed as she came up next to her friends. "Everyone said Kuyou was so crazy strong that no one could beat him!"

"And that's not all," The blond haired girl continued, "And the guy that did it was the orange-head in the newspaper club!"

Then, all the girls paused as if to think about it. Finally, the girl with the black hair spoke up, "Well, I guess it's possible. Every time I was around him, I always felt this strong energy come from him."

As the girls discussed, a strong muscular figure overheard their conversation. His muscles flexed as his hand gripped the dumbbell he was holding tightly. His face displayed anger as his muscles flexed while lifting the dumbbell. "Who're they calling the strongest?" The figure remarked before leaving the area.

---

"Mooooorning Ichigo!" Kurumu spoke in a delightful tone as she ran up to her Destined One and embraced him tightly.

"Hey Kurumu." Ichigo replied with a small smile as he hugged her back. This earned a jealous stare from Moka, who had walked with him that morning.

But suddenly, Kurumu pulled away and gave Ichigo an intense stare. Ichigo gave her a questioning look as he wondered what was up with this strange behavior.

"Ichigo…" She began as a faint blush tainted her cheeks, "I think I've fallen in love with you again!"

"Eh?" Ichigo blinked.

Kurumu turned her head to the side as she put her hands behind her back. It was rare to see Kurumu act shy, but that's what made it all the more endearing. Ichigo's heart pounded slightly harder against his chest as he looked at her cute stance before hearing her reply, "You were just so incredible back there!"

"Oh… thanks I guess." Ichigo scratched his cheek in sheepish manner. Kurumu smiled at her loved one and noticed his cheeks glow a slight red. She was about to make a remark on it, but was cut off by a certain pink-haired vampire.

"Alright alright, Ichigo was amazing we get it." Moka's annoyed voice rung out as she grabbed Ichigo's arm and tried hauling him away; tried being the operative word.

As soon as those words escaped her lips and ensuing argument followed with Kurumu pulling Ichigo's other arm. Thankfully, Ichigo finally knew what to do in a situation like this. Somehow, he had managed to escape and—making sure they were fully focused on their argument and not him—he slipped away using Shunpo. He had moved just outside the male bathrooms which were at the end of the long hall. Though he was far away, he could still see that they were still arguing and had not noticed his suave escape.

But he had also needed to take care of business and so, he walked in.

---

"So you're the legendary Kurosaki Ichigo?" Ichigo paused mid-wash and looked at the mirror and saw a big, burlesque man standing behind him. In the reflection of the mirror, he could see the man holding dumbbells in both hands as he flexed to show off his 'superior' strength.

"Your back is wide open pipsqueak!" The giant man mocked as one of his hands stretched out and pointed at Ichigo.

"I'm Chopper Rikishi of the pro wrestling club," He said, introducing himself to an increasingly annoyed Ichigo, "The next time I find you with your guard down, I'm putting you in a cobra twist you understand?"

Ichigo looked at him out of the corner of his eye before deciding to ignore him and finish washing his hands. This irked the man as he grabbed Ichigo by the shoulder and forcefully turned him around. "That's the face of a strong man, I like that. So it seems you did beat Kuyou!" The man concluded with a wide smile.

"Kurosaki Ichigo! I challenge you to a battle!" The man flexed his muscles once more, veins rippling throughout his arms: A great display of strength.

"Are you sure about that? Ichigo might accidentally kill ya." Both Ichigo and the man turned around to find Gin entering the bathroom, looking cool as ever. There were even sparkling stars that seemed to float around him.

Chopper's eye twitched. This was another man he had wanted to fight. But Ichigo came first since he had beaten Kuyou. Still, he didn't like the remark Gin made. He didn't doubt his own strength and was sure he wouldn't lose.

"Hmm… I have to go anyways. But I'll be back for you Kurosaki Ichigo!" Chopper said before turning around and leaving.

"So looks like you've become popular Ichigo." Gin spoke from the urinal he was using.

Ichigo's eyebrow simply twitched. "Why are you talking to me while you're using the bathroom? That's weird."

Gin simply flashed him a smile, creeping out Ichigo as he walked out the bathroom. "I need some fresh air." Ichigo said as he sighed.

---

"This is… not as nice I thought it would be." Ichigo was currently leaning against the roof's railing, staring up at the sky. As always, the sky was grey and plain, not a speck of blue or sun. Ichigo clicked his tongue in annoyance as he opted to look at the ground. Nothing interesting there either. All he could see were students milling about. But his eyes lingered on a couple that had been hiding between a few trees. He felt kind of awkward for staring at them, but it wasn't his fault that the aerial had been pretty good. Also, it was at this moment he realized he also had incredibly good vision as well.

Then the couple kissed, making Ichigo feel like he was a stalker or something. But it wasn't his fault, it seemed so… intriguing. The way the girl giggled as her boyfriend planted tender kisses across her face suddenly made Ichigo think about his own dating life. Ichigo became irked when realized he'd never had one. He had never once been on a date with a girl. He was dating virgin. Ichigo sweat dropped at the phrase he used, but it didn't make it any less true. A strange, longing feeling made itself comfortable in Ichigo's heart as it kicked back and relaxed. This deeply confused Ichigo, even more so when an image of Kurumu appeared in his head. Curse him for being dense and not noticing the connection!

Before his thoughts progressed any further, he was interrupted by Moka as she opened the door to the roof thus snapping Ichigo out of his stupor. "So this is where you've been Ichigo!" She exclaimed as she walked over to him.

As she came up before him, Ichigo wondered what she wanted. Her lips moved as he heard her say, "Ichigo, I want to ask you something."

"What is it?" He replied curiously… but then a dreadful feeling washed over him as he saw Moka's eyes glisten marvelously.

"Let me suck your blood." She simply replied. Ichigo's response was far from simple as his eyes widened and sweat began pouring out his skin.

"What?" The question was rhetorical, but that did not stop Moka from replying.

"Just… it's been so long and things have finally calmed down and I've just gotten a thirst for your blood!" Her body shook with joy as she clasped her face; she could already feel the ecstasy from taking Ichigo's sweet and nutritious blood!

Ichigo took a step back, still shocked that all she had come up here for was to ask him for blood. Before using Shunpo crossed his mind, Moka had stepped forward and grabbed his arm. "It's ok, right Ichigo?" She asked as her face neared his neck.

"NO! I'm not in the mood right now!" Ichigo panicked as he struggled to get away from Moka's grasp, but to no avail. Had she gotten stronger? He didn't recall it being this hard to make her let go.

"C'mon c'mon! Just an itsy bitsy sip!" She persisted as her fangs peered from her top lip just a tiny bit. They shined dangerously.

"No means no!" Ichigo denied her, feeling her grip loosing. But it was too late.

"ICHIGOOOOOO!" Moka whined before she decided to bite him, despite his protests. Poor Ichigo could only look on in abject horror as she sank her teeth into his neck.

"Hn!" Ichigo grunted, telling himself that he would not yell out in pain. But his thoughts were far from quiet.

'!' Were his precise thoughts until Moka decided released him from her cruelty.

"That was… amazing…" She spoke breathlessly as she staggered backwards. 'I think I had an orgasm….'

Ichigo's experience was far from pleasant he clapped a hand over his neck. The wound was slightly bigger than normal since Moka hadn't been careful and because he had been struggling. But it healed quickly though since his reiatsu helped heal the wounds at a fast pace.

"I told you no…" Ichigo complained, his voice tired and weary. But his words fell on deaf ears since Moka was still lost in her own little world.

"So are you done flirting with that girl Kurosaki Ichigo?" Ichigo turned his head and looked past Moka to see that man… Chopper… from earlier standing there with smile on his face.

"Hehe… I've come back! Nobody's gonna stop us up here. We can fight all we want!" He said as his body began expanding. His body grew even blockier as his muscles thickened into what looked like scales. It was in fact simply hardened skin. His facial features became grotesque as his bottom incisors grew and jutted from his mouth like a boar's tusks would. Even his face seemed to get bulky. This man was a troll.

"Come on! Show me your true form to me and we'll see who the strongest man here is!" The monster spoke as it raised a lumbering arm high in the air. "I challenge you Kurosaki Ichigo!" And then the huge arm was brought down.

The monster smiled when he felt his hand connected with the tiny man before him. But a look of surprise crossed his features when the smoke from the impact cleared, revealing an unharmed Ichigo. Then shock replaced surprise when he realized that Ichigo had only used one hand to stop the blow.

"That it?" Ichigo asked as he looked out to the side, seemingly uninterested in the fight. Truthfully, he just wanted to take a nap. He was pretty sure he'd do okay if he missed just one day of class.

"Impressive, but don't think that's all my strength!" The troll exclaimed as it lifted both its massive arms in the air. He clasped his hands together before bringing them down with a thunderous impact!

But like before, the smoke cleared away and Ichigo still only had used one hand to block the blow. "Are you done yet?" Ichigo asked as he gave the troll a smirk.

The troll was about the reply, but he wasn't given the time as Ichigo used Shunpo to elbow the troll in the gut. Spit flew out the troll's mouth as it was sent rolling backwards. It rolled until it stopped, making small craters along the way. It finally rested on the ground, completely unconscious.

"Ah… so tasty…" Moka spoke up, unaware of the events that had just transpired. Then her eyes looked at the area and noticed multiple craters that weren't there before.

"Did something happen?" Moka asked as she turned towards Ichigo.

"Just a little fight." He said as he glanced at the body over his shoulder. Then, he sighed. "Something tells me that I'm in for a lot more fights like these…"

Moka smiled at him, confusing the boy a bit. "Don't worry, you'll beat all of them!" She reassured him.

Ichigo's face fell as he sweat dropped. "That… that's not what I meant."

Moka's head tilted to the side, confused. Ichigo simply shook his head before looking up and saying, "I think I'll go take a nap… I'm kinda tired."

Moka gave the Shinigami a curious stare, but simply let him do whatever he wanted. She would let him do whatever he wanted since he had let her drink some of his blood, though she wouldn't admit she had done it a bit forcefully.

"Okay Ichigo. I'll see you later!" She waved to him as he disappeared behind the door on the roof. And, making sure he was completely gone, she pulled out a letter from her pocket. She tore it open neatly and pulled out the letter that was inside.

Her eyes scanned the words. They belonged to her father and she was curious to hear what he would say. As she reached the middle, she had to reread those sentences a few times over. Then, once she made sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, she gulped.

Her father was coming to visit her during the festival in order to meet Ichigo.

---

Ichigo reached the door and already he could feel the soft pillow pressing against the side of his cheek. He wouldn't admit it, but whenever Moka sucked his blood, it left him absolutely drained. Ichigo gave a mental chuckle at the literal and figurative meaning behind it. But alas, he was stopped from his restful slumber as a meek voice spoke from behind him.

"Umm… Ichigo?" Said person turned around to see Tsukune standing behind him. Ichigo vaguely wondered what he wanted.

"Um, yea?"

"Could I talk to you about… your powers?" Ichigo's mind immediately went on alert as he looked around, making sure no one had heard him. Well, no one from the newspaper club. He didn't want them to suddenly stark asking him how he was human and still had powers.

"Alright, come in." Ichigo gestured Tsukune to enter with a shake of his head. Tsukune complied and walked in after Ichigo.

---

"So, what do you want to know?" Ichigo asked as he sat lazily in his chair. Tsukune sat across from him at the table as he fidgeted nervously.

"I was wondering…"

Ichigo's eyebrow arched as he wondered what he seemed so nervous about. "I was wondering… if I could get powers like you!"

Ichigo blinked as he stared at the plain boy in front of him. Well, he supposed he wasn't too surprised. After all, him and Tsukune were both humans, albeit, very different. Ichigo thought about how to respond. From a minute, Tsukune was left in silence as he saw Ichigo's face turn into a thoughtful look.

"Well… I guess you could." Ichigo began. Tsukune's eyes lit up, but then Ichigo raised his hand in order to calm him down. "But… you'd have to die."

Tskukune's mouth fell and hit the table. "DIE?!?!" He exclaimed as his hands waved frantically in front of him. "I don't want to die!"

An annoyed tick appeared on Ichigo's head at Tsukune's knee-jerk reaction about death. Ichigo decided to clarify a bit. "You don't actually have to die… I just have to stab your chest with my sword and give you some of my energy."

This stopped Tsukune who looked at him and blinked. "That's all?"

The tick mark on Ichigo's head increased in size. "That's it? You were freaking out just now when I said you had to die!" Ichigo berated the boy, making Tsukune cringe a bit.

"S-Sorry… I just thought I would have to go through some sort of sacrificial ritual or something." Was Tsukune's meek reply.

Ichigo sighed as he sat down in his chair, wondering when he had gotten up. "No… but there's a small chance of survival. Heck, I'm lucky I even survived it… or so I'm told."

"Oh…" Tsukune said with a tone of dismay. But a sudden resolution sprang up in his mind as he looked up at Ichigo. "I don't care, I'm willing to take the risk!"

Ichigo was a bit taken back by Tsukune's sudden bravery, but he decided to ask, "Why is that?"

"Because… before you arrived, Mizore was the one who protected me from being burned to a crisp." He said as he looked down at the table.

"So? What's wrong with that?" Ichigo asked.

Tsukune took a deep breath before he replied. "W-Well… she's my girlfriend… and it's the guy's job to protect the girl right?"

Ichigo stared at Tsukune, who leaned backwards as if trying to escape his look. "You're dating that quiet girl?"

"She's not quiet when we're alone…"

"What was that?" Ichigo asked, not quite catching what Tsukune had said under his breath.

"O-OH! I just said yea, we are dating. But she likes to keep it on the down low." Tsukune let out a relieved breath when Ichigo accepted his reasoning.

"Well… I guess we could try." Ichigo said as he pondered about it for a bit. He supposed that if one had the determination, chances of success were higher. After all, he did survive the 'Shinigamification' process. Then again, he hadn't heard of any other human going through the same thing he did. Bah, whatever, what could go wrong?

"Thank you so much Ichigo!" Tsukune replied thankfully. "I'll come back tomorrow night so we can begin!"

And before Ichigo had a chance to reply, Tsukune was out the door, ready to tell his girlfriend the good news. Ichigo sighed as he got up and closed the door.

Just one normal day… that was all he was asking for. One normal freakin day!

I bet some of you were shocked liked a bird on a broken electrical wire when I wrote that bite scene between Ichigo and Moka. But seriously, there are some panels that practically SAY she's having one when biting Tsukune in the manga!

Plus my story is now 'M' rated so I might be a little bit more liberal.

Anyways, this was a bit tricky to write actually. But hey, hope I've done a good job at progressing the story. It might not have been as high quality as before, but hopefully it got the job done.