Alright, this is just a stop. The next chapter will contain the fight so it might take a little longer to publish. Rest assured its coming. I hope you like this re-edited version. Just a note, I revamped this so it might be a little different… okay a lot different. Hope you enjoy the changes

"Well, here's the stop. Hope you have a safe trip!" Youko said as the group piled out of the car, "Hope to see you gain Yukari-chan!"

"Thank you very much for giving us a ride." Moka bowed as she thanked them. Soon the car pulled away as the group waved them good-bye.

"This is a human city…" Mizore said quietly as she took in the noisy street. There were so many people in one place. It was completely unlike her village where her race was sparse.

Tsukune however was nearly moved to tears. "This feels so nostalgic; I can smell the air I was born in!"

As everyone was taking in the marvelous sight, one person wasn't exactly feeling it. Yukari was nervous as she fidgeted about, looking at all the people walking by. There were so many humans… so many in one place. She felt overwhelmed. But then someone put their hand on her shoulder and she turned to see who it was.

Strangely enough, it had been Mizore who had done it. She hadn't said anything to Yukari, but the look she gave her made Yukari feel reassured. After all, she wasn't the only ayashi experiencing a human city. It shouldn't be too bad, right?

---

A crow landed on a building not too far from the group. Slowly Ruby transformed back to her normal self before saying, "Well well… after chasing her all over the place, I can't believe she would end up in a human's town. I guess there are witches that don't know what they are doing." She surmised.

"Witches can hear the sound of the wind and converse with fairies. We are the race that uses the power of nature to our advantage. That's why when she stays in the city where nature has been destroyed, it makes me sick." Her eyes narrowed as she looked down in disgust at the younger witch, "I wonder if she's worthy to be of our race."

---

Yukari's anxiety had come back when a crowd of people began surrounding the group. "Ugh… there are so many people talking that it's making me confused. So this is a human's town."

Suddenly, those random whispers didn't seem so random anymore when they became directed towards them.

"Hey dude." One guy said.

"Yea, I've noticed. Those girls are hot!"

"Yea!" quipped up another one. "The pink-haired girl has a face of perfection! They must be models with skin that smooth!"

Guy one nodded as he replied, "Yea and the one with the blue hair has enormous tits!"

"Whoa… they're huge!" The second guy said before he turned to Mizore, "This one is pretty cute also!"

Suddenly there was a stampede of guys who wanted to take a closer look at the girls. Tsukune tried to stop them, but he was soon overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. As the men practically drooled over the girls, Yukari had been accidentally pushed out the group and onto the sidewalk.

"Ugh… that's not very nice." She said as she rubbed her sore butt.

"Umm… are you okay." A voice spoke up, making Yukari look upward to see an extended hand.

But as soon as she got a look of the guys' faces, she recoiled in horror. Their faces portrayed nothing but insincerity and they were giving off a negative aura which made Yukari feel queasy.

"That's cosplay right?" One guy spoke up.

"Whoa, it's a young witch!" Another said.

"She's so cuuute!"

"MOOOVVVEEEE!"

Yukari backed away in abject horror as they began bombarding her with questions about her 'cosplay' outfit. She became overwhelmed as the faces of the humans turned into grinning demons who would not stop taunting her. "Don't come near me!" She begged as the faces ignored her plight and approached her.

"Please back away!" She yelled as she waved her wand, causing all the lights within the vicinity to short-circuit and shatter. That's when she realized what she had done. Thankfully, before she did something else from the stress, she was pulled away by Tsukue who had realized her plight.

"Let's get out of here!" He yelled to the girls, who soon followed him.

As for the figure on the rooftop, it brought a smile to her face to see the young witch so flustered in the area surrounded by humans. "See… I knew it. Witches cannot possibly live in the human's city." She proclaimed as she called forth a multitude of crows that obeyed her order. She sent them towards the unsuspecting newspaper group…

---

"I'm sick of this!" Yukari yelled out. She was partly tired from all the attention and her anxiety had gotten the better of her. "I'm scared of both humans and the humans' world!"

Tsukune saw the suffering girl before him and tried to offer words of sympathy, "Don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll get…"

"Stop lying!" Her yelling voice interrupted him, "You don't understand my feelings at all… it's impossible for Tsukune and everyone to understand!"

Hot tears stung her eyes as she yelled out all her frustrations at her friends. "There's too much difference between my world and the human's world, no one will ever understand!"

Despite knowing that she was simply venting off her frustrations, Tsukune couldn't help but feel a little crushed at her dismal attitude. He sighed before he saw Mizore step in front of him and stare down the young witch, who recoiled backwards a bit.

"He was only trying to help you," She replied coldly, "There was no need to be so hostile."

Yukari opened her lips to say something, but was cut off when a crow flew in front of her, scaring her in the process. Suddenly alert, Mizore got ready to fight as her arms transformed into ice claws. But soon she was using them to cover her face as ten's of birds swarmed around her face, obscuring her vision and threatening to peck her eyes out. The rest of the group fell to the same fate.

"Kyaa! What is this? Why are they all being so offensive?!!" Moka yelled out as she tried batting the crows away.

"W-What is this?" Tsukune yelled out as he blocked his face.

No one noticed that behind the cloak of crows a girl with a wand like Yukari's swooped down, covering said girl's mouth before spiriting her away. As the fog of crows lifted, Moka realized something.

"Huh? Yukari-chan's…gone." She thought as she looked around, seeing the young witch nowhere to be found.

"Hey guys! Yukari-chan's disappeared!" Moka alerted the group, who immediately looked around, trying to find Yukari.

"You're right! Yukari-chan's gone!" Tsukune said worriedly.

"We have to look for." Mizore said, Tsukune nodding in reply, the three commenced their search.

---

Yukari blinked as her vision slowly returned to her. She got up, feeling a bit dazed as she looked around. Suddenly alert, she realized that she was alone, or so she had thought. "Huh? What? Where… where am I?" She spoke in a distraught manner.

"Hey… you're awake." Yukari turned to the source of the voice. There, standing at rooftop's edge was a girl whose clothes looked liked she had been in a battlefield. Her skirt was all torn as were the rest of her clothes. Bits and pieces seemed to want to fall off every time she moved. She looked to be about Ichigo's age and had pitch-black hair that was held to the side by braids. Currently in her outstretched hand, a crow sat there perched.

"So how does it feel to be in the humans' city? You looked terrible back there young witch." Ruby spoke in a smooth, even tone. Then, she outstretched her arms, facing the city before she began speaking again.

"The city doesn't have anything." Ruby began with a trace of sadness in her voice, "No winds, no water, no flowers, and not even the smell of earth and the grass."

Her voice took on an edge as she continued; "Only ego and selfishness remain here. As a witch, the only way to describe the city was pity, correct?"

Yukari looked on in awe at the girl. But she was startled when a crow flapped its wings in front of her, screeching.

"Oh… don't worry about it. These crows are my friends. They've helped me bring you here from those humans."

A prominent question began to form inside Yukari's mind as she began to realize something. But she had to make sure. So she asked tentatively, "What… what are you?"

Ruby smiled as she answered, "My name is Ruby. I'm a resident of the Witch's Ranch. I really wanted to be your friend so I came over from the ranch."

Yukari's expression took on a happy look as she realized that she wasn't the only witch in this place.

---

Though they had searched every corner of the city, every alleyway (which resulted in a couple of thugs being beaten up by Mizore), they still had not located Yukari.

"Where could she be?" Tsukune's exasperated voice spoke. He shook his head in frustration before turning to look upwards.

There, he spotted a building where a multitude of crows flew around in circles. Tsukune simply stared at the black mass of birds as he thought about how he has had it with crows. Just then, a light bulb went off in his mind as he realized something.

"Hey, Mizore-chan?" He asked, earning the snow girl's attention.

"What is it Tsukune?" She replied.

He pointed towards the crows as Mizore looked to where he was pointing. "Do you think she could be up there?"

Mizore turned to her boyfriend and give him a flat look. "Of course she'd be there. Why didn't you say so sooner?!!" She replied in an uncharacteristically sharp manner. Tsukune gave a nervous grin before his face once again became serious.

"Let's go get her!" Were his words before the two left to rescue Yukari.

---

"Humans are the enemy." Ruby spoke to the younger witch as she gazed at the street below her, "I have been living in the human society so I understand. Humans are powerless, pitiful creatures that can't do anything but destroy."

Slowly she turned to face Yukari as she continued, "You should understand after arriving here, witches and humans don't even need to communicate. We never need to."

She walked to Yukari and grabbed hold of her hands. She looked into her eyes with honest ones of her own. She spoke truthfully and honestly. "Those humans that fill us with hate are planning to destroy the sunflower patch along with our ranch. That is why Yukari-chan, in order for us to fight against the humans, we need your help."

Ruby handed Yukari a sunflower, as if to add meaning to her speech. The younger girl looked at the delicate flower carefully before she heard Ruby speak again.

"Will you help us?" The older witch pleaded, hoping that Yukari would agree. After a brief silence, she was rewarded with a nod from the younger witch. She became so ecstatic that she enveloped Yukari in a hug as she pressed her cheek against hers.

"Really!? Yaay! Now you are one of us, let's be friends!" Ruby rubbed her face like a cat would against Yukari's face. This startled Yukari because the girl was acting completely different from her earlier demeanor.

"Ruby-san! Ruby-san!" Yukari tried getting the girl's attention, but it was of no use. She was just too happy to hear her.

"Yukari? What's going on here?" A voice spoke out, halting the happy fest.

"Yea, that's right! What's going on?" Another, distinctly female voice spoke up also.

Both Ruby and Yukari turned to meet Ichigo's stern gaze and Kurumu's frown. Ruby ignored the girl for the moment because she sensed something different about this man. He held a strange power that almost made if feel as if she were staring at the never ending ocean. He was someone special she figured because of his power… that and she wondered how he had gotten to the rooftop without using the door and without making a noise.

"I… I'm here with Ruby-san. She… said she'd take me to meet another witch." She spoke nervously beneath their gazes.

"That sounds alright, but where are Tsukune and the others?" Ichigo asked, not spotting said people around.

It wasn't Yukari who replied, but Ruby as she spoke up for the girl. "She doesn't need those pitiful humans. All she needs are her tribe mates, we, the witches. We will get rid of the human taint from the land!" She spoke vehemently as she matched Ichigo's stare.

"What?" Kurumu scoffed, not believing what the older witch was saying, "Humans or not, we are still her friends. I don't know what kinds of things you filled her head with, but as her friend, I cannot allow you to do that!"

"Milk jugs…" Yukari stared, wide-eyed at Kurumu. Did she… really think of her as a friend? Despite all the fights they constantly had?

Ichigo gave Kurumu a sidelong glance as he smirked. He couldn't have put those words in a better way even if he had tried. But his attention was immediately brought to the front when he felt a rise in reiatsu. As soon as he was facing forward, he had to sidestep an attack sent by the older witch. That's when he heard it…

RIIIIIP!

Ichigo momentarily looked down and saw something dreadful. His favorite shirt… had been ripped. There it was, a huge chunk of the fabric missing. There was absolutely no way he would be able to sew this back together! And even if he did… it wouldn't be the same. It was just like the time Yuzu had ripped apart his favorite shirt for a project she had to do. Only difference was that Yuzu hadn't been trying to kill him. Later that day, he had managed to sew it together… but… it just wasn't the same!

Ichigo continued looking at his shirt with just a pinch of annoyance. He glared at older witch before yelling out in an annoyed tone, "What was that for! Damn it, this was my favorite one!"

Ruby made a disgruntled noise at having missed. It seemed he really wasn't a normal human. He must've been some sort of ayashi.

"Just what are you to have been able to dodge that?" Ruby questioned as she raised her wings, ready for another attack.

Ichigo sighed as he touched the torn part of his shirt, which exposed some flesh. There was no way sewing a patch would make it better he finally reasoned. And unbeknownst to him, Kurumu was getting an eyeful of his abs. Kurumu mentally did a dance in her head as a small blush spread across her cheeks.

"Hey you, quit ignoring me!" Ruby's anger filtered through her voice as she spoke to the distracted Vizard. She ignored Kurumu since her focus was on the annoying man in front of her. Her wings shook as she floated above him, intent on tearing him to pieces.

"You're paying for this shirt, you know that right? I mean that literally. It cost me 20 whole friggin dollars!" Ichigo just about growled with how annoyed he was.

Ruby simply couldn't believe it, she was being taunted! She wouldn't have it and with that, her 8 wings lunged at Ichigo, ready to cut him up into little pieces. Ichigo however saw the attack coming and used Shunpo to deftly dodge the daft attacks. As soon as the last one hit the ground he jumped into the air. Ruby could do nothing since she was pinned down by her own wings, which ironically enabled her to fly. They were stuck deep in the concrete so she couldn't move. Ichigo took this opportunity to punch her in the gut. Spit flew from Ruby's mouth as her eyes blurred into darkness. She was unconscious.

Ruby's wings disappeared into nothingness as her body fell. Luckily Ichigo caught her before she fell, and placed her sitting up against the edge of the roof. Ichigo sighed as he wondered what he had done to deserve all this trouble. Just then, the roof to the door opened and out of it came Tsukune, Mizore, and Moka .

Both Tsukune and Mizore blinked as they surveyed the mess. "Guess we didn't make it in time." Tsukune surmised as the other two nodded.

Ichigo shook his head before he turned to face Yukari, who squeaked at suddenly earning his attention. "What happened Yukari?" Ichigo asked, his tone softer than she had ever heard before.

"I…" Her voice cracked as tears threatened to spill. She collapsed to the ground as the stress finally overwhelmed her.

Ichigo shook his head. He couldn't help but be reminded of his sisters. He could never stand to see them cry so he couldn't stand to see Yukari cry either. So Ichigo did what his instincts told him to do and walked over to Yukari.

Yukari sniffled as she saw Ichigo walk towards her. He kneeled on one leg in front of her before he took off her hat. This earned some confusion from the girl, but it soon gave way to surprise, and then relaxation when Ichigo ran his fingers against her cheek, wiping away her tears.

"Hey," He began in a voice that was soft, deep, and gentle, "Whatever it is, we'll handle it together, alright?"

He gave her a small smile when she nodded. "Good." He said as he stood up before offering her a hand, "Then let's go find out motel."

Yukari stared at the man before her and couldn't help but feel her heart leap in her chest. With a smile, she gratefully took it.

"Wow…" Were Kurumu and Moka's thoughts after having become entranced by Ichigo's fatherly actions. This reinforced their idea that Ichigo was their Mate/Destined one.

After the whole fiasco was over, everyone emptied the rooftop to search for their motel.

---

"It's dark already. We can't find our motel and we're really split up with Nekonome-sensei." Moka said aloud, "And we can't just leave this girl in the middle of nowhere."

Night fell upon the city as Moka and Yukari sat next to an unconscious Ruby on a bench somewhere in the city. They had tried for a while to find the motel, but it had been to no avail. The map their teacher had given to them hadn't been a regular map. It had been a map of different types of fish restaurants available within the city. So now there they were, in a hopeless situation. Ichigo paced back and forth while Mizore and Tsukune commented on Kurumu's earlier actions.

Suddenly, Yukari stood up and moved to the front where the whole group could see her. "I'm sorry Tsukune, Moka, and Mizore for worrying you. I'm sorry for being so mean back there." She replied, a hint of guilt in her voice. But then her voice lightened as she continued.

"Even if you guys do or do not understand me, I still like all of you very much! As long as I'm with everybody, I'm all set!" She proclaimed happily before taking hold of Ichigo's arm, "Especially with you Ichigo!"

Ichigo looked on in surprise, but smiled which seemed to dazzle Kurumu, Moka, and Yukari since it was a rare thing for Ichigo to give a full-blown smile.

Mizore leaned in towards Tsukune and said, "Ichigo is so blind isn't he?"

Tsukune nodded. "I agree." Then he paused, "Why?"

"Just look at him." She said as she pointed towards him with her lollipop, "He has them all wrapped around his pinky and yet he does nothing with them."

"As you've mentioned before Mizore-chan, he's dense." Tsukune quipped up, "But he really does care about everyone doesn't he? He may look tough and mean, but he's a softie on the inside. He doesn't think twice to help his friends out."

"I guess simple-mindedness is good from time to time." Mizore surmised, but Tsukune shook his head.

"He's not simple-minded. Sometimes there's a look on his face that's unreadable. It's like he's thinking about many different things and doesn't know what to do." Tsukune defended the orange-haired boy.

"True. He does seem to be thinking about something. What could it be?" Mizore wondered.

Tsukune shrugged before saying, "Maybe he's a soldier from some other plane of existence sent to spy on Youkai Gakuen for anomalies."

Mizore turned to her boyfriend and gave him a flat look. "You're imagination knows no bounds does it?"

Tsukune simply chuckled. "Aww… don't tell me you don't like it?"

"Oh, I don't mind it." Mizore said as she took her lollipop from her mouth and placed it in Tsukune's, "Sometimes it can be a good thing."

"Oh? Are you insinuating something?" Tsukune grinned as he plucked the lollipop from his mouth.

"I might." Mizore replied coolly, a faint smile on her lips.

Suddenly Tsukune leaned in closer to her and blew some air across her neck. "Something like this?"

Mizore gasped as the sensation left her breathless and red in the face. "N-Not here Tsukune!"

Tsukune gave a wild grin as he replied, "What? It's not like you're going to stop me."

"But I am!" A one Kurono Kurumu said as she bonked Tsukune on the head. "Seriously, can't you see we're lost and want to find our motel? And you guys are here playing naughty with each other! Jeez!"

Tsukune gave a nervous chuckle as he rubbed his head, "Sorry Kurumu-chan."

Kurumu simply sighed. "Sorry about that, I'm just stressed because I want Ichigo to do something like that to me."

Tsukune simply gave an apologetic smile as he shrugged his shoulders. Kurumu shook her head before walking away.

Just then, Nekonome came walking from a store just around the corner where they were sitting at. "Hey, everybody's here!" The sensei said cheerfully as she carried three boxes filled with fish.

"Why are you guys here?" She asked in her never-sad tone.

Immediately she was bombarded by all sorts of questions ranging from, "Where were you?" to "You idiot!"

"Oh! Wasn't this supposed to be a research trip?" Was her only reply, which caused everyone to fall on their face, save for Ichigo who was simply too tired to care about this crap anymore. He looked up at the shining stars and did the only thing he had learned to do effectively.

He sighed.

---

A nine-year old Ruby walked hand-in-hand with her parents. She smiled at the bright lights of the city. She looked up when her mom called out her name.

"Ruby, see… this is a human's city." Her mother explained as she made a sweeping motion with her hand to their surroundings.

"Whoa…" Ruby gazed at the impressive buildings and structures that surrounded them.

"The lights are twinkling like stars." Her father said before chuckling, "It seems like you love it already."

The screech of tires pierced the air as Ruby's parents turned around to see a car speeding towards them. Quickly turning to his daughter, Ruby's father had managed to push her out of the way before the street became paved with blood.

---

Ruby's heart raced as her eyes opened; sweat dripping down the side of her face. As the memory receded to the back of her mind, her vision began to focus. She could see two figures floating above her and as her eyesight sharpened, she managed to make out who they were.

It was that orange-haired boy and the one with the big-chest. The one with the big chest was looking at her intently, worry written across her face while the boy simply sat there, an unreadable expression on his face.

Adrenaline shot through her veins as she realized she wasn't in her home. She got up quickly, ready to fight if need be. "What! Wh… where am I… ugh!"

Pain filled her body as she gripped her stomach, where it hurt most. "Ruby-san! You shouldn't move yet, you're still injured!"

Ruby recognized that voice! Slowly, she turned to her right where the rest of the group was sitting. There, she saw the younger witch, giving her a worried look and two other people she hadn't met yet, but had seen when she was spying on Yukari. She didn't seem to be in any immediately trouble, but her guard was still up just in case.

"Ugh… where… where am I? What are you guys…" She spoke despite the pain.

Silence reigned for a while before the group looked at each other. It was Tsukune who decided to speak up first as he said, "I'm Aono Tsukune. As for what I am, I'm just a regular human. We arrived here today because of our extracurricular club research. This is the motel we're going to stay in for the night."

"And these are my friends, Moka the Vampire, Mizore the Snow Girl, Kurumu the Succubus, and Ichigo the other human."

Ruby's eyes widened at the last bit as she turned to Ichigo. She gave him a glare before she lunged at him, grabbing him by the collar. "You!" She seethed, "How are you a mere human and still having such power? And answer me this… how is it that ayashi and humans are here together as friends? That's impossible! Humans and ayashi cannot be friends!"

Ichigo returned her glare with one of his own, making the older witch shrink back slightly. But she still refused to let go of his collar and her eyes told Ichigo that she still wanted an answer.

So Ichigo sighed as he placed a hand at the back of his head. "Why are we friends? We're friends because we are." Then he shrugged, "It really is that simple. What would be the point in fighting?"

This did not appeal to Ruby as continued to speak out in anger, "But all humans are pitiful creatures that destroy an—"

"Does that mean all witches turn people into frogs?" Ichigo asked, confusing Ruby.

"You have a conception of all humans being evil and greedy. Humans have a conception of witches as beings that turn people into frogs and use evil magic."

"That's not true! We use the power of nature an—"

"Exactly, it's not true. Same for humans, not everyone is evil or greedy." Ichigo explained. A look of realization dawned upon Ruby's face, but she quickly turned around. It couldn't be true… that her conception of humans was wrong, could it? But this boy… his logic was sound. She didn't want to believe… she couldn't believe because if she did believe, then that meant her master was wrong.

But as her adrenaline wore off, pain filled her as she clutched her abdomen once again. She took a look at the group and noticed how they seemed worried about her. She didn't want to admit it… but those stares were starting to affect her. Regrettably, she would have to trust them for the moment. She needed rest and so, she went back to her futon and rested her head on the pillow. Soon she drifted to sleep. It was getting late and the others too decided to go to sleep. The room was too small though and they had to rent another room for Tsukune and Mizore.

Ichigo simply gave a mental sigh since no one had realized that he hadn't answered Ruby's other question about him being human and still having great power. He had dodged a bullet.

---

Morning arrived as Ichigo woke up. He blinked as he sat up, looking at everyone else. He noted that one of the futons seemed be vacant and wondered who would be up this early in the morning.

"Mmm… Ichigo…"

Ichigo turned to his right to find Kurumu sleeping there peacefully (which explained the empty futon). His ears turned completely red as he saw how her robe was wide open, giving him a clear view of her magnificent cleavage. Not only that, but the bottom of her robe was ridding up, giving him ample view of her shapely legs.

"Ichigo… please… mmm…" Kurumu purred as her body rolled closer to Ichigo. If it hadn't been for the way she was dressed, Ichigo would've found her rolling around comical. But alas, it was making the young Shinigami highly uncomfortable and flustered as he quickly stood up, deciding to do something to distract himself from the gorgeous girl next to him.

---

Like a snakes being charmed, people were pulled from their sleep. Their heads rose as they sniffed the air to a wondrous odor. Though, Moka wasn't affected by it too much being a vampire, but the rest of the group, including Ruby, were deeply drawn to the smell.

"Mmm… what is that?" Kurumu asked, fully aware of her surroundings. Then she quickly fixed her robe when she realized that she was partly naked. Luckily for her, nobody noticed though. Only Ichigo was allowed to see her naked body after all!

Ruby had to agree with her stomach, that was a fantastic smell. Suddenly, the strangest sight appeared before the entire group. Though it wasn't completely unfathomable, it still was hard for the others to believe it was happening. It was an impressive sight to behold after all. There in the doorway of the kitchen with some food on a portable table, was Ichigo, with an apron on that read 'kiss the chef.'

"What?" He asked as he noticed all the stares. He paused for a moment before opting to ignore them. He walked over to Ruby, who became surprised when Ichigo set the table of food in front of her.

"W-What are you doing?" Ruby asked in a disbelieving tone before her cheeks turned a slight red when her stomach growled.

Ichigo simply chuckled before replying, "Well, you need food in order to heal even if you are an ayashi. It isn't much, just some fish from Nekonome's stash and a side of eggs and rice."

Ruby gave the boy in front of her an inquisitive look. Despite having a rough nature, it seemed he was quite kind-hearted on the inside. But before she could make any more deductions about the boy, her stomach growled once again, demanding the food should be eaten!

"Eat up." He said before turning to the rest of the group, "Breakfast is almost ready, oh and Yukari?"

"What is it Ichigo?" She asked, wondering what Ichigo wanted.

Ichigo was a bit hesitant to ask this, but he needed to in order to help Yukari get over her fear of the city. "Can you go to the supermarket around the corner and get us some drinks?"

Yukari's eyes widened slightly as a tremor of fear made its way through her heart. But she immediately squashed it. She had to be brave in front of the boy she liked!

"Alright Ichigo." She agreed, surprising the room full of people. Ichigo simply had that I'm-happy-yet-scowling look on his face. And with that, she made sure to leave behind the things that identified her as a witch, which meant her wand, hat, and cloak. This way she wouldn't be assaulted by any weirdos like the other day.

---

"I'm back!" Yukari greeted as she slid the door open. Everyone from the newspaper group was present.

"Welcome back Yukari-chan! How was your trip?" Moka asked, her face looking positively radiant. Yukari wondered why that was until she looked behind Moka to find Ichigo laying on the floor, two puncture holes in his neck. She giggled when she found Kurumu trying to wake up Ichigo by shaking his shoulders rather roughly.

"It went fine! I went to this 'Supermarket' Ichigo stated and got everyone drinks! Check it out!" She said as she held one of the drinks she bought in her hand.

"Wow, that's amazing Yukari-chan!" Tsukune commented to the young witch, "You were so afraid of the city at first too."

"You did great." Mizore simply added.

"Yeah… great…" Came Ichigo's tired voice.

"You're alive Ichigo!" Kurumu yelled out in happiness as she pressed his face against her chest. But Ichigo was feeling far too drained to fight back, not that Kurumu minded. Good thing he was also too drained to feel flustered though… he would be needed air sometime soon.

No one noticed the trembling Ruby, who was having mixed feelings about the situation. Earlier she had said it was impossible for humans and ayashi to become friends and yet, here in this room she was being proved wrong. All this… happiness… she couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop… Stop joking around." Ruby whispered as her pain and confusion filtered through her voice. Ichigo managed to capture the soft sound of her voice and turned around, causing everyone to turn around along with him.

"You guys… are so naïve." She began before her voice grew louder to the point of yelling, "I…I'm not going to be fooled! Because I know how SELFISH AND DIRTY THE HUMAN RACES ARE!"

Tears streamed down her face as she threw the covers off of her and lunged at Ichigo. "I'll never trust humans! I'll peel off that monstrous human skin right now!"

"Ichigo watch out!" Kurumu warned as Ichigo sat there. To everyone's surprise, Ichigo simply lifted up his drink in front of Ruby's face, who paused mid-lunge.

"If we were naïve, we wouldn't be friends. We understand each other, no matter how much you think this is a trick. So what if I or anyone else is human or ayashi? We're still beings who feel and think. As long as we have that in common, we have the capability to understand each other. I understand that you're land is about to be taken away, and I won't let it happen if you're willing to let us help you."

As she took in his words, Ruby looked at the drink, which she noted had a smiling face on it. This irked her to no end as she slapped it out of Ichigo's hand, "Sh-Shut up!"

But she knew she had lost as she calmed and sat back down, her hands between her legs. "It doesn't matter if we can understand each other, it's too late. The humans have already angered my master. In order to punish the humans, my master is going to turn the city into a sea of flame."

"Master?"Was the resounding thought in everyone's mind before Ruby began in detail her master's plan.

---

Later that night, when everyone was asleep, there was one person who hadn't faded to the world of dreams. Ruby looked at the group curiously. A hint of a smile played across her face when she saw Kurumu wrapping her arms around Ichigo, who was completely unaware of her action. It would make sense since he was asleep. Then there was Moka, who slept next to her and Yukari, who slept at the foot of her and Moka's futon.

Her eyes wandered to the drink she had knocked out of Ichigo's hand. At first it brought her anger, but then she remembered Ichigo's words. Those words brought a light feeling to her heart that loosened her grip around the drink to a tender touch. Her eyes softened as she continued to look at the can before she was interrupted.

"Ruby-san? What's wrong, can't you sleep?" Yukari quipped up, surprising the older witch who fumbled with the drink due to her surprise.

"Oh, Yu…Yukari-chan." Ruby stated as she faced Yukari, who simply gave her an innocent look.

"Want to go outside?" Yukari offered, to which Ruby agreed.

---

The noise of a door sliding open breached into Ichigo's dreams as he slowly woke up. He turned his head just in time to catch Yukari and Ruby leaving. Curious, Ichigo tried getting up, but then realized he was pinned down by something. When he saw what was pinning him down, he blushed. Again, it was Kurumu and this time she had managed to snake her arms around him. Ichigo couldn't help but be annoyed, why did this have to happen to him? But he needed to wake her up for this urgent matter. And so, he shook her gently by the shoulders, hoping to wake her up from her slumber.

---

"Hey, Yukari-chan… where's my magu?" Ruby asked as she leaned against the railing of the hotel. They were outside near the stairs, beneath the light of the moon.

"Huh?"

"In order to use magic, witches need to control nature's power with an item right?" Ruby explained, "I can't go back to where I came from without that wand."

Yukari looked at the older witch before offering another course of action, "You… you should stay here a while longer. I know Ichigo is kind of mean-looking, but he probably wants to be friends with you."

Ruby grew quiet at the suggestion. A deep sadness filled her heart before she confided her secret to Yukari and unknowing to her, also Ichigo, Moka, and Kurumu who were around the corner. "You see…My parents died in a car accident in the human world when I was young. Humans were the ones who killed my parents.

Ruby felt her throat tighten as the agonizing memory made its way the surface. She covered her mouth to silence the choked sob that wanted to come out. Regardless, she still continued speaking, "We were shopping as a family and suddenly a car rushed towards us. My mom and dad pushed me out of the way. While I was alone, all I could do was hate humans! I hated everything about humans; their cities, the people… I hated them all!"

Finally she broke down as quiet tears streamed down her face. She leaned over the railing, suddenly feeling weak as a sudden influx of emotions drained her energy. Everyone who had listened suddenly felt bad for the older witch and couldn't help but sympathize for her.

"Ruby-san." Yukari worried for the older witch. Such horrible trauma… it now made sense why Ruby hated humans.

"You're lucky Yukari-chan." Ruby suddenly said, garnering confusion to those listening.

"Huh?" Was all Yukari could say.

Ruby wiped away a few tears before she turned to face the younger witch, a sad smile on her face. "You have friends like Ichigo-kun… that's why I feel a little jealous. I wish I could've met you guys a lot sooner.

Without warning, Ruby dashed down the stairs around the corner where the others had been listening. The all cried out Ruby's name, but she ignored their worried voices. Soon, she was out the hotel, running down the empty street. Her pace slowed down when she felt she was far away enough.

"It's too late for me to change my life style now." She thought melancholically. She turned her head when she heard the wings of a bird descending towards her. A crow floated next to her, carrying her wand in its beak.

"I've found you Ruby," It stated, "I've brought Ruby's stick. Hurry up and go back or the master will be angry."

Ruby looked back the way she had come. Yes… it was far too late for her to change. This would be her last time seeing them.

---

"Ruby-san! Ruby-san!" Voices echoed out, calling for the older witch. Everyone from the newspaper group was now awake and searching for Ruby.

"Ruby-san! Where are you?"

"Yukari-chan, look up there!" Tsukune said as he pointed towards the sky. There they spotted Ruby flying away.

"Goodbye." Was her final thought before she soon became nothing more than a dot in the sky.