*Revised Chapter*
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The eternal cry of the Menos continued on as tens of them fell from the Garganta. The ground shook from their accumulated mass before they began shaping into their individual forms. Ichigo estimated there to be around twenty of them. One of the Menos took note of Ichigo and gave a shrill cry that pierced the air.
That same Menos began collecting reiatsu in its mouth, forming it into a red mass of energy. After a second, the Menos released the attack before it hurled at Ichigo. This didn't bother Ichigo at all, but it did bother the others who saw the attack flying towards him. That wasn't the point though, the point was… Ichigo was annoyed. Why was he annoyed? Because the rest of the Menos began forming their own Ceros as well.
The first Cero he simply slashed in half with a flick of his wrist, dissipating the attack. The next onslaught of Ceros would be a bit tricky. He was sure he could take on the attacks directly, no doubt about it. But if they impacted against him, the resulting explosions could hurt his friends below.
The other Menos were finally ready to launch their attack and Ichigo figured he'd simply launch a massive Getsuga Tenshou to cancel out the attack.
Thankfully he didn't need to as a figure dropped down from the Garganta, this one being many times smaller than the Menos, but by no means weaker. The figure floated in the center mass of the Menos gathering and brought out his sword, slashing all the creatures in half.
"Tch. How annoying, can't believe they freakin pushed me out of the way." The figure grumbled in annoyance as his stare shifted to Ichigo.
"G-Grimmjow!" Ichigo stated, earning a grin from the figure.
"Damn straight Ichigo!" Grimmjow grinned as he pointed his sword at Ichigo, "I demand a rematch. I don't care if you beat Aizen or not, I'm going to kick your ass!"
"You're not supposed to be here!" Ichigo replied as the nervousness within him increased. The only reason Grimmjow, and Nell who didn't seem to be there, had been allowed to live were because they were the only ones left who could control the Hollows. Without them, the Menos, Adjuchas, and Gillians would've surely flooded Soul Society and Hueco Mundo would've descended into chaos. But since Grimmjow and Nell were there, they viewed them as their King and Queen, despite Nell sometimes being in her child form.
Ichigo looked down, hoping his friends couldn't hear the conversation. Thankfully by the looks on their faces, he figured they couldn't hear his conversation though…. They would probably have a lot of questions when he returned. Yukata didn't seem to be making any move to attack so he safely assumed she wasn't going to do anything.
"I don't give a damn!" Grimmjow replied as he disappeared from view.
Ichigo's eyes momentarily widened before he brought his sword up reflexively. "I'm here to have another fight with you!" Again Grimmjow disappeared before reappearing for another strike
Ichigo blocked the incoming sword with his free arm; otherwise his head would've been lopped off! "Why are you here Grimmjow?" Ichigo persisted with the questions.
"I'm here to battle against you, why do you think I'm trying to cut you?" Grimmjow casually replied with a vicious grin as he moved Ichigo's arm down with his sword before using his free arm to form a Cero. At point blank range, it would hurt even Ichigo and his reiatsu reinforced skin.
Ichigo noted that Grimmjow had gotten faster. Had he been training all this time just for a re-match? Whatever it was, Ichigo needed to think of something quick. With his arm pinned down and it being too late to bring his sword around, Ichigo did the only thing he could. He elbowed Grimmjow in the gut.
"Hn!" Grimmjow grunted as the Cero fired wildly into the air. But he recovered quickly as he gave Ichigo a head butt. A quick of use of Sonido and Shunpo from either of them gave them some distance from one another.
"That friggin hurt!" Ichigo yelled as he rubbed his head.
"Cry me a river you damn Shinigami!" Grimmjow retorted as he launched himself at Ichigo with incredible speed.
"No you don't! Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo released the black crescent attack towards his opponent, who dodged it with Sonido. Now Grimmjow was upon him, raining a flurry of attacks that sent shockwaves everywhere. Now the fight had begun.
---
"D-Do you feel that?" Moka asked, her breathing becoming shallow. The glow on her Rosario began to shine vibrantly, not that anyone noticed due to their entrancement with the fight over their heads.
"It's like that time with the man with the eye patch. Just what are they?" Kurumu asked with a hint of worry in her voice. If there were other people as strong as Ichigo, could that mean there were even stronger beings than him? This greatly troubled her because from her perspective, they all seemed to be going after Ichigo.
Tsukune leaned in to Mizore before he whispered, "Being from a different plane."
Mizore gave him a flat look as her reply.
"Just sayin." Tsukune said as he continued watching.
Yukata herself was stunned. This power… it was unimaginable! She couldn't even begin to fathom where the energy was coming from. Her monster was simply taking damage from the force of the blows. She needed to retreat, otherwise her book might be damaged and she would die.
The newspaper group had noticed the giant monster's less than subtle retreat before they stared at each other. Their stares seemed to ask what they should do. Thankfully, one voice spoke up, but not one they had been expecting.
"It would best to eliminate her before she escapes." The group turned, startled to see the crimson eyed Moka staring back at them.
"Other Moka…" Mizore stated softly, felling queasy beneath the Vampire's stare.
Said Moka ignored the snow girl before looking up into the air. "After I'm done with Yukata, I'm going to have a word with Ichigo. No mere pathetic human could ever hope to attain such power." She said before she proceeded to stop Yukata, but not before her arm was caught.
She turned a menacing glare to the person who had stopped her. It had been Ruby, who despite her injury was up.
"M-Moka-san… please… I need to talk to my master one last time." She pleaded with the Vampire.
"You speak nonsense. She will not hear words, she demands blood." She replied coldly.
"Please Moka… Please…" The upset witch pleaded. For a moment, it seemed that the Vampire's eyes softened before they returned to their usual stare of cold indifference.
"Leave me be." Moka forcefully released herself from Ruby's grasp before she went after Yukata. Ruby could only look on at Moka's retreating form. Slowly she blurred out of her vision as she got farther away. For a moment, defeat gripped at her heart. But then she looked at her Scepterand got an idea. Before long, she was airborne.
Meanwhile, the others had heard Moka and Ruby's exchange of words. Despite knowing that Moka was right, they couldn't help but feel a little miffed at how Moka handled it, not that they could do anything about it.
"She's different isn't she?" Yukari spoke up. The others simply nodded.
"Yea, I don't like it." Kurumu replied as she saw Ruby fly into the air. The sight gave her an idea as well.
"In the mean time though, I need to make sure Ichigo is okay." She said before her own wings tore through her shirt and a tail protruded from behind her.
"I'll be right back!" With those words, she took off into the air, not knowing what awaited her.
---
Ichigo barely dodged the blade that slashed at his face. He rolled to the right and brought up his sword to block a vertical strike. Grimmjow was really being relentless; he almost had not time to think about the situation. He had to rely on pure instinct if he simply wanted to survive with his head on his neck.
"Ugh!" Ichigo grunted as a kick to his stomach sent him rocketing in the opposite direction of the attack. He forced his feet to latch onto the spirit particles to slow down his speed. But this attack had given him a few precious seconds to think. Fighting with this style, it would surely be a tie between him and Grimmjow. But if he applied his Inner Hollow's tactics, he could probably win at this current level. The only problem with that would be him accidentally killing Grimmjow from letting his Inner Hollow out.
But his time was up as Grimmjow appeared above him, ready to cut Ichigo in half. Quick thinking saved him as he used Shunpo to appear behind his opponent. He thrust his sword forward, hoping to damage the Arrancar without killing him. The plan backfired when the sword was grabbed.
"Who do you think you're facing Ichigo?" Grimmjow taunted with a grin as he saw his chance to cut his opponent.
But Ichigo did the same thing Grimmjow did, grabbing the sword before it cut his head. Ichigo smirked victoriously as Grimmjow made a sound of annoyance.
"I could ask you the same thing Grimmjow." He replied as they gave each other a fierce stare.
"Ichigo!" Another voice spoke up, alerting the two to the new presence.
"Kurumu!" Ichigo said as he saw the Succubus floating in the air, giving him a worried look.
"Who are you and why are you attacking Ichigo?" Kurumu demanded before realizing she was way in over her head when an enormous pressure fell upon her. It suffocated her as she began to lose focus.
"Stop that Grimmjow!" Ichigo yelled with panic before his own reiatsu flared and coalesced around his sword. Grimmjow grunted as he was pushed back, the sword piercing through his skin slightly. He had to Sonido backwards to avoid losing his hand.
"Tch. It seems that woman there is important to you." Grimmjow said before he pointed his sword at Ichigo, "I don't care if she's your girlfriend, lover, or fuck-buddy, I'm here for a damn fight and you're going to give me one."
Suddenly, he smirked, which gave Ichigo an unsettling feeling. "I think if I threaten this girl, you'll fight me seriously." He said before disappearing.
Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise. As soon as Grimmjow had finished those words, he disappeared not a millisecond later than Grimmjow, just in time to block a strike that had been aimed at Kurumu's heart.
"E-Eh?" Kurumu had never felt so overwhelmed or confused before. One moment Ichigo and that guy were exchanging words and swords, and then the next Ichigo was blocking an attack that could've killed her.
"Leave her alone." Ichigo hissed as tendrils of black began invading his sclera.
Grimmjow grinned. "That's more like it!" Grimmjow pushed Ichigo backwards before diving into an attack aimed at his torso. Ichigo brought his sword around and blocked the attack. Grimmjow used the momentum to bring his sword for another round, again aiming for his head. With great timing, Ichigo twisted his wrist and in a quick use of speedused the blunt end to block the blade.
Grimmjow momentarily broke away before redoubling his efforts. He slashed at Ichigo, who deftly dodged the perilous strikes. Then Grimmjow disappeared using Sonido, making Ichigo scan the area. But Grimmjow didn't appear anywhere else. In fact, he reappeared in the same spot he had disappeared. Pure reflex saved his life as he grabbed the dull end and quickly brought his sword up to block a downward slash. Thanks to this though, Ichigo was temporarily immobilized since both his hands were gripping the sword. Grimmjow saw this as an opportunity and quickly freed one of his hands and aimed a Cero at Ichigo's face.
"What the hell is up with you and my face!" Ichigo yelled out in annoyance as the ball of red expanded. It fired, but Ichigo had already disappeared with a quick Shunpo. As soon as the attack was over, Ichigo re-appeared in front of Grimmjow and sent his own slash at Grimmjow.
"You haven't been practicing Ichigo!" He taunted as he side-stepped to the right, effectively evading Ichigo's clumsy attack.
"W-What?" Came Ichigo's startled voice as he sailed past Grimmjow before his collar was yanked. It choked him as Grimmjow threw him forward, a Cero already halfway formed in his hand.
"You won't escape this one!" Grimmjow laughed as the attack successfully hit Ichigo. The attack expanded past Ichigo, kicking up winds that threatened to tear apart Kurumu who was having trouble staying in the air.
"Just what exactly is Ichigo?" Kurumu thought as the attack died down.
Grimmjow grinned. Ichigo had survived the attack save for some smoke coming off his body.
"How about another one?" Grimmjow suggested as he prepared another Cero.
The static noise of the Garganta opening was suddenly heard, but Grimmjow had been too preoccupied to notice it. Two figures quickly darted out, grabbing either of Grimmjow's arms, whose Cero fired into the air once again.
"Wh-What the hell is this?" Grimmjow questioned as he looked at his captors. Dondochakka and Pesche stared back at him as they waved with their free hand.
"Sorry Grimmy, but Nell-sama demands your presence… and she also says that if you don't, you'll be the one cleaning out the Hollow infestation in the back of Las Noches." Pesche replied, knowing that alone would be enough to convince the Arrancar to return.
"Screw that! I'm fighting Ichigo!" Grimmjow replied as he back flipped in the air, bringing the two other Arrancars to meet face to face in a painful collision. It seemed they were wrong.
"Hm. Now… where were we?" Grimmjow stated as he brought his sword forward once again.
"You were returning to Las Noches I believe." Another voice spoke out, making Grimmjow pause momentarily.
"Dammit…" He cursed beneath his breath, from the opening of another Garganta came out Nell in her regular form. She held a disbelieving expression on her face as she looked at him, making his anger rise. Why did she have to come out in that form? It pissed him off to no end! She always had that righteous look on her face when she was in that form. He rather preferred it when she was a brat even if she was annoying to no end.
"Our treaty with the Shinigami was that we would take care of Hueco Mundo in exchange for our lives and that we never enter this world again. Do you want them to wage another war against us?" She stated seriously with her arms over her chest.
Grimmjow growled in annoyance, he hated to be proven wrong.
"Come, we better hurry." She said before she suddenly turned to Ichigo.
"Hi Ichigoooo!" She waved happily, making those present sweat drop.
"Hi Nell, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Ichigo half-smiled, earning a grin and a giggle from the green-haired Arrancar.
While they exchanged their greetings, Kurumu could not help but stare at the woman's chest. It was quite literally as big as or possibly bigger than hers. This wasn't what really upset her, what really upset her was what kind of relationship she had with Ichigo. They seemed to be very friendly. A sad feeling crept upon her before she knew it, and she shook her head to fight it off. Ichigo wasn't one to hide another girl… would he? NO! Of course not, this was Ichigo for goodness sake! Still… she didn't like it.
"Well, I have to get going Ichigo. It was nice seeing you!" She said before turning to Grimmjow, "Let's go Grimmy!"
"I told you not to call me that!" He yelled back, not liking the nickname whatsoever.
"I'm your wife, whether you like it or not." She replied, earning differing looks to the people around.
This news was a big shock to Ichigo, who stared with an open mouth. As for Kurumu, it felt like a sudden weight had been lifted off her shoulders. All the tension and anxiety seemed to melt away from her body. Grimmjow simply gritted his teeth in anger.
"We're not fucking married!" He yelled once again, before being flicked on the forehead by Nell.
"That's not what the other Hollows say. We are their King and Queen after all." She winked at him, earning a barely visible blush from the blue-haired psycho.
"Fuck you." He replied indignantly, earning a grin from Nell.
"I'm sure you'd like to." She replied without missing a beat, surprising everyone there even further. Ichigo turned red, Kurumu turned red, and Grimmjow turned red. They had been surprised, shocked, and embarrassed respectively.
"So are we going or not Grimmy?" She asked, already knowing the answer.
"No freaking way, Grimmjow is whipped!" Ichigo thought as he fought back a snicker, knowing it would only enrage the short-tempered Arrancar.
"F-Fine." Grimmjow hung his head in defeat as he followed behind Nell into the Garganta.
But before he left, he turned around to face Ichigo. "This isn't over yet Shinigami, I'll be back and when I do, you better be ready!" Grimmjow stated, unknowing of the consequences his words had on the remaining people before he slipped into the Garganta.
"W-Wait for us!" Pesche called out as he and Dondochakka barely made it through.
Ichigo simply stood there frozen. Slowly, he turned around to meet one Kuruno Kurumu, who held a shocked expression on her face. Slowly, she raised her finger and pointed it at Ichigo, who felt like a lead brick had settled in his stomach.
"Y-You're a Shinigami?" She stuttered, unsure if she had heard correctly.
"Well… Yeah…" Was Ichigo's simple reply.
"So… do you… take away people's souls?" Kurumu asked as she slowly recovered.
Ichigo scratched hishead as he thought of how to reply to that. He didn't want to say something that would make her ask even more questions, and he definitely didn't want to lie to her now that she found out. But he also wanted to keep it simple and straight to the point. But before he could reply, he suddenly felt an explosion and turned to look to find a mass of white light expanding, engulfing a large part of the forests. Then it clicked.
"Wait, where are Ruby and the others?" Ichigo asked as he looked around only to not find them where he had left them.
"I-I don't know, I left them to talk to you because it seemed Yukata was as stunned as we were." She replied before she remembered something, "Wait! Yukata retreated and Ruby and Moka chased after her. Do you think the others chased after her?"
"Shit! We have to go now!" Ichigo Shunpo'd over to Kurumu before he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. He stared as the explosion suddenly seemed to shrivel and disappear before his eyes. Ignoring Kurumu's protests and how this was not the way to treat a lady, he disappeared with a quick Shunpo.
---
Yukata stared in shock at the scene before her. She had sent her vines to attack the wretched Vampire, but instead they were blocked by Ruby's body. With this momentary lapse, Ruby used her remaining strength to cut the vines that were imbedded into Moka's skin.
"You!" The Vampire Moka stated, shocked that she had been saved by the witch.
Ruby coughed up some blood as she stared at her scepter. "My scepter is… broken. I can't use magic… without a magical attribute."
She turned to Moka and gave the Vampire a smile before finishing, "Just like any other witch." She said at last, hoping that Moka got the idea. The last of her magic wore off and her wings disappeared as her life force began to slip from her body.
"Ruby…" Yukata whispered. Her attack had pierced through Ruby's body, creating fatal wounds.
Anger suddenly filtered through her voice as she screamed, "Why do you go against my will! We had always walked together until this day, you were so obedient and you never once tried rebelling against me…"
"Mistress Yukata… Please… stop this slaughter." She pleaded until the end as the light faded from her eyes, "It's all over… over…"
"Tsukune, Moka, I beg you… Please stop… Mistress" Her voice stopped as her body suddenly went limp, her scepter falling from her lifeless hands to the ground. Her body was unmoving as blood continued to flow freely from her wounds.
"Ruby…" Yukata's voice called out to her disciple. What… had she done? She looked on, hoping to see her revive again. Tears began flowing freely as her eyes widened, her mind unable to take the strain of losing her student... her daughter.
Suddenly she cackled as she brought Ruby to one of the monster's mouths and ate her. Shock and despair filled the remaining newspaper group as they lost a friend they had just made. They couldn't believe it… was Yukata so heartless as to eat even her own student for the sake of her revenge?
"Enough." Yukata spoke to herself with illogical words, "There… now you can defy me all you want now that you belong to me."
Slowly, her lips curled into a smile as she raised her head and cackled. "Such vitality! I can feel your energy filling every cell of my body… Ruby…" Her laughter resounded as the energy became part of her being even as her eyes continued tearing. Her mind could not cope with what had happened even though her heart was feeling the effects.
"How sad," A voice spoke up, earning Yukata's attention, "Ruby sacrificed her life to try and thwart your folly."
Slowly, Moka picked up Ruby's Scepter and pointed it at the grotesque witch. "I won't be caught anymore. In her memory…I will fulfill her last wish." She stated with sure conviction.
"Silence!" Yukata screamed as she sent all of her vines towards the Vampire, "I will absorb you to make you stop saying such rubbish!"
With a speed unlike she had seen before from the Vampire, Yukata saw how Moka evaded her attacks. She launched vine after vine, some cutting the Vampire, but none inflicting a mortal wound. She was too fast for the vines.
"You poor, mad, woman." Moka said condescendingly, "I won't be caught a second time!"
And with a burst of speed, she slammed the end of Ruby's Scepter into Yukata's book, breaking the centerpiece. "Ruby gave your only weak point out before dying." Moka stated as Yukata suddenly recalled Ruby's words just before her death.
"Ruby…" Yukata cried out freely as the guilt finally took hold of her heart when she realized what she had done. Magic power flowed from the book and encompassed the monster. It roared as the magic wore off, making the multitude of monsters rip apart. Light flowed out of different openings in the monster as it began expanding by the second.
"W-We have to get away!" Yukari said with a panic-stricken voice, "Her body is made of a multitude of monsters… if Yukata loses the magic power that enables her to keep them together, everything will end up in a massive explosion!"
Tsukune's heart thumped. No one here could fly; they would all end up getting caught in the explosion. Suddenly, everything seemed to slow down. Tsukune turned his head; everyone seemed to be moving slowly. He could tell they were saying something, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Their voices seemed… distorted. Then, he could feel something resonate within his soul, as if it were calling to him.
Somehow, he had the badge Ichigo had given him in his hand. He looked at it, and suddenly knew what he had to do. He pressed the badge against his chest before his physical body fell, leaving him in his soul form. No one in the group noticed as they stood stock still, fear and death consuming their minds. All they could do was focus on their imminent death.
Quickly, Tsukune pulled out the sword from his sleeve and held it in front of him. Time sped up and the explosion grew exponentially. It would be upon them in a mere few seconds.
"Uchikeshimasu!" Tsukune found himself calling out. His sword responded to the call a ripple in the air formed around the blade. The explosion finally reached them, but was being pushed back. No, it was being negated.
That's when everyone finally noticed Tsukune, who was no longer in his usual school uniform. That wasn't what got their interest, what had gotten their interest was the blade he held. Parts of it seemed to disappear from existence before reappearing again. They saw Tsukune hold out his sword hand to the explosion, stopping it in its tracks.
Tsukune grunted as the sheer force almost overwhelmed him. He could feel the bones in his hand straining and beginning to crack. Just as he felt like he was about to lose his hand, the explosion began to diminish and become smaller until it simply disappeared with a small flicker of light. What was left was a smoldering crater, but Yukata and Ruby were nowhere to found. Realization dawned upon Tsukune as he realized the horror in front of him.
"Ruby…" Tsukune fell to his knees as sorrow gripped at his heart.
They had lost Ruby.
---
"Ruby?" Yukata called out when she noticed her student gently bringing her down. Her student's eyes held a tender look that made Yukata's guilt greaten.
"You… you're taking my hand? Even after all I did to you?" Her voice softened as tears began to accumulate in her eyes, "Why? Why don't you resent me?"
Ruby's own tear filled eyes seemed to hold a smile in them as she replied to her master, "Let's go back Mistress Yukata. Let's go back home… so that we can live together peacefully and happily."
A memory of when Ruby was younger entered Yukata's mind. Her heart suddenly felt a million times lighter as she looked on at Ruby with a relieved look. "Forgive me… I thought you had forsaken me… that humans had raised you against me."
Ruby simply offered a kind smile as she gently placed Yukata in a field of sunflowers. Yukata continued to look on, offering words of apology, "I was blinded. Whatever I could've said or done… you had always been… the only one that mattered to me."
Suddenly the light around them intensified before everything disappeared into white emptiness as they let from their shared memory.
---
Ichigo finally arrived to where the group was. As he put down Kurumu, he noticed the morbid atmosphere that surrounded the group. Looking around, he noticed that Yukata and Ruby weren't there and that Moka seemed badly damaged.
"What happened?" Ichigo asked, feeling a bit himself morbid when he got a reply.
Tsukune turned to Ichigo, tears flowing from his eyes. "Ruby… I tried everything I could but… it was all for nothing… for nothing."
Ichigo stood still as a silence filled the air. Somehow, Ruby had been lost in the fight with Yukata. Ichigo gritted his teeth. While he had been off talking with Nell, he had let someone die. This was his fault.
"This wasn't your fault Ichigo." Ichigo turned to Kurumu, who seemed to have read his mind. Her eyes held a gentleness that somehow made Ichigo feel even worse.
Ichigo remained unmoving and tight-lipped. He was seething on the inside at his failure, despite what Kurumu had said. He could've done something, and that's what bothered him. But then his anger receded when Kurumu suddenly took his arm and placed her head gently against his shoulder. She gently rubbed his arm as Ichigo sighed before turning towards the mourning group. When his mind cleared a little, he noticed that Tsukune was in his soul form. But no one else seemed to care at the moment, too busy with the loss of someone close to them. Even silver-haired Moka seemed to have nothing to say though, for a moment, Ichigo wondered why she was out.
Suddenly a noise of a car approaching was heard in the distance. Everyone turned around to see a car and a bus pull up. Their teach Nekonome was the one that stepped out of the car as the bus parked next to it
"Oh dear…" Nekonome said as she sensed the atmosphere, "It didn't go without trouble it seems."
Everyone looked at the ground, their eyes portraying their guilt and sadness. "In the end, I couldn't do anything." Tsukune told his teacher, whose ears seemed to droop down.
"Are you daft or are you doing it on purpose?" A voice from the bus spoke out, "Quite the opposite, you did it real slick guys."
To everyone's astonishment, Gin stepped out of the bus with Ruby in his arms. Everyone stared with shocked expressions as they saw Ruby's unharmed body.
"Hee Hee… that really leaves you speechless doesn't it?" The bus driver said from the steps of the bus. He took a deep breath of his cigar before continuing, "The girl got out of the explosion unscathed and I found her lying unconscious."
"It seems Yukata used the last of her strength to protect this child." He told the group as his eyes glowed.
Except for Moka, Tsukune, and Ichigo, everyone ran towards Ruby. Ichigo had stopped Tsukune from going because he needed to have a word with him.
"What is it Ichigo?" Tsukune asked, a smile on his face though one could tell he had been crying.
"Did you use the badge?" Ichigo asked, earning a nod from the boy.
"Yea, it was amazing Ichigo!The sword completely negated the explosion! It almost broke my wrist, but I stopped the explosion!" He spoke excitedly, his heart free of sadness from knowing that Ruby had survived.
Ichigo's eyebrow rose. That seemed like a very powerful ability. "Alright, when we get back, we're going to see exactly what this power of yours is alright?"
"Sounds good Ichigo." Tsukune replied before he was off to see Ruby. But like before, he was again stopped by Ichigo.
"What?" Tsukune asked before he saw Ichigo pointing to Tsukune's physical body.
"Oh, right!" Tsukune said before he dove into his body; then he was off to Ruby. Unbeknownst to them, Moka had seen the entire thing.
"Ichigo, I'd like to have a word with you." Moka demanded as she walked up to Ichigo. Her body was slightly limping, but the wounds on her body were healing at an incredible rate. Already the wounds were closed up. Only the internal injuries remained.
Ichigo knew this wasn't going to end well. "What is it?" He asked as she stopped in front of him.
"What are you?" She asked once again, not falling for his whole 'being human' reply.
He hated lying, but he had a feeling he would need to in front of this Moka. Quickly he thought of something to say that wasn't the truth, yet wasn't a lie either. Finally a thought formed in his head and he replied.
"I'm a dimensional soldier from another plane of existence." He replied smoothly, wondering how it came out so smooth.
"Dimensional soldier?" Moka repeated as she looked at him questionably.
"Yes. I fight… monsters that have come from our dimension to this one. They eat humans usually, but they seemed to be gathering here now for some reason." He replied, again wondering how it was coming out so easily.
Thankfully, Moka seemed to buy into this for the moment. It was a miracle she didn't ask for the name of said dimensional soldiers. It was probably because she was tired, but Ichigo didn't care. He was grateful that she didn't continue to press on. But she did ask one more question.
"Is Tsukune one of these dimensional soldiers also?" She asked.
Ichigo shook his head. "No, I granted him temporary power." Was his reply.
Finally, it looked like Moka's interrogation was done as she slipped the Rosario back into its chain. The reiatsu receded from her before the pink-haired Moka fell into his arms. Slowly, she opened her eyes and smiled at him.
"I'm so glad she's alive." Moka smiled brightly.
"Yea, that was really tiring wasn't it?" He asked, earning a nod from the Vampire.
"Now I'm hungry." Moka said, eyeing Ichigo with a strange look.
"Now that you mention it, I'm a little bit hungry too." Ichigo replied before he noticed Moka's face inch closer to his. This all seemed so highly familiar… and it suddenly came to him when Moka's mouth revealed two pointed fangs. Suddenly, he understood why he hadn't been questioned by the Inner Moka. She had been hungry and only this side of her knew how to get close to him without raising his guard.
"W-Wait sto-aahh!"
*Chuu!*