The Gathering Storm

by samsationalization

It seems as though history is repeating itself. Time and time again, malevolent entities seek to destroy the delicate balance between the world of the living, the world of the dead, and the world of the monsters. Three unlikely heroes have been chosen to fend of the attacks. Will they be ready? Or will they fall like the others before? The storm is coming. Multiple pairings and OC.

4. Chapter 4: Flashback Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Rosario+Vampire

Author's Notes: I don't know what to say. It has been a long time since I have updated. Nearly two months. I had all the chapters ready but my computer had been wiped clean by my father several weeks back. Consequently, I had to rewrite mostly everything which has been a pain in the ass. Not only rewriting but I have been suffering a writer's block as well. Usually I would always have something planned but right now, my mind is a blank slate. But I am trying. Trying to get back onto my feet as a writer. Despite the struggles and excuses, I hope you guys will accept my story as any other. As always, enjoy. Reviews and PMs are appreciated.

Much love,

~SAYONARA~

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When Mizore opened her eyes, she found herself lying in the infirmary's medical bed. Her bed was secluded from the other beds with a curtain. There were no IV tubes nor were there any intricate medical equipment lying about. Mizore then began to breathe more easily, knowing that she hadn't gone through any life-threatening haphazard. As she began to look around, she noticed something.

Or someone in this case.

Daisuke was sitting on a chair while his upper body lay collapsed at the foot of the bed. His arms guarded his face, masking his expression and state. Mizore, now alarmed at Daisuke's collapsed appearance, reached for him with her hand. But as she moved, only slightly, Daisuke suddenly looked up at her, turning his head to face her.

"Finally you are awake." Daisuke said with a weak smile on his face. "How do you feel?"

Mizore observed her body for a moment, stretching her arms, checking her muscles. As compared to the incident that happened earlier, her body felt light and her head felt fine. She could see clearly and her perception of her surroundings was acute as always. Her sense of equilibrium was intact and working fine. The only she sensed was wrong on how she felt perfectly fine while Daisuke looked like he went to hell and came back. Bags had appeared under his eyes and his skin appeared slightly more pale than what it used to be. The only thing left unchanged was Daisuke's willingness to smile in front of her, despite whatever he had gone through and was undergoing presently.

"I-I feel fine…" Mizore managed to say. "How about you?"

"Never better." Daisuke said, adding a smile on his weary face. "As long as you're okay… Everything else doesn't matter…"

Mizore was silent for a moment. She had so many questions she wanted to ask but her mind was a blank slate. She couldn't express her feelings with words so she scooted towards Daisuke and hugged him. He embraced her back. They stayed in their embrace for a quite a long time, not saying anything, letting their actions speak louder than their words.

"Daisuke…" Mizore said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Earlier, you said finally when I woke up… Why?"

Daisuke pushed Mizore off his chest and put his hands on her shoulder. He looked straight into her face. Surprised by Daisuke's sudden actions, Mizore felt her face begin to grow hot.

"You've been out cold… scratch that, out hot, for three whole days. Three very long days…"

Three days?! Mizore thought to herself. That long? How is that even…

"Daisuke." Mizore said. "What happened after I passed out that day?"

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THREE DAYS EARLIER…

Daisuke stood his ground adamantly, facing off the skinhead only a several meters away from him. Surprisingly, he got to Mizore in a nick of time. A couple more seconds late and who knows what might have happened to Mizore. Honestly, he himself didn't know what happened. He remembered being attacked by Saizou, who had hit him with terrifying force, and losing consciousness. And now, he was in his Soul Reaper form without the assistance of a badge. It puzzled him but one thing was sure. He had heard Mizore call his name. That was enough reason for him to get back up… If he did so voluntarily. If something were to happen to Mizore, Daisuke didn't know if he would able to live with himself knowing he was too late to save someone he actually cared about. Even though they hadn't known each other for a few hours, Daisuke felt an endearing attachment to her.

Strange…

"D-daisuke…?" A faint voice said behind him.

Daisuke didn't look back. Couldn't look back. He couldn't bear to see whatever facial expression Mizore had on her face. Was it despair? Worriment? Slight joy? It didn't matter now. He would have time to take care of her soon. What mattered now was taking care of his opponent. He promised himself that he would do whatever it took if it meant to protect Mizore. That meant, he would have to defeat the skinhead in combat.

His opponent would be the skinhead.

Daisuke further tightened his grip around the hilt of his Zanpaku-to, Toketsu-no-Shirayuki, as he glared down his opponent. From the looks of it, the skinhead was surprised at Daisuke's appearance. Daisuke had yet to know why but there would be another time for such leisure talking. Then, the moment of shock in the skinhead's face passed. Instead, the usual expression of arrogance reappeared on his face.

"Well well well…" The skinhead said, raising his eyebrow. "What a surprising day… I almost get into a fight with a Shirayuki and I end up raising fists against a Soul Reaper… Isn't it my lucky day?"

Daisuke, unalarmed, raised his sword arm and pointed the tip of the blade towards the student. The stone studded in the middle of the guard began to glow slightly. Keeping the sword only a couple feet away from the boy, Daisuke distanced himself from his opponent. It was a basic swordplay tactic. It wouldn't leave him quite as open if he held his sword that way. It prevented the enemy from simply charging towards him since there was a sword pointed towards him. Also, it would give him an attacking advantage. Since Toketsu-no-Shirayuki was much lighter in comparison to a standard sword, he could attack and block quickly. He also had a free hand if he needed to use any kido spells.

He had overheard a little of what the skinhead explained to Mizore. He was a monstrel, a monster that could manipulate his body for his benefit in combat. Studying the boy, Daisuke realized that the skinhead didn't seem to be much of a close range combatant. He seemed to be more of a long range, trick-up-the-sleeve kind of fighter. No matter. Daisuke could excel in both fields with ease.

"Why are you so surprised that you can fight against me?" Daisuke said, unmoved.

The skinhead chuckled briefly before straightening out his glasses. "You really don't know? Huh, I guess I should inform you…"

"BUT WHAT GOOD IS IT TO TELL THE NEWS TO SOMEONE WHO IS GOING TO DIE?!"

The skinhead extended his fingertips and pointed them at Daisuke. Holes appeared at each end and, by the light reflecting off of his Zanpaku-to, Daisuke could see grooves inside each hole. Daisuke then realized what the monstel skinhead was going to do. His fingers, ten in total, had all become guns. And all of those guns were aimed at him.

Without a second to lose, Daisuke quickly slung Mizore over his shoulder and leapt away from the monstrel. Daisuke felt the bullets whiz past his head and torso. He knew that if he were to get hit by even one of the bullets, it would be the end. Daisuke kept in mind the fact that bullets could be contaminated with a poison of something of the kind. Although it may be only a chance, Daisuke wasn't taking any chances. He would protect Mizore. Remembering this notion, Daisuke evaded most of the fired bullets and deflected some off with his sword. Daisuke landed effortlessly on the ground, bullets scattered all around him. Upon closer inspection, Daisuke realized that the bullets were actually made of bone. They were white in appearance and had intricate marks engraved along their sides. Grabbing Mizore tightly, Daisuke dashed to a wall that would be able to shield him from the incoming bullets.

"You can't hide from me forever Soul Reaper! Don't you know the rules of fighting?!"

Another volley of bone bullets came in at incredible speed. Daisuke shielded Mizore with his body as the bullets whizzed by his head and broke through the edge of the small concrete wall. Daisuke knew that he would not be able to survive another wave of bullets by hiding behind the concrete slab. He would have to take the offensive. Daisuke heard footsteps approaching his location. He readied his sword as he waited at his corner. But as he left the wall to swing his weapon, he was met with iron-hard punch to the face. The blow was incredibly painful and it caused him disorientation.

"Lesson one! Always keep your eyes on your opponent!"

As the world spun, Daisuke saw a brown-green blob approaching him. Instinctively, with Mizore over his shoulder, he leapt as far as he could away from the monstrel. He created the needed distance between them. He knew that if he tried to fight in his current state, he would surely lose. He needed to wait until he was clear-headed again. He needed time. But time wasn't one of the things he had right now. He looked up again and saw that the blob was approaching once more. But this time, the blob slowly began to materialize into a humanoid shape.

Soon! I only need some more time!

Pointing his finger toward the approaching enemy, he chanted, "Bakudo #1, Sai!"

The monstrel suddenly put his arms behind his back. He struggled but they were locked. Behind gritted teeth, he snarled, "Do you think this is enough to stop me?!"

"No, but I think it is enough time."

Daisuke leapt once more, this time over the monstrel, to maximize his time to formulate a strategy with a hazy mind. Daisuke assessed his current situation. He suffered a major blow to the face that had caused him to lose his grace and mobility in combat. He had Mizore slung over his shoulder and had only one free arm but that arm was wielding his Zanpaku-to. Having Mizore on him was a detriment to him during combat. It slowed down his mobility even more so and although he was full of adrenaline and strength, the more he endured the battle while carrying Mizore on his shoulder, the faster he was going to be worn out for the duration of the battle. In the end, Daisuke knew he would have to set Mizore down somewhere.

But where? I can't be in two places at once…

Two places at once…

It struck him. His plan was obvious as day. All he needed to do was to put it into action.

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The monstrel flexed his fingers before he reloaded his weapons. This technique among the many monstrel manipulations was one of the more difficult techniques. It had taken him many years to master it to be usable. Those were painful years of continuous training and body manipulation. In the end, he was able to use all of his fingers in combat. The strength of his bullets relied on his current wellbeing and condition. When at peak, the bullets had the capacity to shoot through several people without even losing speed. He wasn't much of a close range fighter but he managed. He always kept his prey at bay with his long distance attacks and surprised them with a mixture of all-ranged attacks. He guessed that his opponent assessed that fact in their first encounter. But just plain thinking alone will not be enough to survive a fight.

"Take this!" The monstrel said, aiming once again at the Soul Reaper and preparing to fire a barrage of bone bullets.

But before he could actually propel his projectiles, he saw that the soul reaper threw his sword at him. He tried evading it completely but his timing was off. The tip of the sword cut through the top of his left shoulder, cutting through his collarbone. He yelped in pain as he gripped his shoulder with his working arm. With his collar bone severed, his left arm would be rendered useless until he was able to repair it in time. Time was something he didn't possess at the moment. He then realized that he wasn't looking at his opponent but by the time he looked up it was too late.

The soul reaper was directly in front of him, arm readied for a punch.

The monstrel was struck in the jaw by tremendous force. He felt it crack beneath the force of the blow and skin. The soul reaper had dealt a great blow on his jaw with a swift hammer punch from the right. The monstrel screamed in pain before shooting his remaining bone bullets wildly with his working arm. The bullets did not find their target and simply clattered to the floor after hitting a wall or a pillar. Disoriented, the monstrel knew that long distance attacks would no longer give him the advantage in this fight. He extended the bone from his fingers and began to use them as claws. He swung his arm rapidly in effort of getting in contact with Daisuke. Daisuke effortlessly dodged each incoming arc as the claws narrowly missed his face and torso.

Then in one swift motion, Daisuke grabbed the disoriented monstrel's wrist and locked it, stretching out the arm and distancing himself from the claws. Daisuke then outstretched his forearm and palm and aimed it at the monstrel.

The monstrel looked up at Daisuke, face ridden with agony and the intent to kill. "Wh-what are you doing?!"

Daisuke closed his eyes and began the incantation, "Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone,…"

"S-Stop!" The monstrel yelled. "Don't you dare!"

"…flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash…"

"STOP! STOP IT!"

"… but slightly the wrath of your claws."

Daisuke opened his eyes and stared deeply into the fear-filled eyes of the monstrel.

"Hado # 33, Sokatsui."

All the lights in the room got dark instantly as a blue fire illuminated the room. The blue charge had emanated from the very hand of Daisuke. Then, in a deafening crash, there was searing surge that erupted from Daisuke's fingertips. A brilliant light blinded many of the onlookers, including Tsukune and the group. The blinding light lasted for nearly a minute before subsiding.

When the light died out, the monstrel opened his eyes, heart pounding uncontrollably. He saw the Soul Reaper's finger pointed towards his direction. But it wasn't pointed at him. Rather, the Hado had created a large crater only mere centimeters away from his left foot. As he breathed heavily, Daisuke spoke.

"Lesson One: Always keep your eyes on your opponent."

Daisuke swiftly delivered an elbow uppercut beneath the monstrel's chin. The monstrel let out a choked growl as he was sent flying into a sea of unoccupied chairs. He landed heavily onto wood and metal, breaking through some. As his eyes began to darken, he saw the Soul Reaper approach him, sword sheathed. The Soul Reaper leaned to his ear and spoke.

"You put her life in danger again, that time I will definitely kill you."

As he turned to leave, Daisuke heard the monstrel moving behind him. He turned around and saw that the monstrel tried to sit up the best he could, maintaining fervent eye contact. Daisuke noted the soulless black eyes of the monstrel. Just black with hate. Behind clenched teeth, the defeated monstrel said, "Why don't you just kill me now? Or are you just afraid?"

Daisuke scoffed as he turned and began to walk away. The monstrel struggled to get into a position to get a better view of him. He yelled, "Answer my question!"

Daisuke stopped. He spoke without turning. "Don't think I am sparing your life because I am afraid. It is a mere gesture at giving you a second chance. Don't you think everyone, even an abomination like you, deserves one?"

With that final sentence, the monstrel didn't know anything else to say. All of a sudden, he lost all feeling in his body and began to fall back into the rubble, having no energy left in him, he lost all consciousness.

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Daisuke once again put Mizore over his back as he walked away from the scene. It wasn't easy. He felt the eyes of all the onlookers gazing at him like some alien or outcast. It didn't bother him at all except for the fact that this fight had increased his notoriety on the campus. Not that it mattered at the moment. What mattered was getting Mizore treated at the infirmary or whatever this place offered. He then noticed how hot Mizore had become. Her body temperature was increasing to dangerous levels. He could feel it. He put his hand on her forehead and felt the temperature. It was nearly burning up. Daisuke glanced around and saw that several hooded people began to subdue the commotion in the room. This would be his chance. Without a moment to lose, Daisuke ran out of the auditorium to the outside.

It was fairly quiet outside on the campus. Probably due to the fact that nearly all of the students were in the auditorium for the upcoming orientation, which never came for that matter. But before he did anything brash, he needed to find his friends. From his earlier inspection, he came to the conclusion that they weren't in the auditorium. And to make matters worse, neither was Saizou. Muttering under his breath, he recollected himself. Closing his eyes, he focused his spirit energy into looking for other spiritual energies near him, Ichigo's spirit energy in particular. After a moment's meditation, he felt a slight difference in the current of the spiritual residue around his area. Opening his eyes, he quickly began to run into that direction.

As he continued running, he felt the energy growing stronger and stronger. He realized that the energy had been coming from the woods he and Mizore had gotten out of earlier. He knew he was getting close. But the energy he felt was overwhelming. Something he had never felt before. In his short time as a Soul Reaper, he had been quick to be able to distinguish the spiritual pressure that resonated from a Hollow and a Soul Reaper. This was neither. It was simply enormous. Whatever it was, it was incredibly powerful. The further he went, the more the spiritual pressure grew. The spirit energy the laid before him began to envelope him, becoming a detriment to his advancement. His breathing became labored too. Still, he pushed on despite the energy he was going against. He silently cursed under his breath. He went to a nearby tree and set Mizore down and crouched next to her to catch his breath.

"Magnificent, isn't it?"

Daisuke looked at where the voice came from. Looking over his left shoulder was another student wearing the same uniform as him and his friends. He had long black hair that rested just beneath his shoulders. He had silver-grey eyes that had a piercing gaze, similar to his own. He had light skin as well, no different from him. Yet there was something odd. Excluding the obvious difference of him being a Soul Reaper and the latter… whatever he was… something was there. Something suspicious. Daisuke didn't like the aura he got from this boy.

"What's so magnificent about this?" Daisuke asked, labored. Daisuke had noticed that this boy was completely unaffected by the spiritual pressure he felt. That's what was also different. This boy was no soul reaper yet he was able to detect the spiritual energy. Not only that, but he was unaffected by this incredible pressure or reiatsu. "It is quite painful if you ask me…"

"What isn't magnificent about this?" The boy said with a subtle grin. "No pain should be felt… Because this… this is the energy…"

The boy now looked at him with an odd smile and wide eyes.

"Of a vampire."

"KNOW YOUR PLACE!"

There was a sudden crash as a large object was thrown through the dead trees and shrubbery. The branches and tree trunks snapping and cracking by the enormous velocity and mass of the thing thrown. The object came to a stop with a loud thud and lay unmoving. When Daisuke looked at the thing more closely, his jaw dropped. It wasn't any object. It was a body.

It was the body of Saizou.

Something else emerged from the woods. Someone in this matter. It was Moka. Daisuke was going to reach out and call her name until he saw that Moka didn't actually look like Moka. This person's hair was long and a silvery white. Her skin was a bit paler and her eyes were blood-red. Daisuke then realized that the spiritual energy resonated from Moka. And her appearance… She looked like…

"It's the vampire…"

Daisuke quickly turned around to ask the strange boy a question. But as he did, the boy was no longer there. He had simply vanished. Daisuke looked around but couldn't find him anywhere. He couldn't even feel whatever pressure the boy had emitted. He was gone completely and he left no trace.

He's good…

Turning around, Daisuke saw that Moka stood mere inches away from Saizou. With each passing second, Moka's spiritual energy only grew stronger and stronger. Daisuke realized that Moka's rage continuously fed the energy to grow stronger. Daisuke distanced himself from where Moka was. Just in case. Whatever was going to happen, he didn't want to be caught in the crossfire. He leapt onto a nearby tree branch and began to watch.

Moka walked closer to Saizou. She scoffed as she spat on his face. She reached down a lifted Saizou by his hair. Saizou let out a gurgled groan. Daisuke saw that a trickle of blood flowed from Saizou's mouth. Not only that but pieces of broken teeth also fell out, all equally covered in tons of blood. Moka looked at Saizou with her piercing, red gaze.

"You dare take advantage of me just because I am a women and I am in my weaker form?! Are you asking to die?!" She yelled at the battered Saizou.

"Nrr-Nhrgooo…"

"I've had enough of your lies. A few moments ago, you boasted how monstrels are supreme in comparison to all other monsters, including the vampires. Now that you lie defeated in front of me, do you still believe that you are better, scum? Answer me."

Saizou spat out more blood and teeth fragments. "N-no…"

Moka was silent for a several long seconds as she still held up Saizou with one hand. She looked away letting out a low breath. When she looked back, she gripped Saizou's hair even tighter. She then clenched her free hand into a fist. She raised it and was about to strike Saizou when all of a sudden

"Moka! No!" A voice rang out from the woods.

Moka, and Daisuke, turned to see the person who spoke. Out from the woods came a boy. His face was covered in blood that came from a long gash on the right side of his face. The blood had also stained his green uniform. He walked with a limp and seemed to have a little trouble breathing. It was Tsukune.

Moka glanced at Tsukune who approached her with much effort. He gave her a pitiful look as she stopped mid-punch. She lowered her fist and faced Tsukune fully.

"Why did you make me stop? Don't you want this scum to be disposed of? Even after what he did to Ichigo? After what he did to you?"

"No! Even if he did injure me, that doesn't give us the right to kill him! That doesn't give anyone any right! He's already beaten nearly to death. He doesn't deserve anymore of this!"

"He injured you? Tsukune, you have a huge, deep cut running across your face. Not only that, you received a punishing blow to your abdomen. What you have isn't an injury. It is overkill. I am only returning the favor."

"Well, you aren't doing me any favor." Tsukune said, trying to stand straighter. "Killing him isn't going to make me feel any better. I don't want to live with someone else's blood on my hands. I can't live like that."

"But I am the one who is going to kil-"

"That isn't the point!" Tsukune said interrupting Moka. "It doesn't matter who kills who. All that matters is that we are no longer in any danger. Isn't that good enough? He can't do any more harm, so why kill him? It just isn't right."

"Tsukune's right." Ichigo said, emerging from the wreckage of trees, equally beaten like Tsukune except much worse. Ichigo had a fresh wound that ran across his chest and had torn his shihakusho, his black outfit. He was bloodied in many places and not only that but his zanpaku-to had been broken as well. It was snapped cleanly in half. It was covered in what seemed like buckets of blood. "Even if he did this to me, you don't get to choose if he lives or not. It just isn't right."

Moka glared at the two boys, equally giving them a stare that could kill. She closed her eyes and sighed. After opening her eyes, he gave one last glance at Saizou before dropping him onto the ground with a thud. Saizou let out a pain-ridden groan before resuming to be quiet. Moka muttered something under her breath as she walked away from Saizou. She walked to Tsukune and glared at him with her blood-red eyes.

"I'm letting you go this one time. Next time you interrupt me during something like this, you WILL get hurt." She said under her breath.

"I can't promise you that." Tsukune said without hesitation.

Moka gave a shocked look to Tsukune. Her eyes got bigger. "What did you say?"

"I said I can't promise you that."

Moka, in one swift motion, grabbed Tsukune by the shirt collar and lifted him up from the ground, her eyes filled with rage. "Are you looking for ways to get yourself killed?!"

"Moka!" Ichigo yelled, approaching the two. "Stop it!"

"Shut up Ichigo!" Moka shifted her gaze to Tsukune. "Are you asking for a beating like Saizou, Tsukune?!"

Tsukune looked at Moka unfazed, despite his situation. "If it means to prevent meaningless slaughter like this, I would gladly give up my life. Nothing good comes out of killing one another."

Moka began to raise her fist.

"Go ahead. Hit me. If that makes you feel better, hit me. Don't stop until you feel better. Hit me."

Tsukune looked at Moka straight in the eyes. She seemed to be hesitant. Her fist didn't move but she maintained eye contact.

"Hit me! If that will this all better hit me! HIT ME! I SAID HIT M-"

Moka closed her eyes as she screamed, "You are an idiot Tsukune!"

Her fist then began to swing towards Tsukune's face at lightning speed. Tsukune closed his eyes, bracing himself for the punishment that was heading his way. Only the weird thing was that it never came. The fist never came in contact with his face. When Tsukune opened his eyes he realized that the fist hadn't even moved. Tsukune's eyes were filled with surprise when he saw what was in front of him.

"I think that's enough Moka."

It was Daisuke.

Daisuke had come in time, to get behind Moka to stop her punch before it left her side. Moka glanced back and was shocked that she was stopped. Daisuke returned to her with look of steely determination. "Friends shouldn't hurt each other like this. If you won't stop, I will have no choice but to subdue you right here, right now."

"Let go of me." Moka said, lowering her head, her hair falling in front of her eyes.

"Let go of Tsukune first."

Moka released her iron grip on Tsukune's collar. Tsukune fell onto his knees and began to rub his neck before he stood back up. Daisuke then let go of his hold on Moka. He quickly went over to Tsukune and tried to tend to his wounds.

"Daisuke…" Tsukune began to say, "How are you…"

"Shhh," Daisuke said. "Stop talking, let me treat your wounds."

"How are you a Soul Reaper, Daisuke?"

Daisuke didn't say anything and chanted a kido under his breath to start treating the gash on Tsukune's face. A green light started to emit off of Daisuke's hand as the healing kido began to take effect.

"Answer me Daisuke."

"Now isn't the time Tsukune." Daisuke said without looking up. "So hush up and let me treat you properly."

Ichigo walked over to the two. He had hastily bandaged his wound with the shreds of his Soul Reaper uniform. Despite receiving punishing wounds, Ichigo managed to grin slightly. "So you really are the one Urahara and Jean were talking about… You gave me doubts earlier but it's all cleared now… Did you take care of the other one?"

Daisuke nodded his head. "So you knew I left my gigai. Starting from when?"

"From the beginning. You and I share the same basic instinct."

"To protect the ones we care about." Daisuke said.

Ichigo nodded.

"Let me treat you after I am done with Tsukune. You are hurt pretty bad."

"Bad? Please, I've been through worse than this. Treat Tsukune. This will all heal…" Ichigo said. He glanced at his crudely bandaged chest. "But this is going to leave a pretty bad scar…"

Daisuke chuckled, "Well no crap. Saizou got you good didn't he?"

Ichigo laughed. "I slipped my guard. These monstrels are a tricky bunch. I underestimated them."

"It seems you did." Daisuke said, shaking his head, smirking.

"But at least I got this badass scar out it… It will look badass don't you think?"

Daisuke burst out laughing while treating Tsukune who had fallen asleep. "Guessing along with your personality, you probably already have enough scars as it is."

"Hah, touché." Ichigo said.

Daisuke added the finishing touches for the healing kido on Tsukune. When the process was complete, Daisuke stood up and straightened out his back. Dusting his hands on his shihakusho, he turned to Ichigo. "Where is my gigai?"

Ichigo pointed back towards the school. "It's at the inifirmary. The nurses quickly went on to treat your gigai. Well, they think it's you. But you should wait a couple days before you get back in…"

"Because of my injuries huh?" Daisuke said rubbing abdomen, reminiscing the blow he got from Saizou earlier. "You are probably right, it's going to hurt like hell when I get back in, huh?"

"Hurt like hell would be an understatement Daisuke. But it'll be fine later."

"Yeah, I guess… How did you get my gigai to the infirmary while you had Saizou on your tail?" Daisuke asked.

"Who said anything about me dropping it off?" Ichigo said with a sly grin.

"Wh-what?! Ho-"

Moka tapped on Daisuke's shoulder, interrupting him mid-sentence. "I need a word with you. Now."

Daisuke nodded. "Ichigo, do me a favor will you?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I left Mizore hidden near here. She should be by a tree to the north. I left a mark on the specific tree. Go get her Ichigo."

Ichigo nodded and as he used to his shunpo to go get Mizore. After disappearing from view, Daisuke turned around and faced Moka who had a serious look on her face. She had her arms crossed, as she tapped her foot, waiting for Daisuke.

"You said you needed to talk?" Daisuke said, stepping towards her.

Moka nodded. "I have several questions for you."

"Alright, shoot."

"How are you still alive Daichi? I thought after that Kage no Sekai Incident, you…"

"Wait, wait… Daichi? That isn't my name, Moka. What exactly are you talking about?"

Moka's eyes widened in utter disbelief. "Y-you aren't Daichi? That… That can't be… Then, who are you?"

"I am Daisuke."

"Surname?"

"Shirai."

Moka gasped brought her hand to her mouth. "Oh my god…"

Daisuke, now alarmed, stared directly into Moka's eyes. "What is it? Tell me!"

Moka shook her head. "I am not the right person to talk about this."

Daisuke grabbed her by the shoulders, "Then at least tell me who Daichi Shirai is. Please!"

Moka looked up at Daisuke, "He was-"

"Daisuke! Moka!" Ichigo exclaimed. "We have a problem. You guys have to come here, now!"

Daisuke quickly turned, "What is it?!"

"It's Mizore." Ichigo said.

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Ichigo paced back and forth rubbing his hand through his orange hair. He had gotten back into his gigai. Daisuke had learned that Ichigo had something called a mod soul, whose name was Kon by the way, that possessed his body and utilized it. But that wasn't on Daisuke's mind at the moment. There was a problem.

"What are we going to do?" Ichigo said, still pacing around.

Tsukune was still out cold while Moka maintained her vampiric form. She leaned on a tree and had her eyes closed, deep in thought. Daisuke had knelt next to Mizore. She lay on the ground, using Ichigo's uniform jacket as a substitute pillow. She hadn't been conscious since the auditorium scene. And she was burning up with an intense fever and she occasionally coughed up blood. Daisuke was treating her as best as he could with his medical kido but it wasn't good enough. He wasn't too skilled to begin with and could only take care of minor wounds. This was beyond his level. He glanced up at Ichigo who was still pacing around, face pale and full of anxiety.

"Can you at least stop pacing around, you're making me nervous." Daisuke said. "And I don't think it is a time where we should be worried. We need to do something."

Ichigo stopped pacing and faced Daisuke. "I know we need to do something, but exactly can we do? We can't go back to the academy. Not like this. After the trouble us five caused earlier, I don't think we can cruise back into the campus acting like nothing happened. We aren't exactly innocent from this… After all…"

Daisuke sighed. "That's what I thought too… Damn, what can we do?..."

"I have an idea." Moka said, opening her eyes as she pushed herself off the tree and towards the group.

"Tell us!" Ichigo and Daisuke said, simultaneously.

"But it has a risk… to you Daisuke." Moka said, eyeing him nervously.

Shaking his head, Daisuke said, "Forget the risks and just tell me!"

Moka let out a breath. "Alright. From what I can tell, Mizore is a Yuki-onna. She is a snow-woman. This fever she has is worse on her than it could be on any of us. Yuki-onna's tend to get weaker as the temperature increases. What would be slightly hot for us could be deadly to Mizore. This fever is killing her twice as fast as compared to all of us."

"I think we figured that much out." Daisuke said. "Where do I come into all of this?"

"Well, judging from your appearance Daisuke, you look like you come from the same race as Mizore. Your skin colour, your hair, your eyes… you definitely fit the qualities of a male in the same race as Mizore. Your Soul Reaper attire is quite similar to the Yuki-onna robes."

"Wait, hold on. So are you saying that I am a Yuki-onna?" Daisuke said.

"Yuki-onnas are a race that primarily consist of women. The name itself literally means snow maiden. But it has been said that males can come from that race albeit rarely. So yes, going off of that assumption, you can be a Yuki-onna."

"But I always thought I was a human…"

"Daisuke, was there ever a time where you let your emotions take control of you?"

"A time? I can name plenty."

Shaking her head, Moka said, "That isn't the point. What the point is, among those times, have you ever manipulated snow or ice or whatnot? I need to know."

"Actually, coming to think about it, I have… I have always been cold… and I gave frostbite to people I didn't like…"

"And what about your Soul Reaper powers?" Moka asked.

Daisuke nodded. "My Zanpaku-to consists of ice and snow related powers."

"That's all the information that I need. If you were a mere human, you wouldn't have these specific abilities. But from all the things you have just told me, I'd say you are more of a Yuki-onna than you are a human."

Daisuke, although surprised, nodded. "So what's the plan?"

"My plan is to transfer your blood into Mizore's bloodstream. According to the information that I have heard, male Yuki-onna blood should act as a neutralizer when injected into a female's body. In our case, your blood could negate the effects of whatever is affecting Mizore."

"You don't sound too sure. How will we know if it'll work or not?" Daisuke asked.

"That's the risk. We don't know if it'll work. Plus, we don't know how much blood we need to inject into Mizore. There are a lot of ambiguities here. That's why I am suggesting it to you. It's your blood so it's your call."

Daisuke sighed as he ran his hand through his silvery-white hair. He stood up and went to Moka. He looked at Mizore before looking at Moka again. "What other option do we have?"

Moka shook her head. "None other than what I can think of. This is all I have."

Daisuke let out a breath. "Then we do it. It's worth a shot."

"Are you sure about this? You understand what we are going to be doing?"

"It's irrelevant as long as we can save Mizore. C'mon, let's get this over with."

Moka nodded. "Alright then."

Moka walked towards Daisuke and stood in front of him. She put her hands on his shoulders and began to draw her face close to his neck. She opened her mouth, revealing her fangs.

"Uh, Moka, what exactly are you doing?"

"I'm a vampire remember?" Moka said, grinning devilishly. "What do vampires do Daisuke?"

"Bite people… Oh… Right…"

"Back to the procedure." Moka said

"Alright, don't bite too hi-AHHHHRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHMMMMM!"

"There, I'm done. That wasn't so bad was it?" Moka said, grinning like a child, as she wiped her mouth with her uniformed sleeve. "At least you took it better than Tsukune."

"I don't think I'd like to know how Tsukune received it… It hurt like hell…" Daisuke said rubbing his neck, feeling the entrance of the bites on his neck. "God damn…"

"Anyway, now it's time for the hard part." Moka said, the grin disappearing from her face as it turned serious. "The blood transfer."

"Right, do you need me to do anything?" Daisuke asked.

Moka shook her head. "Not as of now. You need to rest. I might need to take more blood from you later. The lightheadedness will begin to take affect soon if you aren't careful. I've taken quite a lot blood just in case. Take it easy for now."

"Okay." Daisuke said, sitting down next to the sleeping Tsukune. Ichigo was sitting next to Tsukune as well. He seemed to have fallen asleep as well. Having sustained terrible wounds are one thing but having to transfer to the gigai in that condition are another. Ichigo must have been extremely tired.

Coming to think of it… I am kind of…

Daisuke quickly shook his head. The lightheadedness was beginning to start. Daisuke needed to stay awake. For Moka. For Mizore. Daisuke generated some ice from his Zanpaku-to and put it against his face, trying to keep himself awake. It was working for the moment.

Moka went to Mizore and knelt down. Repeating the same procedure she did on Daisuke, she brought her face close to Mizore's neck and was about to bring her lips down on the neck when all of a sudden:

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up!" An unfamiliar voice rang out.

Moka and Daisuke looked into the direction the voice came from. It belonged to a boy. He was another student. He had long black hair that rested a bit below his shoulders. He wore a red headband and wolf pendant around his neck. He was also holding a camera. Daisuke thought that something about this boy was very familiar.

"Uh… Who the hell are you?" Moka asked.

"You don't know me? Huh, quite a shame…" The student said, fumbling around with his camera. It was pointed at Moka and Mizore. "Such a beautiful girl like you should at least have heard of me."

"Well, I haven't. So if you have nothing better to do, can you leave?" Moka said, turning around.

"Aww… Do I have to? I am getting such a wonderful vibe from this shot, it'd be a shame if I only took one…"

"What?!" Moka said.

"Well, first off, your skirt isn't doing a well-enough job of covering you up. Second, this isn't exactly what I'd see every day. Two beautiful girls, one on top of the other, together. This is quality material right here. Among the freshmen girl students this year, you two would be at the top."

Moka, face reddened, glared at the boy. "Who are you? Are you some sort of stalker?"

"I got it!" Daisuke exclaimed. "You are that 2nd year student, Ginei Morioka! President of the Newspaper Club."

"Finally someone recognizes me…" Ginei said. "And whoever you are, why the hell are you dressed like that?"

"Well, because I am-"

"He normally wears clothes like that. It's where he comes from, that's the style over there." Moka said before letting Daisuke finish.

"Uh-huh." Ginei said. "Why aren't you in your uniform?"

"Oh… I…" Daisuke began to say.

"Don't take me as an idiot you two." Ginei said. "I know who you guys are. I saw you guys at the auditorium today, causing all that ruckus. In the end, you guys ended up with this girl seriously wounded and the other two guys receiving equally serious wounds."

Ginei let the camera rest on his lap as he sat down leaning on the tree parallel from the group. "And I know you are a Soul Reaper, Daisuke Shirai."

"H-how…?"

"I've been snooping around in the administrations room lately, looking for worthy people to recruit for the Newspaper Club. I saw your file. When I got down to your specimen bio, there were two words crossed out in black ink. Not only you but that orange haired fellow over there as well. I know who he is too. I know he too is a Soul Reaper."

Daisuke looked up in shock. This boy, Ginei Morioka, seemed to live up to his name as a president of the Newspaper Club. Not to mention his good looks as well. He could probably charm any of the girls into joining the club. A real pro, this guy…

"I get it. You are a professional stalker. Good job." Moka said. "Now leave. We don't have time for idle chat."

Ginei chuckled. "Do you guys think that this plan of yours' will save this girl? Well, for me, it doesn't sound like it'll work."

Daisuke went up to Ginei. "Well, what else can we do?! We don't have very many options here!"

Ginei then gave Daisuke a very serious look, "That's why I am here."

"What?!"

"Let me help you guys." Ginei offered. "I am on good terms with the Headmaster himself. I am pretty sure he will let us bypass the incident today and get advanced medical treatment for your friend here."

"What makes you think that we will accept your help?" Moka said, frowning.

"You guys said it yourself. You guys don't have many options here. Besides, I wouldn't waste my time on a couple freshmen out for no apparent reason… They are brats nowadays after all…"

Moka and Daisuke glanced at each other. They knew what Ginei said was true. They didn't have a lot of options at their disposal. Plus, time was running out. They knew that they had no choice. The decision was clear.

"We accept your help." Daisuke said as Moka nodded in agreement.

"Excellent." Ginei said, smiling. "Except promise me one thing you two."

"What?" Moka said.

"You and your group here should try to join the Newspaper Club. I am not forcing you or anything, but try before anything else. It'll be a big favor to me."

"Why?" Moka asked, jokingly. "Is your club not that popular?"

Ginei shook his head as his face fell. "We had an incident with the Public Safety Committee last year… It ended terribly."

"Oh," Moka said. "Sorry."

Ginei shook his head. "Don't be you didn't know. Just a warning before we do anything. Stay away from the Public Safety Committee at all cost."

Moka and Daisuke nodded.

"Alright, then that is settled." Ginei said. "I think you guys should wake up the rest of your crew. We need to get a move on, now. That Mizore girl is not going to survive under these circumstances if we continue to stall."

"You got it." Daisuke said, nodding.

Ginei nodded in approval. "Alright then. Let's move."

TO BE CONTINUED

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(A/N): Sorry for the long hiatus. I have nothing else to say but excuses so I will just end there. Anyway, I sincerely hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, despite it being so long. I will push for more frequent updates if time permits, hopefully it will. Anyway, thanks for reading and sticking along with my FanFiction. I greatly appreciate the support. It's a good feeling to get online and see reviews you guys post. It helps me as a writer. Reviews and PMs are greatly appreciated.

With that being all said, nothing else is left.

Thanks again.

With much love,

~SAYONARA