Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Rosario+Vampire
Author's Notes: Last time, everything was not what it seemed to be... Hey guys! Welcome back! Last chapter was pretty short... so here's a companion to it! I hope it will quench your reading appetite. Please enjoy! Thanks again! Reviews and other comments are really appreciated!
Much love,
~SAYONARA~
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Daisuke collapsed on his bed in his dorm after another long day. He set his books and bags on his desk along with all of his letter-writing materials. He was alone in his room. Unlike Ichigo and Tsukune, who shared rooms, he had an individual dorm. He didn't share the dorm with anyone else. The room was quite Spartan. A bed to sleep in resting in one corner of the room, a desk to study and work on parallel from the bed, and an near-empty bookshelf right next to the desk. There was a small kitchen and bathroom that was also included in the bathroom. Daisuke would need to get some food later. He wasn't hungry but it felt better to be stocked than it did.
A lot of things in the room were empty, including his refrigerator and food cabinets. It didn't bother him as much as his other friends to buy food. He was always a lean type, never really ate much but never was actually emaciated. He sat upright on his bed, scratching his head with his hand. He hadn't actually hung out or met with his friends too much after the incident. Well, school began so he was quite busy but not busy enough to skip to meet with his friends. In his mind were excuses that were never said to them. He mostly stayed to himself and he wondered why.
Was it because of what Midou had told him? Of course, Midou didn't say anything about not being able to associate himself with his own friends but in his group, he knew that Mizore would be there. Wherever Mizore went, Midou was surely close enough to see where she was.
It must be an inner Yuki-Onna thing... being able to stalk one another.
Daisuke kind of figured that out when he and Mizore first met. He didn't even know, but Mizore was following him the entire time. It was surprise encounter but it was a good one. A memorable one. Daisuke wondered if he could actually talk to Mizore again.
I mean I am straight-up ignoring her now. She probably doesn't even know what is going on... What does she think of me?... How does she think of me?... I can trust that it won't be very good... Not after what I was doing this entire week... and last week... God Damn...
Daisuke looked at his wristwatch. It was a quarter past two. He had more morning classes than afternoon classes. He finished the first among his friends. He didn't share homerooms with any of his friends... except Mizore. He shared his mathematics, language, and History of Monsters with her. He sat near her in all of the classes too. It wasn't his choice but rather by sheer coincidence. And he ignored her in all of the classes as well. Midou had managed to be in those classes as well. He sat far from Mizore and Daisuke but close enough to see and hear whatever might go around the two of them. Of course, Daisuke tried his best to focus on his studies rather than be distracted by Mizore. She would always try to do something to get his attention, usually pelt his back or side with ice. Daisuke could always feel Mizore's eyes bore into his side and back. It made him feel guilty for not telling Mizore what exactly he was doing but if he did, that would violate the terms he and Midou had made. Noting Midou's personality, he wouldn't take too kindly if that kind of event were to occur. Daisuke cursed silently under his breath. He fumbled around in his jacket and found the ring.
It was the ring Midou had given the week earlier. It apparently belonged to Midou's great-grandmother. It should have looked old but it seemed almost new as it shone brilliantly by the light reflecting off of it. Daisuke observed the ring. He saw the pure-blue diamond in the middle of the ring. He saw it emit some light.
Probably the sunlight…
He set the ring down on his desk and rubbed his face with his hands. Who knew that academy life would be so stressful? All Daisuke wanted was to study and relax with his friends but that was probably never going to happen. Not with Midou seemingly lurking behind every single God Damn corner and corridor. But within the privacy of his own room, Daisuke was pretty sure no one would look for him or even find out whatever he was doing. After all, he was the only one taking residence in the dorm. He deeply breathed and sighed again. The only thing that rested on his mind was Mizore. He couldn't help but think about her. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to talk with her, to explain everything. Daisuke closed his eyes and shook his head.
"What am I going to say to Mizore-chan anyway…?" he said to himself.
"What exactly are you going to tell me?" A voice said behind him.
"Ahhh!" Daisuke froze when he heard the voice. He slowly turned around to see Mizore standing in his doorway, door closed behind her. Mizore had an intrigued look on her face as she gazed at Daisuke dreamily. As usual, she had a lolli in her mouth. "Mmm?" She said. "What's wrong Daisuke-kun? You seem paler than usual…"
"I-I… Uh…" Daisuke stammered. He cleared his throat. "Mizore-chan?"
"Mmm?" She said, walking around Daisuke's room curiously, observing the bareness of the room. "Huh, so this is what Daisuke-kun's room looks like…"
Daisuke found his words. "Mizore-chan, what are you doing here?"
"I came here to see you."
"But this is the Boys' Dormitories."
Mizore shrugged. "Yeah, I know that… so?"
"Girls aren't supposed to be in the Boys' Dorms. There is a reason we have two dorms…"
"Really?" Mizore asked. "I always thought of it as a nuisance… Like split bathrooms and locker rooms…"
"Uh…" Daisuke began to say. He didn't know why the heck Mizore was here or why she seemed so unbothered by the fact that she just came into the Boys' Dormitory. That will be a question for another day but Daisuke felt alarmed. If Midou saw the two right now… "Mizore-chan. Why exactly are you in my room?"
"Like I said," She began to say, taking the lolli out of her mouth and looking at Daisuke. "I came here to see you."
"Why?" Daisuke said but he also wished he hadn't said that. It was a stupid question.
"Well, the view from the trees below isn't that good. I can't see you well enough. You seemed as if something was bothering you… so I came here to see you and cheer you up!" Mizore said with a slight blush and a smile.
Daisuke felt his eyebrow slightly twitch. "Wait, you were observing me this entire time?! Down by the trees?! Wha-…."
This has got to be a dream or something… I am not standing in my own dormitory right now with a beautiful girl who does not seem to be bothered at all by that fact that she was observing me this entire time… If Midou found out…
Mizore shook her head. "Not just today. Every day as well."
Yep, this is definitely a dream. I am going to wake up any second now…
5… 4… 3… 2… 1…
"Daisuke? Are you okay?" Mizore asked, "Maybe you should go see the headmaster…"
Daisuke realized that he had closed his eyes while counting. He sighed. This was no dream. It was happening right now. And it was definitely real. "I'm fine thanks… But why are you doing this? Stalking me?"
"Why? Does it make you feel uncomfortable?" Mizore asked.
"Yes! It does! No offense, but I have enough problems already and I don't wanna have to worry about being scared out of my mind every time you stalk me!"
"Oh." Mizore said. She was about to say something but she paused. Her face was blushed a little bit.
"I'm sorry." Daisuke stammered. "I-I shouldn't have been so blunt… Mizore-chan I-"
Mizore shook her head and looked back at Daisuke, "It's fine," she said, adding it with a smile.
Daisuke sighed with relief. Whew… I am glad she understood…
"I just won't get caught from here on out." Mizore said, still grinning. "That way, you won't worry so much."
Who the hell am I kidding… Daisuke sighed.
"You are so cute when you act like that Daisuke-kun…" Mizore said, gazing at him, almost seductively.
Daisuke felt his face blush. When? When do I look cute? When I am utterly helpless from doing anything and scared half to death that Midou will find out? "Huh?"
Mizore approached Daisuke and grinned. "You look cute when you look so confused. It's adorable."
Same thing…. "Uh…" Daisuke managed to say. "Huh. Right."
"Your room is so… empty, Daisuke-kun…" Mizore said, looking around. "You should get more things…"
"I don't need anything else…" Daisuke muttered.
"You should see my room and take some inspiration from it." Mizore said, "Why, let's just go to my room right now! See it for yourself." She quickly grabbed Daisuke's hand and led him to the door.
Daisuke's eyes became wide as dinner plates. "Wh-what?!" He stammered. "I-I can't!"
"Why?" Mizore asked, putting a hand on her hip. "I've seen your room, you should see mine. It's only fair."
What's fair?! You came in at your own discretion! And why?! Is that even a valid question?! I am a guy! I can't be seen in a girl's dorm. And the issue with Midou…
"Well Daisuke?" Mizore asked. "Do you have a good enough reason?"
"I-er…" he mumbled. "I am a guy… I can't go to the girls' dormitories… I'll get in trouble…"
"Oh don't worry!" Mizore said. "All you need to do is not get caught!"
"How the heck am I supposed to that? Everyone will see me walk in through the lobby. The people aren't blind. They'll find out."
"Who said anything about using the entrances?" Mizore said.
I don't like where this is going….
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"Here we are!" Mizore said, waving her hand, showing Daisuke her room. The room was much larger and had a lot more lush furniture. A bit further from where Daisuke stood was a kitchen. Daisuke assumed that the kitchen was also stocked, just like the room he was in. In the center of the room was a kotatsu, a low wooden table frame that had a light futon, a blanket, on it. The actual table face rested on the blanket itself. There should have been a furnace vent beneath the kotatsu itself. Daisuke wondered why Mizore would have a kotatsu of all things. Knowing that she was Yuki-Onna, Mizore wouldn't like anything too hot or warm. She would prefer the cold over anything else. Brushing that thought aside, Daisuke observed the things neatly organized on the table. On the table were some thick textbooks and other miscellaneous items, a small bag, several sheets of paper stacked nicely, and an origami kunai. Daisuke took note of the exactness and precision of the origami piece of artwork. It was amazing.
"Mizore-Chan?" Daisuke asked, picking up the paper kunai, moving it around with it in his hands. "Did you make this?"
"Huh?" Mizore said, turning around. She was busy shutting the window behind them that she barely had time to notice. She looked over at Daisuke as he opened his palm and showed her the paper kunai from the desk. She blushed slightly as he took the kunai from Daisuke and fumbled for a bit with it. "From where I am from, all children are taught from a young age on how to make knives and daggers such as these…"
Daisuke raised his eyebrow. Piqued with curiosity, he asked, "Really? With what? Paper?"
"No silly." Mizore said, giggling as she twirled the paper kunai in her hand. "We make it with ice."
Daisuke froze for a moment. He thought about what Mizore had just told him.
Kunais? Made of ice? Isn't that something a little too dangerous to be teaching young children?... Why on earth would they-
Then Daisuke remembered what Oshiro-san had told the previous day, prior to his little epiphany.
"The Shirayuki were the best assassins in the ancient times. They are masters of Cryokinesis and will use it to their discretion. Using their appearances as a form of their deception, they could get any contract done cleanly and quietly…"
Right… Thanks Oshiro-san…
"What's the matter? Does that strange to you?" Mizore asked. "From what I have studied, many other monster cultures don't study in the arts of elemental manipulation and it may sound a bit stran-"
"Actually, I don't find it strange or weird at all." Daisuke said, spinning the kunai, using its handle, with rather good finger coordination. "I see at as more an art form."
"Really?" Mizore asked, genuinely surprised. She thought that Daisuke's thought would differ.
Daisuke set the kunai gently down of the stack of textbooks on the kotatsu. He looked back at Mizore and smiled. "I think it's beautiful. You are quite an artist… You should show me how to make these."
Mizore giggled, picking up the kunai again. She rotated the kunai in her hand, showing off each angle of neatly folded paper kunai. "It isn't too hard to make actually… But you know what?"
"What?" Daisuke asked, scratching his head.
"Making kunais out of paper are boring…" Mizore said, mischievously eyeing Daisuke. "How about we make them out of ice?"
"Uh…," Daisuke stood there, blankly, trying to figure out what exactly Mizore had said. "Did you just say ice?"
Mizore nodded. "Yeah… Is there something wrong?"
Well, as a matter of fact there is. I can't control ice in any way whatsoever… Well at least not in this form… Or any other form as of yet…
"Daisuke-kun?" Mizore asked, sounding a bit worried. "Are you alright? You're being awfully quiet…"
Daisuke quickly came back to his senses. He nodded his head. "Just needed to time to think… that's all…"
Mizore tilted her head and gazed at Daisuke. "Time to think? For what?"
"Well for starters," Daisuke began to say, putting his hands behind his neck. "I don't have a clue on manipulating ice into a dagger-like shape…"
Or in any other shape that is…
Mizore giggled. "Oh, Daisuke-kun… You worry about the smallest things… It's really easy. Let me demonstrate…"
"Honestly I..." Daisuke tried to say but stopped.
Mizore rolled back her black sweater sleeve and showed off her bare arm and hand. She outstretched her fingers before scrunching her hand back into a fist. Then slowly, she twisted her wrist and hand in the empty air. Daisuke saw a clear substance begin to form right above Mizore's fingertips. The transparent substance then began to materialize around her hand and formed a grip. The liquid cleared away from her knuckles and began to centralize itself inside Mizore's hand. Holding her fist to the side, Daisuke could see the liquid begin to solidify itself as it took on a shape of a kunai. Soon, the liquid froze completely and into the shape of a standard kunai; hilt, blade, and all.
Mizore gave the decent bladed a quick twirl before tossing it to Daisuke who stood watching with his mouth gaping widely. He caught the blade with ease by the hilt. He observed the intricate details the ice gave and how cleanly cut it was. It was astounding. Although it was ice, it didn't melt in his hands. It stayed solid similarly to a real knife and could seemingly also cut like one.
Daisuke looked up back at Mizore. "Wow… that was…" Daisuke was at a loss of words. "That was a-amazing!… How you formed a kunai out of what seemed like nothing!..."
Mizore quickly and effortlessly created a new kunai while Daisuke was talking except this time much faster. She laughed as she shrugged her shoulders. "It's probably the easiest thing I know how to make and use…"
Make… and use?...
"…And the kunai wasn't just magically made from nothing." Mizore continued to say. "Water is in the air. I simply manipulated the water that was in the air to solidify into an ice kunai with what I know how to do… Simple really."
"So, if you can control water and make it freeze, can you also control water as well as efficiently as ice?" Daisuke asked, scratching his head.
Mizore shook her head. "Our power is merely a variation of water manipulation. That ability belonged to the Yuki-Onna's predecessors. The race that came before us is long dead however."
Daisuke's face became serious. "Why? What happened?"
"Daisuke, you need to pay attention more during History of the Monster World and study harder." Mizore said, "This is really basic information."
Well, excuuuse me… I am under a constant threat of annihilation from a male Yuki-Onna when I sit near you in that class… and you try to get my attention… how can I possibly focus correctly?
"Anyway, what happened was what always happens." Mizore said.
"And that would be…?" Daisuke asked anxiously.
"War."
Daisuke remained silent, letting Mizore continue.
"Long ages past, the race of water manipulators were a plentiful kind. They were far spread and bountiful. Their appearance was different from Yuki-Onna. They retained a human like appearance but weren't bound by its limitations. They were skilled in many fields of life and used them all to their advantage. But such a race isn't just one big clan. The race was split into many smaller families, some bigger than others. Despite that, the race maintained a long and lasting peace even though they were split. Conflicts came and left. The race remained strong and vigilant, preserved by centuries of unity… until the Great Catastrophe happened."
"What was that?"
"The dwellers of the spirit realm, the monsters, and the humans were locked into a fierce struggle for the survival of their own race. The conflict lasted for decades, the tides of the war turning from one side to another, never actually reaching an end. Later on, the leader of the Death Gods formed an alliance with Reishi Bowmen had defeated the vast majority of the Mask Bearers and eventually approached the monsters. They called for a unity to which many clans and races accepted."
"Many races and clans? Not all?" Daisuke asked.
"The older races had a sense of pride they wanted to keep. They didn't want to taint their proud and long lineage by their allegiance to the Spirit Dwellers. And among those monster clans were the Water Manipulators. They possessed a long and proud history, they didn't want their legacy to end. They led their rebellion against the Death Gods and Reishi Bowmen… It did not end well…"
"What exactly happened?" Daisuke asked.
"The race was able to hold their own for several years, claiming small victories here and there but their hold on being the top did not last very long. As the war dragged on, the race began to lose more and more of their fighting force. They lost men and women alike more and more each day, sometimes losing whole clans at once. With so much people dying, smaller clans' morale began to drop, they wanted out of this war. But the much bigger clans refused their request. They felt that their pride was too much to lose. They'd rather fought to the last man than surrender themselves. It was a foolish choice. The race was a supreme fighting force and the members were excellent combatants but that wasn't going to do them any good."
"Why not? I mean if they were such brilliant warriors, shouldn't they have lasted much longer?"
"That would have been true." A voice sang, behind the two. Startled, both Daisuke and Mizore turned around and looked at the window.
It was Ginei, standing on the railing, crouching down to look inside the room. He effortlessly leapt his way into the room with ease and looked at the two. Mizore gave him a cool look as she glanced at Ginei with her lolli in her mouth. Daisuke however was more shocked than happy to see Ginei.
"What's with the face, Daisuke?" Ginei asked, eyebrow raised. "You look like you've been spooked."
"Well, you just jumped into a girl's dormitory from the outside. Aren't even slightly worried Gin?"
Ginei laughed loudly. "Not at all. There's no way I am going to get caught…"
"And if you do?"
Ginei shook his head. "I've done this hundreds of times Daisuke. I haven't been caught before and I never will be."
"There's a first for everything Gin."
Ginei whistled. "Touché."
"Anyway, what were you saying Gin?" Daisuke asked.
Ginei glanced over at Mizore. "Do you mind if I…?"
Mizore shrugged her shoulders. "Be my guest. Daisuke-kun needs to learn more about such basic things."
Well thanks for the boost of confidence Mizore-Chan…
"As I was saying…" Ginei said, "The race of the Water Manipulators would have lasted against the Soul Reapers indefinitely with their astounding abilities…"
Daisuke saw that Mizore winced a little at the term "Soul Reaper."
"… If it wasn't for a spy…" Ginei continued.
"A spy?" Daisuke asked.
Ginei nodded. "The Soul Society had enlisted an elite among their ranks and issued an order for that individual to spy on the race, gaining tactical knowledge and important plans for retaliation against the race. The spy did his job superbly well, giving the Soul Reapers the upper hand in almost all of the major confrontations. When the climax of the war was coming, the spy had made some of the smaller clans betray the bigger clans and join the Soul Reapers for the battle against their own kin. The Great Last Battle happened. It wasn't great at all. Losses were devastating for both the Soul Reapers and the race. As a matter of fact, the entire race of Water Manipulators, other than the defected clans, was annihilated. There were no found survivors. The defected Water Manipulators were thanked for their assistance and given a piece of land untouched by the blood of war. There they resided until a new race was born and their race died."
"The Yuki-Onna…" Daisuke said. "But how? How did such a race die out like that?"
"The war dragged on for a long time." Ginei said. "Many of the young people were killed while fighting. The chance that the race had to produce offspring was between the end of adolescence and the age of 26. Many of the remaining survivors were well beyond the time frame. The ones who weren't past the time to reproduce had created offspring with nearby specimen of monsters whose names were long forgotten. Thus, the Yuki-Onna came into existence and still exist today… Besides, that race fell out of touch with current of the world… It was bound to die sooner or later."
Daisuke whistled. "Well, that was centuries worth of history put into a nutshell… What happened to that spy?"
Ginei shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? Rumor has it that he went to live with the remaining remnants of the race. But in our textbooks, it claims that he simply disappeared after the war had ended."
"With that done and said," Mizore began to say. "I have a question for you Gin."
"Eh, what is it?" Ginei said.
"I am pretty sure you didn't come here to give us a history lesson." Mizore pointed out. "Why are you here?"
"Sheesh," Ginei said, sighing. "No need to be so demanding."
"Well, this is my room you are in Gin. Just take a moment to think about that." She retorted.
"Ahh," Ginei chuckled. "You win… But the reason I came here was tell you guys that today is the Club Rush."
"Oh, right!" Daisuke said, being instantly reminded. "We should get going then!"
"Why?" Mizore asked. "What's so important about that?"
Ginei wagged his finger at Mizore. "As a matter of fact, it is quite important. All First-Year students are required to join a club, no matter what it is. All your other friends have went to the schoolyard plaza to check up on the clubs. You guys should be doing the same."
Daisuke got up from the couch and stretched his arms and legs. Ginei went back to the window and opened it up again, feeling the cool autumn breeze. He motioned Daisuke to get moving. Daisuke quickly followed suit. He looked back at Mizore who looked at the two with a nonchalant gaze.
"Aren't you coming Mizore-Chan?" Daisuke asked. "Gin and I are going…"
Mizore took her nearly-finished lollipop out of her mouth and looked over at Daisuke. She smiled and said, "Go on ahead. I'll meet you two over there."
"You sure?"
Mizore nodded and added a smile at the end.
"Let's get going Daisuke. Club Rush isn't going to last forever you know." Ginei said, checking the time on his watch.
"Alright, alright. I'm going, I'm going."
Ginei effortlessly jumped from the balcony railing and onto the parallel wall before he wall-jumped his way down to the ground. Daisuke gave out a low-pitch whistle before he jumped off the railing and grabbed onto an empty clothesline pole and swung himself to a windowless brick wall. He then scaled his way down and landed back onto the ground.
Daisuke dusted himself off and looked at Ginei who had his hands in his pockets and waited for him.
"Let's get going then." Daisuke said, grinning.
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The central plaza of the schoolyard was nearly filled to the max with numerous booths and stages for all the various clubs present at the school. It was like a miniature festival crammed into a single space that still held its procession. Out of all honesty, Daisuke thought it was rather spectacular. Being locked in an orphanage for a decade really shut out the outside world from him and it felt good to finally experience some festivities for once.
This sure beats staying back in my dorm room, that's for sure.
Ginei tapped Daisuke over on the shoulder. Daisuke looked over at Ginei. "I am going back to where my club is stationed at." He said. "Go do some sightseeing and come back when you can, alright?"
Daisuke nodded. He saw waved Ginei good-bye for the moment and turned around to face the holiday-like Club Rush. There was simply so much things to see. There seemed to be clubs for almost everything. Vampire Fan Club, Soul Society Studies Club, Swimming Club, Karate Club, Cooking, Kendo,… the list went on. It was astounding really, that there could be so much clubs and passions. And many looked quite appealing and hilariously out of place too.
"Come and learn Karate! We'll show you how to beat each other up without having to reveal your monster race!"
"Learn about the ancient race of the Spiritual Dwellers! Come join the Soul Society Studies!"
"Are you an A-Class monster? Come join us!"
The many fanfares and shouts for welcome were quite deafening. But Daisuke could care less. This experience was new to him. And he was going to enjoy every second of it. And among the many clubs, Daisuke noticed one that stood out slightly more than the others. Students stood on boxes with bullhorns and waved some banner. They shouted to the crowds about something, almost like a revolutionist. Daisuke honed in on the speakers and briefly overheard them say:
"Join the New World Order! WE shall pave the path to our new future. WE shall make history remember us! JOIN US NOW!"
Daisuke was briefly interested in what he club had to say. He began to make his way there. Amidst the festivities and the fanfares of the club however, there was a group of students walking about, serious-faced. They wore jet-black uniforms and carried themselves in an utmost high manner, knocking oblivious First-Year students out of the way, sometimes even pushing the students down to the ground out of spite. All the other students, especially the older ones, backed away from the path the group took and avoided eye contact with the members. Daisuke stepped away too and he observed some of the members in the small group.
There was one girl with sharp eyes and hair that was a deep, dark purple. Her upper uniform ended above her midriff, showing herself off in a provocative and unruly fashion. There was another girl behind her. She had bright greenish-yellow eyes and dark red hair with bangs that covered her forehead. She had a bo staff that rested on her shoulders and her uniform covered her more than the previous girl but she didn't have any uniform sleeves, baring her arms to the shoulders. She wore a rather playful look among the group. There was a bespectacled boy with black hair that matched his uniform. His hands were gloved and one hand was pocketed in to his left pant pocket. Although he was walking in a close pace with the others, he kept his eyes closed, as if deep in thought. He had the most serious face among the members in his group. As the group walked by, the boy opened his eyes briefly to have eye contact with Daisuke. Daisuke saw the boy's golden-yellow eyes stare back at him. They stared hard at one another for about two long seconds. Then they boy shifted his gaze away and walked on.
Daisuke overheard students whisper to one another behind his back about the group that had just passed.
"Hey man, Raiden just looked this way…"
Rye-what?
"Oh no… You mean that Public Safety Commission guy?"
Public Safety Commission? Isn't that what Gin told me to stay away from?...
"Shhh! Watch the way you speak! He's Kuyo's second-in-command! He can fry you in a second!"
Second-in-command? What kind of group is this?!
"Is he really who they say he is?"
"What do you think?! Why do you think he is Kuyo's second?"
Daisuke needed the answers to who exactly the Public Safety Commission was. Daisuke turned around and faced the two boys talking behind him. One wore slightly tinted glasses while the other boy had bright blonde hair. He asked, "What exactly is this Public Safety Commission thing?"
The two boys exchanged very nervous glances. The boy with the glasses said in a shaky voice, "I-If you really want to know…" He gulped. "Y-you should go ask M-Morioka-Senpai."
"Gin?" Daisuke asked.
The blonde boy lightly hit the boy who just spoke and whispered rather loudly, "What the hell are you thinking? Telling a complete stranger that?"
The glasses boy who got hit began to apologize profusely. "I-I d-didn't mean to… Sorry. I forgot he was no longer-"
"SHHH!" The other boy said. "Stop talking! What good does that do?!"
He looked at Daisuke before looking back at his friend. "Come on, let's go before you say anything else that you AREN'T supposed to say…"
"Sorry… Sorry."
The two walked away from Daisuke and blended into the big looming crowd of the club rush. Soon, they were out of sight.
Damn it… Daisuke thought to himself. I was so close… I'll have to ask Gin later…
"Hey Daisuke." A voice said behind him.
Daisuke turned around to see a bright-orange haired student behind him. He smiled.
"Hey Ichigo. How's the Club Rush for you?"
Ichigo sighed and let out a shrug. "Kind of boring actually…"
"Why?" Daisuke asked. "How can this be boring?"
"Among the things that I like, not many of them are present here…"
"Then what exactly do you like?"
Ichigo put his hands into his pockets. "Martial arts… Something I can be physical with…"
"Well." Daisuke said, putting a hand to his side. "There are plenty of clubs that focus on that… I mean, look! There is the karate club, boxing club, Muay Thai Club, Judo Club, Tae Kwon Do Club… Ichigo, there are all these clubs right here!"
Ichigo sighed and closed his eyes, "I beat every club."
"You what?" Daisuke asked, assuming that he heard wrong.
"I beat all the challengers that tried to recruit me into to their clubs. They all claimed that they were the best of the best in their clubs… I beat them all singlehandedly… It's quite pitiful actually…"
"Y-you beat all of them?" Daisuke asked, voice quivering.
Ichigo nodded. "The only guy that actually put up a decent fight was this one guy from the Tae Kwon Do club. He almost made me use my right leg."
"I thought you were right footed…" Daisuke took a moment. "Oh… riiiiiight…"
Ichigo looked around and held up a small piece of paper. "So what else it left?"
Daisuke looked around the clubs with him. He looked at Ichigo's list. "Have you tried the Kendo Club yet?"
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "No… in fact, I didn't even realize that there was a club dedicated for that…" He looked up and saw the Kendo Club banner off in the distance. In front of the booth were two students clad in their Kendo armor, looking like they were trying to find a decent challenger. "Looks like it's worth checking out. C'mon, let's go have a look."
"Right behind you." Daisuke said, walking next to Ichigo.
"I'm glad to see you out and about Daisuke." Ichigo said. "What was wrong, were you sick or something?"
Daisuke took a moment. He couldn't tell Ichigo the truth. Not yet. He didn't tell anyone about what happened between him and Midou. A time for that would come later. But now wasn't the time.
"I was busy studying…" Daisuke said coolly. "I wasn't used to this rigorous lifestyle as a student…"
"You aren't?" Ichigo asked. "What did you do back home? Ditch classes?"
Daisuke shook his head. "I'm an orphan. I was on my own in a shelter for about ten years."
"Oh shoot." Ichigo looked extremely sorry. "M-my bad Daisuke. I didn't mean to-"
Daisuke shook his head and laughed. "Ah, don't worry. It's nothing to worry about."
Ichigo nodded. "Anyway, I wanted to know. Tsukune got a bit jittery that he didn't see you for nearly a whole week. He was worried. As a matter of fact, we all were. Gin, Moka, Tsukune, and Mizore. We were all worried that you were afflicted by something terrible."
"Wait, Mizore too?" Daisuke asked, surprised.
"Are you kidding me?!" Ichigo said. "She was the one that was the most worried! She was worried sick that something had happened to you. She told us that you didn't act like yourself and you moved around like you had some sort of agenda of vendetta. That got us worried more than we already were. She later went to Gin for some help."
"She went to Gin? For help…?"
What kind of help?...
"Both of them aren't saying what exactly it was that they did. But seeing that you are out, I assume that, whatever it was, it worked."
Daisuke felt extremely guilty. He abused all of his friends trust and companionship. They were worried for him yet he didn't do anything to assure them that he was alright. He sighed. He wished he had done something different. It was too late now but at least he could make amends with all of them once he met with them all again.
Daisuke looked around briefly. "That reminds me… Where are Tsukune and Moka?"
Ichigo shrugged. "Beats me. Those two are always together and they just disappear at times. I swear that they were with me two minutes before I found you. I think I overheard them talk something about the swimming club."
"Swimming club?" Daisuke said. "Heh, smart Tsukune…."
Ichigo chuckled as he nodded his head. "Yeah… he is playing some major game at this academy. Back home near Tokyo, he was one of the quietest and most reserved kids I knew. Until I befriended him with everyone else, he mostly kept to himself… he's changed a lot."
Daisuke nodded in agreement.
They arrived at the Kendo Club booth. The two in the front glanced at the two before exchanging brief glances with one another. Then, the bigger one of the two stepped forward and looked at Ichigo and Daisuke… But more towards Ichigo.
"Welcome to the Kendo club!" The boy said in a preacher-like voice. He was a bit taller than Ichigo and slightly more heavy-set. "I assume you are here to prove yourself worthy to be enlisted?"
"I'm looking for more of a challenge." Ichigo said, hands in his pockets. "Every other martial arts club has let me down. I hope this club doesn't disappoint."
"Well then." The boy said, grinning through his armored head. "You've come to right place. Right this way, we shall begin our duel soon."
Ichigo followed the boy and Daisuke quickly followed behind him. He was quite excited for what was going to happen next. If Ichigo was good at his Zanjutsu skills in his Soul Reaper form, then he would be excellent in this. A small crowd had formed around the Kendo Club.
The club boy had handed Ichigo a bamboo sword and was about to get the armor for him but Ichigo quickly denied.
"The armor is heavier than my uniform. It'll slow me down. I don't need it."
There was echoing gasp as the members of the audience were shocked at Ichigo's decision. Whispers ran through the crowd.
"Fine." The Kendo boy said. "Don't blame me if you get hurt!"
The Kendo boy quickly gave a signal to the uniformed club boy. Soon, the boy came running back with two white flags and a whistle slung around his neck. He motioned for Ichigo and the Kendo boy to get into position. The two faced each other, approximately three meters apart. The club boy got a box and stood on top of it. He glanced at the two contestants. Before beginning the official saying:
"Now, a duel will be held between Kendo Prodigy Kenji Kawakami and newcomer….?"
"Ichigo."
The club boy whispered, "What about your surname."
Ichigo stared at the club boy. "Let's just leave it at Ichigo, alright?"
The club boy nodded. "… And the newcomer Ichigo! The match will be a one point dueling spar. The first contestant to land a correct blow with precise execution wins the bout. Contestants! Step forward!"
Ichigo and the Kendo boy took three steps toward each other, their bamboo swords held at their waist. They bowed and unsheathed their swords. Ichigo and the Kendo boy held their swords against each other, only allowing the tips of the sword to touch each other. The two locked their gaze at each other.
"I'll make the blows hurt as least as possible." The Kendo boy said.
"Don't bother." Ichigo said, grinning. "The match will be over soon. Come at me with everything you've got."
"You are quite bold for a newcomer. I'll fix your arrogance swiftly."
"Cut the crap." Ichigo said. "Let's get on with the fight."
"Very well." The Kendo boy said.
"Begin!" The club boy said, swiftly swinging both of the flags in his hands downward to indicate that the match has begun.
The Kendo boy lashed out with his sword incredibly fast. Daisuke could barely see the sword. The Kendo boy swung his sword at Ichigo without a moment to spare. Daisuke almost felt as if Ichigo might lose…
"You were right about one thing." The Kendo boy remarked, amidst his sword swings. "This match will be soon over and you'll soon be put into your place."
Ichigo effortlessly dodged all of the vertical swings that were headed his way. "You are right." He said. "Except there is one thing that you are mistaken at."
"What?" the Kendo boy said, startled.
Then suddenly, while the Kendo boy was still in mid-swing with his sword, Ichigo quickly brought his sword up to parry the vertical direction of the sword swing. With the momentum of the sword swing downward and the velocity of Ichigo's block, the Kendo boy had been blocked from further swings. Taking this opportunity, Ichigo quickly darted out with right leg about forty-five degrees and swung his sword in a wave-like one hundred eighty degree motion, breaking free from the block and straight into the Kendo boy's chestplate. The sound of the sword's contact on the boy's armor echoed. The club boy then raised the flag on Ichigo's side.
"The victor: the newcomer Ichigo!"
The crowd broke into applause as Ichigo spun his sword and sheathed it. He walked away from the still dazed Kendo boy. He handed the sword to the club boy and walked away from the Kendo Club booth, the crowd following behind him. Daisuke fought his way through the crowd and made his way to Ichigo. There was circle of students, mostly girls, that surrounded Ichigo and seemed to worship him.
"You were amazing Ichigo-senpai!" The students exclaimed in unison. "You showed that Kendo guy that you were better than him!"
"Yeah, yeah." Ichigo said. "Now scram."
"Kya!" The girls exclaimed. "Ichigo-senpai talked to us!"
They soon ran out of sight, still exclaiming that Ichigo had talked to them. Daisuke walked up to Ichigo, chuckling.
"You've got fans Ichigo." Daisuke said. "You are some sort of god to them now."
Ichigo grumbled. "It's not like I wanted to… ugh, this place has no decent martial arts club… What a waste of my time…"
"Along with raising your notoriety around campus, yeah. You did well." Daisuke said.
"Shut up." Ichigo snapped.
"Hahah, alright." Daisuke said.
Daisuke and Ichigo looked around the plaza a couple more times before centralizing themselves back to where they started.
"Do you think we should head back to Gin now?" Daisuke asked.
Ichigo sighed and muttered something under his breath. "Sigh… Yeah, why not…"
"I bet Gin is waiting for us… Or he has been… Anyway we shou-"
"Ichigo! Ichigo, there you are!"
The two of them turned around to see Tsukune and Moka running towards them. Tsukune's hair was sopping wet and it seemed he had been a rush of some sort. He had a towel around his neck and he had crudely put his uniform on, which was wet all over by the way.
"Tsukune. Moka." Ichigo said. "Good timing… And what's with the new look?"
Tsukune slouched over to catch his breath, hair still dripping with water on the pavement. "The… the swimming club…"
Ichigo chuckled. "What? Couldn't handle Moka in a swimsuit?"
Moka's face turned bright red and she shook her head profusely. Tsukune stood upright, still breathing heavily. "The swimming club… it was a…"
Tsukune looked over Ichigo and saw Daisuke behind him. Daisuke waved at him. Tsukune's face lit up. "Daisuke!"
Tsukune rushed over to Daisuke and gave him a soaking, wet hug. "We were all worried man! How have you been doing?"
"C-can't… breathe…" Daisuke wheezed.
"Oop." Tsukune said, releasing his grasp on Daisuke. "Sorry."
Daisuke shook his head and grinned. "It's cool. But what happened?"
Tsukune cleared his throat. "Well basically, the swimming club is not what it seemed to be…"
"Wow." Daisuke said, sarcastically. "You couldn't be any broader, can you?"
"Oh, shut up." Tsukune said, shaking his wet hair.
"It seems when I come back, all I get is you guys telling me to shut up." Daisuke said, shaking his head in mock disapproval. "How nice."
"I-I'm sure that Ichigo-san and Tsukune-kun didn't mean it…" Moka said. "They are probably just glad like the rest of us that you are back…" She finished her statement with a subtle smile.
Daisuke laughed. "I know. I was kinda kidding… but thanks Moka-San. Still nice as always…"
Moka blushed slightly, "Oh… Th-thank y-"
"By the way," Tsukune interjected, "Where's Mizore-San? Shouldn't she be with you guys?"
Ichigo and Tsukune exchanged glances. Ichigo had no idea what Tsukune was talking about.
"She should be waiting for us at the Newspaper Club booth." Daisuke said. "She told me that she would meet us there."
"Then are we waiting for?" Ichigo said. "Let's get going!"
"As a matter of fact Ichigo," Tsukune said. "I am waiting for myself to dry. I am not going anywhere until I am either dry or have a new pair of dry clothes."
"Tsukune, stop being a little kid and get your ass moving! You aren't drying any faster by standing still!
"That's why I need to get some dry clothes!"
"Tsukune! What the hell is…"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Where the hell could they be?" Ginei said, pacing around the Newspaper Club meeting room, checking his wristwatch every five seconds. "I am pretty sure I told them to be here promptly on time!"
"Uh, no you didn't." Mizore said. She sat on the window sill with the windows wide open. She didn't bother to close her legs or try to at least cover herself up beneath the skirt. And the wind blew slightly. Gin's face turned a bit red for a moment before coming back to its original color. Mizore didn't seem to care however. "In fact, all you said was for them to sightsee and enjoy themselves."
"Did I say that?" Ginei said, scratching his head. "Damn, I don't even remember…"
Mizore shook her head, sighing. "Anyway, are you sure Daisuke-kun won't run off?"
Ginei nodded. "I believe that wasn't what he had planned from the start. If he hasn't run away already, I believe it's safe to assume that he won't be doing that any time later."
"Are you sure though?"
"Look Mizore. Daisuke is incredibly infatuated with you. Despite what he has gotten himself into, his fondness for you hasn't diminished at all…" Ginei paused momentarily. "You've seen him act like that… Haven't you?"
Mizore fell silent. "All I wanted to do was just see his face without it turning away from mine…"
"Regardless of how you felt," Ginei said. "You know very well what would happen to Daisuke if he was seen talking to you, let being seen with you. It puts not only him at risk but all of you guys. He sacrificed a part of himself so that you and everyone else would be put out of harm's way. He sacrificed that part of himself so that you wouldn't get hurt."
"I was hurt…" Mizore said and sniffed slightly. "Until you told me why."
"I'm pretty sure Daisuke would've done the same thing and have told you if it weren't for Midou lurking every corner he passed…" Ginei said, stretching out his neck. "Well, Midou will be gone for a week. He claimed that he has some issues that he needed to resolve before resuming his studies back here."
"Are you sure? Midou-san will be gone for a week?" Mizore asked.
Ginei nodded. "Got the news directly from the headmaster himself. If it isn't absolute, I don't know what else it would be."
Mizore sighed. "Then what do we tell Daisuke-kun?"
Ginei looked up at her and said, "What do you think?"
"Do we tell him-"
"We don't tell him anything about what you and I have been doing in his absence." Ginei said. "You and I never met prior to today about anything related to Daisuke. If he asks, we deny. The only thing we do tell him is that Midou will be gone for a week."
Mizore tilted her head. "But wouldn't that be suspicious?" She asked. "Midou is sole cause of all this… If we mentioned that to Daisuke-kun then he'll begin to think that we are onto something…"
Ginei shook his head. "He won't. He's already waist deep in his hatred for Midou, it won't come to him clean and candid. It'll take him a while until he realizes but by that time, all of this will be over."
Mizore sighed. "I hope so…" She paused and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I want Daisuke back… the Daisuke before all this…"
"He's a strange one…" Ginei said. "From his file I read that he is quiet and reserved… hard to read… The only part that I believe is that he's hard to read. The file label was completely different from how Daisuke is here. He's definitely a strange one alright…"
Mizore thought about something for a moment. "I want to know. Who exactly is Daisuke? Where does he come from?... Who is he?"
Ginei stayed silent. He sighed. "Forget what I said."
Mizore shook her head and sighed as well. "You always kill the conversation like that Gin. Every time I ask you-"
The door to the meeting room suddenly opened. Mizore and Ginei turned around expecting to see their friends barging through the doorway. Instead, a boy, a complete stranger, walked into the empty classroom undauntedly. He white, delicate-looking skin, long black hair that rested slightly above his shoulders and he gazed at the two with his piercing silver eyes. He looked at Ginei.
"Can I help you?" Ginei asked, approaching the boy.
"Is this the Newspaper Club?" the boy asked, looking around.
Mizore and Ginei looked at each other briefly, signaling to one another that their conversation would end there. Ginei looked back at the boy and said "Yes, it is and you are?"
"Who's the club president here?" The boy asked, ignoring Ginei's question.
"That would be me." Ginei said.
"Am I allowed to join this club?" The boy asked.
Ginei's eye twitched slightly as he looked at this boy. He didn't like something about his boy. Something just stood out as odd. He would have to talk to his friends in private without this boy knowing. He needed to tell them to steer clear of this boy. Just in case…
"You are more than welcome to join us. But I didn't catch your name, what is it?"
The boy looked around the room once more and again ignored Ginei's question. "Is Daisuke Shirai going to be joining this club?"
Mizore and Ginei both looked at each other in utter confusion. They both thought of the same thing. How does this guy know Daisuke? But they both needed to keep their cool. No need to give off a bad impression.
"Yes." Ginei said. "He is. Now if y-"
"My name is Toru." The boy said. "Pleased to make your acquaintance Ginei Morioka."
Mizore saw that Ginei's faced had been instantaneously drained of color. He looked increasingly alarmed. She reminded herself to ask him later about that. Something about this boy… Toru…
Ginei was about to speak when the door to the classroom opened yet again. Ginei half-expected more strange people to make their way through the doors but instead, it was his friends. They were talking about something related to a swimming club as they made their way inside the classroom. Tsukune's face was ghostly pale however. Ginei sighed. He would have to ask Toru his question later. Right now, he had business to handle.
"No no no, you don't understand!" Tsukune said. "Even I don't know what happened back there! Seriously!"
Moka nodded in agreement. "Tsukune-kun's energy had changed back there. The energy he emitted was incredibly strong… and really cold…"
Ichigo shrugged. "Now that is something to think about… Who knows Tsukune? You might be possessed by a demon or something!"
Tsukune did not look amused.
"Are you guys done talking?" Ginei asked, standing with his arms crossed. He had changed his facial expression from his earlier conversation with Toru. There was no use in showing it off to his friends right now. It just wasn't the time to do that. "If you guys are, how about we get down to business and start?"
The four friends sat themselves down on the empty desks while Ginei took his place in front of the room. Daisuke sat next to Mizore by the window while everyone else sat at the desk next to them. Everyone but Toru. He stood upright with his eyes closed and leaned on a desk.
"As you all know, you guys are now in the Newspaper Club." Ginei said. "As the Newspaper Club, we are in charge of printing the weekly newspaper at this academy. There are many sections in the newspaper that need to be taken care of as of now. I shall designate you to a certain field and I hope that you will do as I say."
Ginei cleared his throat. "I myself will be writing several articles and I shall be in charge most of the photography taken in the newspaper so don't worry…. Now, moving onto the topics we will be doing…"
Ginei took out a packet of paper and flipped through it. "The first topic that we will be writing about is teacher interviews. Nekonome sensei has agreed to be interviewed starting the day after tomorrow. For this task, I have assigned Daisuke."
Daisuke nodded.
"But you won't be working alone." Ginei said. "I am assigning partners for each of you, keep in mind. And Daisuke your partner will be…"
Ginei thought for a moment. He knew that Daisuke wanted to be with Mizore in his group and Mizore wanted to be with Daisuke but he needed to know something. He needed to put something to the test and this would be the opportunity. He subtly let out a sigh.
"Toru." Ginei said.
"Who's Toru…" Daisuke looking around. He looked beyond his friends and finally saw him. All of sudden, his face went pale and Daisuke put his hand to his upper jacket pocket. Ginei saw Daisuke feel around the pocket of his jacket before recomposing himself. He looked at Ginei and nodded once again.
The test went smoothly. Ginei thought. He began to write Daisuke and Toru's name on the paper. "Daisuke and Tor-"
"I want to be Daisuke-kun's partner." Mizore interjected, standing up.
Everyone silently gasped, even Toru looked a bit surprised. He slightly glanced up and looked at Mizore. Daisuke looked at Mizore and said, "R-really?"
Mizore nodded. "And you don't have to worry about Midou while you work with me."
Mizore saw Daisuke sighing with relief. She turned to face Ginei. "So what do you have to say Gin?"
"I say no." Gin said coolly, barely glancing up to look at her. "And that's final."
"B-but…" Mizore stammered, looking flustered. "Why?"
"Mizore you'll be partners with Ichigo." Ginei said, still writing. "You guys are tasked with campus topics and such… And Tsukune, you'll be with Moka. You guys will interview select students. This is all final. Don't ask questions. Just work with it."
Everyone but Mizore nodded.
"Is it just me or is the room getting colder?" Tsukune asked.
Everyone but Daisuke and Mizore acknowledged the sudden drop in temperature. Ichigo tightened up his uniform, Ginei buttoned up his shirt, and Moka scooted closer to Tsukune. Daisuke looked generally confused and Mizore's face fell.
Straightening out his collar, Ginei looked at his group.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get to work!"
Everyone got up and began to talk amongst each other about their topics, gathering their supplies and such. Everyone but Mizore and Toru went up and about. Those two kept to themselves silently. Ginei sat down on top of the desk in front of the classroom and pretended to look through his photos on his camera.
At first I thought I had to deal with Spiritual intruders on our campus… now I have to deal with this Toru guy… I don't like this one bit… But by the end of this, I'll find out who this guy is…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Did you read what I gave you yet?" Toru asked Daisuke walking out of the meeting room.
"Huh?" Daisuke asked.
"So, did you read it?"
Daisuke shook his head. "No."
"Good."
Toru was carrying several files in his hands about the teachers that they were going to interview and dropped them all on top of what Daisuke was holding, which was quite a big load. Interview tip books, topic of interest books and such. Behind gritted teeth Daisuke asked, "What was that for Toru? You almost made me spill my things!"
"That's the least of my concerns." He said. "What matters to me is that you read the note. Now read it."
"Now isn't the best time Toru."
"Now."
Daisuke cursed silently. He set the pile of things by his feet and felt around his uniform jacket pocket. He found the note in the folded envelope that Toru had given to him the day earlier. Daisuke opened the envelope and took out a piece of folded paper. The paper itself was a strange kind. It felt almost like a soft fabric of some sort, almost like flower petals. He opened paper and read what it said:
See me after the evening when we see each other in the Newspaper Club. Meet me on the roof of the abandoned research building south from the lake. Only you and me. You have something that belongs to me.
Daisuke read the note in shock. Toru had given this to him yesterday. Yet what was written on the note was talking about the present. It felt way too ominous and creepy in fact. Plus, Daisuke didn't understand what exactly Toru was talking about in the note.
Still looking at the note, Daisuke said, "Toru, I think you are mistaken, I don't have anything that…"
Daisuke looked up. Toru had disappeared without a trace. Daisuke couldn't feel his spiritual pressure either. Daisuke looked around the corridor but couldn't see where Toru could have hidden. It was simple. He was gone. Daisuke cursed to himself. He folded the note in half, the opposite way it was originally folded and was about to proceed to shove it back into his pocket before something caught his eye.
On the back of the note was a picture of a ring and beneath it was one word: MINE
Feeling sick in the stomach, Daisuke put his hand in his pocket and felt around. When he had found it, he pulled it out and compared it next to the picture. He couldn't believe what he saw.
The ring Midou had given him was the exact same ring that was on the back of the note. Every curve, arc, indentation matched. It was definitely the same ring.
And it was Toru's.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
(A/N): What is going on? A ring that Midou had claimed was his great-grandmother's seems as if it isn't at all! Could it be Toru's. And who exactly is he? And what does the ring have to do with him? Mizore and Ginei seem to know something about Daisuke. And who was that boy in the PSC that stared at Daisuke? Does he know Daisuke? Stay tuned and find out soon! PHEW! THAT WAS A LONG CHAPTER! I normally don't write this long but I felt bad. I know, it kind of dragged on for a while but I kind of went off a limb here and continued writing but I hope all of you guys enjoyed it! Reviews, comments and PMs are appreciated! Your word counts! Thanks for reading!
Much love,
~SAYONARA!~