Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Rosario+Vampire

Author's Notes: Last time when we left off, Ginei had discovered something rather difficult to understand. Why had that happened? Anyway, I hope this chapter may answer some of the questions… and leave you asking new ones. As always, enjoy! Reviews and other words are really appreciated!

Much love,

~SAYONARA~

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"... It's simple Ichigo. Why do you resist?"

"You know why I can't allow that Zangetsu."

"Is that line of reasoning so much that you won't use your Zanpaku-to even if it means death?"

Ichigo fell silent.

"That's what I thought." Zangetsu said. Ichigo swore he heard Zangetsu chuckle to himself underneath his breath. "My resolve and offer still stands. Even if you choose to fight against it. You'll realize that one day you'll have no choice but to fight alongside me."

Ichigo didn't say anything. Inside of him, he knew Zangetsu was right. One day, he will have to use his Zanpaku-to, whether he wanted to or not. But Ichigo also knew that until that day, he would have to train himself to fight without using Zangetsu, despite the arduous training he may have to undergo.

"With that, I take my leave. Farewell for now, Ichigo." Zangetsu said, walking away, his voice fading from the wind but echoing in Ichigo's mind.

The inner spirit realm that Zangetsu used to talk to Ichigo began to fade away, the clouds fading to black, the buildings crumbling away. Soon, the spiritual realm of Zangetsu melted away, leaving Ichigo back in the physical world. The dead trees and the bright night sky came back into view.

Ichigo stood up and stretched his legs and back. He didn't know how long he had been sitting with his legs crossed on the patch of dirt in the dead forest but it felt like a long time. His legs felt all tingly, as if the blood hadn't been flowing correctly. And that was a first. In his many times communicating with his Zanpaku-to, Ichigo would never feel uncomfortable after talking with Zangetsu but this was a first.

Ichigo thought about it for a moment. He wondered whether the discomfort he felt was because of his now rocky relationship with Zangetsu or was because he sat uncomfortably on the ground. Normally, he would train in his dorm room, sitting in the middle of the room and meditating with his Zanpaku-to. Tsukune would often be in too much of a deep sleep to ever notice Ichigo. And even if he had, Tsukune wouldn't suspect anything. All Ichigo looked like in the physical world was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room, eyes closed, and arms crossed; nothing to out of the ordinary.

Of course, what happened in the Spirit and Mental realm of his mind and what occurred in the Physical realm was completely different. While he remained still and motionless in the physical world, Ichigo would be training hard in the spiritual and mental manifestation that Zangetsu had projected.

But today would be different. He would have train in his world, not the world Zangetsu had made for him. Knowing the harsh consequences a Soul Reaper would receive in the World of Monsters, Ichigo would have to learn how to fight without his Zanpaku-to. It was easier said than done.

Knowing well that monsters were nearly three times his size and stronger than him in every way, Ichigo conditioned himself every night to ready himself.

For tonight.

"Well you could have told me you were going to leave that early..."

Ichigo turned around and saw Moka standing at the tree-line, wearing a black hoodie sweater and black skirt. She was leaning on a tree, her silver-grey hair falling over her shoulders. She was smirking.

Ichigo grinned. "Gin might have found out... He wouldn't want us train together, let alone spar."

Moka walked towards Ichigo nonchalantly. "A bout between a Soul Reaper and a Vampire... the fight of the century."

Ichigo chuckled. "Well... I'm not a Soul Reaper in this world... I am but a human today and here on out."

Moka raised her eyebrow as she raised her sweater sleeves, giving her more movement for her arms. "You sure? I am not the easy-going type when I spar..."

Ichigo wrapped sports tape around he fists and wrists, still grinning. "Since when were you ever the easy-going type?"

Moka rested her hand on her waist. "Don't say I didn't warn you, Berry-Head."

"I don't need you to warn me." Ichigo smirked, raising his arms.

Moka smiled slightly. "Then here we..."

"Go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

High above the dead branches of the lifeless forest, three shrouded figures stood in the middle of the sky, looking down into the ocean dead branches. Each of them was garbed in white robes and each of them had sheathed swords. They also had two-digit numbers plastered onto their bodies. Then, out of nowhere, another figure, similarly dressed except he was hooded, appeared in front of them.

"You may not know why I called you out here tonight..." The newly-appeared person said.

"Damn right." The tallest among the three said. "Lord Aizen made it specifically clear that we were not allowed to leave the grounds of Hueco Mundo without his own permission."

"And you'd be right to think like that." The man said, pulling back his hood, revealing his long black hair and armored jaw-line. "If it weren't for me."

Two members of the group gasped. "You are-"

"I am Hyun-Joon. I am an Espada." The man said, the bone-like armor moving along with his mouth. "And I have the authorization to bring you out here tonight."

A green-haired member of the group, who had a horned helmet, folded her arms. "What is your purpose for bring us out here? Us, Arrancars, aren't allowed to leave Hueco Mundo on such short notice."

Hyun-Joon chuckled. "I see that you are new to the ranks of the Arrancars... then you may not know who I am. I'll enlighten you."

Hyun-Joon took off his cloak. He wore a long-jacket with torn sleeves and unbuttoned, revealing his scarred chest and black Espada number. It was a Double Zero. He had his Zanpaku-to slung behind his back. It was encased in a black sheath with white streaks made across the case. There was no hilt.

The green-haired Arrancar looked at the Espada with awe. "D-double Cero?! That's beyond Stark!"

"You may wonder why." Hyun-Joon said, unsheathing his sword. As the Zanpaku-to left its sheath, the sheath vanished. The blade was pitch-black and radiated with a blue light. "And it is because of this."

The Arrancars remained silent.

"In my native tongue, it is called 'mu-suh-oom' but you may all know it as miedo (Fear)..." Hyun-Joon put away his Zanpaku-to. "I'll leave the rest of you to figure out what its ability is."

The tallest Arrancar, he had no armor or leftover mask fragments visible on his person, faced Hyun-Joon's way. His face was tattoo-ed, similar to war-paint, with black streaks across his face.

"So why are we here tonight?" He asked.

Hyun-Joon began to pace in the empty sky, facing the moon. "We have a high-value target we must capture tonight."

"Then what are we waiting for?!" The green-haired Arrancar said. "We are losing time! Let's go!"

The most unspoken Arrancar raised his hand as if to object to the green-haired Arrancar's outburst. As his hand was raised, his sleeve was lowered, revealing a bone-armor-like gauntlet.

"What Niero?!" She said, glaring at him. "We are wasting time!"

"Patience Illiad." The Arrancar, Niero, said. "Let Hyun-Joon explain."

Hyun-Joon nodded. "I appreciate it Niero." He folded his arms. "Our target is a rather cold person in his demeanor..."

"How so?" Niero asked.

Hyun-Joon glanced at all the Arrancars and grinned slightly.

"He's the last of his kind."

"So what?" Illiad asked. "The last time I was alive, I was the last in my clan-line."

"Regardless." Hyun-Joon said, reaching into the inner jacket pocket. He pulled out a white parchment.

"This is what he looks like."

The three Arrancars eyed the paper carefully.

"Bring him back alive. I don't care how you do it. Just make sure he's alive when he comes back."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ichigo leaned behind a tree, panting heavily. Catching his breath, he re-tightened his bandage-gloves. Ichigo felt something warm drip down his forehead and trickled down next to his nose. Wiping it away from his face, Ichigo saw that it was blood.

Aw crap…

"I smell you~" A murderous voice said from behind the tree trunk.

Ichigo quickly ducked as a hand burst through the tree trunk with magnificent speed and velocity. The shredded bark on the trunk of the tree flew around the immediate area, causing a whirlwind of sawdust and tree shedding to circle around. It slightly clouded Ichigo's vision.

Even though his vision was hampered, Ichigo could sense his adversary. He had keen sense on locating Spiritual Residue and Energy. Whenever something gave off a strong enough vibe, he could sense it. And he could definitely sense it now.

And it was getting closer.

Ichigo, again, hid behind a tree.

This is worse than that one time I fought Ururu in Hat-and-Clog's basement!... I wonder how they're doing...

"You know very well that I don't need to see you to know where you are..." Moka said. "I can smell you... And by the way your blood smells like right now... You are thinking about something and are anxious... Correct?"

Damn! She can smell my emotions too?!

Sensing the enormous spiritual energy, Ichigo stepped out behind the tree to face his foe. Moka was standing on the dirt path, hand resting on her hips. She eyed Ichigo with a playful look.

"I'm glad you came to your senses." Moka said, grinning. Ichigo could see Moka's fangs glisten with the moonlight. "There's no point of hiding from me once you are bleeding."

"That's true..." Ichigo said, stretching his shoulders. "But damn, you ain't easy to fight. I can't even get close to you!"

Moka laughed. "I told you that I wouldn't go easy on you!"

"True again." Ichigo said, sighing.

Moka smiled, shaking her head. "This is actually kind of sad... Pitiful almost..."

"Huh?"

Moka then spread out her arms. "Come on, I'll give you a free shot. I feel so bad for you."

Upon seeing Moka ease up her defense to give a chance to attack, Ichigo was reminded of that one time another person allowed him to do that. THAT person was a monster, a barbarian. Ichigo remembered how his Zanpaku-to wasn't even able to pierce that man's skin the first time the two collided. It still kind of chilled him to the bone.

Man, Zaraki... if you could just see this...

"Well?" Moka asked. "Are you going to take your shot or what?"

Ichigo thought for a moment. "So... I have a free chance to do whatever move I want?"

Moka shrugged. "Pretty much... Doubt it'll do any good though..."

Ichigo's eyes then suddenly lit-up. "Then I will do my signature move."

Moka raised her eyebrow, amused and surprised. "Which is?..."

Ichigo chuckled, shifting his feet. "My signature move..."

Moka gulped.

"Is running away!"

There was a cloud of dust that Ichigo had kicked up and it surrounded Moka heavily. As he heard her coughing from inside the dust field, Ichigo made his daring escape into the treeline.

By running away.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Moka rubbed her already red eyes as she walked sort of aimlessly throughout the dead forest. The dust that Ichigo had kicked was rather thick in size. She almost suffocated when she inhaled a small bit. The dust and sand had gotten into her eyes, throat and nose. It was a pain.

Ichigo I swear upon my rosary that I will get you back...

But then Moka realized that this was actually her doing. She gave Ichigo the opportunity to strike and he had. Moka chuckled to herself.

So I'm made the fool again... First to Gin... and now to this human...

Wiping her dust-filled eyes, Moka readied her stance as she took her surroundings in. She was in the heart of the dead forest. Trees were in every direction from the dirt path. Along the dirt path were footprints and small blood droplets. They were enough to follow but soon they diverged into the tree line, making it hard to follow by sight.

Moka would have to rely on scent at this point.

The dust had clogged most of her nose. She could still smell faintly but not as strongly as before. This would definitely hamper her sense of smell in order to locate Ichigo.

And I had to forget my handkerchief tonight... great.

Then, precisely at that very moment, Moka picked up a strong scent of Ichigo's blood. It was coming from the Southwest of her current position.

Moka had then realized that Ichigo had misled her through these fake tracks and blood droplets. Thinking about it once more, Moka had realized that the 'blood droplets' on the ground wasn't blood at all. Upon closer inspection, Moka realized that it was tomato juice. Moka then felt her front hoodie pocket. Her can of juice wasn't there.

Damn it, Ichigo...But pretty damn clever.

Moka did a overrun of Ichigo's current tactic. He had led her on a wild goose chase through sight, one of her rather less notable traits. With this reliance on sight, Moka would ignore whatever she smelled in her current state and follow what she saw. The set of tracks and droplets of tomato juice made it look semi-sort-of legit. And the plan was kind of a success.

I'm still wondering how the hell he managed to steal my Tomato Juice... I'll ask him when I find him... If he can manage to stay conscious.

Moka ran towards the concentrated area with full speed. She would catch her prey and demand some answers.

She was getting closer and closer. She could sense him now. The smell of blood was great. It gave her energy by the smell alone. Moka felt her mouth water slightly.

Can't help it I guess...

She then saw a row of trees. Among them, the greatest vibe of the blood came from the middle tree. Readying herself, Moka ran towards the tree with all her might and wheeled her fist towards the trunk.

The ground shook beneath Moka's feet as her punch blew the tree out of its roots. It sailed quite far into the night sky before it landed several hundred meters away in a different part of the forest.

But what happened next puzzled Moka.

The tree was gone but so was Ichigo. She didn't see anyone in sight. The smell of blood was definitely still there but she still couldn't find him. She looked around as hard as she could, she couldn't find him even still. Then she looked at the ground.

She saw a puddle of red.

She crouched down and put her hand into the puddle. The liquid dripping down her hands. She brought it to her lips.

But as she did there was a sudden breaking of tree branches. The wings of crows rustled all around her. As soon as Moka turned around, she was met with a tremendous blow to the face by a pair of size 11 sneakers worn by a teenager with bright orange hair.

Moka fell to the ground with a thud, utterly confused to what was going on.

Still on the ground, Moka saw Ichigo walk up to her, smiling.

"Looks like I win."

Moka was confused. Confused at how Ichigo managed to hide from her. Confused at how Ichigo was actually able to land a meaningful blow on her. Confused at how Ichigo could confuse her so well.

But what confused her the most was not the fact she lost this fight.

Why did that puddle taste like tomato juice?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You seriously arent going to tell me... Is that what this is?"

"Are you really that eager to know?" Ichigo asked, wiping the sweat off his face with his tank-top.

"Of course!" Moka exclaimed, leaning against the tree. She had taken off her hoodie. She wore a tight-fit, sleeve-less white V-neck beneath the sweater. "I don't understand how you could have confused me so utterly and so well!"

Ichigo laughed.

Moka glared at him. "What's so funny?!"

"You." Ichigo said, pausing between laughing. "It's so adorable seeing you so confused and mad at the same time."

Moka felt her face go red, embarrassed. "Well at least respect the little dignity i have left and tell me?"

"Fine fine." Ichigo said, clapping the dust out his hands. "I'll tell you."

Ichigo fumbled inside his pockets and pulled out a small cylindrical container containing a small fluid.

Moka looked at the container, confused. "What's that?"

"This..." Ichigo said, swirling the liquid inside. "Is sensory-overriding chemical."

"A what?!"

"Yeah, that's what i thought at first too, hearing this."

Moka shook her head. "Anyway, what does it do exactly?"

Ichigo took the cap off of the container, revealing a small spray nozzle. "This liquid is capable of confusing even the keenest of sensory types, monsters and humans alike. It messes up the nerve tracks, redirecting certain senses to other nervous system lines, creating a discrepancy between what is perceived and what is actually happening."

"Can you explain that in English?"

"Look, I'm just reading off what the cap says." Ichigo muttered. "Simply put, it confuses even the most sensitive people with their own senses."

"How is it used on someone?"

"Inhalation is the most common way." Ichigo replied.

Moka remembered inhaling the thick cloud of dust.

"You used the spray when you kicked up the dust, didn't you?"

Ichigo snapped his fingers. "Bingo. I sprayed it amidst the cloud of dust, knowing full well that someone would have to inhale to take a breath. Your nose may have picked up the scent of this liquid, so the dust was a great cover."

"So then how was i so confused between tomato juice and blood?"

"I'm, glad you asked." Ichigo said, smiling. "In fact I have to thank you and the other Moka."

"Huh?" Moka said, confused.

"The other Moka once told me that she would drink Tomato juice as a substitute for blood, in the case Tsukune wasn't there. So basically, i assumed that it would be the closest compound to blood."

Moka 's face then lit up. "So that's why you asked me to pack a can of tomato juice for tonight."

Ichigo nodded. "Well, I'm glad you fulfilled my request. Without it I would have lost."

"So how does that sense liquid thing come into play?"

"Easy." Ichigo said. "Two close objects that are sensed by smell would be confused between one another; blood would be taken as tomato juice while tomato juice would be taken as blood."

"Does this liquid only apply to those two things?"

"Not, the categories are must more vast..." Ichigo said. "But the liquid has a certain time before the effect expires on the subject."

"How long is that?"

"About three to five minutes max." Ichigo said. "Then it just simply wears off."

"I see... But how this so carefully carried out?" Moka asked. "It seems too good to work yet it did."

Ichigo chuckled. He lifted his forearm towards Moka. She saw a long cut running along his arm. It seemed that wound had closed. "It all comes down to the blood. The blood trail you followed was real. When you had punched a hole through that first tree, I didn't get away unscathed. I got this cut. Anyway, what made the droplets was this cut."

"Huh... and what about the concentrated blood area?"

"While I kicked up the dust and sprayed the area, I swiped it from your hoodie pocket. As soon as i did, i threw it into a marked area of the forest, exploding the can, leaving the liquid dripping and residue around the area. The sensory liquid takes about a minute or two to register, by the time it did, you were already on my tail by the footprints. When the liquid kicked in, all I did was trail behind you and strike when necessary."

Moka registered all the information. "Pretty damn clever Berry-Boy... what gave you the idea though?"

Ichigo chuckled to himself. "Our fight from the beginning reminded me of another fight I had. It was during my Soul Reaper training. i was pitted against this one girl... and she was an absolute monster..."

Moka laughed. "Kind of like me, huh?"

"Knowing that I can't be a Soul Reaper on these grounds, I sent a letter to a close friend to come up with a solution for me... and he mailed me this."

Ichigo raised the small container again.

"Huh..." Moka said, amused. "So your friend invented this liquid?"

Ichigo nodded. "He's helped me with a lot of things... Especially during the early days of me being a Soul Reaper."

"Really?" Moka asked. "What's his name?"

"Well..." Ichigo said. "I call him 'Hat-and-Clogs' but his real name is Urahara Kisuke."

Moka thought to herself for moment.

Urahara Kisuke... Why does that name ring a bell... Sound quite familia-

"Sorry to interrupt this pleasant conversation..." said a biting female voice, "But we inquire more information on the person you speak of."

Ichigo and Moka both stood up, startled. They looked around to see who could have said that and where. This person's spiritual pressure was completely masked.

"Who the hell are you?!"Ichigo yelled. "And where the hell are you?!"

"Ah..." The voice said again. "That would be no fun would it?... But then you monsters are no fun either..."

Out of nowhere, three cloaked figures appeared in front of Moka and Ichigo. They were all clad in white and had sheathed swords. Two of them had remnants of some bony armor on their bodies.

The voice of the female belonged to the woman in the middle. She had green hair and wore a horned helmet. She had a murderous smile.

"If you cooperate with us, we'll leave you alone. Simple really. You help us, we help you."

Ichigo looked over at Moka. "I didn't know this school had its own Soul Reapers!" He said quietly.

Moka shook her head. "It doesn't. And even i can tell you right now, they aren't Soul Reapers."

"What are they then?!" Ichigo whispered furiously. "I thought intruders weren't allowed on School Grounds!"

"So did I..." Moka said.

"I'm going to make a proposal." The green-haired girl said again. "Tell us where Urahara Kisuke is, and then we'll leave you alone."

"Why do you need to know where he lives?" Ichigo yelled at them.

"Private matters." The girl said, smiling devilishly. "If you won't tell us, fine..."

The girl took out a white piece of paper, on it was a boy's face.

"Tell us where he is."

Ichigo's face turned pale. Moka furrowed her eyebrows.

"No. We won't." Moka said.

The green haired girl shook her head. "This could have gone so much more easier if you guys had cooperated... Oh well... can't help it i guess... I am a bad negotiator after all."

"You should have let Niero do the talking." The tallest person said.

"Shut up." The girl said. "He doesn't even talk like a normal person."

"We aren't norm-" The other man tried to say.

"Whatever." The green haired girl said, facing Ichigo and Moka. She glared at them menacingly. The girl drew her sword, her bloodlust evident on her face.

"You guys brought this upon yourselves."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ginei paced around his dorm room, anxious.

"Where could they have gone to, Moka and Ichigo?" Tsukune asked. "Kinda looks shady now that we actually think about it..."

"You have a point." Ginei said. He leaned against the wall next to the sliding glass doors. He sighed as he rubbed his face.

"Yo Gin, are you okay?" Tsukune asked. "You don't look so good."

Ginei shook his head. "I'm fine... Let's focus on the task at hand..."

"Okay." Tsukune said, standing up. "We know that Moka and Ichigo are gone. Both left without a trace. And- Ginei"

"Huh?" Ginei asked, startled. "What?"

"You are playing with that Wolf Pendant again." Tsukune said.

Ginei looked down at himself and saw that he was. "Right. Sorry..."

"Look. Gin." Tsukune said, worried. "If there is something wrong, you can tell me."

Ginei sighed. "Alright. The thing is Tsukune... M- What the hell?!"

The entire dormitory began to shake violently. There was a lot of pressure in the room. It made it hard to breathe. Ginei leaned against the wall. Tsukune crouched down and grabbed onto the couch.

"What is this, an earthquake?!" Tsukune exclaimed. "Does this place even get earthquakes?!"

"Not that I know of." Ginei said. He thought for a moment. "Tsukune, do you feel any pressure right now?"

Tsukune thought for a moment. "Sort of... Why?"

"Good." Ginei said, nodding.

"What?! What is that supposed to mean?!"

"Do you still have Moka's rosary?" Ginei yelled across the room, the room still shaking.

"Yeah!" Tsukune yelled back, "Why do you ask?"

Suddenly, the power when out. The room turned pitch-black. There was a loud rumbling and crash from inside and out of the dormitory room.

"Gin, Gin!" Tsukune cried out. "Yo Gin are you there?!"

There was no answer.

"God damn it Gin!" Tsukune said, "This ain't funny!"

The lights flickered back on. When it did, Tsukune's jaws dropped.

The sliding glass door was shattered, leaving a large gaping hole in the middle of it.

Tsukune walked on over to it. There were glass shards everywhere.

"What the hell?!"

Ginei was still nowhere in sight.

"I better go get Daisuke or someone for help..." Tsukune muttered to himself, turning. As he turned however, something caught his eye. It was glistening thanks to the light. It was coming from around the shattered glass door. Tsukune saw something metallic beneath the shards. As he reached for, a stinging sensation raced from the the face of his hand.

"Ow!" Tsukune yelped, reeling his hand back. He looked and saw that he a piece of glass sticking into it. "Damn it!"

Hurts, doesn't it master?

"Not now Kuro." Tsukune said aloud.

Reaching down one more time, Tsukune picked up the metal object. Clearing away all the glass particles, Tsukune flipped it over.

It was Ginei's Wolf Pendant.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

(A/N): I'm pushing this one out ASAP. Hopefully it'll make up for the time lost throughout this summer. It doesn't mean that this is it. There are still loads more to come. Anyway, what will happen next?! Thanks for reading everyone. I really enjoy reading the reviews. REveiws and other words of advice are appreciated. Thanks for all your support!

Until next time,

~SAYONARA~