A Reaper's Rebirth Into a Larger Mythology

by FallenDispair

After the loss of his powers Ichigo Kurosaki earns a scholarship to Kouh Academy where he tried to move on as an ordinary human. Until he his reborn as a devil and is exposed to the other myths and factions that exist in the world. This is based heavily off fanboys913's Bleach Rebirth of the Guardian. Added characters and lore of Rosario Vampire manga. Better sum inside.

3. Chapter 3

A Reaper's Rebirth Into a Larger Mythology

I don't own anything.

Chapter 3: Hunting Culprits & A Resolution

Mizore was ashamed of herself and extremely embarrassed. She had, along with just about everyone else, received the blackmail photos of Ichigo Kurosaki. That was where her emotions came from as she'd consciously chosen to keep them and had even used them the night prior to relieve some built up frustration and stress.

Now, she couldn't even look at the handsome young man without the images of his nude body and how they'd brought her pleasure popped into her mind. She'd not followed him at all that day and would probably not the next.

Mizore dreaded having to see him when working on the council, as it was unavoidable unlike the class she had skipped. A class that she so happened to share with Ichigo.

Then on top of all that, everywhere she went girls were gushing or gossiping about Ichigo's magnificent body and speculating on the size of his penis. It was pushing the limits of her self-control to not freeze every girl that talked about him or was openly looking at the photos of him on their phones. Though, every hall she happened to walk through would drop several degrees in her displeasure.

Frost had actually started crawling up the walls of one when she'd seen him walking practically hand-and-hand with Koneko as girls leered at Ichigo. The little cat was snatching a lead on her and getting closer to him, cheering him up while she couldn't even look straight at him.

It felt like things couldn't get any worse for Mizore as she was worried about her own photos getting out yet unable to delete the ones she'd gotten of Ichigo from the blackmailers. She was a mixed torrent of shame, excitement, fear and depression all day.

Then she was hugged from behind with one arm slung over her shoulder, and based off the familiar energy signature and the fact that only one airhead in the entire academy would dare do such a thing to her, Mizore knew it was Kurumu.

The ice maiden sighed so deeply that a fog of cold air visibly puffed out of her mouth.

"Hey there, Mizore-chan!" the cheery succubus greeted. "I see that you're more depressed today than usual. Any particular reason for that? Besides the obvious."

Mizore glared at her buxom peerage member and retorted harshly, "I should have figured a big breasted bimbo like yourself would bounce back quickly."

The icy cold of her body got Kurumu to let go as the smile on her face became strained, an eye twitched, "I'm going to let that go as your clearly lashing out and jealous of my assets." She pushed out her chest to emphasize said assets.

"Strategically placed fat isn't something to be proud of," she coldly stated.

Kurumu sighed and shook her head, "Your words are extra sharp today and not without good reason seeing as we're all facing ending up like Kurosaki-kun."

The mention of his name caused Mizore to flinch and blush at the same time. It was a reaction Kurumu didn't fail to catch.

"Oohh," she drawled out in understanding. "It's about the nudes of the boytoy you've been following around lately."

"You've seen them," Mizore stated the obvious, her eyes narrowed.

"Of course, I have," Kurumu confirmed unashamedly. "And they were quite the tasty morsal of eye candy that sparked a nice bit of arousal. I was tempted to use them for some release."

The temperature dropped around them as the outline of ice daggers started to form in the air.

Kurumu quickly waved her arms rapidly, "Hey, hey, not in public," her head swiveling around, looking for bystanders.

Mizore relented, the deadly ice projectiles dissolving into nothing, but her tone was still just as dangerous and sharp, "Are you trying to get me to kill you?"

"No," Kurumu answered seriously, a rare sight that calmed Mizore somewhat. "Relax, I deleted the photos, I don't want Saji-kun finding them." She puffed out her cheeks irritably, "Though, he annoyingly only has eyes for Kaichou. Thankfully she doesn't seem interested in him, her eye seeming to linger on a certain tall, orange haired hunk."

Kurumu gave Mizore a knowing look and a mischievous grin that the purple haired girl met with a frigid glare.

"I can understand the attraction," Kurumu continued, "it's why I was tempted to use the photos with Saji continuing to ignore my charms. So, I'm guessing that with your attraction to Ichigo-kun you were much more tempted. Possibly giving into that desire."

The crimson blush and Mizore's refusal to look at her was all the answer she needed.

"And there's no shame in giving into that temptation. We are young women growing into our sexuality. It's natural to masturbate to the images and fantasies of the guy we like."

"That's... I-I..." Mizore couldn't force out a response to the sex demon.

"I would have masturbated to naked photos of Saji," she admitted, trying to ease her fellow peerage member's shame.

"I-it's hard to look at him and not..." Mizore muttered out softly, barely audible even to Kurumu's enhanced hearing.

"You'll get past that eventually," Kurumu insisted. "From what Tsubasa has told me, he wouldn't even mind if he knew you had used those photos for your self-management."

The succubus had wrapped her arm back around Mizore's shoulder and comforted her, much like Tsubasa had for her.

"You need to accept your sexuality and attraction to others," she whispered to her embarrassed friend soothingly. "You don't have long before you turn seventeen and are forced to accept a stranger into your bed."

Mizore shivered uncontrollably at the reminder, of being taken by someone the priestess choses for her. Her kind's numbers have been dwindling and now only those of her village remain in all the world, and that was only due to the matchmaking practices that she so fears. So, she'll do her duty, but she wanted her first time to at least be with a guy she likes instead of a stranger. Ichigo might not be her true love, but he was handsome, protective and had a kind heart that she found was entrancing her own with every day she worked alongside him.

A single tear fell from her eye, freezing solid on her cheek.

"It's okay," Kurumu continued to whisper gently. "You'll always have us, your family and as your more knowledgeable sister, I'll help you get past this brief faze of embarrassment. Then you can move forward and pursue Ichigo or any other guy that warms your core." She waggled her eyebrows at Mizore.

"You're deplorable," she half sobbed, and half laughed, a smile tugging at her face.

"Deplorable and proud," Kurumu declare with her chin raised high.

"Thank you."

"Anytime."

---

The Kuoh Academy library was a large place, it was made with three different school groups: elementary, Jr high, high school and university. With such a setting and the money that came with the fact that up until recently it had only been girls from wealthy families or ones that lived in town and got a scholarship had been going there.

It was under the main building dug into the bedrock three stories deep into the earth. The topmost layer was for elementary, the middle for Jr high and high, and the bottom for university level reading material. Each level had tables, chairs Wi-Fi hotspots and excellent ventilation that kept the whole place cool and climate controlled.

Ichigo wondered why the running of the place had been left to the high school student council, but then again Sona's people were nothing if not efficient and excellent at management. Also, the place had its own staff as it was too big for anything less.

There was a nice elevator down to the area, but he took the stairs, a well-lit but simple concrete thing at odds with the rest of the school. He was going to the second level of the library; Reya had texted him half an hour ago that she had finished checking the computers on the elementary level. He wondered what he was supposed to do to help her as computer's were not his area of expertise. He had found less and less time to use such devices and now was sure he knew less than the average person.

The second level of the library was as quiet as such places tended to be, his own footsteps and breath were the only things he heard as he passed through the rows of bookshelves until he reached the middle and caught a glimpse of computer light. A flash of long brown hair told him he was going in the right direction, eventually seeing Reya as she was leaning back in a computer chair, some program running on the screen in front of her. There was a finished bowl of salad at her side, clearly having eaten her lunch while working.

She didn't seem to notice his presence as her eyes were down in her lap and from the reflection in the screen, he could see pink tinting her cheeks. Ichigo came within several feet of the girl and caught a glimpse of what she was looking at; there on her phone was a picture of a boy with blonde hair slick with sweat, sitting against a wall shirtless and drinking from a water bottle. It was easy to recognize the boy as Ichigo was going to spar with him at some point. So, it seemed the little librarian liked Kiba Yuuto. Ichigo silently wished the girl luck as the boy had a lot of potential suitors clamoring for his attention.

He coughed politely, drawing a yelp from the girl and she turned her head surreptitiously, putting her phone in her pocket.

"Ichigo-san." she exclaimed, looking rather panicked.

He decided to pretend he had seen nothing, "I'm here to help. though I do not know what I can do. Computers aren't something I'm overly familiar with."

Reya relaxed then, perhaps taking his expression as one that'd not seen anything and went along, "That's okay, Ichigo-san." She turned to her backpack and pulled out a case filled with several USBs. "Thanks to the firm Kaichou hired we were given these neat programs. I made a few modifications of course, so that they won't get the scanned data, but this should find the signal source."

Ichigo took one of the USB drives and looked at it inquisitively, not entirely certain as what he was supposed to do with it.

"It's really simple," she informed, having understood his confused expression. "You just plug it into the port like here," she gestured to the USB she had currently plugged into the computer into front of her. "Then a window will pop up on the screen and you just have to click the run program button and wait for it to finish."

The computer dinged and she sighed out, "Finally, someone was looking through a lot of porn on this one, slowing it down." She shook her head, "I'll have to inform Kaichou that someone found a weakness in the parental controls."

There was a green checkmark and a small file on the screen, "Okay, this one is clean," and she deleted the file. "Alright, let's move onto the next two."

Ichigo nodded and went to take his seat, booting up the computer in front of him and plugging in the flash drive. There was silence for a few minutes as they both got the program installed and it began to shift through the computer's systems. Words flashed across the screen, file names that had an X over them.

"I don't think we have gotten to speak much to each other," Reya commented.

"No, we haven't," Ichigo agreed. "Our duties have often been in opposing rolls or in here where talking is discouraged."

Reya nodded, "Kaichou closed the library for today, so it's okay for us to talk."

"Okay," he replied and leaned back. " What do you want to talk about?"

Her expression flickered and he caught a glimpse of the stress she was under. Her phone was out of her pocket and her eyes flickered to it like it was a salve.

"I just want to talk about normal things to help get my mind off the events of this week. I feel so," she hesitated, "selfish."

Turning his chair around so he could look at her, Ichigo frowned, "How so?"

"My stomach is churning; I find it hard to breath and I can only think about how at any moment what happened to you could happen to me. That I could be someone that people look at," she shuttered, and her arms wrapped around herself. "People use. Tsubasa and Kiba have it the worst while I might be the best off; just one topless picture and I feel such terror at it. All of my friends have it worse and yet I..."

Reya looked down and he wondered if she meant to speak her next words, "Hope with all my heart that it will not happen to me. That, that it happens to one of the others instead of me." Her mouth curled in disgust, "What kind of person does that make me, Ichigo-san?"

He took a breath before answering her, "It just means you're a person who wants what's best for yourself, like most people in the world. You wish that your dreams and aspirations are not interfered with. You fear that your crush might see you in a different light."

Ichigo was certain that was the major source of her fear.

"And so, you have thoughts of self-preservation as anyone would," he continued. "Whether or not that makes you selfish isn't for me to decide. But tell me, what you have done about those thoughts? Have you hindered our investigation? Have you given them information or pleaded with them?"

Reya shook her head.

"Of course, you haven't," Ichigo agreed, "you love your friends. I can see that as clearly as the sun in a cloudless sky. The fact that you haven't acted on those thoughts speaks loudly on your character. Our actions are what define us and not the idle thoughts we have."

Lately, Ichigo had been having lewd thoughts about several girls around him but that didn't make him a pervert like Gin and Haiji. They acted on their lewd desires with a disturbing amount of shamelessness and pride while he just kept them inside his head and dreams.

Reya released a pent-up breath, "That's still not right. Tsubasa has been so supportive, putting aside the fact that she has it worse to help the rest of us." Her fist clenched as she continued, "She had proven to be a far better person than I."

"Everyone is different," Ichigo argued her point. "She is dealing with it by helping others, and you're dealing with by looking at pictures that calm you."

Reya went crimson, "They're not dirty," she half shouted.

"I know and I wouldn't judge you if they were," he honestly stated. "We all have our urges, me included."

She went redder and looked away.

"Anyway, you're helping to catch these people despite your fearful thoughts," he moved the conversation along, his attempt at easing her embarrassment failing. "We are currently trying to track them down and if in the process you help protect yourself then there's no harm done. Not everyone is a guardian, Reya, and that doesn't make you less of a person for not being one yourself."

He made sure to look her in the eye as he continued, "I think you chose to speak to me about this because I'm a semi outsider and not a perv like Gin but I'm certain you should speak to Sona about these feelings you're having. I know she will not judge you for them and will be able to help you far better than I can. Because when it comes down to it, I look at things differently than the rest of you and I don't know you as well as Kaichou does."

Reya made a coughing sound and turned her chair away to mutter out, "Thank you, Ichigo-san."

"I hope my words helped."

"They did, and... perhaps Kaichou would be able to help me more."

Ichigo noticed that his computer had blinked red and close the program, indicating that he can remove the USB.

After pocketing the flash drive, he spoke back up, "You can tell your family about your weaknesses and fears, and they'll accept you for them. From what I've seen, you have a family here in the student council."

"I do," she agreed, her head down. "I want nothing more in all the world then to be with them, and for them to be proud of me." Her expression softened and when she spoke her voice was a whisper, he was certain she hadn't intended for him to hear. "After all, I was made out of pity, not for anything that I had to offer."

He frowned at that, "What?"

She blinked and shook her head, "Nothing," she quickly said, removing her USB from the computer in front of her. "Look at me, I said I wanted to talk about normal things, and I drop all this serious stuff on you."

"I'm happy to be a confidante if that is how I can help people."

Reya smiled at that, "Thank you," she said again, with an effort of will she changed the subject. "So, Ichigo-san, as long as you do not tell anyone about what we talk about, could you help me by telling me Yutto-kuns likes and dislikes?"

"How would I know more about him than you? I've only been here two weeks and sparred with him once. A promise of a second match whenever I can find the time."

"Well, that's more than I have ever gotten," she grumbled.

"Have you ever tried just talking to him?"

She flushed as she answered, "The guy is supposed to come to the girl first."

"Forgive my bluntness but Kiba has so many would be suitors that you will have to stand out if you want to get noticed. I suggest talking to him and seeing what happens."

Reya didn't respond to that, and he wondered if that had sounded too much like a rebuke. Her expression at least turned pensive at his words and he decided to leave it at that.

---

"Alright, this is the last place," Ichigo informed.

They had been switching off computer duty as they each had to their own respective classes, now evening was coming strong.

"Indeed," Reya agreed, her eyes red and exhausted. "The Computer Club room," she pulled out a set of keys and began to search for the right one.

"I don't think I asked how you got this position," Ichigo commented. "Why did Sona put you in charge of the library?"

"I love books," she answered after a moment of thought. "When I was little, I spent all the time I could in the library. I think I read one book after the other, almost ceaselessly. I find it hard to think of a time when my nose wasn't in a book." She frowned as the key she had selected did not work and went back to flicking through them. "I wanted to be a librarian, I might still be one, I don't know yet, but when I got to Jr high, I took a volunteer position in this library right here. I know it inside and out, backwards and forwards. I could tell you where almost every book and subject is in this place."

She spoke about it as a queen might of her kingdom, "It was natural when Kaichou choose me to be here."

Again, something about the way she said that irked him, though Ichigo didn't know why. Words like peerage and phrases like chose me and made out of pity, spoke to the sense of power in the whole group he'd been suspecting. He found himself wondering more and more what kind of power bound them all together. Perhaps it was some kind of spiritual might of Sona.

"And I like it here," She continued, "it brings me peace even now." Reya frowned even deeper when her next key failed to unlock the door as well. "Someone seems to have changed the locks," she informed with a shake of her head.

Reaching into her hair she pulled out a hairpin and knelt next to the door to pick the lock. Ichigo coughed and looked away as she was bending over, the short skirts of Kuoh academy allotting him a glimpse of white cloth stretched over a well-developed rear-end.

So, instead of letting his mind wander on that he took notice of her skill at lockpicking, her expression of concentration was one of long practice. The door opened after a few seconds, mercifully Reya stood up and straightened out her skirt.

They stepped into the club room, it had a homey feel with all the posters of anime, movies, games, idols and comedy that adorned every inch of space on the walls. On the far side of the room beanbags were placed against the walls next to outlets for laptop users. Six tables in rows of three were filled with monitors that were of a lesser quality than the ones in the library, but each row had about twelve monitors stacked on each side of the tables. Many of the screens had weird or cool screensavers that danced and flashed.

Ichigo found his eyes drawn to the wall where the biggest poster of all was hung. It was of Serafall in her magical girl outfit that somehow managed to be a bit more modest than the uniforms as Kuoh academy. The pink skirt was a few centimeters longer and the top only revealed a part of her belly, though her chest clearly strained the fabric. He also noticed that there were lipstick marks all over the head area just under the words: Miracle Levia-Tan in bold pink. The next important thing he noticed was the smell of a strong tang in the air and while he couldn't place it, his hairs were standing on end as his instincts flared into an alarm.

Reya wrinkled her nose at the smell, but stepped in anyway and after a moment of hesitation, Ichigo followed her in.

"Someone needs to air this place out," she muttered, leaving the door open.

She moved to the first of the computers and booted it up as Ichigo moved around the room looking at the messy desks. They were covered in comics, old candy paper, dice, pencils and forgotten homework. In front of each computer was a name carved into the wood of the desk, names like Glitch, Hack, Bit and Pixel. It seemed they took their club seriously. He paused at the computer with the name Mother carved into it and a piece of paper half ripped next to the keyboard.

Words on it caught his attention; place is great. Volt just got the power working so we can transfer the data to the bunker and make this a lot safer. With this, all should be in order, Mother. Make sure to grab the Shadowrun books before you go. It was signed with the name Punk.

"That could be nothing," he muttered to himself, but he took a picture of it with his phone.

"Kurosaki-san, could you boot up another computer?"

"One moment," he answered, making another circle around the room until he found Punk's desk and he proceeded to carefully search the papers there. It was mostly some Cyberpunk fanfiction exerts but some blue paper caught his eye. He pulled out a rolled-up paper from behind the monitor and unfurled it to reveal blueprints. They looked to be six different variations of the same room and had been drawn on to display various power cables and generator stations. He glanced to see that Reya wasn't looking and slipped the blueprints into his backpack, just in case. Finding nothing else that alluded to the Bunker, Ichigo went to sit down but froze as a new smell made itself known. It was spart with a metallic tang, his eyes flickered around the room, every single computer had powered on, red lights blinking on the desktops.

"What?" Reya said as her screen went black.

Ichigo moved quickly, not knowing what was going to happen but his instincts were screaming at him that something was very wrong. "We need to leave," he demanded as the smell got stronger.

"Why?" she asked, then sniffed at the air frowning.

It was a change in the light that warned him, a single spark that shifted the light of the room. He grabbed Reya, hauling her off her feet like she was a child and was out of the room a moment later. A heartbeat later the room filled with sparks and smoke as the computers began to whirl and buzz in an unnatural manner. With how full the room was with very flammable trash a dozen points of ignition lit up into fires. His walk turned into a full-blown sprint as he got the librarian about thirty feet away and dropped her. He ignored her words as he hauled open an emergency fire extinguisher and raced back to the room.

Ichigo followed the directions on the tab and unleashed the extinguisher's contents at the nascent blaze. A few heartbeats later the fire alarm went off, Reya having pulled the alarm. He remembered that the library was full of overhead sprinklers, but the computer club room didn't. The extinguisher did its work and the smell of chemicals mixed with burning plastic. However, as the flow began to lessen and he was starting to think it wouldn't be enough, water began to fall in the room. It fell exactly like it might if it was coming from a sprinkler head on the ceiling. Even though it was a blessing that prevented the flames from spreading, he damn well knew there were no sprinklers in that room.

The fire abruptly lessened, faster than it should have, and he stepped back, letting go of the nearly empty extinguisher. His head swiveled to find Reya behind him, next to the fire alarm and to his surprise, Sona. Who as far as Ichigo knew was supposed to be on the other side of school from the library. Yet, she was clearly there, walking forward with an expression of concentration that was fixed on the club room.

"Are you hurt?" Sona asked, her voice brooking no nonsense.

"No," he answered as she moved to stand beside him.

"It's a good thing that the fire suppression system is working properly," Sona commented, pointing at the falling water.

Ichigo looked from her to the room where the fire was already almost dead, her focus on said room held with an expression he'd seen in others. Others who bent reality with hair clips or conjured bows out of pure spirit essence.

"It is," he agreed, deciding to maintain the polite fiction that she didn't have powers.

He watched the fire die fully and Sona's expression of concentration vanished along with the downpour of the sprinkler system. Ichigo kept a knowing expression from forming on his face as Sona grabbed him by the arms and turned him to face her. She looked him up and down before she relaxed upon seeing no damage to his person. She let go and looked from him to Reya and the destroyed club room.

"What happened?" she asked in a commanding tone.

Ichigo glanced at the ruins of the room before answering, "I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say we might have found something."

---

To say Sona was angry would have been an understatement. The school had been attacked by fire and sabotage that had been far too close to harming two of her people. Her anger was different from what she usually displayed, being somehow cold, like a glacier. She had both of them go to the nurse's office and get a clean bill of health before they met back at the student council room.

"You okay, Kurosaki-san?" Saji asked as they sat down.

Ichigo nodded, somewhat surprised by his words. He knew that the two of them were not on the best of terms for reasons Ichigo couldn't quite place. They weren't unfriendly, per say, but something about the two of them did not seem to mesh right.

"It was unexpected, but the fire died down before we could get hurt with how quickly the sprinkler system activated," Ichigo replied.

"Right," Saji said, putting a hesitant hand on Ichigo's shoulder before walking over to take his seat.

Ichigo caught Sona giving Saji a look of pride while he was not looking.

"Reya," Sona started off the meeting, "has already appraised me of what you two were doing when the fire started."

The brown-haired girl confirmed with a nod, "I didn't have time to find anything with the program, but Ichigo-san was looking around the room so he might have found something."

"I did," Ichigo confirmed. "For starters, I found a big poster of your sister, Serafall-san in a magic girl costume."

"You what?!" she exclaimed in incredulity.

That made him pause before pointing out, "She has a tv show, right?"

"Yes, but there is no way that this w-" she stopped and coughed before continuing, "That Japan has any of her merchandise."

He tilted his head in confusion, "Why is that?"

Sona hesitated, like she was trying find the right words before answering, "Because, outside of a few, very rare copies that are on the market, her show is not available outside of... my home country."

Ichigo recognized her answer as the deliberate dodge that it was but chose to ignore it, as usual and pushed forward with the problem at hand. "So, the poster is significant then. I thought as much with how the email I got mentioned her." He recounted the notes he'd found and shared with Sona referring to a place called the bunker. "While we don't have any proof, the fact that their computers just so happened to burst into flames when we started checking them, I think we can narrow our suspects to the computer club members."

"I concur with Ichigo," Sona agreed, her eyes having developed a faraway look as if she was running calculations in her head. "While you two were checking the library and computer club someone got around to attempting to frame the three troublemakers," her eyes narrowing on Gin, who raised his hands in surrender.

"They each found a huge data dump of photos on their phones and rumors about them being the culprits have spread," Sona continued to inform the council. "Gin immediately brough it to my attention and retrieved both Miyamoto-san's and Hyoudou-san's phones. They'd already been on their way to deliver the devices themselves, so we got them quickly."

Just about everyone turned to look at Gin disbelievingly, who responded with some indignation, "Hey, I know how serious this is and that someone is trying to frame me for this. I'm not stupid and I want to catch the bastards that have defiled San-chan's privacy."

"So, you were afraid that if the photo dump had more photos of San and she found out you looked at them, she'd kill you," Kurumu supplied.

"Exactly," Gin shamelessly admitted, getting all the girls in the room to glare at him, knowing that if not for that one fear he'd have happily perved out on naked photos of them.

Sona tapped the smartphone in front of her and refocused her council, "The scope of the files is disturbing. I found some of myself in the list." Her tone was like Ichigo's was, bored and unconcerned masking all her emotions but those in her eyes.

"I get Gin... somewhat, but the other two handed over their phones of their own accord as well?" Ichigo asked, impressed.

"No," Sona answered, "Tsukune-san did on his own but Haiji's was brought to us by Koneko-san after... umm catching him looking through his supply of photos and... strongly suggesting that he hand them over to her."

Ichigo took that to mean Koneko beat him until he surrendered his phone to her.

"I managed to get them cleared in the eyes of the students for now, though I can only credit preparation for that," Sona informed, her eyes turned harshly on Gin, "Unfortunately, due to one of the culprits being a member of the student council there's talk of how were simply covering it all up to protect him."

Now everyone glared at the perverted young man, San's being the one that made him shrink the most.

Sona sighed, regaining everyone's attention, "Does anyone have an idea of what this 'Bunker' might be?"

They all started speculating with one another, bouncing ideas of each other, the noise growing as they chattered.

"Can everyone be quiet for a moment?" Reya asked, her eyes closed as she took hold of some invisible book and opened it, her facial features furrowed in concentration. Everyone went silent upon seeing her like that.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at it and Tsubasa, noticing his expression, leaned over and whispered, "She has a photographic memory and some sort of mental organization technique." She smiled at her fellow council member, "It is quite something," her voice sounded strong and confident like her Kaichou.

Reya paused her finger on an invisible page, and started reading aloud, "As I walk through the streets of my city, I can only laugh at the secrets known to me. How the sewers were deliberately made to allow the smuggling of illegal material. The remnants of the world war that hide under the earth, the shelters and bunker, some cover by houses and some forgotten to time. Only I know of them, only I have taken the time to find them all."

Reya stopped reciting and opened her eyes, "The rest is a lot of self-aggrandizements, but it is the only mention of a bunker that I can think of in this city's history. Granted, they could be talking about an abandoned building that they call 'The Bunker' but it's a start."

"Has anyone searched the campus for any of the computer club members?" Ichigo asked.

Tsubasa shook her head, explaining, "As soon as the fire happened Kaichou sent us out looking for them. All of them had left the school's grounds in a hurry." She made a growling sound, "So, I'm inclined to think they're the bastards behind it all."

"There's no proof yet," Sona reminded Tsubasa. "But that does not mean we can't look into this Bunker." She drummed her fingers in thought, "Still, the fact that they had something of my sister's..." she trailed off before making a sound of annoyance. "I will need to make a few calls."

After looking up at the clock, Sona ordered, "School is almost over, I want everyone to take a break. Go play, take a nap, read a book, just do something relaxing as I will need you all at your best."

Ichigo stood up and moved to leave but smiled upon seeing that none of the others moved to join him. It took Sona stating that it was an order before they got up to comply as well.

Tsubasa looked at Ichigo and commented, "Basketball sounds fun right now, want to play a game?"

Ichigo thought about it for a second, then nodded out, "I'll meet you there."

Sona opened her mouth to say something else, a hint of indignation flaring in her eyes, but she suppressed it with some effort. Ichigo raised an eyebrow at her, but she made it a point not to meet his gaze.

Basketball had sounded relaxing to him as he had energy to burn, but it was not the same for the rest of the people around him. He could imagine what they were feeling, the psychological pain that'd leave them with indigestion as the constant mental worry ate away at their minds. He'd gone through that sort of state for weeks on end and did not wish that on anyone.

---

The sun was fading as Ichigo walked out of the men's locker room, fresh off if an ice-cold shower that had given him a semblance of control back to his body. Tsubasa was waiting for him mercifully she had pants on and looked to be on the receiving end of a shower herself.

"Well, that was fun in more ways than one," she grinned at him.

"Ya, ya," he grumbled, feeling a bit of annoyance settle in now that he had blood in his brain again. To say that she had been physical in that game would have been an understatement. Still, if it helped her then he could not be too mad. "What are you going to do now?"

"Well, Kaichou has not called us back, so I was hoping to hang out with you."

"It's going to be boring," he warned her.

"Really?"

"How much do you like libraries?" he asked, causing her to wince. "Given what I learned in the computer club room I want to see if there are any books that might have a clue as to where their bunker is."

"You do know how big the library is, right?"

"I do."

"You have a much better chance finding a needle in a haystack."

"Not as much as you might think, bunkers were only popular here in Japan during the second world war from ariel raids by the Allied powers. So, I know when to look and since it is a place either in or around town, I know the subject to look for; Kuoh City. That narrows down the books significantly." Tsubasa stared at him in surprise. "I was ranked third in my class," he retorted. "More to spite my teachers but I still learned."

He was a few steps away from her before she followed and together, they made their way to the library. On the way he texted Reya, figuring she would know the place better and the girl met them at the entrance.

"Ichigo-san, Yura-chan," she greeted them with a smile.

Tsubasa looked at her and nodded back, "You're looking better."

Reya gave a small bow, "So, I get what you're looking for and it makes sense. I have already compiled a list of books meeting your requirements and their locations."

"Your mind is something else," Ichigo honestly complimented with a shake of his head, the girl glowed at his words and hurriedly turned to unlock the doors.

Reya handed them each a list, dividing up the workload and the three scoured the library levels. They ended up meeting up at a group of tables, each with an armful of books. Some of them he questioned the validity of such as the local guide to food, but Reya was the expert.

Ichigo had taken his spot on a beanbag and held in his hand a book on the local history of Kuoh. Tsubasa had taken the spot next him, very close in fact, and Reya had given them an amused look before picking her spot. He was about halfway through skimming the first book when footsteps approached the trio, and he glanced up to see Sona and Tsubaki make their way into the library. By the way Sona beelined for them, it was certain she knew they were there. He assumed Reya had told her.

Sona paused as she looked on them, spending a second or so to glare at Tsubasa, who responded with a grin and waggled her eyebrows. He wondered what that tension between them was all about.

"May I ask what the three of you are doing?" Sona asked through gritted teeth.

"Research," Reya answered her Kaichou promptly but she had a smile set on her face. "Ichigo-san had the idea to see if there were any historical records about bunkers built during the WWII era." She patted a stack of books she'd gone through. "I have three possibilities so far, it was four, but I checked the internet to find that one had been demolished to make room for the shopping mall."

Sona nodded at him, "That was a great idea, Ichigo-san," she praised before shaking her head in disappointment. "I'd have preferred if you had told me about it rather than me getting a call from your father Yura."

The blue haired girl made a choking sound and yanked out her phone, looking at the time.

"Crap, crap, crap!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

Sona raised a hand to forestall her, "I told him you were helping me with council business, and I am glad to see that wasn't a lie."

Tsubasa relaxed and her head fell back onto his shoulder, Sona made a sound of annoyance and the girl moved slightly to have her head rest against the shelf.

"I found one," Ichigo informed, listing off the address.

Reya nodded and said that she already had it.

"I am very pleased with you three," Sona commented, though she looked at Reya when she said it.

Then Sona and Tsubaki grabbed their own books and went to sit down. Sona gave one last look at Tsubasa and took the beanbag to Ichigo's left.

"We will help you get through this. San, Gin, Saji, Mizore and Kurumu have gone home already so I would prefer if we did not mention this."

They all nodded their compliance, Ichigo settled back into the beanbag and both girls at his sides did too, a little too much as they ended up touching his seat. He glanced at Sona who had a book open and a serious expression on her face. His eyes traced the line of her body and her pale lovely legs which were a bit more on display that normal with the skirt and all. There was a sensation of pain in his side, and he turned his head to see Tsubasa glaring at him, her thumb and forefinger latched to his side. She let go and turned back to her reading, leaving him to blink in confusion. He must have been staring longer than he'd meant to.

"Thank you," he said quietly, which only seemed to agitate her more, much to his added confusion. Sona didn't seem to notice, or she pretended like she didn't. He shook his head and pulled open his book and got to work.

It was a couple of hours in that he noticed something odd. He would admit that he was starting to feel a bit tired that was natural, normal. But the girls around him, if anything, seemed to grow more energetic, lively even as the night came on. With no one else there they spoke freely about what they were finding, passing theories and observations about what might lead them to the Bunker.

A slow picture was beginning to form as Tsubaki took charge of modern research using the internet and local city websites to glean any and all information about the current state of the bunkers they were finding. Reya had produced a map from her backpack, one too long for the backpack's size, but he didn't feel the need to mention that. Though, he was getting more and more interested about the variety of powers he was seeing in passing, the world was a really big place.

It was late when they finished compiling and gathering data, but the girls seemed to thrive on it as their animated voices echoed over the library.

"So, we know one was converted into a house, one was demolished, leaving the one in the woods near the old observatory and the one under Tora Park," Sona listed off her fingers.

"What do we do next?" Ichigo asked.

"This issue is one that started in our school and could have hurt my people," Sona's voice was frost coated. "We will deal with it." Her eyes seemed to glow, "Tonight in fact, with luck they might not be there at all."

There was no thought of delay, the essence of resolve coloring her voice and her body language. He let out a breath, having temporarily forgotten to breathe as he was captivated by how beautiful Sona looked at that moment.

She pulled out her phone and ordered, "Get ready," there was a pause as she glanced at him and blinked, as if she'd forgotten something. Not that he was there but that he was different. It was only for a moment, and she smiled, "Let's get going, the rest will meet us at the park."

They all stood, and he watched their backs straighten and their body language shift at her tone. Ichigo noticed that they had done things like this before.

---

San, Gin, Mizore, Saji and Kurumu were waiting for them when they arrived. Each had their serious face on, Saji didn't even seem to mind Ichigo's presence, such was his focus. Sona had been on the phone for the whole walk and the five seemed to know what was going on.

"Since we got here first," Saji spoke up as they approached, "we went ahead and found the entrance, though we made sure to maintain our distance so that we weren't detected."

"Well, done," Sona replied and gestured him to lead the way.

Saji glowed under the praise and motioned with his hand. They all went down the sidewalks for a short way, it was the path Ichigo himself had walked many times over the past two weeks. Then, they turned off the path and Saji led them down a slightly worn trail into the forest, just barely visible if you were standing on it.

With every step something like background noise seemed to buzz in his head, an unpleasant sensation that grew with every step. From his spot in the group, he saw nothing of it on the faces of the others, and as they moved, he began to feel something very much like dread build in him. Between the noise and the sensation, it was enough to make him flee if he hadn't known one thing. That the feelings were not his, he knew his own dread and that was not it. Dread was lying in a pool of your own blood as you helplessly watched the woman that you owed everything being taken away to be executed. No, the dread that was currently hitting him was not his.

It was too fake.

Ichigo almost didn't realize they stopped; the buzzing was so loud. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see a concerned Tsubasa.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

Ichigo winced at the thought of how much was showing on his face but nodded. She looked like she was about to say something when Sona made a sound. They both glanced over at their leader as she approached the door to the bunker, it was a metal thing wedged into the side of a hill. The metal was covered in markings which seemed to be an inordinate number of spray-painted graffiti of pentagrams. Sona was glaring at the door like it had insulted her. She glanced back to him, seeming to read his discomfort and turned back to the door. She waved her hand and it turned into a stretch at the last second, but the buzzing vanished, and the dread disappeared.

Ichigo only noticed because he had been looking, but several of the pentagrams looked to have had their paint smeared. Sona raised her hand to her ear and though nothing seemed to happen Tsubasa stiffened and took a step next to him. Her look was one of wariness, that spoke of a readiness for combat. He rolled his shoulders and surreptitiously began to stretch his limbs.

Reya walked forward to stand beside her Kaichou staring at the door as well, "Hmm, they might have left it unlocked." After a moment she walked forward and put her palm on one of the bigger pentagrams, smearing it and he'd swear there was a spark.

Reya heaved on the door, which opened with little sound, the gears on the inside glistening with grease, something that would have spoken of recent activity. Behind the door was a long concrete staircase going down almost twenty feet into a lightly red-tinted gloom. The sound of some sort of electronic music echoed from within.

Sona took the head of the group with the others falling in front and behind him, putting him firmly in the middle. He didn't think that was an accident as they made their way down the stairs, the door was silently closed by Gin and it left the stairs in darkness, with only the dim red lights of the tunnel to guide them down. All around him the members of the student council quieted and slowed their breathing. Despite there being nine of them, they hardly made more noise than one person. Under the cover of the music, that steadily grew louder, that noise went unnoticed.

Under the red lights Ichigo began to see lines of wiring and more drawings in the walls, lots of it. He could make nothing of what kind of markings they were, though the symbols seemed deliberate and had a pattern to them but that was all he could tell. Each one he saw was painstakingly drawn into the walls and the curved ceilings. He also noticed both Sona and Reya were at certain points in in certain places smudging the symbols. The paint was dry but where they touched it, they ran like water, there was a pattern to that too.

The music faded suddenly, and a voice echoed down the tunnel, "All right, all right everyone! I need quiet, my show is coming on."

They walked about a dozen more feet before a new song echoed through the bunker. "It's time for Miracles!" sang a voice followed by an instrument. Sona almost tripped mid stride as a familiar voice echoed down the halls. "Miracle Levia-Tan!" Ichigo recognized Serafall as her voice erupted into song, her theme song he would guess.

The lighting changed to more normal colors as the space opened onto a rather large circular room, fully lit by dozens of lights. The floor was layered with crisscrossing lines of wires and cables. The origins of such seemed to be two of the rooms connected to the central room which glowed a dull red. Cots and beanbag chairs were scattered haphazardly throughout the room, two of which were occupied by high schoolers. The far side of the room was host to a line of computers and desks, most of which had someone in them.

On the wall opposite from the hallway was a high end sixty-inch plasma screen tv. It however was connected to something very odd. Gold wiring had been wrapped around its sides, not going over the screen but certainly over the back. Each side of the television had a hole bored through it and a band of black rope covered in more of that lettering stretched from the holes. The ends of the rope were unwound into three strands and had been tied around black stakes hammered into the concrete.

Behind the tv a long copper pole rose up, some of the gold wiring around the tv had been encircled around it as well. At the top of the copper pole a crystal had been set into three sharp prongs sticking out of it and had a faint red glow emanating from within it. To either side of the tv large posters of Sona's sister were taped to the walls. They also had symbols drawn on them that seemed to raise Sona's hackles just a little.

He recognized all the people he saw there, each and every one of them was a member of the Kuoh Academy's high school computer club. It almost came as a surprise to see that they were not in school uniforms if only because lots of people he knew wore them after school. They were mostly dressed in black ties shirts, black shorts or skirts, a whole lot of earrings and black makeup. The clothing had quite a few pentagrams on them and about a dozen sets of black boots which almost no one was wearing.

"That's it?" Reya asked in shocked voice. "This is what they were doing?"

Sona silenced her with a look and a sharp hand gesture. They filled out into the room and at first no one noticed. That of course couldn't last as they made a very intimidating line in front of the exit.

"Oh no!" a girl shouted, falling out of her cot and scrambling backwards. "Oh shit!"

That got everyone's attention as the girls of the computer club knocked over chairs in their haste to get up and face the intruders. Serafall's voice echoed in the room, "In the name of Love and Justice, cease your evil!"

"Mia Tanaka!" Sona blared out in a voice like hoarfrost.

The girl was already on her feet knocking over the small table that had the remote on it, the device fell, and the screen winked out. "K-Kaichou," she blinked in surprise, "how did you..?"

"Mia Tanaka," Sona said again, "what have you done?"

The girl was small several inches smaller than Sona, she had normal dark hair with pleasing, if sharp features. She wore a black-tie shirt with matching skirt and two ankle length striped socks covered her feet. As her eyes found Ichigo they sharpened into beams of hatred and the quartz crystal hanging around her neck from a black steel chain glowed red as she hissed, "You!"

The other members of her club looked a lot less sure than their leader, "Nothing that concerns you, Kaichou," she answered, eye still locked on Ichigo.

"And the distribution of photos of my fellow students in moments of vulnerability are not my concern?"

One of the other girls spoke up she was a but taller and a bit more heavy set, "T-that was an accident."

"Shut up, Byte!" Mia snarled cowing the other girl with a look.

"Oh, an accident, you say?" Sona said reasonably. "So the blackmail of my friends was an accident?"

No one answered her, thus she continued, "How could you have done this to your classmates?" The frost had left her voice, replaced by a deep disappointment. "Do you understand what you have done? The chaos and heartbreak, the fear you have created among people just trying to learn and grow. Your actions have caused damage to every student you know, every one of them was your classmate."

Several took an uncomfortable step back but Mia didn't seem fazed, "This is not about blackmail, they are never going to be affected by this. If no one had noticed then everyone would have been fine!" she half snarled, the quartz glowed a bit brighter.

"What are you doing then?" Sona demanded, though something was off with her voice, like she already knew why they were doing it. The question lacked the sincerity of her previous ones, like she was only asking it for show.

Mia grinned, "You would not believe how hard it is to get good coverage down her, or down there."

Reya made a sound of disbelief as Saji said, "Wait... this was all over cable?"

Ichigo had no idea what was going on, save for the fact that the computer club teens seemed to be some sort of cult? The only question was a cult of what?

"Anyway," Mia growled, "Get out of here if you know what's good for you. Not only are you trespassing you might just find more than you bargained for."

"What a pointless contract," Sona mused. "I wonder who would want this?"

The words seemed to take Mia aback though they made no sense to Ichigo.

"What do you know Kaichou, with your fancy house, fancy limo, lording above us all on your throne? The least you could do is show us peasants some skin." Mia licked her lips, "You do look really good after all, with so many busty girls here you seem petite by comparison. Quite fetching really."

Ichigo felt the anger all around him as every member of the student council shifted, every eye locked on Mia. Both Tsubasa and Gin had their teeth bared and growls building in their throats. San and Kurumu had lost all semblance of kindness. Saji's fists were clenched and his breathing heavy. Mizore had a heated glare that was the complete antithesis of her usually cold and detached demeanor. Even Tsubaki had raised her hand to her glasses, the light flare hiding the enraged orbs that were her eyes.

Only Sona seemed unaffected as she replied, "You traded your fellow classmates' bodies and dignity for personal gain." She took a threatening step forward. "I don't know who you have given them too, but I can promise you that I will find them and they will pay."

That got a laugh from Mia, "You, a high school girl taking on Lady Paimon?" they laughter spread from her to the rest of her group. "That would be a sight."

"And now things make more sense," Sona mused, and Ichigo wondered if she realized she'd said that aloud.

"Do have any idea what is out there, Kaichou?" Mia made the word sound like an insult. "How big this world really is? How much is one small school worth, really? A couple hundred girls had their ass photographed, so what? This world has monsters in it, horrors and chaos like you wouldn't believe."

Mia leaned forward to empathize her point, "Humans are bad, really bad but the things out there can be so much worse. You think that your disappointment effects me, when I, through hard work and sacrifice have made it so that my friends and family are safe, protected and comfortable." She shook her head, "Why should I care what someone wants to do with some nudie pics when it buys me what I want?"

Mia's quartz grew ever brighter.

Sona shook her head in disappointment, "This world is much better than it could be child." She said the word with such contempt that it rocked the computer club leader back, "You don't know what you're talking about, you have no concept of how bad this world could be. And even if you did, there's no justification for this."

Ichigo couldn't help but nod, wondering if what he knew and what she knew were the same.

"Did you not hear what I said, bitch?" Mia snarled, the word would have sent every single member of the student council at her like a wave of unstoppable fury, but a twitch of Sona's hand kept them from moving. "This world is filled with monsters!," Mia stretched out the last word hysterically. "Things so much bigger than us, than you, than me, than your entire fucking school or these fucking pictures. Morality has no meaning compared to that!"

Sona spared Ichigo a glance filled with emotion and regret before focusing back on the computer club, "Take them," she ordered coldly.

Her student council exploded into motion, so fast that they were blurs to human sight. Gin was almost on top of Mia before she could scream a word when the lights suddenly flashed. Ichigo had encountered weapons that had done that to him before and his body reacted, his eyes slammed shut. The world still flashed red under his eyes and when he opened them, the computer club was on the floor and the student council, while still standing, had been caught by surprise. In front of him Sona rubbed furiously at her eyes.

Ichigo caught a glimpse of Mia as she dived into one of the rooms that glowed red and in a split second decision ran after her. The door began to drop on its own and he dived under it rolling to his feet, passing two generators that seemed to run on red crystal. He followed the footsteps down the dimly lit hall and could hear and feel himself catching up. The girl was not an athlete and to his relief was not superhuman.

He pounded out of an opening into a large room that was as old as the bunker was and looked to have been a storage room if the empty shelves lining the room, was any indicator. The door to the room began to close with the echoing of rusty gears that hurt his ears.

"Oh, thank Piamon, it was you who followed me," Mai breathed out in relief from across the room and had paused in front of a staircase. "You know, I really like Sona-san. She is a lovely girl with only the best in mind, so kind and understanding about your problems. I'd rather run from her as there's no point in hurting such a lovely flower. You on the other hand," her fingers closed around her quartz, "I have no qualms about hurting."

"Oh?" he asked, stepping forward.

"Yes, you ruined everything with pure dumb luck!" she snarled.

He didn't respond, stepping forward.

"I tried again and again to summon that goddess of a woman to this place, the one they call Serafall and stars in the greatest show on and under the earth," her face going red as she kept on ranting. "And it finally worked! I must have done something right for her to be here, in this city." Her teeth were grinding audibly, "But not only do I not know about it, I find her trouncing around with some muscle-bound pig!"

As his foot raised to move forward, he stopped suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Mia opened her hand and quartz dust fell to the ground, red light within suffused her entire body causing a glow to emanate from her very being. A heady scent filled the air as Mia's dark hair began to dance with red power and her eyes glowed like two burning coals.

"Oh, crap," he muttered to himself.

"Well," she mused, raising her hand to look at it, "I don't think I meant to do that," she let out a pleased breath, "but wow, this feels amazing. Is this how monsters feel all the time?"

Ichigo tensed, preparing himself as he had no idea what she had done, but he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was in real danger.

"Hmm, I'm not a murder yet," she glanced at him as one might a gnat, "though I suppose I can always start now," her look gained a sharp, sinister edge, "and some muscle brained bully with far too much luck on his side will do."

There was an explosive movement as she half ran, half stumbled at him, her motions odd, distorted by her own speed. It made sense in its own way as she had no experience with greater than human abilities. Another issue for her was that he was ready, his body sliding his back leg around and twisted out of the way. He swung his closed fist down at empty air, having to trust in his mental calculations and instincts of where she would be.

They were not as good as he would have liked as the blow was supposed to hit the back of her neck to stun her. But Mia was just too fast and it struck her in the back, drawing a shout of pain from her. He hurled himself through the empty space between the shelves just barely avoiding a wild blow that whistled through the air and dented the metal struts it collided with.

Mia pulled back her hand, turning it over to look at it in wonder, "Wow, this is real power."

Her eyes snapped up to him and she gripped the empty shelf and with a snarl of effort tipped it over. He rolled under another shelf and then another as they started to topple like dominos. His back hit the wall at the same time the last shelf slammed into it, held up by the solid concrete. Ichigo regained his feet, hearing the approach of Mia's footsteps and knew fighting there would be foolish as it was too small and cramped. His eyes focused on the open stairway in front of him, he had not realized that his rolling had taken him to where the exit was. Above he could see the smallest fragment of light from a slightly open door.

Ichigo didn't hesitate to dash for the stairs, taking them five at a time, while girlish laughter followed him. He prepared himself for the pain as he slammed into the bunker door with his shoulder. It flew open and even as agony seared his shoulder he could tell at once that it surprisingly wasn't broken.

He was out in the open area around the old bunker and got about five full strides away from the door when a dark shape launched itself out of the shadows within. Mia screamed in joy at her flying leap which took her over him. She landed badly and should have broken her legs with how hard and off-balance she hit the ground, but the girl's red aura just flashed, and some light went out around her ankles.

"This is so amazing," a lot of the anger seemed to have bled away as she marveled at her own power. "I almost feel bad for you."

Thankfully he'd learned the hard way of how to analyze an opponent's every move, to pick up their fighting style and how to react to opponents that were much stronger, faster and skilled than him. So, even as the words left her mouth and she lunged at him, he'd already leapt out of the way before she even left the ground. The girl hurtled past him, rolling clumsily and getting back to her feet. She turned back to face him when he hit her with a flying side kick to her chest with all the peed and power he had.

There was a grunt as she was launched off her feet as despite her increased power her body weight was still negligible. But her power must have done something to her skin as more agony seared up Ichigo's leg in time to throb with his arm. Again, nothing was broken which seemed like pure luck.

"Ouch," Mia laughed, getting to her feet. "That kind of hurt you pig." she was giggling as she rubbed her hand over her chest. "Didn't you ever learn not to hit a girl you brute?"

He didn't reply, merely shifted to a basic defensive karate stance. She ran at him slower this time, no leaping but still faster than humans were capable of. Ichigo had watched her start, had matched her breathing, blocked out all distractions and waited for the right moment to move. Even so, her blow had caught the edge of his shirt and tore it off. His body twisted around, and he used the momentum to launch a punch into the back of her head with all the force he could generate. Mia flew off her feet, slamming into the ground and tumbling until she landed on her back.

This seemed to work better as the air was driven from her lungs and she was dazed. Before she could open her mouth to catch her breath he stomped down on her face, over and over again, the ground cracking slightly underneath her head. Real terror flooded her eyes, one of her hands moved to ward off his attack.

Instinct started screaming at Ichigo that he had to get away from her, so he abandoned his assault and hurled himself back just before a curtain of red fire sprang to life, acting as a barrier between him and her. Even a dozen feet away he could feel the heat of it, the flame burned a bloody red and the smell of sulfur and brimstone cut through the scent of the evening forest like a knife. But the fire made no sound, no crackle or roar. He could see through it somewhat, a shadow rising up in a coughing fit as the figure gasped in the sulfurous air.

The fire died to nothing leaving only a line of blackened grass and dirt. Mia just stared at him in fear, blood dripping from her mouth and nose, which he failed to break, but it still must have hurt. The red light had died all the way up her legs, leaving only her torso, arms and head glowing.

He saw the moment the fear transformed into rage, something dark and fowl which would have swallowed him if it could have. The girl was taking solace from her fear in wrath as red flames erupted from her hands and she screamed, a throaty croaking roar followed by an arc of pure hellfire launched at him.

Ichigo turned and ran, his primal fight or flight instincts pushing his body to its absolute limit, beyond what was safely allowed. Human beings were much stronger and faster when they had to be, their brain releasing the limiters when it deemed it necessary for their survival. Allowing for bursts of tremendous strength capable of hurling thousands of pounds but tearing the muscles to shreds in the process.

He could feel his muscles straining and tearing as he dodged the fire that had hit where he had been standing, spreading like magma, killing grass, blackening soil and heating his lower back and legs to uncomfortable levels. But he'd gotten out of the blast zone and hurled into the forest like a man possessed. He dove to the side into the cover of a large old maple just as a gout of hellfire smashed into its trunk. His arms reddened and bubbled with third degree burns as the heat flowed around the tree-trunk. In the instant after the fire ended he hurled himself from cover and deeper into the dark forest as the maple went up like kindling, the fire devouring the ancient trees like tissue paper.

"Get... back... here!" Mia shouted out hoarsely, still out of breath. She sent several jets of fire with each word and they burned through whatever they hit as if they weren't there. The red glow receding halfway up her belly.

"Kill you!" she snarled, "I will kill you!"

Her whole body ignited and she hurled herself in his general direction. Thankfully she didn't know exactly where he was, otherwise the silent explosion of flame would have killed him instead of just sending him flying off his feet and tumbling into the open. Still he landed hard and badly, something should have broken as he tumbled helplessly.

For a moment as he landed hard against the ground, his full weight on his shoulders and he thought he'd seen a faint blue light shine in his blood veins for an instant. But that could have easily been a trick of the eye as he had hit his head twice in the tumble. He must have passed out for a second or two and blinked his way back to full consciousness, surprised to find himself on his feet.

A good section of the forest was on fire but no sound could be heard from it, only the cracking of tress and the light it produced gave any indication that the forest was ablaze. A figure moved out of the flames. Mia had burned her own clothing up in the inferno and stalked fully naked towards him. The glow had gone from her chest and only her forearms and head maintained the otherworldly power.

Ichigo blinked blearily at the girl, wondering if she noticed that the very ends of her hair were on fire. Though it did not spread to the rest of it, but the rest of the hair she might have had on her body was gone, fed to the silent flame.

"How are you still alive?" she howled as the fires in her hands extended and warped like two whips of pure flame.

They lashed towards him clumsily and, to his surprise, he was still able to move. Deep down in his rational mind the natural fear of fire and death was buried under pure survival. His head ached as he avoided the lash of fire that nearly split him in two. It did catch and melt about six inches into the concrete bunker behind him and burned his skin slightly just from its proximity.

Mia went wild, swinging and wheeling her arms like some demented toy, the fire whip biting into earth, concrete and wood, eating through all with equal abandon. His leg gave out as he was forced to hurl himself into the air and clear a line of fire that would have taken his feet. He landed on it hard and his back slammed into the ground. There was a scream of triumph and a lash of fire came down on him like a sword.

Ichigo could only stare at the blazing lash, his skin reddening as it came close and then, to his relieved surprise, it vanished. He sat up in shock, looking at his would be killer, the red glow had gone from her forearm and hands, only her brow still glowed. To be fair, she looked down at her hands which still blazed with fire in shock as well.

"No, no, no, no," she screamed as she pawed at her head. "The power can't be gone! Not that fast! She said it'd last at least an hour!"

He was certain that the fire must have been draining whatever empowered her much more than just the physical enhancements. He got to his feet, putting weight on his left leg and feeling a bit of pride that it held. Somehow he was still alive, unbroken, mostly due to his opponent's inexperienced and pure dumb luck.

She refocused on him then and charged, blazing hands extended like she was going to choke the life out of him. His frazzled mind noted that she was slow now, or at least not faster than human's should be, not even as fast as peek athletes. Mia swung her hands at him like they were blazing swords and he hardly felt the pain of their proximity as he weaved around her pathetic attacks. He avoided a strike and struck at her elbow with a punch, pain shooting through his hand but Mia screamed in agony.

The fire in that hand went out, sensing weakness he went low, dropping almost to the ground as a sweeping arm of fire passed over his head, and he struck at her kneecap. The blow hit right between the bone and the knee, causing her leg to fall inward. Mia was screaming as she fell, the dying fire in her hand still reaching out for him. He took a risk and came up from the ground with an uppercut with everything he could muster.

Blazing agony flared from the fire that had almost touched his skin as his fist collided with her chin. The blow might have broken her neck but the fire went out and the red light on her brow flowed down to her chin a heartbeat before it met his fist. There was a horrible crack as her head snapped back and the small girl was driven several feet into the air before arcing back down to the ground on her back hard. The red light vanished from her, the forest fire behind him faded with it.

There was a concussion, like an explosion as the metal door was torn off its solid steel hinges and went flying about a dozen feet as Tsubasa Yura came careening out into the evening light. From her stance, it looked like she had shoulder charged the door. He didn't remember it closing but who was he to complain. She was a lot more effective at busting the door open than him, it was almost enough to make him laugh, if he hadn't hurt so bad. Tsubasa stared at the carnage before her, the naked unconscious girl on the ground and at him, who looked like he had been lightly seared on a fire-spit.

Ichigo stumbled and pitched forward as the adrenaline keeping all the pain at bay and on his feet faded. Thankfully Tsubasa made use of her inhuman speed to catch him gently, her arm under his back her other under his legs and lifted him into a princess carry like he weighed nothing.

"Don't worry, we will get you help," Tsubasa exclaimed in panicked worry.

"I'm okay. Nothin broken," he muttered out through the fuzz of his thoughts. "I should have broken something... right?"

"You're in shock," Tsubasa replied.

"Of course he is," Sona agreed as she hurled out of the bunker, the rest of her peerage tow. Ichigo got to see the shock in her expression as she gazed out onto the destruction. "We need to get him to a hospital."

"Right, Kaichou," Tsubasa crisply replied and tensed as if to jump but Sona stopped her.

"No, let me teleport us there."

"I don't think its shock," Ichigo argued. "I just hit my head a few times when she exploded. Oh, that reminds me, make sure I didn't break her neck if you would be so kind. I don't want her to die but given the circumstances I had to use all the force I had in my body."

The throbbing in his head was growing worse, making it harder to think and speak, but the words just kept coming out. "But after that, a hospital sounds nice..." he nearly passed out from the pain of his burns.

Sona was at his side in an instant, a soft loving hand pressed against his cheek. A sensation like cool spring water flowed from that hand and blessed relief flooded his mind.

"You know," Ichigo said weakly, looking into her violet eyes, "that girl was right about one thing; you are beautiful."

Sona went crimson from the tips of her toes to the roots of her gorgeous black hair, her mouth moved but no words came out.

Tsubasa made a sound of annoyance and envy, her arms tightened on him infinitesimally which hurt like hell.

His head turned to her and stated matter-of-factly, "Relax, you're beautiful too... the number of icy showers I had to take because you prove it..." His head falling onto her shoulder, "Thanks for holding me by the way. I feel safe and secure..." Slowly blackness began to encroach on his vision as the girl holding him turned as red as her Kaichou.

Then he surrendered to blackness, the pain fading as he fell into unconsciousness.

---

Hell was not as bad as it was made out to be, it was simply another place to live if you were in the right sort. Perhaps, in the beginning, there had been more focus on the 'sinners hell' aspect, but now a days the truly evil souls went to Hades or several other places that still acted as a hell. Of course there were exceptions to that rule; souls of mortals who had pissed off someone in the Seventy-Two families but thankfully Stephan was not counted as one of them.

He nodded at the cook as he received the platter containing Lady Paimon's meal for the evening. It was covered, naturally, not even the smell of the amazing delicacy seeping out. Five hundred years ago he might have looked, four hundred he might have been curious, three hundred had a passing interest. Now a days it was little more than part of his many jobs as a minor butler of the House Paimon.

He'd sold his soul to Piamon after she'd taken him to bed, her odd beauty of blue skin, sweptback horns and a tail had enraptured him at the time. She had needled out the vengeance he had wanted for his family against the Royal family of his home country. She delivered on her promise and his soul became hers. He'd lived out the rest of his short life as a wandering peasant and his soul had gone to her, his Lady, his owner for all eternity or at least as long as devils lived, which was damn near close.

He still remembered waking up, his soul placed in the manufactured body of flesh and bone he now inhabited. She had been the first thing he had seen upon awakening and he had declared that he was in heaven. The Lady had hardly looked at him and didn't seem to even acknowledge the words.

It had taken years of rather unpleasant training by her household staff to make him understand his place, to make sure he knew that, while a fresh mortal with an unclaimed soul was worth a roll in the hay, a claimed soul, who was destined to be nothing more than a servitor was not worth the Lady's notice. She had conquered him and moved on to bigger and better things. It had been about three centuries before he had stopped hating her for that and only because he had grown tired of doing so.

Stephan knocked on his Lady's door three times and waited. "Enter," her smooth voice commanded. She did not turn to look at him, her crimson robe draped over her like a blanket. He approached, each step perfect, no movement wasted. His lady was on her computer, a recent invention he was given to understand and one that she had made great use of, apparently. He set her meal down beside her catching a glimpse of what she was doing, pictures flickered as she moved her hands and fingers. Boys and girls from a foreign place were in various states of nudity, seemingly unaware. Lady Paimon's eyes were wide and focused, her tongue tracing her lips. He refrained from rolling his eyes, over the centuries his lady's marks for partners and possible contracts had gotten progressively younger. Still, it was not his place, so he turned around in a quick and efficient motion and stopped.

A girl was smiling at him and with a elegant foot, kicked the door closed loud enough to draw his Lady's attention. He didn't know her, but perhaps she was some new playmate of his Lady? No, that did not seem right, her clothing was far too pink. A top of pink and white that didn't cover her belly, a skirt of pink and white that came down to just above her black and pink stockings. Her dark hair and violet eyes were lovely but she was not the sort of person Lady Paimon played with.

"You have-" Paimon started to say turning, only for her voice to die on her lips and her eyes grew wide, ...have..." she tried to speak quieter. She stood straightening her robe and pulling it over her open chest. "Lady Serafall," her voice was just a tad high pitched.

Stephan blinked at that, taking another look at the girl. He knew the name Serafall only through his lady's rants about the 'Upstart Tart'. To see his Lady be so polite was odd. He took a step to the side and moved to get around the girl and out of the room as he had no place in their conversation.

However, the girl lifted one finger in a negligent fashion, "Stay," she commanded, and his feet were frozen to the ground, reinforcing her order.

Oddly enough, the ice did not feel freezing and he nodded, bowing at the waist to the girl, "As you wish." The finger lowered and the ice vanished.

"If I had known you were coming, Lady Serafall, I would have been in a much more dignified state." Lady Paimon said as she gestured to herself.

"Well, sneaking in here was kind of the point, so I would have been insulted if you had been ready."

Stephan didn't try to leave the room but he did take as many steps back as he could until his back was pressed against the wall. He had no idea what the girl was doing, if Lady Paimon got mad, well, no one would hear it, as such was her family's power. A crimson flame that burned silently, drowning out the victim's last sounds in a crushing nothingness. He had only seen it once, on an assassin that had killed several of his fellow staff who had sold their lives to buy her the moment she needed to defend herself. They had been lucky, several servants allowed to pass on due to their heroism. He had once envied them and wondered what was next, seeing as he'd already died once before.

"I see, my lady," Paimon bowed to the girl and Stephan's eyebrows tried to climb off his face. He could count on one hand the number of people he had seen her do that to, much less a girl she had been deriding just last night in a drunken rant.

"Now," the girl clasped her hands together, "you might be wondering why I have called you here today, and yes, it is going to involve an offer you can't refuse." She looked at them both, smiling wide as Paimon looked aghast and she affixed Lady Paimon with a hard stare at odds with the smile. "There are matters we need to discuss."

"I... see," his lady muttered, "well, then, Lady Serafall could you grant me a moment to freshen up and become decent. I could have the staff pull together some lovely trifles while you wait."

"Nah," she replied nonchalantly. "I had some on the set of my next episode, Meat lover supreme." She grinned at Paimon, "Though, from what I have hear, you might have a different take on that phrase."

The lady's smile cracked a little, "Oh, and pray tell who would whisper that?" she asked politely.

Serafall rolled her shoulders, "Oh, you know, everyone. Kind of like what you do when they aren't watching you." She shook her head, "You people are so mean to each other, it's like watching cats with their tails tied together."

Lady Paimon visibly reigned in a flare of wrath that burned her eyes scarlet. "Well, that is an astute observation, Lady Serafall."

Stephan noted that the young lady gave no sign she had noticed Paimon's anger.

"It is," Serafall agreed cheerily. "Three quarters of my job is making sure you people don't kill each other in their sleep. I mean, honestly, why does a diplomat have to worry about her own people more than the foreign dignitaries she is negotiating with?" she sighed, the cheeriness falling away. "But, that is not what I came here to talk to you about."

"The offer I can't refuse?" Lady Paimon asked, the barest hint of acid in her voice.

"Ah, yes, you see Paimon, you have been a very naughty girl," she made a clicking noise. "Now, I know for a fact that I and the other Maou made it quite clear to the Seventy-Two families that there is one particular town, in one particular country, where their loved ones are getting an education that everyone was to leave alone. No deals, no going there, no power games, no politics, we even gave you all concessions for it."

Serafall's eyes became icy cold and her smile turned sharp.

Paimon paled slightly, which was hard to see on her blue skin, but he had been around awhile so he could see the signs. "I do not know what you are talking about. I have not set one foot within a hundred miles of the place. I have not spoken any words to any mortal there, nor sent any supernatural creature." She raised her hand as though giving an oath. "I have not broken the accord the Seventy-Two families made with the Maou."

Serafall sighed, "The pictures behind you suggest otherwise."

Paimon glanced at her computer and hesitated.

"A bunch of kids get ahold of some high grade magical gear," Serafall continued, taking a step forward, the smile never leaving her face but her violet eyes reflexed a never-ending artic gale. "Underworld cable, demon powered generators, the ward rituals of Karaznva, your grandmother, and of course, " she pulled out a bag and tossed it at Paimon who caught it out of reflex, "one crystal filled with your power that was used against my sister's peerage. Though it is dust now, your magic is all over it and the silent flames are a dead giveaway."

"I could repeat all the words I have said to you, and point out that nothing in that agreement spoke of items, nor did I have any words with any mortals there, you have my word."

"Not words," Serafall agreed, Stephan noted the room growing colder as she took another step closer. "But, you see, I consider emails and texts as forms of speaking."

"You did not specify that Lady Serafall," Paimon said the name like an insult. "I suggest you be clearer in your meaning next time."

Stephan felt that this was the worst time for his lady to lose her temper, but he could see the fire starting to build in her eyes.

"You cannot come into my home and accuse me like this," Paimon snarled. "You know our ways, Lady Serafall. We are creatures of pacts, promises and deals. If a Maou has trouble with the fact loopholes exist, I would question your upbringing."

Serafall took a breath, an inhale of air and an exhale of frost. "That is how it has always been," she lamented. "Since the great Maou ruled alone, we have lived with our politics in a cycle of stagnation. Surely you see that," Serafall waved a hand at the computer behind Lady Paimon. "You alone of many in the Seventy-Two have kept up with mortal advancement. How can you not see this?"

Paimon sneered, her expression of one that thought she sensed weakness, "That is who we are, Maou. We are devils, we tempt, we scheme, and we gain power as we always have, perfecting it over the millennia. It is not stagnation; it is merely the great art made manifest."

Serafall shook her head, "That art has led us through a dozen civil wars, millions of deaths and so much of our history lost."

"What was lost is of no worth," Paimon said dismissively.

"And that is where we disagree, but that is a conversation for another time. I brought that up to see if you would get my point." The room stilled as Paimon blinked in confusion. "What in the underworld do you think I, Sirzechs, Falbium and Ajuka sought to change?"

The question was quiet, innocent, and gentle. The wave of her hand was not. Power filled the room, an oppressive cold matched by a will that would shake the heavens. Crimson flame leapt and died under the cold, his lady's power nothing before the Maou. Stephan knew that he only remained alive because the Maou before him willed it so. A snap-freeze had coated much of the room, though it had ignored the computer area. Paimon was slammed against and frozen to one of the room's walls, only her head free of diamond-hard ice.

Her anger died as swiftly as her fire had and only terror remained. Serafall gently raised her hand and grasped his Lady by her chin.

"I am Serafall Leviathan," she coldly stated. "I am one of the four great Maou. It was I, and my friends who fought and won our titles by power and skill at arms. We are different, we do not care for how things have always been."

It was then he noticed that the Lady Serafall was floating at eye level with Piamon, the raw power flowing off her holding her in the air.

"We who watched our friends die, slaughtered by every horror you and the Seventy-Two families could unleash. It was we who fought and won, we who earned this place, we who rule!" The last word Serafall spoke was so forceful that it cracked the wood. "Do not think for one moment we do not know that if any of you could, you would take us down. You would kill our loved ones and erase us from history. Do not ever think we don't know!"

Paimon whimpered as Serafall's hand tightened, "We are trying with everything we have to make something that will not fall into another civil war in a hundred years. We are trying to rebuild what we lost in the Great War. Whereas you and yours scheme and plot, holding so much importance on your inbred blood that you can't see you're dying out and we are trying to stop it."

She let go of Paimon, whose head slumped forward, tears of fear streaming down her face. Serafall moved to the computer and found the file she was looking for.

"Pictures of my sister," she said. "Nothing you were going to blackmail me with of course, you're far too cunning for that. But in a few centuries, it might have been nice to have as my baby sister's star rises."

She copied the file, took out the flash drive and with a wave of her hand the computer froze and with a negligent flick of her wrist, it shattered apart.

"So much pain for such a small thing," she commented, walking back over to his lady. "You know, everything I have is telling me to kill you for threatening my sister's future. It would not be hard, I am a Maou after all, and no one would dare question it. Sure, there would be complaints but well you know how it would go."

"No," Paimon whispered in terror. "Please, no."

"I did make it clear to everyone in the underworld what would happen if my sister or family was threatened. I was painfully specific about what I would do."

Paimon shuddered in terror, trapped like a fly in honey. Helpless, for all her power, before the Leviathan Maou.

"But I am truly sick of bloodshed," Serafall sighed, her shoulders seemed to sag under a vast weight only she could feel. "Sick of killing. I have had enough to last me my whole life and more. So, Lady Paimon, I offer you a deal." She forced her captive's head up and their eyes met. "You will swear yourself and your family to me, my goals will become your goals, your resources become my resources. You and yours will serve me until the day I die, and you will help me fix this mess the Seventy-Two have made for themselves. You and yours will be mine and in return I will not kill you."

She sighed and laughed.

"I know I just told you that I have had my fill of killing," she said as hundreds of razor-sharp shards if ice appeared from thin air, "but make no mistake, I will Paimon. It has been a long time since I have been what anyone would call a merciful person and even longer since I have been a good one."

She let go of the head in her grasp and asked in a tone that reverberated with the grave. "What is your decision?"

Paimon just nodded, the diamond ice melted into water and Stephan watched his lady slide to the floor. She took a moment to get to her knees, though she made no effort to rise. Her hand opened, revealing a black King Piece.

"Say it," Serafall ordered, her voice empty of any mirth.

"I-I," his lady started before finding her voice, "I swear that I, and mine, will serve you. You will be as our king; we your peerage will follow you in all things and serve your house until the end of the world."

Serafall took the king piece and her symbol branded itself onto it, she looked down at her newest vassal, eyes cold.

When she spoke, her voice was that of a command, a King's command, "You and yours will follow that pact, both in spirit and in the letter. So, say I, as your King and should you ever break this bond you will die, your heart will stop, your brain will cease, and you will tear out your own heart."

The sensation of command left her voice, and she reached down, pulling Paimon up to her level. "Also, for the last time I will tell you this and make sure everyone knows. DO NOT FUCK WITH MY BABY SISTER!"

The words were shocking not because of their content but for the simple fact that it was the only time Stephan had heard the Maou raise her voice. The Lady dropped her vassal to the soaked carpet.

"Have a good day," she said and turned around, leaving as if nothing had happened.

Stephan waited a few moments to see if he was allowed to move, but when he did, no ice sprang forth to take him. He allowed himself a few more moments to recover before moving to the closet and then over to his lady with several towels. He called in a trembling maid and had her ready Lady Piamon's bath and her masseuse. It seemed like a night she would need one. His Lady didn't do much as he handled her, lifting her out of the water and escorting her down to her bath chamber.

He left her in the maid's capable hands and retreated to his small servant's room where he sat down and let his body tremble, his head sweat, and nausea take its course. The only coherent thought he would remember for that night was that things were changing, and he was not sure how to feel about that.

---

Serafall's office door swung open in an arctic gale, papers went flying as the Maou stalked into the room, her fists clenched, her breath coming in gasps. Her eyes snapped to the room's sole inhabitant. Beli-chan had decided on blond hair today and a voluptuous body wrapped in a grey professional women's business suit, complete with glasses she didn't need, but knew her King enjoyed the full office secretary look.

She didn't care right now, though as she forced out lightness into her voice, "I told everyone they had the day off."

Beli gave her an unyielding look, "And I have been your Queen for long enough to know when my King is in need of support."

"I'm fine."

"No, Serafall, you are most certainly not," Beli refuted.

Arctic power burned in her belly, making the air snap and crackle, boiling like the cauldron of emotions in her gut. The self-loathing, the anger, and the fear all burned like hellfire, tinting her voice, "Get out, I need to be alone."

"No," Beli said, walking over to her.

"I need time," Serafall snarled. "Time to myself, leave."

Beli didn't answer and for a brief moment Serafall hated the knowing gaze that seemed to pierce her very soul. The eyes that saw her as the damaged goods that she was, saw the things she was capable of doing. She watched her Queen walk forward, unafraid.

"Get back!" she shouted with the full force of her King's command backed by her enormous power.

Of course, it didn't work, Beli was far too strong as a Behemoth, a creature of power and might that had swum the Earth when creation had merely been water. The mere command of the King did nothing to her, and she moved closer unimpeded.

"Go AWAY!" Serafall screamed and her power went out of control, razor sharp, jagged ice exploded from her desk, walls, books and the papers.

Everything was shredded apart.

Yet, Beli walked through it like it was a light breeze, the ice shredding every bit of her clothing exposing the soft looking flesh beneath. Of course looks were deceiving as the razor-edged ice shattered or simply deflected off her skin. Some dim part of Serafall's mind reminder her that was because no matter what form Beli took her skin was the same as her original body. Beli's expression never changed, calm, kind and loving. It was that last part that hurt the most, tears of pain froze to ice as her rage faded before that crushing hurt.

The Maou would have fallen to her knees had Beli not caught her and wrapped her arms around her King's body, pulling her into her warmth.

"Beli-chan," Serafall whimpered.

"Shh," her queen whispered, "it's okay."

"No," she whimpered back, "no, it's not."

The Behemoth let out a sigh and a pressure like that of the ocean's deepest depths flared. All around the room everything started to put itself back together. A small part of Serafall was touched at the attention to detail, everything she had just destroyed was reformed perfectly, down to the smallest scrap of paper. Beli moved her bodily, a motion she didn't have the heart to resist as her Queen pulled her against her ample chest.

"I threatened a whole family," Serafall whispered. "I outright told Paimon that I would kill them all if she didn't do as I said." Her breathing quickened, an unbidden memory rising.

She remembered the first Leviathan threatened similar to her and her family. To enslave and use the Sitri family upon her obedience or annihilate them all. The taunting, vile cruelty of the man had snapped something inside that day, and she'd killed him, taking his mantle as the Leviathan Maou and joined Sirzechs, Falbium and Ajuka in leading their side in the war.

"I killed the person who did that to me," Serafall whispered to her Queen. "I tore his throat out with my bare hands and watched the light die in his eyes." Hot fury touched the hurt in her chest, only making it burn more.

"As I would have," Beli replied, "had anyone threatened you or the rest of the peerage."

"But I did the same thing," Serafall whimpered, pulling herself into the soft body that held her. "I was the monster holding her family's fate in my hand. The only difference was that unlike me, she didn't have the power to do anything about it." Her breathing shallowed, "I'm a monster."

"Some part of you, yes, " Beli agreed. "Just as a part of me is capable of monstrous things, there is that part in all of us. Though, I would argue that how we use that differs. Paimon would have used her leverage over your sister, you know that. Had she succeeded others would have seen your sibling as a target, so you acted, as was your right."

"As a Maou?"

"No," Beli gently moved her hand through her King's hair. "As an older sister."

"I don't," she started.

"Enough young one," the Behemoth said. "You are no monster; I say and dare you to prove me wrong." Beli turned her King's head, tilting it with her gentle hand so that she was looking her Queen in the eye. "I see in you the same person that I saw when I took your Queen piece, when I chose to serve you for the rest of my days."

"What did you see that day?" Serafall asked in the same quiet whisper she'd been using for a while now.

"A girl who led a revolution for the sake of love and a better future. I saw the scars you carry, your anger, your wrath and your unflinching will. I saw love for your family and friends. I saw how far you were willing to go for them, the people you love. I saw the woman who became my friend, the girl you still are, carrying the burden of a whole people upon your willing shoulders."

Beli bent down so that her blond hair shrouded her King's face so that for a moment only they could see each other.

"And I decided to stand by that woman and to hold her whenever she needed it. As is had been every time when you have needed to break down, to let go, I have been there. As when the time comes again, I will always be there. To remind you of your better nature, to make sure you know that you are not a monster. You only went against your morals for the sake of your family. It's only when the ones we love are threatened that we know what lines we will cross and what lines we will keep, and there is no shame in that."

"I don't want that to be who I am," Serafall replied. "I don't want to do that."

"Then, my King," Beli supplied with a smile, "do as you have always done. Compromise, delegate, work with, meet befriend and take care of your people. Sometimes the carrot is not enough, and the stick is required."

"I would have killed her," Serafall admitted, "but I don't think I could have brought myself to kill them all."

"I know."

Serafall wept into chest and Beli pulled her tight against her sturdy body. "Let it all out. No one can hear us here and one will disturb us. Just let it all out, you'll feel better in the morning, at which you will go see your sister."

Beli kissed her King on the forehead, just like her mother had done when she was little before continuing, "To remind you of what you truly are, before you were a Maou, before you were my King you are Serafall and you have a lot of people who love you just the way you are, faults, cracks, scars and all."

She held Serafall there all night, letting it pass into silence and sleep while she watched over her King, a guardian against any that might move against her. Beli might not have looked like much of threat, naked in a body of soft curves and luscious shape but her eyes gave it away. Even the weakest of senses would have told anyone looking into them that she was a creature of power.

Of course, no one came in her King's moment of weakness as the few but powerful members of her peerage stood guard all around the building. They understood what was happening, they all loved her as much as Beli herself. The scars of two horrific wars, the burden of a people that seemed determined to throw itself into ruin, the weight of keeping the other factions from striking out at the weakened Devils and more were placed on Serafall's shoulders. Her King, her friend, bore it all without complaint, neither shirking her duty nor protesting the responsibility. They would all forgive her a moment of weakness, a moment to break down and let her true self be free, even for just a night. It was enough and they would have done more if they could.

Beli's eyes traced over the pictures on the desk, there were only three and they had been the only things not destroyed in Serafall's brief loss of control. Some part of her will had refused to touch them. One was of her whole family together smiling, another of her sister dressed in her school uniform and staring at the camera primly and properly. The third was a new one, a very recent addition of her and an orange-haired boy eating ice cream.

That had to mean something, the fact that she had put it on her desk. Beli made a mental note to study up on that boy. Should anything start to come of it, well, then he'd need to be vetted thoroughly. Before anything else in all of existence, her King's safety was paramount.

---

Darkness... Ichigo found himself laying upon the ground shrouded by darkness. He could just make out the outlines of buildings that reached ever skyward, vanishing into obscurity. He could not speak; he could not move or even summon the will to try. He felt broken, weak and helpless in the dark place of shattered dreams.

Just on the horizon he could feel the vague sensation of pain. Not enough to know what the pain was or why it was there, like it was waiting for him to move to meet it.

His eyes snapped towards a small star bursting to life far above him, its wan light blazing in defiance of the shadows. The small star grew brighter, though no larger. He tracked its progress and some dim part of his mind realized that it was heading right for him.

On and on it fell, its light casting back the shadows in its wake. He could see the blue of the buildings that had once dotted his inner world and almost hear the ever-present wind that had once been.

On and on the star fell, closer and closer as he watched it dispassionately as it looked like it was about to slam onto him. When it did, he was not expecting the sensation of a single raindrop. The sound it made when it hit his forehead was impossibly loud, echoing and reverberating throughout his shattered soul like glass.

---

Sona carefully moved away from the sleeping orange-haired young man, putting the stopper back on the now empty bottle. It said something about the phoenix tears that the vial that carried them was worth something to human mages seeking to study its effects. There were some that would have decried its use on a simple human, the doctor having said that Ichigo might make a full recovery. Her mouth twitched. Well, that had been unacceptable, especially after she had been the reason he was in such a state. Sona stayed by his side until the burns faded and his breathing returned to normal.

Once that was assured, she got to her feet, wove a ward of protection into the room, just in case, and left. Her peerage was waiting for her as she had told them to. It was very, very late, though given the fact that they were devils and energized by the night, well, it was a handy quirk of the evolution of her race. She paused at the door to give her people one more once over to make sure they weren't hiding any injures. Naturally, a bunch of stunned high school students were no match for her family, the only one that would have posed them any threat had not engaged them.

Tsubasa and surprisingly Mizore looked up at her, their faces drawn in concern. Sona didn't know why Mizore seemed so concerned and why that seemed to bother her.

"He is fine," Sona preempted them both. "The tear did and is still doing its work." She moved to sit down at her chair where she could look over all of them. "Tsubaki, Reya, how goes the cover up?"

"Mia was not harmed very much by her battle with Kurosaki-san, just a good bruise on her chin and neck. Whatever power protected her did its work well," Tsubaki started to inform her Kaichou. "She and the other members of her cult have had their minds wiped of any memories of the supernatural. They think that they have been secretly recording their fellow students over the years as part of a blackmailing ring to extort money from the wealthy heiresses that go here."

Sona nodded her agreement of the action.

Reya continued, "Naturally, since we will be keeping an eye on them, I have bugged their electronic devices and have a few Arcane Eye's watching their houses. The altered facts have been reported to the Academy's board of directors and the computer club members should be officially expelled by tomorrow morning."

"Did you account for Mia's minor gift?" Sona asked.

"Yes Kaichou, the spell is well versed, and her talent did not lie in perception," Reya answered.

Mia's minor gift had allowed her to persuade people better. Not by much, but she had charisma, so it went a long way to bringing people along with her decent into darkness. It was a shame that the rest of the club members were being punished with Mia, but it had to be done to sell the cover-up, too many were aware of the cameras and the leaked photos.

"However," Reya added, "I was unable to find any other magical items or figure out where it came from, even the dust was gone."

Sona shook her head, "I took the dust and gave it to my sister. As for the origins, well, with Mia's mention of Lady Paimon and the flames make it easy to guess."

"What about the flames, Kaichou?" Saji asked, brow furrowed.

"Did you notice anything strange about it?" she asked, looking over her entire peerage.

Tsubasa frowned but shook her head, she'd been paying more attention to the boy in her arms than her surroundings.

San held up her notepad: The fire made no noise.

"Yes," Sona replied and explained, "the Silent Flame of Chaos. A fire that makes no noise and is harder to put out than normal hellfire, but beyond that its name is far more impressive than it is powerful. That ability however is one possessed by the family of Ruindurge who are led currently by the forementioned Lady Paimon. They are one of the Seventy-Two houses."

There was a sharp intake of breath from each one, eyes flickering with uncertainty. None of her peerage wanted to be part of a house conflict so early in their lives as devils. Not that she blamed them, and in fact, she agreed with them.

"Don't worry," Sona tried to soothe their concerns, "such an action broke several agreements the Maou had made with the houses as a whole. I sent my sister the evidence and expect some form of court proceeding on the matter soon. We might be called up to bear witness, but nothing more, this I promise."

Tsubaki cleared her throat, "My King, while I do not wish to be the one to bring this up, there is an elephant in the room we need to deal with." Sona nodded, but she had to suppress a grimace. "We have dealt with the Computer Club, the city, the emergency services and even the parents. However," she glanced in the direction Kurosaki's room lay, "what do we do about him?"

Sona leaned back, closing her eyes, "This is a good point, Tsubaki-san. What do you, my peerage think on the matter?"

Saji shifted uncomfortably as he gave his opinion on the matter, "We have done the mind thing to everyone else; it would make sense to... finish it." He winced, waiting for some glare or reproach but found none.

Tsubaki nodded her agreement, "That would be the most prudent course of action."

San, Gin and Kurumu shook their heads, indicating they wanted no part in the discussion, or they just had no opinion on the matter.

"He beat her," Tsubasa pointed out, bringing a fresh round of silence. "He fought an opponent who was at least in the upper tier of power among lower class devils."

Sona replayed the scene of destruction in her mind, the burns, the words, the destruction and Kurosaki-san standing over the girl.

"Kaichou?" Mizore spoke up.

"Sona glanced over at the girl, "Yes?"

"How many points is he worth?" the ice maiden asked. "Can't you just reincarnate him?"

Most of the peerage perked up at that question, save Saji, who flicked Mizore an annoyed glance. Sona pondered the question, wondering if it would be wise to answer or stay silent.

"Eight," Sona finally answered.

Silence followed at the surprise of that value.

"What?" Gin asked. "I figured he was tougher than he looked but I figure he was worth around two or three points at most. How is he that valuable?"

"Yes, he is worth eight," Sona confirmed. "Eight for me, eight for Rias and eight for my sister. It seems not to matter who it is, his worth is eight."

Reya tilted her head, "That's not how the power system of the evil pieces work."

"No," Sona agreed, "it's not. Furthermore, I don't know why he is worth that much, Gin-san."

"Sacred Gear?" Mizore asked.

"He doesn't have one," Sona answered.

"Magic?" Kurumu supplied.

"He has no magical power," Sona replied again.

"Potential?" Tsubasa guessed.

"That might be the case, but potential that large in a human should have some form of manifestation, and while he is very smart, he is not a genius." Sona shrugged her shoulders. "Right now, it does not matter, his point value is too high as I don't have enough points in the same category to spend."

"What about Rias-san?" Mizore asked. "Her peerage is still rather small."

"She already has eyes on Tsukune Hyoudou-san who's worth is also eight," Sona explained, "and unlike Ichigo-san, we know why. Hyoudou-san has a Sacred Gear and she can't afford two eight pieces. It's better to go after the known quantity than the unknown, I really wish I knew why he was worth so much."

Mizore and Tsubasa's faces fell at the news, even though they'd prefer Ichigo to join their peerage it'd still be nice if he was a part of the supernatural world and he'd be close.

"I might be able to answer that question for you," Ichigo's voice broke the silence.

---

"Father, what is this?" the boy asked, crouching, hands on his knees, watching a small creature claw its way along the ground.

The man standing above him had a smile on his face, gentle eyes looking down upon the clawed creature poking its long nose into the cool air. The boy had his father's hair color, black as midnight, though it was long enough to reach the top of his back. His brown eyes seemed to shimmer in the light as he waited for his father's answer. The man had very short black hair, he moved with a hesitance as if in pain and his eyes were the same shade of brown as the boy below him.

"That is a badger mole," the man answered, his voice was one of tired happiness that seemed at odds with his youthful appearance. "It is a creature from the lower realm," the smile faded somewhat, "back when the paths were open, and the void had no shape."

The boy didn't seem to notice the man's strength or words and picked up the badger mole, the creature not seeming to mind, even nuzzling the boy, getting a burst of laughter. Ichigo felt odd in this space as he floated above the scene. It was the oddest dream he had ever had, as it was a simple domestic moment of a life he had never lived.

The scene fell away, and he stood in a room, empty, cold stone that had not seen life in ages. He looked around, surprised he could move his body until his eyes fell upon a throne of blue stone upon which sat a living shadow. It was an odd, disconcerting thing with no defined shape, though its height was that of a man while seated.

The mass shifted as if it could feel his eyes on it and two brown eyes opened at the top of the mass, lancing through him like spears. Ichigo's breath froze as a voice came from the mass, a strong voice, one that carried and rebounded through the room.

"This is unexpected," the voice lacked any anger or annoyance, only sounding curious. "How is it you came to be here, my son?"

---

Ichigo gasped coming up off the bed to sit up fully, his breathing coming in heavy pants, the memory of the dream and the shadowy mass' words seemed to press on him. The heavy, oppressive feeling faded after a moment like dreams tend to. His heart pounded fiercely and he had to force himself to calm down. Something about that dream had struck him hard as it felt so real that he could still smell the cold air of that room and hear the father speak to his son.

He blinked as other memories flooded back in, fight, fire, burns and the struggle to survive. He reached up to touch his face, expecting pain but felt his finger only touch normal flesh. His hair felt a bit longer, some falling in front of his eyes like it had gained an inch or two. In terms of his body, he felt fine as there was no soreness, torn muscles or fractured bones that he'd expected to have after such a fight.

It'd left Ichigo wondering how long he'd been asleep.

Cool air flowed across his bare chest, and he looked down at his exposed torso, though he at least had underwear on so, that was good. He got out of bed and glanced around for a moment before grasping a clean white shirt, slipping it on along with some khaki pants.

He moved to the door but stopped upon hearing muffled talking, from voices he recognized. He cracked the door to better listen and took a peek to confirm that the entire student council was there, in the guest house he was staying at. They were nearing the end of their conversation, talking about what they should do with him. Mentioning altering his memories like the others to keep the secret of the supernatural and something about his value and pieces.

Apparently, he was worth eight points and was too much for Sona to allow him into her peerage. They started talking about not knowing and making suggestions about gears and magic, so he decided to help end the discussion and avoid having his memories altered.

Thus, he walked out, unnoticed by the concerned and thoughtful student council members and spoke up.

"I might be able to answer that question for you," Ichigo's voice broke the silence.

Sona whirled on him, her back having previously been facing him, along with all the eyes of her peerage.

"Ichigo-san, how'd- when," Sona cleared her scattered thoughts, having expected him to be out for a least a while longer and to sense him awake. "How much did you overhear?"

"Enough to know that you all aren't strictly human and are deciding whether or not to erase some of my memories," he answered.

"That's problematic," Tsubaki stated.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow at them, "Were you trying to keep that hidden, because you guys aren't very good at it. The basketball game alone told me at least three of you are more than human."

Sona, Tsubaki and Tsubasa had the decency to look abashed.

It looked like several people were going to speak but held their tongues at Sona's raised hand, and she took charge of the conversation. "Ichigo-san, let's cut to the chase, shall we. You have seen things that my people would call for a simple memory rewrite, but the rules are not set in stone, nor were the laws broken, they are just the accepted way of protecting both ourselves and normal people. I would say like you, but you managed to defeat that girl in a fight despite her ridiculous advantage over you. In our time together I have been impressed by your will, drive and kindness."

That brought a blush to Ichigo's face, an almost jealous/hateful look to Saji's face and surprise to most of the others.

Sona simply shook her head and continued, "Altering memory is not exact and there are usually consequences. It would not surprise me if the members of the computer club lost some IQ, and it is possible for a person to be changed by such an event. I-I don't want that to happen to you," she faltered and lowered her gaze from his.

A warmth settled in his chest at the words, an interruption throwing cold water on it.

"He still can't be allowed to know without joining," Saji refuted, a scowl on his face, "and neither you, Kaichou or Rias-san have the required pieces to do so. We have no other choice but to rewrite his memories to protect our society."

Both Mizore and Tsubasa had turned heated glares at Saji, the rest just looking thoughtful but not refuting the point. Sona was thinking, trying to figure out a solution until Gin of all people spoke up.

"You said that you could clear some things up about why you cost so much, Kurosaki-san?"

Ichigo shook off the odd feelings Sona's words had instilled and remembered why he'd spoke out in the first place. "Yes, I first want to ask if the rewrite of memory is only for ordinary humans, already outside the know?"

"Yes," Tsubaki answered. "Humans with magic powers or nonhuman beings are exempt from such a practice."

Ichigo let out a relieved breath and replied, "Good, then there's no problem."

Saji scoffed, "If you're not an ordinary human than I'll eat my shoes. There's nothing special about you that we can sense. You're just trying-"

Saji shut his trap at the burning glares coming from Tsubasa and Mizore, and with a turn of his head, he saw the disappointed look on Sona's face.

Ichigo coughed, getting everyone to refocus on him, "Saji's not entirely wrong, I'm just an ordinary human now. I used to have powers that I inherited from my non-human father."

That got everyone to redouble their focus on him, Reya being the one to ask first, "So, you're only half human?"

"Yup," he confirmed. "My father is a pureblooded Soul Reaper and though my mother was human, she was a human with spiritual powers, called a Quincy."

"Soul Reaper?" Several voices muttered in confusion, along with, "What's a Quincy?"

"Probably some obscured race of a tiny, irrelevant faction," Saji suggested, getting several heads to nod along with his theory.

"What do mean you used to have powers?" Tsubasa focused on that particular point. "Is that why you have such remarkable reflexes?"

"And why you're worth eight points?" Mizore added.

Ichigo looked at all their faces, seeing that was what they all wanted to know, so he answered, "Well, I'd always been able to see the souls of the dearly departed for nearly as long as I can remember. Though, it wasn't until a little over a year ago that I'd awakened my full powers, when a monster tried to eat me and sisters."

Mizore, San, Gin and Kurumu all flinched at his usage of the word monster at it was often the umbrella term used to describe Yokai.

"I was able to see and actually fought several supernatural beings myself before being let in on everything," Tsubasa chimed in. "What kind of monster attacked you?"

"A Hollow," he suppled, and upon not seeing any recognition he elaborated. "A human soul that has been corrupted and spends its life devouring souls."

"I've never heard of that before," Reya commented, "have you, Kaichou?"

Sona looked deep in thought, taking a moment to realize she was being asked a question, "Huh? Oh, ah no... maybe. I've heard of several creatures involving spirits, but nothing referenced as a Hollow. Though, I think my sister might have." She returned her focus to Ichigo and said, "Please continue Ichigo-san."

"I don't really want to get into all the details as I've said, I'm an ordinary human now," Ichigo replied. "Which means I have no intention of learning more about what happened or what you all are, for there's no point. You can't include me in some way, right?"

"Yes, but in time, if I get more powerful I could one day afford to fully bring you into my peerage and reveal the whole truth," Sona answered. "So, if you choose to remain ignorant of all we know and what we are, with your own non-human heritage, we can just leave things as they are, if you're truly okay with that?"

Ichigo nodded his head, "Yeah, that's fine by me."

"That sounds great and all," a frustrated Tsubasa cut in, "but you still haven't answered how you lost your powers and why you think that is why you're worth so much."

"He doesn't have to," Sona chided her Rook. "We can't explain anything to him, so it's only fair that he gets to keep his own, possibly painful, secrets."

"Yes, Kaichou," Tsubasa lamented.

Ichigo sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "Well, I can give you a basic, short version."

"You really don't have to," Sona insisted.

"It's fine," he replied, "and some seem skeptical. It'll help clear the air a little bit."

True to what he'd said, Sona noticed that several members of her peerage didn't look convinced or really wanted to know. So, she gave in and gave Ichigo a nod to continue.

Ichigo seemed to take a moment to figure out how best to word it before explaining, "There was this powerful man named Aizen and he was ridiculously powerful..." he thought for a moment and asked, "Your sister, Serafall, how powerful is she?"

Several of the devils there choked or snorted at the question.

"Among the strongest there is," Sona proudly stated. "Why? Are you suggesting this Aizen character is as strong as my Onee-Sama?"

"That's ridiculous," Saji scoffed, and it was a sentiment they all shared, even Sona herself.

"I can't be certain," Ichigo admitted, "but the level of absolute terror she induced in me was very similar to how he felt at the time. Though, I no longer have the means to properly gauge it anymore but to me and the rest of the Soul Reapers, he was considered beyond powerful. He'd nearly defeated all of their strongest warriors single-handed with little to no injures."

"Ok," Gin replied, "he was a very strong guy, we get it. Move on alre- uff," he grunted in pain as San elbowed him in the gut and gave Ichigo an encouraging smile.

"The point is, he was too powerful for any of us to stop," Ichigo continued, "myself included. I had to burn up all my power into a single strike to reduce Aizen into dust, permanently damaging my soul and losing all my power."

"So, you sacrificed your powers to kill an opponent too strong for you to handle?" Saji asked, having to fight to keep the smug grin off his face.

"No," Ichigo answered. "I sacrificed my powers to protect my family and friends that he was going to kill, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again if need be." Ichigo's eyes had hardened into steel pools of absolute, unyielding resolve that made Saji gulp involuntarily. "Also, for the record, Aizen had become immortal, rebuilding his body even from that state, so I didn't kill him. But he was weakened enough to be sealed away."

"Good to know that a murderous immortal is sealed away," Tsubaki commented.

"A noble act," Sona agreed, giving Ichigo a proud smile, like he'd affirmed something for her. "I can see why you were worth eight points, maybe if..." she cut herself off, not want to give Ichigo false hope.

Tsubasa and Mizore shared the same look as Sona while most of the others had looks that said they were not really sure how to feel about it. But Saji had crossed his arms and looked away and Ichigo was certain the young man was muttering about it being blown out of proportion or something.

"To give us a better understanding," Gin chimed in, "what could you do at your best. To mundane things."

Ichigo thought for a moment and answered honestly, "I moved faster than lightning and I could destroy a mountain with one swing of my sword."

The room went silent.

"Pufft," Saji scoffed, not believing it for a second.

"Saji-san," Sona chided.

"What?" Saji replied. "It's preposterous that he could have been that strong," he gestured to Ichigo. "That's the level of power you'd expect from a Maou! He's just overinflating his value to empress you, Kaichou."

"That is hard to believe," Kurumu agreed, several others nodding in agreement.

"But it would explain why he'd be worth eight points even to Serafall-Sama," Mizore argued, Tsubasa adamantly nodded her agreement to that.

"It doesn't matter," Ichigo stated, stopping Sona from adding her opinion, "I'm just an ordinary human being now. So, let's just go on as usual, but you lot don't have to worry about hiding anything around me anymore."

"That would be nice," Reya agreed.

"Alright," Sona said, "we'll just leave things as it."

"Good," Ichigo replied, "and seeing as we're all here already, why don't we a jump on tomorrow's council work?"

"That's a splendid idea," Sona full-heartedly approved, getting most of the others to groan.