Sorry this chapter took so long; I've been busy with work and school as well as dealing with writers block.

xxxx

The obnoxious beeping of his alarm clock woke Tsukune up; the last week and a half had gone by with only a hand full of hollow attacks and a couple dozen minor school rules violations. Melony had also agreed to help out with Family Day patrols since she was enjoying her time on the campus. The chocolate haired teen suspected that the Arrancar actually wanted to help out as a way to thank him for helping her break free from Loly. The blonde Arrancar seemed nice enough and she was getting along with several on campus without a problem. Even Fanfan had taken a liking to her.

His eyes looked at the alarm clock and saw it was right at four in the morning; he had wanted to get an even earlier start than this, but the Head Master said four thirty would be a better time for The Regulators to meet for the brief. He quickly rolled out of his bed and made it before walking over to his closet. The light flickered on as he activated the motion sensor reaching for his best pressed uniform. With today being such a big event for everyone, he made sure to take extra care preparing the uniform for the day. The last thing he wanted was to have a messy uniform when everyone's parents, who already had doubts about The Regulators, were going to be on campus.

All the people that the Head Master had contacted to help for the day had shown up the day before; Kokoa had a few choice words and actions for him when she found out that Hiyori was actually a Vizored. He felt bad that she hurt her foot again when she kicked him, but he'd prefer that over taking a kick to his nether regions. Luckily any further attempts to strike him were interrupted by the arrival of the medical staff from the Seireitei; primarily the red headed vampire seeing Hanataro specifically. While the two didn't scurry off immediately, they did split from the group as soon as they were able to.

Akua had also arrived with the medical staff and said something about her visitation request form being approved thanks to Soifon. Said vampiress followed Kokoa and Hanataro around almost like a hawk; this caused Moka to chuckle and say that she will always be the overprotective older sister. The Shuzen family was almost completely reunited and he was happy for them. In his heart though, he knew it didn't matter because he had failed them. He couldn't keep Ghoul from trying to kill Moka, couldn't save Akua, and didn't know where Kahlua was. The only person in the Shuzen family that he felt he hadn't failed was Kokoa; even then, there were still moments when he felt he almost had.

Looking into the mirror as he brushed his teeth, he could see that even with getting a regular five and a half hours of sleep each night he still looked pretty tired; what appeared to be bags starting take shape under his eyes. Unohana-taichou had lectured him for not following her instruction on making sure to get enough sleep and eating enough. This caused all his friends to fake a cough to hide the laugh they had felt creeping up on them; the only one who laughed outright was Kokoa who didn't even try to hide her pleasure at seeing him being lectured. A small yawn escaped him as he put his toothbrush away and cleaned the sink with the running water.

"Parents should start showing up around seven thirty," he said to himself as he left the kitchen and grabbed a breakfast bar "the welcome ceremony starts at eight thirty. There's all the booths that clubs set up going from nine to noon. And the fighting tournament starts right after lunch at one" with a sigh as he picked up a sheet of paper from his desk.

The Head Master wanted him to give a small speech to everyone since they never had a chance to do the official ceremony for The Regulators after they were made official. He had spent most of his downtime over the last few days trying to work on it and barely managed to finish it before going to bed last night. While he was happy about what he had written, he still felt that most of what he wrote felt like he put it on paper to try to keep the peace at the opening ceremony. His phone rang and pulled him from his thoughts; as he pulled his phone out he saw it was Grimmjow.

"Good morning Jagerjaquez-san" he greeted as he accepted the call.

"Yea; somethin's been eatin' at me. I tried askin' Isane-fuku-taichou for help 'nd got shit fer results," Grimmjow said getting straight to the point of his call "I need ta get to my inner world and see why Pantera ain't listenin' ta me. I tried doin' the shinigami thing of meditation 'nd shit, 'nd I couldn't do it fer the last couple weeks. Figured since yer more like a Vizored 'nd Arrancar than a shinigami 'nd you've done it yer who would know way that'll work fer me."

Tsukune thought about it; there was one way that might work for his mentor.

"What worked for me," the chocolate haired boy explained "I had to clear my mind and forget about everything that might be troubling me. The first few times I had tried to force myself into my inner world and it was actually keeping me from being able to do it. Akasha-chan said that because I was trying to force it, it was causing me to feel conflicted and preventing me from calming my mind to be able to synchronize my reiatsu with hers. I'm not sure if it would work for an Arrancar zanpakuto, but since my bankai is similar to an Arrancar's Resurreccion it might be worth a shot."

"Alright. I'll give it a shot" the panther said with a sigh.

"Is everything alright Jagerjaquez-san? You sound like something's not just eating at you. I'm not sure how I'd be able to help, but I am here if you want to talk…"

"I'll let you know when I figure it out."

Before Tsukune could say anything else, the line beeped signaling the call had been ended. The chocolate hair teen shook his head as he put his phone away; he had thought that Nekonome-sensei was exaggerating when she asked if Grimmjow was alright. The neko sensei had said that he seemed different, a little distant and off. Tsukune let out a heavy sigh and left his room, he felt like he needed to do something to help his original mentor.

-Seireitei-

The panther Arrancar walked through the alley alone and tried to think of an area in the Seireitei that would let him clear his mind like Tsukune had suggested. The problem was that there was almost nothing here that calmed him enough; he hadn't really felt truly calm at Yokai Academy. He looked up to the top of what used to be the execution pillars and decided to jump up to the top. Once on the top of the pillars he looked out over the Seireitei; there was once a time when he wanted to fight every single shinigami down there just for the shear thrill of it. Now though…

Now he wasn't really sure what he wanted. While yes he wanted a good fight, he couldn't help but feel as if he wanted more than a fight. Ever since he lost his fight with Ichigo in Las Noches he couldn't see where the hybrid teen kept getting his strength and power from. It was as if every time the kid was backed into a corner, he suddenly had even more strength than when the fight first started. The look that the orange haired teen always had in his eyes when he fought; the look of raw confidence that bordered arrogance that seemed to say 'I'll win no matter what'. He just couldn't understand it. Then he took Aono as his fraccion.

The chocolate haired teen started out as a weakling that didn't know what he wanted or why he was even trying to learn how to fight. Then he was given a reason by going to Yokai Academy and the boy began to grow in leaps and bounds. Even with the boy's hesitance to tell him about Ghoul, the fear that the boy felt, or anything really; he took training a little more seriously and went from a scared little kid to someone to take seriously. Not long after that, Aono reunited with his friends and it was as if another switch had been flipped in the boy. Every time the boy sparred against him, every fight the boy had been in, or any time the boy drew his blade he had that same look in his eyes that Ichigo had.

That is when he began to understand that look; it wasn't one that was out of arrogance or simply raw confidence. The look that those two held in their eyes when they went into a fight was a look that was to warn their opponent not that they wouldn't lose but rather they couldn't afford to lose and were ready to risk everything. Because if they lost that fight, there was more at risk than simply dying. If they were to lose then others would suffer and they wouldn't allow that. No matter how injured they were, they always found a way to stand back up and look their opponents in the eyes.

"How can they keep digging that deep?" Grimmjow asked as he sighed with his eyes closed.

The sound of a forest around him caused him to snap his eyes open; sure enough, he was in his inner world. He shoved his hands in his pockets and reached out with his Pesquisa to try to locate Pantera and the amazon woman. After a moment he felt that they weren't that far from where he was and began to walk; neither the amazoness or Pantera were moving so he had no reason to keep his guard up like he did before. The occasional bug would buzz in his ear, or he'd have to move a few branches from his path but it wasn't anything serious. What he came upon though, that was a grand view if he had ever seen one.

A massive pyramid that looked to be a strange mix of Egyptian and Aztec stood before him with a just as massive flight of steep stairs leading up to the tip. The stone looked to be some kind of marble that had been hand carved, the scratches from the tools were subtly visible, and vines were growing up each side in a manner that seemed to complement the structure nicely. On either side of the staircase was a statue of an amazon warrior standing next to a large feline of some kind; if the Arrancar had to take a wild guess, it was the amazoness and Pantera.

He continued to eye the structure as he contemplated using sonido to get to the top where Pantera and the amazoness were at. Before he realized it, he found himself thinking of how his fraccion would approach the scenario. Aono had grown in leaps and bounds from the moment they had first met and the boy didn't do it by taking the easy way. No, the boy struggled through sweat and blood so he could become strong enough to protect Yokai Academy and his friends. Every obstacle, no matter how small or large it seemed, was approached seriously.

"Fuck the easy way," Grimmjow said with determination as he put his foot on the first step and began the ungodly ascent up the pyramid "Kurosaki and Aono got stronger by doing things the right way; the hard way. So will I."

After what felt like hours he had finally reached the top and his breath was heavy and inconsistent, but he made it on his own. The top of the pyramid wasn't very large, maybe thirty feet by thirty feet; just large enough for a marble throne that had both Pantera and the amazoness sitting in it together. Both of which were sprawled out on the throne comfortably with Pantera's tail hanging off the arm rest on one side and his snout stopping just before the other. The amazoness seemed to be absentmindedly rubbing the Arrancar zanpakuto spirit's side while lost in thought.

Pantera cracked an eye open and growled at his wielder as the blue haired spirit approached them. This got the amazoness' attention and she looked at Grimmjow with a shocked expression on her face.

"Holy shit," she said in utter amazement "you actually made it."

The amazoness honestly didn't expect the Arrancar to be able to do it; even less so since he had spent the last two weeks trying and failing horribly. Every effort that the blue haired Arrancar had made had been in vein as he repeatedly struggled with the very first step in entering his inner world. The panther could never clear his mind in order to sense the world within himself. She wondered what he did in order to finally do it, but that was for another time; right now she had other things that had to be dealt with.

"Hai," Grimmjow answered as he looked off into the distance "quiet the view from up here."

This comment caused Pantera to growl even louder while getting up from the throne. Something told Grimmjow that this is what Pantera considered his territory and wasn't afraid to fight him to protect it. The amazoness simply pat Pantera on the back a couple times as she stood up; while Pantera didn't change his hostile expression, he did stop growling at Grimmjow. The Arrancar had begun to wonder if the amazoness had defeated Pantera and was now considered the alpha or if the two simply had a mutual understanding of each other that he wasn't able to grasp at the moment.

"Well? You're here," she said as she stretched her arms over her head "you gonna stand there and gawk or ask yer questions?"

Grimmjow clinched his jaw as he balled his fists; he had a lot of time to think while he was climbing up the stairs. He knew the questions he should ask, but there was a part of him that clung to the primal fear of what the answer could be. There was also the part of him that knew exactly what the answers were going to be. Those to feelings mixed together was something that had him filled with dread and he didn't know how to deal with it without lashing out. In Hueco Mundo everything was simple, raw, and instinctual to where no one ever even bothered to process much of anything. Here, in both the Seireitei and the World of the Living, he had to learn to deal with things in ways other than fighting; it was taxing and often confused him, but he somehow managed.

"Alright," she sighed "I guess I'll ask the first question and keep going till you get the balls to ask yers. Why'd ya walk up instead of using sonido?"

"I'm tired…" he answered while looking to the amazoness with serious eyes "I'm tired of doin' shit the easy way; and I'm tired of always lookin' fer an easy way. I used to question how Kurosaki managed to get so fuckin' strong so quick; I thought he was just hidin' his original strength or had some secret to it. Then I watched Aono grow under Soifon-taichou and myself and it dawned on me. Kurosaki never hid his true strength, he never had some secret shortcut to getting stronger, or any of that bullshit. They both got stronger the right way, the hard way. They pushed themselves to their limit every time; would take whatever training they were offered seriously. And when push came to shove, they weren't afraid to look their opponents in the eyes and shove back with everything they got and then some.

They went into fights knowin' that if they lost, others would die and that's what drove, no that's what drives them through each fight. That simple thought of needin' to protect others. That's what makes them so fuckin' strong. Why they keep growing in leaps and bounds while I seem to be standing still."

The small speech that the Arrancar had involved more self-reflection than the amazoness thought he was capable of; it was a good thing though. It meant that he was attempting to grow in some way. He saw the very core of Kurosaki's and Aono's drive while they fought and then looked at how he himself went into every fight. The comparison between them was so stark and night and day that it was painful to admit; the panther Arrancar's expressions while he talked told her that much. It was now time to poke at pain.

"But they have something to protect," the amazoness said with a smirk "what do you got other than yer ego and pride?"

"Compared to Kurosaki and Aono?" Grimmjow said with narrowed eyes "I ain't got a fuckin' thing other than Shizuka."

In Hueco Mundo he never bothered to get to know anyone well enough to care if they died or lived. Back then it was simple for him; if they were weaker than him they were useless and if they were stronger than him he made it his point to knock them down. Survival of the fittest, might is rite, and only look out for yourself. Those were the very core of what Hueco Mundo was. Caring for others would lead to others taking advantage of you or stabbing you in the back.

When he was taken to the Seireitei for additional treatment, a lot of that mentality stayed with him; he caused issues left and right in the Fourth Division's Clinic. Yet Unohana-taichou would simply remind him that he was a guest with a questionable at best reputation and he needed to abide by their rules or face consequences. It was when he found out that Kurosaki's woman was trying to speak on his behalf that he started to ease up; she had healed him repeatedly when she had no reason to and was attempting to defend him to Unohana-taichou and other medics.

Then he went to Yokai Academy and met Shizuka. At first they had a very physical and sweaty relationship, he wasn't afraid to admit that, but when she revealed that she knew that Eiyu was really Tsukune things began to change. The neko was curious about him, what he had been through and how he became who he is now. She showed him different things in the World of the Living that he wouldn't have even thought to try and he wouldn't deny that she is probably the most important person in his life now.

"Geez," the amazoness sighed "right when I thought ya got some common sense. Ya got more to protect than you think."

"HA!" the Sexta laughed at her "like what? A rank that don't mean shit now? My life? That's always been in danger from the moment I opened my eyes in Hueco Mundo. The Seireitei? They're probably waitin' fer me ta fuck up so they can kill me."

"If someone were to have Kurosaki by the throat and ready to kill him, or his woman, what would you do?" she asked with narrowed eyes "standby and say 'not yer problem'?"

"LIKE FUCKIN' HELL!" the Arrancar shouted at her "THE ONLY ONE THAT'LL KILL KUROSAKI IS ME! AND THERE'S NO FUCKIN' WAY I'D LET SOMEONE HURT HIS FUCKIN' WOMAN AFTER SHE HELPED ME!"

There it was; the anger that had been bubbling within the Arrancar that he didn't know how to deal with. This is what the amazoness wanted to see as well as how he would deal with it. Would he show the arrogance and self-righteousness he often exhibited in Hueco Mundo; or would he become so enraged at the thought of someone killing off his circle of friends?

"WHAT OF AONO?!" she shouted back.

"I suggest you watch your mouth woman," Grimmjow growled at the amazoness.

Another nerve had been struck. She kept herself from smirking as she began to push and pinch that nerve.

"IF SOMEONE HAD HIM ON THE GROUND WITH A BLADE READY TO FINISH HIM OFF? WHAT WOULD YOU DO?"

"I SAID 'WATCH YER FUCKIN' MOUTH'," Grimmjow shouted as reiatsu exploded from him and he grabbed his zanpakuto.

"IS THIS THE RAGE YOU'D SHOW THAT PERSON WHO HELD AONO'S LIFE IN THEIR HANDS?!" the amazoness demanded to know "OR WOULD YOU NOT GIVE A FLYIN' FUCK LIKE YOU DIDN'T FOR YER PREVIOUS FRACCION?!"

Grimmjow's reiatsu exploded even more and Pantera jumped at the Arrancar. As Pantera drew closer to his wielder, Grimmjow drew the blade and slammed the hilt into the panther's gut before tossing him from the pyramid. The Arrancar's rage was now hanging on by a thread; the amazoness could see it.

"What would you really do should someone have Aono's life in their hands," the amazoness asked coldly "is this the ferocity you would show? Or would you care so little that you'd shrug it off and go to the embrace of that woman's snatch for you to simply grow bored with."

Grimmjow vanished with an ungodly burst of sonido and appeared right in front of the amazoness with his blade half way to her neck. Before the blade could make contact, the amazoness drew her own blade and blocked the attack; her arm shaking from the force Grimmjow had put into the swing. This was it. This is what she wanted to see; the raw unbridled rage he would unleash at the mere mention of someone close to him being in danger. While the panther Arrancar could lie to those around him, and even himself to some extent, at the very core of his being she knew the person he really was.

"LIKE HELL THAT I'D LET ANYTHIN' EVER HAPPEN TO ANY OF THEM!" Grimmjow screamed at the amazoness while launching her into the air "KUROSAKI SPARED ME IN LAS NOCHES EVEN AFTER I NEARLY KILLED HIM TWICE. HE VOUCHED FOR ME, FOR FUCKIN' ME TO THE GOTEI FUCKIN' THIRTEEN! HIS WOMAN HAS HEALED ME MULTIPLE TIMES" as he sonido behind the amazoness and brought his blade down again only for her to block it "SHE'S ONE OF THE KINDEST PEOPLE I'VE MET! I'LL BE DAMNED IF ANYONE WILL SEPARATE THOSE TWO; THAT KIND OF WARRIOR SPIRIT AND THAT KIND OF PURE HEARTED-NESS, IT'S SO DAMN STEREOTYPICAL IT'S SICKENING" as he kicked the amazoness down to the forest below "AND WHEN THEY'RE TOGETHER IT'S SO WHOLESOME I WANNA PUKE! IF ANYONE WANTS TO GO AFTER EITHER OF THEM I'LL KILL THEM MYSELF!"

Grimmjow exploded with sonido again, his reiatsu flowing wildly from him as he gave pursuit of the amazoness. Feelings he didn't realize were within him were suddenly pouring out of him; that sense of protectiveness and comradery for Kurosaki and Inoue. When Inoue was in Las Noches, the panther's interactions with the human pulled at something within him back then. Her pure heart and absolute faith in her friends that kept her from breaking down. The warrior spirit he saw in Kurosaki's eyes when the hybrid invaded Las Noches to get her back and the way both refused to want to kill him, or anyone, it made him feel almost like there was hope for him.

"AND IF ANYONE EVEN SUGGESTED GOING AFTER AONO," as he caught up to the amazoness and locked blades with her yet again "MY FEROCITY IS THE LAST THING THEY'D EVER FUCKIN' KNOW!"

"Oh?" she asked in an amused tone "and why is that?"

"CAUSE THE LITTLE SHIT IS LIKE A LITTLE BROTHER TO ME NOW!" he shouted as he flung the amazoness away and charged a cero "THE LITTLE BASTARD GENUINELY GIVES A SHIT ABOUT MY PATHETIC EXISTENCE! ANY TIME HE'S ASKED ABOUT ME, HE'S ALWAYS LISTENED AND TOOK EVERYTHING I'VE EVER SAID SERIOUSLY! AND ANY TIME HE'S ASKED FOR ADVICE HE TOOK IT AS IF IT WERE GOSPEL!"

Grimmjow fired the cero at the amazoness and watched as she cartwheeled out of the path of the reiatsu based attack. The two combatants locked eyes before charging one another. Sparks flew through the air as the two attacked each other with equal ferocity with every intent on delivering a killing blow on the other. The amazoness could see that the rage the Arrancar was showing wasn't a shallow rage from a sense of ego or pride. No; what she was seeing was his purest rage, exactly what he would show someone who would actually do what she mentioned.

"That little shit," Grimmjow growled as the combatants locked blades "has a way of making those around him rethink who they are! He manages to pull out the better of someone and helps them grow as a person! IF I CAN PROTECT HIM THEN I FUCKIN' WILL! AND IF I CAN'T, THEN I'LL FUCKIN' AVENGE HIM IF IT'S THE LAST DAMN THING I DO! AND DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT SHIZUKA LIKE THAT YOU FUCKIN' BITCH! SHIZUKA AIN'T JUST A FREAKIN' LAY TO ME; SHE'S SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT!"

The amazoness smiled as she spun around and stripped Grimmjow of his blade. Now that that was out of him, she needed him unarmed so she could actually talk with him. The sudden fit of anger that she threw Grimmjow into seemed to die out as he collapsed to his knees while panting.

"How's it feel to finally admit that to yourself?" she asked him as he turned to try to attack her again.

Her eyes held genuine curiosity as he began to get his breathing under control. After finally saying everything that he had somehow kept buried deep and repeated refused to acknowledge was there, he actually felt pretty good. That explosive fit she had caused him to have was exactly what he needed in order to confess those thoughts to himself.

"Go fuck yerself," he growled at her.

"As fun as that sounds," as she sheathed her blade "you had questions for me. So ask them."

The panther Arrancar stood up and looked at the amazoness with narrowed eyes. What was this woman playing at? He knew that she already knew what he was going to ask.

"Who, or rather what, the hell are you?" he asked.

The amazoness only smirked; the Arrancar may have been asking the question, but he wasn't ready for the answer. Not yet anyway. While the Arrancar was making strives on discovering his true self, he wasn't there just yet. He needed a few more nudges in the right direction before he would be ready to hear the answer from her.

"Something tells me that you already know exactly what I am," she said "but I won't give you the answer you're hoping for. You aren't ready just yet; one day soon though, you will be."

Grimmjow clinched his jaw at what he heard; she wasn't going to answer him seriously but instead talk in riddles.

"What will you tell me then?"

"Hmmmm…" as the amazoness tapped her chin "do you remember the old legend?"

"Which one? There's a number of them?"

"Fair enough. I'm sure that you remember the one about the Devil's Crest…"

"'Two Vasto Lorde's clash, blood split and a good man sheds tears; a gift bestowed'," Grimmjow said "or some bullshit like that."

One thing that often annoyed the shit out of him was when someone tried to ramble on with a serious look on their face when in reality they could say what needed to be said in twenty words or less.

"Not exactly but yes, then there's the other one" she said "how did it go…? 'That which was once emptied, made whole again by confronting their truest despair; a forgotten piece reclaimed and restored when darkness is concurred, their true potential realized when accepting what they reject'."

"It doesn't rhyme," the panther said in an unamused tone as he leaned against a tree.

"Excuse me?" as a vein pulsed on her forehead.

"Stories, prophecies or whatever, like that are supposed to rhyme if they're true or even any good" the panther explained.

"Listen you jackass," the amazoness growled at him "I'm working with what you remember of it. So if it doesn't rhyme it's yer own damn fault!"

"Whatever."

-Yokai Academy-

Parents were arriving in larger groups that Tsukune had thought they would and was having to ensure that everyone was being directed to the correct meeting area as quickly as possible. He was glad when the numbers started to dwindle down to none existent as time drew closer to the Welcoming Ceremony. Pulling out his phone to check the time, he gave a sigh of relief that he still had plenty of time to make it to the auditorium and put the phone away. He carefully made his way through the crowd and answered the few questions he was asked along the way; surprisingly few were about directions, mostly about spirits which he understood. Eventually he finally made it to the back of the auditorium where the rest of the Regulators were waiting for him. He hadn't seen Tatsuki all morning, but with how many people were coming onto the campus she probably slipped by while he was helping others.

"Ya nervous?" Kokoa asked him.

"I think I'd rather fight Harribel-san again…" he admitted to the small vampire "at least then I'd know exactly what to expect…"

His friends gave a small chuckle as Gin pat him on the back. While he might have been doing a good job with the administrative side of being Head of the Regulators, it was time for him to attempt some political finesse while dealing with families that most likely already had negative opinions of him. Everything had been going smoothly so far, so if he hit a small bump from this it should still be alright; right? No. He couldn't think like that. He needed to handle this to the best of his abilities without accepting a mediocre performance from himself; Grimmjow and Soifon had taught him better than that.

He needed to go out there and say what he meant and mean what he says. He needed to be completely honest with the student body and their families about what was going on without putting a spotlight on the Seireitei or the Vizoreds; he also couldn't let them become afraid of Fairy Tale either. While the students were here their only concerns should be their grades, not getting pimples, and normal teenager things. They shouldn't have to worry about a possible war exploding right as they graduate from high school and go to try to co-exist with humans in the 'real world'.

"Here goes everything," the spirit boy said as he gave a sharp exhale of breath.

Tsukune walked into the auditorium and up to the stage where Tenmei was waiting for him with a curtain blocking the audience from seeing them. The hooded man could see the concern on the spirit's face as he tried to calm himself.

"Steady breaths Tsukune-kun," Tenmei offered "I know this is your first major public speaking event but you've always had a way with words. Be honest with yourself about what you say and everything will turn out alright."

"Right," with a nervous chuckle.

The spirit pulled out his index cards and began to quickly read through them so he wouldn't have to be looking down at them the entire speech. Yet again, he felt as if the words he wrote on the index cards were simply meant to keep the peace and not reassure anyone of anything. His eyes skimmed back over the index cards.

"How many times did I write 'we are doing everything we can' in here?" he asked himself in a low but panicking tone "three… four… five times?..."

"It's show time," Tenmei said as the curtain began to rise and he walked up to the podium "Good morning to my students and their loving families," the Hades Lord began "today is Family Day; a day where students get to take their families on a tour of our wonderful campus, meet with their sensei, and partake in various other events that are listed in the brochures that were handed out when you arrived. I am sure that many of you have questions regarding current events that you wish to ask me directly, but before that please let me reassure you that precautions have been put in place, further steps taken, and an enforcement group formed to ensure everyone's safety on campus."

A number of soft mummers came from the audience; it felt like the opening of Tenmei's speech was exactly like how Tsukune wrote his entire speech. Only a simple way to try to keep the peace but not address any actual issues. Tsukune looked to the index cards in his trembling hands; he needed to give everyone more than words that could be viewed as empty. Today was about more than parents seeing how their children are doing in classes, or meeting their friends, or even reconnecting with old friends that happened to be here as well. That might be what Family Day was supposed to be, it wasn't what this Family Day was about; no, this Family Day was about ensuring that everyone's child was safe while they were on campus as well as receiving a quality education.

"And without further ado," Tenmei said snapping Tsukune from his thoughts "I introduce the Head of the Regulators, Aono Tsukune!"

The spirit boy gave a sharp exhale as he walked up to the podium; attempting to hold every piece of confidence he had without tripping over himself in any fashion. Tenmei stepped aside gracefully as he subtly gave Tsukune a thumbs up as if wishing him good luck. Tsukune set his index cards on the podium and looked out to the crowd, and could see that there were families sitting closely together; some holding hands, others leaning against each other with a soft smile and so on. There were also a few that were giving him thousand yard stares that were trying to peer into his very being. He looked down to his notes and then back up to the audience; a small sigh escaped him.

"I wish to be completely honest with everyone here," Tsukune began as he took hold of his resolve "what I had originally wrote as a speech felt more like it was simply trying to keep the peace between families and the school without addressing any of the problems that you may have been informed about. So in my hopes of this not becoming some political speech where I use a lot of words to say nothing, I'll start from the very beginning for me. My name is Aono Tsukune and I was born a human but still attended Yokai Academy last year…"

There were a number of outbursts from the crowd.

"Originally I was terrified but I made friends that helped me understand Yokai in a new light and not the shadows that were cast over them so long ago. They showed me that while they might not have been 'human' they were still people with hopes, dreams and so much more. We stood by each other through so much last year that I can honestly say that no matter what we will always be friends; regardless of what comes our way. Last year I also gave my life to ensure that the barrier of this campus stayed up. I know that might not make sense because I am here today, but I am now a spirit being.

When I first returned to Yokai Academy it was to investigate attacks that were happening by the masked creatures known as Hollows. While there are many that act solely on instinct that drives them to do horrendous acts, there are still a number of them that, much like several of us, want to try to co-exist. The Regulators were formed by dissolving the Public Safety Committee because their corruption had run rampant to the point where your children were being harmed for simple matters that didn't require force. The duties of the Regulators also involve enforcing academy policies, but we will not over step our bounds; every member of the Regulators has experienced the cruelty that the Public Safety Committee operated with. And how they had managed to become an academy Yakuza; we refuse to let this happen again.

We are also tasked with ensuring that none of your children will be harmed by any threats; be it each other, hollows, or some other future enemy that wishes to impede what Yokai Academy hopes to achieve. And should those threats ever require extreme measures to handle, I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to ensure that no harm will come to any of your children. You send your children here so they can be teenagers, worry about silly things like getting dates, passing a class, what fashion trends are considered in-style, and try to discover who they are as individuals. So again I say, no harm will come to your children while they attend Yokai Academy. I whole heartedly believe in what Yokai Academy strives to achieve; true peace between humans and Yokai through a mutual understanding of each other."

Tsukune walked in front of the podium and gave a deep bow to the audience.

"Please allow me to protect your children while they continue their education here at Yokai Academy!"

There was a long silence throughout the auditorium as everyone processed what had just been said and happened. Every parent in the audience had heard that the boy in front of them was the most powerful individual on the campus; yet here he was being humble about being in charge of ensuring their children's safety. He had been born human but gave that human life to protect the secret of Yokai from the world of humans. The silence was broken by an individual standing in the back, a man of stature with wiry black hair and powerful red eyes, who started clapping for the boy. The rest of the auditorium began clapping as well as they stood up.

"Thank you," Tsukune managed to say as he fought the tears forming in his eyes.

XXXXX Shinigami Cup: Golden XXXXXX

Tsukune rounded the corner and collapsed as he struggled to catch his breath. All his friends immediately began to panic seeing that he was in such a state.

"That was terrifying…" the spirit boy gasped as he brought his breathing to a normal rhythm.

"Seriously…" Kokoa deadpanned "you run into enemy territory to save yer friends, take on an Arrancar that's stronger than Jagerjaquez, and are the Head of the Regulators. But a little public speaking and you turn into this…?"

The spirit teen stood up and rubbed the back of his head as he had an embarrassed look on his face. In terms of raw strength he was probably the strongest person on campus, even with all the parents here, that much was true. But he was still a person; he always dreaded having to do presentations for any class and rarely interacted with anyone outside of his friends. Public speaking was just a skill he never had a chance to practice or, if he was being honest with himself, even wanted to learn.

"Public speaking isn't easy for anyone at first," a friendly laugh said as a man and two short girls came into view "I remember when I first became taichou of the Tenth Division. Man, I was a nervous wreck; many of my subordinates questioned my appointment."

Tsukune looked at the man and swore he was vaguely familiar to him. His short and slightly styled black hair with matching facial hair. It was right on the tip of his tongue.

"Oh," Tsukune said suddenly remembering "you're Ichigo-san's father. So then you two must be…" as he looked at the two girls.

"WHY IS IT THAT YOU AND ICHIGO ARE SO FREAKING DENSE?!" Tatsuki shouted at her half-brother as she slugged him with a downward right hook as she seemingly came out of nowhere.

Tsukune held the spot Tatsuki hit him at as a large welt grew on it; sometimes he wished his sister wasn't so violent and quick to throw punches. Before he could say anything Tatsuki was shaking him violently by his jacket's collar and had a raging fire in her eyes. Off in the distance a man had his face in the palm of his hand unable to process how the brown haired boy being shaken like a rag doll was supposed to be the one protecting the campus from outside threats.