Bleach 1. Chapter 1

Hocus Pocus

Summary:

While walking home after an outing, Orihime, Tatsuki and Chizuru are caught off guard by a group of hollows, but they are saved by a powerful, but critically wounded vasto lorde with more than a few secrets and a gift to give.

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><p><em>The night was silent. The usual nocturnal life not out and about as usual. There was no wind, no leaves rustling and no crickets. The night was unnaturally still, but that would soon change. Suddenly, the air began to tremble, and soon, a rip developed, almost as if the sky was being unzipped, allowing whatever was on the other side of that rip to come through. And something did.<em>

_This something would resemble a normal woman, had she not been dressed in rags, covered in fur, critically wounded with blood practically pouring from her, a tail, a hole in her chest and white half mask, the edges of the jaw coming up to her head into triangular points, resembling cat ears. Under the rags was a spine made of bone that went along her natural one to tail made of bone that was swishing back and forth in agitation. Her hands were adorned with wicked white claws, almost resembling a paw as they cradled her wound. As this person landed, she stumbled, nearly falling to the ground while clutching her serious wound. _

_"Dammit…..I can't die, not without fulfilling my promise…."_

…

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><p>It was cold in Karakura that night. Another winter had come, two years since the winter war had ended and Aizen was locked away for his crimes. During that time, life continued as usual. School, work, hollows, it was all the same. Soon, the time would come when a particular group of friends would graduate high school and go their separate ways, but hopefully keep in contact. Hopefully. This night, Orihime Inoue didn't want to think about splitting up with the friends who risked their lives to save her from that horrible place. In fact, she was out with her best girlfriends from school, Tatsuki and Chizuru. Although Tatsuki had protested the idea of Chizuru being anywhere near Orihime, Chizuru had promised to be on her best behavior, which surprisingly, she did. Now they were on their way home, the movies and a bite to eat at one of their favorite restaurants. They were walking through the park to shave time off of their walk home.<p>

"Aaaaaaaah that movie was so good! I never expected the good guy to actually be the bad guy in the end! Talk about unexpected eh?" Chizuru exclaimed, walking slightly ahead of Orihime and Tatsuki, her red coat making her easy to spot in the dark, although the few inches of snow and her footprints also made it easy.

"Yeah, it certainly was a surprise. The entire movie had me thinking that this guy was on a holy mission, but when everything was revealed, his intentions were not in the least holy, in fact, he was a real jerk." Tatsuki said, watching her breath come out in an steamy puff and disappear.

"Jeez, those guys on the weather channel ain't shit.' Clear night tonight!' they said. My ass. Its damn near a blizzard! And in the middle of October no less!"

Orihime could only giggle, amused by her best friends frustration at the weather, but then a pensive look came onto her face. Tatsuki's statement about the movie had her thinking…..The movie reminded her a lot about Aizen's defection from Soul Society. How what everyone thought was a good guy was revealed to be a monster in disguise…..It hurt her to think about the surprised and betrayed faces of Rangiku, Izuru and Momo, the lieutenants of the defectors.

'I shouldn't be thinking about these things. Aizen is locked away, and Gin and Tousen are gone. Tonight is a night of fun, and I won't let these thoughts bring me down.'

With a quick shake of her head, she willed the thoughts to be gone and turned to Tatsuki, and jumped in surprise to see Tatsuki watching her. Of course, Tatsuki knew her better than anyone and knew when something was bothering her.

"You alright Orihime? Do you wanna talk about it?"

Orihime was about to open her mouth to convince her that everything was okay, when she noticed something odd….Chizuru was oddly silent, and her footprints were no longer ahead of them.

"Chizuru-chan?" Tatsuki looked around after hearing Orihime's concern about the usually jovial and loud redhead.

"Oi, freak! This ain't funny!"

Orihime looked around as well, trying to find where Chizuru's footprints had turned away from theirs. As she looked around, she felt icy fingers creep along her sides and then grope her breasts in a quick embrace as she yelped in surprise.

"Surprise my Hime!" Chizuru exclaimed, laughing at Orihime's fright as Tatsuki came over and routinely pulled her off of her. "You damn pervert! Don't scare us like that, you know there could be hollows around!"

Chizuru looked up at her, huffing at her protectiveness over Orihime. "Jeez Arisawa I was _kidding. _I know the danger. You're just a dragon protecting the princess!" She snickered as Tatsuki's face turned red from anger and embarrassment over being called a dragon.

"Why you _little-"_

An otherworldly roar cut Tatsuki off as she stiffened, recognizing that sound anywhere. However, it was the sudden chorus of roars joining the first, that had Orihime on edge, as she summoned Tsubaki from her hairpins.

Chizuru quickly got up and looked around, fear clearly burned into her expression as her lip quivered and her eyes filled with tears. "…..Hollows."

And just as the word left her mouth, they were surrounded. Five large hollows formed a loose circle around them. Their mouths practically and one _literally _watering with the promise of three tasty spiritually aware souls.

"Shit….This is bad….Really bad…"

"I agree, but it'll be alright Tatsuki! Kurosaki-kun's badge should have gone off by now. He should be here soon. Don't worry, I'll protect us-"

No sooner had she said that, one of them, who closely resemble some macabre version of a centipede attacked, closing in on Chizuru who was frozen in fear.

"TSUBAKI!"

The usually foul tempered fairy roared through the air, dispatching the hollow quickly and coming back around. That's when everything went south. The hollow on their right resembling a mantis had gone for Tatsuki, slashing her across her back, her warm almost hot blood splashing Orihime's cheek and some landing in the snow, melting it somewhat as steam came and quickly went from its initial contact with the ice cold snow. As she fell she passed out from the pain, landing on her side as blood began to pour from her slowly blueing lips.

"Arisawa!" Before Chizuru could get to her, she found herself face down in the snow. Another hollow had gone for her leg, cutting it and nicking her artery as blood practically gushed from the wound. She struggled to move, but had no energy as her life blood poured out of the serious wound. "Sh-Shit! I-I can't….move…."

Before the hollow could finish her off, it was dispatched by Tsubaki, and before he could go after another one, he was swatted out of the air, unconscious.

"Tatsuki! Chizuru-chan, Tsubaki!" Shun'O and Ayame quickly followed her wordless command and began to heal them. She suddenly felt the hot acrid breath of a hollow on her neck and before she could call out her shield, its claws tore through her side.

As she fell she saw it, its lower body resembled that of a spider with a man's torso, and Its mask had vicious pincers. With her last though, she summoned her shield putting it over all three of them, knowing that any attack would backlash on them. Suddenly, Shun'O and Ayame's healing barrier collapsed. Tatsuki and Chizuru were barely healed and if they weren't they would die from their wounds. Orihime's wound and drained spirit energy had taken its tole and she could no longer maintain anything but her shield, if only for a few more moments. Tsubaki had returned to her hairpins as did Shun'O and Ayame.

Orihime's hope dwindled.

'Why isn't Kurosaki-kun here? Where is he? Where is Chad and Uryuu? Is this how I'm gonna die? In the end I couldn't protect anyone. Not Chizuru-chan, not Tatsuki, not even myself…I really am a burden, and I'm going to die a burden. Its not fair, Tatsuki and Chizuru-chan shouldn't have to suffer with me…..They shouldn't have to die because I'm weak…..I'm sorry Tatsuki, Chizuru-chan…"

As she lay there, her shield beginning to flicker out, Orihime could only despair and regret that Tatsuki and Chizuru would die with her. When her shield had finally collapsed, the hollows closing in, she knew with a certainty that they would die. She only hoped that it would be quick, or that they would die from blood loss and escape as plus souls, so that they could not be devoured by the hollows and become one….She would hate to turn into such a creature and do what they were gonna do to them, to someone else. But she knew it would not matter, they were outmatched and outnumbered, and wouldn't be able to escape even in death.

In short, they were done for….

Or so she thought.

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><p><em>The rip in the air closed behind her, and she looked around. She saw three girls coming her way, still far off, no doubt not being able to sense her already diminished energy. She could tell they were spiritually aware, could smell it on them. The bright orange haired girl was the most aware, she could tell. That would attract danger, danger that she couldn't afford in her wounded state. As she saw the hollows surround them and witnessed the girl's power, she was thankful that the hollows had gone for them, but regretful that such souls would go to waste…<em>

_Or would they…._

_She sighed, and looked at her wound. It was no doubt that she would die. That hoard of hollows had ganged up on her. No doubt trying to evolve. After all, taking a bite out of a vasto lord would definitely raise their power…_

_Unfortunately for them, they weren't able to get even a nibble, but unfortunately for her, one was able to get in a lucky shot to her belly. Her intestines were practically on the ground and she knew if she didn't act quickly, she would die without passing on the gift that her master had given her in life. She's lived a long time, and she had no fear of dying, in fact, she was more than ready. She looked again at the three girls being attacked, and saw that they were barely hanging on. The girl's powers had extinguished, and the hollows were closing in…._

_"….This is my last act. And then, I can fulfill my promise."_

Suddenly, the hollow closest to Orihime was in two pieces, its masked face in shock as it began to dissipate. The others, distracted by the death of their comrade looked around, and were dispatched one after another. Their bodies dissipating until they were all gone.

Orihime expected to see black hakama, or jeans and sneakers, or white pristine pants….But she saw none of those trademarks of her friends.

"Ku….Kurosaki-kun? Chad-kun? Ishida-kun?"

_"….Not quite."_

Orihime looked up, her vision blurring, but she knew that it was another hollow. Its white half mask resembling a cat. Her face fell. She was saved but would be eaten anyway…She began to cry but it came out as wheezing gasps.

_"Don't do that! I'm not here to hurt you….I'm here to help…..I saved you all, so you must do something for me…"_

"F-Fat chance…Leave her alone!"

The hollow turned, looking at Tatsuki, who had just come too and was currently coughing up blood.

Chizuru, hearing Tatsuki's yell also woke up, spotted the white mask and began to panic, her bloody leg bleeding faster with her heart pumping faster.

_"D-Dammit, don't panic….You're just gonna bleed out more….We don't have time….I saved you all, I need you to do something for me. I won't hurt you, in fact, its gonna help you….Just, please…..I can't die without fulfilling my promise." _

Orihime then noticed the wound, no doubt made worse by the rescue, and gasped, coughing from the cold sharp air on her already dry cracked throat. "But…..Why would you save us?"

The hollow woman hissed, sounding very much like a pissed off cat._ "That's what I'm trying to tell you! I saved you so that you could do something for me!…I need to give something to you, to all of you….The gift I have to give is too much for one soul to carry, so all three of you will have it…"_ She paused to gasp from her irritated wound and panted…._"I'm out of time. Once I give this to you all, you will no longer have to fear the unknown."_

"O-Oi! W-Who said we would accept!?" Tatsuki said, clearly irritated at the pushy hollow.

_"Shut your mouth! You owe me! I saved you!"_

"Yeah! Except you waited until we were practically dead, and are still dying! Thanks a lot!"

"Arisawa shut up!" Chizuru yelled, clearly done with all of the arguing. "If she's gonna help us then let her. She could have killed us already!" She was still scared, her trembling body clearly showing it, but she would accept all the help they could get.

_"This one has sense. Now stay still."_

The vasto lord took an impossibly huge breath, and her belly began glowing. The light traveled up to her throat, and then she leaned over them and released that breath, the bright lights settling into their bodies. Once it was done, their bodies began to glow, as their wounds healed, their spiritual energy restored, but something in them changed, not that they would notice immediately but later. They could feel their souls rearranging, making room for….something.

Orihime could feel the wind, although it felt strange as she didn't feel it on her face, more like it was under her _skin, _like there was a tornado threatening to rip her apart from within_. _Along with that strange sensation, she could also feel as though she was underwater, being carried by a gentle current at first, but then thrashing and violent current, and it alternated between those two.

Tatsuki on the other hand, felt _hot._ Like she was burning on the inside, but at the same time, she was soothed by the heat. It was churning, almost like there was a pit of magma in her belly, but there was something else. Her fingers were twitchy, like there was a current or live wire going through them. They felt charged with power, threatening to be unleashed but still tame.

Chizuru felt cold. Not unusual since she was laying in the snow but this felt different. She felt like she was ice itself. To her, the snow actually felt warmer. She was frigid, but not uncomfortable. She wasn't numb, and she didn't feel any pain. She also felt…..Fresh, like spring but she knew that it was winter. She could smell fresh grass and the bark of an old tree.

Just what the actual _FUCK _was going on?

All three girls felt differently, except for one thing. It felt like, their soul was drawing something _in. _The space that had been made in their souls was filling up with whatever was being drawn into it. And then, it all stopped, everything felt normal again, the unknown transformation finishing. Their souls exhausted, all three girls promptly passed out at the same time, their bodies uncaring that they were still in the presence of a slowly dissipating hollow.

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><p><em>The vasto lord sighed, watching as the gift she had promised to pass on was done so…The girls could not see the changes happening, and would have a hard time trying to control their gifts, but it had to be done.…As she closed her eyes and began to dissipate, she felt something like a vacuum was sucking her into a void, and pain, like her soul was being torn apart from three different directions. As she lost consciousness and her body disappeared, she felt lingering panic.<em>

_'Uh oh…._**I think I fucked up.'**

Review plz.


	2. Chapter 2

Hocus Pocus

Summary:

While walking home after an outing, Orihime, Tatsuki and Chizuru are caught off guard by a group of hollows, but they are saved by a powerful, but critically wounded vasto lorde with more than a few secrets and a gift to give.

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><p>Orihime woke up to white. The air smelled clean, too clean. She could practically taste the sterilized air when she inhaled shakily. She coughed slightly, her chest slightly sore and her side-<p>

And then it all came back. She had been out with Tatsuki and Chizuru, and they were attacked-

Her thoughts stopped as the memories came back with frightening clarity. She ran out of bed, not caring about the I.V. as it tore out of her arm and ran to what she knew was a bathroom. She hastily opened the lid and emptied whatever remained of the contents of her stomach from the night before. Tears were spilling down her cheeks as everything came back to her; the feeling of laying on her side in the snow, the positively blank looks in Tatsuki and Chizuru's eyes as they lay open, the fear….

The fear from the attack is what had physically made her _sick._ She could still remember how Tatsuki's blood had splashed onto her face as she was struck down from behind. She could feel the warm, almost hot blood as it made contact with her frigid skin. She remembered a flash of white, oh God it had been Tatsuki's _spine _that had been_ exposed _when she was _cut open._ And Chizuru's leg…God it had looked positively _mangled. _It looked as though her leg was only attached to her body by _skin-_

The memories had caused her to lurch forward again, hunching over the toilet as she once again emptied her stomach until there was nothing left. She spent a few minutes dry heaving before she heard the door wrench open and felt arms pick her up. She began to struggle, still trapped in her fear, convinced that the arms were wicked claws picking up her body to devour her whole. To her, she was still in the snow, all hope lost.

"NO! NOOOOOOOOOO! LEAVE ME ALONE! PUT ME DOWN! I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU KILL ME! LET ME GO!"

She clenched her eyes, and felt the wind fighting to get out of her skin, but this time, it was like a tempest. It felt…good, like she was strong and nothing could touch her. All she needed to do was _push-_

_"STOP!"_

Her eyes opened, wide in shock. And just like that, she no longer felt the tempest fighting beneath her skin, in fact, now it had settled and was circulating comfortably, like air going through a system of ducts, controlled. It felt cool, her skin that had become fevered from her sickness had calmed and felt comfortable….Putting that concern aside, there was the more present problem.

That voice, it was familiar, but only just barely. And it was in her HEAD.

'W-What in the world?!'

She was brought out of her musings by a sharp pin prick in the crook of her arm. As her mind came back to focus on her surroundings, she found two men holding her down and another doctor, this one a woman with dark brown hair wearing a white coat and round frames. She was holding a needle in her hand and Orihime realized that she was speaking to her.

"Don't worry, you're safe now. Everything is okay now, don't fight it anymore. Just sleep."

"W….What?" Was the only response Orihime could make as her vision blurred and her eyelids suddenly weighed a ton. Her mouth felt dry and gross but as she drifted off, she found that she couldn't really care. Darkness once more enveloped her as she slumbered once again.

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><p><em>"Che, damn girl almost blasted those poor bastards out of the window….This is gonna be harder than I thought."<em>

_The hollow found herself in a weird place. She was in one place, but also in three places. The best way that she could describe it, was that her consciousness was in one place, but being shared by three other places. Her power also felt divided in three pieces. She wasn't stupid, she knew what had happened, and her stupid bitch of a master had known this would happen. _

_Her soul had split into three pieces and had bound itself to the three girls she saved. It was a relief to know that she hadn't fucked up, but the situation was in her opinion, COMPLETELY fucked up._

_"Fuck me…..She knew this would happen. She knew when I gave the gift that I would be bound to whoever I gave it to."_

_She was in no way charitable, and never did anything for free. Either she received something in return or they were on their own. When her master had given her the task to pass on those gifts, she was holding up her end of the bargain. It had gotten her in a heap of trouble but she had to keep her promise._

**After all, if a demon couldn't keep its promise, then it's word meant nothing. And that just wasn't good for business.**

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><p>Tatsuki's awakening was a lot less alarming but no less troubled. As the memories of the night before came back, she was more than surprised that she had survived the night. She half expected to still be in the snow, half dead after she had passed out. Judging by her count, she still had all of her fingers and toes and hadn't suffered frostbite or hypothermia. As she sat up, she realized with frustration that she was in the hospital. She hated hospitals. They smelled like bleached death. It took her a bit before everything was in near perfect working order. She could move her arms without any trouble, excluding the I.V. that was in her arm. Her ears were still fuzzy, as she only heard muffled talking and what sounded like a disturbance.<p>

'Jeez….Don't tell me they stuck me in here with some nut job patient….But why does it sound familiar?' As she listened closer, she realized that she knew whose voice it was.

'Orihime! What's happening to her?!' She tried calling out to her and realized that her throat was dryer than a cactus's ass crack and that there was little possibility that any words were coming out of her mouth unless she had some water. She found a pitcher next to her and promptly downed the entire thing. Soon after she had quenched her thirst though, she could hear soothing words, more than likely a doctor trying to calm Orihime down, and then the soothing words stopped as the tone shifted to somewhat businesslike.

"Make sure she's monitored. In fact, monitor all three of them. Every hour on the hour. We don't want this happening again. Yuusuke, have someone look at your nose. You too Kenji, you took a full on headbutt."

"No fucking kidding. I might have a concussion. What the hell is her head made of, steel? Shit…."

"Oi you're not the only one who took a hit, I'm pretty sure my nose will never be the same. Now that cute nurse on the second floor isn't gonna look twice at me!"

"Both of you get out and get treated. If its really serious, then take the rest of the day off….Well, maybe the rest of the weekend…That girl has quite a right hook."

"And quite a kick, my balls can attest to that. I think she kicked them right into my throat, my voice sounds weird." The one who was speaking was this Kenji guy, whose voice did seem to be off pitch, definitely higher than what a man's voice usually was.

Tatsuki had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing as she heard the two male nurses recount their injuries to the doctor, who based on the voice was a woman. She heard two sets of feet head for the door and was shocked to see the curtain pulled back and came face to face with a dark brown haired doctor with a pair of round frame glasses.

"I hope you are fully amused by the abuse my employees took by trying to settle down your friend."

Tatsuki calmed down somewhat, as a bit of shame overcame her but it quickly went away as she grinned, snickering as she could no longer help herself.

"Didn't you guys read her chart before you tried to take her on? It should say that she's a black belt."

The doctor's eyes widened a bit before walking briskly to the chart on the front of Orihime's bed and glanced it over. Her brows furrowed a bit and her lips pursed, her tongue clicking in slight annoyance of the oversight.

"….So it does. No matter, she's fine now. She was in shock from whatever you all experienced last night. By the way, can you tell me what happened? If someone attacked you all, its the hospital's obligation to involve the police if someone committed a crime. And if that is indeed the case, protection may be required."

Tatsuki had to think. She couldn't come out and say that they were attacked by soul hungry monsters and just barely survived by making a deal with one….

'That reminds me….I wonder what "gifts" this hollow bitch had bestowed upon them. Not that I'm not grateful that we were saved but this seems fishy.'

_"Who are you calling a bitch?!"_

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard said "hollow bitch's" voice in her head. It gave her such a jolt that the doctor's keen eyes noticed it.

"Miss…." She took the time to grab her chart and learn her name. "…Miss Arisawa. Are you alright? You look like you've had a fright. Is it something from last night?"

"Uh…No, just a random thought….Anyway!" She intervened before the doctor could utter a word to disprove her fib, "My friends and I were attacked last night, but we didn't see their faces. They had on…..masks, so we couldn't identify them even if we wanted to."

'Well that's not a lie. We certainly _didn't _see our attackers' faces because they _were_ covered with masks….White monstrous masks with disgusting drooling maws-'

"-risawa….Miss Arisawa!"

Broken out of her train of thought, thankfully, she turned to the doctor whose expression was more than a little irritated.

"Welcome back to planet Earth miss Arisawa. Now, was there anything else you noticed? Which direction they went? The sound of their voices? Anything?"

"Uh…No, we didn't hear their voices. And we were pretty much knocked out."

"…..That's funny, because we didn't find any injuries. We did find a lot of blood, but there wasn't a scratch on any one of you….." She began sticking her face into hers, and Tatsuki held her ground. She would not be intimidated by this nosey bitch, and quite frankly she was becoming a bit pissed that she actually had the nerve to question whether they were actually victims because of their lack of injuries. She began to feel hot with anger, like liquid fire was being fed to her veins from a flaming magma pit in her gut. And right now, she wanted nothing more than to unleash flaming hell on this _presumptuous bitch._

"…Are you insinuating, that my friends and I weren't attacked? Because I REALLY hope that's not what you're trying to say."

The Doctor could feel a drop of sweat roll down the back of her neck. It wasn't necessarily fear, but she could have sworn that temperature controlled room had risen a couple degrees, she'd have to check with the maintenance staff to make sure that the thermostats weren't broken.

"No, that's not what I'm trying to say, I'm just saying its a little _suspicious-_"

"_Suspicious?!_ We were laid out unconscious in the snow for God know's how long! Who knows what could have happened to us while we were out cold! And you have the fucking_ gall _to even find our situation even the least bit **SUSPICIOUS!?**"

As her voice rose she could feel the heat pouring off of her body. She wanted to deep fry this wench. 'How DARE she. How dare she even presume to know what they had gone through? She knew NOTHING. She didn't get her back slashed open by a fucking supernatural monster! She wasn't nearly devoured by said monsters!'

What Tatsuki hadn't noticed was that her pupils had flashed red, but the doctor had, until she had promptly passed out and collapsed to the floor from heat exhaustion. But Tatsuki didn't even notice the room felt like a sauna, or that the doctor was unconscious. All she could feel was was the overwhelming urge to breath in deep and unleash…SOMETHING. Something on that doctor for doubting the fear and turmoil she and her friends had gone through. And she was gonna do it. She took an impossibly huge breath, and felt heat begin to rush up her throat until-

_"Holy shit STOP don't do it! She's unconscious!"_

Tatsuki choked in shock and quickly swallowed down whatever had come up and coughed…..And was shocked to find black smoke come out of her mouth along with the taste of…Well, something burnt.

"What the _hell_…Did I almost breath FIRE?"

_"Yeah you did. You really need to work on your anger, that was a close one. You nearly roasted the doctor."_

'Holy crap I'm hearing a hollow's voice in my head!'

_"HEY! Its not like I WANT to be here. I have no choice! An old friend pulled a fucking fast one on me and now I'm stuck to you and your friends' souls!"_

'Oh great, the last thing I need is the voice of a friggin' _hollow_ inside my head.'

_"Stop calling me a hollow…..I hate to be compared to those disgusting creatures."_

She paused at that. Not a hollow? Then what the fuck was up with the mask and the hollow hole? Mask and hole means hollow!…..right?

'Then…..What are you?'

_"…I can't tell you that right now."_

'…Are you kidding me?'

_"No, I'm not. And its a really long story and I don't wanna get into it until all of your friends are awake and can hear me, so tone down the questions."_

'No way. I won't ask about your history _right now_, but I do want to know the consequences of a voice in my head."

"That's also something we should discuss when all of you are awake."

'Motherfuc…..Can you AT LEAST tell me why I was about to breath fire?!'

_"Yes. Its one of the gifts that was given to you. That and lightning."_

'….._Lightning_?'

_"Yes. Lightning. And fire. Look I didn't give them out specifically they chose _**you**_."_

'…..But why do I have these gifts, other than you giving them to me, that is. So what I just breathe fire now and toss lightning now?!'

_"Hey wait a minut-"_

'So I'm gonna be a freak?! And what about Orihime and Chizuru huh?! What's gonna happen to them? Are lightning bolts gonna fly out of their asses or fireballs? And just why did you have to pass this "gift" along to us huh?!'

_"BECAUSE EVERY WITCH NEEDS AN ELEMENT!"_

That stopped Tatsuki dead.

'….a Witch?'

_"Yeah, smart mouth. A _**WITCH**_. Those gifts I passed on are a _**RESULT**_ of me pouring the magic of my dead master, who was a powerful WITCH into your souls. The fact that you got TWO elements is a surprise since most witches have only ONE. The more elements you have, the more FLEXIBLE they can be with magic. Based on your never ending _**SASS**_, you got the most violent elements, _**Fire**_ and yes,_** LIGHTNING.**_ I had no choice but to give you three that magic! If I died with it I wouldn't have been able to fulfill my end of the binding contract I had with my master! And that's as good as hanging myself in the laws of hell, so spare me the attitude! I had something on the line too, like my soul! Besides you should be grateful! If I hadn't done so then you all would have died! Try showing a little gratitude!"_

Tatsuki was stunned but was inclined to agree, had it not been for this…."voice", they would have died. As much as she didn't want to, she owed this….whoever it was, her and her friends' lives.

'Alright, jeez….I apologize. It IS a lot to take in….I mean….Witches? Aren't witches evil?'

_"Ha! I wonder who told you that? Halloween's got you all mixed up girlie. No, witches aren't evil unless they CHOOSE to be. In fact, judging by your spiritual awareness, you've either unknowingly been around, or know a few witches, or as they call themselves, _**Shinigami**_."_

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><p>Review plz!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Hocus Pocus

UPDATE: I decided to revamp the chapters because I feel like I gave too much away too soon. Please enjoy the newly edit chapter~

Summary:

While walking home after an outing, Orihime, Tatsuki and Chizuru are caught off guard by a group of hollows, but they are saved by a powerful, but critically wounded vasto lorde with more than a few secrets and a gift to give.

…

* * *

><p>Ichigo Kurosaki was troubled. Sometimes he might not have been the sharpest crayon in the box but he knew when something had gone terribly wrong. And when the hours passed without the three girls who were famous for their morning interaction appearing in school that day, it further confirmed his suspicions that something had gone awry.<p>

He couldn't say that he was close to Chizuru, and could have written off her absence, had it not been for the fact that he knew that the three girls were supposed to had gone for an outing the previous night. A certain amber haired girl had been particularly excited about their planned trip to the movies that night. Her bright smile, eyes lit in happiness to spend time with her two best girlfriends from school was apparent for all to see, and he didn't want to admit to himself that the absence of bright presence and disposition had left him on edge and a little irritated. He could barely concentrate on his work, Ochi-sensei's precise and deadly aim with her chalk could prove that. He was pretty sure he had white chalk marks on his forehead.

He wasn't upset with Orihime. Of course not. Even someone as smart as Orihime needed a break sometimes, but for the strong and capable Tatsuki Arisawa and the resilient Chizuru Honsho to be absent at the same time as her, was a little strange. He knew they weren't skipping school. Even if Orihime had barely entertained the thought of skipping, Tatsuki wouldn't allow it. That left few other possibilities as to their absences.

'They could have all gotten sick. Movie theaters aren't exactly the tidiest or most sanitary places….But Tatsuki and Orihime are pretty healthy, they nearly never get sick….Although Orihime does eat strange things…..'

Ichigo's face turned slightly green at the thought of Orihime's eccentric cooking. It certainly could have been possible that she ate something weird at the movies and prompted Tatsuki and Chizuru to eat it. His stomach turned at the thought of what she could have possible come up with. His sympathy for the two girls was quickly cast away when he felt the sharp sting of a piece of chalk making contact with his forehead.

'Motherfuc-'

"OI! Kurosaki! Pay attention!'

"Jeez sensei how many pieces of chalk do you have?!"

He paled slightly and felt a tiny bead of sweat roll down the side of his face when he saw his teacher pick up a cardboard box and showed him the contents.

Chalk. Boxes and boxes of it.

"I've got more than enough to bring your senses back to my classroom, Kurosaki. Either pay attention or prepare your forehead for my arsenal!"

"Y-Yes sensei…"

"Good! Now, everyone turn to page 145…"

He sighed and opened the pages, but could feel two pairs of eyes on him and looked around to see Chad and Ishida staring at him. His became determined as they spoke to each other through their eyes. They didn't need words.

They were just as concerned as him about the three girls' absence. He nodded to them and turned back to the board. He would be patient, but after school they would be looking for the three girls, one of which was their favorite amber haired healer with the sunshine smile.

…

* * *

><p>"Ichigo."<p>

Ichigo turned to his mostly silent friend, his face determined with the slightest hints of worry on his face. They had just come from Orihime's apartment, and their concern grew when they found that she had not been there. Her landlord had informed them that she didn't even remember Orihime coming in the night before.

"Yeah Chad?"

"…I was wondering about something that may have happened last night. I sensed a few hollows that had gathered in one area, but they disappeared before I could even get out of the house to eliminate them. Did any of you guys do it?"

Ichigo's stunned look was priceless. He had felt and thought the same thing, but considering the look on Ishida's face, he could tell that he hadn't taken out the hollows, and Ichigo knew that he didn't do it either….That could only mean one thing considering the circumstances…

"…..You don't think that-" Chad was suddenly cut off by Uryuu.

"No, we can't think that yet. Maybe they did encounter them, and could have been hurt. We should check hospitals. There hasn't been any news of-"

"Don't…..Don't you dare even THINK…." Ichigo's eyes were narrowed, his fists clenched and he was grinding his teeth.

"…Ichigo, I'm only trying to help. We should check the hospital. That's the only explanation. Be smart, don't immediately fly off the handle. As strong as Orihime is, I doubt that she…." He sighed, and adjusted his glasses. He was saying all of this stuff to Ichigo but even he was feeling upset at the possibility that the girls may have gotten hurt during an encounter with the hollows that had suddenly appeared.

"….Look, lets just check the hospital. If they are there, then we'll know that they are okay. If they were there and we missed them its only a matter of time before they come back home. With Orihime's abilities its no doubt that they will probably be more than okay, so lets just go."

Chad nodded and gently urged Ichigo on by placing his hand on his shoulder. He knew that he was concerned, but this was their best course of action and its better to just do it instead of stewing over what could have happened. He felt Ichigo's shoulders sag and felt the tension release from them. He nodded and began walking after Uryuu. Chad followed hoping and praying that Uryuu was right and that they were safe…He didn't think they, especially Ichigo could handle the possibility of their friends being gone. Especially Orihime.

…

* * *

><p>Tatsuki could hardly believe her ears, or more accurately the voice in her head.<p>

'What?! Shinigami aren't witches!'

_"Maybe not true witches, but they do use magic."_

'This is crazy. You're crazy. There's no way that I'm a WITCH of all things.'

_"Oh yeah? Tell that to the flames you had to gulp back down to avoid burning that doctor alive. And that twitching in your fingers ain't the medicine honey. If you can believe in disgusting creatures like hollows, why can't witches be real? The time for disbelief is over. You just swallowed a fireball so you need to cut this scared schoolgirl bullshit and start adjusting to reality. And you being a witch IS the reality. Suck it up."_

Tatsuki flushed slightly in embarrassment and shame. She couldn't help trying to make sense out of everything, especially when she had to choke down a _fireball_. She knew that the voice was right but that didn't make her any less upset about it. She had a right to answers.

_"Look girlie-"_

'Its Tatsuki. Tatsuki Arisawa."

_"Whatever. Look, there's gonna be a lot of changes, and you and your friends need to be ready for them. This isn't a game, and you could learn something or end up hurting someone like you almost did. Your friend nearly did as well but we'll get into that later."_

'Is she at least okay?'

_"Yeah she's fine. She was a little outta sorts when she woke up. Kicked those guys' asses but good, but she was about to unleash hell upon them by way of magic and they wouldn't have survived."_

'….I still think this is crazy, but for what its worth I believe that we won't get any answers unless we listen to what you have to say, and that's not saying I'm gonna trust you so don't get any ideas.'

_"That's fine for now, but you will have to trust me sooner or later. It could save your lives or someone else's."_

'…..We're gonna be ok, right?'

_"…..I sure hope so girlie."_

And with that, the demon's voice had stopped.

This was a lot to take in, and all of this information was starting to make her head spin. Maybe she should rest for now it would certainly help to pass the time and-

Her thoughts suddenly stopped as she realized that she was being stared at by the doctor with the round frames…When did she wake up?

"….Glad to see you back on planet Earth Miss Arisawa. Now, can you please explain why I woke up on the floor?"

Tatsuki could only sigh. She really didn't feel like dealing with her, but if it made her go away it was worth speaking to her.

"You passed out."

The doctor's eyebrow twitched with irritation and Tatsuki wasn't ashamed to admit that she had felt some pleasure at the doctor's displeasure.

"….And you didn't call for help?"

'Hell no. You deserved to pass out on the floor your presumptuous bitch. Thats what you get for even doubting what we went through.'

"Look, I'm the patient here. You're supposed to be caring for me. Not the other way around. If you felt weary you should have taken a damn break."

The Doctor had stilled and her expression went from a bit stunned, to frigid, and then a sudden calmness with a hint of, judging by the small grin and the look of superiority in her eyes, smugness. Tatsuki could feel the disgust the doctor felt about her, like she was looking at trash on the street.

"…Well then, perhaps I SHOULD take a break. After all, it wouldn't do well for a doctor of my prestige to be slacking on the job. Especially on the bed of a female patient who probably had too much to drink and woke up in some man's bed. But do be careful, being left on your ass in the snow can cause hypothermia so keep that in mind next time."

The doctor grinned, and then sashayed her way out of the room and closed the door with a pleasant click.

_"…..I may not like you all that much but that bitch has lost her marbles. She needs to watch her mouth." _

'I thought you had left me alone.'

_"Don't get your hopes up girlie. I never said I wasn't gonna be listening. By the way, next time that boney bitch mouths off at you, make sure you tell her that she shouldn't swing around her flat, pancake shaped ass."_

'Agreed.'

She sighed. Everything was upside down, and nothing really made sense. Before she could even begin to make sense of everything, there was a loud groan to her left. She knew for a fact that Orihime was sleeping peacefully on her right, and that meant one thing.

'Chizuru is awake.'

…

* * *

><p>Unlike Orihime and Tatsuki, when Chizuru woke up she knew exactly where she was before she was completely conscious. She could practically sense the death there. She felt as if the life there was exhausted and sickly. In short, it was like being smack dab in the middle of a pit of stagnation. It made her slightly ill and she cautiously reminded herself not to eat any of the disgusting hospital food, otherwise she would more than likely barf.<p>

'Jeez…..They couldn't bring a plant in here to liven things up? I'd even take a cactus.'

Wishes of potted plants aside, she tried to sit up and groaned. She remembered the night before of course but for some reason she wasn't upset. She was cool about it. She was alive and besides a lingering soreness in her leg she could also count herself as well, and she was nothing but grateful.

"Hey, Honsho, wake up."

Whatever fog was left in Chizuru's mind finally cleared up and she looked to her right, then quickly pulled back the curtain to find Tatsuki looking at her.

"Heh, never thought I'd see the day where I'm actually happy to see you alive and well Arisawa." The grin that spread across her face was infectious, as Tatsuki also grinned. "How are you feeling you pervert?"

"I'm alright. My leg is sore but I'm alright. What about you? How's your back?"

"Same here, its fine its just sore. But I guess that's to be expected….." Her expression suddenly darkened, and Chizuru could practically see the wheels turning in Tatsuki's head.

"….I thought we were dead Chizuru. I really did, but, we were saved. But that's not all that happened. We should wait until Orihime wakes up to talk about it though. That probably won't be a for a while since the doctor put her out…..She woke up before me, but apparently she was reliving the night before. Did a number on the male nurses."

"Serves them right. Didn't they know she was a black belt?"

Tatsuki could only snicker as she remember the injuries they recounted.

"Not until AFTER she had head-butted one, broke the other's nose, and kicked the first one in the balls. He said she might have kicked them into his throat-" *snort* "and his voice was high. Really high."

The two girls looked at each other and began cracking up. If there was one thing they could agree on, it was that they loved seeing someone getting their ass kicked.

"That's my Hime! Deadly as well as gorgeous!"

"Oi, don't start with that Chizuru!"

"….Tatsuki-chan?"

Tatsuki looked to her right and saw that Orihime was sitting up, rubbing her eyes that were no doubt heavy due to the shot she was given.

…

* * *

><p>Orihime slowly and practically had to fight for consciousness. The shot she had been given had definitely put her under quickly and efficiently. Luckily for her she was always so healthy and her body quickly burned through the medicine. She heard muffled voices she didn't recognize at first as she sat up, rubbing the sleep and blurriness out of her eyes. She was happy that she hadn't felt sick like last time. She certainly didn't want to go through that again. Once she woke up enough, she finally recognized the voice.<p>

"….Tatsuki-chan?"

It took her a bit but she was finally able to get her eyes clear and saw Tatsuki and Chizuru who both had a bad case of bed head.

She snickered, as they both looked at her in confusion.

"Y-Your hair…"

Chizuru tried in vain to smooth down her frazzled hair as Tatsuki only shook her head in amusement.

"Honsho there's no point. Besides we're in the hospital, we're pretty much excused if we look like shit."

Orihime suddenly got out of bed, making sure that her movement wouldn't set off the machines and made her way to Tatsuki, where she gave her a big hug. "Chizuru-chan, you too, please….I just need to hug you both."

Chizuru didn't need to be asked and soon enough all three girls were hugging each other, just happy that they had survived the night. They could laugh to ease the pain, but the fact that they nearly died would never leave them. It was a constant reminder that they could no longer be careless. They would have to stay vigilant to stay safe and to protect those around them from getting hurt.

"I'm glad we're all okay….I don't know what I would do if I could never see you guys again…" Orihime's voice became watery as the tears began to fall.

"J-Jeez Orihime….Don't cry, you know Honsho is a wimp….." Tatsuki could say that, but she couldn't stop her own tears from falling. Chizuru was sobbing loudly, not caring how she looked and for everyone present that was okay, because no one would judge each other for displaying their feelings after what happened.

_"Great, now that all of you are awake, we can start talking-"_

"Tatsuki!"

"Chizuru!"

"M-Mom!"

…

* * *

><p>Before they could even make sense of everything Tatsuki and Chizuru's mothers had burst into the room, distraught over their children's stay in the hospital. Tatsuki's mom hugged all three girls, happy that they were okay. After a lot of questioning from the worried parents, everything had settled down. Due to their lack of injuries they could be discharged. Tatsuki knew that the girls had to talk. Being separated now could prove disastrous for any or all of them.<p>

"Mom, is it okay if I went to Orihime's place? I'd rather her not be alone at home."

Tatsuki shot a quick look at Chizuru, and she quickly caught on to the plan.

"I wanna go too Mom. I'd feel a lot better if we were together."

Tatsuki's mom looked them over, worried after their experience. "Are you girls sure? You girls are more than welcome to stay over at our house for the night."

"I'm sure mom, we'll be okay. We're just worried about each other. I think we should keep each other company. We don't wanna worry you guys."

The two mother's looked at each other and sighed. They both knew that these were strong girls. They wouldn't want to be coddled, and that's something that both mother's silently agreed with. The fact that they came out of encounter virtually unscathed was proof of that.

"Okay, I think that we can do. But, I think you shouldn't go to school tomorrow. We can pick up your work and what not from school and bring it to you. And since its nearly the weekend, I think that this would be the best time for all of you to stay together to come to terms with what happened on your own."

Chizuru's mother smiled, looking them over as she went to her daughter and gently smoothed down her frazzled hair. "You're big girls, and we know that you'll get through this. Be safe."

"We'll bring clothes and food over for the weekend. Sit tight. We'll get everything and then sign you guys out and leave the hospital.

…

* * *

><p>True to their word, the two mothers came back with fresh clothes for them to change into and brought them back to Orihime's place. With hugs and one or two tears the mothers departed, leaving the girls to their own device.<p>

Chizuru gazed around her with awe and sparkles in her eyes.

"So THIS is Orihime's place. I'm so glad to finally be able to enter the palace of my princess!"

Tatsuki's eyebrow twitched as she sat their bags down next to the door, more than used to being in Orihime's apartment.

"Oi, don't even think about doing anything slick Honsho. I'll be watching you."

"You're just mad because I'm encroaching on your territory, dragon lady."

Tatsuki snorted in disgust, and, remembering that she had actually gulped down a fireball, couldn't help but feel that Chizuru's description of her now made sense.

"The food is in the fridge!" Orihime said as she came from the kitchen. "SO! We should figure out where everyone is gonna sleep right?"

"I will be sleeping with my sweet Hime-chan. Arisawa can sleep on the couch."

"Wrong you sicko. We will be sleeping in the living room while Orihime sleeps in her own room."

"Actually…."

Both girls looked at Orihime as she carefully considered her next words…

"….Well, I think that we should bunk together. We can camp out here or we can go in my room. I don't mind. I'd rather have you guys close….After last night…"

Chizuru was about to attempt to comfort Orihime in her own way when she was reminded of something strange that had happened before their mothers had burst in.

"Um….I'm probably being crazy, especially after what happened last night but did anyone else hear a voice in their heads before our mom's came in?"

_"Its about damn I got acknowledged."_

…

* * *

><p>Please review! And to the guest reviewer, I still can't reveal that information.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Hocus Pocus

UPDATE: I decided to revamp the chapters because I feel like I gave too much away too soon. Please enjoy the newly edit chapter~

Summary:

While walking home after an outing, Orihime, Tatsuki and Chizuru are caught off guard by a group of hollows, but they are saved by a powerful, but critically wounded vasto lorde with more than a few secrets and a gift to give.

…

* * *

><p>Chad was wisely staying in the background. Ishida was a lot braver than he was at the moment, opting to try and calm down the orange haired teenager who was staring down the frightened nurse at the front desk.<p>

"What the hell do you mean they're _gone?_"

The nurse gulp and adjusted her specs which had been shaken from their original position on her nose from her shaking.

"T-They checked out about half an hour ago with their mothers. Y-You practically just missed them…."

"Kurosaki, stop scaring her. Its not her fault. At least we know that they are okay and were taken home. You're causing a disturbance, lets just go. Its too late to do anything right now. We'll see them tomorrow at school."

Ichigo clenched his fists and took a deep breath to calm himself. As much as he wanted to say otherwise, he knew that Ishida was right. He would be expected home, and he really didn't want to deal with his father and Yuzu badgering him about staying out too late. He sighed and turned around.

"Fine, lets go then. But we better see them tomorrow." With that he practically stomped out of the hospital.

Chad and Uryuu looked at each other.

"…Its amazing how dense he is."

Chad could only nod, knowing exactly what he meant.

…

* * *

><p>The sudden voice in all of their heads shocked them, and Tatsuki mumbled a curse under her breath.<p>

'Sheesh, don't just interrupt like that….'

Orihime and Chizuru's heads turned so fast it could have given them whiplash. Both of them had just heard Tatsuki's voice in _their_ heads.

"Tatsuki, how come I can hear your voice in my head? And who was that other voice? I heard it when I woke up before…"

"Oh God I'm going crazy now. I can hear Arisawa's voice in my head. That's it. I give up on life. If I have to hear Arisawa in my head from now on you can put a bullet in me-"

_"OI! Both of you shut up! You can hear us both because I'm connecting all of you together right now on purpose."_

"….Is that the hollow that saved us last night? And what she mean by she's connecting all of us? What are we _landlines?!"_

"….She doesn't really like to be called a hollow..."

"….What the hell do you mean she doesn't like to be called a hollow?!" Chizuru screeched. "Are you two buddies or something now?! What's going on here?!"

_"Oi, shut the hell up and stop screaming or you're gonna attract attention! I don't wanna be here either but I don't have a choice. Sheesh….You're worse than that damn doctor."_

At the mention of the doctor, Tatsuki's face twisted in anger. Just thinking about the doctor had her guts on fire, and Tatsuki had to remind herself that the fire she felt in her belly could very well be actual _fire._ With that sobering thought, she calmed herself as much as she could, and her expression caught Orihime's notice.

"Tatsuki-chan, what's the matter?"

"…That damn doctor…..She practically called me a slut to my face. She was suspicious about how we were in the snow with all of that blood and didn't have a scratch."

Chizuru's thoughts about the voice in their heads halted as she heard Tatsuki talk about the doctor she hadn't actually seen.

"Eh!? What the heck is that all about? What'd she think we were just a bunch of drunk promiscuous girls?"

Tatsuki nodded, her expression still a little angry.

"That's exactly what she thought."

Orihime was stunned, and more than a little angry. She was no expert, but she was pretty sure that assuming someone's promiscuity wasn't in the least bit professional, more or less calling someone a slut to their face. She could feel a coolness under her skin begin to shift from a calm current to a raging storm.

"That's not nice. She's not the police, and we didn't do anything wrong. She has no right to an opinion about what we went through. She should have stuck to making us better and save the attitude." Orihime's face was pinched slightly with anger, and Tatsuki and Chizuru looked at each other.

"Sheesh Orihime, you seem a bit angry…."

Orihime's face changed instantly and the sensation under her skin became normal again as she blushed in embarrassment.

"I didn't offend you guys did I? It wasn't at you I swear…"

_"Its not you. Its my powers' influence."_

They all looked at each other in confusion.

"Whoa, wait a minute. Are you saying that you've got some kind of freaky control over us?" Chizuru said, eyeing Orihime slightly in worry.

_"No, that's not what I'm saying. Be quiet and let me finish."_

"Wow you're sassy for a voice in our heads…"

Orihime was still amazed that her attitude had shifted so suddenly. She knew that what the doctor did was wrong but she never thought that she'd get that angry over it.

_"Now, as I was saying, my power is what more than likely influenced your sudden shift in mood. After what happened last night, I expected to die in peace. However, like most things, I got fucked over by my master, who gave me the task and now I'm _**stuck with you all.**_"_

"Well shit, we weren't expecting this either, so kill the damn attitude. We all got screwed." Tatsuki said, just a little annoyed at the voice's un-warranted irritation at them.

_"You're right, but that doesn't meant I can't be pissed anyway."_

Orihime sat down on the arm of her couch, unnerved that there was….something attached to them all.

"So, what exactly are you? You said that you weren't a hollow…" Chizuru said, her eyes slightly fearful of what could be haunting them.

"…..I'm a demon."

…

* * *

><p>Ichigo couldn't concentrate, and luckily this time he didn't have Ochi-sensei to toss chalk at him. It didn't make a difference though, he couldn't get any studying done. He was still worried about the girls. They were safe, that was for certain and they were fine.<p>

Unfortunately, something still didn't seem right. Something was nagging at him. He couldn't help but think that this was only the beginning, that something had been changed and with change comes bad and _worse_.

And he had no doubt that Orihime and the girls were smack dab in the middle of it.

With and angry sigh he put his books away and looked at his phone. He had half a mind to call Orihime to see if she was okay, but he also thought that calling would be too forward. She was a girl and he shouldn't be calling her at this time of night. It was barely nine but he still convinced himself that it was too late to call her in his mind.

'Dammit…..I should just call her and get it over with, but what if she's resting? I don't wanna disturb her after she came home from the hospital…'

**"You're such a coward. Just call her and get it over with King! I'm sick and tired of being drenched in here because you can't decide to pick up a phone. Grow a pair and call the Queen to make sure she's okay! Besides, it wouldn't hurt to hear her voice." **

Ichigo could hear the depravity in the hollow's voice as it cackled and he decided then and there that he wouldn't call. He wouldn't give the fiend the pleasure he knew he would feel by calling Orihime and letting it hear her voice.

'Damn you, keep your depravity to yourself. Keep Orihime from your thoughts.'

**"Not a chance King. You need to stop being a pussy and admit your feelings. I am your instinct, I feel what you feel. Stop trying pretend to be a good guy….This innocent act irritates me. You're denying us both what we want with your cowardly BULLSHIT. You want the Queen, I want the Queen. That's all there is to it. You're not gonna relax until you do, and quite frankly I'm sick of the damn rain. Pull yourself together or you'll force me to act. And when I win, I'm going straight for the Queen, and she's gonna be all MINE."**

Ichigo clenched his fist as he forced the hollow deeper into his soul. No. He wouldn't call her tonight. As much as he wanted to, he knew that it would only give the hollow pleasure, and that was out of the question.

'As much as I want to, I'll hold off from calling her. Its worth it to be worried if that bastard is uncomfortable and angry.'

Ichigo grinned as he heard Yuzu call him down for dinner, sensing that hollow's anger directed at him.

…

* * *

><p>Please Review! A little short this time but there's more to come!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Hocus Pocus

UPDATE: I decided to revamp the chapters because I feel like I gave too much away too soon. Please enjoy the newly edited chapters~

Summary:

While walking home after an outing, Orihime, Tatsuki and Chizuru are caught off guard by a group of hollows, but they are saved by a powerful, but critically wounded vasto lorde with more than a few secrets and a gift to give.

…

* * *

><p>The silence and shock was thick in the room. Orihime's eyes were wide, and her expression was mirrored onto Tatsuki and Chizuru's faces as well.<p>

"….A….A _demon_?"

_"Yeah. A demon. Get over your shock. My being a demon isn't really important."_

"Its not _important_? You're a** DEMON**. And you're attached to us all!" Tatsuki said, clearly furious, furious enough that the fire was beginning to churn in her gut again.

"_Unwillingly_ if I may remind you. I'm not gonna steal your souls or anything like that. Not interested in human souls."

"…..Then what kind of souls _are_ you interested in?" Orihime said, almost afraid to hear the answer, but needing to.

_"I consume evil souls. I hate to admit it, but those disgusting hollows are disgustingly _**delicious**_."_

Chizuru felt sick. They had just been told that the demon attached to their souls likes to chew on the creatures like that ones that had attacked them the night before. She wanted to throw up, but suddenly she felt cool and then everything was okay. She suddenly accepted the facts that were being presented to her, and was dealing with them accordingly.

"….Okay, what does that have to do with us?"

Orihime and Tatsuki looked at Chizuru with shock. She was taking this surprisingly well. Wasn't she just upset before about hearing voices and now she was calm? Something clearly wasn't right.

"Chizuru-chan? Are you okay? You're taking this really well…" Orihime said, gently putting a hand on her shoulder, which she immediately snatched off a second later. "Chizuru-chan you're freezing!"

Chizuru looked at her hands, and noticed that her skin was beginning to take on a blue tinge. Her nails were turning bluish purple, but they didn't hurt. She just felt cool.

_"Oh, I see. They are manifesting."_

Orihime was looking at Chizuru, clearly concerned that her friend's skin was ice cold and turning blue. "What's manifesting?! Why is she turning blue like that, is she gonna be okay?"

_"Yes, she'll be fine. And its her gift. Or at least one of them. She has an Ice Element."_

"W-Wait, what do you mean? Ice?"

_"Yeah, Ice. This is the talk we need to have. Remember the gift I told you all about? This is a result of that gift. Like I told girlie there, my task was to give my old master's magic to someone else. Except, that my master's magic was too large for just one soul to hold all at once, so when you three came along it was the perfect opportunity. You three became Witches and now have an Element or two, which seems to be the case for you all, as a base for your magic."_

"…..So, I've got Ice powers?" Chizuru said, finally looking up from her hands at her two best friends.

_"Yes. And from what I felt earlier, you also have the gift of Earth."_

Tatsuki had since calmed, but after seeing Chizuru's skin, her gut was instead twisting with worry. "Earth? Are you serious?"

_"Yeah, I am."_

"….You know….Before I woke up in the hospital, I knew where I was. I could literally feel the sickness and death all around me….I was thinking that the staff could have put a plant in the room to liven it up….My curtain was closed, I couldn't have possibly known that there wasn't a plant in the room before I could even think to look…."

Orihime and Tatsuki looked at Chizuru, amazed at her admission.

_"That's Earth alright. Feeling the life around you is a perk of having that Element. For example, girlie has Fire and Lightning as her Elements. Perks of those include never being harmed by those elements. She can't be electrocuted or burned. If she were to stick her hand into fire right now, it wouldn't even burn her."_

Tatsuki was stunned. She can never be burned or shocked? That did explain why she could swallow a fireball without any harm…

"W-Wait, so….Chizuru-chan can never get cold? Or freeze to death? And what about Earth?"

_"You're catching on. The cold will never bother her. She could stand naked in the snow and be completely comfortable. As for Earth, if someone were to try to bury her alive, they would never succeed. If she were to fall, she would not be hurt. The Earth would cushion her. This is why Witches were considered evil. Because they were hard to kill and the unknown always scares the masses."_

Chizuru's skin by now, had gone back to normal as she was absorbing all of the information they were being given. But, there was one question that had been nagging at her ever since she had been told that they were witches.

"So….Since we're Witches and all…..Do we get to fly on brooms?"

…

* * *

><p>The doctor was currently in the break-room having dinner, another night of takeout. Don't get her wrong, she loved working at the hospital, it just sucked to have difficult patients.<p>

'Speaking of difficult patients, those three girls are gone. Checked out…' The mouthy one, Tatsuki Arisawa irked her. There was just something strange about how she answered her about when she passed out. Another thing, that sudden heat. Where did it come from? Was she overworked and caught a sudden fever? It was possible. She was taking on extra shifts lately to have a little more money. But she highly doubted that. She'd gotten checked up after she finished her rounds just to make sure.

And not only that, but the girl, Orihime, who had easily and nearly took down the male nurses…There was something eerie about her. And when she came in, she could have sworn there was wind blowing in the room. That wouldn't have been an issue if the window was open except that it wasn't. It felt as if there was a storm coming. And with Tatsuki, the room had suddenly got so _hot…_

And there was another thing. On the gown that she was wearing, there was something black there, that almost resembled _soot-_

Her pager suddenly went off, and as she checked it she realized that one of her patients was having seizures again. As she got up, she looked to her locker, and left, thinking about the contents of it. She was gonna get to the bottom this. The hospital wouldn't miss 3 hospital gowns.

…

* * *

><p>After a dinner and a hot shower to wash the day away, Ichigo was ready for bed…..Or he had been until he came back from the bathroom to find a certain black haired, petite shinigami lounging on his bed with a manga in her hand.<p>

"What are you doing here Rukia?"

Rukia didn't even bother to look at him as she turned the page. "Not even gonna say hi? Have I taught you nothing Ichigo?"

"Besides how to make picture shows out of bad drawings, no not really." The next thing Ichigo knew there was a shoe colliding with his head.

"Ow! Dammit Rukia what the hell is your problem?!"

"That's for making fun of my art, and there's something else…There was a disturbance last night."

That got Ichigo's attention and he instantly sat up straighter, pain all but forgotten. "We felt that there were a few hollows that had appeared last night, but then they suddenly vanished before any of us could get to them….Except that Orihime, Tatsuki and Chizuru might have been involved. They were in the hospital."

Rukia's face grew worried. Orihime was one of her dearest friends and to even think about her being in danger or injured hurt her deeply. "Was she okay? What happened?"

Ichigo sighed and raked a hand through his orange spiky hair, trying to get rid of his frustration over his earlier decision to not contact Orihime. "We don't know. When we went to check on them at the hospital they had already checked out with Tatsuki and Chizuru's parents. I didn't wanna call her since she just came from the hospital…She needs res-"

Apparently Ichigo's head was an easy target because once again, Rukia's shoe had made contact with it again.

"Ow! The hell Rukia!"

"You didn't call her to make sure she was okay?!"

"I was trying to be courteous! I didn't wanna call her late at night-"

"Its ten o'clock Ichigo!"

"And disturb her rest! And its not really appropriate for a guy like me to call a girl at night!"

"That's such crap. You're being a wuss. Its not inappropriate for a friend to make sure that another one is okay! Especially if she could have been attacked by hollows."

He considered her words, he really did, and every word she said he had thought some time before. But there was one thing that kept him from doing what he badly wanted to do.

"….Rukia, my hollow is interested in her."

If there was one that could quiet Rukia, it was talk of Ichigo's hollow. The fiend had caused its own share of problems and has been a thorn in pretty much everyone's sides. "It is?"

"Yeah, it is. It wanted me to call her, and I nearly gave in. But I didn't because I knew that that bastard would get something out of it. If I can keep Orihime away from that thing in any way, I will. I know that I'm gonna have to see her anyway, but if I can deny him as much contact with her as I can then its….its worth it."

"….You dumbass, even you don't fully believe that. Stop kidding yourself Ichigo. You can't help but protect Orihime. It was subtle before but ever since Hueco Mundo you've been downright possessive."

"I'm not possessive! I can't help but be concerned about her. She had to suffer in that place. She was psychologically beaten down by them. She got kidnapped because I wasn't strong enough."

This time Rukia chose the manga to whack him over the head, and ignoring his cry of pain and his string of curses she glared down at him, clearly displeased that he was acting stupid again. And like always it was her job to kick him out of his funk.

"There you go again. You're saying stupid things. How many times do I have to tell you that she doesn't blame you for that. No one does! You're the only one who's blaming yourself."

Ichigo ran his hand through his hair again, a classic sign that he was frustrated and distressed, and as his mentor Rukia could see that it was a lot deeper than he was letting on.

"Ichigo, you have to stop this. You're only hurting others when you do this to yourself. If you try to stay away, you're gonna make her feel bad. She still thinks that its her fault that we had to go to Hueco Mundo. She may try to hide it but I know she blames herself for what happened there. You two are so alike. Both of you needlessly blame yourselves for something that's not even your fault. Just imagine how she would feel if you suddenly started avoiding her. I don't ever want her to feel like she's done something wrong and blame herself for something she didn't do, especially when you're just being stupid. And she does that enough."

She could see him slouch further, his gaze pointed to the floor in deep thought. It looked like he was trying to get it but there was still something holding him back. She didn't get it. She understood that his hollow was a potential threat to Orihime but he was strong. If Ichigo didn't want it to get to Orihime it wouldn't, then what was bugging him so badly? As far as she knew his hollow had never had any-

Her eyes widened and she looked down at the crown of spiky orange hair, and she understood. This went deeper than his hollow's threats. In fact, she pretty much knew that it didn't make threats it made promises, and there had been one time where the hollow had gotten close to Orihime. Too close for anyone's comfort.

"…This is about the dome, isn't it."

She saw him stiffen and his hands gripped his hair, refusing to look in her eyes. That was it. His tell.

"….She could have been killed Rukia. I damn near killed Ishida, and I massacred Ulquiorra….She wouldn't have been able to stop me, and to this day I'm glad that Ulquiorra was able to stop me…..What if I had turned on her? I could never forgive myself."

"…..Ichigo, you're punishing yourself for what could have _possibly_ happened, and not giving yourself credit for what did happen. She called for you, and you kept your promise. You got up, using whatever power you had left, even if it was your hollow's and defeated Ulquiorra. Stop blaming yourself for what didn't happen, because I can guarantee this. If you hadn't gotten up, everything that you feared that you would do to her, _Ulquiorra would have done much worse._"

Ichigo immediately straightened up, a look of realization on his face. She was right. Ulquiorra had no problem taunting Orihime with his body after he'd blown a hole in his chest, and he was sure that Ulquiorra would have had no problem making sure Orihime suffered before killing her. Why should he despair because he used all the power he had to keep his promise and rescue her? Even if it was his hollow's power he had _succeeded _and kept his promise, and now she was back home. He would still protect her, there was no doubt about that, and he would continue to do so, so that he can one day be able to protect her without having his hollow in the equation. With that, he stood up, eyes focused and full of fierce determination. He would make it a point to see Orihime tomorrow. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. He headed to bed, mumbling a goodnight to Rukia even though he knew it was appreciated but unneeded.

Rukia nodded to him, glad to see that he was finally out of his funk….for now. She was certain that this is something that would take some time to completely overcome, but as she left to head for Yuzu and Karin's room, she made a silent promise to herself that she would be there to help him along the way whenever he needed it.

…

* * *

><p><em>"…Did….Did you <em>**really**_ just ask that?"_

All eyes were on Chizuru, who's eyes were sparkling with excitement with the possibility of being able to fly on a broom.

"I'm curious! I wanna know if we can fly around on brooms now. I'm a little afraid of heights but that would be so _cool_-"

_"I can't believe…Don't you think that there are more _**important **_things to ask about than that?"_

"Uh, no. Of course not!"

Tatsuki could only shake her head in disappointment and amusement. Of course Chizuru would ask something stupid like that, but it doesn't mean that she wasn't curious as well. Now that it had been brought up, she too wanted to know, but she wasn't gonna voice her question, it was just too embarrassing.

_"I can't even….*sigh* You wanna know? Yeah, you can. Except that Witches with the Wind Element are the most successful at it. Its easy to make a broom fly if your Element is Wind. Its not impossible for others its just more difficult. In fact, it was well known in the old days that in order to have a broom that flew correctly and efficiently, you had to bring it to a Wind Witch. Out of you three, its jugs here that'll have the easiest time doing it. Her Elements are Wind and Water."_

Orihime's eyes widened. She had Wind and Water powers?

"W-Wait….I've actually been feeling this….this current flowing through my body…When I thought I was being attacked, it felt like I had wind under my skin and that all I needed to do was push it out and everything would be okay."

_"Yeah, you would have blown those two guys out of the window. If I hadn't distracted you, you would have."_

Orihime felt bad about that. She had nearly killed two men who were just trying to calm her down from the fright she was having, but she couldn't help being curious about what she could do now that she had new abilities.

"S-So, what perks do I get with my new powers?"

_"Well as far as I know, Wind Witches can never suffocate or drown, even if they were being choked or held down. And Water? Well, Water has some pretty neat tricks. Water can be used as a portal. If you ever wanted to go somewhere, you could use water to get there. When my master was running late, she would get a tub of water or find a puddle, then visualize the place she needed to go and step in. Whatever water was near the location, she would come out of. It can be bad sometimes though. One time she ended up in a puddle of urine. She wasn't covered in it and using water as a puddle won't make you wet but it is disgusting."_

"Oh man that's gross. If you're ever late you better pray that you don't end up in a toilet." Tatsuki scrunched up her face, but despite the disgusting possibility, it was a little funny and she couldn't help but snicker a bit at the thought of Orihime accidentally ending up in the toilet.

"T-Tatsuki-chan that's gross!" Orihime cried, playfully slapping her friend's shoulder.

_"It is gross but Wind and Water are two of the best Elements to have. Especially together. Wind makes you light on your feet and ensures a soft landing, and Water will always come to your rescue. I don't really know what that means but its something I've heard over the centuries."_

Orihime absorbed the information given to her. This was great, she'd finally be of some use other than just being a healer. Just thinking about her being left on the sidelines while her friends risked their lives made her frown. It wasn't fair. She could also fight but instead she was coddled and curbed away from the danger like she was helpless. Unbeknownst to her, a slight wind began to blow in the room and Tatsuki could tell instantly that something was upsetting Orihime.

"Uh, Orihime? Are you okay? There's wind blowing."

Orihime's thoughts ceased as she heard her friend's concerned voice. The wind stopped and Chizuru and Tatsuki both sighed in relief.

"Sheesh Orihime, there was an actual wind blowing in here. Is something wrong?"

_"Her powers are manifesting. Your abilities need to be disciplined, right now, they are mostly fueled by your emotions rather than your own will. I can tell that her mood is never usually angry, and I know that this is my power influencing her again. Wind and Water are the most flexible and influential elements. What is this anger that you're feeling?"_

Orihime sighed and began telling them all about her feelings of being left out when it came to battle and helping her friends.

_"Now I definitely understand. Just to let you girls know, I am a Cat Demon. This mood swing is due to the natural duality that cats have. Cats are notorious for their duality. Docile and Fierce. Although, its not totally my fault. Women naturally have this duality. Its always been inside of you to be Fierce, my power is just enhancing that side of you."_

Tatsuki nodded and was actually in favor of this consequence. Orihime was more docile natured compared to her, or most women, and considering her lingering fears and insecurities of being cast to the side when it came to battle, which pissed her off, this was something that Orihime needed so that she could be on equal footing with the others.

"This is a good thing. I've always told Orihime that she should take more charge and express herself more. She's definitely more docile than fierce."

"I try to be fierce! I just don't want to offend or hurt anyone."

_"That's not being fierce that's just inviting people to step all over you. Cat's don't take any crap from anyone, and neither should you. I can understand that you want to be kind to everyone, and that's not wrong. But letting other people push you around or not letting your voice be heard isn't being kind to _**yourself.**_ And that's unacceptable. I want you to practice this motto. 'Do no harm, but take no shit.' There's a time to lend a hand and a time to put your foot down."_

Orihime nodded and understood. It had been made clear to her. She needed to stand up for herself and what she believed in. Tatsuki had been trying to tell her this all her life, but she hadn't understood. She thought that stepping up would be offending other people so she opted to back down. The results were devastating. Her confidence in her abilities had plummeted. She felt like a liability to her friends and was even told so by Kisuke Urahara. She had been kidnapped and taken to Hueco Mundo, where she thought her presence there would protect her friends. Instead she had been rescued. Her friends had risked their lives, sustained horrible and fatal injuries. Ichigo had literally died _twice_ and had turned into a monster because she had felt too weak to defend herself or protect anyone. When Ichigo had lost his powers, she was devastated. For a year and five months she watched him live a normal life, knowing that he hated to do so, and that he could no longer see his friends in Soul Society and his mentor, Rukia Kuchiki. She knew that she had to step up and help protect the town from hollows but even then, Chad and Uryuu had frequently tried to dissuade her from doing so. It'd hurt her deeply when she didn't have Chad's support when he had been on her side vehemently before. When Ichigo had gotten his powers back, she was elated and sad. She knew then that she would never get a chance to be anything else but the protected healer.

But she wasn't gonna take that anymore. She was gonna show everyone that she did have skill, that she was worth something more than something to protect. She was a warrior in her own right, and she was gonna let her friends know it. With a determined expression, she nodded again to reassure herself that this was the right thing to do. Her friends may not be doing it on purpose but it was hurting her, and she wasn't going to take it anymore.

"You're right. I understand, and it won't happen again. I'll make sure of it."

Chizuru agreed. After hearing her admission and feelings, she couldn't help but feel some anger at Ichigo and his friends. From what she was told, Orihime had sacrificed herself to go to that horrible place so that they could be safe. To brush her to the side because they didn't think she could help much, after all she had gone through, was cruel. In fact to her, it was a downright slap in the face. But she would keep her wits about her. They would see in their own time Orihime's true value, and she prayed that when that time came, they would truly appreciate her.

"Oi, I know this is interesting and all…But what is your name? I mean, we can't call you "demon". Chizuru said.

_"…..You know what, I actually forgot about introducing myself. In my defense we had been dying and bleeding all over everything so….yeah."_

"Yeah we can't just call you random names. Its rude and if you're stuck with us we should be familiar with each other."

Chizuru and Orihime nodded, agreeing with Tatsuki. This was something completely new to them and the needed to have some sort of relationship so that everyone can be well informed and know what to do if anything else came up.

_"Alright, because we are so intimately linked, I'm not gonna tell you the name my master gave me. Its worthless now. But I am going to tell you the name I was born with. Know this, and remember it well. A demon's name is POWER. If you know a demon's birth name you have power over it. If you ever have to mention me, you three will have to give me a new one you can all agree with. With how I'm bound to your souls, its clear what my former master has done. She clearly intended for me to be a Familiar to whoever I gave her magic to. So, in that respect, I am obligated to give you my real name.."_

"Familiar?" Orihime said, clearly confused. Chizuru and Tatsuki were as well, looking at each other for any possible answers.

_"A familiar is a partner to a witch. However, having a demon as a familiar is better than having a normal animal. A demon will protect you and lend them your power, except for a price."_

"I don't like how you said that. Do we have to give up our souls?" Tatsuki said, concerned with how things were going.

_"No, like I said before, I'm not interested in humans souls. We need to form a contract, or agreement between us so that our relationship can go smoothly and without any problems. Its the only way that neither side gets cheated. A contract is binding, and a violation of the contract means grave consequences and or forfeit to the benefits that were stated in said contract. I will need a form to possess so that I can actually perform my duties. Here is my offer: I will protect, guide, tutor, and lend you all my abilities. In exchange, you must house me, feed me, and offer mutual protection. If necessary I can travel to each of your places of residence to check on all of your or we can have a mutual meeting time. What do you guys think?"_

Tatsuki looked nervous and for good reason.

"Uh, you said feed you."

_"That's correct."_

"I take it demons don't eat normal food, so what do you eat?"

_"I'm pretty sure I mentioned this before. I eat hollows. They are disgusting creatures but my diet requires that I absorb the negative energy from them."_

"…So, we have to feed you hollow meat?"

Chizuru nearly gagged at the possibility of having to kill hollows and cut them up.

_"No. But you will have to defeat hollows. Simply killing them will allow me to absorb the negative energy I need."_

Orihime looked at Tatsuki and Chizuru as they thought it over. And came to a decision.

"I can house you. I live alone in my apartment so there's no issue there."

"Are you sure Orihime? Does your building allow pets?"

Orihime nodded, firm in her decision. "Yes, I'm sure, and they do allow pets so I'll be fine."

_"It is pretty much the only sustenance I can live on. I can eat normal food to keep up appearances but it doesn't nothing to replenish my energy. However, I might need it to feed the body of the host I will be possessing, but that's about it. So as much as you all may not want to, you're gonna have to face hollows pretty often."_

Orihime nodded, understanding and unafraid. This was something she did regularly, but that's not the case for Tatsuki and Chizuru. "What about you guys? I deal with them on a pretty normal basis, but its different for you two…."

Tatsuki and Chizuru looked at each other, speaking to each other without words because they were unneeded. They knew what they had to do. Chizuru spoke first, not wasting any time.

"If we're gonna keep running into those bastards I'd like to be well equipped to kick their asses and get revenge for what they did. I never want to be in that position again and if this is gonna help with that goal then I'm all for it. I refuse to be powerless. They won't care if I can defend myself. They'll just come. If I had been out with my mother, we'd have all died, and that's not a risk I want to take. I'm all for it. However, I do think we should have a base of operations, and Orihime's place is the best for that. So a mutual meeting time is best. I think we should all chip in for food. It wouldn't be fair to leave the expenses totally up to Orihime. We're in this together so we all have responsibility."

"Yeah, I agree. However, I don't want us to be caught off guard again. We all live in the same direction, so I think you should alternate walking us home on days where we don't meet." Tatsuki said.

_"That sounds reasonable. So, do we all have an agreement?"_

All three girls looked at each other before nodding with mutually determined faces and speaking all at once.

"Yes, we agree to the terms."

_"Excellent."_

No sooner had the words left her mouth, the room suddenly darkened. It looked as if night had descended and then suddenly there was light coming beneath them. A circle of light with ancient runes began to form on the floor as lights of magic were literally _pouring_ from them, reinforcing the fact that ancient and powerful magic was at play and should be respected and feared. Once the circle was completed, all three girls began to hover in the air, their hair floating around their heads as if they were suspended in water.

"Holy crap what's happening?" Tatsuki was desperately trying to make sense of what was happening, but it was pretty clear that wasn't gonna happen. Orihime and Chizuru were trying to do the same and was looking around the room in wonder. Then all at once they felt a sting in the middle of their chests. Orihime looked to see a marking that was an exact replica to the glowing circle beneath them. The mark of their contract had been branded onto them. They were reminders that they were no longer normal girls. They were true Witches, and there was no turning back.

_"The contract is being bound, and now, you need to see my true form, and hear my true name."_

They all felt a tug as if their torsos had physically pulled forward and the ceiling began to drip pure black onto the floor until there was a large puddle of it. And then something began to emerge. It looked as if it were being birthed from the puddle. First came a large paw, almost as big as the puddle itself. It looked too big for anything else bigger to possibly come from it, but looks were definitely deceiving. The paw was adorned with wicked white curved claws that had black tips. And then another paw, and exact replica of the first came from the puddle, and then a large head masked by what looked like the top half a large sabertooth tiger skull. The eyes were an impossibly bright blue and glowing, piercing the darkness easily. When the rest of the body came up, it was clearly feline, but it was no house cat. This looked like a jungle predator. On its back was a ridge of white razor sharp spikes that were similar to its clawed feet, except these looked as if they could be rested like a lion fish's spines. Its belly, flanks and shoulders were armored with obsidian carapace. The deadly spikes grew smaller as they went down the spine, which were barely seen poking up out of the thickly muscled tail. Suddenly, the end of the tail and the feet were encased in black flame. Its round ears twitched, and it turned to them, almost as if it had forgotten they were there. Its mouth opened and it suddenly spoke.

_"This is my true form. And by the laws of the contract, I am required to tell you my name, so ask, all at once so that I may complete the contract with all of you."_

They looked at each other, and knew that agreeing with the contract would seal the deal. The enormity of the situation was not lost to them, and they knew that by making the contract, that they were doing the right thing in order for them to protect themselves and the ones they loved. With resolve they all turned to the demon and spoke together.

"What is your Name?"

The room seem to quake with power as the demon opened its mouth, as if the act of taking a breath was almost too much for the physical room to take. And then it spoke.

_"My name, is *Kurohyou."_

…

* * *

><p>Ichigo, Chad, Uryuu and Rukia, and pretty much every one of the Karakura defenders had sat up in their beds that night. Something was happening. Something was changing, and they couldn't tell whether it was for better or worse.<p>

…

* * *

><p>The night that was previously calm ended when a form shot into the sky from an apartment building, letting out fierce roar, and then zipping quickly in between the surrounding buildings, looking for a form to possess.<p>

A black cat stalked an ally in search of food when it was suddenly bombarded with this enormous presence. Its body twisted and writhed, trying to accommodate the large entity that had entered it. And then it went still. After a moment, its body lifted from the ground, and eyes that had been previously yellow were now glowing bright blue. Its previous thoughts of finding food were gone, as was the soul that previously inhabited the body. Now there was a new soul there. One that now had a form to roam with to complete tasks and duties for its masters. With a stretch and a shake, it quickly began making its way back to its new residence in its new body.

…

* * *

><p>The magic had faded. The three girls that had been suspended in the air had found their places back on the ground and were now examining the marks on their chests.<p>

"Holy crap, she didn't say anything about a tattoo!" Chizuru said, examining every inch of the mark that did indeed look for all intents and purposes like a tattoo.

Tatsuki rolled her eyes, clearly finding Chizuru's statement ridiculous. "Its not a tattoo you moron. Its a brand. Though I have to admit, it does look pretty cool."

Orihime could only half listen to her friends opinions of the marks as she gently touched her own. It looked like the one that had been glowing under them just minutes before. They were all distracted however, by what sounded like scratching on the door.

She went to open it, and as she did, saw no one, but did feel something move passed her legs to go inside. She looked and saw a black cat stretching out its limbs comfortably like it belonged there. "Um, I'm sorry kitty, but this isn't your house…."

_"It is now."_

She gasped as she clearly saw and heard the cat talk, and instantly recognized the voice. "I-Its you!" She closed the door, not wanting the cold air to come in.

_"Yeah, its me. I told you, I needed a form to possess, so I went to go find one. And I found this cat. This is an excellent form to complete my duties with."_

Tatsuki and Chizuru came over to examine the new form of the demon. Tatsuki spoke first, wanting to ask an important question. "So, are you permanently out of our heads now?"

Kurohyou began to groom her paw and then locked eyes with Tatsuki, shocking her a bit with their intensity.

_"No such luck girlie. If I need to, I can still talk to you all if we need to be discreet."_

She nodded, finding that reasonable considering the circumstances. It was important that they keep contact with each other.

_"Now that you've all completed the contract, you all need to give me a new name that you can agree with."_

The girls looked at each other. Orihime carefully picked up Kurohyou and began to scratch behind her ears, wanting to have some kind of contact with the beautiful cat. The pleased purring that she got in response assured her that the cat demon was comfortable with being touched.

Chizuru made the first suggestion, looking as if a lightbulb had lit over her head. "Oh! How about we name her Pu-"

Tatsuki immediately clapped her hand over Chizuru's mouth to prevent what she was sure was an expletive from leaving it. "No."

Chizuru promptly shoved her hand from her mouth and huffed, annoyed that her suggestion had been shot down so quickly. "If you don't like it Arisawa why don't you suggest a name."

Tatsuki nodded and thought for a few moments before a name came to her mind. "How about *Aoi? Or *Aoiro?"

Chizuru looked at Tatsuki with disbelief. "…Really? That's the best you could come up with? "Blue?" That's so uncreative!"

"Well its a lot better than what you thought of."

As Orihime gently fawned over the feline in her arms, she pondered over what name would be suitable for someone like Kurohyou. She had come in and saved them, gave them extraordinary powers and gave her the confidence that she needed to value herself more. She suddenly remembered a documentary that she had to watch once for a class on Ancient Egypt and suddenly a name came to her that she thought would definitely fit the confident and sassy cat demon.

"….Guys? What about Bast?"

Everyone's eyes turned toward her, including Kurohyou's, whose by far were the widest in surprise.

"..Bast? How'd you come up with that Orihime?"

Realizing that everyone was waiting for her answer, she reminded herself to have confidence as she began to explain her reasoning for the name.

"I had to watch a documentary one time on Ancient Egypt, and I remembered that the Goddess Bastet, or Bast was worshipped as a cat goddess. I thought that since Kurohyou wasn't an ordinary cat, and well….Since she saved our lives, that she should be named Bast."

_"….That's quite an honor you're bestowing upon the likes of hell spawn."_

"Well, I also learned that cats were the guardians of the underworld. Cats are highly revered in several cultures. Even if you are a demon, you deserve our respect, especially for what you've done for us. What do you guys think?"

Tatsuki thought over what she said, and couldn't find anything wrong with Orihime's explanation. In fact, looking at the cat in Orihime's arms, she thought that it did suit her. "….You know what, I think she's right. I think it fits for her. What do you think Chizuru?"

"Honestly, I have to agree. Plus, it sounds really cool."

"So, do we all agree? That her name will be Bast?"

Chizuru and Tatsuki nodded, having no issue.

Orihime gently scratched behind Kurohyou's ears who was perfectly content to move her head more into her hand so that she could be scratched more. "Well then! We agree! Your new name will be Bast!"

The newly named Bast nodded her head, enjoying the attention she was getting. The air became content as all three girls were happy about their decision until a rapid set of sharp knocks on Orihime's door cut through the content air. Orihime was a little confused as to who could possibly knocking on her door near eleven o'clock at night. She gently deposited Bast into Tatsuki's arms since she was the closest and went to open the door. When she opened it, that last person she expected to see that night was on her doorstep.

"Y-Yoruichi-san!"

…

* * *

><p>Please review, and to the Guest reviewer, I can't actually respond back to the questions you send because you're a Guest. But, to answer your questions:<p>

_Kurohyou = Black Panther._

_Aoi/Aoiro = Blue_


	6. Chapter 6

Hocus Pocus

UPDATE: I decided to revamp the chapters because I feel like I gave too much away too soon. Please enjoy the newly edited chapters~

Summary:

While walking home after an outing, Orihime, Tatsuki and Chizuru are caught off guard by a group of hollows, but they are saved by a powerful, but critically wounded vasto lorde with more than a few secrets and a gift to give.

…

* * *

><p>Uryuu Ishida was sitting up, his eyes narrowed and focused on nothing in particular. His fingers were loosely intertwined with each other as he pondered over what exactly happened a few minutes ago. It had startled him out of his sleep and he was inclined to act but something kept him firmly rooted to his position of sitting on the side of his bed. It was similar to what had happened the night before, but no where as near as powerful as what had just occurred. Whatever presence had suddenly appeared had been practically <em>pouring<em> power. Its presence practically exploded out of nowhere, _right in the middle of Karakura. _

And then just as suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared. Similarly to the group of hollows the night before.

'This isn't good. Something like that appearing in Karakura out of the blue is unusual and dangerous…I think we should be meeting about this. This is not something that we should be dragging our feet over. Something powerful appearing suddenly without warning and then disappearing does not bode well for anyone. And since we can't confirm whether or not the girls were attacked by the hollows that appeared the night before yet, we can't be sure if there may or may not be any other victims included in these instances…As much as I don't want to this can't be ignored.'

Finally making a decision Uryuu got up and decided to call Ichigo and the others. This was not something that could go unchecked for a third time. After hanging up with them, he began getting dressed. Pulling on a warm shirt and pants to ward off the cold, he concluded that there was no way he was gonna anymore sleep that night. He knew that a certain shopkeeper would be up, and that he would be expecting their arrival. He was uncanny that way. He grabbed his Quincy bracelet, determined not to leave it when he could possibly be ambushed on the way there.

"Going to Urahara?"

Uryuu wasn't exactly surprised, but he was a little peeved that his father had come into his room unannounced and undetected. It was something that he usually did and it never ceased to grate on his nerves whenever his father got the drop on him. Making sure he had everything, including his keys and wallet, he turned to his father while slipping on his glasses.

"Do you even have to ask? I'm sure you felt what we all felt. A meeting is in order. Whatever it was could hurt someone."

His father was still dressed, predictably. He always worked late at the hospital, his white lab coat was worn over his pressed shirt and open, his hands in his pants pockets. He looked as cool and collected as he always did, but Uryuu could tell that even this bothered him somewhat. Otherwise he wouldn't have even bothered to check on him. He moved toward the door and walked passed him, and Ryuuken didn't try to stop him. It wouldn't be any point to.

"Do you mean like Ms. Inoue and her friends?"

Uryuu stopped dead in his tracks and swiftly turned around in surprise. Ryuuken calmly pulled out a box of cigarettes and tapped it so that one of the cancer sticks would pop out. He proceeded to put it between his lips as he lit it, taking a puff and breathing in the acrid smoke. The moonlight lit his tall form from behind as well as his one of the lenses of the glasses he wore similar to his own son's. The other eye was barely visible, but enough to show the intelligence behind his piercing gaze. He waited calmly for Uryuu to begin talking, knowing what Uryuu's reaction to his statement would be.

"You knew they were in the hospital?"

Ryuuken gave him a look that conveyed boredom and a certain irritation, as though he expected Uryuu to have figured it out and that the mere fact that he didn't insulted him.

"Of course I knew. I'm the director of the hospital. I'm certainly intelligent enough to realize when three students and friends of yours enter my hospital."

Uryuu clenched his teeth, trying not to let the fury that was bubbling underneath the surface reveal itself to his father because he knew that his father enjoyed irritating him.

"When were they admitted to the hospital?"

"Around one o'clock in the morning."

"And you didn't bother to tell me that three of our friends were admitted to the hospital?"

"Why should I have to tell you when three young girls are found in out in the snow with blood all around them? Its not your place to know their private business. Unless you're dating one of them I hardly think that you have any obligation to know their status in the hospital, despite your attraction to Ms. Inoue which still doesn't count. Even then, its not my job to relay information to you about your friends. You should keep better track of them."

Uryuu's face burned with slight embarrassment and anger over his father's insinuation of his feelings of Orihime and his apparent dismissal of his friends' condition. Although Uryuu had had some feelings for Orihime at one time, they had more than faded knowing her love for Ichigo. Despite that, what his father had said shocked him. He was surprised to hear his father give details on how the three girls were found in the snow. That was something that was not known to them. Despite his father's words that he didn't have to share information with him, he was doing so willingly.

Uryuu decided that he would take what he could get and try to ignore his father's attitude.

"We went there today and they had checked out. They must not have been very injured if they were able to check out the next day.

Ryuuken took another drag of his cigarette and none too discreetly blew the smoke in Uryuu's direction who only frowned slightly and waved away the foul smelling smoke with his hand. His father was trying to irritate him and he expected nothing less from him. Deciding that this game of 'irritate my son' had gotten boring Ryuuken straightened up, his cigarette hanging loosely between his lips as he spoke with practiced ease without letting it fall.

"When they were admitted, they were found without any injuries despite being covered in blood with ripped clothing. Ms. Arisawa's jacket and shirt were slashed open in the back. Ms. Honsho's pant leg was the same, and Ms. Inoue's shirt bore three rips on her right side that resembled large claw-marks. Given her abilities I wasn't too surprised that they didn't have any injuries. But if that were truly the case why were their clothes still ripped and why were they laying out in the snow."

Uryuu nodded but was no less troubled by his father's words. It was definitely unusual considering the circumstances. However, it cemented what they had all been suspecting; the girls had indeed been attacked by the hollows that had suddenly appeared.

"We had suspected they had been attacked by the group of hollows that came out of nowhere last night."

Ryuuken hummed his agreement, but Uryuu could tell that he was holding something back. This was not the time to be pussyfooting around. If he had any theories or suspicions he needed to voice them. There could be others in danger and having all possibilities at least discussed would be a great help to figuring out why this had happened.

"There's something you're not telling me. This is serious Ryuuken and this isn't the time to hold anything back. If you know anything spill it."

Ryuuken's eyebrow twitched slightly in annoyance and Uryuu could tell that he may have overstepped his bounds. Demanding anything of his father never went well and he could actually turn spiteful and cease telling him anything altogether. Ryuuken took one last long drag of his cigarette and pulled it from his mouth.

"Since you asked so _nicely_, consider this. How often will hollows group together and cooperate willingly? Even if Ms. Inoue, Ms. Arisawa and Ms. Honsho have a higher spiritual awareness than normal humans, they are more likely to be a target of maybe one or two hollows at the most. And if so, they would have already been here in the living world, and not have appeared so suddenly. Why else, Uryuu, do you think that a group of hollows would suddenly encounter three girls if they hadn't been stalking them previously?"

Ryuuken then took the cigarette that was in his hand and put it out on Uryuu's room door making sure to grind the still hot and glowing embers into the white wood that would more than leave a mark, then ignoring Uryuu's clenched jaw turned on his heel and walked right passed him dropping the spent cancer stick right in front of him and turned the corner. Trying to ignore the more than obvious jabs at his person he quickly grabbed a tissue from his room and picked up the discarded cigarette, took it to the bathroom in his room and tossed it in the toilet and flushed. He decided that just because his father was being spiteful it was no excuse to leave the filth there. He would be the bigger person. Then he decided that he had wasted too much time dealing with his helpful, but most irritating father and ventured outside into the cold night, ignoring the white haired man that he knew was watching from the window.

…

* * *

><p>The purple-haired ex-shinigami waved slightly in greeting, a grin on her pretty face as she took in the sight of Orihime and her friends.<p>

"Yo, its very nice to see you Orihime. May I come in?"

Orihime seemed to snap out of her shocked state and flushed slightly in embarrassment.

"O-Oh! Of course Yoruichi-san! Please come in!" Orihime quickly opened the door wider for Yoruichi to come inside and out of the cold. The beautiful dark-skinned woman gratefully stepped inside, making sure to rid her shoes of any lingering snow. After making sure that she wouldn't track any snow into Orihime's apartment, she removed her shoes respectfully and looked around, examining the other two girls there. Her gaze suddenly switched to the cat in Tatsuki's arms and they narrowed slightly in suspicion, but then looked at them all.

"Good evening ladies, I came to check up on you all. Everyone was certainly worried about you when you guys didn't show up for school today. Is everything okay?"

Orihime quickly looked over at her two friends and then at Yoruichi who was expecting an answer. It wouldn't be any point to lie to the former Second Division captain. She would detect it instantly and they certainly didn't need any trouble at the moment. She nodded to Yoruichi and gave her an honest smile.

"Y-Yes Yoruichi-san, we're okay. We were ambushed by a group of hollows last night, but we're okay now."

Yoruichi looked at her for a moment and smiled, and it became clear to Orihime that Yoruichi knew that she wasn't telling the entire story.

_"Its better to just tell her what happened. She's not gonna leave until she gets what she came for."_

Yoruichi appeared not at all shocked to hear the cat in Tatsuki's arms speak. In fact she seemed to be something she was waiting for as they saw her eyes narrow and a wicked grin appear on her face.

"So, you're finally gonna reveal yourself."

Bast licked her paw and began grooming herself as though the situation meant nothing to her. _"I never made any attempt to conceal myself. You however, did. You followed me all the way back here after I possessed this form."_

Yoruichi didn't seem shocked that she had been found out but she did seem unsettled that she was detected. Her stance had noticeably shifted from loose to somewhat guarded as if she were expecting a fight. "There was no way that I could let a demon roam free after its power seemed to burst into existence right under our noses. What did you think would happen?"

Bast stretched out and relaxed in Tatsuki's hold, still showing no concern over Yoruichi's discovery of her true nature.

Orihime was shocked that Yoruichi had caught on so fast and was nervous. She didn't really think that making a contract would attract so much attention.

"Yoruichi-san, how did you know that Bast was a demon?"

Yoruichi looked from Bast to Orihime who she noticed looked extremely nervous, as if she had done something wrong. Tatsuki and Chizuru were less so, but there was no disguising the worry in their stances.

"Ladies, I am an old shinigami. I know a demon when I sense one. What I want to know is why you three know that this "Bast" is demon and why it is completely comfortable here."

_"I am comfortable here because I now live here. These three are my masters and I am only doing what the contract we made requires."_

Yoruichi's eyes became wide and then narrowed dangerously as a frown replaced her previous expression. "You three made a contract with a_ demon_?!"

Tatsuki became annoyed at Yoruichi's suddenly anger towards them. She was not their mother and had no idea what they had gone through for it to get to this point. "Hey, this isn't something any of us wanted to do. You don't know the entire story so spare us the scolding."

Yoruichi's eyes turned to Tatsuki and her frown lessened somewhat and she stood up straighter. "Then enlighten me. It is dangerous to have contact with a demon. They are hungry for human souls and will do anything to trick or steal someone's soul."

Bast's relaxed posture became rigid suddenly. If there was one thing she hated was being lumped in with common demons.

_"That is where you are wrong. I have no desire for Human souls. My diet is strictly hollows. This isn't something I wanted to do, like girlie said. This is something we were forced into. If not then you wouldn't be standing here talking to them. They'd be dead."_

Yoruichi was shocked but tried not to show it. She was relieved that the girls' souls weren't in danger but that didn't mean there wasn't a cause for worry. They had a lot of explaining to do and they needed to do it now. She sat down at the table and the three girls mimicked her, getting comfortable as they knew that they would have a lot to explain. Chizuru started first, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible.

"We were coming home from the movies when we were suddenly surrounded. Five big hollows…..We didn't stand a chance. Orihime had taken down two of them, but not before Arisawa had her back cut open…..I was next. One came up from behind and slashed my leg. I couldn't move and by that time Arisawa had passed out, and then soon enough I did."

Yoruichi nodded, urging her to continue but it was Orihime that took over.

"I was hit in the side, it hurt so bad…Tsubaki had been knocked unconscious and the only thing I could do while I was trying to heal Tatsuki-chan and Chizuru-chan was put up my shield….I couldn't heal them completely before my energy gave out. I saw the hollows wait until my shield went down and then they started closing in…..I thought we were gonna die."

Orihime paused and seemed to have to collect herself before she could say anything else. "Suddenly, I saw the one that had attacked me get slashed in half…And then the last two. I thought that Kurosaki-kun or Chad or Ishida-kun had come, but I didn't see them. I called out and well…." Orihime turned her head to Bast, who had at this time left her place in Tatsuki's arms and instead laid on the table, looking as comfortable as ever with the tip of her tail twitching back and forth. She stretched out and gave a big yawn, and then look at Yoruichi with piercing blue eyes.

_"This is where I came in. Before that, I had been in Hueco Mundo as a Vasto Lorde. I have no doubt that the hollows that attacked them had been pursuing me at first but then saw them as an easy meal. I was fatally injured and like them I had been ambushed. One of them had gotten a lucky hit at my belly and I managed to escape to the living world."_

Yoruichi was stunned. A demon as a Vasto Lorde? And how had it gotten to the living world virtually undetected? Alarm bells should have gone off but it hadn't. The only possible warning they had gotten was that multiple garganta had opened. "How is this possible? You're a demon not a hollow."

_"That is correct, and its all because of my last master. My last task from her required that I absorb her soul when she died. When she had, she had become a hollow. Instead of ingesting her energy I held onto it, and it caused us to combine into one being, and become a Vasto Lorde."_

Yoruichi nodded and understood. Even a low ranking demon had a lot of power, and to combine with a hollow would forgo the chain of evolution a hollow normally had to go through to achieve becoming a Vasto Lorde altogether. "So, its clear that you saved them. But why? What's in it for you? Demons don't do anything for free."

Bast seemed to grin and then quickly hopped into Chizuru's arms, who of course immediately began to shower the feline with attention.

_"I saved them so that I could give them a gift. That was what my last master had tasked me. I was told to pass on her powers to someone else, but I couldn't just do that for anyone. Humans are such corrupt creatures, so I held onto her power and roamed while searching for someone suitable. When I was critically injured, I had to pass it on before I died. Their plight was my fault so I saved them and gave them my master's powers, since it was too large for one soul to hold. When I did, their injuries healed and I was content to pass on. Unfortunately, I hadn't expected my old master to pull a fast one on me. She worked it out so that when I passed on her power, I would be bound to whoever received them. Naturally, I was bound to these three's souls. To form a contract with them is only natural since we are so linked together."_

Yoruichi understood, and despite still not liking the situation had determined that they indeed didn't have any choice in the matter. However, there was still something bugging her. Just what "power" did this demon have to pass on?

"Okay, based on the situation I can see why you had to form the contract, and that neither side had a choice in doing so. However…Just what kind of power did you pass on to them? It seems like it was mighty important for you to do so despite the fact that you were tasked to do so."

_"Magic. My former master was a powerful Witch."_

Yoruichi's eyes widened and then looked at all three girls. She could see the truth in their eyes. By accepting the magic they had become Witches and while it had definitely made them a lot more powerful, it had also made them a lot more liable to danger. "Do you girls realize…..Just how _devastating_ a Witch can be to those around them? This is power that you three cannot _possibly_ begin to understand-"

_"And that's why I am here. Part of the contract requires that I tutor and guide them through this so that they can learn to use their powers well and control them."_

Yoruichi glared openly at Bast, clearly fed up with its nonchalant attitude toward this serious situation. "And just what do you know about handling or guiding witches? You may have been the Familiar of a witch but that certainly doesn't make you an expert."

Bast let a low growl rumble in her throat. She had had enough of this shinigami doubting her ability. _"I know plenty since my master taught me everything she knows about magic, and even I have made an effort to learn more on my own. I was in service to my master for over 1,000 years, and gained knowledge on my own since my master died. It has been over a millennia since she has passed. We have read every book in the Hall of Magic, and every year I go back to read anything new. Its one of the only places that has not been defiled by you shinigami. It is YOU who have no idea about guiding a Witch. Learn your place, _**youngster. **_You are much too young to even begin to fathom my ability."_

Yoruichi was shocked, and a bit wary. To her knowledge, there was only one witch that had lived over a thousand years, and that witch had been the bane of Soul Society and Yamamoto Genryuusai. She had disappeared but she had never been confirmed as deceased, only that she had been critically wounded by the Captain Commander before fleeing. Bast saw the realization on Yoruichi's face and grinned.

"…You cannot mean….."

_"Yes, I see that you realize who my old master was."_

Orihime looked at Yoruichi and then at Bast and decided that she had had enough of this discussion. She wanted answers and she wanted them immediately. This impacted her and her friends and what Yoruichi had revealed isn't something they could take lightly.

"What are you two talking about? Who was this Witch?"

Yoruichi looked at Orihime and shook her head. "I don't know who she was to the Captain Commander, but I do know from records that she was a thorn in his side and a threat to the Soul Society. There's nothing more I can tell you. The records don't tell her name."

_"That is a lie!"_

All eyes turned to Bast who had jumped from Chizuru's arms and was now bristling in anger. Yoruichi watched her warily. Even a demon possessing flesh is still potentially deadly and she would have to be careful. The girls had nothing to fear but that didn't give her any comfort.

_"My master was hunted! That old fool declared that Witches were too dangerous and they proceeded to hunt down any Witch they could find, even if they did nothing wrong which was most! Because of one Witch who couldn't control her power, all Witches were condemned! My master wasn't a threat to Soul Society she helped Genryuusai form it! How do you think the Kido Corps came to be?! She started it! She taught the spells that Shinigami still use today! I lost my master and my only friend that night. They betrayed her! Most of all, HE betrayed her. What makes the hunting of my own master despicable was that Genryuusai found it acceptable to give his own flesh and blood a death sentence! You want to know who she was? She was Yamamoto Kidohana. She was his sister, and he was the one who killed her!"_

…

* * *

><p>Ichigo arrived at Urahara's around the same time as Uryuu and Chad did. Rukia had come as well, not willing to be left behind after the explosion of power they felt. Jinta had let them in, disheveled and disgruntled in his pajamas because he had been woken up. Urahara was already at the table waiting for them, Renji with him. Urahara wasn't gonna joke around or pretend that nothing was amiss. This was serious business. That sudden burst of power had startled even him, and Yoruichi had immediately disappeared afterward. He knew that she was alright but he couldn't help worry slightly. He had never seen Yoruichi look so concerned before, even when they had been fighting Aizen, and even when they defected from Soul Society. Tessai prepared tea and then sat with them, even he was on guard.<p>

"Its good to see you all, and I wish this visit was under better circumstances, but lets not beat around the bush."

They all nodded, eager to get down to business. There was no time pleasantries. Uryuu spoke first, wanting to convey the information that he had gotten from his father.

"Before I left, my father told me that Inoue-san, Arisawa-san, and Honsho-san had been found around one A.M. unconscious in the snow. He said that they didn't have any injuries but they were covered in blood and their clothes were torn. So we can definitely confirm that they were attacked by the group of hollows that we sensed."

Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. It was comforting that they didn't have any injuries, but that didn't seem right to Rukia.

"Wait, if they didn't have any injuries then that should mean that Orihime healed them. Why were their clothes still ripped and why were they in the snow?"

That had everyone's attention and Uryuu nodded. "My father said the same thing, but the last thing he said is what stuck with me the most. He explained that even with all of their spiritual awareness combined, they would only get the attention of at the most two hollows. And he also asked why would a group of hollows willingly work together. He made a point of saying that they had suddenly come across the girls and they had not been stalked.…I thought it over and I think I know what he was trying to say."

Urahara waited for his answer, seeing if he could confirm what he too had been thinking.

Uryuu took a deep breath and pushed his glasses higher onto his nose. "…I think, that the only reason a group of hollows would willingly work together was so that they could take down something that was more powerful than themselves. The fact that they came upon the girls was just something that had happened because they were pursuing_ something else._"

"You're correct in your thinking, Ishida-kun."

Uryuu looked up toward Urahara who had closed his fan and sat it down on the table. "It was barely detected, but before the group of hollows had appeared, there was signs of a garganta opening in the park. Soon after it, another had opened really close to there, and I'd imagine that's where the hollows had stumbled upon Inoue-chan, Arisawa-chan, and Honsho-chan. What came out of the first garganta must have been severely weakened for it to not have been detected when it came through to the living world. I suspect that whatever came through the first portal is what had ultimately saved our dear friends. However, the leaves the question of how they had been healed without Inoue-chan's powers. I suspect that whatever killed the hollows had also saved the girls. Its identity is unknown, and we have no idea what happened to it afterwards. It could have simply died, but until we speak to our friends we will have no idea what happened."

Ichigo gulped visibly, stressed and filled with confusion. This was creating more questions than answers, and those answers lie with Orihime, Tatsuki, and Chizuru.

Urahara picked up his cup of tea and carefully blew it and took a sip. "I may be wrong, but I believe that these incidents are connected. The suddenly explosion of power right under our noses certainly suggests that. Yoruichi went to investigate. It sure gave us all a jolt."

"…..Huh, so that's why she's not here." Chad said, who noticed the absence of said shinigami from the beginning but decided not to voice it.

Renji reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, she practically flew out of here. Nearly knocked me over on her way out. I wanted to follow but Urahara insisted I stay here since he knew you guys were gonna come here."

Rukia nodded. "It was a good decision, now we just have to wait until she comes back."

Ichigo was visibly irritated. He hated waiting, while they were wasting time they could be heading to Orihime's apartment to make sure she was okay, and ask her about what happened. "Che, waiting isn't gonna get us anywhere. We should go to Inoue's and make sure she's okay. If she just got out of the hospital then she could be the most vulnerable. We're wasting time just sitting here."

"I agree with you."

Ichigo's did a double-take and had to make sure his ears were working. Had Urahara just _agreed_ with him? He's always the first to tell him that he shouldn't be hasty.

"Don't look so shocked. You make a good point. However…."

Ichigo paused at that and looked at Urahara as his intelligent gaze settled on him. "Don't underestimate Inoue-chan's power. I made that mistake once and it ended with her being kidnapped by Aizen. Although I was right about Aizen's interest in her abilities, it still doesn't make up for what I did."

Chad and Renji looked at each other and knew exactly what he was talking about. Even though Chad had stuck up for her before, even he too had fallen into that category and he feels guilt every time Orihime smiles and stays on the sidelines at their insistence. He realizes that it started after they had come back from Hueco Mundo and not wanting her to ever experience something like that again, he began insisting that she stay out of harm's way along with Uryuu. He thought that he was trying to help her but he realizes now that doing that has crippled her emotionally.

Rukia suddenly stood up. "Speaking of that, there's something that I've owed you for a long time."

And with that Rukia had gone to Urahara, pulled her fist back as far as she could and punched him square in the face.

….

* * *

><p>Please review! I am anxious to write more but I'd love to hear your opinions more! If you have questions please leave them in the review and let me be able to respond back. I hate to answer questions on the actual chapter.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Hocus Pocus

UPDATE: I decided to revamp the chapters because I feel like I gave too much away too soon. Please enjoy the newly edited chapters~

Summary:

While walking home after an outing, Orihime, Tatsuki and Chizuru are caught off guard by a group of hollows, but they are saved by a powerful, but critically wounded vasto lorde with more than a few secrets and a gift to give.

…

* * *

><p>The room was silent as Bast's words sunk in. Even Yoruichi who was usually calm and collected had been shocked to hear everything. Bast had been right, she didn't know everything and to hear it from Bast was still made it hard to believe, but she couldn't help but feel that what she spoke had been the truth.<p>

Chizuru was the first to recover from the shock and immediately began asking questions. "So wait, this Captain Commander guy is the one who killed your old master?"

Bast's fur was beginning to smooth down, but she was nowhere near calm. The demon encased in flesh turned to Chizuru and attempted to calm herself. It would do no good to be angry with one of her masters, she certainly didn't deserve it.

_"Yes, red, he did. And let me make this perfectly clear. My old master Kidohana, was no weakling. The _**only**_ reason that Genryuusai was able to land a critical blow was because she refused to kill her own brother. As much as she hated him for what he had done, she still loved her brother."_

Bast's face snarled in anger and disgust.

_"But he clearly had no love for her any longer. The moment she turned her back on him to leave and let him live, he took his sword and ran her through. He was severely weakened and missed her spine and heart, but he was able to pierce her lung. We managed to escape to Hueco Mundo, where she gave me her final task. I suspect that's when she set me up to be bound to the person I gave her magic to."_

Bast's body sagged as though she had been weighed down by something and her tail had gone limp.

_"If only I had gotten to her in time….I'd have gladly sacrificed a life to save hers."_

That statement caught Tatsuki's attention. "_A _life? What do you mean by that?"

Bast perked up and sat down, fur no longer bristled in anger. _"Cats have nine lives. Demon cats that is. My master had refused to let me give her access to my lives. She told me that if it was her time, then so be it. She would rather that I live all of my lives to the fullest…." _

Her bright eyes dimmed and they could all tell that even over a millennia later, she still missed Kidohana.

_"Silly woman….My lives meant nothing if I didn't have my best friend…"_

Orihime realized something about those statements and quickly turned to the melancholy feline. "Since we didn't refuse….Do we have access to your lives?"

Bast nodded her head and turned to Orihime. _"Yes. Since there are three of you, each of you have access to three of my lives. Be warned, if all of you lose all of the lives I gave you then I die as well. My life is tied to yours now, so you must be responsible and you must be careful."_

Tired of listening silently, Yoruichi began to ask questions. If what Bast said was true then that meant that there was a major cover up and that the archives are wrong.

"You said that she started the Kido Corps."

Bast turned to Yoruichi and her tail began flicking back and forth, clearly now relaxed again and ready to set the record straight.

_"Yes, she did. Why do you think they are called the _**Kido Corps**_? It is derived from the first part of her name, _**Kido**_hana. What's insulting was that the same techniques that she taught, were used to hunt, capture and execute Witches."_

Yoruichi nodded, that definitely made sense. She had always been taught that Witches were fierce fighters with even fiercer power, and extremely dangerous. Perhaps now that there was a witness to these events, some mysteries in Soul Society could be uncovered and the truth could come out.

"You said that this all happened because one Witch couldn't control her power. What happened?"

Bast scratched behind her ears and Orihime reminded herself to get Bast a collar and a name-tag so that she wouldn't be picked up by animal control….And judging by the way she was scratching a good pet shampoo.

After finally getting rid of the itch, Bast stretched out and yawned then answered Yoruichi.

_"Yes. She was a dear friend of Kidohana but she had had trouble controlling her powers. Like these girls, she had two elements but was only known for one. She was the most powerful Ice Witch anyone had ever seen. She had Wind and Ice as elements, and those two combined made everyone around her suffer. As a child her powers had manifested early, so much so that her hair had turned nearly white and at first everything was fine. Until she accidentally injured her younger sister."_

Ignoring the sudden gasps, Bast continued.

_"From that point on her parents had curbed her from using her powers. They were Royalty and it would bring bad tidings to the family if anyone found out about them. So she tried to repress them, but her magic was so massive that it began forcing itself out. When their parents died, she sent for Kidohana so that she could seal her power. Kidohana advised her against it because it would only make it worse and instead offered to help her control it."_

They could all hear the disgust in her voice as she spoke of this Witch's parents. Because of their pride this woman suffered in silence...

_"After a few years it seemed to be working but her anxiety of anyone finding out about her power often made any progress she made fail. It came to a head when she grew agitated and accidentally revealed her powers. So powerful was her anguish, that she actually began to freeze everything around her without her knowledge. She went into isolation but her powers had already gotten out of control and because of her wind powers everything didn't just freeze. It made blizzards and storms."_

Bast paused and shook her head in apparent sadness.

_"Everywhere her powers reached, people died. People were literally frozen solid. It all became too much for her and her powers attacked her from the inside, and she froze to death. The storms stopped and the land eventually returned to normal, but that was enough for Genryuusai to declare that Witches were too dangerous to exist. Kidohana tried to explain to him that what happened was a product of her environment but he would hear nothing of it."_

Chizuru was stunned and more than a bit worried. Would she be a danger to her mother or anyone else if she didn't control her powers? She had Ice as an Element as well and certainly didn't want to turn out like the Ice Witch. She would have to make sure not to make the same mistakes.

Bast turned to Orihime and she could tell that what the demon had to say to her was extremely important.

_"Jugs, you have Wind and Water as elements. With the proper training, you have the potential to be as destructive as the Ice Witch. Its up to you if you want that to be a benefit to you or a negative to everyone around you. Wind is the most conductive out of all of the elements. Paired with almost any element it can be deadly. Storms, Monsoons, the works. And paired with your friends, it can become even worse." She turned to Tatsuki and Chizuru, making sure that they were not exempt from her warning. "Wind and Fire can cause Firestorms, and Wind and Ice can cause Blizzards and such, just like the Ice Witch. Earth and Fire with practice can actually summon volcanos. You three paired together are a force to be reckoned with, but you can also cancel each other out.. This is something that you all need to be careful with and control and this is why you three need to stay together. For safety and to prevent one of you from losing control. I'm here to help you all. Right now you three are not at the level to do the things the Ice Witch did, but with practice you won't even need to be."_

All three girls nodded and their eyes became determined. They would accept all of the help they could get and learn from mistakes made in the past.

_"Now, there's the talk about the powers you got from _**me.**_"_

Tatsuki was about to respond to that when suddenly, Bast looked a lot closer than she was before. Her vision seemed to have zoomed in. Her peripheral vision was slightly hazy but in total her vision was strangely focused. She could see the individual hairs that made up the cat's silky black coat, as well as the tick that was making a meal out of her. She felt her fingernails and palms itch but ignored it in favor of following the insect's movements. She began to speak distractedly, her focus unbroken and uninterrupted.

"…..Oi, Bast….you've got a tick right…." Her eyes swiveled in her head to follow the movements of the fast moving insect and then as quick as lightning her shot out and quickly snatched it from the cat's body without harming her. "There! Got it!"

She had quickly gotten used to the strange vision as it seemed to be adjusting automatically to suit her needs. It was then that she noticed that yes she had indeed snatched the parasitic bug from Bast's skin, but it now rested between a pair of white claws with black tips, similar to what they had seen on Bast's true form. Her palm and fingers had what looked like paw pads.

"E-EW Arisawa get it away!"

Tatsuki seemed to break from whatever trance had a hold of her and realized that she was holding a _tick._ A tick that was miraculously still alive and struggling to get free of the claws that held it in place.

"SHIT!" She quickly tossed the bug away and with her new vision, saw its little body land in the kitchen and begin to scurry away.

"Arisawa you idiot don't just go tossing bugs anywhere-"

It was then that they saw a streak of amber colored hair and a shadow fly over them that could only belong to Orihime land right in front of the escaping bug in what seemed to be a pounce. She then quickly took off her shoe and smashed the parasite with a loud smack, killing it instantly. Tatsuki quickly noticed that her hands were adorned with the same new features as hers and her eyes…..

"…..Holy shit, her eyes are _slitted_!"

Orihime looked up at them in confusion as though just realizing they were there and stood up. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Forget about her eyes, she just jumped over the table and you two. As someone who is very familiar with feline behavior I can say for certain that she just pounced." Yoruichi said.

Chizuru was baffled and as her hand made its way toward her head to scratch a paw stopped its journey.

_"I wouldn't do that if I were you."_

Chizuru was confused until she looked down at her hand and saw the same claws that her two friends had. "What the hell is going on?!"

…

* * *

><p>Urahara fell over from the force of the punch and nearly knocked over his tea. His nose and mouth dripped with blood and he was pretty certain that one of his teeth had been knocked loose.<p>

Tessai quickly moved to assist him but Urahara waved him off. Renji quickly stood up as the room's occupants seem to get over their shock and an uproar began. "What the hell Rukia!? What's the meaning of this!?"

Ichigo quickly went to her side and pulled her away from Urahara before she had half a mind to punch him again or worse. "What the hell was that for Rukia?! Did he wrong you in some way or something? I know he can be a pest but he didn't deserve that out of nowhere!"

Rukia looked up at him, eyes furious and brushed passed him and stood where they could all see her. "I have half a mind to beat all of you silly."

Renji had clenched his fists, his eyebrows pinched together in a sharp frown showing some of his forehead tattoos that had been hidden underneath his bandana. "What do you mean? What the hell did we do to you?"

"Its not what any of you did to me, its what you did to Orihime!"

Chad understood immediately and stood up and bent down low enough so that the small angry shinigami could reach his face. "I understand, I accept my punishment."

Ichigo and the others were stunned. Punishment? For what? And what had they done to Orihime?

Rukia clenched her fist and spoke low, her voice still thick with fury. "Glad to see that you're willing to own up to your sins and take your lumps." And with that she pulled her fist back and gave him a powerful left hook, his head whipping away from her from the force and his lip bled.

Uryuu stood up, having enough of whatever was going on and wanting answers. "Hang on! What the hell is going on-"

Before he could even see her move, he felt her fist uppercut him, knocking his glasses off, his head backwards and him off his feet and into the wall.

Renji cursed under his breath and went to restrain her, but she easily evaded him and gave him a punch to his stomach, his back bending from the force and then she moved, avoiding his body falling to the floor. She then turned to Ichigo who was still stunned and walked calmly to him. Chad didn't stand in her way, not wanting to incite more of her wrath.

"And _you_. A punch isn't enough for you. You need your ass kicked up and down this street but for the sake of the neighbors I'll hold off on it. Here's a taste of whats to come."

Ignoring her bruised knuckles, she punched him clear in face as blood and saliva escaped his nose and mouth. His head had whipped to the side from the force and he fell back, landing on his butt.

She looked down at all of them, her fury nowhere near spent.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Do you have _ANY_ idea what the woman who you all call your friend and ally went through?! She sacrificed herself for all of us, because she didn't feel like she had the strength to do anything else." Her gaze turned to Urahara who had by now sat up. "You….You have no idea just how badly you shattered what remained of her confidence. So haughty, so intelligent. Thought you had all of the answers. What you did drove her right into Aizen's hold. Had she not begged me for training because she wanted to be seen of some value by her own friends, she wouldn't have been captured." She looked all around her at the men who were now giving her their full attention. " _'Stay back Orihime, we'll take care of this.' 'Don't worry Orihime, I'll save you.'_ '_Its too dangerous Orihime, we don't want you to get hurt.' 'A soldier who has lost his powers will only be a burden_…." She said in a mocking voice. The last jab she made at Urahara directly, her fists clenched and knuckles bruised, shaking with her rage.

Urahara had the decency to look down, knowing that what he had done was wrong. Chad and Renji too had heard what Urahara said to Orihime, all but Uryuu and Ichigo who's shocked looks mirrored each others.

"….How soon you all forget that many of us wouldn't even be here if it weren't for her risking her life. Its so easy to disregard her because of her _'gentle nature'_. No lets not put Orihime in harm's way, she's too _sweet. _Too kind, too full of joy to be on the battlefield. Lets let her stay behind so that she won't be **CORRUPTED**."

Uryuu averted his eyes, Renji doing the same. They understood every word that she said and were ashamed to know that they had hurt their good friend who only wanted to be seen as a warrior in her own right.

"You forget that she is a person! With thoughts and feelings and strength all her own! Its not always the sword that wins that battle! It takes courage, intelligence, and heart! All of these she has in abundance! But you were all so cocky! What was it huh?! Is she only good enough to heal you, be your friend and kiss your asses with sweet words but not good enough to stand side by side with you in battle?! The same things you have at stake she has too! Friends, family, EVERYTHING! She healed you all when you were near death! Brought some of us_ back_ from the dead, not once but multiple times! That's more than a medic can possibly do. That's more than ANYONE can do! What is her worth in your eyes?! She is not a doll that you can play with and then put back on the shelf. She is not so fragile that she will break! She's had tragedies but they have only made her stronger!"

By this time, her eyes had filled with frustrated tears and she paid no mind to them as they fell.

"An abusive father and a whore mother! Her brother and sole provider dead in a car crash! Isolated by others! Bullied by jealous girls who cut her hair! Seeing her brother suffer as a hollow because he had been too worried about her to pass on! Seeing her friends get pounded into the dirt over and over and over and over and over!" She wiped her eyes and looked down at Renji.

"Its so easy to grow up with nothing, because no one can take anything from you…..But to have everything snatched from you is _tortuous_. Her friends are her everything! She comes into school everyday with a smile, happy to see us and know that we're okay. And if we're not she tries her best to correct it because she can't bear to see any of us unhappy. She could care less about herself, so its our job to care about her. And that in no way means making her feel like she's unworthy or a burden!"

She gently wiped away anymore tears that had managed to spill and straightened her clothes. "I'll go see how Orihime is doing. ALONE. I don't even want to see any of your faces right now. You all destroyed her confidence in herself and you all are terrible friends. But I'm willing to bet my life that she would never think that way of any of you. Its your job to fix it and I'm gonna be on all of your asses to make sure you do."

Rukia turned on her heel and proceeded to walk out of the candy store, then stopped and turned to them one more time.

"One more thing, don't any of you dare to ask Orihime to heal what I've done, because I'll just dish out even worse later. Let that pain continue to remind you of how much you all need her, and how much you miss it when you can't just be instantly healed. You've got a lot of making up to do for her, so you all better pucker up and get your lips ready for kissing her ass on a daily basis."

She gave them one more glare just to instill her point into them and then finally left, making sure to slam the door hard enough so that they could hear multiple items fall off of the shelves and crash to the floor.

Everything went silent then as the gravity of what happened settled onto every remaining occupant of the room.

After a few minutes of more silence, Urahara stood up and smiled, his face swollen and a tooth missing from Rukia's punch. "Well then, more tea?"

…

* * *

><p>After a slight freakout, all three girls had been sat down next to each other and sufficiently calmed. Their claws and the paw pads on their hands had receded and Bast was fully prepared to explain everything so long as they kept calm.<p>

_"Now, I know that you have questions and you are entitled to answers. But I will only be answering one at a time and only if you raise your hand. Before you ask any questions I will explain my abilities. Is that clear?"_

The three girls nodded their heads.

_"Excellent. Now, the claws. They are like my own in my true form. Besides being razor sharp there isn't really anything special about them. The paw pads are for cushion when you jump, like jugs did. Your eyes are enhanced so that you can judge your movements in accordance with your new reflexes. There's also my influence over your personalities and moods. Don't fear it, embrace it. Cats are confident and free, and freedom is power. Although, there are a few things to watch out for. All animals go into a 'heat'…Its about the same thing as when you get really horny before your menstruation cycle comes except that this is about ten times worse. When I experience it, _**you all will**_."_

All three girls blushed furiously, their faces as red as a tomato.

_"One other thing."_

Bast looked around and then spotted the couch. She then walked behind it into its shadow and disappeared. Yoruichi looked curious and then felt something brush past her and saw Bast hopping back onto the table.

Tatsuki looked amazed and so did Orihime and Chizuru. Bast had disappeared and reappeared out of nowhere.

Yoruich grinned. "I know what you did. Kyoraku Shunsui has a technique like this. Its called-"

_"Kageoni. Its what my kind with these powers were called in the old days. We manipulate the shadows to our will. With practice you all will be able to do this to a degree."_

Tatsuki raised her hand ramrod straight into the air, her muscles almost straining from how hard she was pushing it up.

_"Yes girlie?" _Bast said, clearly amused at Tatsuki's actions.

Tatsuki put her arm down, happy that she was finally gonna be able to ask the questions that had been burning in her mind. "What the _hell_ do you mean we're gonna go into _heat_?! We're not animals! And what the hell is up with this stuff about claws and paws and shit?!"

Bast flicked her tail slightly in annoyance at Tatsuki's rapid fire questions but understood where she was coming from.

_"Its not as bad as I made it sound before. I just said that to make sure that you all got the point. However, your attitudes will change because of it. If you didn't have an active interest in the opposite sex before, you will certainly start too when the heat kicks in. Maybe even before that. As for the claws and such, it is a part of the contract. It is to make sure that all benefit from the partnership. In exchange for your protection, housing and feeding me, you have access to my power and such other things. Housing a demon has always difficult and is a high risk to the one housing it, so its only fair that you share my power. In the old days those who were suspected of such a thing were put to death. If you three were put to death with my powers specifically the three lives each, you would be able to escape. The risk of consorting with a demon is well worth the price of their power. This is especially true since you cannot wait for hollows to come to you in order to fill your obligation to feed me. You will have to hunt them and with your human reflexes and normal attributes you won't be able to do that. That is where my abilities come into play as well as your magic. You will be able to defend yourselves sufficiently and feed me. It is all equal within the contract."_

Tatsuki nodded after a bit and realized that everything Bast said made sense. She may have been extremely skilled in Karate but that won't take down a hollow. Especially when it came to Chizuru. These new abilities were a way to make it so that everyone would benefit and be able to fight with equal ability and be able to fulfill their part of the partnership.

Chizuru's hand went up soon after Bast was done and Bast turned to her calmly and without worry, like she had experience in answering a student's questions. _"Yes red?"_

"I'm afraid it won't be possible for me to be a affected by this 'heat' thing."

Bast's eyes took on an amused glint. _"Oh? And why is that red?"_

Chizuru spoke the next words without remorse or shame, quite the opposite.

"I'm a lesbian. I'm only sexually attracted to women."

Bast's expression became even more amused as if she knew something and they didn't. They soon would.

_"But I'm not. So when I go into heat, you're gonna have to suck it up because you will be liking men during that time."_

The sound of Chizuru's jaw hitting the floor would forever resonate within everyone's minds. She tried to speak but the words were stuck in her throat, but soon enough she was able to speak what everyone had been thinking.

"W…What the hell?! How can I suddenly like men!? I've been a lesbian all my life!"

Bast gently groomed herself through everyone's shock and disbelief, then gave Chizuru a look that quickly stopped her ranting.

_"Don't worry. If anything, its more about being attracted to their genes than actually liking men themselves. All animals including cats look for a mate that has good genes to pass onto their offspring. The most basic standards are health, strength, color and size. And when I say size I don't mean below the belt. Well, not always anyway. It may not be necessary but I would be lying if I didn't say it would be nice to have. " _Bast said, and they could hear the amusement she got from the girls' flustered and embarrassed reactions to their discussion.

Yoruichi remained silent most of the time, just listening in on the new problems that the three young women would have to deal with together. This was certainly something that no teen magazine could ever offer advice on, but she knew that they would be okay. They were able to survive the Winter War, stood up to Aizen and his minions and came out of it alive and stronger than ever. They would get through this and it would empower them as warriors as well as women.

Orihime was embarrassed by some of the changes that they would experience, but most of all she was fascinated by the new power they would have. With the right training they wouldn't have to be swept aside to let others protect them. They wouldn't have to run for cover. They could join into the battle with confidence and skill. She, Tatsuki and Chizuru would prove their worth. Friends stayed together, and they now had the ability to keep up with their friends. Her thoughts were interrupted by Yoruichi speaking.

"After hearing everything, I'd like to help you all with your training."

Bast glared at Yoruichi and gave an angry hiss. _"Your interference could possibly interrupt our contract. I cannot allow it."_

"W-Well…."

All eyes turned to Orihime as she began to express her opinion. She blushed in embarrassment at having everyone look at her but then she steeled her nerves and began to speak.

"Well, I think that Yoruichi-san's help would be really beneficial. She can give us an entirely different point of view than you can. She's the former Captain of the Second Division, who has power over the Stealth Force. You may have more experience when it comes knowledge of magic but Yoruichi-san has known us a lot longer than you have. So in both ways knowledge is power and it would make things a lot easier and benefit on both sides."

Bast wanted to argue her point but she knew that she was right. Yoruichi did know them better than she did and her assistance would be reassuring. When she was given the task she thought that at first that she would only have to pass the magic on to one person, but instead it proved that it would be too much for one person if they weren't as powerful as Kidohana. So in the end it was divided into the three girls. Combined with the fact that she hadn't even planned to stick around and was now forced to, made the task of training three new Witches extremely difficult. She supposed that as long as Yoruichi's help didn't make the contract unequal by giving them more help than her, that she could be allowed to assist.

_"….When you put it that way I suppose that is a sensible idea." _Bast sat down, fur no longer bristled and looking as though there hadn't been a problem in the first place. _"I accept your assistance, but only when approved by both parties and only when I can be there."_

Yoruichi nodded and grinned. "I accept. We can have a set day for when I'll help with training to make it easier. Besides, its about time I had something to do besides flush the toilet while Kisuke's in the shower."

The room erupted into laughter while Orihime was trying desperately not to laugh and scold Yoruichi at the same on Urahara's behalf. As Yoruichi began to go into detail about just how high Urahara's voice can go when he screamed like a little girl, they heard a knock on the door.

"Its Rukia." Yoruichi said.

Orihime nodded and went to the door and opened it for her. "Rukia-chan! Hi please come in! Yoruichi-san's here too!"

Rukia came in repeating the same process of ridding her shoes of snow and removing them like Yoruichi had when she came. While doing so Orihime noticed Rukia's hands and immediately went into a fit.

"Oh my goodness Rukia-chan your hands! What happened?"

Rukia looked at her hands and realized that they had been bruised when she was teaching Urahara and the others a lesson. "Ah, don't worry Orihime, I was just beating a pack of dogs that were being bad."

"O-Oh…Well are they okay?"

Rukia grinned. "I think they got the message."

…

* * *

><p>After sitting down with Rukia and healing her hands they all decided to have a late dinner together after assuring that the meal hadn't been made by Orihime. Rukia had been shocked at Bast's ability to talk and true nature but after having a talk with her, she agreed to keep it a secret from everyone else. They decided not to tell her about Kidohana's relationship with the Captain Commander, just so Rukia wouldn't feel betrayed by the place she believed would always do the right thing. Yoruichi contacted Kisuke letting her know that all three girls were safe and together and that she and Rukia would stay the night with them. She was wondering why Kisuke's voice sounded like he was suffering from a toothache but that wasn't on her list of concerns.<p>

"Arisawa your mom's an amazing cook. If she teaches you how to cook you can be our chef."

Tatsuki looked up from her food to Chizuru in confusion. "What do you mean _'our'_' chef?"

"Orihime and I's chef of course when we get married."

"Oi!"

Everyone laughed at the two girl's antics and after a bit more talking decided that it was time for bed. Yoruichi would sleep in her cat form on one of the large throw pillows from the couch. Tatsuki and a loudly protesting Chizuru would sleep on the pull-out couch and Rukia would stay with Orihime in her room.

"Thanks for letting us stay the night Orihime." Rukia said while getting ready for bed.

Orihime looked up from her drawer at Rukia and smiled, handing her the extra sleeping clothes. "Its no problem at all Rukia-chan! Its nice to have all of the girls over especially after what happened. We had a nice dinner, and we had so much fun! Its nice to have you all over since I'm usually by myself."

Rukia nodded and smiled sadly. Orihime would never want to ask for her friends to visit her because she believed that she would be a burden to others. Rukia wanted to go back to Urahara's place and beat the snot out of them again but she would let it rest for now. She knew that Orihime wouldn't approve of someone fighting on her behalf. She would only think that she was troubling someone and she would rather keep it to herself if it meant that. She's so willing to give up everything for everyone but if she did that there would be nothing left of her. It was time that she thought about herself more.

"We're gonna be here for a while so we should definitely get together sometime." Orihime nodded and smiled, happy to spend time with one of her best friends. "That sounds great Rukia-chan! Its nice to spend time together, and with our situation, things definitely won't be boring."

Rukia had to agree, and when everyone had settled down for the night she couldn't help but agree even more. No, spending time with a coven of witches and their demon cat familiar wouldn't be boring at all.

…

* * *

><p>After making sure everyone was asleep, Bast slipped into the shadows and appeared out onto the streets and began to walk. Within two days everything had changed for her and her three new masters. With the added assistance of this 'Yoruichi' person and a shinigami in on the secret, Bast was sure that everything would be less than peaceful. Her ears twitched at the familiar sound of a hollow nearby and she grinned. She could hunt on her own but with her new obligations it will be difficult to find the time. This is why she needs the girls to feed her. They can start tomorrow but for tonight, she would obtain her own meal.<p>

If someone were to watch carefully, they would see the shadow of the cat begin to take on the likeness of the demon within with its mouth stretched into an impossibly wide grin.

**It was time for dinner.**

…

* * *

><p>Please review! I am anxious to write more but I'd love to hear your opinions more! If you have questions please leave them in the review and let me be able to respond back. I hate to answer questions on the actual chapter.<p>

_*Kageoni = Shadow Demon. _

_*This is actually one of Shunsui's abilities when he's in Shikai. He used it against Starrk._


	8. Chapter 8

Hocus Pocus

I'd just like to say thank you to all of my reviewers! Your feedback is a great help and a great pleasure to read! If you have questions don't be afraid to ask in the review! But you must allow me to answer you back because I hate to answer questions in the chapter. Thank you guys for the support!

Summary:

While walking home after an outing, Orihime, Tatsuki and Chizuru are caught off guard by a group of hollows, but they are saved by a powerful, but critically wounded vasto lorde with more than a few secrets and a gift to give.

…

* * *

><p>The next morning at Orihime's apartment despite being filled with women was a slow one. The first one to wake had been Yoruichi, and after a good long stretch in her cat form, she began to check on everyone. She went to Tatsuki and Chizuru first, and was thoroughly amused.<p>

Tatsuki had managed to inflict violence onto Chizuru even in her sleep. Her fist was firmly pressed into Chizuru's cheek which sported a rather large bruise. Despite the what she was assuming unintentional, or not, abuse to her person, Chizuru's face was quite peaceful. She was breathing evenly, her mouth open in a slight smile as a thin line of drool escaped it and spilled onto her pillow. Tatsuki on the other hand was frowning, her jaw clenched and her eyebrows pinched together in extreme annoyance. She couldn't have possibly kept frowning the entire night, meaning that something had annoyed her recently.

Suddenly, a loud thundering snore ripped out of Chizuru's open mouth and Tatsuki's fist pulled back and socked her right in the jaw, stopping Chizuru's snoring from continuing. It all made sense then and Yoruichi truly pitied Tatsuki at that moment. To have to sleep next to that kind of snoring for an entire night was no easy feat. Her own ears were still ringing from intensity of it. Although, she had to give Chizuru credit as well. She knew for a fact that she had taken Tatsuki's punches for years, and that now they didn't even bother her anymore. She hadn't even stirred when she had been hit.

'These are some tough girls.' She thought as she moved on to check on Rukia and Orihime, avoiding Chizuru's leg hanging off of the pullout bed and padding silently as to not wake up the slumbering girls. Walking into Orihime's room was a change in appearance and in scent. While the living room had many scents of the day, Orihime's room always smelled of only her. She took in the dresser against the wall, covered in lotions, a few makeup items, and most of all photos of her friends. The mirror attached to the dresser was covered in them. It was a virtual collage of smiling faces and happy times. More than a few of them she had been there for and reminisced for a moment about how much fun they could have when there was a break from the constant battle against hollows and egotistical madmen.

Her closet was open, revealing a colorful assortment of clothes. Her shoes also an assortment of styles and colors. She knew that the young amber haired girl had a job at a bakery, and that she worked hard to provide for herself as much as she could. There was also a small bookcase filled with books. Some were textbooks for school, others for reading pleasure. There was plenty of manga, most if not all were of the romance genre. There were also a few cookbooks and she couldn't help but notice that more than a few of them had a fine layer of dust on them. Perhaps one of these days they could coax Orihime to consult them when cooking for her friends….

Yoruichi gently hopped onto the dresser, carefully avoiding any of the items that were scattered on its surface and watched the two girls, still peacefully asleep and blissfully unaware that they were being watched.

Orihime was asleep on her back, her head gently turned to left with her hair around her in a fiery halo, some of the locks even spilling over her shoulders and one had even found its way across her neck. One of her arms was above her head while the other was loosely resting on her ribs just below her generous breasts. Her mouth was slightly open and her chest rose and fell in an even rhythm. She was slightly tangled up in her comforter, a result of light movements in her sleep made in the middle of the night.

Rukia was rather regal in her sleeping position. She too was on her back with her hands crossed delicately over her midsection that reminded her of a person being put to rest in a casket. Somehow, Rukia made it beautiful. Her short hair was neat and tidy unlike Orihime's flaring locks. She was breathing evenly and her side of the comforter was completely neat. Her ethereal and regal appearance even in sleep was no doubt due to the rigid and traditional mannerisms that were instilled in her when she was adopted by the Kuchiki family. They were a picture perfect example of freedom and confinement in human form, and yet, they were such great friends. They complimented each other with their differences and it was plain to see, not only in their looks but in their personalities.

_"I see that you are a people watcher."_

Had it not been for the rigorous training and years of experience Yoruichi had as the former Captain of the Second Division, she was sure that she would have shot straight into the air and clung to the ceiling in fright. Instead, she masked her surprise and turned to the demon, who was smugly grooming herself, eyes lit with amusement.

"Good morning to you too. I was just checking on all of them." Yoruichi said in the noticeably male voice she had as a cat, as she fought with herself to not reach out and claw the sneaky demon's nose.

Bast's grooming paused for only a moment before it resumed, clearly surprised to hear a male voice since she was sure that Yoruichi was female.

_"That's fine. Just don't disturb them, their mother's have told them to stay home from school so they can sleep in late."_ Bast said as she finally finished her grooming and looked at Yoruichi giving her her full attention.

Yoruichi nodded and looked at them again, before suddenly turning back to Bast. When she had been in the living room she didn't remember seeing Bast anywhere.

"Where have you been? You weren't in the living room earlier." She said, slightly suspicious of the demonic feline's disappearing act.

Bast was about to answer had it not been for the sudden, loud screeching of Orihime's alarm clock. Orihime's peaceful face suddenly pinched in annoyance and her fist suddenly shot out and banged down harshly onto the still ringing device, halting its wakeup call instantly and even denting it permanently. The digital screen that showed the current time had been harshly cracked and the clock's frame had dislodged from the clock's inner workings. Surprisingly, the clock still worked as it changed from one minute to the next.

She then stretched outward with a satisfied groan and sat up and blinked her bleary eyes open, rubbing them to get rid of any lingering traces of sleep. Spotting the two stunned felines on her dresser, she smiled and gave them a small wave.

"Good morning Yoruichi-san, Bast." She said as she got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom, no doubt to relieve her full bladder and not even acknowledging the damage she had done to her poor alarm clock. Rukia hadn't even stirred.

Yoruichi turned to look at Bast who had done the same, both in shock. Yoruichi had heard that Orihime was a black-belt in Karate but she had no idea that Orihime was capable of such violence, even if it was involuntary.

Bast's look of shock quickly turned into a full-blown grin, showing fangs. _"Well, I shouldn't be surprised. She did quite a bit of damage to two of the male nurses that had neglected to check her medical chart. My my, she will certainly be fun to train. Her reflexes are practically _**deadly**_." _

Yoruichi couldn't help but agree. She couldn't wait to help train these girls. With Chizuru's endurance, Tatsuki's instinct and Orihime's naturally sharp reflexes, they would be a force to reckon with and breeze through their training.

Yoruichi's grin mirrored Bast's. Oh yes, this would be more fun than Kisuke in the shower_ any day_.

…

* * *

><p>An hour later filled with plenty of trips to the bathroom and a sleepy breakfast, all of the women were up and about and ready for the day. Yoruichi had gone and brought back some fresh clothes for Rukia as well as for herself. After everyone got dressed they began to discuss what to do for the day, seeing as though they weren't gonna be in school. Tatsuki suggested going somewhere to practice their newly acquired magic and abilities, and everyone agreed. They wanted to see what they could do and so did everyone else.<p>

"I would suggest Kisuke's underground training area but I'm guessing you girls want to keep this a secret, so that's pretty much out." Yoruichi said, sitting cross legged at the table and back in her normal form.

Orihime nodded. "There's the Viazard training area, but its really only Shinji-san and Hachi-san that seem to actually enjoy my presence there. To have all of us there would no doubt more than test their patience…."

"Uh, Orihime. The Viazards aren't there anymore." Rukia said, and was amused at Orihime's baffled expression.

"They aren't? But why?" She said, genuinely confused as to why the Viazards had abandoned the warehouse.

"Because they moved back to Soul Society. Their ranks have been restored to what they were before Aizen's deception."

Orihime eyes lit up with surprise and joy at the news of the Viazards being welcomed into Soul Society again. After over a century of having to hide from people who were once their comrades, they were finally able to have their names cleared and their status restored. They finally had been able to go home.

"Shit, that makes their old training ground prime real-estate. Which means that we can go there all we want." Tatsuki said, an eager grin on her face. This was great news, they had a place where they could train safely and away from prying eyes.

"There's just one problem though…"

Everyone looked to Orihime, whose face showed slight concern. Chizuru was concerned, but decided that right now Orihime's explanation was most important. "What do you mean Orihime? What's the problem?" She said.

Orihime looked at them all, and her expression lightened up a bit. "Hachi-san had a barrier around the warehouse while they were there. It kept other's from finding them or going inside, and most importantly it hid their spiritual pressure. Now that they are gone, the barrier would be too. Even if we did go there, we wouldn't be able to train in secret."

The small amount of lightheartedness that was in the room was now totally gone, replaced with the grim realization that they may lose their only chance to be able to train in peace and in secret.

_"Is that all you're worried about? I can take care of that with no problem."_

All heads turned to Bast who was once again grooming herself. Chizuru's eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the seemingly carefree feline. "You mean to tell me that we've been worrying about this, and you knew of a solution the entire time?"

Bast's eyes turned to her, grooming uninterrupted. _"Yes I did."_

Tatsuki was annoyed as well her fingers tapping quite hard on the table. "And you didn't tell us this _because?_" She said, wanting to know what reason the demonic feline could have _possibly_ had to delay what could have been possible time being used to head to the warehouse to train.

Bast looked over them and finally stopped grooming, her eyes set in a slight glare although there was some amusement there. _"Because you didn't ask. If you expect answers you must be willing to ask questions, no matter how meaningless they seem. I will not think for you. You all know how to wipe your own asses, so you should know how to gather information and problem solve. If not, start buying diapers because I refuse to do the work for you."_

Chizuru, deciding to take Bast's advice asked what everyone else had been wanting to ask. "How can you take care of the warehouse problem?"

Bast grinned, showing her fangs. _"You'll have to wait and see. Now, grab a bag and bring comfortable clothes to train in. This is gonna be fun."_

…

* * *

><p>Thanking any God that could hear her, the Doctor gratefully turned on the powerful microscope that she bought with the extra money she had been earning lately. She had the next two weeks off, and with a little white lie to her superiors about visiting her parents in Okinawa for her vacation, she was sure that she wouldn't be bothered to suddenly come in when the hospital was short handed. It was callous for sure but right now nothing was more important than testing those hospital gowns.<p>

She had always been a wiz at Chemistry and Biology, and she was now gonna put those skills to good use. With the skill of an entire research team she began to cut samples of the gowns one by one. Using a different pair of sterilized shears for each one and placing them within a safe range of each other helped to minimize the possibility of cross-contamination. She used a Q-tip to gently gather some of the black substance that was left on Tatsuki's hospital gown. Then she sealed them up into different tubes to keep for same went for Orihime Inoue and Chizuru Honsho. She hadn't seen anything wrong with their gowns when she took them but she was a doctor and she knew better than to take anything at face value.

She took out her tape recorder to record herself and her findings. If anything happened to her notes at the very least she would have audio recordings of everything.

"Test number 1: First test sample of Subject A: Tatsuki Arisawa. Age: 17. Height: 5'4. Weight: 47 kg, Gender: Female. Subject A admitted to Karakura Hospital on October 5, 2014 at 1:35 A.M. Found unconscious in the snow in Karakura Park. Although clothing was torn and shown evidence of injury, there were in fact no injuries on Subject A's person. I will now examine test swatch from Subject A's hospital gown with microscope to confirm or disprove that the substance left on Subject A's hospital gown is soot or not."

She set down her tape recorder and carefully placed the swatch of fabric from the gown with tweezers as well as gloved hands to prevent any contamination of the sample. Once the swatch was underneath the lens and secured, she eagerly looked into the microscope to examine it.

With the magnification, she could closely examine the sample and compare it with another source that was verified to be soot. She compared the detailed particles and with a few comparisons, was able to confirm that it was in fact soot that was on the sample. She picked up her recorder to document her findings eyes still glued to the lens.

"Test concluded. First test sample confirmed to be soot from Subject A's hospital gown. Origin of the soot sample is currently unknown."

As she began to pull back from the lens, she spotted something else within the sample and increased the magnification so that she could see it better. Deep within the cracks of the particles she could see some kind energy field. It was winter so the dry air would definitely cause some energy to build, but eventually it would be released. Its been an entire day since Tatsuki had worn the gown, and there was no way that the energy should still be there. It became clear to her that the soot particles were _electrically charged_ and, as she examined them, showed no signs of subsiding. They were extremely active, and it was a good thing that she had had rubber gloves on when she had been holding the metal tweezers. Otherwise, she had no doubt that she would have received quite a nasty shock. She picked up her recorder and began to speak again, eager to document her new and strange discovery.

"Test 1 yielded another interesting anomaly. The particles from Sample One appeared to have been electrically charged for some time since Subject A has worn it. They don't appear to be subsiding anytime soon and I will continue to examine this sample for any signs of it eventually subsiding-"

She would have continued to record, except that the tape recorder seemed to be smoking and she quickly realized that she could smell melting plastic and metal and fearing a fire, quickly tossed the smoking device into the dish basin in her sink that was full of water.

What she didn't expect was the now ruined tape recorder to light up and the familiar sound of an electrical surge to reach her ears. The dish water had been electrified and because it splashed when she tossed the recorder in, it reached the stainless steel sink and surged, reaching out to any metal and appliances it could. Her lights flashed for a bit and then cut off completely. Before they had, she could have sworn that she heard what seemed to be the apartment building's main fuse box shut off with a loud clang.

She looked as best as she could at her gloves, which she was positive that if they hadn't been rubber, she'd have been _electrocuted_. The tape recorder ran on batteries. There was no way that it should have generated an electric current at all let alone that powerful, even if it really did run on electricity. She could hear the complaints of the other tenants through the walls and she realized that it hadn't just been her that had experienced the blackout. From the shouting it heard it was pretty clear. _It had affected the entire apartment building…_

She looked at the water again and saw that the destroyed recorder was no longer giving out a current. It seems that the current had found a pathway out but she didn't want to test the water in case she was wrong.

This proved that something was off with those girls, well, until she could test the other hospital gowns, at the very least Tatsuki.

She winced as she heard something break and crash to the floor, and then the angry banging on her apartment door.

She definitely wasn't getting her security deposit back.

…

* * *

><p>Ichigo winced as he ate his breakfast, the blow that Rukia had dealt him last night was still extremely painful. Enough so that even the fluffy omelette that Yuzu had prepared especially for him was like chewing on rocks. It hurt to even <em>think<em> of moving his sore jaw. His nose was no better. It had been broken and his father had had to set it back in place and he even had a cut across the bridge of it. His face looked like a train wreck. Large bandages around most of his face and wrapped around his head so that they could stay in place and help his nose heal in its proper position. His father felt so bad for him that he hadn't even attempted to give Ichigo his morning attack, but he sure as hell didn't feel bad enough to not crack jokes about his injuries at his expense. He really hadn't appreciated the Mummy joke and the remaining lump on his father's head was proof of his displeasure.

"Nii-san you look terrible! I wonder who did this to you!" Yuzu said, her big brown eyes pitying him from across the table.

Karin on the other hand, was reading her manga at the table and didn't at all pity her big brother. "He probably pissed off some woman."

Isshin Kurosaki suddenly stood and was in Ichigo's face, much to his displeasure.

"What the hell old man?! Why are you so close?!"

Isshin studied him closely with a serious expression for what seemed like an eternity, and it creeped Ichigo out immensely. Just as he was about to speak again. Isshin Kurosaki's face broke out into a huge grin and he pinned himself to the large poster of Masaki Kurosaki.

"Masaki! Our son has shown signs of the Kurosaki family charm! Oh Masaki I'm so happy he's not gay! But even if he was daddy would still love him!"

"OI! I'm not gay! I'm just not a pervert like you are old man!" Ichigo yelled, fed up with his father's ridiculous display and jokes.

Exaggerated tears began to spill from Isshin's eyes as he seemed to pin himself even closer to the poster of his deceased wife. "Masaki! Do you see how he treats his daddy! Where did we go wrong?!"

Ichigo decided to just ignore his father's idiocy, but he couldn't deny that he had indeed pissed a woman off, and after what happened last night he couldn't help but feel like he deserved it. It had certainly been a wakeup call, and even he was shocked to hear what Urahara had said to Orihime.

He felt incredibly guilty. He dared to call himself her protecter when he had been hurting her far worse than any physical blow could. He had no idea just how badly she had felt to be left out. He hadn't seen it that way, he'd seen it as making sure his friend wouldn't get hurt because he knew she hated violence. She didn't deserve to have her happiness tainted by the ruthlessness of battle, and that was his excuse to make sure that she'd stay out of it. All this time, he'd thought that he was keeping her from suffering when instead he'd been causing it. Rukia had been completely right. They hadn't treated her like a friend they had treated her like she was _weak_.

**"Well well, aren't you a peace of work. Shame on you, hurting the Queen. Now if she were with me, she'd never have to be put through that. She'd be tucked away with me and want for nothing. I'd make it so that the only battle she'd have to worry about was the one between the sheets."**

Ichigo ground his teeth automatically and winced. He tried his best to ignore his hollow's cackling and the words aimed specifically at his failure, but it was really starting to grate on his nerves and unbeknownst to him the chopsticks in his grip were beginning to splinter.

**"Face it King, you fucked up. You fucked up but good. As much as that pleases me, it also means that the Queen is even farther out of our reach. And I can't have that. So pull your head out of your ass and go see her. The better it goes for you, the better it goes for me and lets face it, you wouldn't dare ignore her after you got your ass kicked by that midget. I may be an asshole but when it comes to the Queen you better get your shit together. You want to apologize. You crave being in her presence. You know you'll be happy to see her, and so will she. Stop denying us and go see her!"**

The sound of wood snapping stopped any and all chatter in the room. Ichigo snapped out of the haze of anger that his hollow had thrust him into to look around the room. His sisters and father were all looking at him with concerned faces, none more than Yuzu, who seemed to tear up at the sight of his hand.

"Ichi-nii! You broke your chopsticks and cut your hand! Hang on! I'll go get the first aid kit!" As she ran off, Karin stood up and went to the door and put on her shoes, then she grabbed her backpack and waved goodbye. She had an early meeting with her soccer team. With Isshin and Ichigo the only people in the room now, Isshin came over to Ichigo and put his hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"You need to be careful Ichigo. That hollow of yours is working you up too much. Subdue him and get it together."

With that, Isshin grabbed his dishes and went to the kitchen to wash them. Yuzu soon came back and took care of Ichigo's hand and he was off to school, no longer hungry. His father was right, and he knew it. His hollow was getting too out of hand and needed another ass kicking. However, he couldn't deny its words. He really wanted to see Orihime and check on her. To hell with a phone call, he wanted to see her in person to make sure she was okay. He hated that his hollow was right. He couldn't keep himself from going to see her. His urge to protect her was driving him insane right along with his hollow's nagging.

Though, he couldn't deny Rukia's words either. Her beat down had proven that they did need Orihime. He had been spoiled by Orihime's constant healing and the pain from his injuries was extremely annoying. Not to mention that he had to go into school like this, but that was something that could be explained away and he didn't really care. He just needed to get to school and see her. She should be in today. She hadn't been injured so she should definitely be in class. He couldn't wait to see her so that he could finally relax.

…

* * *

><p>The group of five women plus one demon cat stared up at the former hideout of the Viazards.<p>

"Che, it looks like a piece of shit. Are you sure this is gonna work Orihime?" Tatsuki said, casting a skeptical look upon the run down warehouse.

Orihime nodded and smiled. "Yup! There's an underground training ground just like Urahara-san has at his shop! I've been here plenty of times. The only thing that needs to be done is for Bast to make sure that we're concealed."

Everyone's eyes turned to the demonic feline whose eyes were clearly unimpressed at the their only hope of training in peace and secrecy. Looking over the warehouse with poorly disguised if not clearly blatant disgust, she looked at them all.

_"While I am not impressed, this will have to do." _Bast said, and walked forward a few steps before sitting down again.

Chizuru looked down at Bast, curious as to what she was gonna do to help keep their training secret. "So, how are you gonna do this?"

Bast gave her a quick glance then turned her gaze back to the warehouse._ "I'm going to use the warehouse's shadow to conceal our presence here. Anything that gets too close will walk right passed this place."_

Orihime nodded. "This was just like Hachi-san's barrier. People and animals automatically avoided it. But….People like Kurosaki-kun knew something was there."

Rukia nodded, finally breaking her silence. "It is difficult, but it can be found if one took the time to look for it.

Bast looked at them and a feline grin spread across her face. "That is the beauty of cloaking something in shadow. Its like stepping into another dimension. Once you're in, nothing on the outside will be able to sense you."

Tatsuki shuddered slightly at Bast's words. She knew what that was like. When Orihime been taken to Hueco Mundo, she had stopped feeling her _at all_. Even when she was in Soul Society she felt her, but that place….It was like their connection had been _destroyed_. At least this time she would be with Orihime.

Bast rolled her feline shoulders, her eyes beginning to glow bright blue. They could feel the air change and they knew that something happening. They weren't sure what was changing until they saw the shadow from the warehouse literally lift off of the ground and begin to envelop the building, encasing it in darkness for a few moments before it appeared normal again. Only this time there was a distinct difference.

The warehouse no longer had a shadow.

_"_**Uwabari no Kage**_. Coat of Shadow. The technique that allows the user to use the shadow of an object or their own to conceal it or themselves. The only major flaw is that the concealed object or person no longer has a shadow. Luckily, there are warehouses all around here and the shadow of the one next to this one overlaps it. Now, lets go inside and get to work. You three need to start immediately so that everything can remain equal." _

With that, Bast walked into the building. Next was Yoruichi and then Rukia and Chizuru. Tatsuki gently grasped Orihime's hand, not willing to walk in separately and risk feeling that disconnection from her best friend. Orihime gave her a smile and with that Tatsuki knew that everything would be okay. With Orihime at her side she was no longer afraid of feeling their connection disappear. Orihime gave her hand an encouraging squeeze and they walked in together to begin their training.

…

* * *

><p>"Well, at least its clean." Yoruichi said, looking over the abandoned training ground. She had expected it to be covered in garbage but surprisingly it was clean. There were plenty of large rocks and space for them to train. There was some random furniture left over but that's something they could deal with later.<p>

_"I have to admit, its a lot better on the inside. I approve. This is perfect for the kind of training we have to do. And before we work on your magic, we must work on your new reflexes."_ Bast said, sitting on top of a particularly large boulder.

Tatsuki looked around, and it was pretty similar to Urahara's underground training area and that eased her worries a bit. He was a pretty smart guy, he probably made this for the Viazards.

"So, when you say reflexes do you mean what Orihime did last night?" Chizuru said, looking over at the completely relaxed feline.

Bast nodded her head and stood, then hopped down from the large boulder and walked over to them. "_Yes. She had done it instinctively, but you can all do these things at will. Girlie, climb this boulder."_

Tatsuki looked up at the pretty large boulder and shrugged her shoulders. It would be a piece of cake to get up there. She removed her coat and set it down, then climbed up without a problem. It was only when she had gotten up there that she realized just how high it was. They were at least 40 ft high up and somehow Tatsuki didn't think she would be going back down the same way she came up.

"Oi, Bast what are we doing up here, if this is some kind of joke-"

Before she could even finish her sentence she felt a strong shove and she was suddenly falling backwards. There was no way to catch herself, she was falling and she was sure that when she hit the ground there would be plenty of broken bones if not her skull.

Suddenly, something in her brain clicked and she began to twist in the air. Her body turned automatically, and she was no longer facing the ceiling but instead the ground rapidly coming to meet her with her new and improved vision. But she wasn't afraid anymore. Her hands itched and she could see the claws and paw pads come forth as they came out in front of her and her legs did the same. Suddenly, she was on the ground on all fours, uninjured. This was similar if not the same stance that Orihime had done when she jumped over them. She had landed in a pounce like a cat.

She could hear Orihime running to her, calling her name. She looked up at her and stood as Orihime enveloped her into a tight hug.

"Tatsuki-chan! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Orihime began to look her over, making sure there wasn't any marks or a hair out of place.

Tatsuki shook her head with a smile. "I'm just fine Orihime. When I was falling, my body corrected itself so that I could land. I was scared at first but then I wasn't. My body knew what to do."

Chizuru was fuming and glaring up at the demonic feline who was in the middle of a grooming session. "What were you thinking! She could have gotten hurt!"

_"Impossible. If there was any kind of risk that she would have gotten hurt, I wouldn't have been able to do it. The contract makes me unable to make any decision that I believe would cause any of you to come to harm. I did this to show you what you can do. She instinctively knew what to do and corrected herself as she was falling. Just like cats do. All of you can do this. Now, Red. Its your turn." _ Bast looked around and saw a small pile of stones then turned to Rukia.

_"Tiny, come here. When I give the signal, I want you to throw these stones high into the air in Red's direction. Red, you have to catch the stones."_

Chizuru snorted. "Fat chance of that happening."

_"….I see that drastic measures will have to be taken. Yoruichi."_

Yoruichi came over and Bast whispered in her ear. Yoruichi grinned and then turned to Orihime. "Orihime, may I use your phone?"

"Hmm? Oh sure!" She said, then pulled the phone out of her pocket and gave it to Yoruichi. "Here you go."

Yoruichi nodded and took the phone. "Thank you Orihime, and just so you know, I apologize."

Orihime became confused. "Huh? Apologize for wha-"

As fast as lightning, Yoruichi had pulled the collar of Orihime's T-shirt open and snapped a picture of her cleavage. Orihime quickly covered her chest in shock and horror while her face was beet red from embarrassment.

"Y-Yoruichi-san!"

_"Now, Red. If you want this picture of Jug's cleavage you're gonna have to catch this phone before it falls to the ground and breaks."_

Orihime began to protest but before she could even get the words fully out of her mouth, Yoruichi had tossed the phone high into the air.

Chizuru's eyes flashed and before anyone knew it, she had jumped high into the air, snatching the phone before it could even begin its descent to the ground, her hands adorned with her claws and paw pads. She looked as though she was snatching potential prey out of the air rather than a cell phone. Then just like Tatsuki, her body twisted itself so that she could land safely on the ground, even with Orihime's phone in her hand.

Once she did land she began to go through Orihime's phone carefully but desperately trying to find the picture of Orihime's cleavage. "Ah! Dammit where is it! I must see my Hime's beautiful valley!"

_"Its gone. It was never saved. It was only to get you to act." _Bast said.

Chizuru was extremely disappointed and more than a little angry. "Why would you do something like that?!"

Bast's stare stopped her cold, and she believed that she may have overstepped her bounds.

_"I did it because you wouldn't cooperate! We are here for training, not fun and games. Get your act together and learn something! If you don't fulfill your end of the contract it means bad things for you. This is serious, and you have to act like its life or death because it very well will be if this contract is found to be unfair to either party." _

Chizuru's anger faded and with shame, she realized that Bast was right. They were there for training, and there wasn't time to joke and kid around. It was time to be serious. She nodded and Bast could tell that she meant it.

_"Right. Now, Jugs. I want you to climb the wall. Use your claws."_

Orihime nodded and gently flexed her fingers, wondering how she could make her claws come out like Tatsuki and Chizuru did. She felt her hands and fingernails itch and saw the claws come forth. She gulped then looked at the wall, and something told her that she should get a running start. She wasted no time and began to run and as she got closer to the wall, running on two legs began to seem wrong and she leaned forward and began to run on all fours quite easily.

When she came to the wall she had no problem jumping and practically running up the vertical wall. She could feel the claws digging into the wall, helping her propel upwards until she got to the rafters. Her eyes had adjusted, she was completely balanced, and was not afraid. She walked across the metal rafters with no hesitation. It felt as familiar as walking on a sidewalk. When she reached the end, she eyed the huge boulder that Bast had occupied before. With her new vision , the drop looked as though she were simply jumping down the last two steps on a set of stairs. She then took a deep breath, and jumped. Her body stretched outward, and when she landed it was hands first, feet second. She then jumped from the large rock down to the smaller ones until she was finally back on the ground.

All besides Bast were in complete shock. Even Orihime. It had felt so natural to run on all fours and jump from potentially fatal heights and land safely. She felt so fluid and _free. _She had feared nothing, and she had to admit it felt good.

Bast turned to them all. _"Those are the kind of benefits that you have from me. With practice doing these kinds of things will be like second nature to you . If you succeed, you will fear nothing. Have the utmost confidence, and have the freedom that most people only dream about. That was just a taste. Are you ready?"_

Orihime nodded. She was ready. She was ready to be free of her anxieties and insecurities. She didn't want to live in fear of life anymore.

Tatsuki and Chizuru looked at each other and then turned to Bast and nodded. They too were ready. They were ready to fight back against the creatures that plagued their town in abundance. To be able to protect themselves and their families. To be unafraid of what lurked in the dark.

Bast grinned, her fangs glistening in the light.

_"Excellent."_

…

* * *

><p>Ichigo was annoyed. Oh so annoyed. He was so sure that she would be in school, but she wasn't. There was no amber haired girl with the megawatt smile telling him good morning. Neither was there a hot headed tomboy or the relentless red headed lesbian. This was <em>insane.<em> Where the hell were they!?

At this time, Ichigo was waiting for the final bell. His fingers were relentlessly badgering his poor desk and his leg was fidgeting. He was sure that as soon as that bell rang he would burst out of his seat, down the hall, down the stairs and out the door. He wouldn't even stop to change his shoes.

His eyes were glued to the clock. Just a few more seconds. 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1-

The bell rang and he was out of his seat but before he could even think of making it to the door, he was stopped by Chad and Uryuu.

"Oi, why are you guys blocking the door? I've gotta go." He said, watching other students as they quickly filed out of the other exit to start their weekend.

Uryuu looked at Chad and then back at him, his face pinched with annoyance but mostly with concern. Both of them had bandages similar to Ichigo's, though Ichigo noticed that Uryuu's usually perfect spectacles had a crack in them and the frame was slightly bent. They would probably remain so until he could get another pair. Chad looked the least injured compared to all of them. "Ichigo, you're not thinking straight. We know you're about to go to Orihime's apartment."

He frowned. So what if he was going, he hadn't seen her in days. What part of Rukia's ass kicking did they not get?

"Of course I am. And you two should be too. You heard what Yoruichi said. They were uninjured and fine and they were staying at her place. If they are fine then why aren't they in school? The last time we saw them was before the attack. That was Wednesday and today is Friday. I know you both think this is weird, and I know you're concerned too. I'm not crazy. I just need to see if she's okay alright? I'm worried. If she was really okay then why hasn't she called any of us? Why didn't she come to school?! Something has to be wrong and I'm gonna find out-"

"Ichigo! Get a hold of yourself. You sound like a possessive boyfriend."

Ichigo snorted, the mere thought was ridiculous. "I do not sound like a possessive boyfriend."

Chad looked at him in the eyes. "Ichigo. You went from being concerned about them, to being concerned about her alone."

Ichigo opened his mouth to refute what Chad said but then he stopped and closed it. Thinking over what he said, he realized that he _had _singled Orihime out. Shit. His hollow was right and so were they. He really _was_ acting like a possessive boyfriend.

Uryuu sighed in relief, annoyance and exasperation all at the same time. "Now he gets its. Finally. Look, we had no intention of stopping you. We just wanted you to come to your senses before you did anything stupid. We're going with you."

Ichigo's face deadpanned. "What are you guys my babysitters?"

"If we have to be." Chad said. "We think that you're truly worried about everyone-"

"Of course I am!"

"BUT," Uryuu said. "We think that your hollow is influencing you, which is causing you to single Orihime out. You have a strong need to protect Orihime, and it affects your hollow too."

Ichigo nodded. "He has been driving me nuts…"

They nodded. It confirmed what they had been suspecting. Ichigo can't admit his feelings and they are bottling up inside and his hollow is becoming more aggressive because of it.

Chad put a reassuring hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "Lets not waste any time. Yoruichi said that they were together so lets go to Orihime's apartment and check on them.

Ichigo nodded and went passed them. They watched him go for a bit before following right behind him.

It would take a miracle for him to admit his feelings, and hopefully that miracle was their amber haired friend, the same friend that Ichigo couldn't see that he was head over heals for.

Unstoppable force, meet orange haired unmovable object. When they collide hopefully some sense can get knocked into him.

…

* * *

><p>Please review! I am anxious to write more but I'd love to hear your opinions more! If you have questions please leave them in the review and let me be able to respond back. I hate to answer questions on the actual chapter.<p>

_*Uwabari no Kage = Coat of Shadow_

_Please look here for any and all translations so that you guys won't get confused! I want you all to be able to comprehend every part of the story so that you can get the best experience! Thank you so much!_


	9. Chapter 9

Hocus Pocus

I'd just like to say thank you to all of my reviewers! Your feedback is a great help and a great pleasure to read! If you have questions don't be afraid to ask in the review! But you must allow me to answer you back because I hate to answer questions in the chapter. Thank you guys for the support!

Summary:

While walking home after an outing, Orihime, Tatsuki and Chizuru are caught off guard by a group of hollows, but they are saved by a powerful, but critically wounded vasto lorde with more than a few secrets and a gift to give.

…

* * *

><p><em>"Faster! Red, just because you can take a hit doesn't mean you should! Dodge it! Jugs stop hesitating! A hollow won't hesitate to kill you! Use your claws dammit! Girlie keep on your toes! Don't get distracted, Jugs can take care of herself!"<em>

Bast was once again on the large rock watching over their training and more than occasionally, yelling at her new masters to get their shit together. It was hard work, but they were learning. Yoruichi and Rukia were more than able to provide a challenge for them and despite their short comings, they were doing a lot better than expected. A pained yelp snapped the demonic feline out of her thoughts and her focus became once more on the training.

Rukia had been nicked by Orihime's claw but it didn't look too bad. Orihime on the other hand was extremely distraught.

"Oh my goodness Rukia-chan I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!"

Rukia looked over her injury, and grimaced. Although it only felt like Orihime had nicked her a slight bit, a much closer inspection revealed the thin cut was at least 3 inches deep. Orihime had gotten her with one claw but even that was potentially lethal. If Rukia had taken the cut at only face value and kept fighting, she was sure that her muscle would be in shreds.

Rukia nodded, but she knew that unless Orihime healed her, she could no longer train with them. "I'll need to be healed before we continue. That was a nice hit Orihime, it went pretty deep even though there's barely a scratch or blood."

Orihime nodded and called her fairies forth to heal her leg. The familiar golden shield settled over Rukia's leg and began to reverse the damage that had been done. Another light flew from her hair pins and took the form of Tsubaki, who then began to pinch Orihime's cheeks.

"You stupid woman! What have you done?!" He said, his eyes wild with anger as he assaulted his master in his usual way.

"OW! Tsubaki that hurts! I didn't do anything to you! Please stop!" Orihime said, trying her best to prevent the angry fairy from assaulting her any further. Before he could say anything else, he was swatted out of the air and to the ground by Bast, who had had enough of his rough treatment.

_"You will no longer touch her in that way. As my master it is my job to prevent any harm from coming to them, including her. You have been warned." _Bast said, glaring down at the angry fairy who was rubbing his head after landing roughly.

He looked up at the new voice and if possible, became even more furious. "YOU. You're the one who did this to me!" He then gestured to the top of his head and his backside, where two startlingly new features had been added. Adorned atop of his head were two fluffy cat ears that were rapidly twitching in annoyance, and the long black tail above his backside was doing the same. Noticeably, his hands and feet were also adorned with little claws.

Orihime's eyes sparkled and before he could protest, she snatched him from the ground and began to cuddle him. "Tsubaki you're so cute!"

Tsubaki struggled to escape his master's soft but surprisingly strong grip as she cuddled him shamelessly. "Oi! Let me go you crazy woman! I'll kill you! I'll…..kill…." His struggles slowed dramatically and his eyes closed half way as Orihime gently stroked his new kitty ears. Not long after, a deep steady rumbling purr escaped his lips. His tail and ears went limp under her gentle treatment, and Orihime couldn't help but coo at his behavior.

After healing Rukia's leg, Shun'O and Ayame dispersed the golden shield and flew to Tsubaki. They too had the same features as he did and unlike him, they didn't seem to have a problem with it.

Shun'O snickered, covering his mouth with his hand. "Oh how the might have fallen. How does it feel to be at the mercy of our master? You're getting you're just desserts Tsubaki."

Tsubaki began to retaliate but Orihime's delightful treatment of his ears in _just the right spot _soon squashed any anger and humiliation he felt. However, he did flip Shun'O a half-hearted middle finger. That too didn't last as his arm quickly flopped back down. He was too relaxed to give a damn.

Ayame stayed quiet as she usually did, but her quickly twitching tail and ears gave away the mirth she felt at Tsubaki's expense.

Tatsuki looked closely at the new and improved fairies and then looked at Bast, who looked none too bothered or concerned about the fairies' new looks.

"Oi, did you know about this?"

Bast barely spared her a glance before hopping onto her shoulders and laying across them as if Tatsuki was her own personal lounge chair. _"I had no prior knowledge of this, but then again it doesn't surprise me. I am bound to your souls, and her powers are part of her soul. Its no surprise that her powers would somehow take on a part of my likeness, just like you all have."_

Orihime nodded. It did make sense since she was bound to them. While she had been listening to Bast's explanation she failed to realize that she had stopped Tsubaki's massage which explained the pinching she suddenly felt.

"You stupid woman! Don't you ever do that again! Its humiliating!" Before he could continue his assault on her face again, he was once again in Orihime's grasp and this time she was not gonna give him a massage.

"Tsubaki! Stop it! I've had enough! That hurts and I'm sick of it! Stop hurting me just because you think you can! You're being a bully and that's not acceptable! Either stop now or you're gonna be sorry!"

Her eyes had flashed, her pupils once again slitted and her claws had come forth. Tsubaki wasn't in any danger, but his shock at Orihime's discipline was priceless. Soon enough, his face went from shock to a small frown. Although he looked slightly put out, there was a bit of pride in his eyes. He was proud that the woman had finally seemed to grow a backbone. In all honesty, the only reason he had been messing with her was so that she could finally stop him and any others who tried to do it. It took a long time, but she finally gets that someone picking on her isn't acceptable, and he was proud.

He huffed, then wiggled out of her grasp before flying in front of her face, where he nodded and touched his forehead with hers. She may not realize it now but she had earned his respect, and before he returned to her hairpins he gave her a small grin, letting her know that everything was good.

Orihime's anger seemed to melt away as Tsubaki departed and she came back to her senses. Her eyes returned to normal as did her hands as her claws receded.

Shun'O and Ayame also returned her hairpins, their task completed. Orihime sighed and looked at Rukia's leg, which was as good as new, as was her shinigami pant leg. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her and gave a small smile as Tatsuki gently hugged her.

"It'll be alright Orihime. At least he gets the message now. I always have to hold back from hitting that little shit when he attacks you like that."

Yoruichi grinned, her eyes alight with amusement. "I have to say, if anything else it proves that she has a fierce part of her."

Chizuru's face scrunched up in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, her powers are from her soul like Bast said. These are aspects of her. I think her shy side is best portrayed by Ayame, Shun'O I can tell is the level-headed aspect of her. And Tsubaki….Well, based on how she just told him off I don't think more of an explanation is needed."

Chizuru nodded, her expression portraying understanding and wonder. It was strange to hear that Orihime's powers are manifested parts of her personality. Strange, yet it somehow fit her perfectly.

_"If we're all done being sentimental and sharing our feelings, maybe we can I don't know….GET BACK TO WORK!"_

Everyone jumped and the training resumed, with Bast once again sitting on what she had claimed as her rock. As she watched over them all she realized that while it would be tough, they were trying and at the very least they were making progress.

_"RED! Stop trying to look down Jug's shirt!" _Bast shook her head and even put a paw over her face.

_'What have I gotten myself into…'_

…

* * *

><p>This time when Ichigo had been told that they had missed Orihime and the others again, Uryuu wisely chose to stay away from him and take shelter next to Chad. He was eerily calm, and Uryuu knew that Ichigo didn't <em>do<em> calm. It was safer when he got angry because he knew what to expect. When he finally turned to them after the landlord had closed her door, he was the picture of cool calm and collected. He wasn't even frowning. His poker face was creepy and it made him and, judging by the way Chad was frowning and the way he stepped back, extremely uncomfortable.

"Well they left about two hours ago. Based on what she told us, Rukia and Yoruichi were with them. And a black cat….that's weird…"

Uryuu forgot his uncomfortable feelings when Ichigo had mentioned the cat. "Uh, Ichigo. You just said that Yoruichi was with them. Its more than likely that she's the cat."

Ichigo shook his head. "The landlord described Yoruichi in her human form. So either she's in two places at once or Orihime got a pet cat."

"I know her building allows pets, and she certainly has more than enough space for a cat. Maybe she found it on her way home from the hospital, but that doesn't seem like a random decision she would make." Chad said.

Ichigo's expression threw Chad off. He looked a bit confused and slightly irritated. "…How do you know that Orihime has enough space for a cat?"

Uryuu was wondering that as well, and was certainly aware of Ichigo's irritation. He hoped that Ichigo would think rationally, but when had he ever done that?

Chad didn't look offended or put off by Ichigo's sudden attitude at all. "I visit her sometimes."

"…Don't you think that's inappropriate? What if someone says something to her or you about it. A guy shouldn't really visit a girl who lives alone."

It was then that Chad actually frowned at the insinuation. "Ichigo, she is my friend. If I want to visit my friend, its not inappropriate. She told me that she would love for her friends to visit her more. She visits me all the time. She doesn't visit Uryuu because his father intimidates her and she feels like she's bothering you if she visited. That's why she only stops by to drop off bread on her way home sometimes. She packs it up and gives it to your sisters or your dad. Except for that one time some months ago, she doesn't actually go inside and when she did, she told me that she was nervous..I don't know about you guys, but I know for a fact that she's not all sunshine and rainbows all the time. She gets lonely, and I have no problem visiting her. Maybe if you both helped her to feel more welcome she would visit you both too."

Uryuu was shocked but not surprised. He knew that his father went out of his way to be an asshole but he didn't think he'd actually do it to Orihime, not when he had called her to heal him when he'd been attacked by Tsukishima. He guessed since his father still thought he had feelings for Orihime, that it was his way of feeling her out. It was unnecessary and unappreciated. As many times as Orihime had saved his life she should be welcomed with open arms, not intimidated. But then again, if it was that easy he'd suspect his father of something else. It had to be rectified but at least he knew about it now. "I never knew that, Chad…If anything I know that she should never have to feel as though she weren't welcome. I will have to let her know that she is always welcome to visit me. I didn't know that my father intimidated her."

Ichigo snorted in disgust. "Your father is an asshole to everyone. Why should it be any different for her? You should have known and talked to her about it."

Uryuu turned to Ichigo, a frown clearly marring his handsome face. "Look who's calling the kettle black. I didn't even _know_ she tried to visit me. You on the other hand knew when she dropped bread off. Yeah you would tell her thanks the next time you saw her but you never asked her to visit, or asked if you could visit her. Even I visit her once in a while when we plan or work on club projects. Its not much but I can tell she's happy when I visit."

Ichigo clenched his fists and felt shame. He knew they were right. Every single word. He couldn't help but feel a bit envious of the time they got to spend with their amber haired friend. He was always so worried about her but he barely ever thinks to go visit her or invite her inside when she brings the bread over out of the goodness of her heart. It wasn't that she wasn't welcome, he just didn't feel comfortable being around her after what happened in Hueco Mundo. He always felt like he was a ticking time bomb whenever she was near and didn't want her to be in any danger of him or his hollow. He was avoiding her to be safe, at least that was his reasoning. After Rukia's first talk and then her ass kicking, he more than realized that his reasoning was faulty and stupid. But there was always the danger of his hollow and now that its interest in her was extremely high he had to be careful around her.

"You're right, but its not because I don't care…Its because I care too much. You know about my hollow, and what happened on the dome spooked me. Especially since I nearly killed you Uryuu. That could have been her and I couldn't live with myself if she had died."

Uryuu's eyebrow twitched at his indirect way of saying that his life mattered less but he didn't think much of it. After all, it was proof of his feelings for her. "Right, well we all need to improve. Rukia's beating certainly taught us that last night. I guess all we can do now is wait until she calls us-"

"No. I don't know about you guys, but I'm staying right here until they get back. No excuses. I refuse to miss them again. I made it a point to see her today and I will. Its Friday so we don't have to worry about school tomorrow. Have you tried sensing her reiatsu to see which general area she's in?"

Uryuu's face pulled into a frown. "If I could we wouldn't have wasted our time by coming to an empty apartment, Kurosaki. She's probably hiding her reiatsu. I don't know why but maybe she doesn't want to be found right now. If anything, Rukia and Yoruichi are with them so we know they are safe."

Ichigo sucked his teeth in annoyance and then sat down on the curb, placing his book bag none too gently on the ground next to him. "Well, like I said. I'm not leaving until I see them. You guys can go if you want."

Chad frowned slightly. "Ichigo, we're not going anywhere. We want to see them as much as you do. Don't doubt our concern for them." The gentle giant then sat down next to his longtime friend, placing his bag on the ground and pulling out his phone and headphones.

Uryuu sighed and moved to do the same, but before he sat he pulled out a small hand stitched pillow and placed it on the ground before sitting on it. Ichigo snorted at the pillow. "Really? You're gonna sit on a pillow?"

Uryuu pulled a small sewing project out of his bag and began working on it. "You two may like to sit on the filthy pavement, but I don't. Its just a matter of preference."

"So you prefer to be a prissy boy? You're never gonna get a girlfriend being in the Handicrafts club."

Uryuu continued his project, not at all bothered by Ichigo's insinuation of his sexual preferences. "On the contrary, I find that being surrounded by women who do nothing but fawn over your hard work in joy and admiration is a pretty nice way to spend my time after school. They even make gifts for me and write letters. That shirt I wore when we went out to that _*Okonomiyaki_ place last year was actually made by Orihime. It was to thank me for helping her with a project. It still fits really well, and its my favorite shirt."

Uryuu grinned on the inside as Ichigo's face turned red with anger. Chad silently laughed, his shaking shoulders revealing the mirth he felt. As they argued, Chad couldn't help but feel like their wait for their friends' return wouldn't be a boring one. Not by a long shot.

…

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><p><em>"Alright, that's enough for today, lets go. I hope you're ready to hunt tonight because I'm hungry."<em> Bast said as she hopped down from her perch on the rock.

Orihime, Tatsuki and Chizuru looked at each other. They were a little nervous but this is what they had signed up for, and there was no backing out. Yoruichi was a bit worried and definitely wanted to stay to watch over them. "Are you sure they're ready? What about their magic?"

Bast was once again grooming herself, infamously relaxed despite the situation. _"Tonight they won't need it, but if they feel like they have to use it, then they will. Girlie here nearly torched their doctor at the hospital, I'm sure they'll be more than fine. We will be watching over them of course since its their first time, but I'm more than certain they will do fine. If they weren't ready I wouldn't risk it." _

Yoruichi nodded. They definitely had skill. One of them alone wasn't so bad but all three of them together were a force to be reckoned with. If she were still the Second Division Captain she would consider them to be assets. They had a long way to go before they could be a match for her but they were well on their way there. They would be able to handle hollows with no problem.

Chizuru stretched and rolled her shoulders before reaching down to grab the bag with their change of clothes. "Lets do this so that we can go home and shower. I feel sweaty and gross."

Tatsuki had to agree. Even though she was no stranger to exercise she also wasn't a stranger to feeling sweaty, and it indeed feel gross. "I second that motion."

Orihime nodded. "There's actually a bathroom here but we don't have any soap…I guess if the water still works we can shower here after we train next time so we don't have to feel gross."

Rukia felt the same. Even if she was going to go back into her Gigai, it still wasn't her real body. It was like being sweaty and then vacuum sealed.

"Alright then lets head back to Orihime's where we can shower." Yoruichi said as she stretched. After gathering all of their things they left the underground training area and then the warehouse above it into the cool night air. It wasn't snowing but there was still plenty of slushy snow from Wednesday night's blizzard.

"So, how are supposed to do this? Where do we find hollows?" Tatsuki said as they began walking.

_"That depends. I know that the frequency of hollows appearing varies and if we don't find one tonight I won't fault any of you. As for actually finding them, well, that also varies."_

Bast suddenly stopped walking and her ears twitched. Soon enough, they all heard what she did. A hollow's roar, only this time it wasn't close. It was farther off, away from the warehouses.

Bast grinned as her eyes eerily glowed. _"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." _ The demonic feline looked toward her masters with poorly disguised glee. _"You three know what to do. We practiced this. Go feed me."_

With no hesitation, they all looked to each other and nodded. They set their bags down and suddenly they were off. Jumping from building to building. Yoruichi, Rukia and Bast were following behind them. Chizuru felt free. She was soaring through the air doing things that people only dreamed of. She was focused and could see everything, knew where to jump and where to land. Her claws caught onto the buildings like knives, allowing her to climb everything she wanted and needed. It really did feel good.

Orihime and Tatsuki felt the same. Despite the circumstances it was exciting. Tatsuki jumped a twenty foot gap between two buildings with Orihime right behind her. After a few minutes, they slowed down as they came upon their target. The hollow was stalking a plus soul, who looked to be a small child. The hollow's appearance was nothing to brag about. It resembled some kind of twisted scorpion with a bulbous head. Its mask was fixed in a permanent grin. Its pincers seemed to be oversized and stuck close to the head. The tail though, looked positively lethal. It was long and ended in a sharp point that almost resembled a claw. Based on the greenish yellow residue on the tip, they could safely say that it wasn't a scorpion in appearance only. It was poisonous.

Orihime was nervous. She had a plan but she didn't want to speak too loudly lest they draw the hollow's attention and lose their element of surprise. She remembered that Bast had let them speak to each other telepathically, but she wasn't sure if the link was still there. She decided to test it out. It was better than nothing.

'Tatsuki-chan? Chizuru-chan? Can you hear me?'

Tatsuki and Chizuru's heads turned toward her and she sighed in relief. 'I'm so glad you can hear me. I didn't want to talk and have the hollow hear us. I have a plan, but I need help.'

They nodded, refocusing their gaze on the hollow, who was still stalking the plus soul.

'What did you have in mind Orihime?' Tatsuki said, watching the hollow with disgust. Her eyes narrowed in disgust when it drooled in anticipation of an easy meal. It became even more so when the acrid saliva sizzled the ground.

'We should get rid of the tail first. Its the most dangerous since the arms with the pincers are so short. Then the legs so it can't move. We can't be in front of it because of its mouth and the pincers…I'll go for the right set of legs. Tatsuki-chan, you go for the tail, Chizuru-chan can go for the left set of legs. I can finish it off with Tsubaki from behind. I don't want to risk a shot from the front with the saliva.'

Tatsuki thought it over and nodded. 'It sounds like a solid plan Orihime.'

'We better do it fast because it looks like its about to go in for the kill.' Chizuru said. Orihime's attention turned back to the hollow, who had gotten much closer to the little soul who had no idea that she was about to be devoured.

Tatsuki then leapt into action, claws out and with one slash, the dangerous tail was on the ground, twitching wildly. The hollow roared in pain and moved to turn around when suddenly its body collapsed on its right side. Orihime had taken out most of its legs and gotten out of dodge before its head could turn in her direction. Chizuru who had jumped down after Tatsuki did, came from the left and slashed, ripping through the muscled limbs with ease before also jumping away. Its body was now mostly immovable. The one leg that Orihime had missed was vainly trying to pull its body back up so that it could escape.

Standing behind its struggling body, Orihime called Tsubaki from her hair pins and took aim.

"Tsubaki!"

He flew forward and before the stupefied hollow could make sense of what was happening, Tsubaki flew through the back of its head and out of the front, splitting its mask down the middle. Its pained roars stopped abruptly and it began disintegrating. Chizuru and Tatsuki stood next to her and watched as it was slowly erased from Karakura, never to stalk anyone ever again.

Orihime felt a small tug on her hand and looked down to see the little plus soul who had nearly been devoured by the hollow. She smiled in thanks and Orihime smiled back. When she spotted Rukia out of her Gigai, she directed the little girl to her so that she could be given Konso and pass on to Soul Society.

Bast came over to them and grinned, obviously happy with the meal before sitting down, patiently waiting to escort them home as directed in the contract.

Yoruichi landed next to them and grinned. "That was very nice work girls. It didn't even see it coming. I'm sure you all feel good about it."

Tatsuki grinned and turned to her. "Oh, I feel more than good. Its about time those bastards got what they deserved. I'm gonna enjoy every second of wiping them out of existence."

Chizuru nodded, a small grin on her face. Oh yeah, this was gonna be _good. _

…

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><p>It was 9:30 pm. Five hours. They'd been waiting outside her apartment building for <em>five hours<em>. After deciding what they wanted and chipping in, Chad had gone and come back with dinner. That was an hour and a half ago. Uryuu had finished the project he had started and was now halfway through with a second one. This was ridiculous. Just where in the _hell _where they at this time of night?!

Ichigo huffed in annoyance, his foot tapping impatiently on the cold asphalt and his arms resting on his knees. Chad didn't even looked bothered. His headphones were in and his head was bobbling slightly to the music. Ichigo scratched irritatingly at his bandages and had the urge to rip them off but he knew that his father would just wrap him up again.

"Ichigo, your fidgeting is annoying. Cut it out."

Ichigo didn't even acknowledge Uryuu and the frown that he wore only got deeper. The tension was soon broken when Ichigo's badge went off, signaling a hollow. They all jumped in surprise and turned toward Ichigo's bag, which was the origin of the obnoxious alarm. He instantly dug through the bag to find the annoying thing.

"This is what happens when you're bag isn't tidy, Ichigo!" Uryuu said, his hands clasped over his ears to smother the sound of the exceedingly loud badge. Chad was the same. The badge was so loud that even his music on the highest volume couldn't drown it out.

"Shut up dammit I'm trying! My bag is tidy it just slips in-between the books sometimes!"

It took a few minutes more but he'd finally found it wedged between the pages of his math textbook, and just when he finally got his hands around it, it stopped. "What the hell? It stopped."

Uryuu sighed in relief and annoyance and uncovered his ears. "That means that someone took care of the hollow. Thank goodness." A few minutes later, loud music began pouring out of one of the higher up apartments before it was lowered down to a tolerable level. Uryuu shook his head in disappointment. "I hope that Orihime gets the proper sleep she needs. It seems like most tenants in this place has no respect for their neighbors."

Chad nodded and began to put away his headphones, the blaring alarm having ruined the appeal of music for at least a little while. He stopped midway from stuffing them into his pocket when he felt what they had been waiting for. "I sense them. They're coming this way."

Before Uryuu and Ichigo could fully process what Chad said, the girls had come into view. They were walking with Rukia and Yoruichi, and just like the landlord had mentioned, there was a black cat with them. Once they were over their shock, Ichigo was on his feet and speed-walking in their direction. By this time they had stopped and waited for him to come to them. Once he did he spared no one else a glance except Orihime.

"Are you okay Orihime? You didn't come to school today and we were worried. How is everything? Did they treat you alright at the hospital? What happened that night?-"

"Kurosaki-kun! Please, slow down, I'm fine!" She said, gently waving off his near frantic questions about her state of being, a fresh blush on her face.

He stopped and looked her over quickly and realized that she was right. She was fine, not a mark or scratch on her. Before he could sigh in relief however, he was jolted by a sharp pain in his shoulder. "What the hell?!"

"We're fine too you asshole. Thanks a lot." Tatsuki said, her fist clenched. Chizuru seconded that, her deep frown a sign of her annoyance at his ignorance of them. "Yeah, what are we chopped liver?!"

Ichigo calmed himself and looked them over as well, and if he was honest with himself he had to admit that he was glad that they were okay as well. "Yeah, sorry…I'm glad you're all okay. Where the hell have you guys been? We've been here for five hours waiting for you all to get back."

Chad and Uryuu had come over by then and they too were waiting for an explanation as to their absences.

Yoruichi huffed in annoyance. "Where we've been is none of your business. Their mothers told them to stay home today. I think the more important question is, what the hell happened to you three? Did you and Kisuke get into a fight or something? He sounded weird on the phone last night."

It was pretty clear when they all looked away, that they were ashamed of something. Orihime remembered Rukia's bruised knuckles from last night and put two and two together. "Rukia-chan, did you do this?"

Rukia sighed and nodded. "Please forgive me Orihime, but there was a good reason for the ass kicking they got."

"Even Urahara-san?" Orihime said, concerned about her friends fighting.

"_Especially_ Urahara. What he did, was unforgivable. Even though it was a long time ago, it was brought up again and it just reminded me that I owed him a punch for what he did."

"But….What did he do that was so horrible?"

Rukia was silent for a moment, before she let out a heavy sigh and looked her in the eye. "The thing that he did, was what he said to you before you were captured…"

Orihime gasped and she quickly looked at the ground, avoiding eye contact with anyone to mask the pain from that time that had suddenly resurfaced.

"I know that you don't want anyone to fight on your behalf, but I wouldn't be your friend if I didn't repay him for how he made you feel, and what you went through because of it…"

Orihime nodded and wiped her eyes, removing any tears that threatened to fall. Tatsuki gently grasped her hand to comfort her. Rukia looked at the three men and glared. "I did the same to them, for committing the same crime over and over."

Ichigo stepped forward, his hand rubbing the back of his neck, the classic tell displaying that he was uncomfortable. "We didn't know that he said that Orihime, but we just have to know…How come you didn't call us to let us know you were okay? And how come you didn't tell us that you guys were staying home today? You had us worried sick-"

Orihime, who had been listening had gotten more than a little angry at Ichigo's questions. He was practically interrogating her. Why did she have to tell him what she was going to do or where she was? Listening to one question after another, she could feel something in her bend and bend, until that something snapped.

"Kurosaki-kun! I'm not a baby! I can take care of myself! You're not my father and If I don't want to tell you or anyone where I'm going or what I'm doing I have that right and everyone just has to deal with it! I've lived alone for years, I'm not some damsel in distress that constantly has to be rescued! I'm a big girl and I can make my own decisions without the need for anyone's review or approval! I'm so sick and tired of people who are supposed to be my friends, coddle me like I'm a _fucking_ invalid! Yes! I cursed! I have the right to make that decision! If you don't like it you can_ kiss my ass_ while I walk away! I refuse to be treated like glass any longer! I've changed since Hueco Mundo, and there's nothing you can do about it! I'm stronger, and I won't tolerate anyone trying to keep me out of danger. Either you get with the program or GET GONE!"

There was no sound except for Orihime's panting. She was angry but she was smiling-no, she was _grinning _like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She then laughed a bit, brushing her hair out of her face with her hand. "That….That felt _so good!_ It feels good to finally be able to express my feelings!"

Tatsuki nodded, and looked at the stunned faces of the men, whose jaws were practically on the ground. "That includes us too. If we want to fight hollows, we're gonna do it, and without any interference from any of you. Period."

Chizuru nodded and grinned. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

Yoruichi snorted and grinned. "Well boys, it appears that you all have been told. I suggest that you spread the word that neither of these girls refuse to take your, or anyone's else's shit. I also suggest that you close your mouths before you attract flies."

Grabbing their bags, the three girls then walked passed the still stunned men and up to Orihime's apartment. Rukia and Bast followed, while Yoruichi bid them goodnight and left, heading back to Urahara's shop.

Ichigo snapped out of his shock and quickly turned to his gaze to Orihime's apartment just as she was about to enter. Tatsuki, Chizuru and Rukia had gone in ahead of her.

"Orihime!"

She turned back to look at him from below. "Yes, Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo swallowed the nervous lump in his throat. "….Are….Are we still friends?"

She looked shocked to hear him ask but her shock soon faded and a small grin appeared. "Of course we're still friends…As long as you agree to my terms. Goodnight Kurosaki-kun, Chad-kun, and Uryuu-kun." And with that, she closed the door with a slam and Ichigo winced at hearing her even set the deadbolt lock. She was definitely pissed to high heaven.

Uryuu awkwardly cleared his throat and went to grab his book bag. Chad grabbed his as well, in no less shock than they were. He gently patted Ichigo's shoulder and began walking home, headphones in his ears. Uryuu was going the opposite way, but stopped next to Ichigo who was still staring up at Orihime's apartment.

"We have to accept it Ichigo, we screwed up and now we have to get back in her good graces. Don't do anything stupid to screw it up." With that said, Uryuu began walking home.

Ichigo, after a few minutes, picked up his own bag and began the trek home. After getting home and dodging his father and sisters' inquiries about where he had been, he went upstairs to his room and dropped his bag next to his desk chair. He knew that Rukia wouldn't be coming home that night. After taking a shower and getting ready to sleep, he laid on his bed with his hands behind his head. He stared at the ceiling as though it would give him any answers to explain what happened at Orihime's apartment.

She had _unloaded_ on them, more directly, at _him_. And she was right, but there was something else that was bugging him.

**"I know what's bugging you. Queen's tongue lashing turned you on. Face it King, you like a challenge, and she just challenged you big time."**

Ichigo's face burned with embarrassment but he couldn't deny that Orihime's sudden back bone excited him. She had never told him off like that before, or anyone for that matter. Her frown had been, dare he think it, _attractive_. She had positively chewed him out good and proper, and some sick part of him, probably his hollow, enjoyed it _immensely_. Something about her standing up for herself had his mouth watering. Her wrath, though her words were true and he took them seriously, was extremely sexy. He had no idea she could even get that angry.

**"I love it. If it means that she will stand up to your stupidity I'll take it. Maybe she's as feisty in bed as she is when she's putting you in your place. I'd love to see what ELSE that tongue can do."**

'Shut up, you will never have her you sick freak.'

**"Maybe not, but that means you can't either, and you can't stand the idea of that."**

Ichigo clenched his fists behind his head. 'Yes I can. She's my friend. She doesn't like me that way anyhow. Suck it up and keep her out of your thoughts.'

**"I WOULD IF YOU COULD! But you can't! Face it you love her! And that means I do too! You're constantly giving me shit about my thoughts about her, but need I remind you that I am YOUR instinct! What you feel I feel! What you want I want! And you want her, and so do I! You keep blaming me, making me your excuse for not getting closer to her. Its all bullshit! "**

**"The Dome? HA! The ONLY reason we got up was because she was calling for you! She called and we came like a fucking dog, protecting her from that fucking bat. You can't face the fact that she wasn't in any danger of us! Even down to your baser instinct, ME, you know that we would have never laid a hand on her. We were out of our minds but we knew that she was OURS."**

**"You can't accept that you're a monster deep down, and that's why you don't want to get close to her. You knew she was safe, you just don't want her to think that you're some kind of BEAST. BUT YOU ARE! And you need to accept that part of yourself, ME, and get over it! She don't give a fuck what you are! If she did she wouldn't have ever talked to you again! But she does and you're suffering and making me suffer along with you because you're stressing over shit that doesn't exist!"**

Ichigo clenched his eyes shut and turned onto his side away from his window. He didn't want to agree with his hollow. He didn't want to accept that he was a monster…

**"King, if it takes a monster to keep her safe then that's the way it has to be. You will not deny us of her. Its torturing us both and I won't have it. I refuse to let you be some kind of weak pussy who can't own up to his own feelings. If you're a pussy, then I'm gonna be viewed the same way and that's not gonna fly. On the other hand if you get weak, I'll just take you over. And when I do I'm going right for the Queen, and I'll show her just how much of a man you WEREN'T. She'll be screaming my name instead of yours. I'll keep her feistiness all to myself and I'll make you WATCH. You'll watch as I have what you want. I'll do all of the things that you're too WEAK to do. Unless you want that, get your head out of your ass and go get the Queen!"**

Ichigo's hollow badge suddenly screeched to life and he eagerly swiped it and pressed it to his chest, forcing his soul out of his body. He then took off out of the window, hoping that there was more than one hollow so that he could take his frustration out on them. He really needed to release his pent up tension and anger. Hacking up a few hollows would be the perfect solution.

At least, he hoped so.

…

* * *

><p>Isshin Kurosaki watched his son fly out of the window to the hollow disturbance. He sat outside on the front steps, his face marred by a slight frown. He sighed and raked his hand through his hair, a trait shared by his son. Things were getting out of hand. He could feel his son's reiatsu churning. Its more than likely that his hollow was cause of his son's irritation. He could tell that for some time, his hollow had been more active. His son's fluctuating power and mood swings were evidence of that. He knew the cause, and was a little disappointed that his son hadn't inherited his way with the ladies. He grinned at that. No, his son definitely wasn't a ladies man but he was an honorable one and that's what mattered most.<p>

He didn't have to look to his left to know that he had a visitor, no two.

"Sneaking around in the middle of the night? I expect that of Kisuke but I didn't know you slunk around, Ryuuken."

Ryuuken came into view first, a lit cigarette between his lips. He was sans his lab coat, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. "Che, you know better than to compare me to this trash."

Urahara appeared after him. His face had a huge bandage on it, his expression a little put out from Ryuuken's statement. "Oh that's not nice, I'm not trash. I'm actually quite popular with your children. I know what the hip youngster's are into these days."

Ryuuken snorted. "Does that include physical abuse of your person? Or my son's?"

Urahara gently rubbed his still sore cheek and grinned. "Apparently so. Rukia-chan has quite a punch. She even knocked out a tooth. I assume you saw Ichigo's injuries as well."

Isshin grinned and chuckled. "Of course I did, it was a pain in the ass to treat them too. He fought me tooth and nail but I was able to do it. Even Sado-kun had injuries. Ichigo had insisted that he come with him to get it treated."

Ryuuken took a drag of his cigarette, blowing the smoke into the cool night air and watching it dissipate before turning his attention back to, though he would never admit it aloud, his two best friends. "Pray tell, what was all of the fuss about?"

Urahara sighed and removed his bucket hat, idly twirling it in his hand. "I said something to Orihime-chan years ago that I shouldn't have, and its what got her captured in the first place during the Winter War. I brought it back up, and Rukia slugged me. I don't blame her, I deserved it. Gave us all a lecture about how Orihime-chan was a person and that she shouldn't be left behind. Well, that was after she slugged me, upper-cutted Ishida-kun, gave a devastating body shot to Renji-san and then slugged Ichigo-kun. It was definitely eye opening for everyone there. Ichigo-kun looked as though he might slug me himself before he left. And I'd have taken it. No one deserves to feel like they are weak and useless. You can personally thank Orihime-chan for your both of your son's being here today. Ichigo-kun had actually died _twice_ from what I was told."

Ryuuken snorted and dropped his cigarette, crushing it beneath his shoe and putting it out. "It always comes down to her, doesn't it."

Urahara put his hat back on and grinned. "Orihime-chan is a very special girl. Can do things that should be impossible. Although, I suspect that she and her friends have become even more special."

Isshin raised his eyebrow and Ryuuken adjusted his glasses. "What the hell is going on? My son's hollow has been whispering in his ear and its been driving him and me bat shit crazy. His reiatsu is all over the place. Does this "special thing" with her have anything to do with that?"

Urahara let out a breath and examined the sandals on his feet. "Not really, but their recent trip to the hospital has only agitated it I presume. They were attacked by a pack of hollows Wednesday night. We confirmed that Orihime-chan took down two of them, but something else took out the other three. Whatever did healed them because their clothes were torn to shreds according to Ryuuken."

Ryuuken nodded and ran a hand through his white hair. "It was strange when they came in. But there was something else too. Something I didn't tell Uryuu because I doubt that he'd be able to understand."

Isshin snorted and shook his head in amusement. "You're a terrible father."

Ryuuken adjusted his glasses again, not at all disguising the middle finger he used to fix them. "At least my son isn't being tormented by a hollow that, oh by the way, came to be because someone failed to keep Masaki safe from some stupid experiment that Aizen let loose."

Isshin rolled his eyes, having heard this all before. "Ouch, that hurts _so _much. Say, when are you gonna tell your son that he and Ichigo are cousins, and he's related to a shinigami. I'm sure that he'd _love_ that."

"Gentlemen, I believe we were discussing a theory. You bicker just like your sons. It doesn't surprise me that they're actually family." Urahara said, grinning to himself.

Ryuuken snorted in disgust before continuing his theory. "I'll tell him of his….regrettable extended family on my own time. Now as I was saying, what I didn't tell Uryuu was there was an enormous amount of magic implanted into all three girls' bodies, along with something else. I suspect that this something else is what saved them."

Isshin's eyes widened. "Magic? Are you serious? Where would they get a supply that large?"

"A demon."

Both men's heads turned toward Urahara, whose expression was no longer playful. "Last night, that energy we all felt was massive. I may be rusty when it comes to certain things, but I know Witchcraft when I sense it. Though I hadn't felt anything like that in a long time. I didn't recognize it at first until it dawned on me later today. There hasn't been any signs of Witches in centuries, not since long before we were told about the Witch Hunt in the Academy. They actually had a sample of magic from a powerful witch from long ago. It was used to expose us to magic, so that we could recognize it and hunt down any Witches we found. They don't do that anymore, nor have I never found one, but that magic is so familiar. And I'm willing to bet that the magic that had been put inside of the girls, is from the same source that I'd been exposed to."

Ryuuken glared at him. "How could that be possible?"

Urahara sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. "It should't be possible. Magic that old can't exist especially if the owner's soul has passed on. But from what we were told, the Witch that the sample came from was long dead. Soul Society thinks that they found a way to preserve magic."

Isshin rolled his eyes. "Of course they think that. Soul Society would think they invented toilet paper if they were allowed to believe it."

"My thoughts exactly. That could only mean three things: One, the Witch actually never died. Two, she reincarnated immediately upon her death. Or three her soul has never passed on."

Ryuuken nodded. "A pack of hollows pursuing something more powerful than themselves, the girls being saved and imbued with powerful magic, and a demon. With the circumstances, there was really only one possibility."

Urahara grinned, his eyes alight with amusement and interest. "It seems that a demon had been carrying around a Witches soul, and for some reason passed that onto our dear friends. What we felt last night, was probably our demon making a contract with Orihime-chan and her friends."

Isshin raked his hand through his hair. "A coven of Witches? Soul Society would shit kittens if they knew about that. Especially with magic that powerful."

"I'm sure that Yoruichi knows everything, but I know she won't say anything. The fact that she hasn't, has assured me that everything is under control." Urahara said, twirling his cane.

"It may not be."

Urahara and Isshin turned to Ryuuken, who was lighting another cigarette. After taking a long drag and blowing it out, he turned to them. "Their hospital gowns went missing yesterday. I don't know who swiped them, but whoever it is must suspect something about them. It may not be anything serious, but I'm not about to take that chance."

They both nodded and pondered what to do. It seems that peace, while it had been short, had now come to an end. It was now determined by three girls, who may or may not know the consequences of their actions.

Isshin sighed and grinned to himself.

"Just when did the next generation become so troublesome?"

Urahara chuckled and pulled his hat lower over his eyes.

"The moment your son was born."

Isshin snorted and grinned.

He couldn't help but agree.

…

* * *

><p>Uh oh! It seems like they've nearly figured everything out! Here's a longer chapter for the wait! I hope you guys are enjoying everything so far, I know I am! I'm a college student so it can get hard for me to post sometimes, but I will try to do so as much as I can! Also! Those who are reading my <strong>Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro<strong> fanfiction, _Peeping, I will try to update as much as I can with that one. I don't intend to leave it for years again. Sometimes I just need to find inspiration lol. _

Please review! I am anxious to write more but I'd love to hear your opinions more! If you have questions please leave them in the review and let me be able to respond back. I hate to answer questions on the actual chapter.

_*Okonomiyaki = __a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients._

_Please look here for any and all translations so that you guys won't get confused! I want you all to be able to comprehend every part of the story so that you can get the best experience! Thank you so much!_


	10. Chapter 10

Hocus Pocus

I'm sorry for the long wait for the update! I wanted to update for Halloween but I got really sick and its kinda been a long and maybe still in progress recovery. Hopefully a nice long chapter will appease you all!

I'd just like to say thank you to all of my reviewers! Your feedback is a great help and a great pleasure to read! If you have questions don't be afraid to ask in the review! But you must allow me to answer you back because I hate to answer questions in the chapter. Thank you guys for the support!

Summary:

While walking home after an outing, Orihime, Tatsuki and Chizuru are caught off guard by a group of hollows, but they are saved by a powerful, but critically wounded vasto lorde with more than a few secrets and a gift to give.

…

* * *

><p>"Here's your tea Chi-chan! Honestly, you should stop stressing yourself out, you're gonna keel over one day if you don't learn to relax."<p>

The Doctor looked at the woman from her seat at the _*kotatsu, _her face pulled into an amused frown. "I've told you a thousand times _*Hanako_, its _*Chikako_, not Chi-chan."

Hanako giggled, her dyed forest green colored hair bobbing along with her in its messy bun, held together by a pair of yellow chopsticks. The Doctor, now known as Chikako, accepted the large mug of herbal tea from her childhood friend and took in a deep breath, the scent of the tea instantly working to calm her already irritated and frazzled nerves. The one thing she loved about the tea was that it was Hanako's special blend and not some mass produced supermarket tea. Although, she was a little suspicious that the calming properties of the tea may have been because of Hanako's _secret ingredient, _which she highly suspected to be some form of _cannabis_.

Hanako sat at the _*kotatsu_ across from her, her tanned hands grasped around her own large mug of the same tea. After the strange phenomenon at her apartment, she was reluctant to stay at a hotel because she still wanted to continue her research. So instead, she had turned to her friend for help while repairs were being done to the building which was estimated to take about two weeks. Hanako was thrilled to have her stay at her house, which also had a small clinic and store that was used to sell her teas and other herbal remedies. Like Chikako, Hanako was also a doctor, but she specialized in herbal medicine. Chikako didn't really believe in it but she had to recognize Hanako's skills. All of her patients were more than satisfied and so were her customers. She had learned from the best, her grandmother who was a kindly old woman and taught Hanako everything she knew. The garden that her grandmother had used to grow her herbs was still in the backyard of Hanako's house which she inherited. Hanako hated coming to the city, saying that it was devoid of life and the air made her sick, so she was reluctant to go there unless work dictated that she did.

Luckily for Hanako, she only had to go to the city for work a few times a month at the Karakura Hospital for bi-monthly reports on any patients that were referred to her from the hospital. She also delivered medicine and treated any of her patients that couldn't physically come to her clinic for treatment. She was a free spirit, and often came into the hospital dressed down instead of in scrubs or professional attire. It irked the director of the hospital, Ryuuken Ishida to no end and they even got into arguments, but it was never anything serious as she often caught the ice cold director's lips upturned into a barely there smirk before he turned on his heel and ordered everyone who had stopped to watch the argument to get back to work.

Taking a sip of her tea, she couldn't help but look over her mug at her closest friend who was also sipping her own tea. Despite her friend's eccentric nature and unconventional methods, she couldn't help but admit that she was a bit jealous of her. Now, she couldn't say that she was ugly. With long black wavy hair, bright brown eyes, and fair skin she'd have to say that she was at least a little above average in beauty, but even she had a few things she liked to cover up with makeup and a little eyeliner to make her eyes pop. She could even say that she filled out her her C-cups and work attire quite nicely and had turned her share of heads. Hanako though, was different.

She was a natural beauty, and except for her hair that she loved to color, she didn't use anything to change herself. Bright green eyes and tanned skin from working out in her garden. Plump pinkish red lips without an ounce of lipstick or gloss and a megawatt smile full of pearl white teeth. Full lashes that had no need of liner and dimples. She had _dimples_. While she was also a C-cup, her hips were wide and swayed with every step she took. While Chikako was proud of her own hour glass figure, she couldn't help but envy just a bit of Hanako's pear shape that flaunted shapely feminine thick thighs and an even shapelier derriere. She glanced down at her own bottom and winced, and made a mental note to do more squats when she got back to her apartment.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a pair of of fingers snapping in front of her face.

"Hello? Chi-chan! Earth to Chikako, are you listening to me?"

She flushed a bit in embarrassment and shame for being caught unawares and at her own feelings toward her best friend. She knew it wasn't right to feel this way, especially since Hanako and her grandmother had been there for her when her mother passed away, and she for Hanako when her grandmother had been killed by a burglar. Or what they'd thought was a burglar. No one had ever been arrested for the crime and it was still an open case. All Hanako could remember is that when she came in, she'd seen someone dressed in black standing over her grandmother's body before they, "disappeared." It still haunted Hanako to this day.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" She said, paying attention now.

Hanako grinned. "Well, before you got caught in la-la land," Chiako huffed and blushed even more in embarrassment, "I was asking you what you were working on before your apartment building lost power because of that freaky accident."

Chiako, straightened up immediately and was suddenly all business. This is what they had been wanting to discuss before Hanako went to make tea.

"Right well, freaky is definitely the word I would use. The surge, it was crazy…If I hadn't been wearing those rubber gloves I'm sure that I would have been fried good and proper. I swear Hanako, that hospital gown has some strange properties. It had soot that carried an electrical charge. I bet if we examine it now, it probably still will. I haven't gotten a chance to examine the other gowns yet because of the accident, but at least I can now."

Hanako nodded. "And you said that you actually saw the surge? Like electricity?"

Chikako nodded and looked into her mug, examining the slowly cooling tea. "…..It was scary Hanako…It was like lightening, that's how bright it was…It shut down the entire building and completely destroyed the fuse box and lighting fixtures, not to mention electrical appliances. Thank goodness no one was hurt. The landlord told me that even though it originated from my apartment, that because I wasn't doing anything dangerous that I'm not responsible for what happened. And because the recorder had a plastic casing and should have never caused a surge, that just proves even more that something weird happened."

Hanako nodded, mystified just the same as Chikako was. Something that small couldn't possible cause a power surge. It was strange, and it made her want to help investigate. "Now, you said that a girl was wearing this?"

Chikako nodded and frowned at the memory of Tatsuki Arisawa.

"Oh, I know that look. She must've pissed you off somehow." Hanako grinned, her eyes alight with mischief.

Chikako huffed and sneered. "Pissed off isn't even the word. She was a little shit. No respect for her elders. I passed out in there and she hadn't even called for help. I was already irritated because her friend had practically abused my male nurses, although that was kinda our fault. She was having some kind of fit and we neglected to refer to her chart. She's a blackbelt-"

She was interrupted by Hanako's snort and watched as she burst into laughter, her head tilted back and eyes scrunched, her hand grasping her belly. Chikako huffed and crossed her arms childishly as Hanako slowly came to her senses, still snickering slightly. "Oh man I bet she packed punch!"

Chikako sighed and her lips upturned a bit in a small grin. "Yeah, even I have to admit that it was funny. She broke one's nose, gave the other a slight concussion, definitely gave them bruises, and….well, kicked one in the balls." She snorted as she ended her sentence and began snickering to herself as Hanako went into another fit of raucous laughter.

…

* * *

><p>After calming down and having a few snacks and sharing work stories, they got to work on the gowns. Setting up everything in Hanako's empty storeroom office; she liked to work better in her clinic; they got to work on the figuring out just what was so special about the gowns. Heeding Chikako's warning about the surge, they made sure to keep Tatsuki Arisawa's gown in the glass container she brought it in. Hanako viewed the sample that Chiako had previously cut and then carefully cut her own sample and viewed it. Like she'd claimed, the soot was still electrically charged and, when another sample without the soot was examined, it too was electrically charged.<p>

"Whoa, that's freaky." She said, gently tossing her bangs from her face with a shake of her head.

"See! I told you so. And that's just this one. I haven't really examined the others yet. But what's really strange, is that before I passed out, the room heated up. I was actually _sweating_."

Hanako frowned, not in anger but in puzzlement. "That shouldn't be possible, there's no way that it should have gotten hot enough for you to start sweating. The rooms are temperature controlled, and even if it went on the fritz it shouldn't have gotten that hot so quickly…"

Chikako nodded and crossed her arms. "Exactly. But onto her friend, Orihime Inoue-"

"You mean _Testicle Destroyer_? _Nut Ninja_?_ Ball Brawler_? _Sack Slayer_? _Scrotum Splitter-"_

"Hanako!"

She snickered and waved off her friend's irritated expression and quickly gained control of herself. "Right, so what about her? Did something weird happen with her too beside her kicking two male nurses's asses good and proper?"

Chikako sighed and shook her head in amusement and exasperation at Hanako's teasing. "Yeah. While they were struggling with her, there was a wind blowing in the room."

"…..So, there was a breeze from an open window or the air conditioner and that's what strange?"

With an exasperated sigh, Chikako rubbed her temples in irritation. "No, Hanako, I mean _wind_, as in there was no window open nor was the air conditioner on. The kind of wind I felt wasn't from an air conditioner. It felt as if I had been outside, like a wind current, and it didn't start until she had been fighting against the male nurses. There was also the smell…"

Hanako frowned. "What smell? Like body odor?"

She shook her head and brought over Orihime's gown. "Smell it."

"Uh, I may be a country bumpkin but I'm not too keen on smelling someone's worn clothes." She said, scrunching her nose in disgust.

Chikako rolled her eyes. "It doesn't smell, I promise."

With that said, Hanako warily took a whiff of the gown and her eyebrows went up in surprise. "It smells like rain."

Chikako nodded. "Exactly. This is exactly what I smelled when the wind was blowing. Kind of like-"

"Like a storm was coming." Hanako finished for her. Chikako nodded and put the gown back, then she brought the sample over that she had cut the night of the surge at her apartment. "This makes me curious as to what we'll find when we look at it."

Following that statement, Chikako carefully removed Tatsuki's sample and put in Orihime's under the microscope and took a look.

Water.

There were water molecules in the fabric. It wouldn't have been uncommon to find water molecules in fabric especially if someone had been sweating or drenched. But Orihime hadn't been submerged in water, and that gown hadn't been worn since early Thursday afternoon when they had been discharged. It was now late Friday night. Any moisture from sweat would have evaporated at the latest, yesterday evening. Another thing was, that with as much water that was in the fabric, it should have been at least damp to the touch, but it was dry.

"….Hanako, take a look." She said, moving aside to let her view the sample. Hanako quickly moved over and looked into the microscope at the sample, and after a minute, raised her head and looked at her friend with amazement and shock, and Chikako could tell that she had come to the same conclusion that she had.

"That's amazing, this should be for all intents and purposes, wet but its bone dry!" In her excitement, she quickly removed Orihime's sample and went for Chizuru's eagerly, placing it under the microscope and viewing it. Her jaw dropped, and she briefly took her eyes away from the microscope to grab a book and flipped through its pages quickly before finding what she needed, then looked at the sample again and then the page, referencing whatever she was looking for before she stood back and nodded to herself.

"Chikako…Its has chlorophyll that's riddled with ice crystals…."

Her eyes widened and she quickly moved Hanako over, ignoring her friend's 'hey!' in irritation before looking into the microscope and referencing the book in her hands. There in the fabric was green chlorophyll that was indeed riddled with ice crystals. Standing back from the microscope, she quickly went to Chizuru's gown and removed one of her gloves and gently felt the fabric before pulling back her hand quickly.

"…..Hanako, its ice cold."

Hanako grinned in excitement, before slowly frowning. "But wait, wasn't she found collapsed in the snow in the park?"

"Yes, but she didn't have the gown on then, so why would it be covered in ice crystals and chlorophyll? I could understand there would be doubts if she were found _naked_ in the snow, but she was _fully clothed._ I could also understand that maybe during the transition from the hospital to my apartment and then here, that because of the winter air it could have caused ice crystals to form, but that still doesn't explain the chlorophyll all over the gown." She gently took a whiff of the gown and nodded. "It even smells like frost and plants…It doesn't make sense…"

Hanako nodded. It was indeed strange. When thinking of plants, she couldn't help but think of her grandmother. She always smelled of plants and the earth, and it always comforted her as a child. Of course, it was because she always worked in her garden and making herbal remedies, but, there was something always odd about her grandmother. She still had her old scarf, and no matter how much time had passed, it still had her grandmother's earthy scent. It never lessened, and was still potent even 15 years after her death. Whenever she was having a hard time, she would always smell the scarf to calm herself. It was almost like her grandmother was back there with her, whispering words of comfort to her and hugging her. Come to think of it, her books even had the smell, none more so than her large old leather bound "recipe" book. Its where her grandmother had stored all of her herbal remedy formulas, although her grandmother had called them "potions". She adored that as a child because it added a magical element to her imagination when her grandmother was teaching her how to make them.

She turned to Chikako and grinned. "This is getting more interesting by the moment. Lets not waste what time we have together and get as much information as we can."

Chikako nodded and they dug back into their work, documenting everything they could find. This was turning out to be something far greater than what they initially expected.

Suddenly Hanako straightened up and frowned. Chikako eyed her and frowned as well. "What's wrong Hanako?"

"…..You do realize that when Ryuuken finds out that you stole these gowns its not gonna end well….Right?"

"…..Shit."

They had no idea just how right they were.

…

* * *

><p>Ichigo sighed, coming back home through his window after slaying the hollows that his badge detected earlier. They weren't enough to calm himself down. He still felt unstable, his reiatsu roiling and unknown to him, scaring away even the animals in the area. He re-entered his body, feeling mentally drained. He sat up in bed and raked his hands through his hair before letting out an irritated breath.<p>

"Didn't I tell you to get yourself under control?"

Ichigo's head shot up toward his door, finding his father leaning against the doorway with a small frown on his face. Ichigo hadn't even seen or sensed him there. He must've been tired. He snorted and turned away. "Its a lot harder than you think it is."

"That's no excuse son. You're allowing it to stress you out. You're only making it worse for yourself."

Ichigo frowned. "How would you know? You don't have a monster inside your head threatening to take over your body and hurt your friends. Its a lot easier for you to tell me to get myself under control when you don't have to live with the bastard."

"I understand that it wants Orihime-chan."

Ichigo's head snapped back to his father and saw his irritated yet concerned expression. "How do you know that-"

"Please, Ichigo. Give me more credit than that. I know that, despite what you think, you nor your hollow would ever hurt Orihime-chan. Or do you need to be reminded that you transformed purely to save her?"

Ichigo sighed and nodded his head slightly. "It said that too….But its a hollow, how do I know that this isn't some part of his twisted plan? He already threatened to take me over to have her. I want to stay away but I can't because I know that would hurt her."

Isshin sighed and gave him a sad smile. He understood all too well how that went. After all, he gave up his powers and his life as a Shinigami Captain to save Masaki from the hollow that tried to devour her from the inside out and hollowfy her.

"I know, Ichigo. Trust me, I know. But if there's one thing that I've learned, its that if he wanted to kill Orihime-chan, he'd have done so on the dome. The fact that he admits that he would never hurt her is another thing. He would never hurt her because you would never do so. Once you come to accept that, you'll feel a whole lot better."

Isshin walked over and slapped Ichigo upside the head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for old man?!" He got another hit in response.

"Keep your voice down, your sisters are asleep. Now, what I wanted to say, was that you should stop being a coward and just admit that you have feelings for Orihime-chan. You're a Kurosaki! Kurosaki men don't shy away from their feelings!"

Ichigo blushed and turned away again and mumbled something under his breath, and received another slap upside his head. "Stop mumbling!"

"Ow! Dammit! I said, even if I did she wouldn't go for it. She pissed off at me."

This time Ichigo saw his hand coming and blocked it, then dodged the other one. "What did you do you delinquent?"

"Apparently, protect her. She yelled at us and said that she was a big girl and could make her own decisions. She even cussed us out….." He sighed and raked his hands through his hair. "We hadn't seen them since Wednesday, and they didn't even call us to make sure that they were okay…We kept missing them and I asked why she didn't call us and then she gave us the third degree. I couldn't help it, they had gotten attacked and nearly died….We were worried…I felt like I was going crazy since I hadn't seen for myself that she was okay….They had been in deep trouble and its a miracle that they even survived."

Isshin nodded. 'Yeah, and there's even more trouble yet to come….'

"What do you mean by that?"

Isshin blinked and looked at Ichigo, who seemed to have a concerned yet anxious look on his face. "Huh?"

"You just said that there was more trouble yet to come. What did you mean by that?"

Isshin cursed to himself. He didn't realize that he had spoken his thoughts aloud. Now Ichigo wasn't gonna let this go, especially if it concerned Orihime…He sighed and raked his hand through his hair.

"Look, all I know is that there might be some trouble with Soul Society in the future because of what happened to them."

"Bullshit."

Isshin frowned. "Ichigo-"

"No dad, you know something else. I know you do, and so does Urahara. I know you two scheme with each other, but this isn't the time for that. If there's gonna be trouble and involves any of us I want to be prepared."

Isshin sighed. "That's not for me to tell. However, if you want, I can start training you to help keep yourself under control so that you can at least unsettle everything around you. My God Ichigo, _I saw rodents fleeing the area when you came home._ This needs to be handled…."

Ichigo frowned and sighed. "Fine old man, but stop hiding stuff. That never works out well. Someone always gets hurt in the end." With that Ichigo got under his comforter and turned his back to his father, falling asleep moments after his head hit the pillow.

Isshin watched him for a minute before turning on his heel and heading for the door. He stopped at the doorway and gave a sad smile. "…..Trust me son, I know that pain all too well." Then he closed the door behind him as he left the room.

…

* * *

><p>Uryuu sighed in relief as he stepped out of the shower, the steam continuing to warm his skin. He grabbed a towel and thoroughly dried himself off, then grabbed another for his hair and dried it thoroughly with a blow dryer after getting as much moisture as he could from it with the towel.. He didn't want any remaining water in his hair to cool and end up with a cold. Tying his towel around his hips he opened his bathroom door and entered his room, letting the trapped steam finally exit and dissipate into his much cooler room. Going to his dresser, he pulled out a pair of boxers, a plain white tank top, and a pair of old grey sweatpants. Still clad in his towel, he pulled on his boxers first, then once they were on he removed the towel from his waist and tossed it into his clothes hamper. Then, he quickly pulled on his tank top and sweatpants. At this time, he didn't feel like putting on an entire sleepwear set. Grabbing one of his works in progress, he sat at his work desk and began sewing.<p>

He sighed again, this time in frustration. What a day this had turned out to be. Dealing with Ichigo and his inability to deal with his feelings, missing Orihime yet again, waiting for five hours outside of her apartment building, then getting told off by her, Tatsuki and Chizuru. He was thinking about it so much that he'd forgotten to tell his father off for intimidating Orihime.

At the thought of Tatsuki, he frowned. Fighting hollows she said? Them? The idea was preposterous. She and Chizuru didn't have powers, and the last time they encountered hollows they were nearly killed. He knew Orihime wasn't weak, but it was still hard not to be worried about her safety. Tatsuki and Chizuru on the other hand, despite having elevated spiritual awareness were pretty much normal.

'Well…Chizuru is a crazed woman with a rabid obsession with Orihime, and Tatsuki….'

Tatsuki was different. Physically, emotionally, and mentally she was strong. She wasn't superhuman by any means, but she had great instincts and had a spiritual link to Orihime so strong she could tell when Orihime left for Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. If she had Shinigami powers, or even powers of her own, he didn't doubt that she would be a force to be reckoned with…

He grinned to himself. 'Like she already isn't a force to be reckoned with.' Her presence commands attention and respect, and he had to say that he admired that about the tomboy. For some reason, her telling them that they would be fighting hollows despite what they thought, excited him. While he was nowhere near as reckless as Ichigo was, even he got excited when a good challenge presented itself to him. And Tatsuki Arisawa was definitely challenging him. Despite the present situation that had been going on, he couldn't help but take notice of how her eyes had been narrowed, and the ever present fire in them became a roaring blaze. Her gaze had pinned him in place and something inside well, _tingled_ when her gaze lingered on him. That look had left him breathless, and he was forced to admit that he wouldn't mind her fiery gaze being on him again.

He hissed and pulled his finger back quickly, looking at the small drop of blood that had come forth. He sucked his teeth in irritation and reached into his drawer and pulled out a small bandage and placed the bandage on the stinging wound.

'This is what I get for not paying attention….' He thought, then placed his project down and leaned forward on his elbows and weaving his fingers together. He couldn't concentrate on work, not while something like this was on his mind. He was no stranger to these kind of thoughts, he was practically a grown man after all. But to be having them about Tatsuki Arisawa was….well, he couldn't say unusual. After all, she wasn't unattractive in any sense of the word. Sure she was a tomboy and wasn't girly, but that only added to her charm. She was self reliant, and didn't need a man to be whole. Confident in all aspects in her life from what he could see, and didn't need or want to be rescued. Her tongue was as fast as her right hook and as sharp as a sword. She may not have been aware but she did have suitors, but they'd seen how she treated Orihime's suitors and were more often than not afraid to approach her.

She was fit and shapely, and obviously took great care of herself. She didn't go all out and overboard like some girls tended to do, she didn't need to. Although it doesn't seem like she made an effort to have a relationship, not that she needed one, she still had feminine wiles that were all her own. They didn't have many classes together, but he wasn't ignorant to how the boys in their class would watch her walk out of the door, and even he sometimes was among them. She may have been a tomboy but the way she walked was all woman. Its more than possible that she doesn't even believe she has suitors, or that eyes wander her way whenever she walks into a room. She had an hourglass shape, and with what he'd seen in gym class, her bottom was shapely as well, no doubt well toned from her years of Karate. Honestly, that kind of uniform was just asking a man to look. With his eye for detail, he could tell that she had a generous bust, especially since she was so fit. Most girls as physically fit as she was tended to lack when it came to chest area, especially since what determined the bust size was fat. Don't get him wrong, he wasn't a pervert, its just that he's worked enough with clothing to know how things fit and how the body worked when it comes to different builds and sizes. She was healthy, and didn't starve herself. She attained it through hard work that she was proud and happy to do. Yes, Tatsuki Arisawa was certainly an interesting woman, and it seems like things were only going to become even more interesting in the future.

He sighed and decided that he might as well put away his project for the night. There was no way he was gonna be able to concentrate on anything, and he didn't need to be working with anything sharp if he couldn't pay attention. He was lucky he hadn't been working with his sewing machine, that would've ended badly for sure.

After putting away the project he turned off his desk lamp and stretched, then crawled into bed, and to his misfortune, his mind was racing and he was having a hard time going to sleep.

This was gonna be a long night.

…

* * *

><p>After locking the deadbolt on her door, Orihime turned around and leaned against it while letting out a deep sigh. She had done it. She'd told everyone her true feelings and she'd gotten the point across. She had officially started changing for the better.<p>

Before she could dwell on it any longer, she was enveloped into a big hug and judging from the deep red hair, it was Chizuru.

"Hime-chan I'm so proud of you! You really stuck it to em'! Did you see the look on Kurosaki's face? Priceless!"

Tatsuki, who had been standing by, had to agree. Orihime had chewed them out good and proper. "I'm proud of you Orihime. You stood up for yourself and told them to kiss your ass in the process. The student has surpassed the master."

Orihime snickered and laughed, at the joke and in happiness. It felt good to say what she'd really been feeling without any fear that she would be looked down upon.

Rukia was smiling, she felt good. Good that Orihime had forgiven and understood her, and that she no longer had that weight on her shoulders. Maybe now, her confidence and spirit could heal. "Don't forget, you guys told them off too. I'd never seen Uryuu that shocked, ever. And Chad? I think this is the first time I've seen his eyes in months because of all that shaggy hair."

They all laughed at that one, agreeing that Chad's hair had grown quite a bit. Tatsuki grinned. "It was nice to see that smug bastard Uryuu be put in his place. His nose is always so high in the air that it was nice to see it pushed into his own mess. He's just like the rest of them."

Chizuru quickly looked at Tatsuki and grinned, then sided next to her and gently nudged her elbow into her ribs. "Oh my, do I sense some….._tension_, between you two?"

Tatsuki's face turned red, and her jaw dropped. "N-No! Of course not! I just can't stand people who think they are better than everyone else. It was just pleasing to see him get knocked down a few pegs."

Orihime pouted a bit at that. "Aww Tatsuki-chan, Uryuu-kun isn't really like that. He's actually really nice. If it seems like that, its something he picked up from his father….He kinda scares me. He's really intimidating…They often don't get along. Last year I even saw them walking on opposite sides of the street."

Tatsuki calmed somewhat at that thought. Orihime _had_ known Uryuu longer than she did, and she's never met his father so more than likely Orihime was right. But, until she saw it for her own eyes, she wasn't gonna be completely convinced. They had a few classes together, and once or twice she'd caught him looking at her, whether he realized it or not. She didn't know why, nor did she really care. If he wanted to ask her something then he should be man enough to ask her. Not that she wanted him to ask her anything, of course..

She was snapped out of her thoughts at the feeling of Bast hopping onto her shoulders and laying across them. She sniffed, and made a disgusted face. "You know, now that I think about, you smell Bast. Like, _really_ smell. You need a bath."

For her words, she received a small bat to her cheek with a paw. _"Its not my fault that this body smells. It was an alley cat. At the very least, now I don't have anymore vermin on my body. After last night, I made sure to use some of my power to kill off and repel all kinds of insects, parasites and the like."_

"Regardless, you still smell."

Hearing their conversation, Orihime went passed them and into the bathroom, before coming out with a bottle of what looked to be shampoo. She quickly began reading the back of it and a smile quickly spread across her face. "I thought so!"

Tatsuki's face quickly changed from irritated to confused. "What do you mean Orihime?"

Orihime grinned and showed her the bottle, specifically pointing to one line. "This shampoo is safe to use on animals! At least for tonight, she can be bathed with this until we get her some things from the pet store."

Chizuru smiled. "Good, I hope you know that we will be pitching in for that stuff. It wouldn't be fair if you did this alone."

Orihime smiled and nodded, grateful that she had support from two of her best friends.

Rukia scrunched her nose. "I think before we even think about giving her a bath, we should take our own. We've been here a few minutes and it already smells like a locker room in here."

…

* * *

><p>After everyone's bath, including Bast's in which she put up a huge fuss and grumbled, everyone settled down into the now dimmed living room. Bast, though disgruntled about having been scrubbed down was happy that she was finally clean and smelled nice to boot. She sat in the middle of the table which had a few lit candles on it while Orihime, Tatsuki and Chizuru sat around it in a triangle. Rukia, however sat on the couch, not wanting to interfere in whatever they were about to do. Bast, however, would have none of it.<p>

_"You, Tiny. Don't just sit there. Come over here and join in. Learn a little magic."_

Rukia, fidgeted a bit, quite unlike her regal upbringing. "But I'm not a Witch…."

Bast scoffed, and it sounded a little funny coming out of a cat. _"Shinigami use magic all the time. You may not be full fledged Witches, but you can still use magic. So come, no excuses. I'm willing to teach you something as payment for helping my masters earlier."_

Rukia nodded and then came over, as Tatsuki moved over to give her some space, making the triangle now a square.

_"Now, tonight, we are going to call forth your elements so that you can have an easier time using them. Tiny, you might have a harder time calling for your element, but I think you'll be able to do it. There's just one thing…"_

Bast's eyes glowed bright blue in the dim light, making her appear sinister.

_"You must not tell ANY shinigami what we're doing. Don't mention Witches to them at all. If you do, there will be trouble. Because you are my masters' friend, I am putting my trust in you that you have their best interests at heart. I will not tolerate any deception or betrayal. If it were to come down to saving you or them, I will always save them. Do I make myself clear?"_

Rukia unflinchingly nodded. Though the threat was, no she was sure it was a promise, indeed intimidating, she knew that if it came down to it she would stand by her friends. They would, and already have proven several times that they would do the same for her.

Bast's eyes went back to normal, dimming to their usual brightness as she nodded.

_"Very well then, we shall begin. First, join hands."_

They all joined hands, waiting for the next set of instructions eagerly.

Bast flicked her tail in amusement, for once not needing to groom herself. "_Next, close your eyes and breathe deeply. Clear your minds. Let your power flow through you. Don't look for it, let it come naturally. You will start to feel it on your skin. A breeze, moisture, heat, tingling, a chill, just to name a few…"_

They obeyed and one after another, they began feeling it. Surprisingly, Rukia was the first to feel it. A chill at first, but then it began to spread through her body. Ice crystals began to form on her arms, her skin turning blue with the cold. She was cold but not uncomfortable. Next came Tatsuki, who began to heat up, and like Rukia the heat spread but it was also accompanied by a tingling feeling. Her skin lit up from the inside, like magma was flowing just beneath the surface, while her fingers and hair crackled with electricity.

Next came Orihime, who felt the wind in her hair as it floated around her. Her skin, however was a different story. She literally began to drip water as it came from her very skin. The wind however, made the droplets float in mid air. And Chizuru, as well as a similar frost coming from her skin like Rukia, there were flowers and saplings growing out of her hair.

Bast grinned. This was better than she had ever expected. Not only had they called upon their elements with no problem, but they had manifested them as well. Unfortunately, the pride wouldn't last. Orihime, who had been holding Rukia's hands, didn't have an element to cancel out Rukia's Ice element, so they began to merge. The wind began to build, and snow began to fall, creating a miniature blizzard. It quickly broke the others' concentration and they went back to normal, however Rukia and Orihime were still in their trance, unable to break apart their hands. Bast took the initiative and batted their hands apart, stopping the potential indoor storm.

With their hands and connection broken so suddenly they gasped in surprise and shock. Bast looked at them both and grinned. _"Well, good job. You've not only called forth and manifested your power, you've also nearly caused a blizzard indoors."_

Looking around, they could see the entire room was nearly covered in snow, including them.

Orihime groaned in dismay. "How are we gonna clean this up?"

Tatsuki frowned, and then her expression brightened and a grin spread across her face. "How about this? If I can heat up the room, it'll melt the snow, and you can take the excess water and put it down the sink?"

Bast grinned._ "Very good Girlie. That's an excellent idea. Do you think you two can do it?"_

Tatsuki nodded and turned to Orihime. "What about you Orihime? Do you think you can get the water before it starts seeping into floor?"

Orihime bit her lip in nervousness for a bit before nodding her head. "I think I can do that."

Tatsuki grinned. "Alright." She took a deep breath and concentrated, calling forth her element again but this time instead of trying to feel it on her skin, she projected it outward gently. Slowly, the heat in the room began to build and the snow began to melt. Orihime concentrated and, seeing the snow melting faster due to the increasing temperature, put out her hands. Immediately, the water began to lift from the floor and even the fabric, instead gathering into a floating ball above her hands. It continued to flow until all of the snow was melted and every bit of water from it was floating in a large ball over her hands. After staring in awe at it, she went to the sink and as gently as she could, let the water slowly flow down the drain until it was all gone. Tatsuki reigned in the heat and the temperature lowered back to what it was before.

Chizuru went over and felt the floor and the couch. "Completely dry." Bast grinned even more. _"Excellent work. You manipulated your elements phenomenally. You set a goal and you accomplished it well. But…." _

All heads turned to her as she paused. Bast turned her piercing gaze onto Rukia and Orihime. _"This is what I meant when I said that your elements can be conductive to others. You held Girlie's hand, and neutralized her Fire with your Water, and she held Red's hand, who neutralized her Lightning with her Earth. Red's Ice and Tiny's Ice neutralize each other because they are the same. But, there was no neutralizing element between you and Tiny. Since I'm not under contract with her, I didn't know what element she was, but, this is no reason to get discouraged. You all did remarkably well and despite my previous doubts, Tiny here was the first to call forth her element."_

Bast hopped down from the table and onto Rukia's shoulders. _"Because of your session with us, you could probably manipulate your element just like Girlie and Jugs did. Just be warned, now that you've brought it to the surface, you must be careful. Your emotional state will dictate how that power is expressed. I bet if you got mad right now, the temperature in this room would drop, just as a start."_

Rukia nodded. "…There was actually an incident with Captain Hitsugaya that Rangiku-san told me about years ago. Before he became a Shinigami, he was in Rukongai living with his grandmother. He had been having dreams of Hyorinmaru, and when Rangiku came over because of the rise in spiritual pressure, she found that he was having a fitful sleep. Not only that, but the temperature had dropped so much so that the room had actually began to frost over, and ice had been forming on his grandmother's body."

Orihime gasped. Bast only grinned and flicked her tail back in forth in amusement. _"A prime example I'd say. Like I said, shinigami aren't full fledged Witches, but they still have magic. This is what happens when you can't control it."_

Hopping from Rukia's shoulders and onto the back of the couch, Bast stretched and then settled down._ "That's enough for tonight. Tomorrow, we will go and get the Cat Lady and head to the Library."_

Tatsuki's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "The Library? Really? What for?"

_"Less talk and more getting ready for bed, well, you should probably get out your clothing for tomorrow. We'll be getting up around seven in the morning."_

Hearing a chorus of groans Bast grinned to herself, which didn't go unnoticed nor was it appreciated by the unfortunate trio of Witches and shinigami noble.

…

* * *

><p>Despite their dismay at having to get up early on a Saturday, all of them were rather excited for what was to come. After checking what the forecast was for the next day, they decided that it was indeed the best plan of action to pick their clothes out the night before.<p>

"Rukia-chan, I've washed your clothes! And I think I have an extra winter coat from when I was younger and didn't well….." Orihime looked down at her rather generous bust with a small blush on her face. "Have these…."

Rukia giggled and patted her back in sympathy. "Thank you Orihime, and don't feel down about them. Trust me, if I could have bigger breasts, I would. Sometimes I feel extremely flat chested compared to a lot of the women in Soul Society."

Orihime nodded and smiled. "Its not that, its just that because of my breasts, I have to go up a size in clothing, and bras….Larger bras can be expensive. Honestly, if I went down one cup size, I'd be able to fit my older coat, but I doubt that's gonna happen anytime soon."

"I know how you feel Hime-chan!" Chizuru said, wrapping her arms around Orihime and eagerly fondling the amber haired girl's breasts. "I'm on my way to a D-cup, maybe we can be big booby girls together!"

"C-Chizuru-chan!"

Orihime's embarrassment didn't last long because as soon as it started it was ended by Tatsuki who delivered a devastating punch to Chizuru's side, knocking her onto the couch.

"Oi! Didn't I tell you to behave while you were here?!"

Chizuru stood up like the punch hadn't done a thing, and frowned. "I was just complementing Orihime on her glorious bust!" Chizuru then stopped and put a hand over her mouth coyly and grinned. "Or….Could it be that you're jealous of my affection for Orihime, Arisawa? Your boobs aren't exactly Hime-chan's but I guess I could work with that."

Tatsuki's face burned red with embarrassment and anger. "Of course not you crazed lunatic, I'm just protecting her from being molested by you! And stop talking about my boobs, they may be small but that doesn't matter to me."

"Eh? But Tatsuki-chan, you don't have small boobs."

All eyes turned to Orihime, who was swiftly heading in Tatsuki's direction. "What are you talking about Orihime?"

Orihime stopped next to Tatsuki and bent down and began rifling through her bag of clothes before finding what she was looking for and pulled it out, a bra. She searched for the tag and when she found it she held it out for everyone to see. "See? It says C-cup."

All eyes turned to Tatsuki as she covered her chest self consciously. Chizuru was the first to speak. "Arisawa, a C-Cup isn't small."

"Sh-Shut up! So what, who cares about my boobs anyway..."

"Uh, if you haven't noticed, men do." Chizuru said, cocking her hip to the side.

Tatsuki snorted in disbelief at that. "Yeah right."

"Um…..She's right Tatsuki-chan. You may not have noticed, but you do turn heads. You have a really nice body. I've even seen Uryuu-kun look a few times when you walk into the room at school."

Tatsuki's face reddened even more and she turned her head to the side. "Who cares if he looks. I don't need a boyfriend. I'm fine on my own."

She didn't voice it, but inwardly she had been self conscious about her body. She thought that she looked manly, and while she was a tomboy, she didn't want to look masculine. Hearing that she actually turned a few heads made her skeptical, but Orihime had no reason to lie, and she was terrible at it. It was a little too much to absorb all at once that men actually found her attractive, even just a little. She knew that she paled in comparison to her gorgeous best friend, but she knew that Orihime never thought of it that way, and that thought brought a small smile to her face.

"You know, come to think of it, Ishida was looking at you weird when we were walking up to Orihime's door." Chizuru said, adjusting her glasses.

Tatsuki's head turned to her. "What do you mean by 'weird'?"

Chizuru sat down on the couch and crossed her legs. "I mean, well….Not exactly weird, but…Like he was….How should I say this….well, I mean he was surprised but it was like….he was seeing you in a whole new light, and….determined! That's the word, like he wanted nothing more than to prove you wrong or something. I can't exactly put my finger on it…"

_"Do I have to spell everything out for you all? He felt challenged and that excited him. There, that's it."_

All heads turned to Bast who had leapt from the back of the couch into Chizuru's lap and was now having her belly rubbed.

Tatsuki was the first to recover from her statement, still blushing. "What do you mean by that?"

_"Men love a challenge. If its too easy it becomes boring. This is something that's commonplace among humans and shinigami. The thrill of the chase, to pursue a potential mate who resists. Its the need to conquer, and trust me, whether he realizes it or not, he wants to conquer you. Your blatant disregard and outright dismissal to any authority he thought he had over you when it came to fighting hollows subconsciously led to him believe you were challenging him."_

Rukia snickered and all eyes turned to her. "What's so funny Rukia-chan?" Orihime said, a confused look on her face.

Rukia attempted to fight off her giggles while trying to speak at the same time. "Captain Kyoraku has been pursuing Nanao for years. I mean, he goes on dates sometimes with other women but he never fails in flirting with Nanao every chance he gets."

Bast stretched out in Chizuru's lap and yawned. _"See? This is exactly what I mean. Even while he may have small flings, his main pursuit is this Nanao person. Its because she's resistant to his charms. Nothing makes a man's blood run hotter than to finally conquer a woman who gave him a great chase. It makes it even better if she continues to resist after that. Sometimes its endearing but I don't condone stalking and rape. Sometimes it gets too far. There's a difference in playing hard to get and saying a firm "no". In this case, I believe that she's just playing hard to get, though not consciously. Otherwise I believe he would have definitely backed off a long time ago."_

Rukia nodded. "I do think that they have a special relationship. I know it irritates her somewhat when he hits on her, but there is definitely something there. I think most times she believes he is joking because of his multiple flings, but I believe that he is serious about her. He holds her in high regard and will defend her viciously. If she were to realize that his feelings were real, she might actually slowly begin to accept his advances. Although….." Rukia giggled to herself. "I doubt that even if they actually got together that she would make it easy on him. She's definitely the type to resist."

Orihime couldn't help but agree. She'd seen their interaction on multiple occasions. There was definitely something there, and she wished them the best.

_"Girlie, don't be surprised to find him looking at you more often. If he was looking at you before, he's gonna be doing that even more so now. He might not outright approach you, but he will keep his eye on you. If he does approach you about what happened tonight, its more than likely that he will express his opinion on not wanting you all to fight hollows. Resist him. Tell him off. It might irritate him, but most of the irritation is that he can't make you submit to him."_

Tatsuki's jaw dropped. "W-Wait a minute! What's with all this talk!? This is ridiculous, he doesn't feel that way about me! Besides, it was really Orihime that chewed them out. Why wouldn't he act that way towards her?"

Chizuru rolled her eyes. "That one's obvious Arisawa, because in their mind, Hime-chan is Kurosaki's girl."

Orihime face turned red. "T-That's not true!"

_"No, Red has a point."_

All eyes once again turned to Bast. _"In their group, Orange is definitely the unspoken leader, or Alpha male. Shaggy and Specs are Betas. They may fight amongst themselves sometimes but it always falls back into the same order. Its not that Specs is "settling" for you. That's completely wrong. Orange has pretty much always wanted Jugs. That I can tell just from his actions tonight. You might not have noticed it, but he actually lingered for a few minutes after Jugs locked the door."_ Bast stretched out again, her claws peeking out of her paws as they flexed. "_I take it that you and Specs don't actually speak much, right Girlie?"_

Tatsuki nodded.

_"That explains it then. In your circle of friends, subconsciously you were seen as someone to be protected. For them that was the natural order. Now that you've challenged it, you've drawn his attention. Just watch, he's gonna be watching you. I'm tired, get your damn clothes out and go to bed already."_

With that, Bast jumped from Chizuru's lap back onto her original spot on the back of the couch.

Orihime nodded, and quickly found an appropriate outfit for the weather the next day, which consisted of a thick form fitting sweater dress burgundy in color, with a pair of warm black leggings and tall boots. Tatsuki pulled out a sweater of her own, but then decided against it. She had a Fire Element. She could probably keep herself warm. Putting the sweater back, she pulls out a much simpler long sleeved grey shirt and a pair of jeans, opting to wear her sneakers since they were just going to the library. Chizuru also opted for jeans and a sleeveless red top. She couldn't get cold, so she could dress however she wanted. Surprisingly, a few of Rukia's clothes from previous times were still in Orihime's house, so she picked out a simple sweater and a jeans. After everyone's decisions were made, they settled down for bed, resuming their previous sleeping arrangements from the night before.

…

* * *

><p>Waking up the next morning was not exactly a glamorous affair. The morning was cold, but thanks to Tatsuki who, while grumbling, used her magic to raise the temperature, the apartment was now warm and toasty. After blinking the sleep from their eyes and getting a slow start to the morning, which was only made worse with Bast constantly urging them to "hurry the hell up", the girls finally left around seven thirty in the morning and picked up Yoruichi. A sleepy Urahara, clad in of all things, pajamas with bunnies on them with matching slippers, answered the door and got Yoruichi who was actually quite eager to go with them. They then left, but not before Rukia put in an order for the pajamas in her size with Urahara. Despite Bast wanting to go to the Library immediately, they all stopped for breakfast since they'd had no time for it when they got up. After breakfast, they finally started on their journey to the library, which, as Tatsuki began to realize, Bast still had not explained the reason.<p>

"Oi, Bast. You never did tell us why we had to go to the library."

Bast looked at her from her spot on Chizuru's shoulders. _"You'll see when we get there Girlie." _Bast then stretched and began messing with Chizuru's face by lightly patting it with her paw, even going so far as to cover one of her eyes, snickering when Chizuru jumped in surprise.

Tatsuki snorted and grinned. It seems that even demonic cats were still cats, and still had the urge to play. Yoruichi, per Bast's instructions, was in her cat form and lounging in Rukia's arms. While she had been eager to go with them, she was still kind of sleepy so she had no problem catching up on a few Zs while they made their journey. When they had finally gotten to the library, it was just being opened. The librarian eyed them moodily, a thermos of coffee in her hands and a ring of keys in the other. She eyed Bast and Yoruichi and her aging face pulled into a frown.

"No pets."

Thinking quickly, Tatsuki came up with an idea. "They aren't pets, ma'am. They are service animals."

The librarians tired eyes narrowed and one of her eyebrows raised in skepticism. "Really? What service are they being used for?"

Thinking again, Tatsuki swallowed a lump in her throat and answered the moody librarian. "Therapy for social anxiety." Digging into her coat pocket, she pulled out the medical band that they had had when they had been discharged from the hospital. "Recently my friends and I were attacked during the night and had to be hospitalized, and since we found it hard to talk to the counselors about it we were provided with service animals to help cope with the anxiety of being outside. We're high school students, so we still have to do work. We just want to be able to do what we need to do to get passed this and to complete our work."

The librarian looked closely at the medical band and, seeing that it was real and that the date was recent came to one conclusion. With a sigh, shen then stood aside and let them in. "Next time bring harnesses and leashes for them."

Tatsuki smiled and nodded, and they proceeded to go inside. The librarian went to her office on the first floor which was below street level, preparing to boot up the system to prepare for the busy day ahead. Once she was out of earshot Bast jumped from Chizuru's shoulder and to the floor where she eyed Tatsuki and grinned. _"Girlie, that was some spectacular acting and thinking. Not only have you gotten us in this time, you've assured that we can come here in the future without suspicion. Well done."_

Tatsuki blushed while Orihime hugged her arm. "She's right Tatsuki-chan that was brilliant."

"I'm certainly impressed." Said Yoruichi, who was now wide awake. Rukia nodded as well, grinning.

Bast led them to a more private area, which was definitely much older than another of the other sections. You could smell the age of the books, the paper even yellowed on some. The wooden floor beneath the clearly old and patch red carpet creaked, and the lighting was still dim, one overhanging light providing a minuscule area of visibility.

She then hopped onto one of the tables and sat down, her stance and expression clearly conveying that it was time for business. _"Now then, the reason that we are here, is because we are going to go into the Hall of Magic."_

Yoruichi's eyes widened, and she recalled one of the previous conversations she'd had when she first found out what they'd done. "_The_ Hall of Magic? But how?"

Bast flicked her tail in annoyance and then looked at Rukia. _"Before I say anything further, I'm going to remind you of our conversation last night. I am trusting you to keep quiet about this. Like I told Cat Lady here, the Hall of Magic is a sacred place that has been safe from shinigami for thousands of years, because they have no idea if it actually exists, and how to get there. You are a shinigami, but because you are friends with my masters, I'm willing to allow you an opportunity that no shinigami has ever had before. Don't betray that trust."_

Rukia nodded, firm in her decision. "I understand." Bast eyed her for a few moments before confirming that she was indeed serious in her decision. _"Alright. The first thing we need to do is find, a 'Door to Nowhere'. Can anyone tell me what that could possibly be?"_

Everyone's faces twisted in confusion. A Door to Nowhere? What the hell was that?

Orihime was stumped. A Door to Nowhere? In a library? A Door had to lead somewhere. Otherwise it was useless. There were false doors that lead to brick walls sometimes but she didn't think there was anything like that here, even in this part of the older section of the library. Looking around, she spied something out of the corner of her eye. A broom was leaning against one of the tables. Since they were the first to come in besides the librarian, she supposed that the janitor had accidentally left it out the night before…..

Orihime's eyes widened in realization and she turned to Bast. "Could it be a closet?"

Everyone's eyes widened just the same as hers as their gaze landed on her. Bast grinned. _"Very good Jugs. A closet doesn't lead to anywhere. It only stores things. However, a Janitor's closet is even more so. Its small and is only required to store a few things."_

Orihime nodded. "Theres a janitor's closet near the back of this section. I've seen the janitor come get things out of it a few times."

_"Lead the way."_ Bast said, hopping onto her shoulders.

Leading them through the old bookcases and avoiding damaged floor areas, they arrived at the janitor's closet. Chizuru tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Great, how our we supposed to get in?"

Bast rolled her eyes. "We don't need the janitor's door, we are going to create the entrance." Eyeing a small chalkboard in the corner, she jumped from Orihime's shoulders and made her way to the chalkboard. Picking up one of the biggest pieces of chalk with her teeth, she came back with it and dropped it into Orihime's hands. _"Use the chalk to make an equilateral triangle. At the tips of those points, draw three eyes, one eye for each point."_

Orihime nodded and proceeded to do so carefully so that she wouldn't mess anything up. Once she was done she turned to Bast. "Now what?"

_"Now, look at the door and say, ' _**I ask your permission to learn**_.' This is something you all must say at the same time." _

They all looked at each other, expressions of eagerness and excitement on their faces, then turned to the door and spoke at the same time:

"I ask your permission to learn."

For a moment, nothing happened, leaving everyone but Bast with confused expressions, that is until the eyes that Orihime had drawn blinked at the same time.

The eyes centered on them for a moment, scrutinizing and pinning them with their gaze. And then a voice with a hissing rasp spoke.

_**"You have permission to learn."**_

The eyes then closed, and the door changed from wood to stone, and slid aside, revealing the wonders inside.

…

* * *

><p>Books. Books as far as the eye could see. High cathedral painted ceilings, telling tales of times passed. Ornate silver chandeliers, in each candle holder red candles were aflame. The melted wax from previous candles gave them an aged appearance that only added to the charm. Oddly enough, there was a set of small train tracks that ran through the middle of the floor. There was even a bench and a little sign that displayed what ward they were in. Besides the smell of aged books, there was the smell of fresh coffee and food. A cafe? The walls seemed to be made of dark stone with aged cracks. This was certainly a place of wonder. It was like they had stepped into a whole new world and they were not alone. There were others there, women in all shapes and sizes, and in all kinds of attire, all with two things thing in common.<p>

They all had brooms, and they had creatures with them. Anything from bats with one eye, to even something that resembled a three headed crow. In this magical place, there were even an abundance and variety of magical creatures

One woman who looked to be in her early thirties walked by, dressed in her finest dark grey business suit, with long wavy brown hair and lightly tanned skin. She had a pair of circle frames on the edge of her nose. Her eyes were bright and were a lovely hazel color. Her attention was on the cellphone in her hand, no doubt planning something important. All in all, she was a very normal woman, if not for the large boa constructer that was draped across her shoulders.

Before anyone could blink, the large snake leapt from the woman's shoulders and transformed mid air. When he landed, instead of a snake, there was a man with slicked back short black, piercing slitted yellow eyes, and bronzed skin. He was fairly muscled with a swimmers body, his large hands tipped with deadly black claws. His body appeared mostly human, at least his upper half anyway. His lower half wasn't humanoid at all. In the place of legs, there was a long serpent's tail, the patterned scales catching the candle light from the chandeliers.

Before they could even begin to make sense of him, he was moving again, this time around them.

"My my, what have we here? Delicious little neophyte Witches perhaps? Its about time there was some new blood in this place." He said, his voice deep and husky with a bit of a rasp.

Chizuru gulped and moved closer to Orihime while Tatsuki stood her ground in the presence of the demonic serpent. "Yeah? What of it?"

This caught the serpent's attention and he quickly moved to face her, a grin splitting his face, revealing fangs. "Oh my, what a feisty little morsel you are. I could just swallow you whole-"

He was cut off by a thundering growl and quickly turned to see Bast, who surprisingly had taken her demon form, glaring at the serpent with glowing blue eyes. _"Serpent, you will remove yourself from my masters' presence."_

The serpent rolled his eyes and moved his tail from around them. "Honestly Imani, I was only teasing. I know better than to cause trouble in this place. Besides, you still call me 'serpent' even though we've known each other a long time. I'm terribly hurt." He said, although from the grin on his face, they could tell that he was not hurt in the least.

Chizuru looked at Bast and frowned. "Your name is Imani?"

Bast shook her large head, her tail waving slowly. _"It was what my previous master named me. Like I said before, my old name doesn't matter."_

The serpent moved closer and grinned. "So what is your name now?"

Bast sat down and began grooming her enormous paw, no longer deeming him a possible threat to them. "_Its Bast._"

The serpent's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Such an honorable name. Its about time you sought out a new master. And now you've got three. You must be feeling relieved. After all, to have your master die on your watch….You must have felt _terribly guilty_ all these-"

"Victor!"

The serpent, now known as Victor, turned his head toward his master who was waiting impatiently and tapping her stiletto heeled foot. "Come along, I have a meeting at nine thirty." She said. By her accent, she was definitely of Australian origin.

"Yes yes, I'm coming." He turned toward them and grinned. "Well, it seems that our fun must end. I do hope to see you all in the near future." With a farewell nod, his body transformed once again into a snake as he wrapped himself around his master's waist with his head resting on her shoulder. "I'm terribly sorry Delia, I simply had to greet the new blood. Shall we be on our way?"

"Yeah yeah you're forgiven." She placed a small kiss on the snake's mouth, which caused him to shiver in delight, and mounted her broom. They lifted into the air slowly and took off down the hall and around a corner.

"….When can we get one of those?"

All eyes turned to Chizuru, who's eyes were sparkling in excitement. Bast let out a large sigh and shrunk down back into her familiar form as a black cat. _"If you want, we can get the materials here. A broom works much better when you make it yourself."_

While Chizuru celebrated the news with a small happy dance, there was something brewing in Orihime's mind. "Bast?"

The demonic feline turned towards her and sat down. _"Yes?"_

"Um…I'm pretty sure that her accent was Australian…..How come we could understand what she was saying?"

Bast nodded to herself and gave a small grin. _"Witches come from all walks of life, and as such, all around the world. The Hall of Magic is enchanted so that while here, everyone can communicate easily. Even the books are enchanted the same way. Now, we've wasted enough time standing around here. It seems that this door has brought us to the 27th Wing. We need to be in the 33rd."_

Chizuru frowned, not liking the idea that they had to do anymore walking, especially since this place was revealed to be a lot bigger than what they could physically see. "And just how are we gonna get there?"

Bast lead them all to the bench that sat at the side of the tracks. Her paw swatted the bell that they had not previously noticed hanging on the sign. _"33rd ward, six passengers."_

They heard two sharp 'dings' in response and from around a corner, a small Railcar pulled up. It was red in color with golden looping designs that resembled eyes. The door opened, and they could all see that there was no one driving it.

Bast was the first to hop inside and turned to them. "_Well lets go, we don't have time to dawdle."_

With that, the group of women entered the Railcar, and Rukia couldn't help but notice a group of Witches snickering and looking their way. "I wonder why they are laughing…."

Bast sighed and hopped in Orihime's arms. _"Its because most if not all Witches who come here prefer to fly to wherever they need to go instead of taking the Railcar."_

Tatsuki didn't like the way she said that and her frown clearly showed her dissatisfaction. "How come?"

The door of the Railcar slid closed and they could feel it start up. Bast looked a bit moody and seemed to press closer into Orihime and even dug her claws into her thick sweater dress. _"Just trust me when I say you're gonna need the seat belts…"_

Noting the tone of her voice and her actions, everyone quickly buckled up, even Yoruichi who changed back into her human form. She wasn't gonna take any chances.

The Railcar started off slowly for a few minutes, and turned the corner heading toward a tunnel.

Tatsuki scoffed. "This isn't so bad. You made it seem like this was gonna be bad-"

Her words were cut off as the Railcar suddenly shot forward, disappearing into the tunnel at warp speed.

This was gonna be quite a ride.

…

* * *

><p>Here's a longer chapter for the wait! I hope you guys are enjoying everything so far, I know I am! I'm a college student so it can get hard for me to post sometimes, but I will try to do so as much as I can! Also! Those who are reading my <strong>Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro<strong> fanfiction, _Peeping, I will try to update as much as I can with that one. I don't intend to leave it for years again. Sometimes I just need to find inspiration lol. _

Please review! I am anxious to write more but I'd love to hear your opinions more! If you have questions please leave them in the review and let me be able to respond back. I hate to answer questions on the actual chapter.

_*kotatsu - a low wooden table frame covered by a futon or heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, often built into the table itself. _

_*Hanako- "flower child."_

_*Chikako- A shrewd name meaning "clever."_

_Please look here for any and all translations so that you guys won't get confused! I want you all to be able to comprehend every part of the story so that you can get the best experience! Thank you so much!_


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Bleach, Humor, Romance